Chagrin Falls PTO

So, I guess summer is over.   It’s still hot and we’ve still got 23 vacation days left on the wall calendar – but a sure sign of the coming school year has arrived.  The Chagrin Falls PTO calendar is now on sale at Fireside and Heinen’s.  This year’s calendar is in the same convenient size we offered last year.  We’ve tweeked the layout and added monthly divider tabs  – but kept all those important dates that you count on us providing to you.   Once again, calendars are $10.    They will be available at school open houses and welcome back events at the beginning of the year and by special request until November – unless we sell out.  Great for the PTO, not so great for you.  Get yours now and have one less thing to remember the week  school starts.

And if you have a high school student, why not purchase one for them to use for their school planner?

Enjoy the last 23 days of summer break!

Art by Julia Englehart, Grade 8. Presented at the 2010 Art Show.

The Middle School report was read by Gwenn Klose.

• Art Show Winners – Congratulations to the high school and middle school art departments for organizing the art show at Hamlet.  Our students had amazing pieces in that show.  Congratulations to Dana Savakis, our middle school purchase award winner, and Devon Riegel, our honorable mention.

• Power of the Pen– Congratulations to Devon Riegel and Samantha Spear who will be representing Chagrin Falls Middle School in state Power of the Pen competition.  Larry Richmond has served as their coach this year and the students have done a great job.

• Achievement testing – Middle school students participated in statewide testing during the last week of April.  All our students worked very hard.  Thank you to the PTO and the board of education for providing ice cream sundaes as a reward for the students’ hard work.  The middle school also sponsored a skating party as a celebration for completing the week of testing.

• Class trips – Our eighth graders traveled to Washington, DC on May 10-12.  The trip was a great experience for all the students and the behavior was exceptional.  Seventh grade students traveled to Cleveland on May 13 for an extended day trip.  We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, science museum, took a tour on Lolley the Trolley, and spent the evening at the playhouse watching “Grease”.

• Rolling Thunder – A group of Vietnam Veterans visited our eighth grade classes on May 14 to discuss the war in Vietnam and their experiences as soldiers and veterans.  This was a follow up activity of our trip to DC.

• New Staff Members – Welcome to Mr. Curtis Howell who will be moving from Gurney to the middle school next year.  He will be teaching science and math.  We are currently interviewing for a new Algebra I teacher who will be splitting their time between the high school and the middle school.  We are so excited about the new additions to our already great staff!!

• Literacy Day – We are looking forward to our Literacy Day on May 25.  We have two visiting authors presenting that day.  The students are currently working on books to present to Gurney book buddies.  Gurney 2^nd and 3^rd graders will be traveling to the middle school in the morning.  Each of our students will read their book to the elementary students and the elementary students will read their favorite book to our middle school students.

• Congratulations to Mr. Todd Thombs who has been given the Outstanding Mathematics Professional Award by the Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

• A big thank you to the PTO for the great luncheon during Teacher Appreciation Week.

• A huge thank you to Mary Donley, Laura Fricke, and Becky Borden for being the middle school PTO reps this year.  They have done an outstanding job and we have all benefited from their work!!

The Middle School report was presented by Laura Fricke.

• We held an after- OAT Sundae Celebration this month.
  • Held on Wed., April 28^th
  • Thanks to our guest scoopers Board of Education members Mary Kay O’Toole, Anne Thomas, Karen Wise &  Liz O’ Neil

• Teacher Appreciation
  • MS Hospitality provided a Fiesta lunch on Friday, May 7^th
  • Many thanks to our AWESOME Hospitality co-chairs Karen Ostanek & Jill Andrews and their committee members for a great year!

• Internet Safety Presentation/Discussion
  • Thursday May 20^th, 7:00pm in the MS library
  • Encore presentation to the parents of what their MS student recently learned
  • Open to all Chagrin parents

• MS Literacy Day
  • Tuesday May 25, 2010
    • 8:20-10:50 am
    • Gurney 2^nd & 3^rd graders will visit the MS and share a book & snack with a 7^th/8^th grader
  • Organized by the MS Library Staff, Lori & Amy
  • Volunteer support provided by PTO

• 8^th Grade Promotion
  • Ice Cream Social, DVD and Dance Committees are hard at work
  • Large photos featuring 8^th grade students will be for sale by silent auction at promotion. You can preview these photos here on the PTO website.

The 8th graders will travel to Washington DC this month to visit museums, monuments and even Congressman LaTourette!

The Middle School report was presented by Pattie Siko.

• Thank you to our PTO reps for the fabulous “Take Me Out to the Ball Park” dinner they provided during conferences on March 23!!
• The middle school was commended by the Chagrin Valley Conference administrators for the fabulous art forum we hosted on March 17.  Over 100 students from different schools in our conference were in attendance.  Our art teachers worked together to create a wonderful art experience for everyone involved.  It was a great day!!
• We are continuing to recognize our PAW Pack winners weekly.  This is a fun way to support kids who are working hard and doing the right thing every day.  We had our monthly luncheon with the winners last Friday.  All PAW Pack winners are listed and pictured on our building website here.
• The staff and students are gearing up for Ohio Achievement testing next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Seventh grade students will be testing on Monday and Tuesday.  Eighth grade students will be testing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Our PTO representatives have arranged for the kids to receive ice cream sundaes after lunch on Wednesday.  Our PTO has also arranged for each child to have a hand written note wishing them good luck on their tests!!  Thank you so much to our PTO reps.  THEY ROCK!!!  On Friday, our students will be taking the afternoon off to go roller-skating.  We are hoping that our positive rewards will help relieve any test stress.
• Lori Guerrini and the language arts teachers are working hard to organize our Literacy Day on May 25.  Our students are creating children’s books for Gurney Book buddies.  We will be busing the second and third graders over to share books and snacks.  We have two visiting authors that will be working with our students throughout the day.  We will also have high school students sharing their poetry with our students.  It should be a great day to get lots of Chagrin students excited about reading!!
• The district Art Show may be viewed from April 23-25.  Several of our award winning students will have art work on display.  The awards ceremony will be held on April 22 at 8:00 at Hamlet with one of our students winning the Middle School Principal’s award.  This piece will be hung in the middle school.
• Congratulations to Todd Thombs who has received the Outstanding Mathematics Professional Award for 2010.  This award is given by the Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Our eighth grade students are gearing up for their trip to Washington, DC.  They will be gone on May 10, 11, and 12.  Our seventh graders are excited about their extended day trip to Cleveland on May 13.  Lolley the Trolley will be picking them up in front of the school that morning!!
• We have 32 students signed up for our Golf Club.  Mr. Thombs and Mr. Johnson will work with students on golf techniques and etiquette.  They will be traveling to Pleasant Hills Golf Course in Chardon over the next four Friday evenings.

• Patty and Cindy Dean would like to thank all who supported DI, with their Malleys Chocolate Fundraiser.

Our Intermediate School team coached by Cathy Digel took First Place at regionals. Our High School team, coached by Carl Cameron, took second place at regionals. Both teams represented us well at the State Tournament. Thank you to the school and the community for their support.

The 7th graders will also take a class trip this month to visit all the great things right here in Cleveland. Of course, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is on the list.

Middle School PTO Report

The Middle School report was presented by Becky Borden.

• Ohio Achievement Test (OAT)
  • MS to provide assistance for the Sundae Celebration
    • Held on Wed., April 28 from 11:30-12:30
    • “Guest scoopers” from the Bd of Ed will be on hand to help
    • Ice cream will be scooped on Tues with the help of 10 plus parent volunteers and then stored overnight in the freezers

• Personalized note cards with well wishes for testing were prepared for each student and will be on hand at their desk on Monday morning

• Teacher Appreciation
  • MS Hospitality will provide a “Siesta” lunch on Friday, May 7^th
  • Many thanks to our AWESOME Hospitality co-chairs Karen Ostanek & Jill Andrews and their committee members

• Box Tops
  • Angie DeBernardo is preparing a drive this spring at the MS, so hang on to your Box Tops.

• 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony
  • Organized in conjunction with John Abbott & PTO Chairs
  • Scheduled for June 7th at 7 PM, PAC.  Dance to follow for the kids, 8-10 PM.
  • Sub-committees hard at work (See our photo auction gallery in the sidebar on this site!)

The Middle School report was presented by Johna Graziani.

Students visited the Western Reserve Historical Society this month.

• General Info
  • The middle school students have been focusing on tolerance, acceptance, and diversity over the past two months.  On February 19, the staff organized a student empowerment day.  Presentations on Haiti, the meaning of the swastika, anti-bullying techniques, and cultural awareness were given.  Students attended whole group and small group sessions throughout the day.  The goal of the day was, not only to create and awareness of differences, but to begin to teach students how to be a positive member of a community.
  • On February 24 and 25, the students attended the Choosing to Participate exhibit at the Western Reserve Historical Society.  During the visit, students learned how individuals and communities have been bullied because of cultural or religious differences.  All the stories reflected on how our actions can make a difference either positively or negatively on the way other people are treated.  Students also learned that they had the power to make this world a better place for themselves and for others.
  • On March 4, students heard a presentation on internet safety.  A part of this presentation focused on cyberbullying and its effect on individual students.  This was a powerful message that caused many students to reflect on how they communicate on the internet.  Many of our students are beginning to understand that a posting on the internet never goes away.
  • This past week, the students viewed a presentation called “Bringing History to Life”.  The presentation told Anne Frank’s story through the eyes of her best friend.  Students were exposed to the realities of many European countries during the Nazi occupation.  The presentation brought to life the existence of prisoners in concentration camps.  It was an intense program with a very strong message.
  • The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio will continue to work with the middle school staff on ways to promote community at the middle school level.
  • The student council helped raise $1,000 for Team Lindsay with a dance.
  • Kate Agan, 7^th grade, has qualified for the National Geographic Geography Bee. Good job, Kate!

• CVC Art Forum
  
  • Chagrin Falls Middle School hosted the Chagrin Valley Conference Art Forum on March 17.  135 students from 10 schools in the conference participated in the program.  Seven visiting artists provided mini-sessions on a variety of art mediums.  Amy Fenton, the middle school art teacher, organized this day.  We hope to host the art forum again next year.
• OAT Intervention
  
  • OAT intervention sessions began this week.  We will be using advisory time to provide test taking activities.  In the past, these sessions have been after school with only a few students participating.  Therefore, we made the decision to incorporate these sessions into the school day.  Ohio Acheivement Assessments will be given on April 26, 27, and 28.
• 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony
  • The 8^th grade Awards Ceremony has been changed back to 7:00pm. on Monday, June 7.  The presentation will be student led with each homeroom presenting.  We hope to keep this ceremony very simple and student centered.

CFMS PTO Report

The Middle School PTO report was presented by Laura Fricke.

• Conference Dinner – March 24
  • Hospitality Committee will provide “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” themed dinner
• PAW PACK Luncheons
  • PTO section reps have been providing  chips, desserts & drinks
  • Held monthly in  the library for new members
  • Next date: Friday, April 9, 2010
• O.A.T
  • Ice Cream Party – Wednesday, April 28, 2010
  • During lunch 11:30-12:30
• 8^th Grade Promotion
  • Organized in conjunction with John Abbott & PTO Chairs
  • Sub-committees hard at work

The Middle School report was presented by Debi Gebler.

• We started the year off right with the middle school annual Lock-In.  Middle school students spent the night at the school on January 8.  They started the evening with a dance until 10:30.  After that, students were divided into teams to play “glow in the dark” basketball, beach volleyball, and Pictionary.  The evening ended with movies and a little sleep for some.  We made close to $4000 for our Principal’s fund. This money will be used to purchase materials/speakers for our student development days and to secure a visiting author for next school year. We would like to thank the parent volunteers who made the night long event possible. They were: Judy McCuaig, Gi Gi Lewis, Scott Skiljan, Jeff Berlin, Steve Thompson, Lori Bryant, Becky Borden and Debbie Axelrod. The Alumni donated the tee shirts for the event and the kids loved them!!  Thank you CFHS Alumni Association!
• Congratulations to Alex Distaulo and Judah Calder.  Alex is our spelling bee winner this year and Judah is our runner-up.  Alex will go on to compete in a regional competition in March.  Congratulations to Kate Agan who is our Geography Bee winner this year.  She will go on to take a regional exam and hopefully qualify for state competition.
• The middle school students are still raising money for pediatric cancer research through the Kick-It program.  Thus far, the students have raised over $3000.  Our weekly kickball games have become something the kids look forward to.  Mr. Q even plans to get over to give the kids a cheer since he was the person who started the Chagrin Falls kickball tradition.
• At the start of the semester, we started our Paw Pack program.  Paw Pack cards are given to a male and female student in both 7^th and 8^th grade each week.  Students earn the reward by having a strong work ethic, being kind to their peers, showing respect for adults, and using appropriate language.  Once given the cards, these students get to be first in the lunch line and receive discounts tickets to school dances.  They will also get discounts from Einstein’s Bagels, Yours Truly, and The Popcorn Shop.  Our first students to be given the honor are Will Czerr, Anna Kang, Nate Diedrich, and Hannah Loomis.  A big thank you goes out to our PTO reps who helped organize this program!!
• We hosted our first student development day on Tuesday, January 19.  Our specific focus for the day was Read More…

A new book group for the parents of teenagers started last Wednesday morning. The group is reading How to Raise a Drug Free Kid by Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Interested – but don’t think you have the time for it? Please check out the revised flyer here.

This is a very relaxed book group on an important topic. If you’d like to participate, don’t worry about missing an occasional meeting or not having time to read all the book. The discussion among parents is the most important part. Meetings are in the morning 9 am – 10:30 am Oct. 7th, 21st, 28th, Nov. 4th and 11th in the High School Upper Library. The book is available at Fireside Book Shop in Chagrin Falls.