May
2008
From the Principal's Perspective
We
Love our Volunteers!
Thank you for Appreciating
our Wonderful Teachers ! !
We
have six weeks of school left. That’s
one-half of a marking period. Please
help us stay the course as activities, both in and out of school, try to draw
our attention away from our number one priority: teaching and learning!
The
following are just some of the events occurring in May:
·
Kindergarten
Registration – Friday, May 2nd
·
Teacher
Appreciation Week – May 5 - 9
·
Field Day –
Friday, May 16th (raindate 5/22)
·
Teacher
Recognition Dinner – Richlin Ballroom - Tuesday, May 6th
·
PTA Meeting
– Tuesday May 13th – 7:00 p.m.
·
5th Graders
visit NHMS – May 12th
·
Citizens’
Advisory Committee – May 15th – 9:00 a.m.
·
Early
Dismissal – Friday, May 23rd
·
Book Fair –
May 20-23
·
Choral
Concert – Thursday, May 15th
·
Band and
Strings Concert – Wednesday, May 28th
·
Art Show –
May 15th and 28th
·
SCHOOLS
CLOSED MAY 26TH – MEMORIAL DAY
All
of these activities are directly related to our educational program and to the
positive climate and environment in which our children learn.
I look forward to seeing many of you at many of the events.
I appreciate that you will continue to remind your children of
appropriate behavior during special as well as routine events.
That’s
the good news. Now for the rest of
the story: as a result of cuts to
the requested budget of the Board of Education, Elementary Schools have suffered
a 28 teacher reduction in staffing. Norrisville
Elementary has been impacted by these cuts.
I am sad to report that Jessica Keller, who has done an outstanding job
in third grade this year, will be administratively transferred – SHE
STILL HAS A TEACHING POSITION. Class sizes dictate that there will be only
one First Grade during the 08-09 school year.
I have decided at this time, based on all current information, to assign
Ms. Fritz to Second Grade and Mrs. Swanenburg to Third Grade for the 08-09
school year. This will have obvious
impact on our grouping this spring. Let
me assure you that, as a school, all of our teachers are committed to providing
an educational environment that:
*
Is Nurturing yet Stimulating.
* Promotes Home School Communication (notes, phone calls, e-mails
answered within two school days).
*
Provides positive reinforcement as appropriate.
I
know that you will continue to support our teachers and our school as we deal
with the challenges that this reduction presents.
When
I suggested the possibility of forming a Citizens’ Advisory Committee at the
last PTA meeting, I did not know that we would be facing these – and possibly
additional – cuts. The purpose of
our first meeting will be to determine topics of future discussion.
Our conversation will include the impact of Federal, State, and Local
budgets, as well as Maryland State and Harford County Board of Education
expectations on our school programs. If
you would like to attend the meeting on May 15th at 9:00 a.m., please RSVP to
Mrs. Morris at 410-692-7810. I must
stress that the purpose of this meeting is not to discuss my decisions about
student or teacher placements, but about programs that are available and how
they are funded.
Duane
Wallace
PRINCIPAL
The
Harford County Public School System does not discriminate on the basis or race,
color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability in
matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs. Inquiries
related to the policies of the Board of Education of Harford County should be
directed to the Director of Public Information, 410-588-5203.
PTA
News
Can you believe the school year is almost over? However, we still have lots of work to do over the next six
weeks. Please consider participating in our current United Script program. This
is an easy way to help our school raise funds while not purchasing anything
extra, simply purchasing gift cards for the things that you already use on a day
to day basis. Please feel free to
contact me if you have any new fundraising ideas for next year as well.
Congratulations
to Kim Tulp on becoming the PTA Secretary for the next two years.
Thank you to Mitzi Webster and her committee for their hard work and
commitment on the Patriot Program.
Thanks
to everyone for your support of the PTA sponsored activities thus far. The funds
we raise are crucial to the success of the programs for our children, as well as
our new playground project! If you have some time and are interested in helping
in any of the PTA sponsored activities, please contact me or the committee
chairperson.
I
hope you take the time to read through the newsletter, mark your calendars and
help out where you can. Remember to
visit our website at www.norrisville.org for the latest updates and
PTA news. Please feel free to sign up on the website to have the newsletter and
other PTA related updates emailed to you.
Ernie
Preston
epreston@ddogcom.com
PTA President
410-692-2172
March
11, 2008 PTA Meeting Minutes
Attendance:
Julie Marindin, Darlene Sullivan, Scott Grove, Lynne Smith, Dayna Kilduff,
Rebecca Rommelman, Kim Tulp, Diane Murk, Mitzi Webster, Missie Berrell, Susan
Birchfield, Duane Wallace
Old/New
Business:
*Kim
Tulp will be filling the position of PTA Secretary for the next two years.
Many thanks to Kim for serving our school.
*Spring
Skate Night was a big success. We
had over 90 skaters in attendance. Thanks
to Tracey Grumbach for organizing this fun event.
*United
Script will run from April 28 to May 7. Please
consider supporting this fundraiser.
*Thanks
to Mitzi Webster for organizing another successful Patriot Program!
*May
13 will be the next PTA meeting. All
are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
*Olympic
Day will be on May 16. Stay tuned
for more information from Mrs. Berrell in the coming days.
Adjourned:
7:55 pm
Respectfully
Submitted,
Susan Birchfield, NES Secretary
May
PTA Meeting
The next PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th at 7:00 p.m. in
the Norrisville Elementary School Library.
This is the last PTA meeting for this school year.
All officers, committee chairpersons and co-chairpersons are asked to
attend. The meeting is open to ALL who are interested and we welcome your
attendance. For those committees who have activities in May/June, your presence
is especially important. If you are unable to attend, please call or send an
update before the meeting to Ernie
Preston.
The
deadline to submit information for the June newsletter is May 25, 2008.
Please send NEWSLETTER entries/updates to Patty
Preston.
Upcoming
Events, Updates and Help Wanted
www.norrisville.org:
As we move forward with technology, it will become easier than ever before to
access NES updates. We will be updating our site by posting current events,
modifications, and general information pertaining to our school.
In
addition, www.norrisville.org
is our PTA website. You can find the latest PTA Newsletter, information about
our committees, Artwork, helpful links to online learning databases and much
more. Contact information for PTA officers and NES faculty is located on our
website under the 'Contact Us' link. We encourage you to use this method to
communicate with us. You can also sign up for important notifications (including
the monthly PTA Newsletter) via email-just enter your information under
the 'Join the Norrisville Elementary School PTA Email List' section. Your email
address will not be shared with outside organizations. This is an effective way
to communicate important information to our community of parents and teachers.
Book
Fair:
The Spring Buy One Get One Free Scholastic Book Fair will be the week of
May 19th. Class schedule is listed below. Feel free to stop by and help your
student select new books.
Classroom
Visitation Schedule:
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
May 20th May 21st May 22th
(Buyers Only)
9:00 - 9:30 Keller Marecki
9:30 - 10:00 Blalock Keller
10:00 - 10:30 Breiner Breiner Kilker
10:30 - 11:00 Wimer Swanenberg Mundle/Frome
11:00 - 11:30 Frome Marecki
11:30 - 12:00 Swanenberg Fritz/Blalock Blalock
12:00 - 12:30 Thomas Wimer Breiner
12:30 - 1:00 Grove Grove Grove/Wimer
1:00 - 1:30 Mundle Mundle Keller
1:30 - 2:00 Marecki Thomas Thomas
2:00 - 2:30 Fritz Frome Swanenberg
2:30 - 3:00 Kilker Kilker Fritz
Friday
May 23rd
(Buyers Only)
9:00 - 9:15 Grove/Wimer
9:15 - 9:30 Kilker/Swanenberg
9:30 - 9:45 Blalock
9:45 - 10:00 Mundle/Frome
10:00 - 10:15 Marecki/Breiner
10:15 - 10:30 Keller
10:30 - 10:45 Fritz/Thomas
Book
fair hours:
12
PM – 3PM Mon, May 19th
Teacher Preview
9 AM – 3 PM Tues, May 20th Student
Preview/Purchase
6 PM – 8 PM Tues, May 20th
Evening Hours & Klutz Build a Book Event
9 AM – 3 PM Wed, May 21st
All Students Day
9 AM – 3 PM Thurs, May 22nd Buyers
only
9 AM – 11 AM Fri, May 23rd
Buyers only
Lisa
Kendall-Murray will be leading the first KLUTZ Build A Book event on the evening
of Tuesday, May 20th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Parents would work with their
child(ren) to build a one of a kind book to take home. The kits are $6.95 for a
4” x 4” wire bound 10-page book and includes a double-tipped pen, glue
stick, googly eyes, assorted foam shapes and a selection of specialty papers.
(The larger kits were just discontinued.) Please call me to reserve a kit for
your kids, we want to be sure to have enough kits on hand.
New
this sale, we will be accepting credit cards.
Scholastic
offers inventory liquidation warehouse sales near the end of each school year.
Based on my experience from a different state, these sales offer phenomenal
deals. (Shoppers typically use rolling shopping carts rather than hand baskets
to collect purchases.) The nearest warehouses are in Odenton, MD or Middletown,
PA. Check the website below for location specific operating hours and details.
http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/
For
any questions or to reserve a kit at the KLUTZ Build A Book event, call Valerie
Hartman.
Field
Day/Olympic Day:
Scheduled for Friday May 16, 2008 with a rain date of Friday, May 22, 2008.
Students will be outside in the morning and afternoon. Water bottles will
be provided, please apply sunscreen to your students that morning. Parents
feel free to come and watch our Norrisville Athletes.
Any questions, please contact Kim Tulp 410-399-0333, or email
kimberly_tulp@yahoo.com.
GIANT
A+ School Rewards/Bonus Bucks: The
Giant Bonus Bucks program has concluded for this school year and we earned $547.00 in Giant Rewards just for shopping at Giant!
Thank you to all who registered their bonus card this year.
2008
Patriot Assembly:
Norrisville Elementary celebrated the 2008 Assembly with a packed
auditorium to congratulate our 30 fifth grade students who have completed the
Program K-5th grade. We had a total
of 150 students successfully complete the requirements for their grade - and we
recognized each of them. We had
some local county officials that joined in the celebration by sharing a few
words and giving each of our 5ht grade students a Certificate from their office. The 5th grade students also received a flag from the PTA for
the accomplishment! We’re proud
of all of the following students for having completed the Patriot Program this
year.
5th Grade
Emma Beck Stephanie Hanus Sydney Newlon
Kara Becker Cierra Hovermill Hunter Pomraning
Jacob Birchfield Gabrielle Karr Alyson Scholz
Michael Boley Noah League Grace Sexton
Ben DiBastiani Wade McCartin III Branson Smith
Colton Geiger Casey Melefsky Quinton Smith
Alex Giordano Hannah Miller Daina Sullivan
Heather Greer Seth Miller Patrick Sweeney
Rachael Griffin Lauren Murk Hayden Tranter
Tyler Grumbach Joshua Nagengast Michaela Willenburg
4th Grade
Ashley Arnold Christopher Hare Macey Rommelman
Jacob Bayer Sophia Hodiste Jenna Smith
David Boegner Christopher Hoffman Ashley Tillman
Brandon Demski Allison Kettell Mikaela Tillman
Kassie Dieter Kelsey Mangin Cory Townsend
Perri Friedel Grace Marecki Jessica Webster
Bobby Gay Zachary Mullen Christopher Weir
Cidney Gray Elliott Preston
3rd Grade
Kierra Baltimore Brett Friedel Aidan McGovern
Win Berrell Ashley Gabor Jacob Meadows
Hannah Blosser Paul Gettier Josue Mutombo
William Breiner Tyler Giordano Wyatt Ortman
Julia Cook Brenna Grumbach Bobby Otto
Kasie Crowther Grant Harvey Grace Patsche
Kirsten DiBastiani Melanie Hemling Anthony Poe
Castine Donoff Noah Hollingsworth Brandon Wilkinson
2nd Grade
David Aiken Drew Colquitt Kaitlyn Murk
Haleigh Ayres Lauryn Demski Jarrett Newlon
Matthew Breiner Jacob Hartman William Pappas
Ethan Beck Autumn Hodiste Chad Rogers
Bethany Birchfield Anna Jeric Jacob Schouten
Paul Boegner Kate Kettell Ben Sexton
Matthew Breiner Aerionna Long Franklin Shields
Hanna Cochran Kayla Mangin Sarah Wood
Julia Cochran Natalie Mullen Shelbie Woods
1st Grade
Clayton Allred Jared Hedrick Alyssa Marks
Wyatt Biensach Mackenzie Hildt Lila Murray
Joshua Blosser Joseph Hood Dustin Otto
James Burnley Alanna Hutton Will Patsche
Audrey Dick Will Kettell Garrett Pigg
Savannah Dieter Phallon Kilduff Andrew Preston
Jack Ettenhofer Hunter Kurgan Eliza Rommelman
Jacob Gast Josh McElwain Sydney Tulp
Sierra Giordano Henri Marindin Tallon Virts
Stephanie Glinksy
Kindergarten
Drew Bauerle Kelsey Knight Caleb Maffei Stein
Mark Boegner Charlotte McElwain Jackson Stoekstill
Taylor Cook Christopher Pappas Ethan Walters
Cole Ettenhofer Nicholas Pappas Sierra Warfield
Christopher Gettier Nicholas Robinson Matthew Weir
Spencer Hartman Lucas Sexton
Thanks
to all who make this such a successful Program and the PTA look forward to
another successful year in 2008-2009. Any
questions about the Program, please call Mitzi Webster at 410-692-0435.
School
Store: The
school store will be closing for the year on Friday, May 23. Thanks to all
of the children who stopped in to purchase supplies. A special thanks to
Anne Willenburg, Kelli Ashe, Darlene Sullivan, and Patty Aiken for coming in
each week to help the kids run the store. A gigantic thank you goes out to
the two 5th graders who ran the store...Ben DiBastiani and Brandon Montufar.
Great job, boys! The school store will reopen in September! See you
then!
UnitedScrip:
Everyone
loves receiving gift cards right? We
will be accepting UnitedScrip gift card program orders thru Wednesday, 5/7.
Why not let us do your shopping for gift cards?
Think about your regular purchases for groceries, gas, movies as well as
special occasions coming up for the summer.
Remember, you are paying face value for the gift card just like you would
at a retail store. There are a ton
of places to choose from and you don’t have to spend the gas money to go buy
them! Cards are usually delivered within 2 weeks after orders are
submitted. Contact Patty Preston 410-692-2172 if you have questions.
Other
Notes: The
1st grade team would like to thank Benjamin’s Landing for visiting
our 1st grade students in April to conduct an educational workshop
where the students learned about plants and flowers and planted bulbs for a
special Mother’s Day surprise. The
children had a great time!
NES
News and Info
IMPORTANT DATES:
·
May
2 – Kindergarten Registration
·
May
5-9 – Teacher Appreciation Week
·
May
6 – PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
·
May 7 –
United Scrip Gift Card Orders Due
·
May 12 - 5th
Graders visit NHMS
·
May
15 – Citizen’s Advisory Committee Meeting 9:00 a.m.
·
May
15 – Choral Concert 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
·
May
15 & 28 – Art Show
·
May
16 – Field Day/Olympic Day (Rain date 5/22)
·
May
20-23 – Spring Book Fair
·
May
23 – Early Dismissal 1:00 p.m.
·
May
26 – Memorial Day, Schools Closed
·
May
28 – Band and Strings Concert 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
·
June
6 - Carnival
2008-2009
Kindergarten Registration: It
is that time of year again, Kindergarten Round-Up! We are beginning our
yearly search for boys and girls born on or before September 1, 2003. If
you have or know of a child who will turn 5 years of age before September 1st,
you are urged to let us know. We are compiling the list of the new
kindergarten pupils for the 2008-2009 school year. Pre-registration
information will be sent to you during the month of April. If you have a
child who was born September 2, 2002, through September 1, 2003, or know of a
neighbor who has a child, please
use this form. Fill it out and send it or bring it to the school
office. If you are considering sending your child to a private facility or
considering a maturity waiver, you must notify the school to have proper forms
completed since Kindergarten is mandatory. Kindergarten registration will
be held on May 2nd. You will receive pre-registration information during
the month of April.
www.schools-out.com
"School's Out" provides a free public service that notifies parents of
emergency school closures, delays, cancellations, or schedule changes. The
School's Out website is tied directly to the school administration and is
updated by their own authorized personnel.
Please
take the time to enroll at www.schools-out.com.
You will be given the option of simply logging on to their site to gather school
details, or having those details e-mailed directly to you free of charge.
Other
Community News
2008
Strawberry Festival
Seeking Artists and Crafters!
The
Norrisville Arts Program is gearing up for it's annual fundraiser to be
held Sunday, June 1st at the Norrisville Recreation Fields. All artists and
crafters interested in having a booth should visit http://www.norrisvillearts.org/
and click on the festival page for a registration form and instructions.
This
is a wonderful day in Norrisville!! Please mark your calendars, tell your
friends, and plan to join us for art, crafts, live music, great food, and lots
of family fun!!! Questions? Call
Stacey Tranter at 410-692-5104.
Eden
Mill Open House and Re-dedication Event:
Saturday, June 7, 2008 10:00 AM -
2:00 PM Rain or Shine. Stop by for Tours of the Historic Mill, Renovated
Nature Center, and Guided Nature Hikes. There will also be environmental
and historical organizations from the local area on display, face painting,
crafts and live animals on display! Bring a picnic lunch or concessions
will be available. Check out edenmill.org for more information.
Annual
Fallston American Cancer Society “RELAY FOR LIFE”:
Hello
Norrisville Families,
Saturday, June 6th-7th, beginning at 7pm, is the annual Fallston American Cancer
Society “RELAY FOR LIFE.” This
is a 12-hour event organized to raise funds and AWARENESS in the fight against
cancer. I have organized a team, called the Jumpin Jaguars, to
participate in this walk. If you
are unfamiliar with this event, the general concept is that at least ONE person
(or all) from your team must be walking the track for the entire 12-hour period.
Prior to the walk, you do as much fundraising as possible – get your
friends and family to SPONSOR your efforts.
It’s a LOT of fun!! There
are games, concessions, music, themed-laps, and much more.
This is a FAMILY event so plan on camping out with your kids and
friends for hours of spirit-filled activities and WALKING!
Please take a moment to read further about the event and make a
commitment to walk with us!
Website:
www.fallstonrelay.org
To
JOIN our team: Click “Join a Team”, Team Name: Jumpin Jaguars (Team Captain:
Nicole Giordano)
**
If you think you can put together a team of 12 or more people, please start your
OWN TEAM and reserve a campsite near OURS (#28)!! I'm really hoping that
we can have LOTS OF NORRISVILLE families participating in this event!!
If
you have any questions, please contact:
Nicky
Giordano 410-692-5519 or email: franknicky3@msn.com