December 20, 2007

The Last Thursday Letter of 2007

December 20, 2007

It was terrific to have such large audiences for last week's Winter Festival Concert. The students' pride and pleasure in their accomplishments and performances are palpable and being able to share this with family and friends is just the best. Thanks for taking the time to be here.

Growing up in Michigan, I remember winters filled with snow, cold, and endless hours outside building forts or houses and playing Fox and Geese in the snow. This was before Land's End style warm clothing so included in my memory bank, too, are icy toes and fingers. One part of our house was heated with only a wood stove, so cold mornings are part of my memory as I would make the daily dash from the cold bedroom to the toasty warmth of the stove in the other room. Along with these memories, I have a storehouse of winter break memories, times when my mom or dad were unexpectedly available to play a game or to bake cookies. One time, my dad even took me ice fishing very early in the morning! While this is a fond memory because of the time with my father, it did cure me for all time of any interest in standing out on the ice holding a skinny pole with a dangling fish line.

Times have changed in so many ways. Now, there are actually warm clothes that can make being outside even more fun. Families of all configurations have developed traditions of who is with whom when and as with my own now blended family; celebrations can go on for days in multiple different states. From my conversations with children here at Cumberland, though, one thing has remained absolutely the same from my childhood to now; children still look forward to and value time with the adults in their lives. I wish for you during these next two weeks the opportunities to spend time with those you love, to make memories that will stick for the next several decades, and to build on traditions that bring pleasure and meaning to your family. Tomorrow, Friday the 21^st is the last day of school until January 7^th when we return to regular school. Happy New Year to you!

Notes:

• Attention all K4, K5 and 1^st Grade Families: Join us on Thursday, January 24^th from 5:00-7:30 for the Second Annual Family Literacy Night. This year, Richards School will host the event. You will have the opportunity to choose from several fabulous sessions, walk away with literacy games, activities and specific skills that you can use at home to encourage your child's efforts to read and write. Sue Boquist will share her incredible knowledge about how children learn to read and write in a session for parents. Pizza dinner and child care will be provided. Reserve your spot now by completing the form that was sent home last week. More forms are available in the office. The registration deadline is Friday, January 11^th. Due to advance planning for food and space, no late registrations can be accepted. If you have any questions, contact Lisa Seiler at 963-3943 or lseil.ms.wfb@wfbschools.com.
• Parents and Guardians of 4^th and 5^th graders are asked to complete a World Language survey online at http://www.wfbschools. Once at the website, select your child's school from the column on the left. Select 'Curriculum' and follow the survey link on the Curriculum page. Thanks for completing this survey prior to January 6^th.
• Poison Prevention safety tips: In today's folder is a two page hand out from the Wisconsin Poison Center at Children's Hospital. Filled with information specific to this time of the year, it can help prevent accidental injuries.

December 13, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron December 13, 2007

Tomorrow is the Winter Festival Concert and I look forward to seeing you there. Please remember that the doors are open 45 minutes before the concert and we do not have space for waiting much before this as our more than 600 students pass through already crowded hallways. Parking restrictions will not be enforced around the school area. Performances are at 9:45 and 1:30 and if possible, those with last names A-M are encouraged to come in the morning and N-Z in the afternoon. See you then.

Other things:

• Our clinic can always use extra gloves for loan. Donations are gratefully accepted.
• January Pops is a concert of One Hit Wonders performed by the WFB High School extra-curricular choirs featuring music from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. Lots of great and not-so-great music! Performances are Friday, January 11, 2008, 7 pm and Saturday, January 12, 2008, 7 pm at the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 790 N. Van Buren St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $13. for adults and $7. for students and seniors. Call Mary Lynn Han 963-0466.
• Winter Break, December 24^th – January 6^th. School resumes on Monday, January 7, 2008.

December 6, 2007

A Letter from Ms. Heffron December 6, 2007

Having snow is fantastically fun here at school. District personnel plow the blacktop for safety and the snow is pushed into large piles at the edge of the fields. Endless fun ensues with the possibilities for building forts/structures, snow chairs and otter-like slides. Students of all ages join in, with students in successive recesses adding to buildings that were started by others.

To maximize snow fun and safety, and to help students smoothly transition back to learning after recesses, the following procedures are in place:

• Students in all grades must wear boots and snowpants to leave the blacktop. This includes going to the play equipment areas. Boots and snowpants provide protection and reduce the chances that students will come back in with wet pants or socks, both of which distract from learning.
• Structures can be built. There is to be no active stealing of snow balls/boulders allowed between groups/structures.
• No one owns a structure. All are community property to be shared.
• No tunnels are allowed for safety reasons.
• Sliding down the snow hills is ok, feet first only.
• King of the Hill is not allowed because of the danger resulting from the pushing.
• No throwing snowballs. Anyone who does is sent immediately to the office. The student spends the next recess in the office. If repeat offenses, students will lose recesses for several days.

If you have a chance to stop or drive by during lunch recesses, you will see even from afar the loads of fun that students have outside during the winter. Scholarship funding for outerwear is available for families in need. Contact me directly if you would like to be considered.

Our Winter Festival Concert is a week away! The all-school concert will be held on Friday, December 14 at 9:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. All-day kindergarteners and 1st-5th grade students will perform at both concerts. Morning K4 and K5 classes will perform @ 9:45am. Afternoon K4 and K5 classes will perform @ 1:30pm. To accommodate all parents and visitors, please try to attend the concert at your designated time:

• Families with last names beginning A-M, please try to attend the 9:45 a.m. performance. Families with morning kindergarteners should attend this performance.
• Families with last names beginning N-Z, please try to attend the 1:30 p.m. performance. Families with afternoon kindergarteners should attend this performance.

Of course, if the designated time does not work with your schedule, please attend the performance that will work best for your family. The gymnasium doors will open for audience members 45 minutes prior to each performance. The gymnasium doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. for the performances.

We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Festival concert on December 14th!

Notes:

• PTO Cougar Callers (the Cumberland telephone directory) were distributed to PTO members last week through Thursday folders. If you did not receive a Caller and you think you should have please direct questions to PTO Membership Chair, Beth Matkom by calling 967-9770 or by email ematkom@wi.rr.com. Also, if you are a PTO member and have not received a district calendar please contact Beth as well.
• Late Start for students: December 12^th. All students begin class at 9:15
• Reminder: December 7^th is a half day for students. Dismissal at 11:50

November 29, 2007

Notes from Jayne Heffron, Cumberland School

November 29, 2007

While we are firmly underway with the 2007-08 school year, we are already planning for next year. A crucial element is enrollment, especially our K4 or Junior Kindergarten numbers as these are the most difficult to predict since the students are not yet at Cumberland. Tomorrow, we will be holding an Open House for incoming Jr. Kindergarteners, those children who will be four on or before September 1, 2008, so that their parents/guardians can see a bit of our program first hand. We take our projected potential students from the census list and this list shows a fairly large pool of students from which we draw. Our current K4 class contains 94 students and it looks likely that next year's will be around this size. While our student population at each of the four district schools has varied over the last years, overall we are holding relatively stable with enrollment. If you know of anyone who is new to Whitefish Bay having a four year old, please mention to them that we would love to show them around the school. Thanks.

I was with my family over Thanksgiving and we were looking at my mother's elementary school report cards. While we have moved far from where education was for my mother, a rural one room school house, several of the items on the report card still have great value for children even though we no longer put them on the report card. Comportment, playing nicely with others and being helpful to the teacher are still foundational skills, even though we call them by different names!

The Winter Festival Concert is coming up on December 14^th at 9:45 and 1:30. To help us all fit into the gym, if last names A-M generally attend the morning concert and N-Z come in the afternoon, it is very helpful. If this does not work for your schedule, please attend when it works for your schedule. Please remember that the gym doors open 45 minutes before the performance. Our building and hallways are so full with students and staff that we really appreciate you arriving no more than 45 minutes ahead of time to avoid over-full hallways as children pass from one class to the next. I will ask the WFB Police Department to lift the parking restrictions around the school on that day.

Notes:

• The Cumberland 5^th grade Community Services Club is holding a hat and mitten drive. They are collecting warm hats/mittens/scarves/socks for the Next Door Foundation as voluntary admission to the winter Festival Concert.
• Dogs are not allowed on school grounds. Many of our students are allergic or afraid of dogs. If you bring your dog when dropping off or picking up your child(ren) please keep the dog on a leash and arrange a meeting place with your child that doesn't require you to come onto the school yard to meet him or her. Thanks.
• Students get excited when they are having a party or hosting an event and we understand that. To avoid any students being excluded and to keep the school out of the middle of any arrangements, though, we do not allow invitations to non-school events to be handed out here at school even if everyone in the class is invited. Please help your child avoid disappointment by not sending invitations to school for distribution.
• 2008 WFB Little League Registration – NOW IN DECEMBER! Registration is in the gym at Lydell on Wed., Dec. 12^th from 6-8 pm and Mon., Dec. 17^th from 6-8 pm
• First Grade Brownies: A new troop is forming. If your first grader is interested, she may attend a meeting Monday, December 3^rd at Cumberland. All girls will meet Alice Egan in the Cumberland foyer and she will take them to Room 4 for the meeting. Parents should pick up their daughters in Room 4 at 4:30. Questions? Call Alice at 967-1763 or Linda at 963-9369.

Reminder: Friday, December 7th is a half day for students. Dismissal is at 11:50

November 15, 2007

A letter from Ms. Heffron

November 15, 2007

This week we are finishing the bulk of the WKCE testing in third through fifth grades. You may not know that the federal legislation called No Child Left Behind or NCLB requires that all public school students in the entire country are tested annually in 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, and 10^th grades. The legislation includes percentage targets for the numbers of students overall who have to score proficient or advanced in order for the school/district to qualify as having made Adequate Yearly Progress or AYP. The target goes up each year for the number of students we must have who score at the proficient or advanced levels. The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) measures a student's knowledge and learning related to learning goals or standards. It does not rank students against other students. Because the stakes around this testing are so high (federal monies to schools and continued local control, for example) we create the best conditions for testing that we can. We do not, though, do extended test preparation in isolation. Our experience and belief is that students score very well based on a rigorous daily curriculum and high quality teaching, which we have here in Whitefish Bay. The results of this testing are generally released to us in the spring. Stay tuned.

Thanks for taking time to meet with your child's teacher(s) for conferences. It sends such an important message to children about the value of education when we are able to partner together.

At this time of giving thanks, I give thanks for having the honor of working with you and your children here at Cumberland. I recognize the importance of the work we do with children and of being in a community that so values educational opportunities. Thank you for entrusting me with your children. I wish you a healthy and thanks-filled break next week.

Notes:

• Reminder: No school Friday (11/16), Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (11/21-23)
• Silver Spring Drive-Vision For the Future-You are invited to attend a panel discussion about the future of Silver Spring Drive hosted by the Whitefish Bay Business and Professional Association and the Whitefish Bay Community Authority, tonight(11/15/07) from 7:00-8:30pm @ WFBHS Cafeteria

Winter Festival Concert Information

The all-school concert will be held on Friday, December 14 at 9:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. All-day kindergarteners and 1^st-5^th grade students will perform at both concerts.

Students are asked to dress as they would for any special occasion. There is no need to purchase anything new for this event.

To accommodate all parents and visitors, please try to attend the concert at your designated time:

• Families with last names beginning A-M, please try to attend the 9:45 a.m. performance. Families with morning kindergarteners should attend this performance.
• Families with last names beginning N-Z, please try to attend the 1:30 p.m. performance. Families with afternoon kindergarteners should attend this performance.

Of course, if the designated time does not work with your schedule, please attend the performance that will work best for your family.

The gymnasium doors will open for audience members 45 minutes prior to each performance. The gymnasium doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. for the performances. The approximate length of each concert is 1hour, 15 minutes.

We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Festival concert on December 14^th!

November 8, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron, November 8, 2007

Dear Parents and Guardians,

November is a very busy month here at Cumberland. We have our first round of Parent Teacher Conferences on November 13^th, 15^th, 16^th and 19^th. (If you have not scheduled a time with your child's teacher, please contact her/him to do this.) Except for Friday the 16^th, teachers are with students all day, teaching as usual, followed by conferences which start by 4:30 and run until after 7:30. As you can guess, this makes for very full days, so as a neighboring principal wrote, please be nice to the teachers and understand that if they are not returning your calls or emails as quickly as usual it is likely because of the time pressures with conferences. The teachers do everything they can to make this time helpful and beneficial and to do this after teaching all day takes a lot of OOMPH! Thanks for your understanding.

Parents/guardians of 4^th and 5^th graders will notice that something has changed this year when you do not receive a report card during conference time. For years, 1^st-3^rd graders have been on the trimester system and when we moved to a new web-based attendance and report card system this year, we had to have one reporting schedule school wide. Everyone is now on the trimester schedule. What this means to upper grade parents is that you will be meeting with your child's teacher to talk through your child's progress, and then in December your child will receive a report card. Through this lens, the move to trimesters increases the number of times that you will get formal information about how your child is doing.

Here are some questions that may be helpful as you talk with your child's teacher(s):

• How does my child learn best?
• What are her/his interests in school?
• Is she/he making the expected progress?
• Are you differentiating instruction or assignments for my child?
• How is my child relating to her/his peers?
• Are there areas of concern that we should work on together?

And, it is very helpful to school staff to know what your child is saying about school at home. We also appreciate knowing if anything has changed in the child's life, as often it manifests in indirect ways here at school. All teachers are in the building during conferences, as am I. The Specials teachers love to see parents during conference times, too, so if you can, visit them in their rooms.

Tardies have reached epidemic proportions with more than thirty students coming in late some days. If your child(ren) is on time, thank you and congratulations. While we understand that occasionally something unexpected comes up, if your child is showing a pattern of late arrivals, please expect a call from me in the near future so we can talk through how I can help you to get your child here by 8:15. It really makes a difference in his/her learning.

Notes:

• Spirit Day is Friday, November 9^th and the theme is Crazy Shoe Day.
• Winter Festival is December 14^th. (details will come later)
• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS NOVEMBER 16^TH, OR 21^ST-25^TH
• PTO reminder: Presentation Monday, Nov. 12^th, 7:00PM, Navigating the Passage from Childhood to Adolescence
• The Shorewood Players production of "The Wizard of Oz" features several WFB students in the cast. Show times are Fri. & Sat., Nov. 9, 10, 16, & 17 @ 7:30pm and Sun. Nov 11 & 18 @ 2:00pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or ahead by calling (414) 737-3421 or www.shorewoodplayers.org

Please see the below for some email addresses that were incorrect in the Cougar Caller.

Name	Correct email Address	Name	Correct email Address
Heather Brennan	hbrenn.ri.wfb@wfbschools.com	Jim Loebl	jloeb.ri.wfb@wfbschools.com
Jonathan Brodie	jbrod.ri.wfb@wfbschools.com	Diane Reiels	dreie.cu.wfb@wfbschools.com
Sally Danforth	sdanf.ms.wfb@wfbschools.com	Dina Schachtely	dscha.cu.wfb@wfbschools.com
Bonnie Lewis	blewi.ri.wfb@wfbschools.com	Lisa Seiler	lseil.ms.wfb@wfbschools.com
		Julie Stefan	jstef.cu.wfb@wfbschools.com

November 1, 2007

A Letter from Ms. Heffron

November 1, 2007

Lately, during lunch hour students from several grades have been playing very energetic 4-Square games. 4-Square, in case you do not know, is an old game played all around the world involving a painted 'court', four players and a large ball. The objective, similar to tennis, is to hit the ball (using only your hands) into another player's area so that it hits the ground within the marked area but in such a way as to make it difficult for the other player to return the ball. Lively and fast paced, there are usually many players lined up along the edge of the game area to rotate into the game when one player gets out. I really like it that kids are playing 4-Square because it is good exercise, it moves quickly so many children can be involved in a short time, and children have great fun inventing new variations. The negotiation that is involved in creating variations gives children opportunities to learn how to compromise as well as encourages their creativity. 4-Square can be played by people of various ages, too, so it can be a fun family or neighborhood pursuit. I encourage you to give it a try with your child!

Before we know it the temperatures will drop and questions will arise about going outside to recess. For your planning, please know that children go out to recess every day unless it is heavily raining or the wind chill is below zero. In order for recess to be a fun time for children, they need to be wearing clothing that is warm enough and that allows running, climbing on the equipment or even hanging on the bars. We greatly appreciate you providing your children appropriate jackets and shoes (and boots and snowpants when it is colder) and reminding them to wear those items to school. Also, for our youngers, it is very helpful that children wear clothing that they can get into and out of themselves.

This leads naturally into the FOUND items we are accumulating here at school. There are bins in the front entryway and downstairs outside the doors to the music wing that are already overflowing with clothing. Please take a look if you think something may belong to your child.

It really helps to label outerwear with your child's name, too, so left behind items can be returned to the owner.

Notes:

• We are already planning for 2008 incoming kindergarteners. If you have a child who will turn four on or before September 1, 2008 and you did not fill out the census form, please call our office to be put on the mailing list for K4 information. The same applies if you know a friend or neighbor new to Cumberland. Please pass the information onto them.
• Bay Ball raffle tickets: There is still time to purchase the tickets that were sent home in Thursday folders. Drop off the stubs along with a check payable to the WFB Public Education Foundation to our office. Questions? Call Alicia at 967-4760.
• Indoor lacrosse for boys 3^rd and up, girls 4^th and up: Each group meets for a one hour session on Sunday afternoon. Details are available at www.hot4lax.com. A limited number of flyers are posted on the board outside our office.
• We continue to need supervisors for lunch/lunch recess. If you can work even one hour a week between 11:20-12:20, we will greatly appreciate it. Training is provided. Please call the office at 963.3943.

Advocates For Education Flyer

October 18, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

October 18, 2007

Bay Ball: Thank you to all who have donated to the Bay Ball Baskets! If you would still like to contribute please do so by bringing in a check (to the office) payable to WFB Public Education Foundation. Some of the basket themes will be combined due to a decrease in contributions. The last day to make a donation is Monday, October 22^nd. If you have any questions please call Chris Armstrong at 964-5584.

Art cardboard: Thanks parents and students for helping the art department recycle and create a lesson out of cereal type boxes! The boxes have been collected and the lesson is underway, so we no longer are in need of this type of material. Thank you so much for all your collections and support! Sincerely, Mrs. Purney

Halloween: The school wide program and individual classroom parties will be held on October 24^th. Any costumes should be safe (no face covering masks or other things that make it difficult for students to move about) and appropriate for all to see, including our youngest students. This means no guts or gore. Weapons of any kind, even as part of costume, are not permitted. The parade across the playground will take place around 2:30. Because of space constraints, parents are not invited to the assembly.

Testing: On various dates from October 29^th through November 16^th students in 3^rd-5^th grades will be taking the state required/federally mandated WKCE standardized test. Even if your children are not in these grades, you can help us have the best conditions for testing by being quiet in the halls if you are here. Also, it is very helpful to have all students and younger siblings stay away from the slope and windows in the front of the school from 8:15-3:15 as students in these classrooms will be participating in the testing. This also pertains to younger siblings with parents waiting for Kindergarten drop off and pick up. We'd also appreciate extra help with keeping younger siblings quiet in and around the building during the weeks of testing. Thanks for your help with this.

October 11, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

October 11, 2007

Overnight, it seems, we have returned to October appropriate weather. Moving into this fall weather, it is a good time to give you information related to our recess practices. In addition to the daily twenty-five minute lunch recess, first through fourth graders have recesses each morning or afternoon that they do not have PE. (Kindergarteners and fifth graders also have the 25 minute lunch recess, but their other recesses follow a different schedule.) Recess is always held outside, with two exceptions. If it is raining, students remain inside. And, if the wind chill is below zero, students remain inside. What this means is that students need to be dressed appropriately to go outside every day. It is also the season when jackets worn to school in the morning are often forgotten on the playground. Our Lost and Found is located in the bins in the entryway or in the bins downstairs outside of the Music Wing. Labeling your child's clothing would be most helpful. Thanks ahead of time for sending your children to school with clothing that allows them to run and play during recess safely and comfortably.

The Harvest Festival was terrific, warmer than I can ever remember it being! While I had a great time at the face painting station, there were many other events and activities. This was all made possible by the Co-Chairs Vickie Boorse and Lorie Dodulik and the more than one hundred volunteers. Thanks to everyone who worked together making it possible for the Festival to happen.

Notes:

• Bay Ball: Volunteers are needed for the Bay Ball. If you can give one or two hours as a volunteer, please contact Diane at 962-2919 or jfrench@wi.rr.com.
• Late Start Collaboration Time: All students start school at 9:15 on Wednesday, October 17^th.
• Picture Re-Take Day: Wednesday, October 17 (9:30am – 1:00pm)

• "Thanks parents and students for helping the art department recycle and create a lesson out of cereal type boxes! The boxes have been collected and the lesson is underway, so we no longer are in need of this type of material. Thank you so much for all your collections and support!--Sincerely, Mrs. Purney"

October 4, 2007

A Letter from Ms. Heffron, October 4, 2007

Juggling Geoff, the unicycle rider and juggler, made a great splash with the students at yesterday's Walk to School event. With the perfect weather, coffee generously donated by Stone Creek Coffee and smiling children, the day got off to a great start. Later in the day, we went on an all school walk around the entire block, again to emphasize the value of walking as a way to reduce traffic congestion and pollution and to increase physical fitness. We have many families who walk daily and it is our hope that the Walk to School Day will increase the number of times throughout the year that those within walking distance will walk to school.

Getting back into the routine of a daily school schedule, one of the questions that frequently comes my way is "How much sleep do children need?" The following comes from Children's Hospital.

CHILDREN NEED MORE SLEEP ACCORDING TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SLEEP CENTER
	Milwaukee (3/25/2005) - In general, children get less sleep than is recommended by experts, but parents are not always aware of how much sleep is needed, according to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Sleep Center. Sleep is necessary for children's optimal functioning. Insufficient sleep can adversely affect children's daytime behavior, including their cognitive and behavioral function as well as overall health. The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following sleep guidelines: -Newborns 0-2 months of age require 10.5-18 hours of sleep. -Infants 2-12 months 14-15 hours. -Toddlers 1-3 years 12-14 hours. -Preschoolers 3-5 years 12-14 hours. -School-age children 5-12 years 10-11 hours. -Teens require 8-9 hours. "As in other aspects of a child's development, good sleep hygiene is an important component to the overall health and well-being of children," said Lynn D'Andrea, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. "Sleep affects every aspect of a child's physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development, and sleep problems exacerbate virtually all medical, developmental, and psychosocial problems in childhood. Parents and caregivers need to make sleep a family priority." D'Andrea also is an associate professor of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Parents can take the following steps to create a healthy family environment for sleep: -Determine the amount of sleep each family member needs, and take steps to ensure their individual needs are met. Make a good night's sleep part of everyone's daily schedule. -Create regular bedtime routines and adhere to bedtime. Set the stage by creating regular routines like brushing teeth, reading books and creating a quiet and comfortable sleep environment. -Television and computers should not be in the bedroom, and caffeine should not be part of a child's diet.

Notes:

• Harvest Festival is this Friday. I look forward to seeing you on the playground!
• Bay Ball invitations have been mailed. If you did not receive one, extras are in the office.
• Annual state required WKCE testing for 3^rd-5^th graders is scheduled for 5^th: Oct. 30-Nov. 2,

4^th: Nov. 6-9, 3^rd: Nov. 12-15. More information will follow but please avoid pulling your children out of school during these days if at all possible. Thanks.

• UWM Science Bag: One hour free shows held in the Physics Building at UWM. Shows are at 8PM on Fridays with one Sunday show each month. The November program is "Living in a Material World," presented by Prasenjit Guptasarma. More information is available at uwm.edu/letsci/sciencebag/
• The Great Peanut Butter and Jelly Challenge is coming to the Whitefish Bay Homecoming Parade on Friday October 5^th at 5:00 on Silver Spring Drive! Help us win for the 5^th year in a row. . . Please bring any non-glass containers of Peanut Butter and/or Jelly (any size accepted) to the parade.The PB&J kids will be a part of the parade, and they will be collecting your donations!

© 2007 Whitefish Bay School District. All Rights Reserved.

September 27, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

September 27, 2007

Generally during the week that the PTO newsletter is distributed I do not write a principal letter. This week there are a couple timely things that I want to let you know about so today in the folder, you will receive this letter and the PTO Cougar Chronicle.

As you know, all classes are scheduled for specials classes at set times during the week. (art, music, physical education, Spanish, library) A class may have Physical Education on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Art on Tuesdays and so on. When we do not have school on a particular day, the class misses any special classes that they are scheduled to have that day. In order to try to equalize the number of times any one class is missed, we artificially change one day's schedule into another. We call these changes 'Switch Day Schedules.' On Monday, October 1^st, instead of following a Monday schedule, we will be following a Friday schedule. So, students who have band or orchestra on Fridays will need to bring their instruments on Monday. Students who have PE need their tennis shoes on Monday. Teachers usually note these Switch Days in their weekly newsletter and I will mention them in my Thursday letter. I am letting you know of Monday's schedule because we have just finalized the switches for the year and teachers may not have time to let you know. The web page shows these days on the calendar www.wfbschools.com follow the calendar link on the top of the screen.

Walk to School Day is an event that we hold each year. There is more information about this in my letter in the Cougar Chronicle. In case you do not get to that publication until later, though, I want to let you know that our Walk to School event is next Wednesday, October 3^rd. See you on the playground before school!

September 20, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

September 20, 2007

I know that we are fully into the fall when our students show evidence of having head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). And, this is the case today here at Cumberland. So that everyone knows our protocol, I am including it in this Thursday letter.

We usually find head lice initially when a student is scratching her/his head more than is typical. When this happens, the student goes to the clinic. In the clinic, Ms. Ackerman, Ms. Moret or myself will do a head check. This consists of going through the child's hair section by section looking for either the egg (nit) which appears as a small black or white speck attached to the hair itself or a louse itself. If we find either of these, the Health Department protocol requires us to contact you and have the child picked up. The child is then treated with a special shampoo that kills the lice, and the hair is repeatedly combed with a fine toothed comb to remove all nits.

When lice are discovered here we also take several other proactive steps. Siblings are checked and if they have lice, they go home, too. The students in classrooms of all students who are sent home are also checked, and these classrooms take a letter of notification home saying that your child may have been exposed and asking you to check your child's head.

Once students are nit free, they may return to school where they are checked in the clinic for verification prior to going to class. Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head so parents/guardians need to continue to do head checks daily during this time. There are also other steps that need to be taken in the home to prevent reinfestation.

Having head lice is very common and it is a rare year here at school when we do not have outbreaks in the fall. A great source of current information is the Center for Disease Control website. If you have questions or need specific information about diagnosis or treatment I encourage you to use this resource. It is at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice.

Other than this development, things are going relatively smoothly here at school. One way you can help us is to closely monitor the Thursday folder. In our efforts to reduce the amount of paper in the folder, each family unit has the youngest child identified and school wide notices or forms should be going only in the youngest child's folder. If you find that you are getting multiple copies of things that you need only one of, please let your older child(ren)'s teacher know so they can correct this. Thanks!

Notes:

• The art department is in need of cardboard for a special project. They are collecting cereal box weight cardboard. If you use anything of this type, please have your child bring the cardboard to Ms. Purney. It can also be dropped off in the office. The project cannot be done with anything heavier than this type of cardboard.
• Bay Ball mailing stuffing: If you can help with this next Monday or Tuesday, please contact Lynn Short at LCS53217@AOL.COM.
• Cub Scout Registration: Today, September 20^th at 6:30 at Cumberland School.
• Fall Fundamentals Basketball Camp: Sponsored through the WFB Recreation Department. 2^nd and 3^rd grade boys and girls are eligible, Sept. 24-28^th 3:30-4:30. Questions to Dave Shaw at 228-7025.

September 13, 2007

A Letter from Ms. Heffron September 13, 2007 There are laughs enough to go around here at Cumberland and students often unwittingly remind me of how they view me. Walking through the first grade hallway yesterday I heard a teacher talking the class through getting their tennis shoes on for PE. Let me help you imagine this scene. There are approximately twenty-two students spread out on the floor trying to get shoes onto feet that seem to grow by the minute. Some students are not yet able to recognize their own shoes and many cannot yet tie independently. Add to this the teacher's effort to actually teach the students a routine of sitting down, changing shoes, and putting the other shoes into cubbies so as not to lose them. As I tried to wend my way through the students, the teacher said to the class, "Remember, boys and girls, how we are going to scoot to one side of the hallway when we are getting our shoes on so that friends can get past." To this, a student looked up to see who was going through, saw me and replied, "Yea, our friends or other people!" So, make no mistake about it, I am no friend of his! Thanks to everyone who was able to come to Orientation this week. We know that it can be difficult to get here as well as getting children dinner and arranging child care and we appreciate your efforts. If you were not able to attend, please do contact your child's teacher to get this important information. Continued overviews of some routines here at school: Attendance and tardies: Children need to arrive at school by 8:15 (9:15 or 12:40 for all day Sr. K and Jr. Kindergarten students) in order to be on time. If they come later than this, students need to stop in the clinic to check in and get a tardy pass. This provides the double check we need to ensure that we can account for all of our students. If your child(ren) will be absent from school, please call the clinic and leave the child's name, grade, teacher and reason for absence on the answering machine. That number is 962.8050. (It is incorrectly listed on the PTO calendar.) If your child is absent and we have not received a call or a note ahead of time, from you we will call you during the day. Medical appointments: If your child needs to leave during the day for a medical appointment, please let the classroom teacher know at the beginning of the day through a voice mail, email, or written note. Your child will be sent to the office at the time you specify and you will pick her/him up in the office. Because of safety concerns, we do not allow students to wait outside to be picked up. When a student returns from an appointment, please have her/him check in at the clinic. School Visitors: All visitors are to stop in the office, sign in and get a visitor pass. This applies to everyone who comes into the building, unless you are going directly to the clinic to check in a child or to pick up a sick or injured child. During the school day, please do not go to your child's classroom unless you have arranged it previously with the teacher. We appreciate your cooperation with this as it helps us keep classroom interruptions to a minimum and therefore learning at a maximum. Thanks for helping your child(ren) remember their lunches each day. There has been a remarkable rate of success with this! Notes: · Late Start Teacher Collaboration Time, September 19th: All students start at 9:15. The WFB Recreation Department is again offering on-site child care from 8:00-9:15. If you are interested in signing up for this service, you may download a registration form on our Web Page or stop in the office for a copy. (This flyer was included in the registration packets previously.) · Picture Day Reminder: Picture Day is Wednesday, September 19th. Order forms are being sent home today. Please return order forms and payment ASAP. Purchase is optional, however, if you wish to purchase pictures, order forms need to be turned in on or before picture day September 19th. Retake day will be on October 17th. · At Orientation, you received a form listing the student information that will be included in the Cougar Caller. Please return this form to the main office by September 14th ONLY if you DO NOT want your family information in the Cougar Caller. If you do not return the form, your information will be included. Any questions please contact Deb Dryden at #964-0539. · Registration meeting for NEW Girl Scouts on Saturday, September 22nd from 1 - 3 in the Cahill Warming Hut. We're forming 2 new troops - a K5 Daisy Troop and a 1st grade Brownie troop. Other girls who are new to Cumberland, or who want to give scouting a try are welcome to attend. Questions about Girls Scouts? Call Linda Hentzen, 963-9369 or send an email to Linda@hentzenfamily.com.

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