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Walt Disney Elementary School
200 Lakeside Drive North, Levittown, PA 19054 ~ 215.949.6868 Fay Manicke, Principal
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
Inside this issue: “Everyone can learn because everyone can try”
Parent/Teacher Conferences 2 From the Principal:
School Closed 2 ON BEHALF OF THE WALT DISNEY SCHOOL STAFF,
November/December dates I WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL OF OUR WALT DISNEY FAMILIES
A SAFE AND JOYFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!
Thanksgiving Recess 2
Picture Retake Day Building Access
Standardized Test Dates In order to provide a safe and secure learning environment at Walt Disney School, all
Parent Visitation Day 2 parents and visitors must enter the building through the front doors and directly into
the front office. The second bank of doors are electronically locked at 9:00 AM and will
remain so throughout the day. When dropping your child off at school, please drop
Watchcare/Outdoor Dress 3 them at the front entrance and allow them to enter through the security doors and pro-
ceed to the gymnasium. Should you need to go to a classroom, remember it is a must
that you sign in and wear a visitor’s badge. Thank you for helping us keep all children
Free/Reduced Lunch 3
safe.
Immunizations
Communication
Classes of the Month 4
New Students As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. Even when your child is in school, you
still teach important lessons every day. When parents and school work together, stu-
Teaching Tips for Parents 5 dents do better. Please be mindful that student success is a shared responsibility be-
tween home and school and that communication between parents and teachers is cru-
cial. I encourage you to establish open lines of communication with your child’s
Tools for School 6
teacher so that we can work together as we help our students grow and learn. Feel
free to call the school at (215) 949-6868 to discuss any concerns regarding your child’s
Website Finds 6 progress.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
PTO Happenings 7
First Marking Period conferences are scheduled for November 18, 21, and 22 for
grades 1-5. Dismissal will be at 11:50 AM and no lunches will be served. AM and PM
Student Council 8 Kindergarten will be in session on November 18. Kindergarten conferences will be No-
vember 21 and 22. There will be no kindergarten classes on either date.
Levittown Leader Article 9 The conference is the school’s way of communicating with parents. In order for your
child to achieve maximum success in daily class work, it is important for the teachers
to communicate with parents. Research has proven that the more parents are involved
Give Thanks! in and informed about their child’s educational process, the higher the level of success
in school will be.
The parent/teacher conference sets aside a time where you can ask questions, express
concerns, and seek programs that can be implemented to ensure success for your child.
The conference also provides parents the chance to share information about a child
that the teacher may be unaware of.
The short time that you spend in a conference may prove to be the most valuable time
you spend at school throughout the entire school year. By attending a parent/teacher
conference, your child will see the importance you have placed on education and how
valuable it is to obtain a good education.
Disneyword 2
Parent/Teacher Conferences (con’t)
Remember, the information you gain by attending a parent/teacher conference can
be put to excellent use in helping your child succeed in school. Take the time to meet
with your child’s teacher during conference days.
A reminder that school
Your involvement in your child’s education will prove to be time well spent. In order
to get the most out of your conference, please come prepared. Prior to the confer- will be closed on the
ence, it would be wise to ask your child how he or she feels about school. Please do following dates:
not be afraid to share with your child’s teacher specific needs which may help your November 7
child do better in class. Look over your child’s work, and bring any papers with you (Teacher Workshop)
that raise concerns. Also bring with you a list of specific questions you would like to
ask the teacher. These might include: November 8
Is my child performing at, below or above grade level in basic skills? (Teacher Workshop)
Math? Reading?
Does my child turn in homework and assignments regularly and on November 11 (Veterans’ Day)
time?
What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses? Can you show/give me November 24 & 25
examples of these? (Thanksgiving)
Does my child get along well with classmates? November 28
Does my child need special help in academic or social adjustment? (Teacher Workshop)
What help is available?
What can I do to support my child’s learning at home and school? December 26-30
(Winter Recess)
Thanksgiving Recess Picture Make-up/Retakes
The annual Thanksgiving Recess will take place in late Picture make-up/retakes will be done on
November. There will be an early dismissal on Wednes- November 10 beginning at 9:15 AM in the Lit-
day, November 23 at 11:50 AM. NO LUNCHES WILL BE tle Theatre. All PM Kindergarten parents,
SERVED. Schools will be closed on Thursday, November who wish to have their child’s picture re-
24 and Friday, November 25 for Thanksgiving Recess and taken or taken because they were absent,
November 28 for a Teacher Workshop. Classes will re- should bring their child that morning.
sume at the normal time on Tuesday, November 29.
Limit Doctor’s Appointments During School Hours;
Avoid Vacations During Test Times Parent Update of Custodial Situations
Whenever possible we ask that you schedule All too frequently, family situations arise where cus-
outside appointments before or after the tody agreements are in place for our students. The
start of the school day or on a scheduled day child’s teacher and the school office should be kept
off. We know that there is a strong correla- informed of these situations, so that we can make
tion between attendance and achievement. prudent decisions when it comes to your child’s re-
lease to individuals picking them up. If there is a
Listed below are the testing windows for the major stan-
custody agreement in place or a PFA, please make
dardized tests for the 2011-2012 school year. Some of
sure the office has a copy on file so that we can fol-
these windows are very short and your cooperation is
low it.
needed to schedule vacations at other times. Please mark
your calendar with this very important information. Most Parent Visitation Day
testing occurs at the beginning of the testing window. As a part of National Education
IOWA/CogAT, Grade 2 Week, parents are invited to visit
January 2 - February 10 our school, on, November 15 for
PSSA Reading and Math, Grades 3-5; our annual Parent Visitation
March 12-23 Day. In order to facilitate the large number of par-
PSSA Reading & Math Make-Up dates ents, we have established an open house allowing a
March 26-30
PSSA Writing, Grade 5
morning visitation from 9:30-11:30 AM for K (AM) -
April 16-20 5 and from 1:00-3:00 PM for K (PM) only. We look
PSSA Science, Grade 4 forward to seeing you then.
April 23-27
PSSA Science & Writing Make-up dates are
April 30-May 4
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Halloween Spooktacular If you know someone who uses our playgrounds and
Congratulations to the Tools for School Committee for the fields to run their dogs, tell them about the problem
superb Halloween Spooktacular held October 13th. The they can create. Ask them to think of and respect our
costumes were marvelous, the models were great, and the children.
teachers just amazing. What a fun night for all in atten-
dance. Change of Address/Phone Number
In the event that you should change your address
Student Drop-off Area or telephone number, it is very important to notify
For the safety of our students, please do not use the the school office. It is very difficult to contact parents
front driveway to drop off children. All students in the event of a school emergency closing or an injury
driven to school should be dropped off in the parking lot to your child if we lack accurate information. No in-
area behind the Little Theatre. Your cooperation keeps formation regarding your address or telephone num-
all children safe. ber is released from the school office without your per-
mission.
Watchcare
Free/Reduced Lunch
Thank you to Maureen McGovern for organizing our
Watchcare. If you have enrolled your child in the program If you have applied for free/reduced lunch for your
and he/she is going to be absent, please call (215) 949- child and he/she is not receiving it, or you need an ap-
6816. Please be prepared to leave your child’s name, the plication or have questions about the program, please
date, reason for absence and expected call Mrs. Schwartz, our school nurse, at (215) 949-
length of absence. An answering machine 6868. Breakfast is also served each morning in the
is available 24 hours a day to receive cafeteria beginning at 8:45 AM.
messages. We can always use volunteers Immunizations
for this valuable program. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has re-
quired that all students must have 2 doses of
Turkey Baskets the Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine or a his-
A huge thank you to all the contributors from the Walt tory of the disease. Please send
Disney PTO, the Cafeteria staff, Walt Disney staff mem- the nurse proof of your child’s
bers, anonymous donors, and the community for the over- Varicella 2 if you have not yet
whelming amount of food contributions to our Turkey done so.
Baskets, and turkey donations. The Walt Disney School
was able to provide many baskets to families in our school
for the Thanksgiving holiday. This is generosity at its
finest.
The next PTO meeting will be Thursday,
Outdoor Dress November 15, 2011, 6:30pm in the
Walt Disney School Library.
A reminder that as the weather becomes
cooler, please see that your child is ade-
quately dressed for outside recess play.
This is an important part of your child’s
daily routine here at school.
Got News?
Responsible Pet Ownership The deadline for the next issue
Our playgrounds and the wide expanse of our athletic
of
fields are for our children to use. Unfortunately, a num-
ber of irresponsible pet owners think these fields and the
Kindergarten playground are great places to allow their
dogs to run free and to deposit their waste products with- Is December 16th
out picking up after them. Email:
bkent@pennsbury.k12.pa.us
We can’t fault the dogs that are brought to the fields to
run but we can cite the owners for creating a health haz-
ard for our children if we know who the owners are.
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From Fifth Grade New Students
Just in time for your holidays, the 5th graders will be selling cin- We extend a warm welcome to the following
namon buns and carrot cake as a fundraiser for their class trip. new students:
Each of the items are packed individually and can be frozen. The Miryam Benyamin, 1st Grade
cost is $4 each. If you are interested in purchasing these goodies, Mrs. Schorn’s classroom
see a fifth grader. Our annual theme basket fundraiser will be Mekhi Pabon AM Kindergarten
held during the winter months. Mrs. Becker’s classroom
Onix Cintron 4th Grade
Bussing/Leaving School With a Friend
Mr. Costanzo’s classroom
Students wishing to accompany other students home after Ibn Barnes-Vaughn, 5th Grade
school must have a parental note. The student with Mrs. Lafferty’s classroom
whom a child goes home must also have a note. This is Za’Heir Barnes-Vaughn, 3rd Grade
also dependent upon space availability on a bus as well. Mrs. Munger’s classroom
Lastly, this prevents confusion at dismissal and unex-
pected company at a parent’s home.
Pick-Up Lane Reminder Mrs. Speers Kindergarten Class:
Parents who are picking up students at the end of the
We have been very busy since starting our
school day are asked not to park in the pick-up lane; school adventures in September. We have
rather, to pull into one of the designated parking spaces. learned about letters and rhymes. We have
By parking in the lane, it prohibits the movement of other been sorting things and learning our num-
parents’ cars in the parking lot. Your cooperation is bers. We have made projects, sang songs,
greatly appreciated. and played games. We have made lots of new
friends. Kindergarten is GREAT!
Class of the Month
From Mrs. Moratti month! Great job guys!!!
Congratulations to Mrs. Lafferty’s 5th graders for
being named Computer Class of the month for the From Mr. Van Demark
month of September. Congratulations to Mrs.
Speers’ AM Kindergarten Class for being named We are off to a great start in our Physical Education
October Computer Class of the month! classes. The students have been busy with the fitness
Keep up the effort! stations that we created in our gymnasium. They are
working on their muscular strength, cardiovascular
From Mr. Kolar endurance and flexibility. We also just completed our
soccer unit and have moved on to football skills and
We are off to a great start in vocal music here at team building activities. The Phys Ed Class of the
Walt Disney! Students have been reviewing their Month for September was Mrs. Munger’s 3rd graders,
musical knowledge from last year while making and for October, it’s Mrs. Kobol’s 2nd grade class!
some great new music. The music class of the month
From Ms. Wismer
for September is Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s class. October’s
class of the is Mr. Costanzo’s class. Well Done! The following students have been named Artist of the
Month for the month of November:
As the holidays approach all students will be prepar- Owen Long - 5th Grade (Mrs. Fitzpatrick)
ing for the Holiday Sing where the band, strings, and Aaron Maurer - 4th Grade (Mr. Costanzo)
chorus will perform along with the entire school! Abigail Staub - 3rd Grade (Mrs. Munger)
This day of holiday music making will take place on Quinn McGonigle - 2nd Grade (Hadley/Morris)
Thursday, December 22. Garick Tejeda - 1st Grade (Mrs. Schorn)
Breanna Lewis - Kindergarten (Mrs. Speers)
From Mr. Roberts
Congratulations to Mrs. Munger’s 3rd grade class for
being chosen as the September Library class of the
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December is an exciting time for every class at Walt Disney School. The hallways and classrooms
are bustling with a wide variety of holiday decorations which reflect the cultural diversity of our
students. Exploring traditions encourages the development of individuality and an understand-
ing of our own and other people’s ethnic customs. During the month we are providing our chil-
dren with a multi-cultural and international approach to the holidays to promote understanding
of various customs and traditions. Please join us by sharing information about your own ethnic
background and traditions and encourage your children’s appreciation of and respect for other
people and their traditions.
Teaching Tips for Parents other cultures.
Reading and writing: Read to your child every day. And Set up a study area: Choose a well-lit spot. Provide
have him or her read to you. Write letters or e-mails a dictionary and other reference books, or a com-
together. It’s fun to get responses in the mail or your puter. Also provide paper, pencils and any other
inbox! Make a shopping list together. Say what you supplies your child may need.
need. Help your child write it down. Encourage school attendance: Be sure your child
Math: Have your child help measure ingredients for gets to school on time every day. Keep your child
cooking. Play counting games, such as cards or games out of school only when he or she is ill.
with dice. Use a bathroom scale to weigh objects. Limit TV: Allow no more than 1-2 hours a day. Use
Have your child guess the weight first. the TV as a teaching tool. Choose, watch and talk
Science: Take walks together. Talk about trees, flowers about programs with your child.
or wildlife you see. Point out the phases of the moon. Be a positive role model: Let your child see you
Let your child care for a plant. reading and writing. Visit the library often. Show
Social Studies: Read or watch children’s news stories you value learning. Your child will learn to do the
together. Visit museums and historic sites. Read about same.
Lost and Found
Our school maintains a “Lost and Found” area for items
children have misplaced. If you see that your child has lost
items of clothing, etc. at school, please feel free to look in the
container outside the cafeteria. All articles of clothing as
well as personal items and lunchboxes should be labeled
with your child’s name.
ATTENDANCE
We believe that good attendance is essential to your child’s success in school. To assist us in main-
taining accurate attendance records and to make us aware of absences, we ask that you follow these proce-
dures:
Absence– when your child is absent from school, we ask that you call our Watchcare answering machine
at (215)949-6816 to notify us of the absence. Please state your child’s name, teacher, date(s) of the ab-
sence, and the reason for the absence. Excuse cards are issued to children on the day they return from an
absence. The card needs to be signed by a parent and returned to the homeroom teacher within three
school days.
Lateness– when your child is late to school, we ask that you accompany him/her to the office to sign him/
her in and to complete an excuse card.
Family Trips– parents are urged to take vacations during school holidays. However, parents may request
permission to take one trip up to five school days by completing the Educational Trip Request Form
that is available in the office and on the school website. Additional days for vacations or trips will be con-
sidered unlawful.
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Tools for School News
We are getting closer to our goal of new playground equipment!
We now have $50,000.00 and hope to have the playground installed by the summer of 2012. Thank you to our Walt Disney Families,
staff, faculty and community for all their help and support.
Many thanks to everyone who came out to the Spooktacular! Thank you to all the faculty, staff and parents who helped,
baked and participated in the festivities. We made $1,000.00 towards the new playground equipment. A special thank you has to
go out to Kim from Spirit Halloween for providing the costumes for the show and donating a door prize!
Our student models were awesome and our teacher costumes were fabulous!!
The winners of the Teacher Costume Contest were:
In 1st Place, the 3 Blind Mice (Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Speers and Ms. Duncan)
In 2nd Place, The Scooby Doo Crew (Mrs. Barish, Mrs. Hynes, Mr. Michelin and Mr. Van Demark)
In 3rd Place, The Sports Nuts (Mrs. Lafferty and Mrs. Fitzpatrick)
Our Walt Disney Students outdid themselves with all the incredibly creative pumpkins that were entered into our Pumpkin Decorat-
ing Contest! Parent, family and friends voted at the Spooktacular and here are the results:
For Overall/Most Bizarre—Teagan Rooney
Carved— (tie) Evan Lamonsoff and Zach Jones
Decorated— Charlie Buchanan
These four students lead the Walt Disney Halloween Parade on Monday, October 31st. Great Job to all of our pumpkin creators!
Save the date: Walt Disney Day will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at Walt Disney. Watch for more information coming home
soon! Keep sending in your Shop Rite receipts, ink cartridges, coke points and recycling your paper in the paper retriever bin. Every
little bit helps!!!
If you have any questions, please email us at toolsforschool@yahoo.com
If you have signed up for paperless communications, please remember to check your email every Thursday
for updated information on Walt Disney School events.
http://www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us/pennsbury/Disney/
Great Finds on our website!
Art Gallery
(photos of students’ art projects)
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
(found under “Quick Links”)
Parent Lending Library
PTO & Tools for School
(contact info and upcoming events)
PTO HAPPENINGS
November/December 2011
What a wonderful turnout we had for the Back to School Picnic! We hope that everyone
had a great time and we would like to thank you for coming. Also, we would like to thank you for
signing up as a volunteer for future activities and for your membership dues.
Congratulations to Mrs. Lafferty’s 5th grade class. They won the Back to School Night
attendance and also the highest percentage of PTO memberships.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Joe Corbi Pizza fundraiser. Pick up will
be in the front lobby on November 9, 2011 from 5-7:00PM.
Kidstuff Coupon Book fundraiser will be coming home soon.
Box Tops for Education Keep clipping your box tops for education from participating
companies! We will be holding contests throughout the year. Don’t forget to sign up and sup-
port Walt Disney on-line at BT4E.com. Check your local grocery store to see what they are of-
fering towards Box Tops. Congratulations to Mrs. Kobol’s 2nd grade class who won the box
top race.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
November 15, 2011 PTO meeting, 6:30PM in the Library
2010/11 PSAA results will be shared.
November 18, 2011 Bingo 7-8:30PM in the Gym. Entrance fee is (2) non-
perishable food items. You can “purchase” extra Bingo cards
by bringing extra food items (2 non-perishable food item/
card). These items will be used for Thanksgiving Baskets
that will be provided to families in need. You can win a
frozen turkey and Thanksgiving pies/desserts. Prizes will be
awarded to each bingo winner. Sandwiches and
refreshments will be sold.
November 30 -
December 2 Holiday Bazaar! For ONE night only, on December 2 from
7-9:00PM, we will be having different items that can be
handmade by students, family and friends and given as
gifts. More information will be coming home soon!
(Crafty Parents: The PTO is looking for donations of
items that we can sell at the holiday bazaar gift shop.
Donations can be dropped off at the school office.)
December 19 Chic-fil-a Night (details to come)
PTO INCENTIVES:
Attend the next PTO meeting and your child will receive a pick from the prize box (K & 1st
Grade) or a free homework pass (2nd—5th Grade).
Student Council
Who We Are:
The Walt Disney Student Council is primarily a service organization. Our purpose is twofold. First, we en-
deavor to give participants a general idea about the many ways a student-involved government can work to ser-
vice the community. Second, we fundraise and earmark our earnings for either school, and /or community, na-
tionally and world related services. Our Student Council members happily remember the time they spent in our
organization, and many go on to become involved in the Student Councils of our middle schools and at PHS.
Student Council fundraises through events like our donut sales, pencil grams and our Trenton Thunder evening.
We sponsor the Disney School Store, which is not a fundraiser, but rather a service for our students and their
families. In the past, our fundraising efforts have contributed to the following: donations to the American Red
Cross, support for our troops overseas, purchasing a sound field system for one of our classrooms, collecting
books for the libraries in Trenton, and countless contributions to the library at Walt Disney School for new ref-
erence materials, videos and books.
When we begin our Student Council year in late September, students from Fourth and Fifth grades are nomi-
nated by their past and present teachers for the following qualifications: they are responsible, helpful, hard
workers, and are committed to their education and being at school regularly as evidenced by not missing assign-
ments and low absenteeism. Each homeroom chooses four representatives. In October, our interested represen-
tatives run for the Student Council offices of President, Fourth and Fifth Grade Vice President, Treasurer and
Publicity Chair.
This year’s homeroom representatives and officers Officer Positions:
have been elected. Congratulations to all of you!
President: Serenity Long
2011/2012 Student Council
4th Grade 5th Vice President: Sydney Bruther
Mr. Costanzo Mrs. Barish
Destine Garcia Noah Masterson 4th Vice President: Noah Masterson
Gabby Looney Abigail Dyer
Kaylee Hutchins Sammy Raymond Treasurer: Abigail Dyer
Devisree Tallapaneni Timmy Moore
Publicity Chair: Allison Rose
5th Grade Upcoming Events
Mrs. Lafferty Mrs. Fitzpatrick November: Thanksgiving Raffle
Sydney Bruther Chuck Anderson Pajama Day-November 23rd
Angela Sidoti Allison Rose
Nathan Dyer Sheehan Miles December: Pencil Grams
Serenity Long Samantha Pipito Red and Green Day-December 22nd
Save the Date! Trenton Thunder-May 12, 2012
Thank you in advance for your support this school year! Mrs. Lenczyski/Mrs. Chamberlain-Advisors