Charles A. Lindbergh Elementary School PTA

http://www.lindberghpta.org

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February 2012

indbergh Spirit News

Greetings from PTA From the desks of Katie Burd and Charlene Love

Dear Lindbergh Families, Despite the groundhog’s prediction that there will be six more weeks of winter, Lindbergh PTA is busy gearing up for spring. There are some exciting spring events planned for Lindbergh that include: the Theme Tray Auction, Art Show, Author Visit, Spring Concerts, the Talent Show and the Spring Plant Sale to name a few. To date, our PTA fundraisers and events have been very successful and, with your continued help, we look forward to the many events PTA has planned for the rest of the year. The past few months at Lindbergh have been very busy. We are extremely proud of Lindbergh’s Cafeteria for winning the Gold Award for the HealthierUS Food Challenge based upon First Lady, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. The teachers and support staff put together an amazing array of talents to showcase to distinguished guests in an all-school assembly on Thursday, Feb 2nd. This was a very proud moment for Lindbergh! Congratulations again to the Cafeteria Staff for winning this prestigious award. Lindbergh’s 3rd Annual Disco was another big hit! Memories were made as the boys and girls sang their favorite songs during karaoke, and while they moved and grooved on the dance floor. It is safe to say that they had a blast!! Thanks to all parents, teachers and staff who helped with this fun event. Our monthly PTA meetings have been well-attended, and we have met some terrific parents each month. Thank you to those who have taken the time to come and learn more about PTA, and other issues related to our children’s education. We have tried some new things at our meetings, including a raffle for those in attendance, as well as inviting a guest speaker to address the membership. Each month, in addi-tion to a report from Mr. Muscarella, we are joined by a few teachers as well. Based on positive feedback, we are continuing our work on getting speakers for future meetings. If you are interested in sharing your professional knowledge or know of someone who would be of interest to the members of PTA, please let us know; we would love to hear from you. Please join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, March 7th. It’s never too late to come to a meeting and, remember, Dads are always encouraged to attend! This current issue of Lindbergh’s Spirit News showcases our talented Music teachers here at Lind-bergh. Our children are incredibly lucky to have this program as part of their educational curriculum. Please take a moment to read and learn more about these gifted teachers and their sound knowledge. Did you know that Mrs. Holden works with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education Committee? That our very own Mr. Koeppel performed with Liza Minnelli? Or that Mr. Holden has been playing the piano since he was five years old? Read their full interviews to find out other interesting facts and life stories about these teachers and their passion for music. We hope that you will enjoy this issue as much as the newsletter committee has enjoyed putting these articles together for you. Our next issue of Spirit News will focus on health and wellness. Stay tuned…. Once again, Katie and I want to thank you, our dedicated parents, teachers, and staff; we wouldn’t be able to do what we do as a PTA without your love of our children and support of our school community.

Cheers to you! Katie Burd Charlene Love kkburd@verizon.net cmlove@netzero.com

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February

13-21 PARP week

Read to Ride begins

Read to Feed begins

14 BOE Meeting

16 Grade 2 Frog & Toad Show 6:30 PM

20-24 Early Spring Recess (No School)

27 Family Board Game Night – No TV/Video Games Day

Note: Important

Dates

News From the desk of Mr. Muscarella, Principal

March

2 School Spirit Day – wear school colors

8 Spring Picture Day

15 Spring Plant Sale Starts

16 No School – Staff Development

21 Early Release – 1:00 PM Dismissal

23 Theme Tray Auction cafeteria, 5:30-8 PM

26 Family Board Game Night – No TV/Video Games Day

Jump Rope for Heart Week

29 Lindbergh Gr 4 & 5/Ken West Choral Exchange 1:30 PM

30 Sabres Day

Spring Plant Sale Orders Due

April

4 P/T/S Evening Conferences

5 School Spirit Day – wear school colors

11:30 AM Dismissal

6-13 Spring Recess (No School)

KEN-TON ADOPTS NEW ELEMENTARY MATH PROGRAM During the 2010-11 school year, the Elementary Math Committee was charged with evaluating the current re-source (Everyday Math) to determine if it was aligned to the Common Core Learning Standards. After a thorough review, the committee unanimously found significant discrepancies and requested a review of alternative re-sources. With unanimous support, the committee proud-ly recommended Math Expressions, published by Hough-ton Mifflin Harcourt. Teachers will be trained during the upcoming summer and will be ready to implement the new resource in September 2012. In October 2012, the district will host an information night to help parents learn more about the program and share parental resources. Math Expressions Highlights:

Aligned to Common Core Learning Standards with a greater emphasis on fewer topics taught in greater depth Develops conceptual understanding and procedural fluency Promotes “Math Talk” within the classroom Built in Response to Intervention to help students who are struggling Parent information that make parents aware of the math their child is learning in school and provides addi-tional background information.

UPDATED INFORMATION RELEASED ON GRADE 3-8 ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE

The NYS Education Department has released information on the 2012 administration of the grades 3-8 ELA and mathematics assessment. Key changes in the release:

The move from a two-day testing window to three days

The embedding of field test items A distinction between time for completion and scheduled times for the duration por-tion of the assessment State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. said, “The Board of Regents and SED are committed to providing teachers, parents and administrators with the most complete

information possible to help students progress toward college and career readiness. The 2012 assessments will also incorporate field test questions to prepare for the 2013 alignment of the State’s tests with the new Com-mon Core standards, which have been adopted by New York and more than 40 other states.” Parents can help by not scheduling appointments during the following dates: Grade 3-5 Testing ELA: April 17, 18, 19 Math: April 25, 26, 27 Grade 4 Science Performance: May 23-24, 2012 Grade 4 Science Written: June 4, 2012

Help bring Andy Parker and his weather machine to Lindbergh! Andy Parker is a meteorologist with Channel 2, WGRZ. His weather machine is an interactive machine that can produce all kinds of weather including actual tornados to wind-whipped snowstorms and MORE! Please visit our website for more information. Lindbergh is on the move!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself, Any direction you choose.”

—Dr. Seuss

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Staff Spotlight For this issue’s Staff Spotlight, we asked Lindbergh’s music teachers to tell us about their backgrounds in mu-sic, as well as about music education opportunities available to Lindbergh students. We are so fortunate to have such talented teachers working with our students.

Mrs. Holden Spotlight: How long you have been teaching? Mrs. Holden: Professionally, I have been teaching voice lessons or general music for fifteen years now. But, I sup-pose you could say I started teaching music when I was in high school! My mom (an elementary classroom teacher) and I co-directed a 4th and 5th grade show choir. My mom didn't like to perform; she was very shy. However, she was an amazing teacher and she was always looking for new ways to connect with her students. I loved to sing, dance and act, so we made a good team. She han-dled the discipline/organization, and I got my first taste of choreographing and directing small scale produc-tions! I started teaching voice lessons to piano majors at SUNY Fredonia during my senior year and then was offered a teaching assistantship at Temple, teaching voice classes and private lessons to undergraduate music majors. I always knew that I would end up in a classroom, but for the first decade of my life after high school, I was very focused on singing and performing. After graduating from Temple, I was hired by a community music school in Trenton, NJ to teach early childhood music classes. That was when I realized that teaching children was my true passion. I went back to SUNY Fredonia for a year and finished my music education degree and was immediately hired for a part-time elementary music position in the West Seneca School District. I only worked there for half a year when I was offered my job at Holmes Elementary here in Ken-Ton. This is my 9th year at Holmes and my first year trav-eling to Lindbergh. Spotlight: In a few sentences, would you please describe why you think music education is a vital part of a stu-dent’s education. Mrs. Holden: All children are musical. Research shows that music aptitude, much like intelligence, is dispersed amongst the public in a normal curve. This means that only approximately 2% of the population is truly gifted in the way Beethoven or Bach were gifted, and only 2% are at the other end of the spectrum- having no musi-cality at all. 96% of us have

some amount of innate musical abil-ity. This means that most people should be able to sing in tune, keep a steady beat, move expressively to music, and learn to play an instru-ment at a basic level. These experi-ences are part of our humanity and they are every child's right. As a singer, it always pains me to hear adults call themselves "tone deaf" or say that they "can't sing." Tone deaf is a myth. It refers to a lack of "audiation" skill, or the ability to hear small differences in pitches and rhythms. This skill, as well as singing in tune, is teachable, and it is my job as a music educator to make sure that all of my students develop their innate musicality to the best of their ability. Why is it important? Why is speaking or writing important? Because they are vehicles of ex-

pression, communi-cation, emotion and once again...humanity. Music learning is valuable not only in the sense that chil-dren learn to use their own voices

and bodies to make music, but as with all learning, it re-quires discipline, focus, and effort. Performing, individu-ally, builds confidence, public presentation skills, and responsibility in young students. The community aspect of making music in a choir, band, orchestra, or musical production provides the added benefits of learning to collaborate, cooperate, and tolerate the differences be-tween members of our "team." My dream is that some-day we will live in a world where people sing "Happy Birthday" and our National Anthem in tune. Why? Be-cause we can. We just weren't all taught how to. You have a voice. It can do so many things. If you learned how to use it to talk, why shouldn't you learn how to use it to sing? Music education has changed so much in re-cent years. We are now teaching measurable skills to individual students who are growing into independent musicians. Does it get any better than that? This is why I love my job! Spotlight: How do students benefit academically from participating in music education? Mrs. Holden: There has been much research done in an effort to link music to achievement in ELA or Math, but the results are inconclusive. What we can say is that in-volvement in music does not negatively affect test

96% of us have some amount of innate musi-cal ability.

Music learning is valuable not only in the sense that children learn to use their own voices and bodies to make music, but as with all learning, it requires discipline, focus, and effort.

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Staff Spotlight, cont. scores. Music students tend to do better on standardized tests than non-music students do. This is true. We just can't prove that music instruction is WHY they do better. However, we can say that pulling a student out of ELA or Math for a 1/2 hour private lesson once a week, does not lower their test score. The students who are not being pulled out for lessons are scoring lower than the ones who are. UB is currently doing some fascinating research with pre-K students and finding that those who receive profes-sional music instruction the year before Kindergarten are scoring higher on their Kindergarten readiness test than those who do not receive music instruction. That being said, learning anything benefits a student's academics, overall. All learning is connective. The brain learns by connecting new experiences to past experiences. Meaningful learning is not compartmentalized into subjects like "math," "music," "reading," "art" but instead, con-nects these subjects through real-life contexts and experiences. Spotlight: What kind of new ideas do you bring with you to Lindbergh to enhance our students’ experience in mu-sic education? Mrs. Holden: ….In my work with the BPO Education Com-mittee, Erie County Music Educator's Association (ECMEA), and the music education programs at SUNY Fredonia, UB, and Buffalo State, I have the opportunity to talk to many music teachers, student teachers, and parents of music students. Although it may not be known outside the music community, Lindbergh and Holmes are starting to gain some recognition for building music pro-grams that are research-based and skills-oriented. Music Learning Theory (MLT) is a theory about how chil-dren learn to be musical. MLT is built on the research of Edwin Gordon, who was a professor at UB in the 1970's. Dr. Gordon is now a world renowned lecturer, author, and guest professor. His sequence for teaching music learning mirrors the sequence of language acquisition. Although the research has been ongoing for over 40 years now, this way of teaching is still pretty "cutting edge" and is only starting to gain momentum in the U.S. Holmes and Lindbergh are two of only a handful of schools in WNY that have MLT programs. So, when stu-dents from our universities want to find out more about Gordon's research in action or what MLT looks like in an elementary classroom, they reach out to our schools. So, although I am not bringing anything "new" to Lindbergh, I am in the fortunate position to reinforce the teaching

my husband has been doing and infuse some of my own personality into the presentation of the same concepts and material. Spotlight: What CD could you not live without? And why are you drawn to this particular cd/artist? Mrs. Holden: This is a tough one for me. I play music constantly: in the car, around the house, in my class-room, even while we are sleeping! I listen to a wide vari-ety of styles: jazz standards, singer/songwriters, musical theater, country, pop, folk, 70's rock, opera, orchestral, world music....The cd I've had in my car lately is by one artist I am particularly drawn to- Sara Groves. She is a singer/songwriter with a beautiful, calming voice, well-

crafted lyrics and music that stirs my soul. Her songs are honest and still uplifting. On my way to work or on my way home, her music is like a moment of meditation for me. It helps me to center myself and focus on what matters most, making real and meaningful connections with the people (this includes children!) I work and live with.

Mr. Holden Spotlight: Please tell us about your background in music education? Mr. Holden: My parents were both music teachers. They sang to me and took me to concerts when I was just a baby. I started piano and violin lessons when I was 5. My parents were really strict about practicing every day for a 1/2 hour on each instrument. I went to college at Fre-donia and the University of Buffalo. I began teaching mu-sic in 1998 when Mrs. Holden and I lived in Philadelphia. Later I taught high school for a few years. But my favor-ite teaching job has been my last 5 years here at Lind-bergh. We have such a musical community! Spotlight: Please tell us about any exciting events you are currently working on with Lindbergh students. Mr. Holden: We have so many special events in the com-ing months! In February, we're having an assembly where we'll sing some of our Lindbergh songs and a new song called "Feelin' Good." I love it when the whole school sings together! Later in February, our 2nd grad-ers will be presenting a musical called Frog and Toad. And in April we'll have our first ever talent show at Lind-bergh. We also have some students working "behind the scenes." Six of our 5th graders will be performing with

Music Learning Theory (MLT) is a theory about how children learn to be musical. MLT is built on the research of Edwin Gordon, who was a professor at UB in the 1970's. Dr. Gordon is now a world renowned lecturer, author, and guest professor.

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Staff Spotlight, cont. All-County groups at Kleinhan's and several others will be performing at Barnes and Noble. Spotlight: Students love to come to music with Mr. Hold-en. What is your secret? Mr. Holden: Learning and laughing are two of my favorite things. I'm so lucky to have a job where I can do both every day. I also enjoy being challenged, and keeping up with 500 kids certainly keeps me on my toes! I try to al-ways do my homework and be well-prepared for the kids. I plan lots of different activities with diverse music to keep all of us from getting bored. Spotlight: What are some things that children can do this summer to become more well-rounded in music? Mr. Holden: What fascinates me most about learning is that it happens differently for everyone. We learn best when we're in an environment we're really excited about. Summertime is an opportunity to choose-your-own-adventure. Take summer lessons, start a rock band, go to concerts in the park or download music onto your iTouch. There are so many options. However you're expe-riencing music this summer, make connections between

what you've learned from your teachers and what you're hearing outside of school.

Spotlight: Please tell us about your favorite live music performance outside of school. Mr. Holden: I think I like musicals the best. When I was in high school, I saw Les Miserables at Shea’s. I had never heard men sing like they did that night. I was amazed that night and knew I wanted to have a career in music. Mrs. Holden got me tickets for a show at Shea’s this spring. I wonder what I'll learn at that performance!

Mr. Koeppel Spotlight: Please tell us about your background in music education. Mr. Koeppel: I earned a BFA in Music Education from S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo and a Masters in Education from Canisius College. While in school, I taught strings at Chimes Music, Towne Music and AAA Music, The creative Jazz Workshop and Villa Maria College. I have played with many bands and string quartets over the years including: The Norris Quartet (New acoustic music), The Johanna Cousins Quar-tet, Fantasia, Sam Falzone, Al Tinney (Jazz); per-formed on the Variety Club Telethon and WBFO Ra-dio; recorded a CD with the Jeffrey Arthur Quintet; 1st

violinist in the Cheektowaga Symphony; performed at Ralph Wilson Stadium, The Aud, North Americare Park, The Tralf, Shea’s, Art Park, Cornell University, Kleinhan's; played the part of The Fiddler at Centerstage; was musi-cal director for Pippen at UB; and toured with Liza Minelli and Dudley Moore. Currently, I'm performing with the award-winning gypsy jazz group, Babik. I've even had the opportunity to play with Lindbergh's own Dean Gionis Sr.'s Gypsy Jazz group, Djambossa. Spotlight: Please tell us about exciting opportunities Lindbergh students have had with outside artists. Mr. Koeppel: Students are always encouraged to attend the All County and NYSSMA festivals along with perform-ing at the budget vote. In the past, musical groups Synergy and Mark Wood

have hosted work-shops for all Kenmore students. Spotlight: What do you love about teach-

ing music to elementary students? Any advice you would give your students to help them succeed? Mr. Koeppel: I have always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and love for music with beginning elemen-tary students. Every student is given the opportunity to start a musical instrument here at Lindbergh. To see my students start from day one enjoying learning and grow-ing musically is the best part of my job. The best advice I can give my students is to never give up even when is seems too hard. Practicing every day will make the learning process easier and much more enjoy-able, and to always look forward to doing something mu-sical every day. Spotlight: What CD/artist could you not live with-out? Why are you drawn to this particular song/artist? Mr. Koeppel: Too many to pick just one. To start, The Beatles, Jean Luc- Ponty and Stephane Grappelli (Jazz

Violinist). They opened the door to a style of music I never considered on violin. Spotlight: Please tell us about an artist whom you wish your students listened to or had the chance to hear, and why? Mr. Koeppel: The Buffalo Philharmonic. The best collection of master musicians in Western New York

and one of the finest orchestras in the world.

To see my students start from day one enjoying learning and growing musically is the best part of my job.

We learn best when we're in an environment we're really excited about.

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From the desk of Lindbergh’s Leadership Committee Lindbergh’s Leadership Committee (formerly Character Education Committee) continues its work ex-ploring author/motivational speaker Stephen Covey’s work, The Leader In Me, and finding ways to incorpo-rate his original Seven Habits into the elementary school setting. In the past issue of Spirit News, we intro-duced you to the Seven Habits and the work some of our school is doing to encourage leadership and good character in every child. Here is a brief introduction to the first three principles, based on Sean Covey’s child-friendly book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Habit 1: Be proactive. (“You’re in Charge.”) “This concept teachers kids that they are responsible for their own lives, for their own fun or boredom, for their own happiness or unhappiness” (Covey, 23). Instead of blaming others, children need to take positive action to remedy their predicament. Habit 2: Begin with the End in mind. (“Have a Plan.”) “…planning ahead – whether it be with money, in school, or in life – always leads to good things….” (33). This principle teaches students to plan ahead and break a goal into accomplishable steps in order to achieve success. Habit 3: Put First Things First. (“Work first, then play.”) Human nature makes it difficult for us to delay grati-fication, to do what we should do instead of what we want to do first. But, as Covey states, “…if we don’t teach our kids to…do the hard thing first…while they are young, they may learn too late or not at all” (43). Simply put, being prepared feels better than the stress caused by procrastinating. If you are interested in further exploring these principles to see how they might apply to your family as well, you might want to read The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey (Stephen’s son), a child-friendly version of the Seven Habits. As Sean Covey describes in the forward to his book, “….it will equip them with a common language they can use with parents and teachers. It can be helpful to say, “I need to put first things first,” or “Let’s find a win-win for this situation,” and for everyone to know exactly what is meant.” Along with age-appropriate characters and stories, the book includes tips for parents at the end of each section. There is also an accompanying web-site (www.seancovey.com) with activities, games and quizzes. Stay tuned for details about Principles 4-7 in the next issue of Spirit News.

-Submitted by Cathy Miller (School Counselor) and Lisa Brown (Leadership Com-

mittee parent member)

OOPS! Spirit News accidentally omitted the following submissions from our Holiday Newsletter. We apol-ogize to Mrs. Gantz and Mrs. Lefler for our mistake, and thank them for their kind understanding.

One of my favorite holiday memories came at Christ-mas time. After opening our presents on Christmas morning, my brothers and sister and I would hurry to look to see what Santa left in our stockings. We would always find a fresh navel orange stuffed in the toe of our Christmas stocking. It was a symbol of good luck for the coming New Year. This tradition has been carried on through the years. My children and granddaughter still find an orange tucked in the toe of their Christmas stocking. It is a reminder of my

childhood past and good hope towards the future. Sometimes the littlest things can make the biggest memory! –Mrs. Gantz, 1 On Thanksgiving morning, my family and I all run in the YMCA Turkey Trot. In the afternoon, we always have dinner at my house. We push all of the furni-ture out of the way and line up four long tables through the living room, dining room and kitchen so that we can all enjoy sitting down to celebrate the day together! -Mrs. Lefler, K

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PHOTOS NEEDED FOR 5TH GRADE CELEBRATION SLIDESHOW!

Lindbergh Yearbook Order your Yearbook

Individual Kindergarten Photo – Does not have to be school’s portrait; can be your own photo. This is most important if your child did NOT attend Lindbergh for kindergarten because we will be showing a “then & now” comparison of each child and want to make sure each child is included.

Class Photos – With or without teachers. Photos from different Lindbergh events (i.e., Fun Fair, Holiday Breakfast, Sock Hop/Disco, concerts, sport

events, Bike Rodeo, school parties, etc.) Each child will show up approximately 5 times (individually or with a few friends) throughout the pro-gram. Class photos don’t count toward that 5-time maximum, so you don’t need to send 100 photo; send us just a few of your favorites! Each family will receive their photos back, completely unharmed, and their own personal copy of the slideshow on a DVD at the end of the school year. Please make sure your photos, CDs and thumb drives have your name and your 5th grader’s name on each item, so we can return them to you! We will accept hard copy photos as well as photos via e-mail, on CD or on a thumb drive. To e-mail photos, please send to beth_bordeleau@hotmail.com. Or you can call Chris & Beth Bordeleau at 875-3133, and we can make arrangements to get the photos from you. PHOTOS MUST BE IN NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MARCH 30TH, 2012.

Calling all Lindbergh Photographers!

We need your school or school function candids for all grade levels!

The easiest way to get your photographs to the Yearbook File is to use our Community upload

program. The site is www.community.lifetouch.com and the access

code is XAGGWE. Please contact Dawn Oliveri

(ddoliveri@verizon.net) or Beth Speyer (tbspeyer@verizon.net) with any questions or if you need to supply us with your photographs in

print or cd form.

It's that time again!

Don't miss your opportunity to reserve the 2011-2012 Lindbergh Yearbook.

Forms are expected to circu-late starting Mon., 2/13 and orders will end Wed., 2/29.

Order time is limited. Don’t miss your chance!

There is a Board of Education Budget Meeting on Tuesday, March 6th at 7PM in the Community Room of the Sheridan Building, 3200 Elmwood Avenue. Please consider attending as there will be time for public com-ment.

The District-sponsored 2012-2013 budget survey is still available if you have not yet had an opportunity to complete it. You can access the survey at

http://www.kenton.k12.ny.us/840101216134555847/site/default.asp. Click "2012-2013 Budget Survey" to complete the survey and have your input sent to the Ken-Ton Board of Education for consideration.

This is your chance to voice your opinion before crucial budget decisions are made.

School Budget News

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On February 2nd, Lindbergh Elementary School was presented with the GOLD Level Award from the USDA HealthierUS School Challenge. The HealthierUS School Challenge is a voluntary initiative established in 2004 to recognize those schools that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity. In February 2010, this initiative was adopted into First Lady Michelle Obama’s LETS MOVE campaign. Since the introduction of this program in 2004, only 2,161 schools across 45 states have been given this important award. And last Thursday, Lindbergh students and staff threw a huge party to celebrate this wonderful achievement! While notice of the USDA’s arrival was short, it was impressive to see how quickly the staff and students came together to prepare for the event. The building was abuzz for three weeks learn-ing new songs, choreographing dances and cheers, designing artwork and dressing up showcases to be preformed and displayed on the big day. Every grade level participated, and it all came together like they had been practicing for months. The event was attended by local leaders from the federal, state, county, town and village lev-el, including Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Town Supervisor Anthony Caruana. There were also many Ken-Ton District administration officials, including Superintendent Mark Mondanaro, and School Board President Bob Dana. Also in attendance were food service directors from Ken-Ton and other districts. It was a wonderful time to shine, and Lindbergh lived up to the GOLD standard that morning. There are many pictures that are posted to the PTA Facebook page as well as to our PTA website. Please take a moment to look and enjoy; your kids were amazing! -submitted by Katie Burd, PTA Co-President

Lindbergh Cafeteria Wins Gold

Reflections Committee Announces Winners

Congratulations to our Reflections Contest Region Winners, Anthony DePinto (grade 2) in the Photography category and Jude Hutcheson (grade K) in the Visual Arts category. Their winning entries are now on their way to the State-level competition! Spirit News recently had the pleasure of talking with our winning artists.

Spirit: Tell us about your photograph. Anthony: Well, when my Grandpa was at my house one day before school, and he told me, “Let’s go for a walk and col-lect leaves for your project.” And he helped me get the leaves, and we came home and I mod-podged them and then laid them out on the grass on a sunny day….I arranged them and took a photograph using my mom’s camera. Spirit: What does the word “diversity” mean to you? Anthony: Being the same, but different. Spirit: How does your artwork connect to the theme “Diversity Means…”? Anthony: Because they're all leaves, but they're all different shapes and sizes and colors. Spirit: Tell us about your artwork. Jude: I put a leaf under the paper and colored. Spirit: What does the word “diversity” mean to you? Jude: Things can be different colors and shapes. Spirit: How does your artwork connect to the theme “Diversity Means…” Jude: Because my leaves are all different.

Thank you to all of the students who partici-pated. Your artwork was beautiful!

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Upcoming Events

Dust off your dancin’ shoes and tune your guitar!

The Talent Show is looking for students who can sing, dance, play an instrument, tell a joke, twirl a

baton, juggle… and more!

Try-outs: Tuesday, 2/28 and Wednesday, 2/29

Dress Rehearsal: Monday, 4/2

Performances: Tuesday, 4/3 and Wednesday, 4/4

Stay tuned for more Talent Show details on the flier that will be sent home soon.

Feeling Lucky? Join us for a fun night of great prizes!

Friday, March 23rd

Buy tickets and enter drawings from 5:30—7:45 PM

Ticket draw begins at 8 PM sharp!

Donations of a basket, gift certificate, or auction item are greatly appreciated before March 19th.

To donate an item or inquire about the event, con-tact Colleen Donovan at jonandcolleen@yahoo.com.

Volunteers will be needed for the evening. More information will be sent home closer to the event.

Lindbergh’s Got Talent Theme Tray Raffle

Guest Speaker

“Dial Back the Worry: The Kids Will be All Right” Millie Blaisdell, retired teacher from Williamsville, draws on more than 30 years of classroom experience to

offer parents practical advice about helping their child(ren) to be successful in school and in life. As a teacher, mom, and grandmother, Millie has seen and heard it all.

She is guaranteed to make you think… and laugh!

Monday, April 2, 2012 in Cafeteria Regular Business Meeting from 7-7:30PM

Guest Speaker at 7:30PM

New Ideas Welcome In order to make Lindbergh PTA the best it can be, we would like to hear from YOU. Please use this form to share new ideas that we can consider in our up-coming plans. Helping hands are always welcome to put new ideas into action.

Your Name __________________________________________________ Phone# ____________________________

E-mail _________________________________________________________________________________________

Youngest Child’s Name ____________________________________________ Grade _________ Room# __________

Your Idea(s):

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Save your receipts from Dash’s! Dash's will help our PTA by contributing $3.50 for every $100 total in Dash's Market receipts that we redeem. Collect your receipts and put them in the box outside the main office.

We are currently behind last year’s total, so please save your Dash’s receipts. You can turn-in receipts as soon as you get them….No need to wait…. Every receipt counts.

Support LINDBERGH by collecting Box Tops. Each Box Top you save earns 10 cents for our school! Drop them in the box outside the main office.

· Shop through the Box Tops for Education web-site or buy books through the Box Tops book club.

· Available retailers, include: JC PENNEY, Barnes and Noble, the Gap, and Old Navy just to name a few!

· For more information, log-on to http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace/default.aspx or access this through the PTA website http://lindberghpta.org/earn-money-for-lindbergh/ .

· Call Jenn Szustakowski (876-2728) for details.

Fund Raisers Scrip Program

Thank you to everyone who ordered through the scrip program so far this year.

For every gift card that you purchase through the scrip program, Lindbergh PTA earns a profit.

The gift cards do not cost any more than if you bought them at the store.

Please make checks payable to Lindbergh PTA.

Gift cards will be sent home with your child.

Some companies available include:

Aeropostale Applebee’s

Barnes & Noble Bath & Body Works

Best Buy Children’s Place

Lowes Panera

Starbucks Sunoco

Target ToysRus

A complete store list is available at www.lindberghpta.org.

Plan ahead for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, First Communions, and birthdays!

If you have any questions, please contact Erica Casselman at cassman2121@gmail.com.

Imagine it Recycling

Protect the environment and create funding for our school! Recycle used cartridges, cell phones or other portable electronics in the Imagine it Recycling Box located in the main office.

Imagine it… is one of the first electronics recy-cling facilities in NYS to officially register with the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation as an electronics recycling facility under the Elec-tronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act.

Data Security Guarantee: All used cell phones and gadgets are handled in accordance with software piracy laws. All information is erased, or the cell phones are destroyed in compliance with governing laws and regulations.

Go to www.ImagineRecycling.com or contact Chris Cavarello for more information.

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Upcoming PTA Meetings

March: Wednesday the 7th at 7:00PM

April: Monday the 2nd at 7:00PM

May: Wednesday the 9th at 7:00PM

June: Thursday the 9th at 7:00PM

Hope to see you there!

Co-Presidents Katie Burd 874-1784 KKburd@verizon.net Charlene Love 873-7670 cmlove@netzero.com 1st Vice President Dawni Lucchese 876-0306 dawnil@roadrunner.com 2nd Vice President Chris Cavarello 873-1598 dccavarello@verizon.net Treasurer Erin Laughlin 834-3210 jaleelgcl@gmail.com Recording Secretary Lisa Brown 876-8105 lazzbrown@verizon.net Corresponding Secretary Colleen Donovan 447-1751 jonandcolleen@yahoo.com PTSA Representative Dawn Stinner 447-0436 dawn.stinner@usitek.com PTSA Council Alternate Jen Szustakowski 876-2728 anayaj52300@msn.com Faculty Representative Sue Rosche 874-8410 srosche@kenton.k12.ny.us

PTA Executive Board 2011-2012

PTA meeting minutes, announcements, call for volunteers, and many other up-dates are available. Check us out at: http://Lindberghpta.org and “Like” us on Facebook.

Find us on-line.

It’s not too late to join the Lindbergh PTA! Please return your membership fee to the school office along with the form below.

Thank You!

Membership costs help to offset school field trips, child and community events. Joining the Lindbergh PTA automatically includes membership to both State and National PTA associations. Membership allows parents to vote on budgetary issues, board nominees, etc. Membership cards also allow access to important tools and resources found at the New York State PTA website: www.nyspta.org.

It’s never too late to join, so send in your membership form today! If you have any questions, or need to check the status of your membership, please call Jenn Szustakowski at 876-2728.

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PTA MEMBERSHIP (Please enclose membership fee.)

Checks should be made payable to: LINDBERGH PTA. Write “Membership” on the Notes line.

Parent/Guardian Name(s): _____________________________________________________

Phone Number: __________________________

Child's name: __________________________________ Grade: ________ Room# : ________

Type of membership: Individual ($5.00) ______ Family ($9.00) ______