Altamont Elementary School
February 2015 Newsletter
Principal's Message
My next step is to enroll in a course that teaches me how mindfulness can be incorporated into the school setting with students age 5-12. In this course I will be learning:
- How to integrate mindfulness practice with youth at different developmental stages
- How to accurately represent the research to date on mindfulness and youth
- The basic neurobiology of attention and emotion
- Approaches for developing group facilitation and classroom management skills
- Key points for presenting to administrators, school, and agency staff
At some point in later spring, I'm hopeful I will be working with some students using this stress-reducing practice. I will be in contact with parents for permission, and more information will follow. I remain very excited to begin this process with students in our community. If you have personal experience practicing Mindfulness, I'd love to hear from you.
Upcoming Student Fundraisers/Community Support
The mission is to place a brand new, quality, children's book in the hands of every parent of a premature baby upon admission to the NICU's at Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital and Crouse Medical Center. We, at Project Cameron's Story, are committed to providing information regarding the benefits of this type of bonding and continue to seek ways to encourage parents to utilize this as one important way to interact with their new little ones."
If you'd like to donate a "Brand-New" book for a parent to read to his/her child in the NICU, then please send in the book to the office and we will see the book gets delivered to a local hospital. Feel free to talk with your child about this community support initiative and share how books form a very important bond between parents and babies in these situations.
Information was sent home earlier and more information is available on our web-page. Thank you for your support.
2. Starting February 9, and continuing through March 6, our students will collect Pennies for Leukemia. There will be a large collection jar in the lobby, and students can donate small change to this worthy cause. Our own teaching assistant, Kathy Dillinger, is coordinating this effort, and all proceeds will be donated locally. Please talk with your child about this effort and call the school if you have any questions.
3. Lastly, starting March 18, our students can participate in the "Reading For Ronald McDonald House" charity. The students will come home with a pledge sheet, and parents and friends can donate a certain amount of money. The student will earn the money by reading a certain amount of time each night. 10% of the proceeds will come back to the PTA, and ALL other money goes directly to our local Ronald McDonald House in Albany. More information will follow.
PTA News & Information
Dates to remember:
Monday, February 2 --Chorus sings at Siena basketball game
Tuesday, February 3 --Board of Ed Meeting at 7:00 pm (LGI)
Wednesday, February 4 --Community Forum (see district web-page to sign-up)
Thursday, February 5 --PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Friday, February 6 --Winter Wonderland Dance @ 6:30 pm
Tuesday, February 10 --Gr. 3 visit Seniors at 1:00
Thursday, February 12 --Gr. 3 Young People’s Concert
2/16-2/20 ---NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, February 24 --Board of Ed. Meeting at 7:00 pm (LGI)
Thursday, February 26 --The Learning Fair at 6:30 pm
Friday, March 6 --Celebrate America @ 6:00 pm
Thursday, March 12 --PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Yearbook News:
Best Wishes – messages for your child(ren) are due into school by Friday, February 13th.
5th Grade Parents – If you have not done so already, please send in your child's baby picture for the yearbook.
Yearbooks will go on sale at the end of February. Please contact Ruth Anne Burby @ 861-5892 or mburbyfamily@gmail.com with any questions regarding the yearbook.
Box Tops for Education
Please continue to send in your box tops to the school. The PTA has already received $500 this school year through this program.
Tyson Project A+
This year we will be collecting labels from bags and boxes on Tyson products. We will receive 24 cents per label to help fund PTA activities.
Through the Campbell’s Labels for Education program we can get free merchandise for our school. Send in proofs of purchase (UPC codes) from participating Campbell products.
Student Placement for 2015-2016 School Year
Dear Families,
Soon we will begin planning classroom assignments for the 2015-2016 school year. Placement of students in the next grade level is a complex process that impacts the overall atmosphere of our school. Some of the factors that are important to consider are:
- The academic abilities/needs of the student;
- The social needs of the student;
- The balancing of each class by gender, performance and special student needs;
- The type of assistance which can be provided within the class; and the impact of students on each other in the same classroom.
All placement decisions are a result of a team effort. Your child’s present teacher
will meet with other teachers at this grade level, support and special area staff and me to develop classes for next year. Our placement process is based on the following assumptions:
- Our belief that a balanced class of diverse learners is the most important factor in ensuring the success of all the students.
- Our belief that any teacher in our school is capable of teaching any child.
- Our belief that children benefit from a variety of educational experiences, and that they will grow from their interaction with different teachers and a variety of teaching styles.
Your thoughts about your child are important to us as well. You MAY write a
letter but it is NOT necessary or expected. At this point, teachers have not yet been assigned for next year’s grade levels. Please understand that it is not possible to honor requests for a particular teacher. In fact, I request you do not specifically request a teacher. You may want to share any special considerations for us to review as part of this process, including those students who will be attending FMS in the fall. Instead of requesting a particular teacher, letters should include information concerning your child’s needs as a learner, the type of learning environment in which you feel he or she can be most successful.
All communications about placement must be in writing. In order to give full consideration to your thoughts, I ask that your letter be sent to me by Friday, March 6, 2015. These letters will be shared with classroom teachers during the placement process. Letters received after this date may not be considered. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Peter J. Brabant
Principal