Twas the day before winter break when all through the school not a person could wait, not even the teachers. The children were anxiously awaiting the sound of the 2:30 bell, while visions of playing danced in their heads...

May you and your family enjoy the Holiday Season. I'll see you in the New Year!

Our Winter Festival was a success! I want to extend a BIG thank you to all the parents who made the day so enjoyable for our students. The students made a frame, an ornament, and a snowman. An obstacle course, snowman ring toss, and "Tic-tac-snow" were played for us to burn off some energy. All enjoyed a snowman sugar cookie and hot chocolate while listening to The Polar Express. Pictures were taken today during the festivities. These will be making their way home on Thursday. WKBN was here filming our Winter Festival so be sure to tune in tonight for the local news. It looks as if this will become an annual event!

Today the High School Seminary Singers performed at our school. The program began with traditional Holiday songs with the students dressed in their choir robes. The program ended with contemporary songs along with a guest appearance by "Elvis". It was such a treat to have them visit and also to see the former North students.

Our 1st Winter Festival will be held tomorrow afternoon. The students will rotate between 5 stations set up throughout the school. All 3rd and 4th Graders need to bring hats, gloves, or scarves for their picture to be taken. Our Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Graders will be having their picture taken with a "special guest". I look forward to a fun-filled afternoon!

Our "Operation Stay Warm" was a success! The Act of Kindness assignment collected 35 winter coats to be donated to a local elementary school. The students had such pride in their donations. A few in fact had to show me the coat they put in the box. How nice to instill this character trait in our students. Mrs. Weimer delivered the coats and the school's gratitude was overwhelming. The generosity from North was again incredible. Thank you to all who donated!

Our Kindergarten classes looked comfortable and cozy today. They were all snug in their pajamas and slippers as they celebrated "Polar Express Day". The students even brought a pillow or a stuffed friend to enjoy the day with them. While watching the movie, they snacked on cookies and milk. Oh, what fun to be in Kindergarten!

Have a great weekend and maybe take some advice from our Kindergarteners. Enjoy a pajama-movie day at home!

Today, the students had the opportunity to shop at our Santa's Workshop. The PTO provided many reasonable gifts for students to purchase. The items ranged from Mom, Dad, and Grandparent gifts to gifts for the family pet. S & T was here selling various Poland items. The students will have an opportunity to shop again tomorrow and a make-up day is scheduled for Friday morning. Many thanks to Mrs. Klase, Mrs. Szolek, and the many volunteers that helped with this Holiday shopping day!

The musical notes of the High School Wind Ensemble filled our gym today. Mr. Olesko and Mr. Hvizdos along with their band students paid a visit to our school. North was treated to many Holiday songs along with the theme to Pirates of the Caribbean. The High School students showed us the various instruments and how each one sounds. Five lucky North students had the opportunity to perform with the Ensemble, helping with percussion. The music was enjoyed by all and definitely put us in the Holiday spirit.

Our 3rd Graders had their "Holiday Happening" today for parents and grandparents. The program started with a poem that spelled out "Merry Christmas" followed by some Holiday songs. The final part of the event was a craft project. The students and their special person made a snowman wreath. Thank you to all who attended.

Today, the students brought home a paper about "Operation Stay Warm" that our PTO has started. They are asking for gently worn, clean winter coats that your family has outgrown. These coats will be donated to a local elementary school that is in need. There is a box located in our lobby where they can be dropped off. On December 16th, the coats will be delivered to the elementary school. I will be talking to the students on Monday about this community project, as it will be our Act of Kindness assignment for the week.

This weekend is our last few days of our fundraiser at Five Below, next to Target. If you plan on shopping there, please hand the flier to the cashier so that 10% of your sale is donated to North. Thank you.

The students are enjoying a new book about friendship, Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. The book is the first in the series and explains how Ivy and Bean became friends. Bean's mom tries to encourage her to become friends with the new girl in the neighborhood, Ivy. Bean wants nothing to do with her because she looks boring! When Bean's plan to trick her sister fails, Ivy comes to her rescue. We will continue to read this book to find out if a lasting friendship can form.

Thank you to the PTO for the delicious dishes for our luncheon. It was so nice to see so many of you join us today.

Tomorrow is our December PTO Meeting and Luncheon. It will begin at 11:00. We will be finalizing all the plans for the Santa's Workshop and our Winter Festival. Please remember to bring the side dish that you volunteered to make. We look forward to seeing many of you here!

Please return all of the Scrip gift card orders tomorrow. This will be the last time to order until the Spring. We will have the gift cards to you before the Winter Break. Thank you for supporting the PTO!

Last month, Armstrong came to North and filmed a Kids Corner episode with our 3rd Grade students. Miss Krista read a story that was set in the Civil War era titled Vinnie and Abraham by Dawn Fitzgerald. After the story, the students were encouraged to create their own statue using flour, water and salt. This episode will air December 5th-December 18th on Channel 20. The times were sent home today with the 3rd Grade students.

The Act of Kindness assignment this week needs your permission to use the phone. I have told the kids to call a Grandparent or relative and tell them how much they mean to them. Call Grandpa and say: "I really like spending time with you." Or call Grandma and say: "Thanks for letting me bake cookies with you. I really enjoy it." Kind words can mean so much!

Earlier this week, a red flier came home with your child regarding a fundraiser at 5 Below. Starting today through December 11th, the store is donating 10% of all sales to North. The store is located next to Target in the Shops at Boardman Park. Just remember to hand the cashier the flier as you check-out. Please feel free to make copies to give to family members or friends as they begin their Holiday shopping. Thank you for your support.

We kept with our character trait of 'Generosity' today and read the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. In this beautifully written story, the tree is continuously giving of itself to the boy. It begins with the tree giving of its' leaves, apples, and branches to swing from and this brings the tree great happiness. As the boy ages, the tree gives all it has until it is a stump that cannot give anything more. All the tree has left is a place to sit down. The boy takes this offer and the tree is happy once more. It is a well-written story that portrays our character trait throughout the book.

This morning I was preparing the students for the December character trait of 'Generosity'. The students helped me define the trait as "giving to others". This does not have to be a gift that is bought at a store but could be something such as love or friendship. I shared a story of a girl, Shifra Mincer, who began her generosity in the 6th grade. She began by volunteering at a homeless shelter with her teacher and students from her class. Her generosity grew to mending the clothes of the homeless that were torn or ripped. She then began making pillows for babies in the hospital and the elderly. Shifra willingly gave away her gift of sewing to others to make their day. What an inspiration!

Today we enjoyed the book If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff. The mouse was taken to a movie theater and asked for some popcorn. This popcorn started a sequence of events for him and the boy which led them back to the movie theater. There are many other books by this author that your children may enjoy. In fact some students may be bringing some of these books home tomorrow after library.
Today, another Scrip gift card order form came home. Many were asking for a repeat of this sale closer to the holidays. The sale will end in time for you to receive the gift cards before Winter Break.

Welcome back after a well-eaten and well-rested break. The students this morning shared their favorite dish that they ate for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie was a big winner with the school. Many of the students went to see new movie releases this weekend so we turned our morning into a movie critic time. The students held up 'thumbs-up' or 'thumbs-down' depending on if they liked the movie or not. It seems as if The Muppet movie was a huge hit with those that saw it. I look forward to seeing it with my family.

The Act of Kindness Assignment for this week is to say "Good morning", "Good afternoon", or "Have a nice day" to their bus driver. They were told to make sure to say it with a smile!

I enjoyed hearing the notes of thanks that the students passed out as their Act of Kindness assignment. Most of the notes sent were because a family member helped with homework or sat and read a story with them. I encouraged the students to continue this assignment and show thanks to the person who prepares their feast this Thursday.
I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the time with family and friends. I will see you on November 28th.

At the end of October, I blogged about classrooms making ornaments out of recycled materials for the Green Team. One of our very own classes won the contest and will receive a birdhouse. There were 417 ornaments turned in from 15 teachers across our county. Some of the school districts besides Poland that participated were Campbell, Canfield, and Struthers. The winning class for this contest is Mrs. Metzger's 1st Grade class. Congratulations to them! Their tree ornaments made from empty toilet paper rolls were a hit! They have graciously said they will be sharing the birdhouse with the school as it makes its way to our courtyard.

Just a reminder, conferences will be held tomorrow with no school on Wednesday.

Our 1st graders celebrated their annual Pilgrim and Indian Day. The celebration involved many fun activities. The students enjoyed making vests, turkey magnets and coloring pages. At the tepee station, the students enjoyed some snacks while sitting on a blanket with friends. The students even decorated their own cookie with icing and sprinkles. It was a festive way to end the week. Thank you to all the parents that volunteered their time or donated items for this special day.

Our morning announcements have included a Magic Tree House book, Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne. As the characters, Jack and Annie, travel back to the 1st Thanksgiving, they realize that the Pilgrim children had many chores. Unfortunately, Jack and Annie do not know how to do the chores the Pilgrim way and are ruining the important holiday. We will find out next week if the first Thanksgiving feast will happen even with their help.

I would like to extend a special 'Thank You' to all the parents and grandparents that were able to visit North today. It was so nice to see so many able to attend.

Tomorrow will be our Parent Visitation for all grades. This is an opportunity for parents to visit their child's classroom to celebrate American Education Week. Please follow the schedule below for the designated times.
Kindergarten: 9:00-10:00
1st and 2nd Grades: 10:00-11:00
3rd and 4th Grades: 11:00-12:00
We look forward to seeing you!

North is entered into a National can contest, the Great American Can Round-up. This contest begins today and continues through April 4th. The great news about saving our aluminum cans is that it counts for the National contest and our local Green Team contest. The National contest is awarding $1,000 per state winner and $5,000 for one National top recycling school winner. Please encourage family and friends to help North with this recycling effort. All cans can be dropped off at our custodian’s door next to the dumpster. Thank you for your help.

Welcome back after a wonderful weather weekend. Many of the students said they enjoyed a 'leaf jumping' weekend. What a perfect few days to be outside enjoying that activity! The students were given their kindness assignment today. They are to write a note of thanks to someone. This note can be to a family member for helping with homework or playing a game. The students can write a note of thanks to their teacher or bus driver. We will be talking about this assignment next Tuesday, November 22nd. What a great way to celebrate our way of showing gratitude.
Today is the American Red Cross Blood Drive. I sent home reminders on Friday if you made appointments or volunteered to work. Thank you for your help with this life-saving effort.

Armstrong Cable paid a visit to our school today. They read a book called, Vinnie and Abraham. The story was about a girl who started sculpting at a very young age and created a statue of Abraham Lincoln. One of her sculptures of Abraham Lincoln is still on display in Washington D.C. Quite an amazing story. The third graders then created their own sculptures that they will be bringing home. Thanks again to Armstrong and I will let you know when the episode will air on Channel 20.
Report cards are making their way to your house today. Please sign and return them in their envelope as soon as possible. Thank you.

The JJ Brothers were at our school today for an assembly. The 2 authors talked to the students about the importance of the writing process while incorporating lots of funny acts. The students had many laughs as they were taught about adjectives. Two of our 4th grade students were included in the program to stress the importance of spelling. The students will have an opportunity to purchase a few of their books if they choose. The order forms will be making their way home by tomorrow. Thanks to the PTO for providing this entertaining assembly!

Today, I had the pleasure of reading to all the 1st-4th grade classrooms during their library time. The 1st and 2nd graders enjoyed the story The Wall by Eve Bunting. It tells of a little boy and his father visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. They were looking for the boy's grandfather's name on the wall. After finding it, they did a rubbing of the name and left the boy's picture there in remembrance of the grandfather.
The 3rd and 4th graders heard the story, America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven. The book describes the tradition of setting a white table in honor of all the men and women who have served our country. The table is set with items and the importance of what they symbolize. The salt symbolizes the tears of the families and the empty chair symbolizes the missing soldiers who are not present. Ask your child about these books.
Just a reminder,TGIFridays PTO Fundraiser is today. Please bring the coupon with you so that our organization gets 20% of the total bill. Thanks again.

Last month, our 2nd grade students were treated to a story and craft by Armstrong Cable. This lesson will be airing on Channel 20 now though November 20th. The Kids Corner episode airs at different times and days. The 2nd grade students brought home a schedule of all the days and times. Our 3rd grade students will be having a story and craft lesson this Friday. We thank Armstrong for visiting our school.

Just a reminder, tomorrow is the last day to return your SCRIP gift card order. Please make all checks payable to Poland North PTO. Thanks again for your support.

The kindness assignment for this week is to cheer someone up when you see them in a sad or bad mood. The students will have to be very observant of others to complete this assignment. I gave them some examples to help them understand. One of the examples was giving up the t.v. remote to Dad, if he has had a bad day at work, without him asking for it. Another idea is to ask an older brother/sister to play their favorite game if they need some cheering up. I look forward to hearing the successful stories on Friday.

Tomorrow is 'Election Day'. Please remember to cast your vote.

Today, each student will be coming home with a YSU ticket voucher. This can be redeemed for 2 General Admission Women's regular season basketball home game. The voucher will need to be taken to the YSU Athletic Ticket Office prior to the game day. Thank you to the basketball players who read to our students. It was quite a special treat.
Just a reminder, all SCRIP orders for gift cards are due with payment on Wednesday, November 9th.

Yesterday our 1st through 4th grade classrooms were treated to a story time by the YSU girls' basketball team. Each class enjoyed a few stories, asked questions to the girls, and then were able to check out their library books. The YSU girls will return on Friday to treat our Kindergarten to their story time. We appreciate the time they spent with our North students. We wish the YSU girls luck as they begin their basketball season!

Tonight at 6:30 is our November PTO meeting. Hope you can make it.

Sorry about no blog being posted on Wednesday. There were computer complications with the system.

Today, the students are coming home with a paper about a new program sponsored by our PTO. It is called the SCRIP program. There are gift cards listed from various places. Each card sold, will donate a percentage to North's PTO. For example, I can buy a Barnes and Noble gift card for $25 and the school will receive 8.74% of the sale. The percentages our school will receive from each purchase is marked on the sheet. The program ends November 9th. The gift cards will be distributed a few weeks after that date. Please consider ordering a few gift cards and help the PTO raise additional money for North. Thank you!

Thank you for all who showed up today for our Halloween parade. I always enjoy seeing the unique costumes! The rain, thankfully, held off for us to stay dry. I encouraged the students, as they are trick-or-treating, to stay with the adult that is walking with them. I will be staying warm and passing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. Have a safe and fun evening.

The Act of Kindness assignment for the week is for the students to help with the dishes. To my surprise, many raised their hands to tell that they already do this as a chore at home. The students will be able to share more about this assignment on Friday.

On Monday, we will be celebrating Halloween in the afternoon. The parade will begin at 1:15 followed by the classroom parties. The students are to bring their costumes in a bag and they will change into them before the parade. Any make-up or face painting needs to be done at home before coming to school in the morning. Those students who have returned the permission slip will leave with the person designated. All other students will be dismissed as usual. Let's hope for sunshine so that our parade can be outside!

Today we had an assembly presented by the American Red Cross. Mr. Tim, along with his friend, Buddy, talked to us about the importance of adults donating blood. Every student will be coming home with information about how to register on-line for our Blood Drive on November 14th. The Red Cross will be here 2:00p.m.-7:00p.m. for all that would like to donate. Each person that donates helps save 3 people. The students who get a person to donate will be entered to win a Cleveland Cavaliers ticket. Thank you for your help with this very important cause.

The students have been enjoying a Jigsaw Jones Mystery book called The Case of the Spooky Sleepover. Jigsaw and his partner, Mila, are called into action to help a friend. Their friend, Ralphie, thinks his house is haunted. To help solve the case, Jigsaw spends the night at Ralphie's house and brings his trusty dog, Rags, along too. Soon the 3 of them will piece the clues together and discover whether Ralphie's house is truly haunted. If your child liked this story, the Jigsaw Jones series is a good way to encourage independent reading at home.

It is not too late to send in veteran's pictures. Please remember to put your child's name on the back of each picture so that they can be returned. Our "Hero Wall" is looking good!

Some of our classrooms decided to enter the "Design an Ornament" contest sponsored by the Green Team. The classrooms needed to brainstorm ideas for creating ornaments from reused materials. The classrooms chose to use a variety of materials such as cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, and items found in nature. The ornaments will be used to decorate Christmas trees at Fellows Riverside Gardens and other public locations. This is their creativity at its best!