2011 FUN FAIR
| | Play All Day!
This fun-filled three-school event is scheduled for May 21st and 22nd and planning is getting underway. Marengo is looking for chairs to do Arts & Crafts, Games, and Underwriting. Arts & Crafts and Games play a big part at the Fair, whereas Underwriting happens beforehand (ie we need to find this person asap!). This is a great opportunity to be a part of the kids' most highly anticipated weekend of the year. And this is a way you can be involved even if you aren't available to spend time on campus during the school days.
Please contact Stacey Petersen if you are able to fill one of these positions: smkpetersen@yahoo.com.
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MARENGO NIGHT OUT
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Round Table Pizza
Thursday, Feb 3
3:00 - 9:00 pm
Have dinner at Round Table this Thursday night and 25% of your food order and 10% of your soft drink order will be donated back to our school. Simply tell them you are with Marengo when you place your order.
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SIGN UP FOR ESCRIP
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 Marengo School PTA eScrip Group ID: 137 235 605
If you haven't registered your Vons or Pavilions cards so that a percentage of your regular shopping automatically comes to Marengo, please sign up at escrip.com, or contact Kathleen Lih, mklih@att.net.
This is the absolute easiest way to raise funds for our school, without spending an extra dime. We count on this money to support our library and computer center...and we count on you to continue the success of this ongoing fundraiser.
Sign up today!
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SUPER THANKS TO OUR SUPER SCIENTISTS
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We'd like to thank the parent scientists who participated in Super Scientist Night. Hundreds of students and their families showed up to build structures from blocks, fly balsa wood planes, play with a robotic dog, explore the effects of liquid nitrogen, peek at the stars through a telescope, and engage in many other cool scientific activities.
Our participating scientists/engineers/medical professionals were: David Blekhman, Jamie Bock, Ivonne Ferandell, Germaine Defendi, Daphna Enzer, Dioni Freking, Jennifer Hartstein, Chris Mallett, Jill Nemiro, Jim Ostrowski, Judy Parkinson, Tom & Lisa Polansky, Mark Shaeffer, and Patrick Wright.
    THANK YOU!
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Join Our List
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IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
2/2
8:20 am - PTA General Membership Meeting featuring
Chief of Police Joe Payne
3:00 pm - School Site Council Meeting
2/3
8:30 am - Community Coffee
3:00 - 9:00 pm - Dinner Night Out - Roundtable Pizza
2/4
7:30 pm - Fifth Grade Musical
2/5
7:30 pm - Fifth Grade Musical
2/6
3:00 pm - Fifth Grade Musical
2/12
6:30 - 11:00 pm - Marengo Tango
2/16
7:00 pm Fun Fair Committee Chair Meeting - Arroyo Vista
2/17
KINDERGARTEN BLOCK SCHEDULE
EARLY DISMISSAL - FRIDAY DISMISSAL TIMES
2/18
NO SCHOOL - Lincoln's Birthday
2/21
NO SCHOOL - President's Day
2/23
7:00 pm - Bully Prevention Parenting Seminar
2/25
KINDERGARTEN BLOCK SCHEDULE
Talent Show - Marengo Magic - Two Shows
8:45 am School Performance
7:00 pm EVening Performance
2/28
8:15 am - PTA Executive Board Meeting
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| A WORD FROM OUR PRINCIPAL | |
Dear Marengo Community,
Marengo is committed to integrating character education into the curriculum and encouraging families to make choices according to our 'High Five' of Good Character: Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, Trustworthiness, and Citizenship. Over the past month, we have been focusing on RESPONSIBILITY from the Marengo 'High Five' of Good Character! These character traits are taught and reinforced through Second Step, our character education program.
According to the Josephson Institute of Ethics, RESPONSIBILITY can be defined as, "Being in charge of our choices and, thus, our lives. It means being accountable for what we do and who we are. It also means recognizing that our actions matter and we are morally on the hook for the consequences." The students and staff at Marengo have been working to follow the basic rules of RESPONSIBILITY:
Do what you are supposed to do · Plan ahead · Persevere: keep on trying! · Always do your best · Use self-control · Be self-disciplined · Think before you act - consider the consequences · Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes · Set a good example for others
Being responsible is an attitude as well as a skill. It can and must be taught. A child won't know to put their toys away unless they are taught. An adult won't know how to return something he has borrowed or be to work on time unless he was taught. It is absolutely necessary that all humans are taught responsibility. The best way a parent can teach a child responsibility is little by little, day by day. Here are some tips to help you teach your child responsibility.
- Do not teach a child anything when they are tired or hungry.
- Criticism is poison when it is combined with teaching.
- Be patient, it takes time for anyone to change their ways.
- Start when a child is very young. When a child can walk they can pick up their toys. At age 3 or 4 they can make their bed. At 5 they can set the table and clear it. By age 8 they should have a list of chores they do each week.
- Give them instructions and then let them do it. Don't keep nagging - just have a natural or monetary consequence follow if it is not done.
- Give tons of specific praise and encouragement.
For the rest of the school year we will be focusing on one character trait per month as follows:
February - Trustworthiness
March - Caring
April - Citizenship
May - Review of all.
Thank you for practicing and reinforcing these character traits at home. We can't do it alone!
Mrs. Kim Sinclair
ksinclair@fc.spusd.net
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COUNSELOR'S CORNER
| | Dear Marengo Families,
There is lot of love at this site. .. love that comes so unexpectedly and so pure from caring people. I was feeling a little down the other night when my doorbell rang. At the door was my friend, fifth-grader Makena Dugan. She smiled and handed me a beautiful red and gold bag with a tiny heart pin. With this sweet gift came the greater gift of her verbal message that she was thinking of me. I can only hope I thought of something to say at that moment that conveyed how deeply touched and appreciative I was of her love.
February brings opportunity to increase love at Marengo. On February 23rd we will address the topic of bullying to our students, teachers and parents. During the day our children and staff will be trained to recognize and stop destructive behaviors by replacing them with caring actions. Parents are invited to attend the evening session at 7pm with guest speaker, John Abrams.
We all want a safe school environment but I would guess most of us want a lot more. We want safety plus people of all ages caring for each other. Last week at the Science Night parents patiently smiled and answered questions of excited children. Another child moved to ensure a better view at the telescope for a younger student. Teachers laughed with their students at the delight of discovering something new. As we enter this next month, take a second to notice that love really is in the air around here. It deserves our notice and deserves to be continually practiced at all ages.
Happy Valentine's Day and Happy February...and thank you again Makena.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Hutto
khutto@fc.spusd.net
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MARENGO TANGO!!
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A Centennial Celebration
Saturday, February 12th
6:30 pm to 11:00 pm
 The party that happens only every other year is quickly approaching! At Marengo Tango you can dine, dance, mingle with friends, meet new people, and bid on a range of wonderful auction items - from dinners, to sports events, to priceless student art projects.
Need a good laugh? Enjoy 4 VIP tickets to a taping of Comedy Central's Tosh.O and continue the fun at home with a DVD of his Stand Up Special. Feeling mega-hungry? Get a mega-sized pizza, garlic knots, and side salad with this Pizza Party for 10 from Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza. Don't feel like coming early to save your seats for 5th grade promotion or the Spring Dance? Stroll in minutes before the ceremonies begin with your reserved front-row seating.
Tickets for the Teacher and Principal Treats raffle will be available for sale next week at pick-up and drop-off at the lunch tables. So, even if you can't make the event, you still can win an opportunity for your child to spend special time with his or her teacher. Tickets are $5 each for Teacher Treats and $10 each for Principal Treats.
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers to help with set up, take down, decorating, etc. Please contact Michelle Round (choniqueen@aol.com or 626.441.5471) if you can help.
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2011 TALENT SHOW - THE SHOW OF SHOWS
| | Middle School Auditorium
Dress Rehearsal:
Thursday, February 24th, 3:00 pm.
School Performance:
Friday, February 25, 8:45 a.m.
Evening Performance:
Friday, February 25, 7:00 p.m.
followed by an After Party in the Middle School cafeteria!
The show won't go on without parents to help with the 2011 Talent Show!! We need volunteers for dress rehearsal, balloon set-up, and school and evening performances. Any questions or to volunteer, please contact Kelli Driscoll at tedsmom@sbcglobal.net.
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ON YOUR MARKS...GET SET....
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JOG!
The Marengo Jog-a-thon is coming Friday, March 11!
The 10th annual Marengo jog-a-thon will be held after school on Friday, March 11. The kindergarteners will walk/jog around their playground from 10-10:30am and grades 1-5, from 1:30-2:30pm. The jog-a-thon is one of our PTA's biggest fund-raisers, bringing in just over $20,000 last year. One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to making improvements at our school. All students are encouraged to participate in this fun event. Pledge sheets and instructions will be sent out in backpack mail soon. Please help your student(s) collect pledges from friends, neighbors and family, then come out and enjoy the music and festivities as we pull together to make a difference and help our school! We need parent volunteers, so if you're interested in helping, please e-mail Michelle Speers (michelle_speers@yahoo.com).
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BULLY GAME COMING TO MARENGO
| | Students at Marengo Elementary are arming themselves with the tools they need to ward off bullying at their school by playing "The Bully Game" - a live action assembly. Uncoventional, but true. On Feburary 23, 2011 the students will play this crazy game show hosted by California's leading educational entertainer John Abrams. The Bully Game teaches valuable lessons in an insanely fun environment, and the combination of comedy, magic, and audience participation leaves the students with a life changing experience.
That evening we hope you will join us for a Parenting Seminar on Bully Prevention: How to talk to your kids about the bullies, the bullied, and the bystanders. This 90-minute program will begin at 7:00 pm in the Auditorium.
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A NOTE FROM SOUTH PASADENA COUNCIL PTA
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Governor Brown Releases Sobering Budget Proposal - CA PTA Press Release 1/12/11
"This is a difficult, sobering budget proposal that reflects the magnitude of our state's budget problem. We appreciate the Governor offering a more straightforward, balanced approach to solve the state's $25.4 billion deficit - one that does not rely solely on cuts.
"We also appreciate the Governor's efforts to limit further cuts to K-12 education, especially since our students have already endured more than $18 billion in cuts during the past three years. However, this proposal includes a $2 billion deferral of K-12 funding that, in conjunction with the looming expiration of one-time federal funds, will further reduce the amount of funding for education. Additionally, even deeper cuts would occur unless voters approve a future ballot measure to extend current temporary taxes. "We must be clear that this budget proposal does not make K-12 education 'whole' from previous cuts. Instead, it would help curb the unprecedented lack of investment in our public education system that has occurred. "At the same time, the Governor's budget also proposes severe cuts to services that are vital to so many parents and families, including higher education, child care, Healthy Families, public libraries, CalWORKs and foster care. 12/10/10 - Student Fees Settlement Allows Families To Recoup Money In response to deep budget cuts, schools across California have been charging students for everything from textbooks to physical education uniforms. Students are also paying fees to take part in art classes and sports teams. The ACLU sued the state of California and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over the growing problem four months ago. State officials have now agreed to a legislative fix that gives parents the power to file their complaints through a formal process.
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PTA PRESIDENT'S CORNER
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| Dear Marengo Families,
February has just begun, and as always your PTA has a lot going on! We hope you can join us as we welcome new South Pasadena Chief of Police Joseph Payne at our meeting this Wednesday. We will be meeting at 8:20 am in auditorium. Chief Payne will be talking about safety and our children, and also be taking questions from those in attendance.
Marengo Tango, our major fundraiser for the year, is taking place in less than two weeks. Saturday, February 12, will be our evening of grown up fun - dinner, drinks, dancing and a silent auction. Please RSVP today and plan to join us for a great time for a great cause!
At the end of the month, on February 25 at 7 pm, we have our annual Talent Show. Our committee chairs have been working hard helping our students find the best way to showcase their many talents. Peeking into March, we have a special presentation from our own Mr. Speck. He will be presenting about technology in the classroom at our next PTA meeting, which is March 2 at 7 pm. Free child care for children 2 and older is always provided at evening PTA meetings.
Finally, very special thank yous go out to Susan Turner-Lowe, Diemha Hoang, Lisa Robinson and Sandy Smith for organizing another phenomenal Careers In Science Night. It was an absolute joy to watch our children so happily engaged in scientific projects all over campus. Thank you also to all of our talented parents who presented and volunteered to help collect tickets, etc. - we could not do it without you!
We hope to see many of you on Wednesday morning at the PTA meeting, but in the meantime, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
PJ Lutz Karen Weinstock
PTA President Executive Vice President
pjlutz5@gmail.com jkwst@hotmail.com
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