September - October 2005 - Olean City School District

The staff at East View works hard to ensure that the entire school community is keptinformed of all important activities and events that take place throughout the year. Inaddition to individual classroom notes and newsletters as well as this Olean SchoolDistrict newsletter, there are various school-wide projects that provide updated informationabout the school:! Monthly Newsletter – sent home with students within the first week of eachmonth, September through June. It may contain information about the PTO or theBuilding Level Team, important dates, and helpful tips for parents.! Parent/Student Handbook – will be distributed to each East View family at thestart of the school year. The handbook will be a helpful resource that should be usedthroughout the year, providing information about school activities, guidelines andprocedures.! Student Agendas – are planners that are provided to each student in grades 3-5.In addition to assisting students with organizational skills, the agendas are a great wayfor teachers and parents to communicate with each other.! Web Site – located within the Olean School District’s web site atwww.oleanschools.org! Outside Sign – will be updated on a regular basis, providing information onupcoming events.We encourage East View parents, along with the entire school community, to use thesemeans of communication and feel free to contact us with your comments, concerns orsuggestions.The more school a child misses, themore likely he or she is to fall behindacademically. Although teachers allowstudents to make up the work they missed,nothing can make up for losing a valuableday of instruction. Therefore, it’s yourresponsibility as parents and caregivers, tominimize the number of days your childmisses school. Here are some tips that canhelp.Virtually every parent has heard, “I justdon’t want to go to school today.” If yourchild says this occasionally, firmly insistthat attending school is a responsibilityand that he or she must go. If complaintsbecome more frequent, you need todiscover the cause. One or more of thefollowing may apply:! “The dog ate my homework.”Many times children will resist going toschool if they have neglected to study for atest, complete homework, or finish aproject. First explain to them that stayinghome won’t solve the problem. Then,working with your child, set up a system toSeptember-October 2005Communication is ImportantEast ViewElementarySchoolSchool Attendance is Vital to Successkeep track of tests and assignments.! “Fear of bullies.” If your childactually seems afraid to go to school,encourage him or her to open up and sharewhy they are scared. Tell your child thatyou will get help and immediately notifythe child’s teacher and the principal.! “Falling behind.” Sometimes,children don’t want to go to schoolbecause they feel “stupid”. Meet with theteacher to find out how your child is doing.If necessary, explore what special helpmay be available.! “Set a good example.” Parentswho are habitually late to work, or takeunnecessary “sick days”, set a wrongexample for their children.Attendance is an extremely importantpart of your child’s education. Byminimizing the instruction your childmisses, you can ensure that he or she getsthe most out of school.(Source: Report To Parents, publishedby the National Association of ElementarySchool Principals)East View Welcomes New StaffEast View Elementary School willbegin the 2005-2006 school year withseveral staff changes. First, we wish towelcome new staff members: Mr. ChristopherLampack, Custodian/Building andGrounds Maintainer; Mr. Stanley Wesley,Cleaner; Mr. Randy Samuelson, 4 th GradeTeacher; Mrs. Kerry Zostant, SpeechTeacher; Mr. William Hughey, MusicTeacher; Mrs. Jodi McMullen, Librarian;and Mr. David Olson, Principal. Also, wewould like to welcome back to East ViewMrs. Tammy Ketchner and Mrs. ShanaChudy, Academic Intervention Teachers.In addition, Mrs. Melanie Myers will beteaching 3 rd Grade. Best wishes toeveryone for a great school year!Important Dates at East ViewSept. 6 First day for studentsSept. 13 Elementary Beginning BandNight at OMSSept. 28 Open House, 6:45 p.m.Oct. 7 School Pictures DayOct. 10 No School – Columbus DayOct. 11 No School for students– Staff Development DayOpen HouseEast View Elementary School’s annual“Open House” will take place Wednesday,September 28, starting at 6:45 p.m. Theprogram will begin in the lower court areawith a brief meeting, a PTO presentation,and introductions of the staff. Parents willthen report to their respective classrooms.This event gives parents a chance to visitthe school, meet the teachers and learn anynew procedures for the upcoming schoolyear.Busy Summer for East View TeachersThe teachers at East View ElementarySchool have been busy this summer withseveral different projects. A number ofteachers from each grade level met to workon curriculum, updating and furtherdeveloping activities and resources. Inaddition, a team of East View’s SpecialEducation teachers attended a week-longCurriculum Camp sponsored by our localBOCES. These teachers worked on newapproaches to improving student achievement.Finally, many East View teachersparticipated in a two-day training for theStep Up To Writing program, whichprovides practical strategies for teachingthe writing process, making writing easier,faster, and more rewarding for ourstudents. Thanks to all of these teachersfor their time and effort this summer.17