RESCHEDULED: March PTG Meeting

The PTG general meeting for March that was scheduled for Tuesday, 3/3/15 at 7:00 pm has been RESCHEDULED for Wednesday, 3/11/15 at 7:00 pm in the Frenchtown cafeteria.

We plan to discuss upcoming events for the remainder of the calendar year, plus budget projections and planning for the 2015-2016 school year.

Frenchtown March Newsletter

Here is the March Newsletter for Frenchtown including:

• Student input form for current K and Grade 1 parents which are due March 24th
• Information on the new pilot program for Grade 2 pre-lunch recess from the SIT Subcommittee on Wellness
• Spring photos will be taken March 12th
• Registration information for the 12th Annual RI Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Fuels Fitness 5K on Sunday, April 12th
• This month's morning announcements focus
• Suggested reading

If you can't download the newsletter below, you can read it online here.

Big Thanks & Alan Shawn Feinstein Visit

This morning, we were honored to have Alan Shawn Feinstein visit Frenchtown and offer words of appreciation and encouragement to our students.

He presented a check for $236.00 as matching funds for the canned goods donated during our Super Bowl/Super Students week in January.  This check and the canned goods will be presented to representatives from our local food pantry during our next PTG meeting on March 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

Student "Junior Scholar" cards will be distributed TODAY. Please look for a white envelope in your child's backpack as we do not have surplus cards available.

Thank you so much for your support of this worthy cause!  It's such a wonderful opportunity to connect with our community and meet the needs of many!

REMINDER: Yearbook Booster Forms Due Friday

Yearbook Booster forms are due back this Friday, February 27th. 

The proceeds from the booster sales helps fund the publishing of the yearbook as well as other PTG programs throughout the year like field trips and assemblies so please consider buying one to celebrate your child, congratulate a teacher or promote your business!

What is a Yearbook Booster?

A yearbook booster is a space available for purchase in the yearbook and you can use it for wither a personal or business message. Here are some examples of the different sizes and ways to use them:

SINGLE LINE:

Joey Smith: Great year! We are so proud! Love, Mom & Dad   

SMALL CARD:

BUSINESS CARD or HALF PAGE:

QUARTER PAGE or FULL PAGE:

If you cannot find your booster form, you can download it below or find it online here.

School Calendar Update

With all of the snow days this month, the school calendar has been updated to reflect the make up days that have been added. The last day of school is now Monday, June 22nd.

The Event Calendar here on the blog has been updated with the new end date and you can also download the document below or find it online here.

Celebrating the 100th Day

It got postponed and postponed and postponed again, but the Frenchtown community finally got to celebrate the 100th Day of School on February 12th, and it was worth waiting for!

REMINDER: Celebrating the 100th Day Tomorrow

Thursday, February 12th will now be the 100th day of school, and Frenchtown students are encouraged to dress up like 100 year old people to celebrate.

We can't wait to see what they think they'll look like at 100 years old!

RESCHEDULED: Celebrating the 100th Day

Thursday, February 12th will now be the 100th day of school, and Frenchtown students are encouraged to dress up like 100 year old people to celebrate.

We can't wait to see what they think they'll look like at 100 years old!

RESCHEDULED: Celebrating the 100th Day

Wednesday, February 11th will now be the 100th day of school, and Frenchtown students are encouraged to dress up like 100 year old people to celebrate.

We can't wait to see what they think they'll look like at 100 years old!

Girls Night Out Needs Your Help

Girls Night Out is this Friday and we need help from lots of you to make it extra special!

If you can help decorate during the school day (anytime between 9:30-2:00) and/or chauffeur balloons between 12:00-1:00, please sign up HERE.

If you'd like to help out during the dance form 5:30-8:30 pm, please contact Heather Duke at heatherduke2001@yahoo.com.

RESCHEDULED: Celebrating the 100th Day

Tuesday, February 10th will now be the 100th day of school, and Frenchtown students are encouraged to dress up like 100 year old people to celebrate.

We can't wait to see what they think they'll look like at 100 years old!

Frenchtown February News

Valentine’s Day 
Valentine's Day is right around the corner. How do you help your child to celebrate while supporting East Greenwich Schools’ Wellness Policy?

Never fear! Although we are not allowed to distribute candy to students, non-edible treats can be added to your Valentine cards. All of these items can be purchased quite inexpensively from your local party supply store. They should cost about the same as it would cost to buy candy.
• Valentine pencils
• Small tubs of store bought or homemade play dough
• Temporary tattoos
• Valentine erasers
• Coloring books
• Silly Putty
• Small toys
• Stickers
• Glow sticks
• Bubbles
• Pencil toppers
• Origami paper and instructions
• Tooth brushes
NOTE: Please avoid sending balloons or other latex items due to allergies that may be present in the classroom.

Morning Supervision: Is Today Indoor or Outdoor Supervision? 
As you drop your child off in the morning, there may be a bus cutout in the front window of the office. If you see this sign, that indicates that supervision before the bell will be held inside. Students who are eating breakfast or ordering lunch are asked to go to the cafeteria. All other students are asked to wait in the gym. There is a designated area for each grade level in the gym.

If you see the sign and children are inside, please drop your child off on the side of the building as you would any other day. The first door on the left, past the Kindergarten playground will be open for all students being dropped off by 8:10 a.m.

As Always, Safety First 
When dropping your child off in the morning, please consider the safety procedures created by Ocean State Transit. Those procedures relative to drop off/and pick up are:

• At the schools there are designated parking areas for buses only and fire lanes that need to be clear at all times. Please ensure that during drop off and pick up times you are not parked in these zones. These lanes are wide enough so the buses can make their turns. It takes extra room to turn the buses and accommodate the “tail swing” after the buses make the turns. 
• There is a “Danger Zone” 10 feet around the outside of the whole school bus. We need to keep children, parents, and vehicles out of that area because there is a lack of visibility in these areas. 
• When children are crossing the road in front of the bus, let the driver cross them. Please don’t walk across the street to get them. We have excellent monitors in the East Greenwich community. They work as a team with the driver to insure the children cross properly and safely. They have been trained in the proper procedures. Please let the team on your child’s bus do the job for which they have been trained. 

Our Morning Message Focus for February: Celebrating America’s Diversity, Caring for Others, Helping Hearts 
In 1995, when gang violence was an epidemic in our nation, there was a Stop the Violence Conference held on Dr. Martin Luther King Day in Houston, Texas. Hundreds of students made the following pledge:

• To strive to be a builder of peace. 
• To get rid of violence in my thoughts, words, and my behavior. 
• To walk in peace with others from this day, evermore. 

We will be highlighting these concepts throughout the month.

February Reading List
Helping Hearts - K-5 
• The Wednesday Surprise, E. Bunting
• An Angel for Solomon, C. Rylant
• Thank you, Mr. Falker, P. Polacco 
• Chicken Sunday, P. Polacco 
• Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge, M. Fox 
• The Wolf’s Chicken Stew, K. Kasza 
• The School Story, A. Clements 
• The Report Card, A. Clements 
• The Earth Dragon Awakes, L. Yep 
• Number the Stars, L. Lowry It’s Magic 
• Dancing in the Wings, D. Allen 
• Dealing With Teasing, L.K. Adams 
• Ella the Elephant, C. D’amico 
• If the Shoe Fits, G. Soto 
• Red is Beautiful, R. John 
• Simon’s Hook: A Story about Teases K-3 

Not Cool - K-3
• Bully B.E.A.N., J. Cook 
• How to Lose All Your Friends, N. Carlson 
• King of the Playground, P.R. Naylor 
• The Meanest Thing to Say, B. Cosby 
• The Recess Queen, A. O’Neill 
• Bullies are a Pain in the Brain, T. Romain 
• The Hundred Dresses, E. Estes* 
• Make a Wish, Molly, B. Cohen* 

That’s So Random 
• Random Acts of Kindness, D.R. Kingma 
• Small Acts of Kindness, J. Vollbracht 
• The Three Questions, J. Muth 

Celebrating America’s Diversity - K-5 
• Every Human Has Rights by National Geographic
• Global Babies by Global Relief Fund
• It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr
• Shades of People by Shelley Rotner
• The Peace Book by Todd Parr
• The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
• We Are All Alike . . . We Are All Different
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• You and Me Together: Moms, Dads, and Kids Around the World by National Geographic

An Upcoming Event in RI
Unpacking Race:An Essential Conversation in Schools and in Homes 

“Well Checks” in Reading 
As our children grow, most of us are familiar with medical “well checks” our pediatricians perform. Our doctors weigh our children and measure how tall they are. This information can help doctors to understand if our children are growing properly of if something may be wrong, enabling them to plan a course of action as soon as possible. 

We all know how important it is for our children to grow as readers as well. In fact, successfully learning to read at an early age is one of the most important factors in a child’s learning. Because reading growth is so important, on a regular basis our teachers perform formative assessments on students to determine strength and need as well as the focus for further instruction. 

On a district-wide level, schools are implementing STAR assessments for ongoing progress monitoring in reading as well. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any concerns. 

Scholarships Available
Did you know that in partnership with PTG and our Title I Community Partnership program, scholarships are available for all before and after school events? If you have a financial need and could benefit from this assistance, all you need to do is call Mrs. Vaughn at 884-4713. Once the call is made, she will ask you to fill out the appropriate registration forms and will make sure that funds are placed in the envelope and the registration, complete with the fee, is turned in to the PTG. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have a need. We make every effort to ensure that this process remains confidential. 

Super Bowl/Super Students Day
What a wonderful way to end a month! 

January 30 was our school wide PBIS celebration: Super Bowl/Super Students! We had a special lunch event, Super Fans, Super Bowl predictions, soup drive finale and Fun Friday all in one.

Thank you to our wonderful Fun Friday Liaisons and volunteers: Denise Lopez, Donnah Mathews, Ericka Owens, Howard Faunce, Jill Spitzer, Laura Santilli, Judy Hart, Nikki Berte, Linda Settipane, Michelle Anvar, Betsy Aulisio, Nicolette Berte, Amanda Campbell-O’Connell, Marisa Colucci, Jen D'Ellena, Jeff  Dronzek, Katie Erickson, Stephanie Ferguson, Angela Frolov, Jen Gaffney, Kari Glynn, Sue Guerzon, Mandy Lehne, Seana Marcks, Stephanie Martin, Maura McCarthy, Rebecca McGeorge­­, Susan Morandi, Cindy Patrick, Claire Patti, Meenu Vedantham, Susan Riley, Heather Saakov, Jill Saccoccia, Denise Schwarzbach, Ellen Slater,  Jill Spitzer, Marybeth Straut, Renee Syed, Denise Taliaferro, Jannette Todaro, Vincent Torilli, Jodi Williston, Rachel Busch, Danielle Fluehr, Valerie Knight, Carla Molina, Jay Leahy and Thomas Joyce,

Stuffed Animal Drive Thank You

Dear Frenchtown Students, Parents and Teachers,

I want to thank you so much for donating all of the stuffed animals to the Volunteer Health Program (VHP) Mission. You have all been so generous and we were able to collect and ship out many stuffed animals with all of the medical supplies. The children who undergo eye surgery will be so happy and comforted by these stuffed animals. I would love to do an annual stuffed animal drive at Frenchtown. My Grandparents, Dr. Robert and Darlene Della Rocca, the founders of this mission are very appreciative of our efforts and will be sure to keep us posted on this years eye mission in the beginning of March.

Thank you Frenchtown!

Sydney Fay

Super Bowl/Super Kids Day

Thanks to all the Fun Friday liaisons and volunteers for making Super Bowl/Super Kid Day so much fun! The students loved it.

And even Honey Bear got in on the action.