Chagrin Falls PTO

Sneakers became art at CFIS this year. This one's a winner in our bi-annual art show.

The Intermediate School report was presented by Kathleen Riley.

• Progress Book
• It is our hope that all parents will use Progress Book as an aid in communication about assignments, homework and student grades.  Please take the time to look at Progress Book on a regular basis.  If you have any questions, please contact your teacher or Mr. Murphy.

• Concert Season/Art Show
• Tis the season for concerts at the Intermediate School.  We recently had the fourth grade strings/recorder concert and the fifth and sixth grade general music concert.  Those students did an outstanding job as this is the only concert for them this year. On May 4 we will have the band concert and on May 6 we will have the orchestra and select choir concert.  From May 4-May 6 we will also be having our art show in the gym.  This is an exciting time of year for our students to showcase their talents.

• Ohio Achievement Tests
• Our students just finished taking the Ohio Achievements Assessments (new name) the last three days.  Thank you for helping out with snacks for our students!

• Candy Grams
• PAWS (People always willing to serve) which is our student service learning group just finished a project called candy grams.  Students in our school had the opportunity to purchase these candy grams which allowed them to write something nice on a note and have it delivered to another student or teacher with a piece of candy.  The money that was raised from this project will go to Autism Speaks.

• PAWS is also working on another project.  They are raising money for the American Red Cross by making tie die t-shirts to sell at the art show.  They are making 80 shirts that will sell for $8.00 a piece.  If they sell them all they will be able to donate over $500.

• End of Year Activities
• Thank you for all your help with the following end of year activities:
• Talent Show
• Cook out
• Field Day
  • Assembly
  • We are really looking forward to the whole school assembly on May 11 in the morning with the dance company that is being funded and organized by PTO.  It has tremendous ties to our curriculum and will be very motivating for the students. (See video link below.)
    

    FIfth graders bravely tested the van der Graaf generator during the Science Day coordinated by parent Barb Currey.

• Science Day
• Our fourth and fifth graders will be having separate science days being organized by Mrs. Currey who is a teacher in Cuyahoga Heights and a parent in our district.  She is organizing a day similar to our COSI day which will consist of various stations for student to learn about science in a hands-on way that will mirror our standards.

• Student Council
• Student council is organizing a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross.  We will have a kick off assembly on April 30.

Intermediate School PTO Report

Intermediate School – Jen Bencko

• The second round of our second spirit wear sale winds up this week.  We have visited lunch periods to help market the items.  Items purchased will be delivered Mid-May with a school-wide spirit day at the end of May to help showcase the new spirit wear.  Anyone interested in buying items should contact Lynn Hardacre.  The order form is available on the district website (and under “Downloads” on this site as well).  We anticipate selling these items again next year and would strongly request a hard copy of the order form being sent home like was done with Tiger Trek.  Email has hurt us.
• Plans for field day, the end of the year cookout and the 6^th grade talent show are currently underway.  Amy O’Neil is coordinating the talent show and Jen Bencko the cookout.
• On May 11^th the IS students will be treated to performance by the Jim Linehan Dance Group.  The performance will take place in the morning and will last approximately 45 minutes. Jim mentioned a discount if another building in the district was interested in a show as well.  Amy O’Neil is the contact person for this event.
• The IS will celebrate teacher appreciation day on May 5^th.  A “Fiesta” luncheon is being coordinated by Jill Andrews.

Gurney participated in a Zero Waste Challenge this month through the Greener Grass Club.

The Gurney School report was presented by Regina Lantsberg.

• Thank you to all of the volunteers who provided us with dinners on conference nights!  They were fabulous!
• Zero Waste Challenge: Thanks to Mrs. Garvey, we are looking forward to a successful Zero Waste Challenge tomorrow, on Earth Day!  Her Greener Grass Club has provided us with great morning announcements and information to give our students and parents regarding how to pack a zero waste lunch.  We practiced today and kindergarten did the best (and when we had the teachers try it last week, the kindergarten teachers did the best and won Heinen’s gift cards)!  It was a very close race though.  Tomorrow, our goal is to have less waste (measured in pound per student) than the Intermediate School did when they did this.  If we reach that goal, each grade level will get an extra recess.  The grade level that does the best tomorrow will receive a reusable, Gurney Tiger Pride water bottle for each student!  This has been both a fun and educational activity for the whole school!
• Right to Read Week: Next week is our Right to Read Week.  Information will be coming home this week.  It is a sports theme and students are encouraged to wear different sports jerseys and tshirts on certain days next week.  We have an incentive for students to read at home and enter a drawing to participate in our Friday assembly with a special star guest!  All week, we will be playing music over the p.a. spontaneously as a signal for the whole school to stop and read!
• Kindergarten Screening:  Kindergarten Screening is May 6 and 7^th.  Please spread the word that parents must register their child before they are screened and registration can be done at central office.  If anyone needs to sign up for screening, they just need to call the Gurney office.
• Full Day Kindergarten:  The deadline to sign up for full day kindergarten in May 7^th.  A $200 deposit is required to hold the spot in full day kindergarten.  Rachel Gebler is moving to teaching full day kindergarten for next year.  We don’t know which teacher will take over the ½ day classes – it will depend on the numbers that enroll.
• Summer Reading and Math Camp flyer:  Information on the Gurney Summer Reading and Math Camp is included in the Gurney newsletter.  Please consider registering your child.
• Summer Science Camp flyer:  Information on Camp Invention at Gurney is included in the Gurney newsletter.   Please consider registering your child!
• Dr. Rasinski Training:  Wondering why your child’s teacher was out for 3, ½ days right when we got back from spring break?  Sorry!  But, it was the only time we could get this phenomenal early literacy instructor, Dr. Tim Razinski.  He is a professor at KSU and has written over 200 articles and co-authored or edited over 50 books on reading education.  He is author of the best-selling book on reading fluency, The Fluent Reader.  His research has been cited by the National Reading Panel and has been published in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, Reading Psychology, and the Journal of Educational Research.  Tim was recently elected to the International Reading Hall of Fame.  So you can see, we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity and he was worth it!

Gurney PTO Report

The Gurney School PTO report was presented by Kristin Wood.

• Recent Events/Updates

• Grant request pending for 1^st grade cameras.
• 3^rd grade Reading and Math Achievement testing finished today – Tuesday and Wednesday am.
• Sports theme for Right to Read week culminating with a special guest on Friday.
• Thank you’s from teachers re: the school conferences dinner.

• Upcoming PTO Related Events
  • Right to Read Week — April 26 – 30
  • Teacher Appreciation luncheon – May 5
  • Kindergarten Screening – May 6 and 7
  • Tiger Trek Walk-a-thon – May 27

• Approved Requests

Kindergarten science grants

• Miscellaneous

Staffing changes for 2010-11

• • Curtis Howell (2^nd) moving to Middle School; Shelly Zdolshek taking his place in 2^nd grade; Rachel Gebler (half day Kdg) taking Z’s Kindergarten full day class.
  • Julie Greene (2^nd) is taking all of next year off and will return the following year.
  • Sheryl Butler will be the Gurney Math Intervention Specialist for 2^nd and 3^rd grade.  Never had math intervention before.
  • Justin Wise and Kelly Shanaberger (both Kdg) RIF’d – hoping to hire back once Kindergarten numbers come in.
  • Jason Starynchak resigned (1^st).