,

APRIL 2014Volume 6

Remember to order…

Market Day by Tuesday,

April 2211 p.m.!

We o� er convenient pick-up. 10% of our pro� t

every month goes towards our school! Every little bit helps!

They have great food items to select from and

o� er a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Policy.

From Our Principal… Dear Bailey Lake Families,Did you know that the PTA budget is larger than the building budget I manage? The BLE PTA plays an integral role in the learning that occurs at our school. Funds raised by the PTA support � eld trips, enrichment activites, special events, classroom supplies, etc… Most recently, the PTA has contributed to our growing classroom libraries and purchased technology enhancements for our classrooms. Many of the “extra’s” that students receive are due to the support of our PTA. Thanks for continuing to support our students with being involved in the BLE PTA!

Parent Input on Classroom Placement 2014-15Considerable work is done to ensure the proper placement of each student from one grade level to the next. The principal begins the process in the spring with input from teaching sta� and parents.

Teacher input: Teachers � ll out a placement form for each student which includes information on special assistance, known disabilities, achievement levels in math and language arts, test scores, areas of strengths, areas of academic di� culties, and special interests of the child. In addition,

there are comments regarding initiative, self-control, and work habits. The teachers use this information to build and balance class lists, keeping in mind the number of teachers provided to sta� the building and provisions relating to class size.

Parent input: Information from parents must be submitted during the planning and information-gathering period. District Policy prohibits parents from requesting a speci� c teacher, but parents may describe their child’s learning style to help us place the child in a suitable learning atmosphere.

Parent input letters (in writing) must be received by Mr. Gualtieri by Thursday, May 1, 2014. Noti� cation of student placement will be made in late August via a letter from the child’s new teacher that will be mailed home.

Sincerely, Glenn Gualtieri, Principal

On Thursday, April 17th, at 5 p.m. Clarkston High School will host an important collabora-tive conference and exposition focused on the concept of the whole child. This event will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Rock (5:45 p.m.), breakout sessions with Clarkston teachers and administrators, displays of student work from around the district, and Body Mind Green Expo with the Clarkston Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers will address Cultures of Thinking in Clarkston as well as how learning has to feel for

our children and whom students to become as a result of the time they spend in our schools. Displays will feature various ways all areas of student learning are now being considered. The Mind-Body exhibits will include healthy eating demonstrations, wellness, � tness, anti-aging, longevity, stress relief and more! The conference will start in the Cafeteria and Lobby area near the Performing Arts Center. Please attend to learn what education at CCS will mean to your child.

Discover Our Story – Connecting, Cultivating, and Thriving

April 17th, 2014 Where Education at Clarkston Community Schools will Take Your Child

In Conjunction with Body Mind Green Expo

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April 7-11… Spring Break

April 14 …School Resumes

April 15… Re� ections Reception, 6 p.m.

April 17… Discover Our Story - Connecting, Cultivating and Thriving, Clarkston High School, 5 p.m.

April 18… No School, Good Friday

April 23… Late Start

April 24… Kindergarten Orientation

April 28…Market Day Pick-up

April 30 …Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, 12 - 1 p.m.

From Our PTA President… Dear Bailey Lake Families,

When you received your children’s MEAP results last month, you experienced an historic

moment - the last report of the MEAP era. The standardized test that has been used as the

sole means to measure our students’ pro� ciency in reading, writing, and math has proved

to be ine� ective. So what exactly will come in lieu of the MEAP and how is the new

assessment going to work?

According to the Michigan PTA February issue of Common Core Standards Newsletter, the

Michigan Department of Education stated that the Smarter Balanced Summative Assess-

ment would replace the current MEAP test that students take in October. It is prepared to begin testing during the 2014-2015

school year. The rationale behind this new testing is that the MEAP and other older tests do not align with the Common Core State

Standards. They often assess how well a student could memorize material and then select the right answer on a multiple choice

test. As more rigorous standards that encourage problem solving and critical thinking are implemented, assessments designed to

more accurately measure deeper knowledge and critical thinking are needed.

The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment is a “computer adaptive” assessment. This means that it will adjust the di� culty

of questions based on the test taker’s previous responses. Ideally, it should give a more accurate snapshot of what the student

actually knows. In addition, the test results’ turnaround time is much shorter. Teachers should have test results in weeks instead of

months, which would give them more opportunities to work with individual students. As for our school’s computer system and

support that could be an issue, according to the Smarter Balanced Consortium, “The assessments are being designed to work with

the computing resources in schools today,” meaning that they don’t require the latest and greatest. Let’s hope they don’t.

I would like to thank Becky Walker and Laura Cadreau for creating our schedule for Reading Month. The children had a great time

reading books with their teachers. As usual, Seuss Night, a big and traditional part of this month, was another wonderful event

dedicated to reading and math. Thank you, The Seuss Night Committee, our great sta� , parents, and all the volunteers who spent

their evening bringing joy to the children! A few activities coming up are the Re� ections Awards Reception on April 15th and

Kindergarten Orientation on April 24th. Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Arina Bokas BLE PTA President248-330-2408

In March, the Bailey Lake Jr. Optimists Club spon-sored a rescue dog from the Semper Fidelis Pet Res-cue. To raise money, they sold green and white suckers for St. Patrick’s Day. The response from our school family was fabulous with students and sta� buying hundreds of suckers to send to their friends, families and teachers. Our spon-sored dog, “Bailey”, made his appearance during the 1st day of sales and we are happy to report that he has successfully been adopted out to his forever family! Additionally, the Jr. Optimists continued selling suckers during Seuss Night and altogether raised $431.01 for the pet rescue! This money will be used for vetting, food and toys for the dogs waiting to be adopted. Ryan Anderson presented the money to the pet rescue during a recent pet adoption event and they were quite humbled and thankful for the generous donations of our school family. Thank you to all who participated!

Jr. Optimists…

Raise Money for a Rescue Dog!

Congratulations “Battle of the

Books”Winners!

And all that participated!This year’s winners…‘Guys With Glasses’:

Brendan Collica, Tyler Crockett, Ryan Kisser, Kyle Crockett, Aidan Hepler

************* Important *************

Make-up Days for School Cancellations

As you know, winter weather and power outages have caused cancellations at all Clarkston Community Schools beyond the six days allowed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). There is proposed legislation (HB4295) that may favorably impact the number of days to make-up; however, while this legislation has passed in the House of Representatives, it is still pending in the Senate.

Based on the information we have today, Clarkston Community Schools will be in session through Tuesday, June 10. Thursday, June 5, which was formerly a half day, will be a full day of school, and we will be in session full days on Friday, June 6 and Monday, June 9. Tuesday, June 10 will be a half day. In the event the legislation indicated above passes, we may have fewer days to make-up and this schedule will be revised with immediate noti� cation sent to parents.

Please remember that student attendance is of utmost importance on these added days. We must have at least 75% of our students present to “count” the day and receive state funding.

There will no change to the current schedule for high school seniors.

Seuss Night 2014 was a huge success! We had approximately 350 kids and their families enjoy the event with us! Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who make it all possible – BLE’s dedicated sta� and parents who gave their time to make the night fun, as well as, the energetic teens who ran the games, painted Seuss-eri� c faces, and served as our fun-loving mimes. A very special thank you also goes out to the families who donated delicious cookies. We couldn’t do it without all your help. See you next year!

The Seuss Night CommitteeKristine Barber, Amy Darnell, Judy Haas, Sandi Larkins, Tina Redmond, Whitney Schmidt, Gustina Sell, & Becky Walker

Night 2014!

The 2014-2015 Kroger Community Rewards Program begins May 1, 2014. All supporters who registered prior to April 1, 2014 must re-enroll online to continue supporting your organization. Below are the steps to re-enroll your Kroger Plus Card so that it continues to earn fundraising dollars for Bailey Lake Elementary School! Please pass along this notice to friends & family who can help.

Re-enrolling only takes a few moments and is completed in a few simple steps:

1. Visit our website at www.krogercommunityrewards.com.2. Sign in using your email address and password. If you have forgotten

your password, just click on “forgot password” and a link will be sent to your email to change your password.

3. Enter BLE’s � ve digit NPO number (82526) or the � rst three letters of the organization’s name, click search.

4. Select your organization by clicking on the circle to the left of your organization’s name.

5. SAVE CHANGES.

If you want to enroll a new card, follow the instructions below. Click Enroll if you have never been a part of KrogerCommunityRewards.com. Have your Kroger Plus Card ready. If you use your phone number at the register, call 1(877)576-7587 to get your Kroger Plus Card number.

1. Sign up today (to the right)2. Enter your zip code and click Search3. Click on the arrow to display the list of stores in your zip code and high-

light your preferred store4. Enter in your email and password5. Click Next6. Key in your Kroger Plus Card Number (if it says that this card has already

been used, please call the number on the back of your card)7. Enter the security code (from the box above it)8. Enter in your contact information9. Click on Next10. Verify that your account information is correct. Check box for

agreement of the terms and conditions and click Complete Information11. Kroger will send an email that you entered earlier in the process

(this can take up to 10 minutes)12. Open the email that Kroger sent. Read the email and either click on the

link within the email, or copy and paste it into your browser13. Sign in: click on the “Click here” button and then type in your

email and password14. Under Kroger Community Rewards Section at right, click Edit

Kroger Community Rewards Information15. Find your organization by typing in your organization’s name or

NPO number Bailey Lake Elementary NPO# 8252616. Click on the organization name that you want. Please make sure that

you click on the circle to the left of your organization so that it becomes highlighted

17. Click on Save Changes18. Scroll over the page and make sure all information is accurate.

It’s time to Re-Enroll in our…

Kroger Community Rewards Program!

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KindergartenGRADE AT A GLANCE…Our Teachers:Mrs. Sprague, Mrs. Reis, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Secord, Mrs. Morris

All of our classes recently celebrated 100 days of school…Mr. Gualtieri read Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of School to the kindergarten classes. They also made pattern necklaces with 100 Fruit Loops and crowns. The children are all 100 days smarter!

In Mrs. Sprague’s class…• We celebrated various events in class such as ‘100th Day

of School’, ‘Spider’ day and ‘Pajama’ day, as well as having a visit from the local Fire Station.

In Mrs. Reis’s class… • This month the class has been working on their favorite

school lunch graph. Room 27 won pizza! We read the book Put Me In a Zoo and wrote about “if we had Magic Spots what we would do with them? and why?”

• Ms. Reis’ class also did a shamrock art project to hang in the hall. Their was alot of concentration on this project!

In Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Secord’s class… • We love Reading, Writing, and Math Workshop!

The photos show us “decomposing the number 8”. We made 8 in many di� erent ways with our group!

• We love our “Specials Classes”! The photos show us being creative in Art!

In Mrs. Morris’s class… • Students made tents using their rest time blankets

to read in for pajama day!

• They also acted out the story, ”Ten in a Bed.” This helped the students read with � uency and expression while having a great time!

Celebrating ‘100 Days os School’

Mrs. Reis’s Class

Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Secord’s Class

Mrs. Sprague’s Class

Mrs. Morris’s Class

Now Is YOUR

Time to be Part of our

Success! The PTA is currently seeking Board/Chair position nominations for the 2014-2015 school year. If you would like to nominate someone, or yourself, please contact Kim Hardtke at hardtke@comcast.net. Alternatively, posters are hung in the Bulldog hallway where you can � ll in names for desired positions. More than one person can run for a speci� c Board position and Board elections will take place in May. We cannot have all the wonderful PTA events for our kids without volunteers - please consider joining the fun! The following is a listing of the Board/Chair positions with brief descriptions of the duties. Further information can be found on the PTA website. Please let Kim know if you have any questions. Thanks, in advance, for your consideration.

President: Preside over meetings, coordinator the work of o� cers and committees, and perform duties as directed by the bylaws.

1st VP: Act as aide to president and perform duties in their absence and handle Ways and Means.

2nd VP: Act as aide to president and perform duties in their absence/1st VP absence and act as Legislative O� cer.

Secretary: Keep an accurate record of the minutes of all meetings.

Treasurer: Keep full account of receipts and expenditures, submit treasurer reports, and write checks with proper approvals.

Assistant Treasurer: Assist treasurer in money handling activities and assume duties of treasurer in their absence.

Membership O� cer: Responsible for all new member-ships, maintain records of memberships and compile/distribute school directory.

Assist. Membership O� cer: Assist membership o� cer and assume duties in their absence.

Volunteer Coordinator: Recruit for and compile volunteers for PTA events, obtain Room Parents for all classrooms and hold volunteer training session.

Assist. Volunteer Coordinator: Assist volunteer coordinatoras requested and assume duties in their absence.

Public Relations/Website O� cer: Keep PTA informed of pertinent community information and maintain PTA website.

Newsletter O� cer: Compile and distribute monthly newsletter.

Board Positions…

Academic Service Learning: Event to help students understand the importance of volunteering and helping others.

Back to School Night: Event to welcome families back to school, sign up for various PTA programs and meet the teachers.

Book Fair: Opportunities for families and sta� to purchase multi-media materials.

Disability Awareness: 4th grade students are taught awareness of a variety of disabilities through this district-wide, 1 day event.

Doughnuts with Dad: Program to promote family time/family fun by having morning refreshments for kids and their dads.

Field Day: A fun � tness event that allows children to participate in a few hours of recreation. Usually near the last day of school.

Fifth Grade Celebration: Celebrates 5th grade accomplishments through a slide show of their elementary years, award ceremony and refreshments.

Health and Wellness: Work with BLE sta� as needed for education and support of health/safety issues and keep school families and sta� informed.

Market Day: Monthly opportunity for families to order food products. We earn a 10% pro� t on any orders that are placed.

Mornings with Mom: Program to promote family time/family fun by having morning refreshments for kids and their moms.

Passive fundraising: Collects information and educates families on programs that bring money into our school without active solicitation.

Read to Me: School-wide program to encourage students and families to read at home.

Re� ections: National PTA Fine Arts competition to highlight the importance of Art in education.

School Fair: One day event to raise funds to support Field Trips, Assemblies and PTA programs. This is the main school fundraiser.

Seuss Night: An evening of math and reading games and activities.

Sign Coordinator: Post information on the sign in front of school for school related events.

Spirit Wear: Program that o� ers logo clothing, school or recreational products for sale to sta� and families to promote school pride.

Sta� Appreciation: Program for sta� at BLE to show our appreciation throughout the school year with refresh-ments, meals & other small gifts.

Theme Day: One day event featuring activity based

workshops and assemblies. Alternates between Career Day, Fine Arts Day, International Day, and Science Day or other theme.

Talent Show: Program giving students the opportunity to perform onstage for their peers and families.

ChairPositions…

Why get involved?As a parent it is very important to me to be involved in the lives of my

children. Being active with the PTA allows me to be a part of there education, which is a major aspect in their life, and it shows my

children that I care about their educational success.Becky Walker

My decision to get involved was mainly because if I am helping out, I am ultimately helping out my own children too. Being involved in

their education is my top priority, and they know it. The PTA provides resources and programs that otherwise may not be available to ensure

the growth and success of our students. A great example would be ‘Re� ex Math’ online. Kids enjoy it, and I appreciate it!

By being a Chairperson or a Board Member, and participating in meetings when I can, I am more aware of the school activities, and also

the needs or issues that our educators and principal have. I have also made wonderful friendships with parents, and have developed a

working relationship with some of the BLE sta� and administrators… VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE!… these are individuals whom our young children look up to and admire, and spend so much time through the

week, helping to enrich and develop academic success.Theresa Rotman

Being involved in the BLE PTA has been so rewarding to me over the years. Personally, it has strengthened the bond between my kids and

I while at school. Watching their eyes light up when I help make an event or program possible is the greatest reward! Further, it’s helped

me instill the importance of giving back to others for them.

To share a speci� c story of realizing the impact of helping the PTA, I remember one particular day when my youngest son was in 3rd grade.

While helping in the classroom, the new COW Cart rolled in the door opening a new learning experience for all. As the kids explored the

new laptops purchased by the PTA, I saw an amazing level of excite-ment to learn and explore in their faces I had not experienced before. Wow! I knew many of us worked hard for the PTA, helping whenever

our schedules permitted, to provide items such as these, but to witness the result 1st hand made me so proud of our PTA.

These are moments, experiences, lasting lessons that I’ve experienced through my years helping the BLE PTA.

Kim Hardtke

BLE Students Learn About Food Allergies

In early March, BLE’s Allergy Awareness Group hosted Dr. Reba Johnson, MD who spoke with students about food allergies.

Dr. Johnson explained what food allergies are, what allergic reactions can look like and how to help those reacting. She discussed how we can all help keep our classmates safe by not sharing food and reading labels. She also emphasized, along with Mr. Gualtieri, that teasing or bullying those with food allergies is unacceptable and can be life threatening.

Students were extremely attentive and asked some very insightful questions. These questions started conversations about what causes food allergies, what to do if an adult is not around when a friend has a reaction, how you cannot “catch” food allergies from someone and how people with food allergies are “regular people like you and me that just have to be careful around food”.

A big thank you goes out to Dr. Johnson for her time and knowledge on this important issue!

Another Great Pay-Out for Box Tops and Labels for Education!

Once again, our Bailey Lake families contributed an amazing number of Box Tops and Labels for Education, resulting in a huge boost to our Passive Fundraising e� orts!

Once cut, counted and sorted, our 2nd Box Tops submission of the year yielded another $1500 for our PTA! That makes it $3935.06 for our grand total this year!

This money will be put in our Ways and Means fund from which teachers and sta� may submit requests for needed items. Examples of past requests which our PTA ful� lled includes building the “just right” libraries in our classrooms, musical instruments

for students, composition books for students, and even laptops for students to use! Many products contain box top labels which can be easily cut out and submitted and what a di� erence those little $.10 labels make!

For a complete list of Box Top products, go to www.boxtops4education.com.

Our most recent submission of Labels for Education (Campbell’s soup labels) resulted in over 14,000 points! With those points, we were able to select a Top-loading Compact Disc Player, World and US Wall Maps, Parachute 24’ Canopy and 2 sets of Stereo

Headphones all which will be used in our kids music classes. Once again, clipping those labels makes a huge di� erence for our school and our kids. For a complete list of products, go to www.labelsforeducation.com.

Thanks to all who help us with these important programs. If you have questions, please contact one of our Passive Fundraising Chairs, Kimberly Siegner (bubblysiegner@gmail.com) or Kim Hardtke (hardtke@comcast.net).

Keep on clipping, even through the summer!

About your PTAThe Objects of the Bailey Lake Elementary PTA, in common with those of the National PTA and the Michigan PTSA are:

a. To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community and place of worship.

b. To raise the standards of home life.

c. To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.

d. To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate in-telligently in the education of children and youth.

e. To develop between educators and the general public such united e� orts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantag-es in physical, mental, social and spiritual education.

BAILEY LAKE Elementary School

8051 Pine Knob Road Clarkston, MI 48348

Phone: (248) 623-5300 Fax: (248) 623-5305

Student Absence Line: (248) 623-5390

School Hours: 8:35 a.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Arina Bokas, PTA PresidentGlenn Gualtieri, Principalwww.clarkston.k12.mi.us/ble

Good to Know…By Jessica Lahey(an educator, writer and speaker. She writes about parenting and education for The New York Times)

1. Your kids can do much more than you think they can do. Despite all evidence to the contrary, your children do not need your help tying shoes, zipping jackets, sharpening pencils, packing their backpacks and lunch, or any of the million other tasks they expect you to do for them every day. The next time your child tells you they can’t do something, step back and wait.

2. It’s not healthy to give your child constant feedback. When children require approval on every scribble, homework problem and picture they draw, it’s probably because they have been o� ered feedback on every scribble, homework problem and picture they draw. It’s vital that children develop their own internal locus of approval and honest self-assessment, because as they grow up and face hardship, they need to be able to look to themselves for strength and approval. As you wean them o� of your feedback, turn their “Mommy, is this picture good?” or “Daddy, did I do a good job?” back on them, and ask them how they feel about their work.

3. We promise not to believe everything your child says happens at home if you promise not to believe everything your child says happens in our classrooms. Experienced teachers know that not everything children share during circle time represents an accurate re� ection of what goes on in their home. When, for example, my cousin’s son told to his entire class that a robot had come to his house, his teacher was wise enough to remain skeptical. Accordingly, when your child comes home and claims that the teacher screamed and yelled at him in front of the entire class for his low test score, try to give his teacher the bene� t of the doubt until you’ve had a chance to talk to the teacher about it.

4. Your children learn and act according to what you do, not what you say. You are your child’s � rst and best teacher, and they learn more from your actions rather than your words. When you tell your child that it’s rude to text during conversations, yet you continue to read your email while pretending to listen to him talk about his day, you are teaching him to distrust your words and your intent, while reinforcing the very behavior you seek to modify.

5. Teach your children that mistakes aren’t signs of weakness but a vital part of growth and learning. Let your children see you fail, admit to your mistakes, and talk openly about how you have learned from those mistakes. Failure is part of the process. It’s what they do after they fail that matters. If you pick them up after their every failure, they learn nothing about how to begin again.

Save the DateSta� Appreciation Week is coming up

Monday, May 5 - Friday, May 9

Help us let our BLE sta� know how much we love them!

Please look for the Sign Up Geniuses coming the week of April 14.

If you want to sign up early or have any questions,

please contact Amy Darnell at AmyMDarnell@yahoo.com.

Thanks in advance for your help!