The Tiger Times Newsletter
Pleasantdale Middle School
December 8, 2019
Ribbon Cutting of the New Library
One final thank you to our school board, the greater school community, Dr. Palzet, Mr. Adams, Mrs. Steinmetz, our technology team, and everyone else who contributed to making this library renovation project a success!
MAP Testing This Week Tuesday and Wednesday
The schedules for Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11 are below.
Friday Night Live This Friday (December 13)!
WINTER WONDERLAND Friday Night Live is this Friday, December 13th from 6-8pm! If you and a group of friends would like to make a gingerbread house for charity, there are sign-up forms on Schoology and in the main office. It is $20 for your team which includes a kit with decorations and the proceeds will go towards families in need within our PDale community. The winning team will win a prize!
Grade Level Student Awards Assemblies
Aladdin Jr. Auditions This Week!
Thank you for supporting our Book Fair!
The middle school book fair was a great success! Thank you to everyone who came, purchased something, and saw the new library. It is going to be a wonderful space to learn!
For those of you who plan ahead, our spring book fair has been scheduled for March 2-5! Mark your calendars now!
Winter Concert Season Is Upon Us!
From there, Thursday, December 12, also beginning at 7 p.m., the Pleasantdale Middle School Bands perform their repertoire of pieces demonstrating how improvement comes as a direct result of practice and hard work!
I believe you'll be amazed by the growth of all of the student performers. It is awesome to see the kids outside the classroom excelling and achieving continued greatness! Bring the family! We hope to see you at both of these events.
Parent Education Corner
For this week's parent education, I was stopped in my tracks thinking about the quote above and specifically focusing on the question, "How do we teach this to kids?" The quote is:
"The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping-stone to greatness."
I think this can be accomplished in four steps.
The first step is to talk with your child about the challenges that people encounter and overcome. So often in our current social-media-driven world, kids (people really) don't realize the adversity that others have faced or are facing because that is not the focus of things that are shared through posts. Kids feel like they are the only ones dealing with these struggles and feel very alone and isolated. Providing them examples of others whom they deem "successful" and learning more about the struggles they've overcome can help significantly.
A second step is to let students struggle and see that they can overcome the adversity. As parents, we believe we are doing what is best for our kids by "protecting them" from failure and heartbreaks. In reality, kids need to have smaller, less significant disappointments along their path of development to learn from them and especially see that they can work through those feelings. If they don't have these experiences, that first time they experience it will be extremely intense and they won't have developed the coping strategies to navigate the situation.
The third step is to keep the lines of communication open between you and your child. Being a great listener is the key to this step. Remaining calm no matter what they share with you is important. Not judging or trying to fix the problem is also vital to keeping these lines open.
The fourth and final step to help your child remember and reflect upon accomplishing what he/she accomplished in the face of adversity. Reflection is a key to personal development. Providing specific praise for effort and action that was taken builds self-esteem. With this newfound confidence, your child will be willing to take risks, try new things, and weather the failures and disappointments on his/her way to finding success (well, most of the time)!
Upcoming Parent Presentations
Nazareth Academy Parent Offerings
Click here to see Nazareth Academy's Parent Speaker Series this year!
Parent Presentations at LTHS
February 25: 7:30 p.m. "Drugs, Alcohol, and the Teen Brain" Presented by Tammy Tunac (MA, LPC, CADC Behavioral Health Clinician), LT South Campus
Last Call for Lost and Found!
Calendar Dates for the Year
If you are like me, you want to know the dates for the year as far in advance as possible. As long as you understand that something may change due to unforeseen circumstances, I’d like to provide you access to the dates we’ve planned for the year (many of which are in the paper calendar you received in the mail). To access the middle school calendar dates, please click here.
Collections at the Middle School
We collect the following at the middle school:
1. Pop Tabs-The Pop Tab competition by grade has begun so please continue to collect Pop Tabs for us throughout the year. We donate them to Ronald McDonald House to support families of children with cancer.
2. Box Tops for Education-These are all given to the PTO to support our schools!
Throughout the year, there are other collections and drives that occur. Keep an eye out for how you can support the causes that are important to the students and staff here!
Tiger Tipline
While it is always best to talk directly to a staff member, we understand that sometimes this can be uncomfortable or difficult for students or parents. At Pleasantdale Middle School, we offer the Tiger Tipline as an anonymous tool for reporting unsafe, uncomfortable, or unkind behaviors and situations. We explicitly teach the students that if they ever see something or hear something that makes them feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or is unkind, either online or in person, they should tell a “trusted adult” which could be parents, school personnel, or other adults in their lives. The Tiger Tipline can be accessed here and we will post the link in Schoology and create a shortcut to the link on the student devices for easy access.
School Spirit Fridays!
Lunch information
The lunch menus have been upgraded significantly to show both nutritional information and allergens for the food served by Just a Dash, our third-party partner to provide hot lunch to our school. Here's the link to the menu:
December Lunch Menu, Nutritional Information, and Allergens
To put money on your child's account, please log into Skyward and add money. For more complete directions or apply for free or reduced lunches, please visit here.
Follow Us on Twitter @Pdaleprincipal for updates and pictures of the happenings around the middle school!
Follow pdalemsactivities on Instagram for reminders about school spirit days and events throughout the year!
This Week...
Monday, December 9
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m. in the library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in Room 1A (STEM Lab) - board and card games
Spirit Squad, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Room 25
Boys’ Basketball Game Home vs. Park Blue, 4:15
Tuesday, December 10
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
LTHS 8th Grade Band Day-Field Trip
5th Grade Orchestra, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25, STEM LAB
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in the South Gym
Tech Intern Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Boys’ Basketball Game Away @ McClure Red, 4:15
Winter Choir/Orchestra Concert, North Gym, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, December 11
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
Thursday, December 12
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting**, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
**Thursday meetings are meant for the students that cannot come on Wednesdays
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:30 p.m., Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in the South Gym
Gaming Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., STEM Lab
Aladdin Auditions, 3:30-6 p.m., Music Room
Boys’ Basketball Game Away @ Westchester, 4:15
Winter Band Concert, North Gym, 7 p.m.
Friday, December 13
Jazz Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Yoga, 7:35 a.m., small gym (mats are provided)
Friday Night Live, 6-8 p.m. (for PMS middle school students only). Students need to enter the building through Door #6 (Gym Doors). It is free to attend but students may bring money to purchase concessions.
A Look Ahead...
Monday, December 16
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m. in the library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in Room 1A (STEM Lab) - board and card games
Newbery Book Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Spirit Squad, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Room 25
Tuesday, December 17
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
5th Grade Orchestra, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25, STEM Lab
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in the South Gym
Tech Intern Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Boys’ Basketball Game Home vs. Park Blue, 4:15
Wednesday, December 18
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
Thursday, December 19
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting**, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
**Thursday meetings are meant for the students that cannot come on Wednesdays
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:30 p.m., Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., meet in the South Gym
Gaming Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Boys’ Basketball Game Away @ Park Red, 4:15
Friday, December 20-7th Grade Field Trip
Jazz Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Winter Break-School Resumes on Tuesday, January 7.
Questions? We're here to help!
Athletics: 708-246-7382
Mr. Mark Dreher, Athletic Director, mdreher@d107.org
Attendance notification: 708-246-3210, extension 5 or email middleattendance@d107.org before 8:20 a.m., please.
Health Office: 708-246-7619
Mrs. Denise Rende, Nurse, drende@d107.org
Main Office: 708-246-3210, extension 0
Mrs. Charlotte Reschke, Secretary, creschke@d107.org
Ms. Maria Cuevas, Clerical Aide, mcuevas@d107.org
Mrs. Brianne Malatt, Assistant Principal, bmalatt@d107.org, 708-246-7373
Mr. Griffin Sonntag, Principal, gsonntag@d107.org, 708-246-7609
Social Worker: 708-246-7505
Ms. Carrie Castaldo, Social Worker, ccastaldo@d107.org