Parent Newsletter
November 2005

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In this month's newsletter:

 

Health Matters

Cold Weather Alert!!
The school nurses send along some important, "health-saving" tips for good health survival. Cold weather breeds illnesses because we are INSIDE where germs are shared so easily; and if improperly clothed outside, our bodies become chilled and more susceptible to illness!

PLEASE review the following tips with your children:

bullet DRESS warmly for outside time.
bullet WASH hands frequently with soap
bullet COVER your mouth when you cough, but use the arm to cover the mouth, NOT the hand.
bullet TISSUES assist with sanitary cough and/or nose blowing, but ONLY if you use them!

PLEASE make sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather. Recess may be limited if winter clothing is not worn to school. Please contact the school health office if you would like assistance with winter wear. We often have extra items.

Crops By Kids Of Barre Town

It's time now to start planning for our next Crops by Kids garden! We had so much fun last year gardening and learning together. Those who joined us last year are encouraged to sign up again! We welcome newcomers to participate --- as much or as little as you like!

There is a sign-up sheet in the downstairs office. If you cannot sign up there or want to learn more, please call Bryn Mayr at 479-0233.

Healthy Taste-Testing

We have already had our first taste-test of the school year. Every month we are learning about tasting healthy, natural foods. This month we tried tomatoes and a tomato salad recipe. Those who participated filled out a survey and here are the results: 82% liked the salad!

Asked, "How well informed are you about food and nutrition?”

47% said, "Very well --- I read my labels and know what to look for.”
42% said, "Pretty well --- I have a good idea of what junk food is."
<1% said, "Not so well --- I don't know how to compare foods."

Asked, "How much do you care about the nutritional value of the foods you eat?"

68% said, "A lot --- I try hard to make mostly healthy choices."
26% said, "Kind of --- but I make bad choices more than I should."
<1% said, "Not at all --- I don't like or choose healthy things.”

We're thrilled to see that most of our students care about nutrition.

Yummy Harvest Garden Recipe (to feed a crowd)
(Amounts can be reduced for family size.)

4 dozen cherry tomatoes
6 cucumbers
2 cups Italian dressing
Salt & pepper to taste
 DASH of garlic

Mix together, chill to store.

 

PTO Fundraiser Pick-up Dates Have Changed

The fundraiser items that your children sold in September were supposed to have arrived last week. Because of some vendor problems, the orders have been delayed. The dates that items will be available for pick-up at school in the large gym are as follows:

Wednesday, November 16, from 2:30-6:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 17, from 2:30-6:00 p.m.
Friday, November 18, from 2:30-7:00 p.m.

These items are not allowed to go home on the bus. They must be picked up at school. Please mark these dates on your calendars. If you have any questions, please call Sheila Cross, PTO Fundraiser Coordinator, at 479-4313.

 

2005 David Stefaniak Memorial
Holiday Food and Gift Drive
 

The 2005 David Stefaniak Memorial Holiday Food & Gift Drive is now underway. Our goal is to provide food, winter clothing, and gifts for some Barre Town families who need a bit of help in this holiday season.

If you are a family in need, please contact the nurse’s office at school (476-1431) prior to December 10. The donations will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

With the help of our generous Barre Town community, we would like to have all of our participating families adopted this year. A family, a business, a class, or individuals may adopt families or individuals. Please contact Kerri Lamb at 479-6953 if you would like to donate your time, money, gifts, or adopt a family.

The Student Council will again be organizing the food portion of this project. We are asking for cash donations. Last year, food store gift cards were given to participating families. If you would like to donate a turkey or ham, we will gladly accept it. Please bring the items to the cafeteria for storage in the freezer.

Thank you for reaching out to families in our community in this wonderful holiday season. If you have any questions about the program, please contact the nurse’s office or Kerri Lamb.

Thank you.

PTO News

The PTO would like to thank Edd Gross for generously donating the PTO cabinets that will be installed in the lobby under the trophy case very shortly!

The PTO Bookstore will be held on November 15 in the lobby.

R.I.F. distribution dates will be November 28 and 29.

This school year Campbells is offering 5 bonus points for every label submitted from the following products: Batman Spaghetti-O’s, condensed Meatball Goldfish soup, and condensed soups featuring Batman, Dora the Explorer, and Jimmy Neutron.

POPCORN REMINDER! Bags of popcorn are available to students every Thursday for 50 cents per bag.

Our school can earn a chance to win 10,000 box tops!! Next time you clip box tops from packages of your favorite General Mills cereals, keep your scissors out, and clip a little more. Clip the Whole Grain symbols from the front panel of the cereal box from now until December 31, 2005, and send them to school. Every Whole Grain symbol gives our school another chance to win 10,000 bonus box tops.

Remember our school on your next shopping trip to HANNAFORDS. From now through December 19, designated products purchased can earn dollars that will go to helping BTMES. Simply put these register-generated coupons in the Barre Town Elementary slot at the Hannaford's door, or send them into school with your box tops. Call Barbara Petrie at 793- 2718 with any questions.

As the holiday baking season approaches, be sure to check out the many products with box tops on them. Clip and send in with your child! Every box top submitted gives BTMES ten cents. It’s that easy!

The next PTO meeting will take place in the school library on Tuesday, November 15. We hope to see you there!

From the Family School Consultant

Upcoming classes and workshops are as follows:

Healthy Meals for Picky Eaters - Wednesday, November 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Central Vermont Hospital Conference Room 1. Free. Presented by Courtney Pletzer, Nutritionist, Vermont Department of Health, Barre Office.
Please call 371-4198 to register.

Infant and Child Car Seat Inspections - First Friday of each month – 12:00 noon-4:00 p.m., Berlin Fire Station, Berlin Corners – Free. PLEASE CALL 371-4198 to make an appointment.

Holiday Crafternoons - During the week of December 12-16, 3:00-5:00 p.m., at Aldrich Library. Please call Adrianne Scucces at 476-7550 for more information

I have a number of parenting books and other resources in my office. If you have a question or would like information on a specific topic, please feel free to contact me at 476-6617, extension 192.        Thanks, Beth Campo.

 

School Bus Safety

Bus Stops

We are still getting reports of students fooling around at the bus stop. We encourage parents and adults to have children wait in a safe area away from the roadway and to not let children run toward the bus as it approaches. Wait until the bus stops and the driver signals the pupils to come to the bus. The flashing red lights on a bus indicate that all vehicles must stop. If you go through the flashing red lights of a school bus, you may be fined $192 and have points put on your license.

All balls of any kind are not allowed on the bus. Safety is our goal.

Your Barre Town School bus drivers are:

Bus #1 Paul Belisle Bus #9 Robin Cappetta
Bus #2 Dave Spaulding Bus #10 Arthur Kennell
Bus #4 Dave Fellows Bus #11 Roger Tremblay
Bus #7 Sherye Swift Bus #12 Sandy Belisle
Bus #8 John Raper Bus #13 Carolyn Couture

Currently, we are training two more bus drivers; however, there is a need for substitute bus drivers. Drivers have the same days off as your children. If you are interested, contact Steve Murray or Terrie Salvador at 476-6617, extension 331.

Barre Town Ski & Snowboard Program
Informational Meeting

Program and sign-ups are Thursday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the front lobby of Barre Town Middle and Elementary School.

This is a six-week, Saturday afternoon program, held at Sugarbush North for 3rd-8th grade students and their families. The dates for 2006 are 1/21/06, 1/28/06, 2/4/06, 2/11/06, 3/11/06, and 3/18/06. Payment is due the night of sign-ups. We accept checks, VISA, and Mastercard.

Package prices (six weeks per person) are as follows:

Lift Ticket Only $120.00
Lift Ticket/Rental $150.00
Lift Ticket & Lessons (clinic) $150.00
Lift Ticket/Rental/Lessons $180.00

If you have high school students, they are also welcome in the program and can buy season passes through us.

Season passes are also available through the group leaders. Call Mary Rubalcaba at 479-1828 or Patty Melvin at 476-9847.

Season pass prices are as follows:

  Ages 7-12 Ages 13-18 Adult
Mt. Ellen Pass (Sugarbush North) $109.00 $139.00 $489.00
All-Mountain Pass $219.00 $279.00  $1,029.00

  
  
 

These prices increase after Thanksgiving, so please contact one of the group leaders before the deadline if you cannot attend November 17.

Anyone who would like unlimited skiing and/or snowboarding should consider purchasing a season pass since these prices are cheaper and are a much better deal. Lessons for the six-week program can be purchased for $90.00.

Anyone needing transportation to the mountain can contact Green Mountain Transportation at 223-7287. They run a bus that leaves and returns to Montpelier High School. The cost is $1.00 for students and $2.00 for adults. What a deal! Their website is www.gmtaride.org. Look for the "Snocap Special" on their website.

 

Other

Women’s Ice Hockey in Barre: Beginners welcome. Friday evenings starting October 14. For information, call Lisa at 479-1329.

Greater Barre Community Learning for Life Festival: Saturday, November 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Aldrich Library in downtown Barre. There are FREE activities for all ages. Children will enjoy the many hands-on activities, VIP Readers, and costumed characters. Comics! Graphic Novels is especially for teens with manga, anime, and other Asian art techniques. Explore Abenaki Native American cultural heritage through hands-on basketry weaving with Barre resident Jeanne Brink from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Join the circle at 11:30 a.m. to hear stories told by guest Linda Green (Willow), and try out traditional Abenaki dancing and games with Margaret Higgins and her three grandchildren. Enjoy samples of traditional food such as Indian corn soup and fried bread. Take home gift books for your family and resources from area organizations. All events are free and are handicap-accessible. The festival is sponsored with funding as a Vermont Humanities Council Creating Communities of Readers Project and from the Barre Danforth Committee. Call 476-7550 for more information or visit www.aldrich.lib.vt.us.

North Branch Nature Center Fall And Winter 2006 Calendar Programs:

VINS North Branch Nature Center Preschool Programs: Young children are insatiably curious! Each morning we’ll read a good picture book, explore the fields and forests, make crafts and play games. Come and help your child develop a lifelong sense of wonder in the natural world.

Tuesday, November 8, and Wednesday, November 16: Bats and Beyond
Tuesday, November 29, and Wednesday, December 7: Camouflage
Tuesday, December 13, and Wednesday, December 21: Hooves in the Woods – Deer and Moose

All programs are held from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. and each program is repeated twice. The fee for the program is $7 members, $8 nonmembers. Call 229-6206 to register.

Weather and Climate: An Introduction: Thursdays, November 3, 10, 17, 6:30 – 8:30, & Saturday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. – noon; Members, $50; nonmembers, $65.
Here’s your chance to learn the basics of meteorology and climate science; how forecasts are made, what clouds can tell us, what is normal and what is extreme, and what gives Vermont weather that special flavor. We’ll also explore weather history and folklore, weather maps, optical phenomena, global warming, severe weather, storms, and basic weather observation. Instructor Dave Thurlow spent many years as the host of the nationally-broadcast radio show, "The Weather Notebook.” He will share many of his "weather adventures" from around the world.

Stories in Stone: Wednesday, November 9th, 7:00 p.m.; Free.
Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Mary Oliver are just a few of the writers sharing their observations, thoughts, and reflections about their relationship to the land. Reading and writing about how humans relate to the land is inspiring and gives us pause to reflect upon and develop our own connection to the places we call home. We’ll read some examples from these writers, and if people would like, share writings of our own. This gathering will be the start of a monthly meeting for people to share quality nature writing and read and receive feedback on their own. Sharon Plumb will be leading this relaxed reading and writing group.