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Okte Elementary PTA Newsletter

December 2010 All students will achieve their highest potential academically, socially
Volume 1, Issue 4 and emotionally. Always moving forward.

President’s News
Happy Holidays to our Okte Family, Halfmoon Diner, Poncho’s and Dragon
Can you believe that we are already into Buffet! There was even a surprise visit
December? This year is flying by. As we from Santa himself. The children
say goodbye to 2010 and get ready to enjoyed “traveling” from booth to
welcome 2011, we just want to say thank booth, having their passport stamped
you to everyone who has volunteered at each destination. It was an amazing
their time to help make this first half of night!
the year so successful. Whether it was Looking ahead to 2011, we will begin
chairing a program, volunteering on a January with our After School
committee or just attending an event or a Enrichment Program. We hope you
PTA meeting, we are grateful to have your have taken advantage of the many
support. It is truly a blessing to work with diverse classes that we are offering this
a fabulous group of parents who continue year, such as dance, book club,
to show their enthusiasm and commitment cupcake decorating, Chinese language
to Okte and the PTA with their time and and culture, and many more. Plans are
talents. also underway for our 1st annual Family
December was filled with many fun and Fit Night (more information on this will
exciting PTA events. On December 3, we be forth coming). Be on the lookout
held our third movie night, watching for information about Shen Inventors,
Pinocchio and snacking on hot pretzels too. It is a wonderful opportunity for
and bottled water. We provided a your children to get creative and have
wonderful holiday luncheon to all the fun, too! Don’t forget our Monthly
Okte faculty and staff on Thursday, Movie Night. Next month we will be
December 9. They were treated to a headed to Australia with Finding Nemo.
“traditional” meal, complete with roasted We hope everyone enjoys the time
turkey, ham, steamed vegetables, off during the break to celebrate with
mashed/sweet potatoes, salad and some family and friends, recharge and
other home cooked dishes. We also prepare for the 2nd half of the school
presented each faculty and staff member year. We wish you all a safe and happy
with a CD cookbook, filled with all the holiday season!
Upcoming
wonderful recipes you submitted. On
Events Friday, December 10, we hosted our first Happy New Year,
annual “International Holiday
1/7 Disney Movie Celebration.” Many customs widely-
Night “Finding celebrated by various cultures and
Nemo” religions from around the world were
displayed at individual booths by our own Kathy Crouth and Amy Valtin
1/10 ASEP Begins
Okte families. We also were treated to
various international cuisine, like baklava, CO-Presidents, Okte PTA
1/17 No School
rice and beans, quesadillas, samosas, and
1/21 Family Fit Night sushi, most of which was generously
(snow date 1/28) donated by the following local merchants:
Sushi Thai at the Park, La Fiesta,
Lisa Mickle - Principal
1/28 Half day ~ AM
kindergarten attends
We’re on the Web!
www.shenet.org/okte
Page 2 of 4 Program News PTA Newsletter

A Call for Help


The Okte PTA is still looking for a chairperson/chairpeople for the following programs:

Moving Up Day (usually a 4th grade parent(s))

Harry Potter Book Club (5th grade parent)

For more information on these programs, please contact:

Bethany Jones (VP of Academics)


you_make_it_happen@hotmail.com

Honorary Life Membership


NYS PTA Honorary Life Memberships are given by the OKTE PTA to individuals in recognition of their
distinguished contributions to the welfare of children and youth

Purpose: to recognize individuals for their contributions to the welfare of children and youth in any or all of
the following areas” home, school, community and place of worship.
Eligibility: The award is given only to individuals-who need not be a PTA member or be well known beyond
their own area of service. Nominees may be a staff member, administrator, parent or community member
Award: T he recipient receives a Life Membership pin, congratulatory card, and an Honorary Life Member card.

To submit a nominee for consideration by the OKTE PTA Honorary Life Member Award Committee, Please print out a
nomination form from Okte PTA website, then place the completed form in a sealed envelope marked “Honorary Life
Member Committee” and put the envelope in the PTA Treasurer’s mailbox in the main office at Okte.
Due Date: January 11, 2011

Attention All Parents of Rising Shenendehowa


Kindergarteners for the 2011-2012 School Year
The Shenendehowa PTA Council Preschool Committee is hosting a Kindergarten Preparedness
Panel to be held at the Tesago Cafeteria on Wednesday January 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm. The
snow date is January 13, 2011. The panel is made up of staff members from the Shenendehowa
CSD who will discuss topics related to preparing and transitioning your child to kindergarten. If
you have any questions, please e-mail Kimberlie at preschoolpta@cliftonpark.org or for more
information visit our website at www.cliftonpark.org/preschoolpta.

Check out up to date information sent out by NYS PTA at these sites (hold down ctrl button)
December Fast Facts: http://www.nyspta.org/pdfs/publications/FastFactsDecember2010.pdf
Fast Facts Page: http://www.nyspta.org/publications/fastfacts.cfm

December Advocacy Newsletter: http://www.nyspta.org/pdfs/publications/AdvocacyNewsletterDecember2010.pdf


Advocacy Newsletters Page: http://www.nyspta.org/publications/advocacynews.cfm

December Legislative Briefs: http://www.nyspta.org/pdfs/publications/LegislativeBriefs...December2010.pdf


Legislative Briefs Page: http://www.nyspta.org/publications/legislativebriefs.cfm
Page 3 of 4 PTA Newsletter

REMINDER
**School Closing * Delayed Openings * Early
Dismissals**
Please check the following sources for information regarding school closings, delayed openings
and early dismissals:

• Local radio stations


• Local TV channels
• District website- www.shenet.org

Please have a back-up plan in place should we have an early dismissal

If there is a delayed opening for what ever reason, the doors to the school will not open before
9:55am for a 1-hour delay and 10:55am for a 2-hour delay.

Keep this reminder posted in a handy place

WINTER RECESS GUIDELINES


As part of the Okte School Health and Fitness Program, all children are expected to participate in twenty
minutes of fresh air activity every day during their outside recess. All students will go out every day
unless there is a wind-chill of 20 degrees.

All children must be properly attired for winter weather with boots, hats, gloves and warm coats
or jackets. Snow pants are required for those children who wish to play in deep snow. Children should
bring extra socks, pants and sweaters in a plastic bag in the event of wet and cold weather emergencies.

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS SHOULD CLEARLY LABEL ALL BOOTS, COATS, JACKETS and
LUNCH BOXES

Only those children who have a written medical excuse presented to the school nurse, or who have
prior approval from a teacher will be allowed to stay inside during outside lunch recess.

DISMISSAL AND ATTENDANCE NOTES

When sending a note to school with your child please


put your child’s first and last name and teacher on
the note.

Remember that our PTA dollars fund this ALL of these notes come to the office and sometimes
fantastic publication. it is very hard to tell which “John or Samantha” the
Be sure to check out the December issues note is about.
on our PTA website www.shenet.org/okte
Thank you, Linda Schiavi, Okte Office
Assistant/Attendance
Shout out of
“Thanks” for all of
our Volunteers and
Okte staff

~Special thanks to…


To all the families who
contributed a favorite recipe
to the holiday cookbook that
was given to all faculty and
staff. The faculty and staff
were thrilled to have such a
Thank you to the kitchen staff for
thoughtful and meaningful gift allowing us to use their facility to
that they will treasure for keep our food warm and dishes
years to come. clean during the holiday luncheon!
~Okte PTA

Pam Kelly for a


fabulous 1st
annual
To the custodial staff: We thank International
you for all your help in setting up Celebration
and cleaning up after each event we
put on this first half of the school
year.

Christine Cimmino
and Jackie Pfaff
for a smooth ASEP
A Big Holiday Thank you to all the parents who donated a registration.
hot or cold dish, water, ingredients for punch, rolls, candy,
a gift card to Price Chopper or their time to our annual staff
holiday luncheon. It was a fabulous feast. Everyone raved
about the food, the decorations and especially the wreath
of cupcakes - thank you Sue Gougler!
An added note of thanks goes to Trish McCarvill for
making the phone calls as well as helping to serve, along
with Kate Cielinski, Melissa Reinish, Kristin Abate, Jill
Delaney, Amy Valtin, Kathy Sirianni-Blood, Bethany
Jones, Marybeth DeCrescente and Debbie Dorn (for all Krissie Yacano for
the dishwashing). taking care of
picture retake
day.
Sledding Safety for Kids

Important safety tips to know before your kid


heads out sledding this winter
The snow is falling and your kid can't wait to go flying down a hill on a sled. It is, after all,
one of the great joys of winter--along with the hot cocoa that comes afterward. But a new
study has found that too many kids are traveling a slippery slope: More than 20,000 are
treated for sledding-related injuries each year, some of them serious. Remind your
daredevil about these safety tips before he heads out:

Make sure the hill--and the space at the bottom of it--is completely clear of trees,
fences, utility poles, and other obstacles. "The vast majority of injuries, we found, are
caused by collisions," says Lara McKenzie, Ph.D., principal investigator at the Center for
Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in Columbus, OH, who led
the sledding study. In fact, she adds, fractures were twice as likely to result from banging
into something than from falling off the sled.

Consider a helmet. The head was the most common area of the body to get hurt--
accounting for 34 percent of all sledding injuries. A helmet is not a must, McKenzie says,
but think about it: If your child wears one for snowboarding, biking, and skateboarding, why
not sledding, too?

Only one person per sled, please-- unless the one you're riding on was actually designed
for two. If you've got a mass of kids clinging to one sled, the odds of someone getting
thrown off, bumped, or worse go way up.

Take turns! "The more people you have jetting down the same hill at once, the greater
the chance of colliding with one of them--and that can be just as harmful as running into a
tree," says McKenzie.

Get out of the way. Make sure your child knows that once his run is done, he should
quickly move to the side, out of the other sledders' way. Ideally, there will be one side of
the hill for sledding down and another side for trudging back up.

Don't rev up the experience. "It was pretty surprising how many kids were out on sleds
being pulled by a snowmobile or ATV," says McKenzie. "And that scenario accounted for a
lot of cases in the emergency room." It may sound fun, she adds, "but it's not something
you want to do."
REPRINTED FROM: Parenting.com

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