BELLE SHERMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FRIDAY NEWS NOTES

November 15, 2007

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

Thursday        November 15^th          Harvest Festival 6-8pm

Friday             November 16^th          No School –Parent/Teacher Conference Day

Wednesday    November 21^st thru

Friday             November 23^rd          No School – Thanksgiving Recess

Belle Sherman  International Fall Harvest Festival TONIGHT !!! 6-8pm at the Main School.  We are very pleased to have The Paw Family singers performing this year and some surprise guests!  Free taxi vans to Belle Sherman Harvest Festival will be waiting for families at 5:45pm at both Southside Community Center & at Hasbrouck Community Center. Return taxis will leave the school at 8pm.

Harvest Festival Food Drive!  As part of our celebration and in thanksgiving for the bounty we share in our school, the Belle Sherman community will be collecting non-perishable foods and personal items for our local food pantries over the next ten days. Students can bring items in and put them in the shopping cart at the front door of either the annex or the big school.   Can Belle Sherman fill up five shopping carts full?  If you can help sort items next week, or deliver our collection on Tuesday afternoon November 20, please contact Ellen Morris-Knower at emorrisknower@yahoo.com or 273-7695.


Silvergraphics Fund Raiser! Have you found the postcard with a copy of your child's artwork in that backpack? The drawings and collages that the students produced this year are beautiful! Please consider ordering a t-shirt or a mug or a magnet decorated with your child's unique creation.  Orders are due by Monday, November 26. Contact Pat Fox (paf3@cornell.edu or 277-4512) or Kim Munson-Burke (munsonburke@yahoo.com or 256-4013) with any questions.

COUPON BOOKS FOR SALE! Our Belle Sherman 5^th graders are now selling “Enjoy the City” coupon books with hundreds of coupons for local restaurants, car washes, museums, theaters, auto garages, etc. They cost $20 each – a great value with over $2,500 worth of coupons! Please contact a 5^th grader or the 5^th grade teachers, Mrs. Cox or Mr. VanSlyke to place an order for a book. Proceeds will go toward the 5^th grade trip to NYC and graduation. Thank you for your support!

Mark Your Calendar - the next General PTA meeting is Monday Dec. 3 in the Main Building Gym. The meeting will provide an exciting update on the progress towards the new playground! More details to follow. Come at 6pm for pizza, meeting to start at 6:30pm.

NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL:

Another idea from The Power of our Words is that Language influences the nature of our relationships. As teachers, the way we speak with students can model and help create a positive atmosphere of curiosity, engagement, and respectful interactions.  For example, we can ask proactively, “How can we take care of each other when we play kickball?” to prepare students for respectful interactions. We can also encourage students to use positive language with each other when we hear them being harsh or unkind by asking, “How could you say that in a respectful way?”.

Library Night, Dec. 4, 6-7 PM. Local writer and illustrator Katrina Morse, author of "At Home With Books," will be our guest. She'll discuss and answer questions about writing and publishing.  Refreshments will be provided. Please join us in the main school library!

Community News

PLEASE DONATE USED WINTER COATS: We are in need of winter outerware (coats, hats, gloves, etc) for local charities to distribute to residents during the “Share the Warmth” event in December. Please bring items to school and place them in the collection box in the entryway. Or contact Brenda Rudan at 339-6275 or e-mail mrudan@twcny.rr.com to arrange collection. Thank you for your generosity!

Come Join the YMCA for its Annual Fall Open House Saturday, November 17^th!  The YMCA will be opening its facility to the public at no charge Saturday, November 17^th, 2007. The facility will be open from 7:30a.m. until 9:00p.m. There will be various special events, as well as regular programs that will be available to try all day! Go to www.ithacaymca.com or call (607) 257-0101 for more information.

Storyteller Regi Carpenter will present Fairies and Fools II, a story and music show for children 4 and up featuring more favorite fairy and folk tales from around the world. Nov. 18 3PM Bookery II


The Ithaca Youth Bureau is accepting registraitons for winter sports and programs. Basketball, indoor soccer, Pre-K soccer,Tae Kwon Do, and cheerleading will keep you moving this winter. Classes in Improvmania, theatre, shakespearama, pottery and wheel throwing are also being offered.  Space is llimited and classes do fill up! Sign up today. Go to www.ithacayouthbureau.org or call 273-8364 for more information.

Who Says Artists Can’t Spell?   Insouciant, vichyssoise, vernissage – those are just a few of tongue-twisting, mind-bending words the 26 teams were faced with spelling at the ninth annual IPEI Adult Spelling Bee Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11, in the Ithaca High School Gym. It was the Fine Arts “Word” Boosters who buzzed off with the “Pick of the Hive” trophy when they correctly spelled “bougainvillea” to nose out the Besom Sweepers ICSD parents team. It took the team of Masha Fontes, Jean Hunter and Ellie Hobbie 10 cycles of spelling to knock off pesky parents Lois Chaplin, David Guaspari and Neil Zusman in the championship round. It should be noted, however, that at one point the Fine Arts team did plead for “poetic license” when confronted with one of the more difficult words.

Teen Game Night  Teens aged 12 to 17 are invited to get active with Dance, Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero, chill out with Scrabble and Chess, or test their vocabularies with Balderdash or Scattergories.  Game nights are free and open to the public and will be held twice a month from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room. Play one game or stay for the full two hours; there is no limit to the fun you will have or the friends you will meet. Refreshments will be provided.  Attend one or all of the following game night programs: · November 7 and 28; December 4 and 12; or January 16 and 23.

Enjoy Being Creative  Elisabeth Gross-Marks, member of the State of the Art Gallery, Makes painting come alive.  She is an experienced teacher.  Individuals and small groups are welcome.  Call 277-2419 or e-mail egmcolors@clarityconnect.com.

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 5^th grade families interested in planning and fundraising the NYC trip and graduation:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BSherman5thGrade