Important June Dates (see calendar for complete listing of events)

To read the June 2007 Tecler Newsletter, click here.

From the Principal

Dear Tecler Parent/ Guardian:

I cannot believe that this year is almost over! Our children have grown in so many ways. We have seen many accomplishments over the year. Many children have improved in reading, writing, speaking, math, social studies and science. Others have grown in art, music and physical education. These will be celebrated in our upcoming Awards Assemblies. Some celebrations have already taken place for our fifth graders. We have had several student winners in such contests as Creative Communications, and Ima-Sreen-Nation. Way to go, fifth graders! Throughout the year, the younger children have also helped us celebrate Harvest Festival, Friendship Day, and Earth Day. Everyone is, of course, getting ready to celebrate Flag Day. This year has been filled with great times and much learning.

I would like to extend a special thanks to our PTO members. With the help of PTO, we have had Family Fun Night, Ice Cream Social, Books Fairs, Field Days and two sessions for student photographs. Each event took several volunteers to make them successful. To all who assisted—Thanks! These events helped students and parents see how learning reading, math and science can be fun. Thanks for the extra time and effort! We have accomplished much with parents and teachers working together in and outside of the classroom.

I truly hope that everyone has a wonderful summer. Please remember to take time to do the special family things that make memories for years to come. Have a great time and I will see most of you in the Fall.

Best Wishes,

Ms. Terry Dewey

Flag Day

We will have our annual All-School Flag Day Program at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 14. The program will be held in the gymnasium. The event will include a presentation of songs and essays by the students, a gun salute, musical selections, and a color guard. Everyone is invited to attend...bring a veteran.

Earth Day Cleanup

The Earth Day Clean-Up at Tesiero Drive, behind Price Chipper was a great success this year. Thank you to Ms. Farrington and Ms. Ogborn for their help getting the work out to the students and Mrs. Scarefile for helping organize the food and getting the town involved. We have twenty-nine participants from three schools that worked very hard and enjoyed a great snack provided by Price Chopper and Walmart. This year, we were able to clean up twice as far as the previous years. Next year, we hope to clean the entire road from Route 30 to Miami Ave.

Dress Code Reminder

Please be sure your child comes to school appropriately dressed. This is an air-conditioned building. Therefore, the following items of clothing are NOT appropriate for school:

• Cut-Off Tee Shirts Meshed Tops

• Tank Tops (NO Spaghetti Straps) Flip-Flops

• Midriff Tops Short Shorts

• Short Skirts

If you have any questions, please call Ms. Dewey about the proper dress for school.

Reminders:

• If your child needs to be picked up by another person, please write a note or call the office with the change. Unless the school is notified, your child(ren) will go home the usual way.

• Tardiness is becoming a big concern. The tardy bell rings at 8:50 am. Please try to get your child(ren) here on time.

• Please practice safe procedures while picking up your child(ren) at the back parking lot. Remember there are young children walking, and in the warmer weather, children are playing on the grass with items such as baseballs, basketballs, etc. Also, please watch your speed on the road that leads to the back parking lot; there are young children walking home in that area.

• The back doors of the building are locked everyday at 8:45 a.m. Please drop off your child(ren) before that time. If you are running late, please use the front doors.

• The back doors are also locked everyday at 3:25 p.m. Please pick up your child(ren) before that time. After 3:25, students will need to be picked up in the front.

• Children are NOT to come to school before 8:15 a.m. Please do not drop off your child(ren) before that time. There is no adult supervision until 8:15 am. Thank you.

The importance of parent involvement

We hear it all the time - parents are their children's first and most important teachers. That role seems more clear cut when the children are very young and need help with just about everything - from practicing how to tie their shoes to looking both ways before crossing a street. But once a child enters school, other adults assume the teacher role, leaving many parents wondering what they can do to support and encourage learning...in school and out. (full story)

Putting an end to bullying: It starts in the elementary years

Getting picked on used to be considered an unpleasant but largely unavoidable rite of passage for some children. Today, educators and counselors know that victims of bullying often carry the emotional scars well into their adult lives. (full story)

Author Visit

The students in Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade were very fortunate to have a visit from an author. Karen Magnuson Beil came and discussed how an author gets ideas, rewrites and works with publishers and illustrators. She told the students that to be a good writer you must be a good reader. She also said, "If you haven't found that special story that you love yet, keep reading. It is out there waiting for you to read it." During the presentation she asked the teachers to help act out a reader's theater of her latest book "Moove Over"!

Good Attendance Sets Tecler Students on Path to School Success and More

Today’s elementary school is a busy — and complex — place. Students are asked to work hard and to show, both with paper and pencil and with high-tech tools, that they are learning the lessons they’ll need to move ahead in school and out into the world of work. And although today’s kids seem born with the ability to quickly master technology, they still need direct instruction and lots and lots of practice so they can proficiently read, write and compute in a wide-range of academic areas. That’s why all students need to be at school, every day, on time and ready to learn. (full story)

Morning Arrival Procedures

Thank you to all of you who are following the traffic pattern. You are helping to insure the safety of parents, faculty, and students by doing so. For some who may be unsure of the traffic pattern, here is a list of reminders:

• From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
  Please enter by way of Northern Blvd. DO NOT enter by way of Shuttleworth Park.

• Please do not block bus access. They are on a tight schedule and need to safely come and go from Tecler.

• Please stay to the left of the bus barricade.

• Please never pass a school bus with flashing lights and stop sign out.

• Please DO NOT leave your car engine running, especially with a child in the car, while you run into school.

• DO NOT park in HANDICAPPED parking area unless you have an authorized tag or license plate. (These are the first 4 parking spots, closest to the front door).

• Please use the back parking lot located off of Shuttleworth Avenue. There is plenty of parking available. Doors are unlocked 15 minutes prior to student dismissal.

Student Dismissal

In an effort to keep student dismissal organized, please make sure that you are waiting in the cafeteria when picking up your child. The added noise in the hallway makes it extremely difficult for teachers and staff to hear the buses and walkers being called. Also, due to fire hazards, the hallways needs to be clear in case of an emergency. Thank you for your support.
 

School Closings & Delays

In addition to being listed on the district website (http://gasd.neric.org/emergencyclosings.htm), you may find school closings on the following television and radio stations :

TV

• Channels 6, 10, & 13

Radio

• WCSS 1490 WGY 810

• WBUG 1570 WIZR 930

• WROW 590 WTRY 98.3

• WFLY 92.3 WENT 1340

• WYJB 95.5 WRGB 87.7

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Early Release of Students:

If you wish to have your child(ren) excused from school before the regular dismissal time, please write a note to the teacher. Dismissal of children from school earlier than usual is disruptive to the students and the regular classroom routine. This procedure will be discouraged.

If students need to leave school during the school hours, parents must pick them up and sign them out in the main office.

If you expect there may be times when you would want an adult, other than a parent or guardian to pick up your child at school, you should fill out the WHITE DESIGNATION RELEASE CARD giving authorization to the building principal.

Attendance:

If a student is ill or must be absent from school, the parents are to call the school BEFORE 9 a.m. The phone number is 843-4805. TARDINESS IS NOT ACCEPTED. A student is considered tardy if he/she is not in his/her seat when the bell rings at 8:50 a.m. TARDY PROCEDURE: In the event of 3 tardies in a month, parents will be notified and your child may be held after school for 30 minutes. For each additional tardy during the month, your child will aeain stay after school 30 minutes.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy (OT) within the school system looks at fine and visual motor skills (i.e. cutting. coloring, pencil grasp, and handwriting abilities) as well as Activities of Daily Living.

It is suggested that all children entering kindergarten have a complete visual exam by the start of kindergarten or within the first year of school. When practicing their names, kindergarten students should begin with uppercase letters for the first letter of their first and last names and follow with lowercase letters only. A consistent hand dominance should also be encouraged, as well as a good hand grasp on a pencil. A proper pencil grasp is tripod grasp (three fingers pinch at the bottom of the pencil/crayon).

Suggested activities to improve a proper grasp/pinch and pre-writing skills are:
- Pinch clay or Play-doh
- Roll Play-doh and make shapes and letters
- String beads onto a pipe cleaner or shoelace
- Pinch bubbles from packaging using index fingers and thumb
- Pick up dry popcorn, beans, etc. using tweezer-like tongs for games.

Wishing all a great school year and stay tuned for continued therapy sessions!

Physical Therapy

In physical therapy, we work on activities to improve your child’s strength, coordination and balance to aide in their ability to function in the school environment.

If your child receives physical therapy, his/her sessions will either be individual or in a small group (depending on recommendations on current IEP) and each session will be geared toward his/her abilities and needs.

Please have your child dressed appropriately for PT sessions. They should be dressed as they would for a physical education class.

If you should have any questions throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact us at Tecler Elementary School or by sending a note in with your child.

Adrienne Gorham, PT, MS
Lori Harlan, PTA
Diane Thompson, PTA

Moving

If you plan to move, we would appreciate it if you would call the office. Notifying the school increases our ability to transfer records within a reasonable period of time.

Building Security

All who enter the front doors at Tecler School will need to sign in at the office. EVERYONE who volunteers to assist teachers and students will need to get a VISITOR PASS and use the SIGN-IN BOOK. Your cooperation is always appreciated.

Tecler Compact Committee

The Tecler Compact Team from last year discussed many important topics. We will be focusing on Parent Partnership and Enrichment Programs this year. If you are interested in being a member, please contact Terry at 843-4805.

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Celebrating reading at Amsterdam’s Tecler Elementary

Assemblyman Paul Tonko speaks with Tecler principal Terrie Dewey after he read "My Visit to the Aquarium" to Mrs. Brinker's class.

The doors of Tecler Elementary swung busily throughout the morning on Tuesday, Nov. 9 as Celebrity Readers joined regular staff to celebrate National Young Readers Day. 

Celebrity Readers including Assemblyman Paul Tonko, school administrators, former school employees and students, family members and Channel 9 newscaster Danielle Straus spent a half-hour reading age-appropriate books to individual classrooms. (full story)