The Gayman Gazette
"What Will Your Beautiful Hands Do Today?"
October 24, 2016
Important Upcoming Dates
- October 24th-28th - Red Ribbon Week
- October 25th - 4th Grade Field Trip to Washington Crossing Historic Park
- October 25th - 3rd Grade PEN Field Trip to Doylestown
- October 28th - Halloween Parade @ 9:00 AM; Parties @ 2:00 PM
- October 31st - Spirit Assembly @ 10:00 AM
- October 31st - 1st Grade Pumpkin Math from 1:45 - 2:45 PM
- November 1st - Parent Positive Session @ Lenape Middle School @ 7:00 PM
- November 2nd - 6th Grade Ropes Course at Gayman
- November 3rd & 4th -6th Grade Ropes Course at Elbow Lane School
- November 4th - 4th Grade Field Trip to Michener/Mercer Museum
- November 7th - End of 1st Marking Period
- November 7th - Kids Voting
- November 8th- Election Day - No School
- November 10th - HSA General Membership Meeting @ 9:00 AM
- November 10th - Picture Retakes
- November 11th - Veteran's Day Assembly @ 9:30 AM
- November 11th - Jump Rope Assembly @ 2:00 PM
- November 15th - Kids Care Club @ 3:15 PM
- November 17th - Spotlight on Music - Grade 3 @ 9:00 AM; Grade 6 @ 10:00 AM
- November 17th & 18th - No Kindergarten - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Red Ribbon Week
Halloween Is Coming
Halloween is right around the corner and we are looking forward to a Frightful and Delightful experience. We ask parents to exercise caution when selecting a costume for the parade. Students need to be able to have a normal field of vision, and should be able to walk freely (costumes should not be too long). Also, we ask that you please avoid costumes that include blood, gore, or weapons of any type. Items that are considered play weapons (knives, swords, guns, etc.) should remain at home.
In light of the attention regarding some of the social media posts of late, I am asking you all to avoid costumes that involve clowns. Again, the goal here is to have fun - there is still a great deal of sensitivity around this topic and so it would be respectful of all to avoid any clown costumes this year.
Just a couple of reminders:
- The Halloween parade will take place at 9:00 AM.
- Students are encouraged to arrive to school wearing his or her costume.
- Visitors will not be admitted into the building prior to and following the parade.
- Parents who plan to prepare food for the party are asked to please deliver all items no later than 12:30 PM the day of the party.
- All classroom parties will begin at 2:00 PM with the exception of 4th grade which begins at 1:30 PM.
- Halloween Party Volunteers only are invited to classrooms at 1:45 PM (4th grade @ 1:15 PM) and enter the building through the old front door entrance.
- Party helpers should proceed to the APR to sign in and obtain a visitor's badge.
- Party helpers should remain in the designated classroom until the end of the party.
- Helpers choosing to take their child home at dismissal are asked to sign their child out with their homeroom teacher. Each teacher will have a sign-out sheet available.
- Due to the fact that the parties are supervised by the homeroom teachers, there is no need to have clearances to be chosen as a party helper.
For complete details on the parade route click here.
Veterans' Day
The staff and students of Gayman Elementary are looking forward to observing Veterans’ Day on November 11 to honor our veterans and active military personnel. In addition to classroom presentations and discussions, we will formally observe the day in several ways:
We will continue our tradition of sending postcards to our veterans and active military personnel.
We will prepare a slide show featuring our veterans and military personnel. If you would like to include someone in this slide show, please complete the brief bio and, if possible, provide a picture(s) for the slide show.
We will hold an assembly beginning at 9:30 on Friday, Nov. 11. (Please plan to arrive for coffee starting at 9:00 a.m.) We invite any veteran or active military member to attend as our guest. Following the assembly, we invite our veterans to join us for refreshments in the school library.
Please click here to complete the Veterans' Day Participation form, and return it to school by Friday, Oct. 28th.
Update From RFE Committee
Thank you to all of our fantastic runners! Together, the students of Gayman Elementary ran 2, 646 total laps which equals 1,190 miles. That is like running from Gayman to Disney World in Orlando, Florida!! Congratulations on your achievement!!
Here’s the breakdown of laps by team:
Blue Team – 3rd Place with 860 Laps
White Team – 2nd Place with 865 Laps
That means the Purple Team led the Race with 921 laps!
Great job and thanks to all of the students, teachers and staff who worked so hard to make the Race For Education a success!! As of Friday, October 21st we have collected $15, 640.00 and we are still counting!
Parent Positive - Kids & Technology: Tips For Parents In The Digital Age
Mark your calendars for the next Parent Positive session scheduled for November 1st.
We are pleased to offer a screening of the documentary Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, immediately followed by a panel discussion with time for questions from the audience.
The film explores the impact of cell phones, social media, video games, and internet addiction on our kids. Please click here for more information: www.screenagersmovie.com.
Screenagers will be shown in the Lenape Middle School Auditorium and will begin promptly at 7:00 pm.
Registration for this free event is encouraged but not required.
Babysitting for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade is available. Pre-registration is required if our babysitting service is needed.
The Parent Positive Speaker Series is a collaboration among Doylestown Health, CB Cares Educational Foundation, the Central Bucks School District, and the Central Bucks Family YMCA.
Information on the Parent Positive Speaker Series can be found at the following link: http://www.cbsd.org/parentpositive.
Upcoming Home & School Meeting
The next Home & School meeting will be held on November 10th at 9:00 AM in the All-Purpose Room Our new superintendent, Mr. John Kopicki, will be our guest speaker. Mr. Kopicki will be discussing his vision for the Central Bucks School District, as well as answering questions.
All questions for Mr. Kopicki must be submitted ahead of time. If you have a question that you would like Mr. Kopicki to address, please send it to ghsapres@gmail.com by November 2nd, 2016. The GHSA Executive Board hopes to see you there!
Gayman Gala Off To A Great Start
Four years ago Mr. Testani introduced a new cafeteria incentive program to the Gayman students. Classes compete against each other in a monthly contest to earn a reward. Each class can earn a maximum of three points per day for:
- Keeping the noise level reduced.
- Appropriate behavior.
- Keeping the cafeteria clean.
The class to earn the most points earns a formal dining experience. Congratulations to Mrs. Flanagan's class for winning the September Gayman Gala!
Give Kids Sight Day - Free Eye Care and Eyeglasses
The Give Kids Sight Day returns on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Children from around the Philadelphia region (17 years and under) are invited to receive free eye care and eyeglasses. Please help us spread the word!
This free event takes place from 8:30am – 1:00pm at Jefferson Alumni Hall. The event is open to all children from Philadelphia and surrounding counties, and is geared towards kids who did not have or did not pass an eye screening this year. No health insurance? No problem! All children are welcome.
Walk-ins only, no appointment is needed! We do suggest families arrive early. All other info is on the attached flyer. Please help us spread the word by sharing with families in your community, or passing along to colleagues, partnering organizations, school nurses, classrooms, businesses and other interested parties. You can also print the flyer and put it on community bulletin boards, store windows and other key spots.
This flyer is now translated into Spanish, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, French, and Khmer, and available for download at www.pccy.org/sightday
Also, we are seeking volunteers to make this a big success. If you, or anyone you know, would like to volunteer please register at www.pccy.org/sightday.
If you need any more info or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Karianna Simpkins at 215-563-5848, extension 21.
Give Kids Sight Day / Aversa PR
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 6th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-563-5848 x 21
District Wellness Policy
The Central Bucks School District's Wellness Policy regarding food allergies and holiday parties/field trips is as follows:
- Parents of food allergic students requiring an Epi-Pen are given the courtesy of going on field trips. Nurses are not available for a field trip, so this will allow parents peace of mind. Teachers have been trained on how to administer an Epi-Pen in the event of an emergency.
- It is not necessary for parents of food allergic students to attend classroom parties. A nurse is in the building during the time of classroom parties. Parents are instructed to touch base with teachers and homeroom parents informing them that their child has a food allergy. The parent is requested to provide a food item that is safe for their child to eat.
Spotlight On Music
Please mark your calendars for this year's "Spotlight on Music" performances.
- Thursday, November 17th - Grade 3 at 9:00 AM; Grade 6 at 10:00 AM
- Thursday, February 9th - Grade 2 at 9:00 AM; Grade 5 at 10:00 AM
- Thursday, May 4th - Grade 4 at 9:00 AM; Grade 1 at 10:00 AM
Boomerang Awards
This year, Gayman will continue to accept nominations for the Boomerang Award, which is our way of honoring students who best demonstrate their own developmental assets. What are Developmental Assets? Students possessing a combination of “40 Assets” are typically most successful in school and in life. These assets have the power to influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults. For a complete listing of the 40 Developmental Assets visit: www. Search-institute.org.
October #30. Responsibility. Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility for his/her behavior. They take responsibility for their actions and decisions at home, and/or at school, and/or in the community. Click below to see more about this month's "40 Assets".