FRIDAY NEWS NOTES

January 11, 2008

School Telephone: 274-2206

Remember to call the Attendance Line (274-2132) if your child is going to be late or absent! To contact our principal, Mr. Spence, call 274-2206 and leave a message or e-mail him at jspence@icsd.k12.ny.us.

Calendar:

Check out the Web Calendar at www.icsd.k12.ny.us/bellesherman

Tuesday January 15th PTA meeting – 6:30pm, main building library

Monday January 21st No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Fund Raiser Success! Thanks so much to Sarah Locke and all students for creating such beautiful artwork for the Silvergraphics fund raiser! And thanks to all of the families for their generous and enthusiastic support! Through your purchases, the PTA made over $2000 to help pay for enrichment programs, ice skating, basketball and field trips. Questions about an order? Contact Pat Fox (277-4512 or paf3@cornell.edu) or Kim Munson-Burke (256-4013 or munsonburke@yahoo.com)

Basketball at Fall Creek This Weekend The Belle Sherman Basketball Teams will be playing at Fall Creek on Saturday, January 12, 2008. The schedule is as follows: 9 am: Third/Fourth Grade Girls; 10 am: Fifth Grade Girls; 11 am: Third Grade Boys; 12 noon: Fifth Grade Boys. Note: There is NO Fourth Grade Boys game this week. Next games will be on Saturday, January 26 when Enfield will play at Belle Sherman. Check the full schedule at http://www.bspta.org/Bballschedule.htm

Upcoming PTA meetings: Tues Jan 15th, General PTA Meeting and Playground Presentation, 6pm pizza, 6:30 meeting; and Monday Feb 4th, Responsive Classroom Presentation by Sue Rakow. More details to follow. Childcare will be provided for both meetings.

A Student Credit Union at Belle Sherman? Are you interested in helping get a branch of Alternatives Credit Union started at Belle Sherman? Four other elementary schools (Cayuga Heights, Fall Creek, BJM, and Enfield) already have branches and report that they are great ways to reinforce both math and saving skills. If you are interested in exploring how we can get this program going at Belle Sherman, an organizational meeting will be held Wednesday, January 23 @ 6:30 pm in the Belle Sherman School Library. Joe Cummins from Alternatives Credit Union will share information about this program with us during the meeting. If you can’t make the meeting, but are interested in being involved, please contact Andrea Lachance at 275-0388 or Lachance@cortland.edu.

NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL: The ELA was given in grades 3-5 this week. Make-ups for absentees will occur next week.

Cornell’s Outreach Program provided Science enrichment to children in our Extended Day Program on Tuesday. Students learned to use microscopes and got a whole new perspective on the surface appearance of common objects such as thread, coffee grinds and salt. They also received journals and lessons in observation and recording of data.

All-school assemblies have boosted our sense of community and improved school climate. Ms. Trdan’s class planned and delivered a thought-provoking presentation on trash, environmental waste, the ways in which we are part of the problem, and how we (as individuals and as a school) can become part of the solution. We have decided to take the steps necessary to become designated as a “green school.”

Enrichment Program is looking for talented folks to lead enrichment classes 1day/week, 2-3pm for 6 weeks in Feb/March. Please contact Wendy Gutman at 277-0573 or gutmanw@verizon.net

BOXTOPS: At the end of October, we submitted boxtops totalling $85.00! A portion of that total came from a community contribution (the boxtop boxes you may see in supermarkets or the library) worth $30, which is greatly appreciated. We will be submitting again at the end of February - before you recycle, please check for pink General Mills Boxtops for Education. They can be found on items including cereal boxes, soup and plastic wrapping around paper towels, and are worth 10 cents each. It all adds up! If you have any questions, please contact Esty Schachter at 273-6745 or esty123@aol.com.

A 5K run and Fun Run is planned for Saturday April 26 at Belle Sherman. The 5K and Fun Run will be a fund raising event for the 5th grade class trip and the PTA. All Belle Sherman kids and families are
encouraged to start training! In-school wellness activities will be planned in the months prior to the run. Want to help plan the run or wellness activities? Call or email Cindy Milner cmilner@ithaca.edu (273-4185), Bonnie Comella bec3@cornell.edu, or Pam McCarthy fortitude@twcny.rr.com.

Community News

It's not too late to sign up for a Winter Program at the Ithaca Youth Bureau!
Registrations are still being accepted for Pre-K and Kindergarten Indoor Soccer, Theatre Classes (Imagine That, Youtheatre, Shakespearama, Improvmania), Mud Art, Pottery Camp (February Break), Chess Get Together, Tae Kwon Do and Small Ball Basketball Classes. For more information call 273-834 or visit us at www.Ithacayouthbureau.org. Click on "Parks and Recreation" and then "Youth Bureau".

IMPORTANT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING The Bryant Park Civic Association will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, January 17th at 7 p.m. in the Annex gym. The topic will be Cornell University’s Master Plan and its potential impacts on the neighborhood, including the potential for increased traffic on Mitchell Street impacting safety at the Belle Sherman School. Invited guests include Mayor Carolyn Peterson, representatives from Cornell’s Planning and Transportation Departments, Common Council, the Tompkins County Legislature and the Town of Ithaca Planning Board.

School Garden Gathering Thursday, January 17th, 3:45-5:30pm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave Please join us if you are involved in a school garden, or are thinking of starting one! Share ideas, insights, and challenges with others involved in school gardens, and talk about ways that we can support each other. For info contact: Shira Adriance at 272.2292, ext 157 or sma38@cornell.edu .

Running to Places Productions, the new community theatre company for middle and high school students in Tompkins County, presents its first-ever production, Fame the Musical. The show runs from January 18-27 at Ithaca High School's Kulp Auditorium with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm, Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $8 general admission, $7 students and seniors, and are available at the door, at www.runningtoplaces.org, and at the Ticket Center at Clinton House, 273-4497.

Have you ever wondered what’s inside a wind-up toy or why a yo-yo goes? Find out at the Sciencenter Winter Vacation Camp! Monday-Friday, February 18-22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For registration forms and information go to www.sciencenter.org or contact Alexis Abramo, at 272.0600 ext. 20 or aabramo@sciencenter.org

Friday News Notes are published weekly in cooperation with our school and the Parent-Teacher Association. Your input is welcome. News can be sent to fridaynews@verizon.net or put in the “Friday news” mailbox in the main school building. Please submit all news by 2pm on Thursdays. If you have questions, e-mail as above or call Karla Hanson at 277-6603. News Notes are posted to the BelleShermanFolks listserve at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/belleshermanfolks. BelleShermanChat is our more informal online group for community announcements, classified ads, etc. from Belle Sherman families. You can join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BelleShermanChat or contact Jim Morris-Knower at 273-7695 or jpk15@cornell.edu. List serve for 5th grade families interested in planning and fundraising the NYC trip and graduation: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BSherman5thGrade