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The Wildcat News, Spring 2014 Chairperson/Editor: Dyanna Rau 1

The Wildcat News

THE OFFICIAL PTA NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2014 Washington Elementary School, 301 Washington Avenue, Union, NJ 07083

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hi Fellow Washington School Parents and Staff. The end of the school year is rapidly approaching. There have been so many amazing events thus far and many more to come. Thank you to all of our Chairpersons, who have done such incredible jobs with their committees. Our Annual Fair is in May and we will, as always, be needing tons of volunteers. Look for the signup sheet that will be coming home within the next few weeks. Due to all of your help with our fundraising efforts, our Fair will once again be free to our students! We can’t thank you enough for all of your donations, volunteering and attendance. Without your generosity, most of what we afford would not be possible.

Our Annual PTA dinner is set for June 6th at Avenue A Club. Save the date - the official flyer will come home soon.

Our fundraisers are almost complete for the year! Look for the school supply fundraiser coming out in June to help with the shopping for next year’s supplies for your children.

We appreciate all of your feedback on our events and fundraisers and are open to new suggestions for either one. Please submit your suggestion(s) to our PTA mailbox, our Facebook page, or come to a meeting. We would love to see you there! At our April 7 meeting, we will have speaker Jill Brown in for a Q & A session with our parents on raising children in this day and age with all of the new technology.

Once again, thank you to the Parents/Guardians, Board Members, Chairpersons and Volunteers for all of your support and to the Teachers, our Principal and Staff for doing such a wonderful job with our children.

Kristin Pello, PTA President

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE

It’s approaching an incredibly busy time of year for us at Washington. Third and Fourth Grade teachers are getting ready for the NJASK (May 12-16). This will be the last year of NJASK testing as the State moves to the PARCC test next year. The new test is all computer-based, and more closely aligned with the Core Curriculum State Standards. The test will be more rigorous but should provide a great opportunity for students to show what they have learned.

On Thursday, Fourth Grade students will be travelling to Philadelphia thanks to the generous support of the PTA. Cost was only $11/student and would have been significantly more if not for their support. It should be an exciting day as they visit the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, the National Mint, and other local attractions.

It looks like the 2,000,000 page challenge will be reached within 2 months. Our current total is

1,837,778 pages read! We have far surpassed last year’s total. Exciting times for all of us here! Thanks to Ms. Morrison for compiling totals and giving awards to our top readers.

Mark Hoyt, Principal

IN THIS ISSUE . . . UPCOMING EVENTS/SPRING PARENT TIP . . . 2 STORYTIME/BOOK FAIR/KINDNESS WEEK . . 3 SPOTLIGHT ON…PARENTHOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 SCHOOL EVENTS (JAN TO MARCH) . . . . . . . . . . 5 SPECIAL THANKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ADVERTISEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

TO CONTRIBUTE PHOTOS, ART, STORIES, OR

MORE, PLEASE CONTACT DYANNA RAU AT

[email protected]. THANKS!

mailto:[email protected]


Upcoming Events

April 2014

Apr 11 – Spring Fling Parties!

Apr 14-21 – School Closed, Easter Break

Apr 25 – Second Grade Gym Night

Apr 25 – Market Day Pickup

Apr 28 – Story Time & Book Fair with Guest Reader, Pasha Pernell!

Apr 29/30 – Book Fair

May 2014

May 5-9 – Staff Appreciation Week

May 6/7 – Plant Sale

May 9 – Pajama Day

May 21 – Third Grade Arts Show

May 21 – PTA General Meeting

May 22 – Market Day Pickup

May 23 – Half Day

May 26 – School Closed, Memorial Day

May 28 – Fourth Grade Track and Field Day (Rain Date, May 29)

May 30 – SCHOOL FAIR! (Rain Date, Jun 13)

June 2014

Jun 4 – Fourth Grade Show

Jun 4 – PTA General Meeting

Jun 5 – Track and Field Day (Rain Date, Jun10)

Jun 6 – PTA Dinner

Jun 9 – PTA Meeting

Jun 11 – Fourth Grade Picnic (Rain Date, Jun12)

Jun 13 – Market Day Pickup

Jun 16 – Kindergarten Song Fest

Jun 17 – 2 Million Page Party! (Rain Date, Jun 18)

Jun 23-27 – Half Days

Jun 26 – Graduation

Jun 27 – Last Day of School!

Spring Parent Tip It never fails – as soon as March comes around, so begins an endless cycle of sneezing, sniffling, and coughing. Here are some tips to help you deal with Spring Allergies.

1. Use anti-allergen mattress and pillow protectors and change bed sheets often. Linens should be changed and washed once a week. Also, investing in a good cover for your children’s mattresses and pillows can protect them from allergens, particularly dust mites.

2. Limit amount of stuffed animals in the bed and clean them by tossing them in the dryer. I know my kids love to sleep with their stuffed animals, but these can activate allergies like you wouldn’t believe! Limit their bedtime friends to 1-2 at a time. About every 10 days or so, toss your kids’ bedtime friends into the dryer for about 10 minutes to clean them up a bit of dust and other allergens.

3. Have kids change clothes when they get home from daycare/school or after being outside. When your children walk in the door after a day out, it’s a good idea to have them change clothes so they don’t sit around in clothes that have pollen or other allergens on them.

4. Wash hands and face often, especially after being outside. This is always a good habit, but especially important after playing outside or coming home from a day out on the road. Allergens will stick to you without you realizing it and the next thing you know, kids are rubbing their eyes, nose, or putting their hands in their mouth.

5. Elevate the pillow when sleeping. To help your kids breathe a little easier at night and help ease that nighttime cough that always seems to show up when they’re trying to rest, try elevating their pillow.

**IMPORTANT CALENDAR NOTE: ** There has been a calendar change yet again in regards to snow day make up days! School is now CLOSED

on Monday, April 14, 2014 and the last day of school has been extended to Friday, June 27, 2014 instead.


April 28: Storytime Welcomes Author Pasha Pernell!

Kindness Week Winners! Being a bully is hurtful and wrong,

We should all focus on getting along. Don't call out bad names,

Don't push and don't shove, We are all equal, You're not above.

If you want to be a bully, You better think twice

Because in Washington School, You will pay the price!

Many congratulations go out to You both are show a great Kindness Week winners Nico Malang example of what respectful and (Poem) and Gina Guido (Artwork)! kind hearts can achieve! Keep up the great work!

Author, Pasha Pernell, will be reading our kids this fun,

engaging story. Together we can learn how to overcome their

fears and insecurities.

Tatiana, the main character, is an inquisitive little girl who's

empowered to deal with apprehension through creative

brainstorming. She discovers super powers in the most ordinary

things, and even places her bad dreams on time-out.

Pasha will be selling signed copies of the book throughout the

evening!

April 28: Preview Night for

the last Scholastic Book Fair

of the year! Allotted times

are also scheduled for your

child to shop during school

hours on April 29 and 30!

DON’T MISS OUT!


Spotlight On… Parenthood

Gwyneth Paltrow was recently criticized about comments she made about working mothers having enough time to plan – differing from her hectic movie filming schedule.

But really… does ANYONE have it easy? Recently an article posted on the scarymommy.com blog put things into perspective even further. Parenthood can be emotionally taxing, and oftentimes thankless. We do what we can for the sake of our kids. Below are some thoughts on staying home, vs. working, and how we juggle it all day to day. No matter how you work it out, know that it’s the best for everyone in your family.

Being a Stay at home mom means you have the extra work of balancing a lot more of the family's finances because money is usually tighter. I find during the times when I've been at home, I also take on significantly more of the household stuff. When I work, it's usually more evenly split. Working or staying at home doesn't ever change what you do as a mom. When you work, you might pay someone to watch your kids during the day, but it never changes all the mom stuff you do - helping with homework and projects, helping your kids figure out friendships and social issues, and just all the love and hugs that kids need every day. When you work, I find it's your own stuff (friends, personal interests) that has to take a backseat so that you can manage working and all the mom stuff. – Debbi Murray

For all the working moms and dads out there, we applaud you and this goes for stay at home mom and dads too. I personally think staying home is harder, you don’t get a break and you don’t get sick days. When I am sick, I can drop the kids off and still stay home and recover. For the stay at home parents you can’t you never have that privilege. I can, on a Monday morning breathe a sigh of relief that my little angels are in someone else’s hands and that I will see them after 6. Sure, it kills me when I miss school functions or PTA meeting because I have to handle an issue at work or entertain clients, but at the end of the day I know my kids are okay, and that they respect their father and I for creating a wonderful life for them. – Dawn Stedronsky

From a man's perspective on single parent, stay at home dad ... I was always a "hands on" and involved parent. But I feel women are just genetically wired differently to handle, run and organize. Men, we can do it, but you guys make it look so easy. I think all parents: 1 parent or 2 parents, need that reassurance from watching another parent flip out on their kids! It tells you, ‘yeah, there really is no manual that tell you you’re right or wrong in raising them.’ Every kid is just different and we all have different styles. My work schedule and the help of family allows for the flexibility. – Omar Guzman

For many years, I worked part-time and it was a nice balance between working and making money and still having extra time with the kids. – Nicole Melnick

I love being able to be here for the kids. The only thing I miss about working is the extra paycheck, but for right now I am so happy to be a stay at home mom. – Dawn Duffy

I am not meant for being home full time. Some people are great at it, but I’m not home because I want to be right now. I was recently laid off, and I am trying to make the best of it, but I KNOW I want to go back to work and my children will be better off for it. When I’m working, I am personally more appreciative of the time I spend with them. I’m more on schedule with activities and housework. I’m nicer, and more relaxed overall because I am happier knowing I am able to help in providing a better life for my family. – Dyanna Rau


There were many happy faces at this

packed-to-the-brim, always popular

event on a cold January night. Many

thanks to Caller Paul “Bob Barker”

Lacourtna and Kathleen “Vanna

White” Meyers, as well as to all our

other volunteers and parents who

donated prizes for the event! We

could not have done it without you!

The Third Grade went on a field trip to SOPAC theater in South

Orange to see (www.mathemagic.com).

The children learned the history and MAGIC of math!

Internationally acclaimed magician and

educator, Bradley Fields, captivated students

with his famous magic illusions, turning them on

to the history, the power, and the beauty of the

language of Math!

http://www.mathemagic.com/


Fourth Grade Language Bee

The kids perfected their jump roping skills, and learned how to take care of their hearts, all the while raising money for the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance!

The 4th Graders had to tell what

type of sentence they were

presented with: exclamatory,

declarative, interrogative,

etc. They then needed to tell

the part of speech of certain

sentences. Medals were given

out to the winners from each

class! Congrats, guys!


Daddy/Daughter Dance Check out more photos on the Washington School PTA Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.222116494639245.1073741840.131258807058348&type=1

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.222116494639245.1073741840.131258807058348&type=1


The children were sporting their team colors for

Super Bowl Sunday. Of course our teachers got in

on the action too!

TwiN DaY!

No, you aren’t seeing double (or triple or… quadruple?!) It’s just Twin Day at Washington – Even real twins switched it up by dressing up like their friends instead of their siblings!


Mother/Son Dance


Heritage Night

One of the many wonderful things about our school is its

DIVERSITY. Heritage Night allows our Third and Fourth

Graders to get to experience a sampling of their classmates’

cultures including flags, art and FOOD! Thank you, Sherri

Maloney and Laurie Durmaz, for organizing this lovely event!


Special Thanks…

So far, the Box Tops program has earned us $980, and the year isn’t over yet!

Keep up the great work cutting them out and sending them in! Don’t forget to write your child

name and teacher's name on the bag/envelope. This is how the class can get credit for the

collection and earn an ice pop party! Also a very special thank you for the wonderful parents that

volunteer their time to count and organize the labels throughout the year. I really appreciate

everyone's time and good work!

Gabbie Grof-Tisza, Chairperson - BOX TOP$ Committee

DJ Julian Buitrago (908) 451-2242

Julian, you are always there for us for all of our functions, ready to serve up anyone’s request in a moment’s notice. You rock (and roll)!

Flowered Creations

(908) 964-3520

Always lovely corsages and boutonnières for our dances are

provided at a very low cost. Thanks so much, Stacey!

Photography for Mother/Son Dance provided at

NO extra cost to the families by:

Miguel Rivera of Lenz Life Photography 201-889-7750 or [email protected]

Thanks, Miguel! You truly captured our moment!

Lisa Mason and Kathleen Bruns-Meyers This Newsletter would not be as colorful and entertaining without the

photos you provide for most of our events! You are greatly appreciated!

Parents/Kids! If you see Ms. Mason or Mrs. Meyers in the hall, don’t

forget to smile! You never know where you will end up!



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