Groveland Elementary School
March 2013 Newsletter
A Message From the Administrative Team
We hope this newsletter finds you healthy and well. We are nearing the Spring season, which brings with it lots of excitement both in and out of school. At Groveland, our students have been busy during the past month. Here are some of the highlights.
For the second year in a row, our counselors, Mrs. Sleicher and Miss Kolpack, organized the celebration of "Random Acts of Kindness Week." The week was full of activities that each classroom participated in with the focus of Color Your World with Kindness. Our week kicked off with an all-school assembly, presented by Mrs. Becky Turner's sister, Christi Wichner. Mrs. Wichner shared the story of her son's battle with leukemia. This presentation highlighted the kind acts shown to this family during a difficult time and helped us to put a face to our "Pennies for Patients" drive for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. In addition, throughout the week, students participated in classroom kindness projects, classroom lessons that focused on the kindness word of the day, and wore special colors each day.
On Friday, February 15th, the Annual Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast, sponsored by the Groveland Home and School was held. Each bus driver enjoyed a delicious breakfast and received gift baskets with cards and treats from the children. Our 6th grade Ambassadors were also hard at work during the breakfast, as they helped as greeters, presented gift baskets, and participated in interviews of the honored guests. Our morning kindergarten students stole the show with their rendition of "The Rules on the Bus." A special thanks to our GHSA for sponsoring this event each year and for the donations of food, gifts, and cards for the bus drivers.
A special shout-out to our 2nd and 4th grade students for two outstanding performances during the Celebration of the Arts on February 21st. The soloists, readers, and all singers provided all of us with a great night of entertainment. Special thanks to the parents, special guests, teachers and staff who attended, as well as to Mr. Reilly for providing the children the opportunity to showcase their talents. In addition, our Groveland Art Show begins next week. Mrs. Houser has been busy making sure our hallways are lined with our students' beautiful artworks. Please make sure you take some time to admire the works of art when you are here for Portfolio Conferences. A special thank you to Mrs. Houser for her hard work in helping our students produce these beautiful pieces.
It is hard to believe that Portfolio Conferences are right around the corner. The purpose of the conference is to celebrate the growth your child has made in the areas of writing, reading, math, and overall work habits. In addition, you, your child, and your child's teacher will analyze peices of your child's work and plan how your child can improve the quality of his/her work. We are proud of the growth our students have made here at Groveland. Remember to take that time to celebrate your child's progress. We look forward to seeing you at conferences.
6th Grade
These Ambassadors worked with partners to interview some of the bus drivers during the Appreciation Breakfast.
1st Grade
Mrs. Daley's 1st grade class wrote about acts of "Tolerance," one of the words of the day during Random Acts of Kindness Week.
5th Grade
Mrs. Palilonis’s class voted to make cards for sick patients at a local hospital. They thought it would cheer up people who were sick. They wrote letters, poems, and colored pictures on the cards that were sent over to Chestnut Hill hospital. We all learned how our random acts of kindness could brighten someone else’s day!
Celebration of the Arts
Second Grade
Celebration of the Arts
Second Grade
Celebration of the Arts
Second Grade
Celebration of the Arts
The Groveland Art Show
Tiles by Henry Chapman Mercer
4th grade's reproductions of Henry Chapman Mercer's tiles.
Clay Leaf Prints
1st grade's renditions of leaf prints.
Fish Sculptures
5th grade's wonderful fish sculptures.
4th Grade Inquiry Project
Students in Mr. Michener and Miss Yearick’s 4th grade class completed inquiry projects for the reading unit – A Green Future. Students worked in groups to develop questions, research information and display their findings for the whole class to see. It was a fun and informative activity!
School Board Briefs
PSSA UPDATES
PSSA Schedule
Groveland's PSSA Testing Dates are as follows:
March 11-13, 2013 Grade 5 PSSA Writing
April 8-15, 2013 Grades 3-6 PSSA Reading and Math
April 22-23, 2013 Grade 4 PSSA Science
Making sure your chld is well-rested and starts the day with a nutritious breakfast will help to ensure success on assessment days.
PSSA Cell Phone/Electronic Device State Mandated Policy
News from the Health Office
Important Updates
· The school doctor and dentist will be coming to Groveland on April 26 in the morning. If your child is in K, 3rd grade, 6th grade, or new to a PA school and is in need of a PA mandated exam, permission forms will be sent to you.
· If your child has borrowed clothes from the health office, please kindly return them in clean condition. Our clothing is labeled with “Groveland."
~Be a Star with School Breakfast~
Come celebrate National School Breakfast Week, March 4th - 8th with a $1.00 Breakfast Meal! Meals include choice of fruit or fruit juice, potatoes, and milk.
Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast puts fuel in your brain to help you learn! Breakfast is sold every day in the cafeteria for all students.
6th Grade Club Community Service
We received a special note from the Villanova University Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Fall Festival committee thanking the Groveland community for the monetary donation. Our support and thoughtfulness touched the lives of thousands of athletes.
Student Scoop
This month's featured authors are Luke Nitschke and Amanda Mass. Click the link below to read about some exciting events happening here at Groveland! In addition, Mrs. Barrett shares a very healthy recipe for baked chicken nuggets.
http://www.cbsd.org/schools/groveland/Documents/March%202013.pdf
Classroom News - 5th Grade Shoe Box Project
This year our 5th grade class participated in a project called Operation Shoebox. This organization helps children who don’t have a lot of the things we have. We decided to do this project after Halloween so it would get to them in time for the holidays. We wanted to do this project so we can feel good that we gave someone joy during this special time. This year we will help someone have a terrific and memorable holiday season.
In October, our 5th grade teacher Mrs. Palilonis told us about the project that we are going to participate. She told us what it meant to other children. We could bring in toys, toothpaste/toothbrushes, and any other small objects a kid would like. We were all excited, and we couldn’t wait to participate in this event. Most of us went to the dollar store and bought as much as we were allowed. Others brought in 7$ for shipping and shoeboxes. By the end of the week, the back of our classroom was filled with many shoeboxes and tons of toys. We were ready to begin.
After our Halloween party, Mrs. Pal passed out the stuffed shoeboxes. She gave 2 to each table. Then we got to work. All the tables traded items, so each box would have a theme for boy or girl. The shoeboxes would be going to a gender and age of our choice. When we were stuffing the shoeboxes, we thought about how happy the children will be when receiving the items.
When we were finished stuffing the boxes, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Palilonis helped us pack the shoeboxes into a large box. They told us that the items would go to children who didn’t have much and they would be grateful. Our class learned that giving is better than receiving.
Written by Abby Killough & Matthew Bartchak
March Dates to Remember
Stop Cyberbullying
There is an informational Cyberbullying session for parents on Thursday, March 7th at 7:00 PM at Cold Spring Elementary School for the Elementary East Cluster Schools.
http://www.cbsd.org/schools/groveland/Newsletters/Cyberbullying%20-%20March%207.pdf
Groveland Elementary School
Email: dheineman@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/schools/groveland
Location: 1100 N Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA
Phone: (267)893-4600