News from Lyon and Pleasant Ridge November 4, 2016

Lyon & Pleasant Ridge Important Dates Tuesday, November 8 NO SCHOOL - Institute Day

Monday, November 14 Board of Education Meeting 7:30PM @ Administration Building

Tuesday, November 15 Lyon/Pleasant Ridge PTA Meeting 7:00PM @ Lyon

Tuesday, November 17 RED Day (Respect Each Difference) Students Wear Red

Wednesday, November 23-25 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

Friday, December 2 Lyon School Spirit Day

AFTER SCHOOL AT PLEASANT RIDGE Mon, Nov 7 Gym 2:30-3:30PM

Wed, Nov 9 4th/5th Grade Chorus 2:30-3:15PM

Thurs, Nov 10 Gym 2:30-3:30PM

Tues, Nov 15 3rd Grade Chorus 2:30-3:15PM Art 2:30-3:30PM

Wed, Nov 16 4th/5th Grade Chorus 2:30-3:15PM

* Reminder: Please check Pleasant Ridge Dates on their website for the most up to date

information.

Holiday Helper

It’s that time of year again! We are kicking off our annual Holiday Helper program! The Holiday Helper program assists families in need within Lyon and Pleasant Ridge by providing children with outerwear and holiday gifts. Each family also receives a grocery store gift certificate and box of food collected during our Holiday Helper food drive.

We are now seeking child and family sponsors! Sponsors provide outerwear for each child during the first week of November. Then, during the first week of December, sponsors provide a book and a holiday gift for each child, and a grocery store gift card for the entire family. Sponsor a child, family or consider teaming up with your friends or neighbors to sponsor a large family! Look for other Holiday Helper updates in the coming weeks for more ways to help!

For questions, or interest in sponsoring a child or family, contact:

Ramie Robbins at: ramie@ramierobbins.com Andrea Downing at: andreadowning@me.com

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS

Of our countless blessings, among the greatest are the special people who enrich our lives every day. All of us know people who have a way of uplifting our spirits, teaching us something, bringing out the best in us, and simply making us feel better. 

For the past three months, you have welcomed me into your Pleasant Ridge Family and you have made a profoundly positive difference in my life! Please know that you and the extra efforts that you bring daily to support Pleasant Ridge School are regarded as uniquely special and are very warmly appreciated!  Your contributions to help our students to try a little harder, treat others a little nicer, and achieve a little more each day creates a huge measure of our overall success as a school. 

Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."  When we look past the daily grind and all of the seemingly repetitive tasks that we perform each day, please know that I have been especially grateful to you for your daily acts of kindness, outreach, care, and support. Your words have inspired me. Shaking your hands has given me strength. And learning about your lives has enriched mine. 

Thank you again for this special gift of working with you and your child(ren) for the past three months.  Best wishes to you and your family for much continued good health, happiness, and success!

Warmly, Mark Walther Interim Principal

November is a wonderful month because it hosts one my favorite holidays of the year, Thanksgiving - a day we can all pause to recognize, appreciate, and be grateful for the people in our lives.

For those of us who work at Pleasant, recognizing professional blessings is truly easy, because we have so much for which to be thankful, including the level of involvement of YOU - our parent community. The positive effects of parental involvement in school have been demonstrated across multiple studies, as teachers and parents are the most influential factors in the success of a student.

Last month, the support of our parent community was evident in so many ways including the LY/PR Annual International Night. This evening highlights the diversity and strong sense of community that you have built and our commitment to maintain the values of our individual cultures and the Pleasant Ridge Family. Parent–Teacher conferences quickly followed up International Night. These conferences offer us time to gather together to discuss the specific successes and areas of growth of your child.

As I visit classrooms and talk with your sons and daughters, they are very articulate about their learning. At the dinner table, as you ask your child about the day’s events and what they learned, you might get a vague response. In Bob Cunningham’s article entitled, 13 Better Questions to Ask Your Child About School, he offers some advice on how to create a deeper conversation. If you give your child the opportunity to answer with one word (yes, no, a name), then you’re likely to get a one-word response. Try to ask open-ended questions to keep a conversation going.  Below are some additional pointers.

• Often kids are not specific, so you have to ask for specific information when you want it. • Starting with factual questions is a great way to ease into conversation. • Avoiding emotion-packed words (fun, happy, sad, mean) will allow the conversation to go on longer. • Asking positive questions will give your child a chance to express concerns. Negative questions will stop

a conversation.

These conversations, and your continued partnership in our children’s learning, are greatly appreciated.

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving.

Frank

PTA News and Notes by Tracy Reeder, PTA President

Last month was a busy month of PTA activities from International Night to Character Counts! food drive to the Fall Book Fair and we want to thank you all for your support! This November continues to be busy with community building initiatives and programming:

Holiday Helper outerwear and food drive is now underway. Holiday Helper sponsors help Lyon and Pleasant Ridge families in need by providing outerwear, plus books and gifts in early December. Families also receive food for the holidays through our school food drive. Donations of grocery gift cards or cash are also welcome! Thank you to chairs Maryellen Cozad, Andrea Downing, and Ramie Robbins for spearheading this important initiative.

Winter Session of Before and After School Programs begins the week of November 21st. We are excited to introduce two new classes at Lyon – Early Engineers on Monday mornings and Yoga on Thursday mornings.

Our next PTA Meeting is Tuesday, November 15th at 7pm at Lyon --- our first of two evening meetings this school year. We hope you can join us to hear updates from committee chairs and our school principals. Plus, our guest speakers will be Tommie Arens, District 34 Instructional Coach, along with teachers Erin Lappe and Kari Klein, to discuss our implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Everyone is welcome to attend PTA meetings.

RED Day is Thursday, November 17th for District 34. It is an entire day dedicated to Respect Each other’s Differences; each classroom and school will participate in a series of activities. Student essay and drawing contests are currently underway.

Many folks have been busy making it all happen for the PTA. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to: • Rachel Gilles and Kaylee Durow for organizing meet n’ greet breakfasts for our PTA Board and the Lyon

and Pleasant Ridge school staffs • Natalie Stanzi for bringing international culture and dance to Pleasant Ridge students through the Muntu

Dance Theatre of Chicago and Bollywood Groove assembly • Galia Polynovsky for organizing an incredible International Night • Our International Night country room hosts: Halleh Akbarnia, Marianne Albovias, Mary and John

Ayaleanos, Natalie Badawi, Cindy Beck, Maria Chigas, Rehana Haque, Natasha Munshi, Erin Newman, Marg Plante, Ina Rohani, Inna Serman, Katherine and Michael Shin, Erika Sullivan, Shirley Vouris, Grace Wang, Nancy Oshana Wehbe, and Kim Wiersma, along with their family and friends, for their enthusiasm and willingness to share their cultures with fellow Lyon/Pleasant Ridge families

• Marianne Albovias for launching our online directory to PTA members • Elyce Ventura for coordinating our Character Counts! food drive • Jennifer Preston and Amy Song, along with assistants Rebecca Herlitz and Niki Van Vuren, for executing

a fun and successful Book Fair in the midst of game 7 of the World Series • And to the many volunteers who decorated and participated in International Night, manned the floor

and cash registers at Book Fair, and dropped off food at the Food Pantry, we couldn’t be successful without your help!

Have a great month!

PTA Grant Spotlight! Last year, the PTA funded over $5,500 in grants to provide non-fiction eBooks and printed books to the Pleasant Ridge and Lyon Resource Centers. Prior to its grant, Pleasant Ridge was the only intermediate school in D34 without eBooks. Pleasant Ridge’s eBooks can be accessed by multiple students at one time. All books purchased by both LRCs were researched and support state standards and student interests.

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P.E. @ PR

We have enjoyed being outside most days this fall! Climbing is our first official indoor unit. This past week, students have been learning about equipment, procedures and commands associated with climbing and belaying. During the unit, students will be able to choose one of the vertical mountain walls, in addition to the transverse wall and prusik ropes. Those not climbing will be participating in cooperative and fitness related activities. Students are permitted to bring their own helmets on their scheduled day to climb.

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