ALPINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS
DECEMBER 2019
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Happy Holiday Season!
It is hard to believe the holiday season has arrived! I hope you take time to celebrate with family and friends. We are looking forward to a great second half of the year at Alpine!
It’s been a very busy year so far and we have more excitement to come in the near future. We are especially looking forward to our second grade musical performance at Sparta High School on Wednesday, December 18th at 6:30 PM. Our second grade students, under the direction of Mrs. Bowley have been working hard and are excited to showcase their talents.
I wish all of our Alpine families a wonderful and safe holiday season!
See you when school reopens on January 2, 2020!
Mr. Giuseppe Leone, Principal
Now accepting nominations for the Governor's Educators of the Year Program!
It is with much pride that I announce the Sparta Township Public Schools is now accepting nominations for the Governor's Educators of the Year Program. Each school will accept nominations for a Teacher of the Year as well as an Education Specialist of the Year for this recognition. Should you like to nominate a teacher or an education specialist (see examples below), please complete the attached nomination form and return to your child's building principal by Friday, December 6, 2019.
Thank you for your continued support of our schools and our educators. We look forward to the opportunity to recognize some of our amazing faculty and staff with this honor.
Sincerely,
Mr. Patrick McQueeney
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Please click on the link below to complete the nomination form:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gnh8dw1eSjNJ_UNl98Txnteh4aoE3tpv/view?usp=sharing
Education Specialist Job Roles:
- Anti-Bullying Specialist
- Athletic Trainer
- Behavior Specialist
- Child Study Team
- Cooperative Education Coordinator/Hazardous Occupations
- Educational Interpreter (Cued Speech, Transliteration, Oral Interpreting, Sign Language Interpreting)
- Guidance / School Counselor
- Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant
- Library Media Specialist
- Mathematics Specialist / Mathematics Coach
- Nurse (Instructional & Non-instructional)
- Occupational Therapist
- Paraprofessional (Instructional only)
- Physical Therapist
- Psychologist
- Reading Specialist / Reading Coach
- Social Worker
- Speech-Language Specialist
- Student Assistant Coordinator
- Technology Coach
EVENTS FROM NOVEMBER
GUIDANCE
CHARACTER EDUCATION - CARING
This month’s character education trait is caring. We want our kids to place a high value on helping other people, which is what caring is all about.
When we teach kids to care, not only do they learn how to care about themselves, but they also learn how to care for others and make the world a better place.
This month we will be having a wonderful assembly called Christmahanukwanzamadan during this assembly we will learn about different holiday customs, historical figures, cultures and music.
Mrs. Heather Yanoff, Guidance Counselor
FUN IN STEP
November STEP News
November flew by fast in STEP but we still accomplished some important tasks. First and second grade students spent two weeks of STEP focusing on typing. The students were introduced to www.typingclub.com. We discussed the “home row” and found the correct hand position, especially focusing on letters f and j. The students spent two weeks getting accustomed to our new STEP computers, logging into computers with QR Codes, and using Clever to access the typing website. Classroom teachers will now have the opportunity to continue working with their students on the website. Although we are just exposing the students to typing at this age, we hope they will continue practicing in both school and at home. Feel free to create a free account for your child on www.typingclub.com for him/her to continue practicing at home.
Prior to typing, the first and second grade students had their first coding activity of the year on the iPads. They were introduced to Space Coder. This is a new app that we are using this year that allows the students to work through numerous puzzles with varying levels of difficulty. The puzzles have the students create algorithms that help the character get to the finish line.
Kindergarten was certainly not left out in terms of technology this month. They spent every STEP class exploring different ways we can use iPads to learn. At the beginning of November, the kindergarten students had their first experience with coding on the iPads. We discussed algorithms and used an app called Coding Safari. This is a very simple coding app that allows the students to begin exploring with coding. The students had to complete each puzzle by creating the correct path for each animal to find it’s destination. We will continue learning about computer-science and coding throughout the school year with many other apps and websites.
After learning a bit about coding, the kindergarten students jumped right into an alphabet activity using QR Codes and the iPads. We read the story “Alphabet Rescue” by Audrey Wood and then students had to scan the secret QR codes to reveal lowercase letters. Once the letter was revealed on their iPad screen, they then had to find the corresponding uppercase letter on their worksheet. It was a fun way to incorporate letter recognition and technology!
Finally, the kindergarten students used the QR Codes as listening centers. Pictures of the front cover of books with QR Codes were posted on a magnetic cabinet in the STEP room. When the students scanned a code their iPads brought them directly to a website where there was a video of someone reading that particular story to them. This activity is a great way to keep our young learners reading and enjoying beautiful picture books!
Looking ahead....all kindergarten, first, and second grade students will participate in our 3rd Annual “Drop Everything and Code Week”. Media and STEP classes will combine for the week giving the students a true hour of coding. Students will be invited to bring a blanket and stuffed animal on the day they have Media and STEP so they can get comfortable and get CODING! More information will be sent home with details soon!
Mrs. Christina Morrow, STEP Teacher
NURSE'S MESSAGE
Along with the excitement of the holidays comes cold/flu season.
Here is some helpful information about colds and flu:
If you have a cold:
You rarely have a fever
Symptoms occur gradually
Chills and headaches are uncommon
A hacking and productive cough
Sneezing, stuffy nose and sore throat are common
You may experience mild chest discomfort
If you have the flu:
You will have a fever, aches, chills and usually a headache
Symptoms can appear within 3-6 hours
A dry, unproductive cough
Sneezing, stuffy nose and sore throat are uncommon
Chest discomfort is often severe
To help reduce the risk of getting a cold or the flu or spreading it to someone else:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
If you child has a fever, is vomiting or having diarrhea they should be 24 hours free of their illness before returning to school
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the bend of your elbow when coughing or sneezing.
Wash your hands often. Using soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaner after coughing, sneezing, eating, using the bathroom or blowing your nose can help prevent the spread of germs.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods.
I would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday and New Year!
Ms. Christine Aloisio, School Nurse
MEDIA CENTER MESSAGE
WELCOME TO YOUR CHILD'S MEDIA CENTER
Dear Parents and Guardians:
My name is Ms. Gallagher, and I am delighted to serve your child as the Library Media Specialist. This year has gotten off to an excellent start! We have been very busy, but I’d like to take a moment to offer you a sneak peek into your child’s Media class.
I am thrilled to announce that your child is one of the first to utilize the newly renovated Alpine Library Media Center. During the summer of 2019, we began the remodel of our space. Updates included the removal of old carpeting and installation of a bright tile floor. Likewise, old wooden shelves were replaced with sleek new metal and wood trim shelving. We received a new class set of touch-screen ChromeBooks housed at new mobile tables that allow us to reconfigure the space for different uses, such as collaborative group work, book fairs, and meetings. The new tables are slimmer than the originals, giving us more space, which we’ve transformed into our brand new, comfortable (and already very popular) Lounge and Read space. In addition to all of these changes, the Library Media Center received a fresh colorful paint job, and the walls are now adorned with themed decorations and artwork to appeal to our young learners.
Below please view some before and after shots of the fun and beautiful learning spaces your children now have in their school, and be sure to look out for Dr. Rossi’s Superintendent’s Corner as he will be featuring our new space.
Ms. Gallagher, Media Center Specialist
DELAYED OPENING / EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Delayed Opening Schedule
If we have a delayed opening all Sparta schools will be on a 2 hour delay.
PreK - AM Session
11:10 AM – 12:55 PM
(Students will be picked up approximately 2 hours later than their regular schedule and return home approximately 1 hour later than their regular schedule.)
PreK - PM Session
2:00 PM – 3:45 PM
(Students will be picked up approximately 50 minutes later than their regular schedule and return home at their regular scheduled time.)
Full Day PreK, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2 Students
11:10 AM - 3:45 PM
Early Dismissal Schedule
PreK - AM Session:
9:10 AM – 11:10 AM
Pick-up regular time at your bus stop
Drop-off 30 minutes earlier at your bus stop
PreK - PM Session:
11:15 AM - 1:15 PM
Pick-up 2 hours earlier at your bus stop
Drop-off 2.5 hours earlier at your bus stop
Full Day PreK, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2
Students will be on an early dismissal schedule:
9:10 AM - 1:15 PM
** There will be no lunches served on Early Dismissal Days
Early Dismissal Dates
Parent Teacher Conference Days
November 4,5,6 & 11
Day Before Holiday
Wednesday, November 27
Friday, December 20
Thursday, April 9
Teacher In-Service Day
Friday, March 13
Friday, April 3
Friday, May 15
Wednesday, June 17
Thursday, June 18
Friday, June 19
DECEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
- 12/6 School Spirit, Show your Alpine School Spirit
- 12/10 PTO Presentation, 10:00 A.M.
- 12/13 Teddy Bear and Pajama Day
- 12/13 PTO Christmahanukwanzamadan Assembly, 9:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
- 12/18 Second Grade Concert, SHS, 6:30 P.M.
- 12/20 Wear Red for Caring
- 12/20 Early Dismissal, 1:15 P.M.
- 12/23/19 - 1/1/20 Holiday Break
Click on the below link to view the calendar for Spirit, Theme and Character Education Days at Alpine:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gr2mR2CTErnX3lEsPKnGebujitZ6Ie1b11-aCVTlJ3c/edit?usp=sharing
Mr. Giuseppe Leone, Principal
Email: giuseppe.leone@sparta.org
Website: sparta.org
Location: 15 Andover Road, Sparta, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-729-3107
Twitter: @aesPrincipal2