the official pta newsletter spring/summer...

The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 1

The Wildcat News THE OFFICIAL PTA NEWSLETTER

SPRING/SUMMER 2014 Washington Elementary School, 301 Washington Avenue, Union, NJ 07083

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT As we near the end of another school year, I would like to acknowledge my deepest gratitude to all of the hard-working teachers, staff, and principal at Washington Elementary School. You all do so much for our children and all of you are very much appreciated. You all continue to make such a positive impact in our children’s lives and we are forever grateful. Thank you to everyone who has supported the PTA in

one way or another, for all of your hard work, devotion and efforts in making this a very successful school year for our children. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as your PTA president for the past two years and am sad to no longer continue on this journey. However, I know you will be in very capable hands with the new PTA president, Anna DaPonte.

We have accomplished so much and the lives of our children have been enriched by these efforts. Each and every person who contributes is a very important member of the team and you are all appreciated! We can’t say this enough but, THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who donated their time, contributed to one of our fundraisers, or volunteered in any way.

The PTA team has provided educational as well as fun-filled activities throughout the year. Thanks to the support of our dedicated teachers, principal, volunteers and staff, our kids have had incredible learning experiences here at Washington, and have had a good time as well. Last, but not least, I want to extend my most sincere appreciation to my PTA Board members that have supported me throughout the year. You were all amazing and I could not have asked for a better team! Thank you for your endless hours and wonderful reinforcement that guaranteed the happiness and achievements of our children. You are appreciated more than you know.

Have a fantastic summer!!

Kristin Pello, PTA President

IN THIS ISSUE . . . FRIENDLY REMINDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS OF NOTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 SPOTLIGHT ON…GAIL SIGNORELLI. . . . . . 4 APRIL EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MAY EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 JUNE EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, OR TO

CONTRIBUTE PHOTOS, ART, STORIES, OR

MORE, PLEASE CONTACT DYANNA RAU AT

[email protected]. THANKS! SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!

mailto:[email protected]


Friendly Reminders

Upcoming Events: June 23

AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE

June 24 9:30am – Kindergarten Song Fest!

PM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE

June 25 AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE

June 26 9:15am – 4th Grade Farewell Assembly!

PM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-3, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE

June 27 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Report Cards sent home AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2014/2015 Thursday, September 4, 2014

Washington School PTA Notes:

As this year ends, we are already preparing for next year! If you have ever thought you would like to be a little more involved, please consider Chairing or Co-Chairing a Committee! We could always use your help. Getting involved is a very fulfilling experience as well as extremely inspiring to your children. Please contact Anna DaPonte at [email protected] to join or get more information on the various Committees that are available. If you also have any suggestions of events that you would like to see happen or improvements we can make on any current events, please email us at [email protected].

Summer Safety Parent Tips: The final school bell has rung, the pencils and notebooks are packed away and the kids are ready for some summer fun! Children love the hot summer months, because they provide the perfect opportunity to spend lots of time outside. Whether it’s swimming in the pool, hiking through the woods, taking long walks, or going for a bike ride, there is something for everyone, no matter how young or old. We hope that everyone enjoys this special time of year, but we want to also remind parents that there are potential dangers during the summer months, and it’s important to be aware of what they are. The more information one learns about how to prevent illnesses and injuries, the less likely they will occur.

Tick Bites Ticks are responsible for a variety of illnesses including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These diseases can be very serious. Stay in the center of paths, keeping away from overgrown areas and not sitting directly on the ground, wear protective clothing like long pants, and perform tick checks every day.

Water Safety Adult supervision is of paramount importance. Parents need to focus on their children 100% of the time. No distractions! Remember, no child or adult is “drown proof.”

Sun Protection Sunscreen is a must (on sunny and cloudy days)! Look for products with UVA and UVB protection and an SPF of at least 15. Look for shade whenever possible and wear protective clothing.

Dehydration and Heat-Related Illness Keeping well hydrated is very important. Do not wait until a child says he is thirsty before offering fluids. At this point, he is already dehydrated, so be sure to provide plenty of fluids before going outside, while out in the heat and afterwards.

mailto:[email protected]


News of Note… The New Jersey Association of School Librarians sponsored the New Jersey Enthusiastic Reader Award this spring. An elementary student, a middle school student, and a high school student from each region, were presented with this award.

Once again, a Washington School 4th Grader took top billing out of the hundreds of New Jersey public and private school students who love to read!

Congratulations to Nick DiGirolamo from Mr. Matthews’s Class!

Great job!

REMINDER: Don’t forget to cut up and collect your Box Tops even over the

summer months. Use this link to print out a sheet to organize them and

assist our volunteers to count them. You can add your child’s teacher’s

name to the sheet when you find out in September. Every Box Top counts,

and at the end of the year, the child with the most collected gets an ice

pop party for their class! Thank you, and have a wonderful summer!

- Gaby Grof-Tisza, Chairperson - BOX TOP$ Committee

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boxtops4education.com%2F-%2Fmedia%2FBoxTops%2FFlyersAndDownloads%2FAssets%2FCollectionSheets%2FBTFE_collectionsheet_50.pdf%3Fforce%3Dtrue&ei=rbWdU8G1C5PMsQSAhoLgCQ&usg=AFQjCNF4xRLiX2FfqFynFPW9Nz_HiyhGIQ&bvm=bv.68911936,d.cWc


Spotlight On… Gail Signorelli

As the 2013/14 School Year comes to an end, we say goodbye to a staple

at Washington School, Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Gail Signorelli.

Mrs. Signorelli started teaching at Washington as a Third

Grade teacher in 1980. By the mid 80’s she moved to

Kindergarten and has been there ever since. She has taught

hundreds of our neighborhood children, and has even taught

some of her old students’ children! In late 2013, Mrs. Signorelli

found out that her daughter was going to have a baby! She

took this as sign to retire so that she can care for her new

grandchild. This June, Mrs. Signorelli’s granddaughter was

born! Needless to say, she’s very excited! Don’t be surprised,

however, if you see Mrs. Signorelli around the school very soon –

not teaching, but showing her baby granddaughter off!

1980’s 1990’s 2000’s 2010’s

In her “favorite spot” June, 2014

Thank you, Mrs.

Signorelli, for

teaching and

looking after our

children for so

many years.

You will be

missed!


Gail Signorelli’s First Class - 1980

Gail Signorelli’s Last Class - 2014


Earth Day! Ms. Mason encouraged all the 3rd graders to

collect 6-pack soda rings and twist ties so they

can create a recycled volleyball net. Ms. Mason

assembled it and on Earth Day all the 3rd

graders came out to play a friendly game of

volleyball in honor of Earth Day.

Dedication to Danielle Guzman… September 2013 brought sorrow to the Guzman Family and the Washington School

Community with the untimely passing of Danielle Guzman, mother to Alejandro and

Adrian. In May, 2014, a park bench was placed by the playground in her honor.

Surrounding the bench are dedication bricks purchased by Washington School families.


Fourth Grade Gifted and Talented Business Competition!

Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Well, students in Washington

School’s Fourth Grade Gifted and Talented Program have. Over the past few months,

Fourth Grade G&T students learned the basics of the business world. They learned

about advertising, target markets, financial data, and investing.

Students worked in teams to create their own mock businesses and design business

plans that would allow their businesses to succeed. Students created their own

magazine advertisements; wrote, filmed, and edited their own commercials; created

business cards; and wrote a financial plan for investors. The final project was to put

all of their research and business ideas together into a PowerPoint slideshow that they

would present to “Investors.” These presentations took place on May 1, 2014, at the

“Washington School Business Competition”.

The business that won first place was EZ Snooz Pillow. EZ Snooz Pillow is an all

in one alarm clock/pillow. This business idea was created by Gianna Vaynberg,

Claudy Auguste, and Lawrence Langan. The group then took their business idea

to the Union Township district wide business challenge where they competed against

teams from every Union Township elementary school. The group presented their idea

to a panel of judges who voted on the winners. EZ Snooz Pillow took First Place

in the District!

Congratulations to EZ Snooz Pillow and to ALL our G&T students who participated. I

think we might have some future entrepreneurs at Washington School. Way to go G&T!


Battle of the Books!

The Third and Fourth Graders put

their brains, and reading and

recall skills to the test!

In separate

events, each

teacher divided

their class into

4-5 teams

containing

4-5 members each.

They then "battle"

between each team

using the six

required novels

for their grade.


Third Grade Music Concert

The Third and Fourth Graders picked up their instruments and showed off what they learned in Music Class! Way to go, guys! Your families couldn’t be more proud!

Fourth Grade Music Concert


School Fair!!! New bouncy rides that all ages could enjoy, Italian Ices, Popcorn and Cotton Candy – what’s not to love?! As usual, many thanks go out to all our hard-working staff and VOLUNTEERS! We love you!!


Fun Times Had By All!

Big winners on the Tricky Tray Raffle and 50/50 were Alexis Romano and Amy Phillips!

Gifts were awarded to our hardworking PTA Executive Committee and to the PTA Class

Coordinators. A special thank you gift was also given to Kristin Pello who is stepping down

after two years as President. Lastly, a special cake was presented to Mrs. Gail Signorelli who

is retiring after 34 years at Washington School.


Track and Field Day Track and Field Day in June was a great success for all our children to

get outside and MOVE! 1


The 2 Million Page Challenge Party!

Washington School Kids Exceed Goal by Reading 2,449,718 Pages! (and still counting!?)

In recognition of the hard work of our students, Washington Elementary School had its Annual

1 2,000,000 Page Challenge Celebration Tuesday, June 17, 2014. The gym teachers enjoyed the

Dunk Tank, while our kids had Italian Ices and water and DJ Julian once again provided

entertainment… but the icing on the “pie” was Mr. Hoyt getting a pie in the face by Matthew

Heaton, winner of the Market Day Pie Sale Fundraiser! Click on this link to watch the video!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=265012427016318&set=vb.131258807058348&type=2&theater

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