FRIDAY NEWS NOTES

January 25, 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

Monday January 28th No School –Superintendent’s Conference Day

Tuesday February 5th No School grades 3-8 – ELA scoring

Thursday February 7th or if 2/5 is a snow day… Make-up Day for ELA scoring

Here's the last chance to see Belle Sherman kids play basketball on our home court. On Saturday, January 26, our teams will play Enfield in the Belle Sherman Main Building Gym at the following times: 9 AM: Third/Fourth Grade Girls; 10 AM: Fifth Grade Girls; 11 AM: Fourth Grade Boys; 12 noon: Fifth Grade Boys. The third grade boys team will not play this week. The season's full schedule can be found at: http://www.bspta.org/Bballschedule.htm Please come and support our teams!

We will be running a concession stand again from 9 AM - 1 PM on Saturday, January 26. We would appreciate donations of food goods to sell. Baked goods, pre-packaged snacks, bottled water, juice boxes, fruit and the pizza ($5 from P&C) have all been sold in the past with good success. Volunteers to staff our table in half hour shifts are also needed. If you can donate a food item, please drop it off on Saturday morning in the main building entry way (where our concession stand will be). If you can help staff our table, please contact Andrea LaChance at lachance@cortland.edu or 275-0388.

What is a "Responsive Classroom"? Come find out at the next general PTA meeting on Monday Feb. 4th in the Main School Library. 6pm pizza, 6:30 presentation by Sue Rakow. Childcare provided.
The PTA has purchased 2 copies of "The Power of Our Words" Paula Denton. Copies are available at both the annex library and the main building library. Any Belle Sherman parent can check out the book. Many Belle Sherman teachers have been reading this book as it supports the Responsive Classroom.

Bottle & Can Collection: Please donate returnable bottles and cans to Belle Sherman 5th Grade to help raise money for our trip to New York City. You can drop them off in the collection box in the entryway of the main building or you can return bottles to P&C and put the receipt in the collection jar at the service desk, marked "Belle Sherman 5th Grade NYC Trip Fund" or you can return them at K&H Redemption and ask to put the money toward BS 5th grade. Thanks for your contributions!

Please send small toys in to the PTA. The Spring Fair needs new, wrapped "fast-food" restaurant (Happy Meal)-type of toys are needed for spring fair prizes.

Lehman Alternative Community School informational meetings. Tuesday, February 12th, Thursday, February 28th, and Wednesday, March 12th, 2008. All three meetings will be from 7:00-8:30 pm at LACS, 111 Chestnut Street in Ithaca. For more info, call the school at 274-2183. Please note that the deadline for applications for the 2008-2009 school year is March 31, 2008.

Ithaca High School’s jazz quintet, the Players, Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the Tompkins County Public Library’s Ezra Cornell Reading Room. Directed by Ithaca City School District teacher Jim Scarpulla, the Players are: Zack Knewstub and Josh Jacobsen on piano, Owen Erikson on drums, Walter Stinson on bass and Mike Strupp-Levitski on alto sax. The quintet plays instrumental pieces from many periods in jazz history. This performance is free and open to the public.

Students use theater to share their views. Voice Suspended, written by Ithaca High students in with collaboration IC professor and bfa student. Play focuses on experiences at school over the past few months. A project of the Greater Ithaca Activities Center's Teens' Protest Theatre. Performance Monday, January 28th at 2:30 at Ithaca College's Emerson Suites in Phillips Hall.

Celebrating Movement in Schools! Thursday, January 31th, 4-5:30pm, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave Join us as we hear from several educators about their experiences with Yoga in the Classroom, Walk Across America...and other creative ways to get kids moving! Connect with others interested in promoting physical activity in schools. *CHILD CARE will be provided in an adjoining room*

Opening Reception for Winter Exhibitions, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Friday, Feb 1 5-7pm Gallery talk with Stephen Addiss, historian of Japanese art and curator of 77 Dances, 4:30 p.m. Live music by Ryuko Mizutani, wine bar, hors d'oeuvres, a calligraphy demonstration, and lots more! Free and open to all. A shuttle bus from Cornell's "A" lot will run from 4:00 to 7:15 pm.

Dental Care: American Mobile Dental is a private company that provides dental care for people with Medicaid, private insurance or people who are underinsured. The dental van will be coming to Tompkins County on Mondays, starting February 4, 2008, from 8:30 am to 4 pm. The first location will be at 320 W. State Street in front of the Department of Social Services. The ICSD Website will indicate future locations. To make an appointment people should call 1-877-24-TOOTH.

Seed to Salad School Gardening Program for Educators and Volunteers Wed, Feb 6: 4:00-5:30pm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave. Seed to Salad is a multidisciplinary, hands-on gardening program appropriate for K-5. Come learn about the program, get some hands-on experience, take some seeds back to your school or program to get started and learn about ways the Ithaca Children's Garden can gardens at your school. For more info contact Leigh at 272-2292 x186 or lam26@cornell.edu

TCPL’s Mother – Daughter Book Club for girls ages ten through 13 and the special women in their lives. The Mother-Daughter Book Club provides an opportunity for participants to read wonderful books each month, and to learn about themselves and others by discussing literature. The group meets once a month in the Thaler/Howell Room. The next meeting will be held on February 10, 2008 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM. The book selection is, Staydog, by Kathe Koja. A complete list of titles is at www.tcpl.org/youth/programs/motherdaughter.html. For more info, Adelle Leise at 272-4557 x 277.

Winter Camp at Cayuga Nature Center Experience the magic of winter and all it has to offer.

Each of the five days will have its own theme, with activities including; animal presentations, sledding, snowshoeing, maple sugaring, cooking, crafts, games, ecology and outdoor survival. February 18-22, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with before and after camp care 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Ages: 5 – 12 Cost: $200 for the week For more info, contact Mark Clookey at (607) 273-6260 or camp@cayuganaturecenter.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