Parent/Teacher

Conferences

2

Family Vacations 2

Picture Re-Take Day 2

ESL News 2

Student Dress 2

From the Centennial

Education

3

Attendance 3

Boxtop Contest 3

Giant Donations 3

Character Counts 4

Book Fair 4

November Calendar 5

Counselors’ Corner 6

ABC of Parenting 7

American Education

Week

7

From the Reading

Specialists

8

Digital View 9

Home and School 10

From the Wellness

Committee

11

From the Nurse 11

Inside this issue:

November 2012

As is typical for this time of year, the concept of giving thanks is

prevalent. Radio announcements speak to philanthropic events

throughout our region and country. Television commercials

celebrate families and the Thanksgiving holiday. Here at Willow

Dale, we will be focusing our “wellness facts” on ways to be

thankful each and every day. As a demonstration of good

character, we at Willow Dale strive to create a community in which

everyone feels important and unique. Our students do great things

every day, and we want to celebrate them and those who help. At

home, I encourage you to continue to work with your child(ren) on

proper manners, making “please” and “thank you” a normal part

of one’s vocabulary. Also, it is important to demonstrate our

pillars of character at all times, we want our students know,

Character counts, everywhere, all the time!

This month of thanks, I would like to take a moment to thank each

and every one of you for the support you provide to the teachers,

staff, students and administration here at Willow Dale. The

successful teaching of a child is a team effort and we definitely

could not do it alone. Thank you for your continued support and

partnership as we prepare our students of today for tomorrow’s

challenges.

With thanks and appreciation,

Mr. Michael W. Donnelly

Principal

Page 2 November 2012

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences are

scheduled for Tuesday, November

20 (12:30 – 4:00 PM and 6:00 – 8:00

PM) and Wednesday, November 21

(8:15 AM – 12 PM). Many families

signed-up during Back-to-School

Night. Teachers will be

communicating with families to

verify times and to schedule any

remaining conferences that are

necessary. Kindergarten teachers

will communicate with their

students’ families regarding those

conferences, as well. ■

ESL News Visitors

In order to ensure the safety of

our students, faculty and staff,

all visitors to Willow Dale must

report to the main office,

entering through the front doors

of the school. There, our visitors

sign in and retrieve a Willow

Dale sticker, which is used to

identify the grown-up as

someone that has, in fact, been to

the office. We are looking

forward to the implementation of

our Volunteer Academy, as well,

and we thank all of the grown-

ups in our community for

helping to make Willow Dale the

friendly place it is!■

Student Dress

Family Vacations As per District

policy, requests

for family trips/

vacations are

due to the

Principal’s office at least two

weeks prior to the date of the

absence for the trip. Vacation

forms can be picked up in the

main office or printed from the

Willow Dale website.■

Picture Re-take Day is scheduled for

Friday, November 16. Class photos

are a composite, so be sure your child

has his/her picture taken if there was

an absence on the original picture

day. All students will receive a free

copy of their class composite.■

Picture Re-take Day

Our ESL community continues to

grow here at Willow Dale. This

year we have 63 students in

grades K-5. As part of a new

district initiative, the ESL

Kindergarten students are staying

in the afternoon to receive extra

English instruction. This new ESL

Kindergarten program is up and

running and being delivered by

Mrs. Lauren Cook.

During September, Mrs. Cook and

her Kindergarten ESL students

were busy learning all about the

school environment. In October,

they had great fun learning Eng-

lish words about fall, harvesting,

and apples. Willow Dale School

welcomes Mrs. Cook to our ESL

department! ■

As the daylight becomes less

and the temperatures become

cooler, it is important to

remember to dress according to

the weather. We will continue

to have outdoor recess for as

long as we can, as it is

important to take a healthy

break each day. To that end, it

is essential that students are

coming to school prepared for

the various weather conditions

we will experience. Also, please

remember that our students

should feel comfortable at

school, but are not permitted to

wear hats during the day and

make-up, if any at all, should be

limited■

Page 3 November 2012

Box Tops Contests

From the Centennial Education Foundation

If you are looking for a night filled with food, fun and

games of chance and you would like to help out the

foundation, then we have the answer for you. “Casino

Night” will take place on Friday, April 5th at Ann’s

Choice from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM. Tickets can be

purchased at the door!

Cash in on beef and beverage and $50 in casino chips

while supporting the CEF. Get schooled at the black

jack and poker tables, slots, roulette and craps. The

dealers will educate you on how to play any game.

Winnings will be redeemed for raffle tickets to be

entered in prize drawings. Cash bar will be available.

The ticket price is $35 a person or, for a special

discount, two tickets for $60! We recommend purchas-

ing your tickets in advance. If you are interested in

joining us for a fun evening, please contact the office

of the Centennial Education Foundation at 215-441-

6000 ext. 11008. ■

Thanks to everyone for their hard work collecting Boxtops

& Campbell's Labels. We collected 20,832 from our Fall

Contest! Mr. D'Andrea's class won with a total of 1760 and

the boys and girls of this fifth grade class were treated to a

pretzel party!

We would also like to say “Great Job” to Mrs. Kohler’s &

Mr. McKenna’s classes for also submitting over 1000 labels.

Please continue to clip & save for our spring contest. ONLY

those sent in the WEEK of the contest will be counted

towards a winning classroom. Home and School greatly

appreciates your support!■

Attendance

While coming to

school each and every

day is important, it is

equally as important

to monitor our

children’s health. If a

child is sick, please keep him/her

home. Our teachers will work with

students who have fallen ill to make

sure they do not fall behind in the

classroom. When a child is absent, you

must send in a written excuse note.

This note must be given to the

homeroom teacher within three days of

return from the absence. Students

who do not turn in notes within this

period of time, per policy, will receive

an unexcused absence on his/her

record. Let’s work together to ensure

our students are healthy and safe, and

accountable.■

Giant Donations

Don’t forget to register your GIANT

grocery store card! Thank you to all

those who have already registered

cards! You can either enter your store

card number online, or you can return

the sheet, filled out, to school and we

will enter your number for you. With

as many cards registered as possible,

Willow Dale will receive a percentage

of total sales via a donation check next

summer! Let’s see how much money

we can raise to support our programs

and services. In

advance, all of us here

at Willow Dale give to

you a GIANT thank

you!■

Page 4 November 2012

Character Counts

As part of our Character Education

Program here at Willow Dale, we

celebrate the pillars of character each

and every day. Students, teachers and

staff are invited and encouraged to

complete CATS coupons to honor

others for their being of good character.

CATS stands for: Character,

Achievement, Teamwork and Service.

Each Friday morning, on the

announcements, a handful of names

are read aloud, and these students

receive a small prize from our

Counselors. While all of our students

and staff at Willow Dale know that

character counts, everywhere, all the

time, the following students and staff

were selected in October:

Ms. Ricci, Mrs. Crowell, and

Mrs. Runion

Book Fair

Dear Willow Dale Families,

Willow Dale Elementary School is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair that will be held from November

12-19, in the library. Parents are welcome all week long from 9:00-3:00, and at our special family

shopping night on Thursday, November 15, from 4:30-7:00 PM. You are welcome to bring your

children that evening, or you might want to come alone to purchase some surprises!

Students will visit the book fair during their regularly scheduled library classes. We will be sending

home more information with your children as the book fair approaches. Please send in an envelope

with cash or a check (payable to “Willow Dale Home and School”) for the amount of the purchase.

Please note the state of Pennsylvania requires that we charge sales tax, so you will need to calculate

6% sales tax. We will also accept credit cards during the parent evening this year.

Please consider purchasing books through the Scholastic Book Fair for your children. Proceeds from

the book fair provide funding for the reading, library, and author/illustrator visitation

programs. Thank you for your support!

Questions? Please contact me us telephone (215) 441-6093 ext. 17056, or email

browjo@centennialsd.org or zuckla@centennialsd.org.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Joanne Brown and Mrs. Lauren Zucker Library Media Specialists

Karina Aguado

Andrea Alarcon

Isaiah Anderson

Tyler Baez

Austin Belisairo

Michaela Browning

Kathleen Costar

Nickolas Dejesus

Macy Elliot

Thomas Fecca

Dominic Garzoni

Liam Gibson

Chase Gillman

Zachary Goldman

Thomas Hartenstein

Alexander Hartingh

Shawn Hauser

Yovanni Herrera

Emily Hildenbrand

Madeline Hoffman

David Hueber

Meah Jones

Brent Kehoe

Aiden Larsen

Victoria Lobis

Nathan Mahoney

Hailey Malinowski

Jessica Muladze

Taylor Patterson

Emma Petita

Bryana Rajkumar

Coral Reichard

Steven Rifkin

Lisa Roth

Dahmir Salters

Elisa Steinhardt

John Taylor

Jayde Thorpe

Steven Tracy

Kylie Weist

Shannon Williams

Kaylee Wood

Casey Yacovelli

Page 5 November 2012

November 2012 Calendar

Page 6 November 2012

Counselors’ Corner

Page 7 November 2012

ABC’s of Parenting Ask your child about the school day.

Begin your child’s day with a nourishing breakfast.

Congratulate your child for doing well.

Discuss homework with your child.

Encourage your child to read.

Find a quiet place for your child to study.

Give your child responsibility.

Hug your child to build self worth.

Include your child in making simple family decisions.

Join a library with your child.

Keep your child on a schedule that includes exercise and sleep.

Limit TV viewing by selecting programs with your child.

Make the time you spend with your child special.

Notice and discuss changes in your child’s behavior.

Offer to help your child with good role models.

Provide your child with good role models.

Question the activities your child shares with friends.

Respect your child’s right to have opinions different than yours.

Share an interest or a hobby with your child.

Take time to listen to your child.

Urge your child to get involved with positive social activities.

Visit places of interest with your child.

Work with your child to set up rules of behavior.

Xerox and save records or articles that benefit your child.

Yield results by encouraging your child to do better and be the best s/he can be!

Zoom through these ABCs again and again!

~Author Unknown

American Education Week The theme for this year’s

American Education Week is

"Great Public Schools: A Basic

Right and Our Responsibility".

We’re looking forward to seeing

grandparents, parents, and

friends during the week of

November 12 – 16, 2012. Each

grade level will celebrate on its

own day that week. A specific

invitation will be sent home

regarding the days and times for

each day that week when you will

be invited to see classroom lessons

and watch as your child

participates in different activities.

Feel free to look around the

classrooms to see the student work

on display, the classroom

computers, learning centers, and

the many opportunities that

children have to read and find out

about science, social studies, and

other areas of interest.■

Page 8 November 2012

From the Reading Specialists

Page 9 November 2012

Digital View

Page 10 November 2012

Home and School

Page 11 November 2012

From the Wellness Committee

This year the wellness committee will be working hard on several events that will help lead our PUMA

families down the path to healthy lifestyle. Be on the lookout for several events focusing on the 6 major

nutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates, Fat, Minerals, Vitamins and Water) that our body needs to function

properly. In the spring we will be hosting a Willow Dale’s Healthy Families Day-Health Fair.■

From the Nurse

Our school nurses, Ms. Curtin and Mrs. White,

are always available to discuss any questions

you may have regarding our students’ health

and wellness. If your child is in need of medi-

cine, over-the-counter or prescribed, it can only

be given to the student by the school nurse. The

medicine must be in its original packaging and

should be delivered to the health suite at the

beginning of the school day.■

Centennial School District

Willow Dale

Elementary School

720 Norristown Road

Warminster, PA 18974

Phone: 215-441-6093

Mr. Michael Donnelly

Principal

Mr. Miles Roe

Assistant Principal

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

Just as nutrition and exercise are

essential for optimal health and

happiness, so is sleep. While you

rest, your brain stays busy, over-

seeing a wide variety of biological

maintenance tasks that keep your

mind and body running in top

condition and prepare you for the

day ahead. Your body needs con-

siderable time to properly repair,

recharge and detoxify. Giving

your body only a couple of hours

of sleep is not enough time to get

your body ready to function at its

best.

HOW MUCH SLEEP IS ENOUGH?

While sleep requirements vary

slightly from person to person,

according to the National Sleep

Foundation, most healthy adults

need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep

per night to function at their best.

Children and teens need even

more sleep and the Foundation

suggests that school-age children

(5-10 years) need 10-11 hours of

sleep daily and tweens/teens (10-

17 years) need 8.5-9.5 hours.

According to data from the

National Health Interview

Survey, nearly 30% of adults re-

ported an average of 6 hours or

less of sleep per day. Only 31% of

high school students reported get-

ting at least 8 hours of sleep on

an average school night.

One of the biggest myths people

believe is that they can “catch

up" on lost sleep by sleeping in

on the weekend. As it turns out,

bouncing back from chronic lack

of sleep is not that easy. Getting

two solid nights of sleep is not

enough to pay off a long-term

debt. While extra sleep can give

you a temporary boost, your

performance and energy will

drop back down as the day

wears on.■