From the Principal

The DEVON DISPATCH

Devon Elementary School PTO Newsletter March 25, 2011 Volume 6, Issue 13

Mark the Date! Monday, March 28, 2011

• Emergency School Closing Make up All Students Report

April 5th-6th, 2011

• PSSA for the 4th Grade -Science

Saturday, April 9, 2011

• Devon FriendRaiser at

7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

• Blue Ribbon

Celebration Day!

Week of April 18-22, 2011

• Spring Break!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

• PTO Meeting at 9:30 a.m.

• Devon Spirit night @ Handel’s Ice Cream, (rain date April 28th )

Important Phone Numbers

School Office 610-240-1450

Attendance 610-240-1465

Emergency Closing 610-240-1970

School District www.tesd.net

PTO www.devonpto.org

We are planning a Devon Blue Ribbon Celebration Day for Wednesday, April 13, 2011. We are proud of our students, staff, and community on our recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School. As you know by now, our school was honored for achieving and attaining high levels of performance —

one of 304 schools from across the nation, and one of 14 in Pennsylvania.

Our Blue Ribbon Celebration is targeted to our students. We want each child to develop an understanding that with each individual’s continuous effort and commitment to doing one’s best, you can achieve great things. This recogni-tion can also be a great lesson in understanding that excellence and success

are a journey.

Below are several of the activities and events.

• With the generosity of the PTO, we have ordered Blue Ribbon T-shirts for all students and staff. Children will receive the T-Shirts on the morn-

ing of April 13th , wear them for the day, and then take them home.

• In the coming weeks each individual student will reflect and write about their school in response to such prompts as “I think Devon was given a Blue Ribbon because… My time at Devon has taught me… The Devon Way is to… To me Devon is… When I come to school I see… Devon is special because…” Our students’ written products will be hung up

throughout the school.

We have some very exciting events planned for April 13th:

• Our students will be greeted in the morning by our staff singing several

upbeat Blue Ribbon Songs.

• A Celebration Assembly will be held at 9:45 a.m. in the cafeteria. Special guests will include Dr. Waters, our Superintendent, members of our School Board, a U.S. Department of Education official, and public offi-cials. Because of the number of students/guests and the size of our cafeteria, seating will be tight. Parents may also attend, but it will be

SRO-- “Standing Room Only.”

• In the afternoon we will have a fun and celebratory assembly with a guest dance group, The Chosen. Following this program everyone will

enjoy “blue ribbon” cupcakes followed by an all-school recess.

(Please note: All kindergarten students are invited to attend these events, even when the activity is not during their session. The kindergarten newslet-

ters will include more detailed information.)

Blue Ribbon Schools are committed to achievement and to ensuring that students learn and succeed. Our work reflects the conviction that every child has promise and will receive a top-notch quality education. We thank you for

your continuous support… and for your children! Tom Tobin

Page 2 The DEVON DISPATCH

To The Following Volunteers and Their Committees:

A Big Thank You!

• To Valinda Latoff for a really fun Pizza Bingo night!!!!! We all really appreciate you chairing this event for the

7th year in a row! It is hard to come by volunteers who are so committed and we are very thankful to you!

• Thank You to Elaine Klinger, Coleen Hillman, Laurie Johnson for chairing the Friendraiser party. I would

also like to recognize and thank all of the Neighborhood basket volunteers, solicitation volunteers, invitation

committee, decorating committee and food committee for helping to prepare for what I am sure will be an-

other wonderful Friendraiser party. We would not be able to pull this event off without all of your help. Eve-

ryone, including our community businesses, has been so generous. I am really looking forward to the eve-

ning…hope you are too!

• To Kim Wetzel for helping out with Class Picture Day. You are always so great with the children and we are

so appreciative that you have taken this task on again! Thank You!

• To Myesha Kariuki for chairing our Parents Speaker Bureau and for inviting back Barb Bogle to discuss the

parenting style of “Love and Logic”. Barb was wonderful and the evening was a great success thanks to you!

National Nutrition Month

I would like to thank all of the women who gave so gen-

erously of their time to volunteer for "Thirsty for

Health", our National Nutrition Month presentation. The

committee, Wendy Sharkey, Jen Faris, Jill Cutler, and

Audrey Kese, gathered together an entertaining and edu-

cational day. The following women came out to demon-

strate how much fun it is to drink more water:

Nicole Bennyhoff

Sue Butler

Stephanie Thibault

Heather Hill

Laurie Johnson

Allison Hayden

Most importantly, the children had a great time learning.

-Ruth Christner

A warm thank you to all the volunteers

who helped the class pictures run so

smoothly.

Suzanne Emerson, Beth Ottensman, Erin

Preston, Amy Susanin, Pamela Matzinger,

Francie Rosato, Sue Butler, Ashley Smith

and Lori Piccone. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Page 3 The DEVON DISPATCH

To The Following Volunteers and Their Committees:

From the ‘Green Corner’………

Contributed by Heather Hill

Reminder: Please recycle batteries!! Sponsored by the 5th grade Junior Girl Scout Troop 4323 (all formerly from DES)

Our battery recycling project will be coming to an end March 31st. So far, we

have collected 55 pounds (mostly single-use; we have only collected 1 rechargeable battery)! Drop Off - Boxes are located in the lobby of DES. We are collecting both rechargeable (such as nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride,

lithium-ion) and single-use (such as alkaline) batteries.

Alkaline Lithium Primary Nickel Cadmium

Why is it important to recycle batteries? Batteries contain strong corrosive acids and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel.

If batteries are improperly disposed, they can:

• Pollute lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when trash is incinerated • Expose the environment and water to heavy metals and acid that may leach from solid waste landfills

and potentially cause serious health problems

How can you help? Recycle batteries!! This keeps heavy metals out of landfills and our environment, and the plastic and metals from batteries that

are recycled can be used to make new batteries.

Save the Date — April 27th, 2011

Devon Spirit Day

Handels in Berwyn from 3:00–8:00 p.m.

Raindate: April 28th 2011

Page 4 The Devon Dispatch

News from the Classroom News from the Classroom News from the Classroom News from the Classroom

FIRST Grade ~ Konnichi Wa! We are coming to the conclusion of our study of Japan. As we read stories by Allen

Say, we continue to explore the contrast between Asian and American culture, and the bridging of those cultures.

Keep your eyes open for the upcoming Japanese Celebration events during the week of March 28th, 2011. The

first graders are excited and looking forward to these culminating activities. If you haven’t sent in your plain

white button down shirts that will be used as KIMONOS, please do so as soon as possible. Each student will be

designing their own kimono to wear to the culminating festivities. Thank you for your support of our family life

curriculum. We had some great discussions about each topic. Thank you for attending the parent/teacher confer-

ences. All of the first grade teachers enjoyed discussing the progress your child has made thus far! Please con-

tinue to make reading a habit at home. “Few children learn to love books by themselves. Someone has to lure them

into the wonderful world of the written word: someone has to show them the way.” –Orville Prescott-

Thanks so much for making time to practice math facts with your child so that his speed and accuracy can in-

crease. Continue to work on counting money at home as well. Finally try to have your child journal at home. Jour-

naling is a regular part of the curriculum here at Devon. There is no more useful tool for the budding writer than

a journal. Journals train the eye. Journals develop writing skills. Journal store ideas which may be small, but

they’re seeds for blossoming some awesome stories! Try it and you will soon see that your child will be asking for

time to record in her journal. Moreover thank you so much for being supportive.

Second Grade ~ Our suitcases are packed and second grade is traveling back into time! We are

learning about the life and adventures of the Vikings. Who knows, maybe we’ll learn how to print our

name in “Runes” (that is the Viking’s style of writing). Then we’re off to spend some time learning

about Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. Our little scientists are still digging through our unit on

soils. They have examined the components found in soil. This unit will help them discover which soil

will be best to grow plants. They may even get to eat a little “dirt” for an extra dessert. Earlier this

month second grade celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday and traveled to Whoville. They read about some

creative characters and their adventures. Please continue to read Dr. Seuss’ books at night. They

are great for fluency and rhyme. Oh, the places you’ll go!!!! In Language Arts, the children celebrated

Black History month by reading biographies of famous African Americans. Some children wrote biog-

raphies on their own classmates. Letter writing was taught and the children got to write letters to a

special person. So, you can see second grade is in full bloom just like spring.

Kindergartners at Devon recently completed a study of the post office. Each child wrote a letter to a

grandparent or special family friend and we have been eagerly waiting for the mailman to bring their

replies to us here at school! We have received many letters and have enjoyed plotting where they came

from on the map as well as looking at postmarks and stamps. What fun!!!! In mid-March, we enjoyed a

unit on pets. We read fiction and non-fiction books to learn about the most common pets (dogs, cats,

parakeets, fish, and hamsters) and enjoyed many fun and interesting educational follow-up activities

during our study. We have begun preparations for our 8th annual Earth Day event that will take place on

April 14th. (Our Earth Day celebration will be held before the actual Earth Day date due to a later

spring break this year.) Parent volunteers will help run five stations through which children will rotate

to learn more about taking care of the Earth. We are looking forward to this exciting event! The stu-

dents have also been enjoying spending time with their 4th grade buddies. We are all ready for warmer

weather!!

...continued

Page 5 The Devon Dispatch

Devon Dis-Devon Dis-Devon Dis-Devon Dis-patch patch patch patch

Publication Schedule

Deadline Publication

04/01/11 04/08/11

04/15/11 04/29/11

Devon Elementary PTO Board 2010/2011

President Audrey Kese

Vice President Tricia Jennings

Recording Secretary Tracey Sloan

Treasurer Cathy Rains

Asst Treasurer Cindy Krapels

2nd Vice Presidents:

~Cultural Arts Linda Murray/Lorann Wood ~Fundraising Amy Susanin/Cecilia Cooleen ~Social Functions Coleen Hillman/Tricia Petrane ~Issues, Affairs and Programs Stephanie Thibault ~School Services Lori Piccone

Member at Large Kelly Lee

Fourth Grade ~ It’s PAL time in fourth grade. Fourth graders are building their research and self-directed learning skills

during our Personal Achievement in Learning (PAL) project. This project, begun in school in mid-February, began with goal set-

ting and research activities. Since then, students have been given time in the library, in the classroom, and at home to find

information about their topics of interest. We have also been encouraging goal revision and organization. Students should be

working on their presentation plans and writing their source lists so that they are ready to present beginning April 7th. The

schedule for presentations will be developed in individual core classrooms. We are very excited for the children to show what

they have learned about their self-selected topics. Reading and math PSSA testing has ended; science PSSA testing will occur

during the week of April 4th. In science, we have begun our ecosystems unit. Students are making their own terrariums and

aquariums. We will be adding live plants and animals to study interrelationships. In a separate area, students will be growing

grass and testing the effects of various pollutants. We are wrapping up our study of the Revolutionary War era in social stud-

ies with a study of the Constitution and then we will begin our Pioneer unit. Earlier this month, we visited T/E Middle School

to enjoy “Seussical” as a celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday and to catch a glimpse of T/E. We are excited that spring is fi-

nally here. Please encourage your child to continue to study math facts (even if only 5-10 minutes a day) and to read daily. As

always, thank you for your support of our fourth grade program.

Third Grade ~ Congratulations to the 3rd graders on a job well done with Reading Bingo. It was wonderful to see so many avid

readers fill up their Bingo sheets. To celebrate the success of Reading Bingo, we had a terrific afternoon filled with eating

pizza, playing Bingo, and winning prizes. We encourage all students to keep reading. The weeks of March 14th & 21st the 3rd

graders took the P.S.S.A. test. Thank you to our wonderful PTO, for making sure that all students had a water bottle, candy

and snacks to keep them refreshed during testing. Thank you parents for your support at home during test week. In math,

students are beginning to work on division. Please continue to study basic multiplication facts to make division easier. Our 3rd

grade scientists are continuing to study land and water. Students have been conducting many hands-on experiments using ma-

terials such as water, soil and rocks. Students may not want to wear their best clothes on science days. We certainly have a lot

of future scientists! In Social Studies, we continue our tour of Pennsylvania. Students are having a good time learning the his-

tory and geography of our terrific state. We are looking forward to the rest of our journey. Pennsylvania projects have been

assigned. Projects are due any time between April 125h and June 10th. Students may bring their projects to school as soon as

they are ready. We enjoyed meeting with many parents during conferences. Once again we are proud of each and every stu-

dent as they continue to think critically and achieve success. We really appreciate all of your continued support at school and

at home.

Page 6 The Devon Dispatch

REMINDER

Call Attendance Line When Child is

Absent

Please remember to call the attendance line at 610-240-1465 when your child is out sick. This will save our office staff from making phone calls to you. Thank you.

Remember to visit the

T/E Bulletin Board at

www.tesd.net

For the latest news, events and announce-

ments in our community. Its updated fre-

quently so check back often.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

The Teacher Appreciation Lunches were a great success and we would like to thank the many Devon Families who participated with cooking, baking, shopping, set up, serving and clean up. They include Sarah Keyes, Stephanie Thibault, Preeti Dikshit, Tricia Jennings, Nadine Kay-lor, Gowri Bandi, Allison Hayden, Kelly Graver, Roberta Blazejewski, Claire Kennedy, Chrissy Bennett, Melissa Shaner, Catherina Chiang, Kim Brightman, Stephanie Baumgardner, Brinda Raja, Saguna Tadi-party, Jennifer Collin, Stephanie Warlick, Kim Rycyzyn, Sireesha Garik-pati, Jill Graser, Tricia Petrane, Tina Verrelli, Lara Penny, Liz Ward, Laura Hutton, Jacquelyn Henry, Kim Rayer, Suzanne Kinkel, Marianne Boyle, Ashley Smith, Mary Ruth Thompson, Lauren Baran, Beth Breault, Cindy Roach, Lindsey Wisch, Kate Campbell, Dori DiMassimo, Kathy Meaney, Chris Kovan, Nicole Bennyhoff, Jennifer Markle, Beth Ot-tensman, Cecelia Cooleen,Tracy King, Susan Stuber, Rebecca Emory, Gretchen Rantanen, Barbara Sredenschek, Debbie Chiarello, Amy

Hewitt, Erin Preston, Karen Rosan and Maryellen Moran.

We look forward to providing lunch for the teachers again!

Suzanne Emerson and Kelly Walker

THE CHILDREN’S DENTAL CLINIC

THANKS YOU

A big thank you to our Devon community for participating in this year's Yankee Candle Fundraiser. Devon Elemen-tary raised over $2300 through the purchase of candles and donations and this will directly benefit the Children's Dental Clinic and those children who visit the Clinic. Thanks to all who participated.

A special thank you to the young ladies from Girl Scout Troop #4538. Ally L, Anna P, Elizabeth E, Georgia S, Olivia T, Ava T, Terri W, Brenna K, Lily Z, Bella K. These girls kindly set aside an afternoon to help assemble the Yankee Candle sales packets for distribution to the many classrooms at Devon. With over 400 packets to assemble, the girls worked very hard and were simply a delight to work with. Thank you girls and Troop leaders Mrs Thompson and Mrs. Kese. You have provided a wonderful service to the school, the Dental Clinic and the community. Good Job, you should all be very proud.

Trish Connell

Devon Elementary, Dental Clinic Representative

Page 7 The Devon Dispatch

The DEVON DISPATCH Page 8

Tips for Parents: Talking to Kids About

Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

On March 11, a magnitude-8.9 earthquake shook Japan, followed by a devastating tsunami that slammed into the northeastern part of

the country. As news of the quake tsunami fills the media and death tolls continue to rise, parents are left wondering how to explain

the tragedy to children.

Age-appropriate conversation for kids ages five to 10

Dr. Jeffrey Dolgan, senior psychologist in behavioral health at The Children's Hospital, says it's important to tailor your communica-

tion to younger children by using the following tips:

Explain the natural disasters For elementary school-age children (ages five to 10), parents should start with the basics by explaining the two natural disasters that

struck Japan. Dr. Dolgan suggests renting a book from the library or going online to a kid-friendly, educational website to learn about

earthquakes and tsunamis.

Connect cause to effect Dolgan predicts that after reading about earthquakes your child might just say, "So what? Who cares if the earth shakes a little bit?" Kids

this age have a hard time connecting cause and effect. So, the next step is to explain the results of a quake and tsunami, such as what

can happen to people when buildings and houses collapse, or when a massive wall of water sweeps away homes, cars and ships.

Personalize the information Once your child grasps the big picture, parents need to personalize the information by explaining how the quake and tsunami affected

people's lives. Dolgan suggests saying something like, "When the earthquake and tsunami happened, homes, schools and buildings fell

down and were washed away. Lots of people died -- including people's moms, dads, brothers and sisters." School-age kids will personal-

ize this information and relate it to their own life.

Provide reassurance Now that your child grasps the basics, your role is to provide reassurance that he is safe and does not have to worry about an earth-

quake or tsunami occurring at home (Colorado has only one major fault line, so there is little danger of major earthquakes; also,

we're located in the middle of the country and not close to a large body of water). Explain that we have safe buildings, our country is

well-prepared in case of emergencies, and talk about the availability of fresh water and food.

Also remind your child that mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. love him and are here to keep him safe. If your child expresses concern

about the kids in Japan, explain that there are nice adults who have gathered from all over the world to help. Learn how to help your

child overcome fears of natural disasters.

Be honest without saying too much "It's easy to get carried away and say more than a school-age child needs to know," Dolgan said. "Parents should be open to questions without providing too much information that could become scary or overwhelming." Dolgan also recommends that adults avoid watch-

ing news coverage or surfing the Internet with potentially graphic images while children are present. "Wait until after bedtime to turn

on CNN," he said. Learn how to talk to your child about the news.

….continued

Discussion, preparation and life lessons for tweens and teenagers

For older children like tweens (ages nine to 12) and teenagers (ages 13 to 19), parents can take a more intellectual approach because

children this age already understand the impact of the earthquake and tsunami; they've likely discussed the tragedy at school and with

their peers. Dolgan says that what kids this age really want to know is "why."

"I like to reference 'the psychology of randomness,'" Dolgan said. "Basically, random events happen that we cannot predict or control,

and bad things sometimes happen to good people. Unfortunately, this is one instance where a parent simply doesn't have all the an-

swers, and it's okay to admit that."

The important job for parents of tween and teens is to provide reassurance and alleviate fear by reminding children how smart and

well-prepared they are. "I tell kids of this age group to fall back on lessons they've already learned from parents and teachers. And then I

remind parents that with such tragedy comes the opportunity for teachable lessons - like empathy, generosity and humanity."

Tips for the whole family

• Donate money: Ask each member of the family to contribute money (kids can use part of their allowance) to make a family

donation to a charitable organization.

• Raise money: Encourage kids to start a fundraising project of their own. They could shovel snow, have a bake sale, or even collect

cans from around the neighborhood and sell them at a local recycling center - and then donate the proceeds to Japan. Or, ask eve-

ryone is your child's class to bring a bag lunch for one day, and donate that day's lunch money to a Japanese aid organization.

• Have fun: Think of some fun ideas to get family and friends involved. Invite friends over for a Wii tournament or a board game

night, and charge each person $5 to play. The winner of the tournament gets $20, and the rest goes to Japan.

• Be prepared: If you live in a weather zone where tornadoes, hurricanes, or other volatile conditions occur, be prepared. Children's

Hospital's Dr. Ayelet Talmi, associate director of child development and infant health, suggests developing a bad-weather plan as a

family so your child has some control over the situation. Read an interview with Dr. Talmi in Parents magazine about the top 10

toddler fears.

ISC Meeting Update

Contributed by Ronya Hopkins

Applied Technology is a program that was started in the TE school district in 1992. The purpose of the program was

to teach students computer skills that they could then use in the classroom. The TE administration has investigated whether this is a program that should continue as a special or be assimilated into the classroom. After investigating, the

administration has proposed to the school board to no longer have applied technology as a special in the elementary

schools, but to assimilate it into the core classroom and library. If this proposal is accepted, it would start next school year.

If this proposal passes, below is the specials rotation for the 2011-2012 school year.

Kindergarten: PE, Art, Music, Library (2x) First: PE (2x), Art, Music (2x), Library

Second: PE (2x), Art (2x), Music, Library

Third: PE (2x), Art, Music, Library (2x) Fourth: PE (2x), Art, Music, Library (2x)

Next year all Elementary Schools will be starting five minutes earlier, at 8:45 and ending at the same

time 3:20.

Also next year there will be a modified 2 hour delay kindergarten schedule on Late Opening days Regular Day 2 Hour Delay Day

AM 8:45- 11:40 AM 10:45- 12:40 PM 12:35- 3:20 PM 1:25- 3:20

The DEVON DISPATCH Page 10

WOW!! $37.00

What can a Devon Elementary Student get for $37.00? You might be thinking 10 lunches in the cafeteria. But did you every think your child could be having a year full of cultural enrichment for only $37.00? What is that you ask? How could that be possible? It’s possible because we have great parents! The proceeds raised at the Friendraiser make our incredible year possible.

The Friendraiser is our only adult social at Devon Elementary. Parents come together to make this night a fun and memorable event. We have been able to raise so much money because our families come together, volunteer and do-nate. Our costs are kept low for many reasons. Every year a Devon family opens their home to us for the evening. Families donate the beverages. Our food costs are kept low because most of the food is prepared and paid for by par-ents. Parents also donate there time to solicit auction items, decorate, set up, clean up, tally bids, pass hors d’oeuvres, tend bar and work in the kitchen for the entire night! We can’t thank everyone enough for donating their time and sup-porting the Friendraiser! Without you we would not have such a wonderful evening or a wonderful Cultural Arts program - WOW!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Please mark your calendar for the Friendraiser on Saturday April 17th. You’ll have a great evening!! If you are able to donate your time, talent, or an auction item, please let us know as it’s never to late - this really is a group effort! 100% of the Cultural Arts budget is funded from the Friendraiser. We are not funded by the T/E School District (occasionally we do receive a $500 grant).

Below is a list of events for Cultural Arts 2010-2011 school year. Please feel free to check out the artists on their web-sites or check them out when they are at Devon! Thanks for your support!! Please contact Linda Murray 610.687.6917 or Lorann Wood 610.687.2312 with any questions about Cultural Arts! Please contact Elaine Klinger 610.964.0920 for any questions regarding the Friendraiser! Hope to see you on at the Friendraiser on Saturday April 9th!!

Grade Assemblies Kindergarten - Mother Goose Alphabet Rhymes www.avisitwith.net 1st Grade Franklin Institute - How to Build a Storm: The Weather Show 2nd Grade -Hou Tien Cheng Master Paper Cutter 3rd Grade - The Beeman - Honeybees and Polination www.cliffsunflower.com 4th Grade - Day in the Life of a Soldier www.chestercountyhistorical.org/schoolandyouth.php 2010-2011 School Wide Assemblies FUNance www.funanceforkids.com Visiting Author - Kate McMullan - www.katemcmullan.com 6+1 Writing Fun - http://academicentertainment.com/writingfun Step Afrika - www.stepafrika.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRecTnZ9vac Art Goes to School Dave Fry - History of music http://www.davefrymusic.com/bio.html Arts Express Week -Philly School of Circus Arts http://www.phillycircus.com/

Arts Express Week May 9-13

Cultural Arts Devon Elementary - Cul-