Volume 34 May 16, 2011______

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK

• Monday,5/16 – 5/19 - NJASK3 Makeups (9:00 – 11:30 am)

• Wednesday, 5/18 - 3rd Grade Parent Orientation at LAF

• Thursday, 5/19 - PMK Zoo Field Trip

• Friday, 5/20 - 3rd Grade Field trip

- Funtastic Friday

- Last Cryer Deadline

- LAST DAY TO RETURN INSTRUMENT RENTAL FORMS for Grade 2 and 3 students

interested in taking an instrument next year.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

• Monday, 5/23 - First grade Field trip

- Third Grade Spring Concert dress rehearsal@ 1:45 for K-2

• Tuesday, 5/24 - Third Grade Spring Concert @ 7:00 pm

• Wednesday, 5/25 - New Kindergarten Orientation – First session @12:45pm; Second Session @ 2:00 pm

- Two hour sessions for Kindergarten- AMK 8:35 – 10:30; PMK 10:35 – 12:30 pm.

• Thursday, 5/26 - Field Day @ Cougar Field begins at 9:30 – 11:30.

• Friday, 5/27 - No School - UNUSED SNOW DAY

• Monday, 5/30 - No School – MEMORIAL DAY

• Wednesday, 6/1 - Field Day (Rain Date)

• Thursday, 6/2 - Transition Meeting for parents of Kindergarten students moving up to 1st grade

@10:00 am, Multipurpose Room

- Cheryl Caggiano meets with 3rd Graders @1:00 pm in Multipurpose Room

• Friday, 6/3 - 1st Grade Math Games afternoon @ 1:00 pm in Multipurpose Room

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Please note the deadline for the last Cryer Newsletter of the year which will be published early in

June. If you have information for our school community please send your article to Laura Keenan

keenans@optonline.net.

ATTENTION THIRD GRADE PARENTS!

Last week, all third graders came to a lively assembly featuring musicians demonstrating the band instruments. Flute,

clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and the trombone were featured. Your student will be able to play these instruments

(except saxophone) in Fourth Grade Band at Lafayette. All students should have received an information pamphlet as

well as rental forms from their homeroom teacher. Should you have any questions or you did not receive a packet,

please feel free to email me at ldebiasse@chatham-nj.org

FIELD DAY - SAVE THE DATE:

Save the Date! Field Day will be May 26. (Rain date June 1st) Students will walk to Cougar soon after

arriving at school. Games are scheduled to begin after the opening at (9:15.) All games will take place from

9:30 AM until 11:30 PM followed by a school picnic back at WAS in the back of the school . PM

Kindergarten will come in the AM.

THE HOME PAGE Washington Avenue School

973-457-2510 (Office)

973-457-2510 Press 1 (Attendance)

More details to follow! We are in need of lots volunteers! Your time commitment would be 9 am to 11:45 am. It

is a ton of fun and your kids would love to see you! If interested, please contact Karen Proscia at proscias@gmail.com or (973) 701-1982.

This year the theme for Field Day is WE ALL “CAN” DO IT-full bags of canned goods for the Food Pantry. A flyer with more

information will be sent out.

FROM MS. QUIGLEY: Third grade NJASK testing went very well. Thank you for keeping our hallways quiet.

Also a special thank you to Mr. A, Mrs. Donnelly, Mrs. Smith, Terri McCabe, and the Chatham Police Department for all

their help in making our Annual Bike Rodeo a big success. Having our guest stunt cyclists and the Police motorcycle was

very entertaining.

Please know how much the staff and I appreciate the many PTO Sponsored events that supported their Gifts to WAS.

The document cameras have become great tools for our students and teachers to use when they want to show

something up on the Smartboard, such as student writing, reading books, science and math demos. The CEF provided

the 13 we have now, This gift from the PTO will enable the rest of the classrooms and the media center to each have

one. Again, many thanks! We’re a very lucky school to have all of your support!

FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE:

For ALL NEW Students and/or Kindergarteners: Please see list of clinic dates at the Madison Health Department. This is

primarily for people without health insurance coverage, or who's healthcare coverage does not cover the cost of

immunizations in a well child visit to the doctor. Appointments are necessary, please call the number listed. All

immunizations are due before the start of school . The only exceptions would be for students who have just moved from

another state or from another country. Please feel free to contact the school nurse with any questions related to

immunization requirements.

For children with no insurance or with insurance that does not cover the cost of immunizations or well care check-

up

Madison Health Department

Questions: Marlene Dolan, RN 973 593-3079 x 9

973 593-3079 x 9

Tuesday, 8:00 am

June 21

July 12

August 9

Other Vaccines

Limited supplies of vaccines are available. Availability may depend on insurance coverage

Tdap – tetanus with pertussis vaccine recommended for adults due for tetanus booster (every 10 yrs) or having contact

with infants or vaccine compromised persons

HPV – for ages 9 yrs thru 26 yrs; males and females; 3 doses over 6 months to protect from certain cancers and genital

warts

Meningococcal conjugate – required for 6th

graders born after 1/1/97; second dose is now recommended 5 yrs.

following the first dose (if given at 11 or 12 yrs)

FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT

• Thank you to all the families that participated in the Smash Burger fundraiser. I know my first grader was delighted to

see so many of his school friends for dinner. Thank you to Diane Rooney and Sue O’Donnell for organizing this and

the Spiritwear sale.

• If you have any receipts to be submitted for projects or events with the PTO, please submit them ASAP to Hillary

Singer. There is a folder in the office with Check Requests; receipts must be attached. We are getting our books in

order for the year and need to make sure all unfinished business is closed. Please call either myself or Hillary with

any questions.

• At last week’s PTO meeting we decided to gift approximately $10,000 worth of Document Cameras for Smart board,

stop watches, hot water heater for the teacher’s room, hose reel for our courtyard and repainting the USA map in

the front of the school. Thanks to everyone who supported the fundraisers, helped out at an event, or just lent your

support for the PTO; I am extremely pleased to be giving back to our school in such a generous way!

2011-2012 WAS PTO COMMITTEES - PLEASE READ!

Thank you to those parents who have completed our online form thus far. We appreciate your support of WAS!

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS FORM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER IN ANY OF THE ONGOING

OR SPECIAL EVENTS AT WAS - art room, library, lunch duty, Museum on the Move, safety/car line, book fair, family fun

night, field day, holiday boutique, movie nights, picture days, pizza days, special events day and staff appreciation

luncheon. NO PAPER FORMS WILL BE USED THIS YEAR! Select "volunteer" on the drop-down menu on the online form

to serve in a volunteer role at WAS (see volunteer details below). This is also the form you will complete should you be

interested in serving as a Room Parent for your child's class. We look forward to your active involvement in the 2011-

2012 school year. Please use the following link: https://register.communitypass.net/chatham

Here's more information on the ongoing and special event volunteer opportunities available at WAS.

� Art Room: Assist art teacher during your child's class.

� Library: Assist librarian during your child's class, check-in and check-out books and shelve books.

� Lunch/Playground: Provide adult supervision during your child's lunch and recess periods once or twice monthly

from 11:45 AM-1:00 PM.

� Museum on the Move: Present art lessons in your child's class once or twice yearly. All training and materials

provided.

� Pizza Days: Assist during your child's lunch period for monthly Friday pizza days.

� Safety: Assist with supervision of morning (8:15-8:40 AM) and afternoon (3:00-3:15 PM) carlines weekly,

monthly or as needed. AM Kindergarten parents needed to volunteer at 11:25 dismissal and PM Kindergarten

parents needed to volunteer at 12:15 arrival time.

� September Picture Day: Volunteers needed to assist with class and individual photos. Daytime shifts.

� October Book Fair: Volunteers needed to set-up and break-down Fair and help children with shopping and

check-out. Early morning and evening shifts.

� Fall Movie Nights: Volunteers needed to supervise children and serve snacks during grade-level and alumni

movie nights. Friday evening events.

� December Holiday Boutique: Volunteers needed to set-up and break-down Boutique and help children with

shopping and check-out. Daytime shifts.

� January Family Fun Night: Volunteers needed to set-up and break-down event and to supervise refreshment

and prize tables. Friday evening event.

� February Special Events Day: Volunteers needed to prepare and facilitate classroom activities, to decorate

school bulletin boards and common areas and to assist with luncheon for staff and parent volunteers.

Daytime shifts but decorating can be done in evening.

� May Picture Day: Volunteers needed to assist with class and individual photos. Daytime shifts.

� May Staff Appreciation Luncheon: Volunteers needed to prepare food, set-up, help serve and clean-up. Daytime

shifts but cooking can be done in evening.

� May Field Day: Volunteers needed to assist children with outdoor games and activities and BBQ lunch. Early

morning and daytime shifts.

Should you have any questions, please contact Samantha Ekert, WAS PTO Vice President, at sekert@msn.com.

TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEON

THANK YOU!!!! The Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon last Friday was "smashing" and "brilliant"! If you took a

walk by the library, you would have felt you were across the pond in London! Thank you to all who helped, baked,

cooked, served, set-up, cleaned up, and supervised!!! The day was wonderful and we couldn't have done it without all

of your help: Susie Robertson, Jenna McClintock, Jen Marshall, Michelle Sofo, Wendy Zigon, Hillary Singer, Sam Ekert,

Laura Keenan, Mary Sue Hughes, Jen Clarke, Colleen Truppo, Diane Rooney, Nancy Gayer, Tracey Murray, Mary Coyle,

Beth Burton, Eugenia Genesio, Kris Zingone, Melissa McNamara, Maureen Sherman, Dana Browning, Sharon Loconte,

Nicole O'Connell, Carrie Hilgendorff, Johanna Ryan. And special thanks to the fabulous committee: Amy Crandall, Jen

Joel, Heidi Schenone, and Susan VonHeill. Carole Dinnhaupt

KIDSART CARDS UPDATE

The children's completed art cards and notepads should arrive to WAS by June 17. Please contact Pam Mancino

at joenpam@optonline.net if you have any questions.

SCHOOL SUPPLY ORDERS FOR SEPTEMBER 2011!

Yes, it's that time of year already! Has your student come home telling you he or she is "almost" in the next grade? Well

here is the first opportunity to start thinking ahead! The WAS teachers have already made their grade-specific supply

requests, and the PTO has teamed up with Staples / SchoolKidz to order those supplies in bulk and pass the savings on to

you. Your child will receive the order form home in his or her folder for you to review. Should you wish to purchase,

kindly send back your form along with a check made out to WAS PTO. We will order your supply kit and have it

waiting for your child on the first day of school in September in their new classroom. This will save you the time and

energy from going to the stores to pick everything out and hope that it is indeed what your child's teacher had in mind.

Please note that ordering the supply kit is not required, but many families do find this to be a tremendous help and

service. Please also note that the order form you will be receiving is for next year's class (i.e. If your student is currently

in kindergarten, you will receive a first grade form). THESE ORDER FORMS ARE DUE FRIDAY, JUNE 3RD. Should you

have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! Colleen Markley - colleenmarkley@gmail.com or 973-665-9397.

THESE FORMS CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON THE WAS WEBPAGE http://www.chatham-nj.org/was/site/default.asp

GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM COUNTRYSIDE STUDIOS

It’s not too late to order a gift certificate from Countryside Studios! Please see the form at the end of the Homepage for

more information.

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY

This Friday, May 20 is Funtastic Friday! In honor of Memorial Day and the good ol' US of A, let's all dress in as much RED,

WHITE & BLUE as possible! Rock your patriotic style!

SPIRIT WEAR ORDERS

Orders were distributed to homerooms last Friday, May 13. If you have any questions or concerns about your order,

please contact Sue O'Donnell (sue_od@yahoo.com).

***If you ordered a Cougar Beach Towel, please note that the towels must be washed separately prior to use***

Cougar Beach Towels - We have a small quantity of Chatham Cougar Beach Towels available ($25/towel - all proceeds to

WAS PTO). Please contact Sue O'Donnell (sue_od@yahoo.com) or Diane Rooney (gadiliki@optonline.net) to purchase.

Attention Third Grade Parents! Last week, all third graders came to a lively assembly featuring musicians demonstrating the band

instruments. Flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and the trombone were featured. Your students will be able to play these

instruments (except saxophone) in Fourth Grade Band at Lafayette. All students should have received an information pamphlet

as well as rental forms from their homeroom teacher. Should you have any questions or you did not receive a packet, please

feel free to email me at ldebiasse@chathamnj.org

************************************** COMMUNITY EVENTS *************************************

See attached Flyers below:

1. Countryside Studios Gift certificate Form

2. Chatham Education Foundation Teacher Tribute Form

3. WorkFamily Form for full day program on May 27th

.

4. Morris County 4-H Fair in July Contests for children

Gift Certificates from Countryside Studios

Now through the end of May 2011, we are offering gift certificates from Countryside Studios, Madison’s premiere

portrait studio since 1990. These gift certificates make great gifts for any occasion like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day,

Communions, Graduations and Family portraits.

These gift certificates entitle you to a one hour studio session at Countryside Studios along with a free 8X10 portrait

valued at $197. The cost of the certificate is $35 with all the proceeds going to Washington Avenue PTO! It’s an

awesome fundraising opportunity for us!!!

You may purchase more than one certificate to give as gifts, but EACH FAMILY MAY ONLY REDEEM ONE. Certificates

may be redeemed from now until Aug 19th, 2011. (So, your studio time must be scheduled by Aug 19th

, 2011. NO

EXCEPTIONS.)

To purchase a Countryside gift certificate:

1) Complete and return the order form below along with your check payable to WAS PTO to the office by May 31st,

2011.

2) Once you’ve purchase your certificate, contact Countryside Studios directly at (973) 377-5750 to schedule your

studio time. We recommend that you call to book your appointment as soon as you purchase your certificate.

Mary Sue Hughes mssuber@verizon.net & Christina Hill christina020@aol.com

****************************************************************

Countryside Studio Gift Certificate Order Form

Name: _________________________________________________________

Phone Number: _________________________________________________

Email address: __________________________________________________

Teacher: _______________________________________________________

Number of Countryside Gift Certficates: ___________________________

Please make checks payable to WAS PTO. $35 per gift certificate.