THE MAKEFIELD MESSENGER



THE MAKEFIELD MESSENGERFebruary/March 2017 Donna McCormick-Miller, Principal215.321.2420 From the secretaries, Mrs. Jackson & Mrs. Shjackson@ kstoffregen@The school office is now initiating a robo-call to parents in the morning if their child is marked absent. We are asking that you still call the Absentee line 215.321.2420ext. 6 before 8:30AM) & leave us a message stating the reason for your child being absent. These systems are in place for your child’s welfare and safety. There may be a time when you have called the Absentee line and still receive a robo call; we will do our best to check this line before we send our robo call. Thank you for your patience in this matter.IF you receive a call from the school, please listen to your voice mail 1st (it might take a few minutes) before you hear your message. All staff members are leaving a message.DismissalWe need a note from each child (the one hosting and the one going to their friend’s house, even if both children ride the same bus or are both back door pick-up). If we don’t have matching notes, either Mrs. Jackson or Mrs. S. is calling the classroom and interrupting the activity or lesson and then we are making a call home or emailing you looking for confirmation.We need a note or email for any change of dismissal – we need to know, even if your child knows! Please email both secretaries hjackson@ kstoffregen@DROP OFF TABLEPlease use our drop-off table located in the vestibule of our school to drop off any items for your child. Be sure to label everything with both the child’s name and the teacher’s name. The table is checked periodically and items will be properly delivered. Students continue to be discouraged from calling home for forgotten items to help promote responsibility.KEEP YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION UP TO DATEPlease remember to inform the office of any change in your phone number or email address so we may update our records. The ConnectEd Emergency Notification system uses the current phone numbers when placing calls.DAtes TO REMEMBER PTO – March 3rdPTO meeting – March 8thLucky Charms breakfast – March 17th International Fair – March 24/March 27th snow dateNo school: February 20th (Presidents Day)February 21st (teacher workshop day)AROUND OUR SCHOOL From Kindergarten Each morning here at Makefield Elementary School, Kindergarten classes have the privilege of participating in Brain Train. Brian Train is a series of skill stations designed to activate brain pathways through specific movements, connecting the two brain hemispheres. Children rotate through 6 stations for about a minute and a half. Brain Train takes place in the gym. Mr. Parsons works with the kindergarten teachers to create stations that include both academic and gross motor skills. These activities prepare our bodies and mind to focus for the day. We could not run this program without the support of our special area teachers, Mrs. Merriman, Mrs. Pope, and Mrs. Fantuzzo. From 1st grade First grade students in Mrs. Corrigan’s, Mrs. Daidone’s and Mrs. Fucich’s classes participated in a STEM activity led by gifted teacher, Mrs. Majikas. Using the Mystery Science Program, students explored how birds eat differently according to their beak size and shape. The students worked cooperatively to investigate the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the foods they eat. Students pretended to have a warbler’s beak, with a bent drinking straw and then a duck with a small cup. The students enjoyed learning about animal superpowers! We will be participating in a service learning project on Valentine’s Day. Students will learn about local issues of hunger through the children’s book, Maddi’s Fridge. Then they will assemble breakfast bags to aid those in need in our area. The bags will be donated to the Penndel Food Bank. This is a wonderful way for the students to give back to the community and show character! From 2nd grade Second grade students are taking time to celebrate Valentine’s Day from the HEART.??They will participate in a “heart healthy” dance party lead by the second grade teachers in the gym.??After getting their hearts pumping, they will enjoy some healthy smoothies.??And in the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, they will take some time to thank our local police officers by making them cards and packing gift bags that will make their job of protecting our community a little bit sweeter. ?From 3rd gradeStudents in Third grade are participating in a “Reach Out and Read” donation activity to support The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in honor of Dominic Liples. Dominic was a close family friend of Mr. Guest who lost his 9 month battle with brain cancer on December 7, 2016. “Reach Out and Read” is a non-profit organization that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. Students were asked to bring in new or gently used books to donate to the hospital. As of this date, Mr. Guest, Mrs. Johnston, and Mrs. Love’s classes have contributed over 300 children’s books. During the Valentine’s parties, the students will be making bookmarks to be sent along with the books. Each book will be stamped to say:“This book donated in memory of Dominic Liples,Your friends at Makefield” From Mr. Kane Students in Mr. Kane’s fourth grade class are currently researching and creating a biographical report on George Washington. Students are using a variety of media to gather facts and images, synthesizing their notes in paragraph form, and creating a product that showcases their understanding of the life of our first president. Accompanying the report are a variety of project choices, among them are portraits of George, writing historical narratives, creating Google Slides presentations, and organizing biographical timelines of George. These projects should make fine presents for Washington’s 285th birthday. From 5th grade The 5th Graders, on Tuesday, February 14th, will be focusing on spreading kindness and helping chronically ill children as their Valentine’s Day Service Project in conjunction with The Penn State Club of Bucks County. ?The students will be assembling Jared Boxes, which contain items that provide entertaining diversion activities to children who are receiving chemotherapy or other lifesaving medical treatments. ?Mrs. Gail Lowe, a former Pennsbury 2nd grade teacher and Mrs. Northrup’s mom, came out to visit the students to explain the program, show examples of different Jared Boxes, and answer all of their questions. ?The students then divided into teams to work together to figure out what needed to be purchased.During their party, the 5th graders will be making cards, assembling the boxes, and decorating the outside with stickers. ?We want to thank The Penn State Club of Bucks County for generously donating the many boxes we are going to fill and for delivering our boxes once they are done. ?For more information, visit Mrs. Fantuzzo Many thanks to all the families and staff members who supported our Spirit Night at on February 2nd.? We appreciate the cow making his appearance at dismissal that day, to remind us of the event that evening.? We raised $268.00 which will be given to the three fifth grade students attending the Organization of American Kodaly National Children's Choir held in Philadelphia, PA this year.? These students will attend rehearsals from?March 23-25th?with other children from around the country.? They will be directed by Fred Meads, who is Director of Vocal Studies at the American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ. The National Children's Choir will perform at the Kimmel Center on?Saturday, March 25th. ? I have attended two of the conferences in the past, accompanying children to both New York City and Dallas, Texas. This is an excellent and exciting opportunity for our students. From Mrs. Pope We are having such fun in library! We are STEAMing ahead. Grades one - five are using science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics in various centers:First grade is concentrated on Fairy Tales (our genre study)Second grade on Fables (our genre study)Third grade on American IndiansFourth and Fifth grade on countries to help prepare us for International fair. In all we read or researched about our topic or genre and then are using this knowledge to create in our I Wonder centers.Kindergarten is having fun with Nursery Rhymes and Learning about Ezra Jack Keats as well as using our PebbleGO database and learning the basic steps to research.First graders are weaving/knitting/crocheting after hearing Rumpelstiltskin, Brave Little Tailor, and The Wild Geese. ?They are building new homes for the Three Little Pigs or a new bridge for the Three Billy Goats Gruff to cross. They are drawing and making new clothes for the Emperor or new shoes for Cinderella or the 12 Dancing Princesses or the Elves and the Shoemaker. The first graders are creating a new way for Jack to go up and down the beanstalk or for Rapunzel to escape her tower. They are also creating mazes for Hansel and Gretel, Puss and Boots and the Ugly Duckling to find their way to their special place.Second graders are creating a maze or a race track for the hare and the tortoise. They are also reading Fables with whisper phones, researching some of the animals that are common in fables by using our database, PebbleGo and performing plays based on Fables that they have heard.Third Grade is exploring the American Indian traditional life. They are comparing legends, researching tribes, comparing tribes, creating traditional homes, writing letters in symbols, creating a craft, like totem poles, dream catchers or weaving. They are learning through books and databases like PebbleGO Next and learning how to cite information that they have gathered. Fourth and Fifth grade are researching countries using Factcite 123 Countries, World Book Encyclopedia (print or online) and books. They are then using this information or using the Countries and Craft book series to create a craft that represents a country. They are creating a work cited page with all their learning! Thank you all so much for your donations. They are really helping to make learning interesting ~ Mrs. PopeFrom the Mrs. ParsonsWe just completed our tumbling unit with every grade level working on age appropriate skills. To begin our unit, we discussed the effects of exercise on your body and the impact it has on your heart rate, breathing and how you recover. To emphasize this we discussed and engaged in a fitness warm up activity of Interval training. Each class would begin with a slow warm up jog around the mats, and then we began to increase the intensity of the exercise. I set equal intervals of time for the exercise and the period of rest. After their heart rates became elevated I had them check their heart rate/pulse on their chest and at their neck. We then removed our shoes and got into personal space on the mats as we turned down the lights and played soft gentle relaxing music. We talked about using your breathing to relax, calm down and to focus on yourself as we went through a series of yoga stretches. We then went on to practice age appropriate strength, balance, tumbling and coordination skills before getting into partner and group activities including pyramids, partner support stunts and skills on the Olympic still rings. From our Art teachers Mrs. Stout (Days 1,2,5) and Mrs. Chong (Day 3)We have some exciting things happening in the art room! ?A lot of classes are finishing projects that celebrate caring, and have created hearts in various styles. ?Kindergarten, first and second grades are creating colorful expressive hearts. We have been looking at the artwork of Jim Dine and Romero Britto for inspiration, and reading books about showing kindness, like One by Kathryn Otashi, and about feelings, like Inside my heart a Book of Feelings by Jo Witek. ?Fourth graders are creating a mirrored sculptural heart that expresses a positive reflection of themselves that they can pass on to others to contribute to a positive school environment. ?We looked at the 2016 Time’s Square Heart of Hearts installation for inspiration. ?The design firm that created the art exhibit of a ring of reflective gold hearts in the center of Time’s Square, wanted their installation to express their love for NYC.Fifth graders have been busy finishing up their colorful, personified cityscapes in the style of James Rizzi, and also their snowy landscapes that feature the northern lights. ?In both projects they learned about creating depth. ?Overlapping buildings in the cities, and foreground, middle ground, background and vanishing point in the landscapes.Third graders are learning about the legend of the Chinese New Year’s dragon Nian, and creating their own colorful dragon. ?We are excited to employ the accordion fold to make the dragon sculptural. ?The accordion book structure was one of the great book types we learned about when the Artmobile came to visit in January. ?All classes had a chance to go and visit the Artmobile during their art time. ?This year’s theme was ‘Structures and Stories.’ ?We had a great time learning about how contemporary artists are creating artworks in various creative story formats. Thank you to the PTO for making it possible for the Artmobile to come to Makefield. ?We really enjoy it!Students in Mrs. Chong's classes (Day 3) have been very creative and keeping busy in the art room! Kindergarten has been learning about and creating an artwork showing what we see through a window when it snows outside. First grade read Mouse Paint and is learning about color mixing. Students are creating an artwork showing their understanding of the two main groups of colors: Primary and Secondary. Second grade students are working on creating a snowy neighborhood of houses using geometric shapes. Third grade students are learning the difference between warm and cool colors, and coloring them on their mitten paintings. Next month, March 20-24, we have Art Goes to School! ?Art Goes to School is like a traveling art museum that showcases examples of art from various times and places. ?It’s a great opportunity for art classes to spend time looking and talking about art, making connections, and learning about how art relates to the time and place with which it was made.Check out the halls of Makefield to see the wonderful art on display! ?We have great artists here at Makefield.“Makefield is an artistic place!”Madara B, first grader-518160-18288000 From Mrs. Spalla-Pointer Reading SpecialistDear Parents,From February 27th-March 3rd, we will celebrate Read Across America and honor the beloved author, Dr. Seuss. ?Since Dr. Seuss has been such an inspiration to children learning to read, we are going to celebrate his life each day with one of his special books. ?Monday: Cat in the Hat Day! ?Wear your favorite hat for hat day! ?It can be a sports hat, crazy hat, winter hat, etc. Tuesday: Fox in Socks Day! ?To celebrate, we will have crazy sock day. ?Remember to wear your craziest socks!Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday! To celebrate, wear wacky unmatched clothes!Thursday: Lorax Day! To celebrate wear green to honor our Earth. ? Friday: ?We will have a special “read with your buddies day”. ?Each class will team up with an older/younger class and share in the love of reading together. We will have a surprise guest reader on Kid Witness News. Also, wear your favorite Dr. Seuss apparel! ?All of these celebrations are optional, but we hope you can join in on the fun! From Mr. Spinelli, Math SpecialistEM4 February Focus: Spiral LearningFrom the Everyday Math 4 Implementation Guide - In a spiral curriculum, learning is spread over time rather than concentrated in shorter periods. Content is revisited repeatedly over months and across grades. The “spacing effect” – the learning boost from distributing rather than massing learning and practice – has been verified by many researchers for decades: “Space learning over time” is the first research-based recommendation in a practice guide from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Educational Sciences. In a recent literature review, Son and Simon write, “On the whole, both in the laboratory and the classroom, both in adults and in children, and in the cognitive and motor learning domains, spacing leads to better performance than massing. The spiraling of instruction and practice has been a defining characteristic of Everyday Mathematics since its inception and has proven effective: EM students outscore comparable non-EM students on assessments of long-term learning, such as end-of-year standardized tests. Spiraling leads to better long-term mastery of facts, skills and concepts.-Keep in mind that this is the first year of a true spiral mindset for students, teachers and parents. As we move forward in time all parties involved should become more comfortable with the program.Mr. Spinelli Math SpecialistFrom the Drama Club 3 show times:Friday, April 7th at 7PM, Saturday, April 8th at 2PM, and Saturday, April 8th at 7PMFrom the nurses215.321.2420, ext. 11820 Wellness Begins with YouFlu and cold season will soon be upon us. Let's all do our part to keep Makefield's classrooms from turning into germ factories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds schools that good hygiene can keep students healthy. Please enforce washing your hands with your children. Lead by your good example. The recommendation is to wash hands for at least 10 seconds- about the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday. Research demonstrates that students miss fewer days of school when they practice good hygiene.The second measure is keeping children home when they are ill. Staying home is not always easy to manage but it is less disruptive to your workday when arrangements are made. It is in your child's best interest as well as his/her classmates and teacher to remain at home when sick.Additional positive health initiatives that may boost your child's resistant to infection are adequate sleep and healthy eating. At least 8 hours of sleep are needed. Attention to a healthy variety of foods with adequate servings of fresh fruits and vegetables can bolster your child's immune system. Exercise should be incorporated into your family's daily routine. Encourage your children to drink at least 3- 4 cups of fluid per day especially water even during the fall and winter months.Consult with your physician to discuss and receive the flu vaccine for yourself and your children if appropriate.If you administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Sudafed or a rescue asthma inhaler to your child before school, please write a note. The note should be sent along with your child to school if you think your child may visit the Health Office. Any information like this enables the nurses to better care for your child.Absentee line 215.321.2420, ext. 6February is Dental MonthHere are some recommendations for brushing teeth & good dental health: 1. On outer & inner surfaces place toothbrush at a 45-degree angle. Start along gum line and use gentle, short tooth-wide strokes against the gum line. 2. On chewing surfaces of the tooth, hold the brush flat and brush back and forth. 3. On inside surfaces of front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes. 4. Brush your tongue. 5. Brush at least twice a day – in the morning and before bed. 6. Floss daily. 7. Do not share toothbrushes. 8. Eat healthy: choose nutritious snacks for your child, such as vegetables, low-fat yogurt, fruits, low fat cheese, and milk. FYI – each serving of a carbonated, sweetened soft drink contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar.1085215647700215.321.2420Extensions:0 - Main office 6 - Absentee line 11820 – Nurse 11850 – Guidance 11873 – Reading 11872 – Cafeteria00215.321.2420Extensions:0 - Main office 6 - Absentee line 11820 – Nurse 11850 – Guidance 11873 – Reading 11872 – Cafeteria Transportation 215.428.4165/4163centercenterPLEASE REMEMBER:Keep your child home from school when he or she is sick. They must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning.00PLEASE REMEMBER:Keep your child home from school when he or she is sick. They must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning. From Student CouncilHEART HEALTHY WEEK Student Council sponsored Heart Healthy Week for Valentine’s Day. Listed below are some of the daily activities for February 13th – 16th February 13th MondayHeart Healthy Snack Everyone was encouraged to bring a healthy snack for lunch and snack! February 14th Tuesday Wear red or pink! Everyone was encouraged to wear red or pink! We collected ____ from everyone. This collection will be donated to the American Heart Association on behalf of Makefield School. February 15th Wednesday“Workout Wednesday” Mr. Parsons made an announcement in the morning on KWN for everyone to do an exercise.February, 16th Thursday Compliment Day Everyone was given heart cut outs to be passed out to all students so they can write a compliment to a classmate or teacher and gave it to them HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!00Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):The Pennsbury School District is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for each and every child. To ensure that every student has equal educational opportunities and equal access to district educational programs and activities, we encourage open communication. If you’re concerned with any aspect of your child’s development or personal growth, we invite you to start a conversation with a staff member with whom you feel most comfortable, such as the school counselor, principal, your child’s teacher or the school nurse. For example, in compliance with Federal guidelines, the Pennsbury School Board recently approved a new Board Policy that protects the needs of transgender and gender expansive students. This policy ensures that our programs and practices are free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We have developed practices to ensure each child’s privacy in enacting accommodations as necessary on an individual student basis. Thank you for your partnership in the Pennsbury School District. We are committed to diversity, inclusion and celebrating the uniqueness of each child.00Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):The Pennsbury School District is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for each and every child. To ensure that every student has equal educational opportunities and equal access to district educational programs and activities, we encourage open communication. If you’re concerned with any aspect of your child’s development or personal growth, we invite you to start a conversation with a staff member with whom you feel most comfortable, such as the school counselor, principal, your child’s teacher or the school nurse. For example, in compliance with Federal guidelines, the Pennsbury School Board recently approved a new Board Policy that protects the needs of transgender and gender expansive students. This policy ensures that our programs and practices are free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We have developed practices to ensure each child’s privacy in enacting accommodations as necessary on an individual student basis. Thank you for your partnership in the Pennsbury School District. We are committed to diversity, inclusion and celebrating the uniqueness of each child.Emergency School Closing InformationThe most up-to-date and accurate information regarding closings or delayed openings or early dismissals can be gained by: Parents are ENCOURAGED to follow the above steps, PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL OFFICE. Connect ED automated calling system web:, call 215.425.4100, option 8, watch the Pennsbury Channel 28 on Comcast & 42 on Verizon FiosDelayed openings of school will always be two hours. Makefield will begin at 11:00, instead of 9:00. All “EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION” can also be found on the home page of the Pennsbury School District website on the lower left corner.If school is closed due to the weather, there will be NO KidsCare on that day. Please check with the KidsCare office for additional information. Five Day Rotations & School ClosingsThe elementary division will utilize the following procedure with regard to the five-day rotation in the event of emergency school closings. Days of the five-day rotation will not be lost as a result of emergency school closings. For instance, Monday, January 2 is currently scheduled as a Day 4. If Pennsbury schools close due to an emergency on this date, then Tuesday, January 3, would become Day 4 and the schedule would carry on from there. Implementation of this procedure will hopefully do two things -- a) allow the schedule through the end of the year to run consistently so that the final five school days of the year would be Days 1 through 5, and b) to allow better continuity of program for the special area teachers.All VistorsThe following rules are in effect: *No parent/guardian will be permitted to escort their child to or pick up their child from the classroom*All visitors must sign in and out of the building*All visitors will be permitted access only to the area of the school designated at the time of sign in. Please restrict your visit to the location you indicated.Parents who request to have their children dismissed prior to the 3:35 p.m. dismissal time should report to the office for sign-out. Under no circumstances should parents proceed directly to classrooms. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. ParkingThe parking in the front of the building has 2 designated 15 minute spots (dropping off lunch, picking up a child from the nurse or early dismissal), we ask that you please leave these spots open if you plan on staying longer. The next 4 spots are designated for the Makefield’s nurse, 2 secretaries, and principal. You can park in our back parking lot or use the side streets.Morning drop-off remindersDoors open at 8:40 and students should not be dropped off before 8:40. Students who participate in Kids Care or school breakfast program may arrive at 8:40. Please help us ensure the safety of all of our students and plan your morning so your children do not arrive before 8:40.Recess WearWith the arrival of winter weather, I urge all parents to be sure their children are properly dressed to go outside for recess (to include heavy coat, hat, gloves, etc.). Recess is a regular part of the school program and children need to be prepared to take part.Reminder - YOUR CHILDREN SHOULD NOT EXCHANGE HATS OR COATS WITH OTHER STUDENTS.summer BirthdaysWe will celebrate student’s summer birthdays on their 1/2 anniversary since they will not be in school for their birthday. Beginning in January, I will read the July birthdays on their 1/2-year date and those students will receive their birthday buttons. We will celebrate August birthdays in February.After School HoursOccasionally, your child might request to return to school for forgotten materials. Our philosophy at Makefield is that we want to instill the value of responsibility in all our students. In order to do this, we ask for the following:Although the building is open until 6 p.m. for KidsCare, individual classrooms are locked. In order to gain access into the classrooms, you must find the night custodian or Mrs. McCormick-Miller to get permission to enter your child's classroom.Important District Reminders:Website – we recommend you monitor on a regular basis: the District homepage ().Emergency/Non-Emergency Messaging; Opting in for text messages – Pennsbury provides emergency and non-emergency messaging to enrolled families via voicemail, email, and text. These services are offered through Blackboard Connect. At the beginning of each school year, families are asked to review the demographic data on file. Text messaging is available only on an opt-in basis. Families are invited to provide up to 2 mobile phone numbers for this purpose.Monthly Activity Calendars on Web only – monthly activity calendars will available on a web-only basis on the Pennsbury site under “calendar’ are no longer available in hard copyto all of the parents who helped at the holiday parties and those parents that contributed to the parties, Danielle Frost for assisting our secretaries for the holiday sing along, Kate Jezyk & Kristen Russo for taking all of the event photos running on the school television monitors; Amy Ruta for organizing classroom parent helpers for each party, and our Rockin’ recess PTO moms.Danielle Frost, Kelly Corso, Dina Bortnichak, Kristin Spilatore, Jen Sayers, Nancy, Doyle, Jen ................
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