October 5, 2007
From the Principal…
Dear Families,
We are certainly enjoying a beautiful beginning to the fall season! Cool mornings and nights…warm, sunny days…and gorgeous foliage! I hope you are able to get outside with your family to go apple picking, take hikes or walks, rake leaves, or to attend some of the fall sporting events! Remember that we also have the “Walking School Bus” that meets every Tuesday at the Common to walk to school. We’d love to have more families join us, especially while the weather cooperates!
Next week is Fire Prevention Week. The Gardiner Fire Department will visit our school to talk with the students about fire safety. Make sure you talk with your family about your safety plan at home. It is never too early to talk about and plan for emergencies.
Our first school assembly was so much fun! I was very pleased to see many families join us! We will have our next assembly on October 25th. More information about which classes will be presenting will come home in our next newsletter. Assemblies are a wonderful way to celebrate and be together as a school community. We hope you will be able to join us throughout the year.
Again, I hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful season with your family and friends!
Yours in the service of children,
Mrs. Moody, Principal
Upcoming Events
October
5th: Teacher Workshop Day - no school for students
8th: Columbus Day- no school
9th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
9th: Meadowbrook fundraiser orders due
9th: Octoberfest planning meeting, 6:00 @ LER
11th: Gardiner Fire Department visits Pre-K
12th: Gardiner Fire Department visits Grades K, 1, & 2
13th: Octoberfest @ 11:00 - 3:00
14th: Rain date for Octoberfest
15th - 19th: School Lunch Week
16th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
17th: Early Release Day, students dismissed @ 12:30
22nd - 26th: Bus Driver Appreciation Week
22nd: Picture day for Pre-K
23rd: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
25th: School Assembly in the LER gym
26th: Pre-K Family Fun Day, 9:00 - 11:00 in the LER gym
30th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
November
6th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
6th: GEPTA meeting, 6:00 @ LER
12th: No school - Veterans Day observed
13th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
13th: LER Parent-Teacher conferences
15th: Scholastic Book Fair begins
20th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
21st - 23rd: No school for students
27th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
28th: Picture re-take day
Our next Early Release Day will be Wednesday, October 17th. Elementary school students are dismissed at 12:30.
Walking School Bus
Our walking school bus takes place every Tuesday at 7:55, weather permitting. Join us at the Common and walk to school together! Parents are always welcome to join us.
GEPTA Meetings
Octoberfest planning meeting -
October 9th, 6:00 at LER
GEPTA monthly meeting
November 6th, 6:00 at LER. Child care is available.
GEPTA News
We had another great turnout for our October meeting! Thank you. Our meeting minutes are posted on the MSAD11.org website. Our next meeting will be November 6th at 6:00 pm at LER. GEPTA's 4th annual Octoberfest will be held on October 13th from 11:00 to 3:00 at the Gardiner Common. We hope to see all our families enjoying a fun-filled day! The last planning meeting will be Tuesday, October 9th at 6:00 at LER. We still need cakes for the cake walk (pans available in the office), bake sale items, and candy for the hay hunt. For more information email geptanews@gmail.com.
We are forming a playground committee - if interested please email geptanews@gmail.com or call Helen at 582-6492. River View’s plaground is in need of updating.
Meadowbrook Fundraiser orders are due October 9th. Thank you for supporting this fundraiser.
The Scholastic Book-Fair is coming! The dates are: River View - November 8th - 13th, LER - November 15th - December 6th. If you would like to help out, please email geptanews@gmail.com
Parent - Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher conferences will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 on November 13th . Your child’s teacher will be contacting you soon to set up an appointment. This is a great time to meet with your child’s teacher, to hear about how your child is progressing at school, and to build a strong home-school connection.
Box Tops for Education
LER will be holding monthly Box Top collection contests. Be watching for the scarecrow and pumpkin sheet that came home with your student this week, and be ready to fill each pumpkin with a Box Top for Education symbol worth 10 cents to our school. Students can return their sheets to the collection box in each classroom, and the classroom collecting the most Box Tops each month will win a prize!
Reminder to Parents(s)/Guardian(s) of Pre-K and Kindergarten Students
THE STATE OF MAINE REQUIRES THE SCHOOL TO HAVE AN UP-DATED IMMUNIZATION RECORD OR LETTER OF EXEMPTION ON ALL STUDENTS FOR THE CHILD TO STAY IN SCHOOL. IF YOU ARE A PARENT/GUARDIAN OF A STUDENT IN OUR 4- YEAR OLD PROGRAM OR KINDERGARTEN WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOU GETTING THE SCHOOL THE UP-DATED COPY BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION(S). THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS STATE OF MAINE LAW.
PAT FISHER, R.N.
SCHOOL NURSE
For safety reasons, please do not drop your child off at school before 8:10. There is no supervision inside or on the playground until then.
Octoberfest is Coming
There will be an Octoberfest planning meeting on Tuesday, October 9th at 6:00 at Laura E. Richards School. If you are able to help, please email geptanews@gmail.com.
Octoberfest will take place at the Gardiner Common on October 13th (raindate: October 14th) from 11:00-3:00. There will be games, food, pumpkin painting, a cake walk, and more. This is a great community event that is enjoyed by all. Come join us for a fun-filled day!
Our character skill for the month of October is respect. Please take a look at the following article for tips on teaching children about respect.
Maine Science Teachers Association
Family Science Night
Friday, October 5th, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
at Gardiner Area High School
(This is not an MSAD 11 sponsored event)
Please join us for this FREE evening of family science fun! There will be door prizes and science goodies for all! Pre-registration is necessary. Please e-mail ldarling@fairpoint.net.
Picture Re-Take Day will be November 28th. LifeTouch has assured us that all pictures will arrive before the holiday season.
Maine Dental Health Out-Reach
Maine Dental Health Out-Reach will be visiting the schools in our district again this year to provide services to eligible students. Please look for the information that came home with your student and review it carefully.
T.C. Hamlin School Craft Fair
Saturday, October 13,2007 from 9:00 to 4:00.
Sponsored by the Hamlin School PTC
Pittston PTG Crop Fest
Join the Pittston PTG at their Second Annual CropFest on Saturday, October 20th, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Gardiner Area High School Cafeteria. Go to www.msad11.org/pit for more information.
Ongoing Fundraisers-
LER participates in these ongoing programs which will help us to raise funds for our school:
Hannaford Helps Schools - From now through December 1st, shoppers will receive school dollar certificates at the register with the purchase of participating products, which Hannaford will redeem for cash for our school. Hannaford will also grant an additional $1,000 to the school that raises the most funds! Please be sure to send these valuable certificates to school.
Box Tops for Education - “BoxTop” labels are a great fundraiser for our school. Each label is worth 10 cents. The money goes to purchasing items for our school. We hold monthly BoxTop contests with prizes for the classroom that collects the most!
Printer cartridges - We participate in two different programs to collect printer cartridges of all types and sizes, which are redeemed for cash. Please send your empty cartridges to school. We can also provide collection boxes for your office.
Campbell’s Labels for Education -Collect UPC codes and logos (instead of front labels) from Campbell’s products as well as many other products with the “Labels for Education” logo.
Our character skill for October is RESPECT. The following tips were taken from Steve McChesney’s article, Respect - How to Teach It and How to Show It.
One of the most important things you can teach your child is respect.
Keep in mind that respect is not the same as obedience. Children might obey because they are afraid. If they respect you, they will obey because they know you want what’s best for them.
The best way to teach respect is to show respect. When a child experiences respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is. Keep in mind the saying “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Respect is an attitude. Being respectful helps a child succeed in life. If children don’t have respect for peers, authority, or themselves, it’s almost impossible for them to succeed.
A respectful child takes care of belongings and responsibilities, and a respectful child gets along with peers.
Schools teach children about respect, but parents have the most influence on how respectful children become. Until children show respect at home, it’s unlikely they will show it anywhere else. How can you show respect to your child?
Be honest – If you do something wrong, admit it and apologize.
Be positive – Don’t embarrass, insult or make fun of your child. Compliment them.
Be Trusting – Let your child make choices and take responsibility.
Be fair – Listen to your child’s side of the story before reaching a conclusion.
Be polite – Use “please” and “thank you”. Knock before entering your child’s room.
Be reliable – Keep promises. Show your child that you mean what you say.
Be a good listener – Give your child your full attention.
Children learn from everything we say and do. Make sure that you are modeling respectful behavior.
Be caring – Show concern for people, animals and the environment.
Avoid poor role models – When you see examples of disrespect, discuss them.
When you set rules at home, explain to your child why the rule is important. For instance, if the rule is “No TV between 4:00 and 6:00” it is because this is homework time and homework is important to keep grades up in school.
Teach your child to respect themselves. Self-respect is one of the most important forms of respect. Once we respect ourselves, it is easier to respect others.
Your opinion means a lot to your child. If you believe your child can succeed, they will believe they can as well.
Build their independence. Give them responsibilities as soon as they can handle them.
Help them set and achieve goals. Their self-respect will skyrocket when they see themselves achieving those goals.
Encourage honesty. Let your child know that they may be able to fool some people, but they can’t fool themselves. There is no pride in stealing, cheating, or lying.
Most importantly, show love! Say ‘I love you” often and give plenty of hugs and kisses.
If your child makes a mistake, remind them that they are still loved.
Children show the most respect for adults who make fair rules. It helps to let them have a say in the rules that they are expected to follow.
We respect you and the incredible job that you have, being a parent!
--Steve McChesney