Marengo School PTA
eScrip Group ID:
137 235 605
Sign up today!
|
| MOVIE NIGHT |
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
October 8th
6:00 pm Picnic
Movie at Dusk
Bring the whole family to picnic on campus, watch a movie under the stars, and enjoy the cheapest popcorn in town.
Come at 6 pm with a picnic dinner and enjoy playtime before the movie begins.
Our feature, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, will start as soon as it gets dark enough. The "silver screen" will be set up on the handball courts so don't forget chairs and/or blankets for the whole family.
The 5th Grade Promotion Commitee will be selling popcorn and water.
|
STAY UP TO DATE
| | Visit our websites
If you have a question, the school website, marengo.spusd.net, and the PTA website, marengopta.com, are great places to look. You will find up-to-date calendars and contact information for all PTA events and activities. You can even submit a form to volunteer for various events right from the website.
|
| AMAZON.COM | | | If you shop online through amazon.com, we ask that you please enter their website through the button on the Marengo PTA website. It is just one extra click - you do not need to sign in or sign up for anything. It will take you directly to your amazon page and you will shop as normal, but Marengo will receive at least 6% of your purchase. You can imagine how quickly that can add up for us! |
MARENGO LIBRARY NEWS
| | |
To see which copies of Warriors or the Geronimo Stilton books are in or to research other titles, students can use the internet from home and go to http://library.spusd.net, then choose Marengo Elementary and search the online catalog.
Also, you can take advantage of hours that the library is open before and after school: Wednesdays from 8:00 - 8:10 and Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 2:25 - 3:15 pm. Students can use this extra time to return overdue books or check out a new book before their class makes its regular weekly visit.
|
8 INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT MRS. SINCLAIR
| | |
By Room 11
The second-graders in Mrs. Jasper's room interviewed Mrs. Sinclair on Thursday, September 2. These are eight interesting facts we found out that we thought you might not know about her.
1. She gets up at 5:30 in the morning.2. Her favorite number has always been 92.
3. When Mrs.Sinclair was a student, she played the cello.
4. Her favorite snack is an apple.
5. The nail polish color she likes the best is light pink.
6. Her favorite kind of car is a convertible.
7. She thinks the corn dogs at Disneyland are fantastic. 8. She loves to get Fosselman's fresh peach ice cream as a treat.
Everyone in Room 11 loved interviewing Mrs. Sinclair!
|
DINNER NIGHT OUT
|
| Eat out, make $
This year we are giving you more opportunities to particpate in our Dinner Night Out program. Instead of monthly events, we will offer an average of two each month so you hopefully you can find a restaurant and date that fit with your schedule.
This month, we are partnering with Souplantation in Alhambra on October 7th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm and with California Pizza Kitchen in Pasadena on October 21st, all day, dine-in or take-out. For each restaurant, present the flyer (coming home in backpack mail and posted online) when you place your order and 20% of your check will be donated to the school.
|
RECEIPTS, PLEASE!
|
| Vons/Pavilions
Through October 13th, Vons/Pavilions will be printing receipts with redemption codes along the bottom if you are not currently signed up for eScrip. If you have a receipt with a code, please turn it into the office by October 13th and we will redeem the value for Marengo. Fresh & EasyFrom September 15 - December 31, Fresh & Easy will give Marengo $1 for every $20 spent in their store. Simply turn your receipt in to the receptacle in the front office and we will turn it into free money! We are also having a Fresh & Easy shopping night in Alhambra on October 25th from 4 to 8 pm. During that time, Fresh & Easy will donate 5% of their entire sales to our school. Schedule some time to grocery shop that night! |
WISH NIGHT
|
|
Many thanks to the families who have already donated to Wish Night to help your teachers provide the enrichment they wish for your children. We want to remind you that Wish Night donations (the only way to donate directly to your child's classroom) are accepted all year long. However, the earlier you donate the better your teacher can make plans for the year ahead.
|
CULTURAL ARTS ASSEMBLY
| | Friday, October 8th
Marengo PTA is pleased to announce the first Cultural Arts event of the year! We will be hosting the world-renowned Physical Theater duo called "The Chameleons" on Friday October 8. Their highly acclaimed children's programs are a celebration of theatre magic, wonder and surprise. Magical electric stairways transport audiences through an amazing array of imaginary objects, characters and places. Through audience participation and observation, students are amazed to discover how far their imaginations -- and the Chameleons -- can take them.
We will have three assemblies in our auditorium. Kindergarten and First Grade at 9am; Second and Third Grade at 10am; Fourth and Fifth Grade at 11am. As always, parents are more than welcome to join us!
Andrea Carless
|
BOX TOPS
|
| 
Marengo Box Top collection is in full swing. Classroom vs. Classroom and School vs. School competitions are going on now. Bring your boxtops to the collection envelope in your own classroom. Ask your teacher if you can't find it. The Fall deadline is October 20th. Prizes will be awarded for top collecting classrooms!!!
|
RED RIBBON WEEK
|
| Nutrition, Exercise, and Safety
October 19-22
Red Ribbon Week is an opportunity to reflect on making healthy choices - and also an opportunity to make some! This year several activities will focus on this Healthy Choices theme, including an all-school mile long walk, lunch-time stretching class, a lunch-time art project, free healthy snacks at a morning recess, and a safety assembly presented by Metro.
Questions? Please contact Diemha Hoang at diemha@socal.rr.com.
|
SAVE THE DATE!
|
| The Sixth Annual Celebrate the Arts Day, with a theme of "OUT OF THIS WORLD!" is set for Sunday, November 7th from noon to 4pm on the playground at Marengo. Come and enjoy making your favorite art projects, work and meet with professional artists and scientists, and discover our world in and out and into the planets above.
The first planning meeting will be Friday, October 8th at 8:30 am in the daycare room. Please come by if you want to be part of this super fun event! |
|
Join Our List
|
|
|
|
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
10/1
Dismissal Time - Pinkberry for Sale
SPEF After-School Enrichment Applications due
10/4
9:00 am - Writing/Editing Training for 4/5th Grade Academy
7:00 pm - 5th Grade Musical Parent Mtg - District Board Room
10/6
International Walk to School Day
3:00 pm - Site Council Meeting
7:00 pm - PTA General Meeting - Auditorium
10/7
8:30 am - Community Coffee
5:00 - 8:00 pm - Dinner Night Out Souplantation - Alhambra
10/8
8:30 am - Celebrate the Arts Day Planning Meeting
9, 10, and 11:00 am - Cultural Arts Assemblies
Dismissal Time - Jamba Juice for Sale
6:00 pm - Family Movie Night
10/12
SPEF Afterschool Classes begin
10/14
2:45 pm Marengo Knights Chess Club begins for all members
10/15
Dismissal Time - Pinkberry for Sale
10/18
NO SCHOOL - Furlough Day
10/19-10/22
Red Ribbon Week
10/19
8:15 am - PTA Executive Board Meeting
10/21
All Day - Dinner Night Out - California Pizza Kitchen
10/22
Metro Safety Assembly
10/22
8:00 am - 5:00 pm - Yard Sale Collections - District Board Room
10/23
8:00 am - 2:00 pm - South Pasadena Council PTA Yard Sale - District Parking Lot
10/25-10/29
Outdoor Science School
10/25
4:00 - 8:00 pm - Fresh & Easy Night
10/29
Reflections Entry Deadline
8:15 am - Book Character Parade
|
| A WORD FROM OUR PRINCIPAL | | Dear Marengo Families,
First, I would like to thank all of you who attended our annual back to school night last month. Visiting the classrooms during the teacher presentations was truly inspirational for me as an educator and filled me with a sense of pride as Marengo's principal. Many teachers were explaining the use of differentiation
within their classroom, which is "responsive" teaching rather than "one-size-fits-all" teaching. I hope that the following information will help you better understand how differentiation is being implemented in your child's classroom.
Four Ways to Differentiate Instruction:
Differentiation can occur in the content, process, product, or environment in the classroom.
1. Differentiating the Content/Topic
Content can be described as the knowledge, skills and attitudes we want children to learn. Differentiating content requires that students are pre-tested so the teacher can identify the students who do not require direct instruction. Students demonstrating understanding of the concept can skip the instruction step and
proceed to apply the concepts to the task of solving a problem. This strategy is often referred to as compacting the curriculum. Another way to differentiate content is simply to permit the apt student to accelerate their rate of progress. They can work ahead independently on some projects, i.e. they cover the content faster than their peers.
2. Differentiating the Process/Activities
Differentiating the processes means varying learning activities or strategies to provide appropriate methods for students to explore the concepts. It is important to give students alternative paths to manipulate the ideas embedded within the concept. For example students may use graphic organizers, maps, diagrams or
charts to display their comprehension of concepts covered. Varying the complexity of the graphic organizer can very effectively facilitate differing levels of cognitive processing for students of differing ability.
3. Differentiating the Product
Differentiating the product means varying the complexity of the product that students create to demonstrate mastery of the concepts. Students working below grade level may have reduced performance expectations, while students above grade level may be asked to produce work that requires more complex or more advanced thinking. There are many sources of alternative product ideas available to teachers. However sometimes it is motivating for students to be offered choice of product.
4. Differentiating By Manipulating The Environment or Through
Accommodating Individual Learning Styles
There has been a great deal of work on learning styles over the last 2 decades. Dunn and Dunn focused on manipulating the
school environment at about the same time as Joseph Renzulli recommended varying teaching strategies. Howard Gardner identified individual talents or aptitudes in his Multiple Intelligences theories. Based on the works of Jung, the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Kersley's Temperament Sorter focused on understanding how people's personality affects the way they interact personally, and how this affects the way individuals respond to each other within the learning environment. The work of David Kolb and Anthony Gregorc's Type Delineator follows a similar but more simplified approach.
Even though these approaches look at learning styles in vastly different ways they all have merit for some children. However, an amalgamation or blending of these concepts is probably more effective than any one approach. The Dunn and Dunn approach would be most effectively applied in a building designed to accommodate environmental changes. Many classrooms offer limited opportunities to change the lighting or sound levels, to eliminate visual distracters, or to provide a more casual seating arrangement for students. Varying teaching strategies makes sure
that students will occasionally learn in a manner compatible with their own learning preference but also expands their repertoire of alternative learning strategies in turn. The Multiple Intelligences Theory is very helpful for helping teachers recognize that students have differing aptitude in different subject areas, but it still requires the application of the kinds of learning strategies listed here to be effective. The MBTI and Gregorc's Style Delineator help teachers recognize how personality differences can either enhance or distract from communication between individuals.
Within these four ways for differentiating there are embedded many learning strategies that are used in conjunction with each other. Thanks for supporting your child and their teacher as we move into the 2010/2011 school year.
Kim Sinclair
ksinclair@fc.spusd.net
|
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
| | |
Dear Parents,
My name is Janet Waldron and I am a counselor who will be working with the fourth and fifth graders in a number of ways to enhance social-emotional learning. I am excited to be here since I was an elementary teacher for twelve years and spent three years teaching fourth grade here at Marengo. (It's fun to be a Lion again!) After teaching, I was a counselor at all three elementary schools, the Middle School and the High School. In these positions, I enjoyed learning about the developmental stages of our students and the opportunities and challenges each level of education brings. I truly love working with students of all ages and have been privileged to work with so many students and families in South Pasadena.
This year I will be working directly with the 4th and 5th graders teaching the Second Step Program, a research-based curriculum that is divided into three units:
Unit I: Empathy Training. Children learn about feelings and ways to show understanding and caring towards others.
Unit II: Impulse Control and Problem Solving. Children learn new ways to solve problems and practice skills such as calming down, apologizing, interrupting politely, and making new friends.
Unit III: Anger Management. Children learn to manage their anger in positive ways that don't hurt others.
We will be discussing these topics and others that may be helpful to students throughout the year. I am working closely with teachers to decide what is most needed in their classes and how I might best serve the students. Along with this, I will be working with selected students in small group settings to further promote and practice social and interpersonal skills.
I will be at Marengo Elementary every Wednesday and alternating Fridays and you can contact me if you have any questions. I have already started the lessons in your child's classroom and look forward to a great year with your student!
Sincerely,
Janet Waldron, Counselor
626-441-5850 ext. 5911
jwaldron@fc.spusd.net
|
| WALK TO SCHOOL |
| International Walk to School Day
October 6th
Join your friends, neighbors, and teachers in using people power to get to school. There'll be freebies to all kids who participate. Leave your car behind for a day, or for the whole year. All around America and around the world, millions of parents and kids will be doing one small thing to make the planet a little greener.
Marengo's own Mrs. Sinclair will be walking one route. How about you?
|
DESTINATION IMAGINATION
| | |
Calling all 3rd - 5th graders who dare wonder.... What would possess 6 elementary school kids ages 7 - 10 to learn how to cut and cement PVC pipes to build a 7'-6" high tower? Why would they be interested in the material properties of steel vs. copper vs. aluminum? How do light sensors work? Why would the Haitian president call Santa Claus? What? Mutated Flying Sharks???!!!
Members of last year's Destination ImagiNation team, DI Fantastic VI, would like to share their experiences and help other Marengo students and parents join in on the fun and enrichment. Find out how you can form your own team at the Oct. 6th PTA meeting, 7:00 pm. For more information: audrey@audreywu.com (Audrey), cyen@usc.edu (Cindy), www.idodi.org.
|
5th GRADE MUSICAL
| | It's nearly time to enroll for the 5th Grade Musical for 2010-2011!
The 5th Grade Musical is a chance for your student to join students from the other elementary schools to sing, act and dance in a musical! Be part of an annual South Pasadena tradition, available only to 5th Graders!
Can you guess what this year's musical might be? Travel back to the legendary, storytelling days of ancient China. The Huns have invaded, and it is up to the hero and mischievous sidekick to save the Emperor! A heartwarming celebration of culture, honor and fighting spirit...
Come to the Parent Information meeting on Monday, October 4, 2010, from 7-8pm, in the District Board room, at 1020 El Centro Street, to better understand this wonderful opportunity!
Rehearsals for the Musical will begin on Tuesday October 12, 2010, and continue three times most weeks until the grand performance weekend of February 4-6, 2011.
More information is available in the afterschool section of the SPEF website: www.spef4kids.com.
|
SPEF AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT
| |
Looking for something fun and enriching for your Marengo child to do after school? Look no further. The South Pasadena Educational Foundation has many new offerings including:
- Awesome Animals (Kinder Students)
- Mandarin or Spanish Language
- Parisi Speed School (Fitness for 3rd Grade on)
- Mad Science
Dates: October 12th, 2010 through January 7th, 2011.
The deadline to receive your application is Friday, October 1st and we will process the applications in the order in which they are received. Applications and complete schedule went home in the September e-backpack mail. You can also obtain a brochure from the SPEF office at 1020 El Centro St #3, or from the afterschool section of the SPEF website www.spef4kids.com.
|
REFLECTIONS PROGRAM
|
| The PTA Reflections Program was described by its founder, Mary Lou Anderson, as "almost too simple." That simplicity - of asking children to express themselves artistically based on a common theme - is the foundation of this long-standing PTA program.
The theme for 2010-2011 is "Together We Can..." and students may submit works in any of six arts areas:
- Dance choreography
- Film production
- Literature
- Musical composition
- Photography
- Visual arts
Entries are due at Marengo on October 29th. Works are judged at the local level and the winning entries advance to the council, district, and State PTA levels. Top state award-winning entries advance to the national level of judging.
Please visit our website, http://www.marengopta.com/Reflections.html for complete rules and entry forms.
|
A NOTE FROM SOUTH PASADENA COUNCIL PTA
| |
In the News:
SPUSD to Receive $ 803,982 from Federal Jobs Bill
Thank you to everyone who called the Governor's office regarding Senate Bill 847. While Governor Schwarzenegger was traveling in Asia, Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado signed SB 847 which allows California's portion of the $1.2 Billion from the Federal Jobs Bill to be distributed to local school districts.
This one-time distribution of $800K falls woefully short of the $3.5M cut from our school district's budget over the past two years. The State of California budget for 2010/11 promises further cuts for our school district. SPUSD continues to wait to hear if its budget will be cut by 5% or more. Economists have warned that the next three years will continue to be challenging for educational funding.
Upcoming Event:
South Pasadena Council PTA Yard Sale
October 23, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Accepting Donations of Gently Used Items. Collection of donations on October 22, 9:00 am-7:00 pm, SPUSD Board Room
www.southpasadenacouncilpta.org
|
PTA PRESIDENT'S CORNER
| | |
It's hard to believe that September is already over! Thank you to all of the teachers, staff, and parents who helped get this school year off to such a smooth start. Extra special thanks are in order for Andrea Wang who spent countless hours coordinating our new and improved morning drop off system, to Michelle Round and Cecilia Wong for coordinating our always fun Fall Family Fiesta, to Kelle Lopez for organizing Wish Night and to Angie McGrath for her extraordinary efforts in coordinating the numerous Wish Night accounts.
Speaking of Wish Night, please note that donations are accepted year round, so if you have no donated yet, it is not too late. Since Wish Night dollars go directly to your child's class, it is your opportunity to donate in a way that directly impacts your child this year. Many companies also match Wish Night funds, so please consider that as well.
Looking ahead, next week is a busy week! On Wednesday we have International Walk To School Day. We are coordinating with the city and there will be a surprise for children that walk or bike to school on the 6th. Also on the 6th is our first evening PTA meeting of the year, at 7 pm. Come and hear updates directly from your principal and PTA board. Coffee and snacks are always provided at PTA meetings, as is daycare for children over 2 years old (daycare provided during evening meetings only). And then on the 8th, we have our annual fall tradition - Family Movie Night. We will be screening "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." If you want, bring a picnic dinner and eat on campus anytime after 6 pm - or come by dusk when the movie will begin. Popcorn and drinks will be on sale.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to contact us.
See you at school!
PJ Lutz Karen Weinstock
President Executive Vice President
pjlutz5@gmail.com jkwst@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
