Marengo School PTA
eScrip Group ID:
137 235 605
Sign up today!
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CALENDAR CHANGES
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| | You may have heard that the days our teachers were taking as furlough days this year were reinstated to work days given federal funding specifically designated for salaries. As a result, the two days that were taken off the end of the school year were reinstated as student days. Thus, the last day of school is now Friday, June 17, and 5th Grade Promotion will be held on Thursday, June 16. Please make these changes in your calendars. The other furlough days were reinstated as professional development days, and do not impact student calendars. |
HOLIDAY SHOPPING FOR MARENGO
| | If you shop at amazon.com during the coming holiday season (or any time), please remember to enter their site through the marengopta.com website. It is one extra click (no signing in or registering required) and at least 6% of your purchase comes back to Marengo. The more items bought this way, the higher the percentage we receive!
Also, you can get your holiday shopping done painlessly and easily with Special Order Scrip gift cards. A form will be coming out soon through backpack mail. You get the face value of the gift cards AND Marengo makes a percentage of the sale!
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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
| | In conjunction with the Great California Shakeout, Marengo held an earthquake /disaster drill on October 21, 2010 and practiced the responses of teachers, administation, and students to an emergency situation.
The part of preparing for an emergency that falls to parents is to fill out and return the Earthquake/Disaster Emergency Release Form that was sent home with students last week. In case of an emergency, parents should come to the back gate of the school (on Stratford) to pick up your child(ren). Students will only be released to people listed on that form.
If you need a copy of the form, it can be downloaded here. The deadline for returning forms was today, November 1st. Please return it asap if you haven't already.
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LOUSY LICE
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Head lice infestations are a common occurrence, and Marengo is no exception. If lice is found in your child's classroom, a note will be sent home with your child. Even if your child has no complaints or symptoms at this point, you should begin checking your child regularly for live lice and nits/eggs. If you find signs of lice on your child, please report it to the school (even if you have already gotten rid of it) so that we can check other children in the classroom and try to keep outbreaks under control. Even if your child has been treated for lice and had been found to be "nit-free" it is still highly recommended that you continue to comb through his/her hair once a week to catch anything you might have missed. Often it seems that your child has gotten lice "again" when in fact it was not completely gone the first time. Lice only infect humans and they are spread by direct contact with someone who is already infected or by use of their belongings (such as hats, brushes or combs).
Head lice don't jump from one child's head to another, so if your child has been careful about not sharing hats, brushes or combs, then he/she may not have lice. The most common symptom of children infected with head lice is itching, although some children do not complain of that if they have a light infestation.
For more information about what lice look like and what to do if you find lice, please visit the school website. Under News and Announcements we have re-posted a document prepared by Drs. Ruby Kalra and Kate Gibson for our school.
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ESL FOR ADULTS
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For our parents who are English learners, the public library offers free ESL classes on Wednesday mornings from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. Visit the library's website and scroll 2/3 down the page. Click on "For Adults" in the center section. Click on "English as a Second Language" to connect to a page that gives information about the ESL classes.
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BOOK FAIR COMING!
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Nov. 30 - Dec. 4
Our annual Fall Book Fair is scheduled for the week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please come by the auditorium before or after your conference and shop the wonderful selection offered by Mrs. Nelson's Book Fair Company. Perfect timing for your post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping!
Please look for more information in the coming weeks.
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MARENGO NIGHT OUT
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| | Look for information in backpack mail about how you can eat at Mix n Munch, Buster's, La Fiesta Grande, and Roundtable this month, while earning money for Marengo! |
NEW TREES!
| | The PTA replaced the two dead trees on the blacktop last week and the new ones are already giving off shade!
If you would be willing to help water the trees to keep them green and happy, please contact Liz Price. Many hands make light work.
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Join Our List
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IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
11/3
8:20 am - PTA General Meeting - Day Care Room
Guest Speaker: 4th Grade Teacher Mr. Speck presents
"Technology in the Classroom"
3:00 pm - School Site Council Meeting - Library
11/4
7:30 am - Student Council Meeting
8:30 am - Community Coffee
11/7
12:00 - 4:00 pm - 6th Annual Celebrate the Arts
Day
11/9
Make-Up Picture Day
11/10
Early Dismissal - Friday Dismissal times (1:05 and 1:15)
11/11
NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
11/12
NO SCHOOL - Teacher Work Day
11/15- 11/19
Hillsides Thanksgiving Food Drive
11/17
11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Teacher Appreciation Lunch
11/18
6:00 pm - English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting
11/22-11/26
NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
11/29-12/3
Parent-Teacher Conference Week
12:30 Dismissal Grades 1-5
Fall Book Fair
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| A WORD FROM OUR PRINCIPAL | | "Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all." ~William Faulkner
Dear Marengo Community,
November is a perfect opportunity for me to express gratitude for the many people whose hard work and generous contributions make Marengo such a special place.
We are so fortunate to have such an incredible staff...thank you for your hard work and steadfast dedication to helping all students succeed.
To our wonderful parents...we so appreciate your support and partnership...it makes a BIG difference for your own child(ren) and for our whole school community.
WOW...our amazing students...we are so grateful that you work hard each day, taking risks, challenging yourselves, expanding your hearts and minds...and thank you also for being our best teachers; we learn something new from you every day...and that makes us
better teachers.
To our many dedicated volunteers...a mere thank you is not adequate appreciation for all your hard work...your amazing contributions (big and small) continue to inspire us and
help us go above and beyond in our efforts to help all students succeed.
To our hardworking PTA...thank you to this incredible group for their many efforts to support our school and to provide fun, family-centered activities for our students and families.
Teamwork is the foundation for any exceptional school community. We have the right team in place. We have a shared commitment to student success. As we work actively and positively together, matching intention and action, so many great things will be possible.
Kim Sinclair
Principal
ksinclair@fc.spusd.net
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COUNSELOR'S CORNER
| | Monday morning I was reviewing the Second Step program. In the next month, several of our students will be learning to "show concern and appreciation." We are teaching our children how to stop, recognize when someone has done something meaningful or helpful, acknowledge what has been done and thank them. Saying thank you may seem automatic but developing an attitude of gratitude involves practice.
I have thought frequently of how grateful I am for the gift of community. I so enjoy the community of South Pasadena and all its charm and beauty. I am blessed with a great community of friends. And I am so fortunate to enjoy the Marengo community of happy students, generous parents, and hard-working professionals. Here are some of the things for which I am most grateful this Thanksgiving season:- I am grateful for my son's teacher who daily instructs with enthusiasm, energy, and a beautiful smile.
- I am grateful for my room parents who give of their precious time to remind of classroom events and permission slips I need to sign.
- I am grateful to work with outstanding professionals who provide challenge and inspiration.
- I am grateful to be a part of a community of people who genuinely care about children and education.
- I am grateful to all the parents, children, and grandparents who share with their stories with me.
Each Thanksgiving, I write a thank you note to someone as an expression of true gratitude. Perhaps all of us can practice the Second Step lesson by "showing appreciation" to someone this season. Write a note. Stop someone you know and say a heart-felt thank you for what they do. You will be grateful you did.
Kathryn Hutto
School Counselor
khutto@fc.spusd.net
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| OUT OF THIS WORLD | |
6th Annual Celebrate the Arts Day
Sunday, November 7th
12:00 - 4:00 pmAt a time when budget constraints have forced our schools to limit our children's exposure to artists and art teachers during the school day, we feel this annual day of Art Making is even more important and essential than ever. Our campus will be devoted to art activities and hands-on workshops led by Artists, Landscape Designers, Architects, Animation Artists and Cartoonists from our own Marengo Community and beyond. Our Activity Leaders are professionals who have incredible talent and experience: we are so lucky to have them work with us! Our children will be able to design and build a landscape as if seen from a satellite, create paper airplanes and fly them, sculpt their own alien creatures and visit our Inventors Workshop where they can design and build spacecraft limited only by their own imaginations. They can make fish prints and learn to batik, bend wire and work on a beautiful Assemblage, do foil tooling and paint in a large scale environment that they will help to create! Don't miss this truly unique event. Whether you are a family that makes a lot of art together (you WON'T be bored) or are "art-shy" (your kids will be SO PROUD of what they create), this inexpensive, resource-rich day will keep you all busy and happy. There will also be a Taco Truck so you can feed the whole family. Come early-- some of our events require you to sign -up and they do fill up! We still need 125 CLEAN tin soup/bean/food cans-- please drop them in the red ARTS DAY bucket in the office hallway. Thank you! And, we still need volunteers! Please contact Eileen Lee, eileenlee626@mac.com.
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STUDENT COUNCIL
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| Congratulations...
...to our newly elected Student Council Officers. From left to right: President Jackie Lutz-Hibbard, Treasurer Lauren Tan, Secretary David Seo. Not pictured: Vice President Ashley Sato
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TEACHER AND STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCH
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Wednesday, November 17th
Our Annual Fall Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, November 17, from 11 am to 1pm ,
at the home of Kerri and Art Terrill at 1816 Oak Street (on the corner of Stratford).
We are looking for volunteers to donate a main dish, side dish, salad or dessert, and need a few people to help with set-up and clean-up. Any and all food and drink or paper good
donations are welcome! You are welcome to prepare your favorite dish or pick up prepared foods -- both are greatly appreciated. The food can be brought directly to the Terrill home at 1816 Oak. Please clearly label serving utensils with your name and the name of the dish if it is not obvious. All items will be washed and returned to the teachers' lounge in the school office for pick up after school.
 The teachers really look forward to this special treatment! Please help make it possible!
Contact co-chairs Angie McGrath: (310) 977-1183, amcgrath@fruit.com, or Kerri Terrill: (626) 379-2126, kerriterrill@yahoo.com with questions or to make special arrangements.
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HILLSIDES THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
| | November 15-19
Marengo has a long-standing relationship with Hillsides, a Pasadena non-profit organization that provides a variety of services to families at risk. As we started last year, this year our organized classroom effort will again be to coordinate a food drive the week before Thanksgiving.
The families identified by Hillsides depend on free meals at school for their children, so when school is out, they have an even greater need for additional food. That is where Marengo comes in. Each grade level will be assigned particular food items such as canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, etc. to contribute that once combined together will provide a complete package of everyday staples and special Thanksgiving extras. Please look for additional, more specific information to come home the week of November 8th.
There will also be an opportunity to help these families around the winter holidays. In December, we will have a gift drive for Hillsides but it will not be based in the classrooms. There will be tags listing requested gifts available in the office, and if families want to buy an item, they are welcome to do so.
In the meantime, please contact Ayako Hirano (labears@earthlink.net) or PJ Lutz (pjlutz5@gmail.com) with any questions. Thank you in advance! |
A NOTE FROM SOUTH PASADENA COUNCIL PTA
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PTA Finds Nothing to Celebrate in State Budget
The Legislature finally passed - and Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed - the 2010-11 state budget. This budget set a record as the latest state budget in California History.
It is clear that no one who cares about the welfare and education of children can be satisfied with this budget.
With this budget, Proposition 98, the minimum funding guarantee for education, is suspended, and schools will receive billions less than otherwise required under the law. And once again, the budget is balanced with little in the way of new revenues, relying instead on spending reductions, anticipated federal funds and accounting gimmicks. After $17 billion in cuts to education the past few years, overall K-12 education funding will remain fairly constant from last year's funding level. Although this budget provides an increase in funding over the Governor's May Revise proposal of $1.7 billion, or approximately $275 per pupil, all of this
money is deferred into the 2011-2012 school year. More:
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and supported our yard sale on October 23! Proceeds will go towards bringing informational programs concerning our
children to our parents and community.
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A MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
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| New California Requirement Regarding Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination
Recently, the number of cases of Pertussis (whooping cough) in California and Los Angeles County has significantly increased. Pertussis is a contagious respiratory disease that can be passed easily from person to person. It is very serious for infants and can
cause them to cough so much that they cannot breathe. Whooping cough can cause adults or teens to have severe coughing that can lead to broken ribs and hospitalization
for pneumonia. The number of California cases in August 2010 was seven times greater than the same time in 2009, with several deaths. The Department of Public Health is now changing its recommendations for Pertussis vaccination for children and adults, and the Governor has just signed Assembly Bill 354 into law, with the following requirements:
For the 2011-2012 school year only, all students entering 7th through 12th grades will need proof of a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, acellular Pertussis) booster shot before starting school. This requirement:
- begins July 1, 2011
- can be met by having your child receive one dose of Tdap vaccine on or after his/her10th birthday.
- applies to all public and private schools.
Beginning July 2, 2012, and beyond, this requirement will apply only to 7th graders - all students entering the 7th grade will need proof of a Tdap booster shot after the age of 10 before starting the school.
The South Pasadena Unified School District is planning to hold at least one immunization clinic in the District Board Room later in the school year. We will inform you well in advance regarding the date of this clinic. However, we recommend that you see your
family physician at your earliest convenience to be sure your child is protected this year against Pertussis.
The Health Department is now recommending that you, as an adult, receive a single dose of Tdap to replace a single dose of Td (the "regular" tetanus shot that you should be receiving every 10 years) if you received your last tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine 10
or more years ago. Please consult your medical provider for more information.
Alexandra Platz, RN, MA
District Nurse
South Pasadena Unified School District |
PTA PRESIDENT'S CORNER
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| Dear Marengo Families,
It is hard to believe that we are already at the beginning of November. With Thanksgiving coming up this month, we have started thinking about what we are thankful for. We are so thankful for the amazing parent volunteers we have at Marengo - you all truly do make Marengo a special place! As PTA leaders, we are also very thankful for our phenomenal committee chairs, who organize great events such as our recent movie night, cultural arts assemblies, International Walk to School Day and Red Ribbon Week. Thank you Melissa Meza and Linda Park for organizing our fun evening under the stars, and to Cynthia Liu for motivating all of us to walk, bike or scoot to school. Thank you also to Diemha Hoang for organizing our annual healthy choices week and to Sarah Dugan and Cecilia Wong for coordinating the healthy choice themed lunchtime art project. Andrea Carless brought our students the incredible mime performance by The Chameleons - thank you so much for continuing to find exceptional cultural arts programs. And finally, a big thanks to Deborah Lutz for her organization on behalf of Marengo and the PTA Council of the District-wide Yard Sale.
While we are reflecting on being thankful, please keep in mind that we have our 2nd annual Thanksgiving food drive later this month. We are collecting for an organization in Pasadena called Hillsides that assists local families in need. You can see the article in this newsletter for more detailed information about the food drive.
And please be sure to join us for our 6th Annual Celebrate the Arts Day this Sunday from 12:00-4:00 pm. The committee has been planning for months and this year's event is sure to be the best yet!
Again, thank you for all that each of you do to make Marengo special.
PJ Lutz Karen Weinstock
pjlutz5@gmail.com jkwst@hotmail.com
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