February 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

SCHOOL NEWSRivergladesElementary Updateby Mona SteinbergCelebrate Valentine’s Day a little early this month. Let “luck be a ladytonight” and head over to Roll with Riverglades on Friday, February 8th atthe Marriott at Heron Bay in Coral Springs from 7:30-11:30 p.m. Ourannual adult-only fundraiser is back in ’08 with liveentertainment, fantastic food (cocktail hour,dinner, and dessert), liveand silent auctions, and ofcourse casino-style gameslike blackjack, craps,roulette, and a moneymachine.Our fabulous auction includes stays atvacation homes in North Carolina, jewelry, sporting events tickets, andsports memorabilia. Another great and valuable auction item is a half-yearof after-care, donated by After School Programs, Inc., (ASP), to be usedduring the August-December 2008 timeframe.Also up for auction is an offering from Parkland resident and NBCChannel 6 news anchor/reporter Trina Robinson. It will be a thrill for thewinning bidder, who’ll get to watch an 11 a.m. NBC 6 news broadcast livewith Trina Robinson, and receive a tape of their child doing the news (notlive), as well as an autographed picture with Trina and other NBC 6 talents.The attire for the evening is the fashionable and comfortable “denim &diamonds”.Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. Contact Mary EllenHamilton at 954.448.1194 or Scott Wank at 954.234.7396 for moreinformation.Being that this is a leap year, it’s only fitting that Riverglades students willbe “leaping” for the American Heart Association on February 14th whenthey participate in “Jump Rope for Heart.” This annual event/fundraiserincreases the students’ heart-healthy awareness, and helps supportlifesaving education and research programs for the AHA.All students will participate whether or not they have collected donations.Family and friends are welcome to support students’ participation bymaking contributions by cash or check to the AHA. On event day orbefore, children should bring in their JRFH envelopes with theirdonations, and be sure to wear soft-soled athletic shoes as well as clothingthat will not interfere with the jump ropes. Happy jumping!Make sure to keep March 8th open for Riverglades’ spring carnival. It’ll bea “Beach Bash” with lots of rides, games, food, a silent auction, arts &crafts, music, and much more. Get in on the planning by coming to ourmonthly PTA meeting the morning of February 6th at 9:15 a.m.Happy Valentine’s Day!WestgladesMiddle School Updateby Ellen DavisWhat to do with the extra day in February this year? How about READ alittle more! Reading is a wonderful way to open up a new world ofinterests and imagination, and Westglades Middle School is fortunateenough to have Diana Haneski as its Media Specialist. She is alwaysencouraging everyone to READ, READ, and READ!Diana Haneski has been a library media specialist for ten years. She ismarried to Ray Haneski, Westglades technology specialist, and they havetwo sons. Driven by her love of books, Mrs. Haneski chose this occupationbecause it allows her the chance to interact with students, teachers, andtechnology. An avid reader, Mrs. Haneski has a personal goal to read onebook each week.Under Mrs. Haneski’s direction, Westglades has been fortunate to haveseveral authors speak to the students and teachers. She pays closeattention to the books being chosen by students, “It’s been my goal to getauthors that can inspire students and teachers to read and write. I see whatthe students are checking out of our library. When I couldn’t keep theSharon Draper and Roland Smith books on the shelves I knew they wereauthors we had to get to speak at the school.” In fact, Sharon Draper willspeak at Westglades next Fall.Talks are also already underway to bring popular author Roland Smith toWestglades this spring, when he will address each grade level. In the past,Adrian Fogelin has been a very popular lecturer with the students. Theauthors’ visits are geared to give the students insight into each of theirwriting and publishing processes.104 FEBRUARY 2008Another way that Mrs. Haneski encourages reading through the gradelevels is through the HOWL book club. This popular club is open to allstudents and their parents. Each person reads a book from the monthlyselection of choices and there is a meeting to discuss them. Student leadersand teachers are essential to the facilitation of the discussion. Mrs.Haneski is happy with the great response the club has had. “I am proud ofthe fact that we have started something for students and their familiesthat, hopefully, will continue into their adult life; you know, calling momonce you live away from home and talking about books that you’ve bothread or should read.”“I often get students who tell me they don’t like to read,” says Mrs.Haneski. “I take that on as a challenge every time. I tell them we have over16,000 books in our collection and I bet there is one for them.”To find out more about what is in store at Westglades this month, pleasecheck out the school website www.westgladesmiddle.com.