Terrace Park Elementary PTO

Principal’s Report

April 13, 2010

 

  • Pumpkin Festival – MANY THANKS to Dawn Harden, Patricia Lopez and to all of the parents that made our “Pumpkin Fest in March” such a fun family event and a huge success for our school!

 

  • TP Programming Team and Transition Team Updates – Currently the programming team is making recommendations on the outside spaces (traffic flow, location of play areas, entrance/exit patterns, lighting, etc.) for the new building. The transition team is planning for the move to the modular classroom village during construction. Please let me know if you would like to be part of either of these important planning committees.

 

  • Ohio Achievement Assessments – In the next few weeks, students in grades 3-6 will take the Ohio Achievement Assessments. Student results should arrive in the summer and will be mailed to parents. The assessments will be given according to the following schedule:

o    Tuesday, April 20th – Reading (Gr. 3-6)

o    Thursday, April 22nd – Math (Gr. 3-6)

o    Tuesday, April 27th – Science (Gr. 5)

 

  • DIBELS Assessments – DIBELS literacy assessments will take place on April 26th for students in K-2. The DIBELS literacy assessments are given 3 times throughout the year and are designed to help teachers monitor important reading and literacy skills for all of our young readers.

 

  • National Geographic Giant Map Program – A HUGE map of Asia arrived at TP for several days in March. Students had the opportunity to learn about grade level geography concepts in a concrete and fun way!

 

  • Author Visits – Ohio children’s authors Rick Sowash and Shelley Pearsall visited TPE 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders recently. In January, Rick Sowash returned to Mariemont to present the “Heroes of Ohio” program to district 3rd and 4th graders. In conjunction with the 4th grade social studies curriculum on Ohio history, 4th graders researched and portrayed important Ohioans in a “human timeline” for their 3rd grade audience. Students in grades 5 and 6 also had the opportunity to learn first-hand from an accomplished children’s author. Shelley Pearsall used a “writers’ workshop” format to explain and demonstrate how she did the research for her historical fiction novels Trouble Don’t Last and Crooked River. Fifth graders then had the opportunity to write their own historical fiction piece set in the time of the Underground Railroad. 6th graders learned how “professional writers” learn to edit their pieces.

 

  • Strings Concert – The 5th and 6th grade Strings Concert will now be held in the TP gym on April  14th at 7:30 pm (instead of the ME auditorium). All are welcome!
  • Thank You! - Our appreciation also goes out to Gina Curran, Melanie Stutenroth, Beverley Cooke, Peggy Kersker, and Jane Concannon for planning and facilitating this year’s Kindergarten Registration Night and to Tina Maloney and her committee of parents for directing a fantastic Talent Show! Thank you to Kimberly McCarthy, Carolyn Falknor and all of the parent volunteers for providing delicious dinners for teachers on conference nights. Thanks to Sherry Holcomb and Tammy Koreman for bringing the Kevin Frisch Marionettes to our school recently. And kudos to Roseann Hayes, Kim Newton, Kate Lowry, and Heather Alexander for facilitating the wonderful Invention Convention and Happen, Inc. after school enrichment programs, to Shannon Reber for serving as our Lost and Found Angel, Sybil Schooler and Jeri Gatch for running the Kroger/Biggs Card program, to Christina Billups for coordinating the box tops program, to the parent volunteers that assisted students with spring pictures and to Sally Vianello and her committee for helping in the library and with Birthday Book Club.

 

Upcoming Dates:

April 13 – 6th Gr. Strings Rehearsal (3:30 pm at TP)

April 13 – TP Transition Team Meeting (7:00 pm in the TP library)

April 14 – 5th & 6th Gr. Strings Concert (7:30 pm in the TP gym)

April 19 – TP Programming Team Mtg. (5:30 pm in the TP library)

April 20 – Ohio Achievement Assessments in Reading (Gr. 3-6)

April 20 – Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MJHS cafeteria)

April 22 - Ohio Achievement Assessments in Math (Gr. 3-6)

April 23 – 4th Quarter Interim

April 26 – DIBELS Assessment in gr. K-2

April 26 – TP Programming Team Mtg. (7:30 pm in the TP library)

April 27 - Ohio Achievement Assessments in Science (Gr. 5)

April 27 – TP Transition Team Meeting (7:00 pm in the TP library)

April 29 – 4th Gr. Field Trip to the Museum Center

May 3-7 – Teacher Appreciation Week

May 4 – 5th & 6th Gr. Band Rehearsal (3:45 pm bus to ME)

May 5 – 5th & 6th Gr. Band Concert (7:00 pm in the ME auditorium)

May 7 – PTO Staff Appreciation Luncheon (11:20-12:10)

May 11 – PTO Meeting (9:30 am)

 

 

Terrace Park Elementary PTO

Principal’s Report

January 13, 2010

Happy New Year!

 

 

·         Holiday Concerts – The general music and instrumental concerts were held during December. All students in kindergarten through sixth grade performed in one of the special evenings and did a wonderful job! Thank you to Mrs. Croll, Mr. Limke and Mrs. Khamis for preparing the children and to Mrs. Rupe for the holiday decorations.

 

 

·         Holiday Caring – We were extremely proud of the many ways that our students demonstrated a caring spirit during the holidays. Some examples include - the kindergarten classes and their fourth grade buddies teamed up to make festive door decorations to brighten the holiday for residents of Mercy St. Theresa Retirement Home and our 6th grade Builders Club helped less fortunate families by leading a canned food drive for Interparish Ministries Food Pantry. Additionally, students and families from every grade level contributed generously to the PTO “Angel Tree” program. These donations provided gifts and holiday cheer to neighborhood families.

 

·         Lego Robotics Team – Congratulations to our 5th and 6th grade Lego League Robotics Team – the TP Travelers! The team, led by coaches Gregg Siegfried and Tom Zaya, participated in the regional competition held at Cincinnati State College. This tournament requires students to prepare months in advance by researching a problem (this year was a transportation problem that is impacting our community), building a Lego robot and set and programming the robot to complete specific “missions” related to the theme. During the two day competition, our team had to present and defend their research in a creative way to a panel of judges, demonstrate teamwork and then have their robot perform against other teams in three rounds of timed matches. Our students were rewarded by winning the prestigious “Rising Star” team award and by qualifying for the State Finals in February!! Congratulations, TP Travelers and good luck at State next month!

 

·         Fine Arts – Yesterday, our students learned some of the secrets of magic during an entertaining performance put on by Matthew Brian Taylor and his “Magic Theater Trunk”. Our appreciation goes out to Sherry Holcomb and Tammy Koreman for coordinating all of our fine arts assemblies and field trips throughout the year!

 

·         Thank You!  – A huge thank you is in order to the many parents who have volunteered their time to work in our classrooms, the library, the office, class parties and PTO activities. Thank you to the parents who helped with the DIBELS testing, to Darcy Moehring and her committee for the wonderful refreshments and decorations on Parent-Grandparent Day, to Kimberly McCarthy and Carolyn Falknor and their committee for providing great dinners for teachers on conference nights, to Lynn Siegfried for her work on the PTO Website, to Julie Koehler and Kelli Neville for heading up the Angel Tree holiday giving program, to all of our room parents for planning class holiday parties, to Shannon Reber for serving as our Lost & Found Angel, to Julie Coates for organizing holiday cheer for our specials staff, and to Sonya Geers and Jen Michaelson and their many parent volunteers for a fabulous teacher luncheon (AND supervision in the cafeteria, office and on the playground!.)

 

Upcoming at Terrace Park Elementary:

January 14 – TP Spelling Bee (gr. 4-6)

January 15 – End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester

January 15 -  90 Minute Early Dismissal for Students (1:50 pm)

January 18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School)

January 21 – 5th Grade Kindness Retreat (9:00 am – 2:30 pm at the TP Community Building)

January 22 – 3rd & 4th Gr. - Rick Sowash “Heroes of Ohio” Program (9:45 am in the ME auditorium)

January 22 – Report Cards Go Home

January 25 – Early Dismissal for Students (2:20 pm)

January 26-27 – Everybody Counts Programs

January 29 – Elementary Skating Party (4:30 – 6:30 pm)

February 4 – Shelley Pearsall Author Visit for Gr. 5-6

February 4 – 2nd Grade Field Trip to the Cinti Ballet

February 4 – Title One Reading Parent Program (7:00 pm in the FX library)

February 8 – Flying Piglet Kick-Off Assembly (2:15 pm in the gym)

February 9 – PTO Meeting (9:30 am in the cafeteria)

February 9 – Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MHJS cafeteria)

February 10 – Elementary Online Conference Scheduling Begins at 8:00 am

February 10 – TP Recognition Night (Gr. 4-6, 7:00 pm in the gym)

February 12 – Check Interim Grades

February 12 – Valentine’s Day Parties

 

Terrace Park Elementary PTO

Principal’s Report

November 10, 2009

 

  • Pumpkin Festival/Bid & Buy – Thank you, thank you, thank you… to the army of  parents and community members who contributed their time, creativity, hard work and donations to this year’s Pumpkin Festival/Bid & Buy activities and Bootique. The combined efforts resulted in a fun-filled afternoon for the kids, a special evening for parents and a huge success for the PTO and our school. Our sincere appreciation goes out to festival chairs Dawn Harden & Patricia Lopez, to Bootique chair Hester Sullivan and to all of the festival event chairs including Ann and Jeff Gibson, Abby Messner, Kristin Crowley, Sybil Schooler, Sonya Geers, Kelly Minifie, Jeri Gatch, Stacey McClorey, Shannon DeCamp, Sherry Holcomb and Robyn Forbes. Thanks, too, to the tremendous number of volunteers who served on each of the committees and/or donated items. We can’t thank you enough for all that you do for our school!

 

  • COSI – Last Friday the sky was bright and sunny, but there was a variety of weather conditions inside the TP gym. Students studied weather during the COSI-on-Wheels annual visit to our school. The children saw a weather presentation at an all-school assembly and then later got to try hands-on experiments related to weather at stations set up all around the gym. A big thank you to Tracy Swords and Tom Zaya for coordinating COSI and to the many parents who facilitated the experiments for the children!

 

  • SOAR Award - – Congratulations to the Mariemont School District teachers and students for winning the Battelle SOAR Award last night in Columbus. This award was presented to the district for being in the Top 5 Districts in Ohio for our students’ value-added progress this past year!

 

  • Web 2.0 Course – TP has many teachers that are taking a district Web 2.0 course that began recently. Tools covered so far include Remote Apps, Moodle, Skype, Screen casts and Blogs. Teachers are learning about how Web 2.0 tools can be incorporated into instruction and student projects throughout the year. Stayed tuned for more information…

 

  • Veteran’s Day – Tomorrow each of our grade levels will observe Veteran’s Day by learning about different aspects of the holiday and by learning from speakers about their experiences as veterans.  Social Studies teachers are also sharing recollections from TP’s own veterans – Mr. Deskins and Mr. Browning. Additionally, Mr. Fleckenstein’s students made a video interviewing Mr. Deskins and Mr. Browning about their service in the military. It is up on the TP Web page for viewing. Many thanks to Darrell Deskins and Gary Browning for their service to our country!

 

  • Fine Arts Performances – Last week primary students were treated to an interactive musical performance by American folk singer Mark Dvorak and on Friday the intermediate students will be entertained by the folk group “Wild Carrot.” Students are learning about the history of traditional American folk music and instruments during these two great performances. Thank you to Sherry Holcomb and Tammy Koreman for coordinating the fine arts performances and to the Bortz family for bringing Mr. Dvorak to our school!

 

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences – Parent – Teachers conferences are coming up this Wednesday, 11/11, and next Thursday, 11/19. Please contact your child’s teacher if you would like a conference but have not yet signed up for one.

 

  • Book Fair – Book Fair chairs Jody Kauffman, Sandy Wittman-Shell and Diane Gunter have been busy preparing for our fall Book Fair, which runs November 17-19. Come and browse for a favorite read or a holiday gift!

 

  • Parent-Grandparent Day – We are looking forward to welcoming parents and grandparents on Tuesday, November 24th. Students are excited to share their classroom experience with a special person or family member!

  • Appreciation!  – A big thank you to all of the parent volunteers who facilitate the very important ongoing programs and activities throughout the year including all of the moms, dads and community members that regularly read to and tutor children and help out in the classrooms and library, to the room parents and volunteers that helped with the Halloween parties and that chaperone field trips, to Shannon Decamp for heading up the sportswear sale, to Sally Vianello for coordinating the Birthday Book Club, to Sybil Schooler & Jeri Gatch for running the Kroger/Biggs card program, to Lynn Siegfried and Erin Herring for coordinating the weekly Wednesday E-mail, to Melissa Gearhart for facilitating the volunteer database, to Robyn Forbes for coordinating the teacher treats, to Joy Glaser for regularly helping in the teacher workroom and to Cristina Billups for organizing product labels.

Upcoming at Terrace Park Elementary:

November 10 – PTO Meeting (9:30 am in the cafeteria, Purchasing Mtg. at 10:30 am)

November 11 – 6th Gr. Field Trip to the Cinti Playhouse & Art Museum

November 11 – Veterans’ Day

November 11 & 19 – Elementary Conferences (4:00 – 8:00 pm)

November 13 – Fine Arts Assembly – Wild Carrot Music Group (1:00 pm in the gym)

November 17-19 – Book Fair

November 16-17 – WrAP Testing (gr. 3/4/5/6)

November 17 - Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MJHS cafeteria)

November 20 – Check 2nd Quarter Interim Grades

November 24 – Parent - Grandparent Day

November 25-27 – Thanksgiving Break – No School

December 10 – Gr. K-4 Holiday Concert (in the TP gym)

December 11 – PTO Holiday Lunch for Staff

December 15 - Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MJHS cafeteria)

December 16 – Gr. 5 & 6 Instrumental Holiday Concert (7:00 pm in the TP gym)

December 21 – January 4 – Winter Break (No School)

January 11 – DIBELS Testing (gr. K-2)

January 13 – PTO Meeting (7:00 pm in the cafeteria)

Terrace Park Elementary PTO

Principal’s Report

October 14, 2009

  • H1N1 Vaccine – We found out this afternoon that the Hamilton Co. Health Dept. will be at Mariemont High School on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH  to provide the H1N1 vaccines for our students who have turned in parental consent forms. The schedule for TP students will be:

          AM Kindergarten – Grade 6 – Busses leaving TP at 9:20 am

          PM Kindergarten – Bus leaving TP at 12:30 pm

          If parents plan to accompany your child to MHS for the vaccination, please be at school ready to board the bus 10 minutes prior to the designated departure time.            H1N1 updates and all parent communications are posted on the district Web page (www.mariemontschools.org).

·         Science Showcase  – On the evening of September 30th, TP students and families came together to “celebrate science”! At our Family Science Showcase, our school community had the opportunity to check out our new science lab and participate in hands-on experiments in the cafeteria and outside led by our 6th grade scientists. It was a wonderful and fun way to highlight the importance of science and dedicate our new lab. A HUGE thank you to Sybil Schooler and Heather Alexander for planning the event and to our 6th grade volunteers who made helped to make the evening such a success!

 

·         Author Visit – While a typical author visit might include several large in-school assemblies followed by in-class writing projects, this year we took our students out on the road.  All K-6 students in the Mariemont CSD traveled to Avoca Park for a district- wide, multidisciplinary (science, reading, writing, art) school field trip with children’s non-fiction writer, Ron Hirschi. While at the park, students in each grade level had the opportunity to interact with one another as they rotated through a variety of learning stations. Students participated in a nature study, water study of the Little Miami River with Mr. Hirschi, and grade level science & writing curriculum activities. Later in the week, Mr. Hirschi visited each of the 3 schools to work with students on their own writing. In art class, the students created an art installation comprised of banners (one per grade level focused on a science theme) synthesizing their learning. This installation will be displayed for a week at each school (at TP from 10/23-10/29). I can’t thank our many, many parent volunteers enough – they were a tremendous help leading groups at Avoca and helping at the river and with a “Cincinnati Lunch” for Mr. Hirschi! Many kudos, too, to Author Committee members Roseann Hayes, Linda Ramey, Janet Morgan, Mary Kay Kroeger, Sandy Wittman-Shell, Diane Gunter, Kevin Maness, Tom Zaya, Melissa Rupe and Shelley Komrska for over a year of planning for this wonderful learning experience for our children.

 

·         Bootique – Even though the wet weather didn’t dampen the fun for our first ever indoor Bootique. Students had a great time with the novelties, tattoos, Bingo game and treats after school last Thursday. It was a wonderful prelude to our Pumpkin Festival on October 23rd ! Thank you chair Hester Sullivan and all of the committee & volunteers for providing this fun afternoon for our students.

 

·         Lego League Team – Our Lego League robotics team is off to a fantastic start! Once again, teacher Tom Zaya and parent Gregg Siegfried are coaching our students in their multi-dimensional tasks. Our students are studying a local environmental problem, developing a presentation on how they would solve it and programming a robot to perform a variety of tasks. Our team will present their research and compete at a local competition later this year. Best of luck to them!

 

·         Student Testing Information - In the last several weeks, all Mariemont students in grades K – 6 have been involved in district and/or state testing. The DIBELS assessment was administered to children in K – 2. DIBELS is given three times throughout the year and is designed to assess early literacy skills. Earlier in September, second through sixth graders took the ERB achievement tests in the areas of reading, writing and math. Third graders took the Ohio Reading Achievement Test on October 6th. Teachers and the district use the data from each of these tests to monitor student progress, develop individual and class interventions and evaluate district instructional programs. Student results will be sent home to parents and discussed at conferences.

 

·         Safety Update – So that we are prepared in the case of an emergency at school, our students and staff regularly practice fire drills and tornado drills throughout the year. Additionally, we work closely with the Terrace Park Police and Fire Departments to plan for and practice building evacuation and lockdown drills in case there would be an emergency outside or inside the building (bomb threat, gas leak, intruder, etc.). Our students take this practice very seriously and do a terrific job.

 

·         Appreciation! A huge thank you to all of the parents who have signed up to volunteer at school, to be room parents, and to help with the PTO this year. Our sincere appreciation also goes out to Molly Steele for coordinating room parents, to Melissa Gearhart for facilitating our volunteer network, to Kelli Neville and Maria Pidcock for running the Innisbrook fundraiser, to Lynn Siegfried for putting together the school directory, to Gregg Siegfried and Tom Zaya for getting our Lego Robotics teams organized, to Jean Marie Nelson for organizing the Mad Science after-school enrichment and to the volunteers that helped with DIBELS testing and Picture Day. We could not have had such a great start to our year without you all!

 

Upcoming at Terrace Park Elementary:

October 20 - Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MJHS cafeteria)

October 22 – End of First Quarter – 90 min. Early Dismissal for Students (1:50 pm)

October 23 – Teacher In-Service (No School for Students)

October 23 – PTO Pumpkin Festival (5:30 – 8:30 pm)

October 28 – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conference Online Scheduling Begins (8:00 am)

October 30 – Halloween Parade (12:20 pm)

November 2 – Elementary Report Cards Go Home

November 3 – Election Day

November 6 – COSI Science Assembly & Stations

November 9 – Picture Retakes

November 9 – 60 min. Early Dismissal for Students - 2:20 pm (Teacher ERB In-service)

November 10 – PTO Meeting (9:30 am in the cafeteria, Purchasing Mtg. at 10:30 am)

November 11 – Veterans’ Day

November 11 & 19 – Elementary Conferences (4:00 – 8:00 pm)

November 16-19 – Book Fair

November 16-17 – WrAP Testing (gr. 3/4/5/6)

November 17 - Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm in the MJHS cafeteria)

November 20 – Check 2nd Quarter Interim Grades

 

 

Terrace Park Elementary PTO

Principal’s Report

September 15, 2009 

  • 2009–10 School Opening – Many thanks to TPE students, staff and families for a fantastic start to the new school year!

 

  • New Staff – Welcome to several terrific new TPE staff members – Jamie Dauw is our new Spanish teacher for gr. 3-6 and Jen Hrovat is a new intervention specialist working with students in gr. 3-5. We also had a few changes this year - Heather Alexander has joined the 3rrd grade team, Becky (Rusen) Wagner is the elementary counselor and Alan Limke is the band instructor for gr. 5 & 6.

 

  • State Report Card – The Mariemont School District and Terrace Park Elementary, once again, earned the designation of “Excellent” from the state of Ohio. Congratulations to students, teachers and parents working together to make our school an excellent place to learn!

 

  • Summer Facility Improvements – A big thank you to our custodian Darrell Deskins and our district maintenance crew for their excellent work this summer getting the building ready for the start of school. In addition to the regular summer clean up , they did extensive work on cleaning up our grounds, putting together new classroom furniture, cleaned vents and air conditioners and did numerous repairs throughout the building. Mr. Deskins also painted all of the classrooms in the original wing of the building.

 

  • Parent Information Night – Kindergarten and Gr. 1-6 Information Nights were great opportunities for parents to meet their child(ren)’s teachers. Teachers were able to share classroom information and curriculum highlights for the year.

 

  • Science  Showcase  – We have been very fortunate over the past several years to receive matching grants from the Oxley Foundation and our PTO that have allowed us to provide our students with a variety of enrichment programs, classroom and school resources and technology for learning. Last year, a combination of donations from our families, the PTO, and the Oxley Foundation allowed us to build a beautiful new science lab off of the cafeteria! This dedicated science laboratory is already being utilized daily to facilitate experiments and generate enthusiasm for science. We are going to have an open house, the Family Science Showcase, on September 30th from 6:00-7:30pm. Please join us to “check out” the new lab and participate in science experiments in the cafeteria!

 

  • Curriculum Updates – Over the past year, K-6 teachers have worked to more fully align and map the courses of study in the areas of Reading and Math. They have identified essential “power standards”, classroom resources and key concepts that students must know to be successful learners in the 21st century. This year the focus will be on implementing the curriculum maps and learning about Web 2.0 technology skills that can be incorporated into instruction at each of the grade levels.

 

  • Health Updates
    • As our families know, we have had several cases of lice so far this year. As precautions at school, Mrs. Cooke has checked all of the students (K-6) and we have utilized plastic bags for student belongings. While we are not aware of any cases at this time, we strongly encourage parents to continue to check their children on a regular basis throughout the year to prevent further outbreaks.
    • The district is working with county health officials to stay abreast of developments regarding the H1N1 Virus. Teachers are reinforcing hand washing skills and appropriate strategies for coughing/sneezing into one’s sleeve and are having students use hand sanitizer before lunch. H1N1 updates will continue to be sent to parents as they develop and will be posted on the Web page.

 

  • Progress Book – Progress Book is up and available for parents. Passwords have been sent to all 2nd grade parents and new families. Others can continue to use the same password information as in the past.

 

  • Thank you! A huge thank you to all of the parents who have signed up to volunteer at school and for the PTO this year. Terrace Park Elementary is extremely fortunate to have the strong support of our families and community. Our appreciation also goes out to Sybil Schooler for helping to oversee the construction of our new science lab, to Lisa Henkel for organizing the school supply kits and distribution, to Liz Flynn for establishing our New Family Mentor Program, to Carolyn Falknor for coordinating with New Family Welcome Night, to Lisi George for helping with Kindergarten Popsicle Night, to Kim Newton and Dawn Harden for their assistance in the office, to Erin Herring and Lynn Siegfried for putting together our Wednesday E-mail information for parents, to Kara Schwander for getting the after school Spanish program in place, and to Regina Sharp and all of her volunteers for conducting our student vision and hearing screenings.

 

Upcoming at Terrace Park Elementary:

September 15 – PTO Meeting (9:30 am)

September 15 – Board of Education Meeting (7:00 pm - MJHS cafeteria)

September 16 – 1st Grade Enrichment Day at TP

September 17 – Constitution Day – Flagpole Ceremony at 11:00 am

September 18 – 1st Quarter Interim

September 22 – 25 – ERB Testing (gr. 2/3/4/5/6)

September 28 – DIBELS Assessment (K – 2)

September 29 – Picture Day in the gym

September 30 – TP Family Science Showcase (6:00-7:30 pm in the café/lab)

October 5-9 – Ron Hirschi Author Visit

October 6 – 3rd Gr. Ohio Reading Achievement Test (8:30-11:15 am)

October 8 – Bootique (3:20-5:00 pm)

October 14 – PTO Meeting (7:00 pm in the cafeteria)

October 16 – District 6th Grade Field Day at TP (12:00 – 2:00 pm)

 

 

 

 (home)