from the principal’s desk - verona public schools tops for education there is another easy and...

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Laning Avenue News November 2013 Issue From the Principal’s Desk Dear Parents/Guardians: Our new reading and writing initiative is really taking off at Laning! Lots of differentiation is occurring in the classrooms to meet various students’ needs. I want to take the time again to thank ALL of the parents who have been donating books and have taken the time to help level the books by their difficulty level. I feel that there is an “army of elves” at Laning hard at work! What a gift that you are giving the school! Nothing helps children read better than reading at their “just right” reading level and having leveled books on hand is essential to the success of our program. Mr. Peri, our music teacher just finished preparing the children for our Halloween parade which was a huge success and is now gearing up for our Veterans Day celebration on Monday, November 11 th . Parent teacher conferences are approaching! At Laning, the teachers pride themselves on having positive relationships with parents. Conferences are an ideal time for you to find out how your child is doing. As you know, parent teacher conferences are November 18, 19 & 20. Please note that on all of these three days students will be dismissed at 12:30. Teachers will be scheduling conferences during the afternoons of Monday, November 18 & Tuesday, November 19. On Wednesday, November 20 th , teachers will be setting up evening conferences. Important November Dates to Remember: Teacher Convention SCHOOL CLOSED November 7 & 8 Veterans Day November 11 th at 9:15 a.m. in the main gym Parent Teacher Conferences 12:30 DISMISSAL November 18, 19 & 20 Picture Re-take Day November 21 Thanksgiving Feast 11:15 a.m. 12:30 DISMISSAL November 27 Thanksgiving Holiday SCHOOL CLOSED November 28 & 29

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Page 1: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

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From the Principal’s Desk

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Our new reading and writing initiative is really taking off at Laning! Lots of

differentiation is occurring in the classrooms to meet various students’ needs.

I want to take the time again to thank ALL of the parents who have been

donating books and have taken the time to help level the books by their difficulty

level. I feel that there is an “army of elves” at Laning hard at work! What a gift that

you are giving the school! Nothing helps children read better than reading at their

“just right” reading level and having leveled books on hand is essential to the success

of our program.

Mr. Peri, our music teacher just finished preparing the children for our

Halloween parade which was a huge success and is now gearing up for our Veterans

Day celebration on Monday, November 11th

.

Parent teacher conferences are approaching! At Laning, the teachers pride

themselves on having positive relationships with parents. Conferences are an ideal

time for you to find out how your child is doing. As you know, parent teacher

conferences are November 18, 19 & 20. Please note that on all of these three days

students will be dismissed at 12:30. Teachers will be scheduling conferences during

the afternoons of Monday, November 18 & Tuesday, November 19. On Wednesday,

November 20th

, teachers will be setting up evening conferences.

Important November Dates to Remember:

Teacher Convention – SCHOOL CLOSED – November 7 & 8

Veterans Day – November 11th

at 9:15 a.m. in the main gym

Parent Teacher Conferences – 12:30 DISMISSAL – November 18, 19 &

20

Picture Re-take Day – November 21

Thanksgiving Feast – 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 DISMISSAL – November 27

Thanksgiving Holiday – SCHOOL CLOSED – November 28 & 29

Page 2: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

A Message from Laning Avenue SCA Co-Presidents

Wow! We FINALLY got in a Halloween! Thank you Mother Nature! It was so much fun seeing all

the kids dressed in their costumes and performing at the Sing Along. And thank you to Mr. Peri and

the 4th Grade for their thrilling performance of “Thriller.” It was such a treat! There are so many exciting things happening at Laning and we would to thank the following parents

for their contributions:

Thank you … Barbara Erickson for coordinating the Laning Spirit Wear sale. We can’t wait to show our school

spirit on November 27th! Jill Capporimo for coordinating a successful Laning Kids Help the Hungry Food Drive and Jacki

Flannery for stepping in at the last minute to help us sort food donations …

Nicole Kobernick for the KidStuff Coupon BookSale … Kim Fio Rito for a fantastic Bingo Night! Maryellen McHugh and Nicole Kobernick for

volunteering their time at the door, as well as Lauren Kobernick, Sarah Cole and Michael McHugh

for their superb salesmanship at the snack table, and last but not least our B-I-N-G-O caller for the

night, John Fio Rito. We can’t wait to see what you have planned for us next!

Lynn Serra for coordinating our Brick Paver fundraiser and for the UNICEF boxes … Kyle Burns, Melissa Collucci, Tara Imbriano, Jacki Flannery, Pam Garcia, Andreas Yanniotis,

Marisa Belasco, Dawn Theobald, and Jennifer Gupta for volunteering their time to level books for

the Guided Reading program and many thanks to those families that have so generously donated

books for the classroom libraries.

Nicole Kobernick, Cheryl Mizia and Fourth Grade Farewell Committee for coordinating the Bagel

Mania fundraiser … Dana DeMars, Lisa Freedman and Tricky Tray Committee for their work so far on obtaining

donations. We are off to a great start!

Lisa Hudson, Jen Vogel, Nancy Barnett, Lisa Freedman, Chris Kenrick, Beth Shust and all the hot

lunch volunteers for helping to provide hot lunch for our kids on Thursdays. They all look forward

to this day … A special thanks to Kyle Burns for scheduling all of our parent volunteers as well as keeping the

library organized by shelving books and keeping things in order … Thank you to Cindy Kramer for a spider-ific bulletin board!

Page 3: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Thank you to Tara Imbriano and Marlo Spina for keeping our SCRIP program running smoothly and

to the families who have made a monthly commitment to the program … Sarah Latson for her tireless work on compiling this newsletter …

Venus So for always keeping our website up to date … Mrs. Buro for always being available to lend a hand at a moment’s notice and always with a smile. November 11th is our very special Red, White & Blue Veterans Day Assembly. We hope you can

come and see the students of Laning pay tribute to our nation’s veterans at this very special event.

You won’t want to miss it.

Please make note that Nov. 18-20 are designated days for Parent-Teacher conferences and are

scheduled half days for all students. Our Thanksgiving Feast is scheduled for Nov. 27th. Details will be coming home soon in your

child’s backpack. School will be closed on Nov. 28th and 29th for the Thanksgiving holiday. As soon as we return from the Thanksgiving holiday we will be kicking off our Secret Shoppe! This

is one event we all look forward to! It gives the children an opportunity to do some holiday shopping

for their families. Secret Shoppe runs from Dec. 3-5. We can’t wait! We are truly blessed with so many wonderful parents who dedicate their time and efforts for Laning

Avenue School on a daily basis. We could not do it without you! Sincerely, Joanna Breitenbach, [email protected] Anthony Gardner, [email protected] ---Laning SCA Co-Presidents

November Calendar of Events: 11/4-6: Laning Kids Help the Hungry 11/5-22: Ice Cream Cake Sale 11/7-8: School Closed (NJEA Convention) 11/11: Red, White & Blue Day; Veterans Day Assembly, 9:15 a.m. 11/14: Bagel Hot Lunch 11/18-20: Parent-Teacher Conferences 11/18-20: 12:30 Dismissal 11/21: Pizza Hot Lunch 11/27: School Spirit Day 11/27: Thanksgiving Feast 11/27: 12:30 Dismissal 11/28: School Closed 11/28: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Page 4: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

December: 12/2-5: Laning Kids Help the Hungry

12/3-5: Secret Shoppe 12/5: Chicken Finger Hot Lunch

12/9-13: Holidays are for Sharing

12/9-19: Ice Cream Cake Sale

12/13: Holiday Concert

12/19: Holiday Teachers Luncheon

12/20: School Spirit Day

12/20: Class Holiday Parties

12/20: 12:30 Dismissal

Page 5: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Laning SCA Announcements

Thanksgiving Feast

The Thanksgiving Feast will cost $5 per student. It includes turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes,

corn, dinner rolls and drinks (juice and water). The meal will be catered by Foodtown. If you

have any questions, please contact Cheryl Mizia at [email protected] or 973-571-5393.

Ice Cream Cake Sales

Hot Lunch Committee

The Laning SCA hot lunch committee needs more volunteers to help during 2 upcoming lunches.

More helpers are needed on Dec. 5, 2013 and Jan. 9, 2014. The shift is from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30

p.m. If you can help, please contact Jen Vogel, [email protected].

Also, below are the remaining SCA hot lunches through January 2014. A gentle reminder and

friendly request: Please let your students know “yes” or “no” on these mornings before they

leave for school whether they are supposed to receive an SCA hot lunch:

• Bagel lunches: Nov.14, Dec. 19, Jan. 23

• Pizza lunches: Nov. 21, Jan. 2, Jan. 30

• Chicken finger lunches: Dec. 5, Jan. 9

• Pasta lunches: Dec. 12, Jan. 16

Thank you for your support!

The Towne Scoop will once again

be offering cakes for Thanksgiving

– the “turkey cake” or a box of 9

“chicksters.”

The turkey cake is half vanilla, half

chocolate with crunch in the

middle. The Chicksters are a scoop

of vanilla ice cream sitting on a

chocolate wafer and decorated to

look like a turkey!

A donation will be made to the

SCA for each item purchased.

Look for the upcoming flyer in

your child’s backpack.

Page 6: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Secret Shoppe

Secret Shoppe is right around the corner – Dec. 3-5. This is a time where our children get to shop

for the holidays for their loved ones!! We have a committee together that will be working as hard

as elves, wrapping presents (before and during) and assisting the children with their shopping.

We will be asking for extra help from you, in donation form. Whether it’s bags, wrapping paper,

scissors, tape, labels or bows. We will accept anything extra you have laying around. There will

be flyers coming out this month with all the info needed to update you more with donations, as

well as the times your children’s classes will be shopping. If you have any questions feel free to

reach out to Alison Mackey, 973-857-6641.

Laning Kids Help the Hungry

Laning donated 188 pounds of food in October. WOW!!! What a great way to start the year.

Let’s continue to MAKE A DIFFERENCE this month and shoot to increase that number. All it

will take is just one extra can of soup or bar of soap from you, or a moment of your time to

encourage someone else to donate.

This month’s Laning Kids Help the Hungry Food Drive* kicked off on Monday and will run

through Wednesday, Nov. 6. Baskets are distributed throughout the building to collect non-

perishable items.

What specifically could they use?

Non-perishable, non-expired food: cereal, pasta & sauce, canned meat, vegetables and fruit,

crackers, tuna, peanut butter & jelly. In addition, soap, shampoo and toothpaste are also helpful

donations, as well as brown paper grocery bags (what a great way to recycle!).

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

– Jill Caporrimo

*Participation is optional.

Environmental Committee

Litterless Lunch

Wouldn’t it be great to reduce the amount of trash we create every day? Small efforts can have a

big impact and we can start right here in the Laning lunchroom. There are a number of great

reusable lunch packing products you can use and some are cool looking too! Take a look at some

of these websites for ideas:

Easy Lunch Boxes : http://www.easylunchboxes.com/

Lunchskins: www.lunchskins.com

Lunchbots: www.lunchbots.com

ReUseIt: www.reuseit.com

And of course retail stores like Target and The Container Store offer products for a litterless

lunch. Let us know if you find or have found a reusable lunch container that your family likes...

Laning’s environmental committee is dedicated to educating students and their families about small and

big steps we can take to preserve our planet. If you have any questions or are interested in joining the

committee, please contact Linette Matthewson at 973-857-8673 or [email protected]

Page 7: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Box Tops for Education

There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping

online it’s as simple as clicking your mouse. Earn Box Tops as you shop Target, Walmart,

Kohl’s, Macy’s, Old Navy and many more. All you need to do is go the the Box Tops website,

click on the store in which you want to shop and you will instantly earn Box Tops for the school.

Simply go to the website www.boxtops4education.com/marketplace and follow these steps:

1. Join: Signing up is simple. Just enter the school name, ZIP code, or city and state in the

module and you’re on your way. Within moments you will be shopping your favorite stores

while earning money for local schools.

2. Shop: at some of your favorite stores while earning eBoxTops. Check out some of the most

popular stores that offer eBoxTops or browse our entire collection of stores by clicking the “see

all stores” button.

3. Earn: In addition to clipping Box Tops and sending them in to school, eBoxTops are awarded

electronically to your school earnings at btfe.com and will be included in the school’s next Box

Tops check amount.

By registering online you have the ability to see how much you earned for the school, how

Laning is doing against its goal and how it compares to other schools in the district.

You can do this in addition to clipping Box Tops like you usually do. Just a few clicks away

and you can earn lots of money for the school!

If you have any questions please contact Laurel Brolly or Sophia Yanniotis on the Box Tops

committee at [email protected] or [email protected].

VMAC

Have you signed the Pledge?

Visit us at www.vmacnj.org/safe-homes/ and take the pledge to not allow underage drinking in

your home and provide a secure storage place for all forms of alcohol, firearms, matches, and

toxic chemicals. Add your contact information to the list of parents whose homes are SAFE

HOMES.

Get a SAFE HOMES sign for your front lawn by donating $10 (or more!) to VMAC. Send your

check to VMAC 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044

[email protected]

www.vmacnj.org

Page 8: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Supermarket SCRIP Gift Card Program

Gift Card Fundraiser Quick Facts:

When you buy gift cards through the Laning SCA, we earn 5% of the total amount sold!!! For

example, purchase $200 in ShopRite cards and the Laning SCA earns $10. This can really add

up!

Buy only what you need! Buy from one store or buy from all three! Change stores or change

amounts each time you buy! If you sign up for a monthly commitment but need to skip a month,

we can do that too, just let us know.

Here’s how it works:

The gift cards work like cash. For example, if you buy $44 in groceries, use $50 in gift cards

and you still have $6 on your card for your next shopping trip.

Orders are delivered through your child’s backpack: Fill out the order form that can be

found on the school’s website under backpack flyers and return it in your child’s backpack in an

envelope marked Supermarket Gift Cards.

If you haven’t already signed up for SCRIP or made a one-time purchase this year, please

consider doing so in November.

-------------------------------------------------------

Do you know someone that would love a $25, $50 or $100 gift card to ShopRite, Kings or

Foodtown at the holidays? If so, order them now by emailing our Supermarket Gift Card

(SCRIP) chairs Marlo Spina ([email protected]) or Tara Imbriano

([email protected]) and they will have them ready for you in December.

There are over 50 families and 3 staff members currently participating

in the Supermarket Gift Card Fundraiser! Last year we had just over

40 families and 1 staff member participating. We are getting closer to

our goal of 50% participation but we are still a long way away.

As you know, Laning is in need of new technology and with your

support in this “no-cost” fundraiser we can purchase new equipment

for our school. Laning earns 5% on all gift cards purchased through the

SCA.

YTD we have earned a profit $1,700. Please help Laning reach its

2013-2014 goal of $6,000.

Page 9: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

eLabels for Education

How It Works

Electronically collect an additional 1 point for each participatingLabels for Education® product

purchased when you use your shopper card at participating retailers. You can still clip and

redeem UPCs to earn the face value of the Labels for Education points.

1. REGISTER. Go to eLabelsforEducation.com. Create your profile, enter your shopper card

number from a participating retailer, and then select the school(s) you want to support.

2. SHOP. SWIPE. EARN. Each participating product that you purchase from your favorite

participating retailer will earn 1 point that will be credited to your school’s Labels for

Education account automatically.

3. REDEEM. Your school can redeem points for FREE educational merchandise!

UPCs with face values higher than 1 point will only be counted as 1 point with the

eLabels for Education program. Remember, eLabels for Education supplements the

regular Labels for Education program, so you can still clip and redeem participating

product UPCs to earn the face value of the Labels for Education points.

Any questions, please contact Sophia Yanniotis at [email protected].

Recess Enrichment The Laning Avenue School winter recess enrichment program aims to keep our children

entertained and challenged during those winter days where they cannot enjoy outdoor play time

due to the weather.

It’s time to start planning for the winter weeks. To that end, we are asking for donations of any

age appropriate and gently used board games, puzzle, table tennis sets, air hockey tables, art and

crafts, etc. that you and your family can part with to be used for this program. A collection box

will be located in the lobby of the school.

Additionally, we are seeking parents to assist with game distribution and collection on those

indoor recess days. Parent volunteers will be assigned on a rotating basis and will need to be

available from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on designated days. If you are interested in volunteering or

have any questions, please contact Julian Andre at [email protected].

The next Laning SCA meeting will take place on

January 6, 2014, at 7 p.m. in the Library.

All Laning parents are welcome!

Earn points for Laning Avenue School by not

only clipping labels, but by registering your

frequent shopper card online. In our area,

ShopRite is a participating retailer. It is a very

simple and easy way to earn extra points for our

school. Encourage all your family and friends to

register to help us earn even more!

Page 10: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

What’s Happening in Our Classrooms

Kindergarten – Mrs. Suzanne Livelli, Mrs. Kristy McCabe and Mrs. Kimberley Nochimson

October was an outstanding month for KM, KN, and KL! We worked on learning our classroom

rules and routines and we continued to get to know each other. We learned the characteristics of a

good friend and how to get along with others. We enjoyed getting to know our fourth grade Peace

Pals too! We spent our first two sessions sharing things that we all brought from home so that we

could learn a little bit about each other.

In Math we learned all about the numbers 1-10. We learned how to form the numbers, we learned

how to identify groups with more than, fewer than and the same number of objects. In Reading

Workshop we learned valuable information about ourselves as readers. We discussed the many

different types of books in our library and which ones interest us the most. We have studied the

details in pictures and learned how pictures can help us understand the story even if we are not

ready to read the words. In Writing Workshop we are learning how to picture an idea in our minds

and tell a story using pictures across three pages. We are gradually adding words to our pictures!

We are off to a super SMART start!

We are having so much fun observing the changes around us as Fall embraces us. We read many

stories about this beautiful season. We also went on a leaf hunt and found our very own special

leaf to write about. We wrote about our favorite Fall activities as well! Most of us love that Fall

brings Halloween! We were so excited to participate in our very first Laning Avenue Halloween

parade and sing off! We LOVED coming to school in costume and seeing all of our friends! Our

class parties were wonderful – thank you to all of the parents that helped!

During the Week of Respect, Mr. Chesney came in to talk to us about celebrating our uniqueness.

We learned that we are all special and very unique! We are all so happy that we made a new

friend! Thank you Mr. Chesney!

October was also Fire Prevention month so the Verona Fire Department came to Laning to speak

to us about fire safety. We were able to see their fire truck and all of the interesting and important

things inside of it. In our classes we learned about why it is important to know our personal

information in an emergency and how important it is to have a meeting place at home.

November is going to bring many more learning adventures! We cannot wait!

Grade 1 - Mrs. Nancy Apisa and Mrs. Kristina Ellenbogen

First Graders have just completed the first unit of Writing Workshop and are moving into Small

Moment stories. The children’s pictures are becoming more detailed and temporary spelling is

getting a little closer to conventional spelling.

In Reading Workshop, our students have been learning to think about and make connections to

their reading. We have shared so many books this month, including the poetry book, Red Sings

from Treetops, by Joyce Sidman, and a nonfiction title about our favorite treat, Ice Cream: The

Full Scoop, by Gail Gibbons.

Halloween is an exciting time for first graders. The students enjoyed poems, songs, and games

during this month. The children looked forward to showing off their costumes at the parade around

our school.

Page 11: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

Columbus Day afforded the opportunity for the students to engage in activities regarding history

and geography. The children read books and poetry on the subject, created a collage of the Santa

Maria, and learned several songs as well. We began a study of the continents beginning with North

America, as we followed the explorer’s path to the New World.

Grade 2 - Mrs. Pamela Banta, Ms. Jennifer Kirby, and Mrs. Sage Nardi

During the month of October, the second graders celebrated Columbus Day across the curriculum.

Books were read which highlighted his life and students completed various activities which

focused upon major events in Columbus’ life.

In Writing Workshop, all second graders completed the first unit, Launching the Writing

Workshop. We celebrated by sharing our pieces with each other and adding our stories into our

classroom library.

In Social Studies the second graders have been learning about communities. They are currently

learning about our community’s needs and wants. Take a moment to discuss what your child has

learned throughout this busy month of October.

Grade 3 – Mrs. Jaime Ricci and Mr. Brian Samples

We had a terrific October in the third grade! In Math, we closed our chapters on addition and

addition properties. We are now closing out our unit on subtraction.

In Science, students continued their study of the Scientific Method, cells, and the life cycle.

Moving into November, students will discover how plants grow, and about photosynthesis.

In Social Studies, students learned about community and sharpened their map skills. We also

assigned our “Verona Hot Spots” Social Studies project and are thrilled with the students’ finished

products.

In Language Arts, we completed launching our Reader’s Workshop, and are now focused on

inference and the many sub-genres of fiction and traditional literature. We have also progressed to

an in-depth study of character and character traits.

Our third grade writers have been hard at work completing personal narratives while applying

many skills having to do with zooming in to small moments, slowing down time, and extending

descriptions. As we wrap up this unit, we are looking forward to beginning our study of

persuasive letters and book reviews.

Grade 4 – Mrs. Kristine DePoe and Mrs. Pamela Solomon

The fourth graders have been learning by leaps and bounds at Laning this month! During Writing

Workshop students have been composing narrative essays. They are working diligently on honing

their writing skills and making their stories sing with colorful words, brilliant beginnings and

excellent endings.

Reading Workshop continues to interest the students. The children have been increasing their

reading stamina, jotting notes about shared books and individual reads, learning to converse about

their reading, and deepening their understanding about literature.

Page 12: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

In math, the fourth graders reviewed multiplication of two digit by one digit numbers and have

been practicing their problem solving skills. Students quickly realized the importance of being able

to recall basic multiplication facts. Next, they will tackle multiplication of larger numbers.

Our fourth grade scientists are learning about the many types of Earth’s landforms and how they

develop. In upcoming lessons, students will realize that fossils contain clues about Earth’s past life.

In Social Studies, students continue to discover more information about our great state. Students

recognized that the geography and characteristics of each of the regions in New Jersey is unique.

Elementary Special Needs – Mrs. Jessica Jaruczyk

In October, we have been working on getting what it takes to be a good listener and follow our

teacher’s instructions. We talked about what it means to treat your teacher’s and friends with

respect. We practiced using polite words and how that makes others feel. Practicing appropriate

behaviors is ongoing in general education and when necessary in the LSS classroom. Students

have also been working on their individualized programs and have been making progress. Students

have been practicing the Halloween songs in preparation for the Halloween parade.

Verona Pre-School Program

Full Day Pre-School Class - Mrs. Grace Minervo-Buneo

“The Leaves are falling down, the leaves are falling down. They touch our nose and then our toes.

The leaves are falling down!!” That’s just one of the songs the preschoolers learned when they

explored Autumn in the month of October. The full day preschool had fun reading books and

doing creative crafts to explore the changes that occur in the fall. We took a nature walk to see all

the changes. We collected leaves and acorns to observe in our class. We counted and sorted

apples and looked at the seeds, “star” in the center, the skin and insides of an apple. The children

enjoyed making apples prints and tasting apples at snack time. Toward the end of the month the

preschoolers had fun learning Halloween rhymes and songs, practicing our Halloween

performance songs. We read lots of spooky books and talked about what is real and what is

pretend. The preschoolers loved making Halloween decorations for our room. We look forward to

cooler weather and enjoying playing outside and taking walks to see the seasons change.

Mrs. Pauline Jennis and Mrs. Mary Ann Bifulco

The theme for this month in the preschool was the autumn season and the children learned about

all of the environmental changes that happen in autumn. We went on nature discovery walks

around Verona and supported our experiences with art projects and books in the classroom.

Another theme for our preschool classes this month was Halloween. We discussed what is pretend

and what is real. The children shared scary stories, their costumes, trick or treating etc. We did

many songs and finger plays; Five Little Pumpkins, Three Little Witches, Five Little Ghosts, Five

Little Monsters, The Pumpkin in the Patch, I’m a Little Pumpkin, Witches Brew etc. The art

projects included five little pumpkins, skeletons, witches, ghosts, monsters and spiders. All the

storybooks centered on the theme of Halloween. We played a ghost game with a white sheet and a

counting game with pumpkins. The children also collaboratively created a Halloween story with

pictures and words. We are looking forward to the Laning Avenue Halloween parade and

Halloween performance. We will perform “Here comes Mr. Ghost” and “The Five Little

Pumpkins.”

Page 13: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

November Birthdays

Andrew B.

Nicolas S.

Avery M.

Brandan V.

Manna E.

Johnny R.

Luca T.

Elizabeth C.

Zoe M.

Aidan B.

Sabrina F.

Rachel L.

Ben M.

Stefano F.

David S.

Mark Your Calendars

November 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

3 4 SCA Meeting

Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Brick Paver Sale

5 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Brick Paver Sale

Ice Cream Cake Sale

½ Day

6 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Ice Cream Cake Sale

7 Schools Closed

8 Schools Closed

9

10 11

Ice Cream Cake Sale

Red, White & Blue Day/Veterans Day

Assembly

12 Ice Cream Cake

Sale

13 Ice Cream Cake Sale

14 Ice Cream Cake Sale

SCA Hot Lunch

15 Ice Cream Cake

Sale

16

17 18

Ice Cream Cake Sale

Parent/Teacher

Conferences

19 Ice Cream Cake

Sale

Parent/Teacher Conferences

20 Ice Cream Cake Sale

Parent/Teacher

Conferences

21 Ice Cream Cake Sale

SCA Hot Lunch

22 Ice Cream Cake

Sale

23

24 25 26 27 Thanksgiving Feast

School Spirit Day

½ Day

28 Schools Closed

29 Schools Closed

30

Page 14: From the Principal’s Desk - Verona Public Schools Tops for Education There is another easy and exciting way to earn Box Tops for our school. If you enjoy shopping online it’s as

December 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

3 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Secret Shoppe

4 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Secret Shoppe

5 Laning Kids Help

the Hungry

Secret Shoppe

SCA Hot Lunch

6

7

8 9

Holidays are for Sharing

Ice Cream Cake

Sale

10 Holidays are for

Sharing

Ice Cream Cake Sale

11 Holidays are for

Sharing

Ice Cream Cake Sale

12 Holidays are for

Sharing

Ice Cream Cake Sale

13 Holidays are for

Sharing

Ice Cream Cake Sale

Holiday Concert

14

15 16

Ice Cream Cake Sale

17 Ice Cream Cake

Sale

18 Ice Cream Cake Sale

19 Ice Cream Cake Sale

Holiday Teachers

Luncheon

20 ½ Day

School Spirit

Day

Class Holiday Parties

21

22 23 Schools Closed

24 Schools Closed

25 Schools Closed

26 Schools Closed

27 Schools Closed

28 Schools Closed

29 30 Schools Closed

31 Schools Closed