Principally Speaking
Cold Spring Elementary
I Believe in You
Recently my son was drafted into the Majors - well, not the majors as in Major League Baseball professional style. In this case, Majors refers to the 11 and 12 year-old baseball league in our town. All winter long he had been hoping to be drafted by one particular coach (Coach Tom), a coach with whom he had some experience in the past, and fortunately for him, Coach Tom did draft him. One day after practice this week, he said to me ,"Dad, I like Coach Tom for many reasons, but most of all I like him because he believes in me." When I relayed this message to Coach Tom, he responded with this, "As a coach, I always try to find good qualities in each person and build on them. Getting someone to believe in himself will not only help him in the game of baseball, but more importantly, the game of life." In a nutshell, Coach Tom is attempting to instill confidence in his players.
Confidence can be such an elusive commodity for our kids - one minute they can have it, and the next minute it will simply vanish. As parents and educators, I think we sometimes underestimate the effect we have on our kids' confidence. The way we interact with our children, especially the words we use, can go a long way towards either instilling confidence in them or draining it from them. If, like Coach Tom, we believe in our kids, and if we look for the good in them, they will begin to believe that they can do it. On the other hand, if we continually harp on the negatives, the failures, the not-so-good, they will begin to believe they cannot do it.
I encourage us all as parents and educators to let our kids know we believe in them; let them know that they can do it; and like Coach Tom, use words that help our kids to believe that they can be successful in the game of life.
Arbor Day Celebrated at CS
This past Friday, Cold Spring students and staff celebrated Arbor Day with an outdoor ceremony at the flag pole. Thanks to a donation from Feeney's Nursery, we have two new Bradford Pear Trees at the Main Entrance. It was a nice celebration that reminded us how fortunate we are to be able to be a part of the Cold Spring Community.
P.S. Thanks to Vince Mignogna for planting these trees for us!
Forgot Something?
Important May Dates
16th - H&S Meeting (2PM)
20th - Spring Concert (7PM @ Holicong MS)
27th - Memorial Day (No School)
30th - More Than Just O.K. Day/Family Barbecue Night (6:30 PM)
31st - Field Day
CB School Board Briefs
At the April 23, 2013 School Board Meeting, the Central Bucks School District School Board:
1. Heard the Tamanend Jazz Band performance before the school board meeting and via video, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mrs. Kovnot’s 1st grade Jamison class.
2. Heard the Academic Spotlight about “Training Peer Mentors”. This is a video created by Lindsay Smith and Renee McErlean, teachers at Bridge Valley Elementary School, along with their students demonstrates what they have learned about Autism and what they have learned about being a friend.
3. Heard the Superintendent’s Report, Curriculum, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, IU Board, and MBIT Committee Reports.
4. Approved the School Board Minutes.
5. Approved the Treasurer’s Report.
6. Approved the Resolution for the 2013-2014 Proposed Final Budget. The proposed final budget for 2013-2014 is $290,683,982. There will be a “zero” increase in Real Estate Taxes for the 2013-2014 school year. The school board will take action on the final budget adoption at the May 28 meeting.
7. Ratified the transfer of $23 million from the General Fund to the Debt Service Fund.
8. Approved Purchasing Items for the following subject areas: General Teaching, General Art, Secondary Art, Physical Education, Science, Tech Ed General Hardware, Team Sports Supplies.
9. Approved Construction Contracts as follows:
§ Emergency generator at the Ed Services Center to Pinnacle Electrical Construction - $262,400
§ Roofing replacement at the Ed Services Center to Laurant Construction Co. - $199,695
§ Roofing repairs and installation of a new single ply membrane at the Transportation Annex to Union Roofing Contractors - $98,000
10. Tabled School Board Policies Use of Medications and Electronic Signatures so that the proposed policies can be posted on the CBSD website for public review.
11. Approved School Board Policy 902-1 – Cable Television.
12. Approved various personnel items and student trips.
13. Received a Sabbatical Leave of Absence as an information item.
Cold Spring Contact Information
Email: bfinger@cbsd.org
Website: http://cbsd.schoolwires.net/Domain/12
Location: 4150 Durham Road, Doylestown, PA
Phone: (267) 893-3800
Twitter: @ColdSpringElem