EAGLE'S NEST PTA NEWS Volume 19, Issue 2 A FIVE STAR SCHOOL OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE December 2014 INSIDE Hughes News ……1 Dress Pass ……2 Cooks Night Out ……2 President’s Message ……3 Super Slice ……4 Counselor’s Corner ……4 Coordinator’s Comments……5 Incentives ……7 Contest Themes ……7 Who to Call ……7 Chocolate Sales ……8 Magnet Apps ……10 2014-2015 EDEN GARDENS PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD President Amy Watts Vice President Kristen Parsons Second VP Jan Hughes Recording Secretary Kristy Payne Corresponding Secretary Heather Adcock Treasurer Sarah Hamauei Chaplin Neely Wright Teacher Rep Sydney Allen EDEN GARDENS PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS Wednesday, January 7th Wednesday, March 4th Wednesday, April 22nd Held in the Eden Gardens Library at Noon Wednesday, May 6th East Ridge Country Club at 11:30 Hughes News __________________________________________________________ Dear Parents, It’s impossible for me to comprehend that this is the last newsletter article that I will be writing to you as principal of Eden Gardens. What a wonderful journey I have been on the last 33 years! As I’ve said many times, I feel very blessed to have been a part of such an excellent school, working with the best parents and students anywhere. We have accomplished so many things together, forging partnerships that will linger long after I have gone. I have so many memories—from my first day as principal to my last few days of good-byes. That first year, my prayer was that we did not end up on the front page of The Times, or the subject of an in-depth report from one of the news channels! The newness was quickly forgotten as we began the job of making Eden Gardens a very special place for children. We have achieved so many academic accomplishments— reaching the pinnacle of educational success in 2011, as we were recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. We have worked sideby-side in our fund-raising efforts, putting SmartBoards in every classroom—now our goal is to get iPad labs for each grade level. You have been there every step of the way, working hours and hours to support the activities that generated the funds to make our technology need a reality. The honors and achievements have been so memorable, but the memories I most cherish are not found on a plaque, or in a newspaper article. Those are the memories of you and your children. The hugs, the special notes, the understanding hearts, and the joy of simply spending time in the world of children have made Newsletter 1 DRESS PASS December 18th (Christmas) January 29th (Sports or sports colors) February 12th (Valentine’s Day) March 31st ( Spring and Easter) If dressing in a holiday t-shirt doesn’t appeal to you, then you can wear your favorite sports team themed shirt. It can be your own shirt from a team that you play on or your favorite sports team that you like to cheer on. such a difference in my life. I don’t know what I will do when I no longer start each day greeting and hugging your sweet eagles! Thank you all for the love, support and generosity you have shown me. You will always be a part of me, as my heart will always remember this very special place. Fondly, Jan Hughes COOKS NIGHT OUT JANUARY 20TH 5PM -10PM PAPA MURPHY’S LINE AVE. TH FEBRUARY 26 5PM -8PM CHICK-FIL-A YOUREE __________ I have had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Hughes for 16 ½ years at Eden Gardens. She was the counselor when I was hired to teach fourth grade and then she became principal. When I joined the Eagle family, I only had two years of experience under my belt. I was newly married, and did not have any children of my own. To say I had a lot to learn is an understatement, and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow as an educator. Mrs. Hughes has always understood the difficulty in balancing a family and school, and she has done everything she could do to help me manage both. I have learned so much from her about what it means to be a leader and an effective teacher. She has never been afraid to try new things and step out of her comfort zone if it was in the best interest of children. Embracing technology, she has brought so many valuable technology tools into our school that will impact learning for years to come. She has a wonderful talent for writing and communicating with people. She has seen things in me that I could not see for myself, and she has always encouraged me to further my education and develop professionally. I have not only worked with her, but she has been the principal of both of my children. She has known them since they were born, and she has nurtured them and guided them every step of their education journey. I will miss seeing her in the nest each day. She leaves behind a building full of teachers, staff, and children that have learned so much from her. I know we will do our best to keep striving for excellence and make our fearless leader proud in the years to come. Thank you Jan, for your dedication and service to the thousands of students, parents, faculty, and staff members you have touched along your journey. May you be blessed as you have been a blessing! Stacy Erwin Newsletter 2 GREETINGS FROM YOUR PTA This holiday season, may we all remember how truly blessed we are to be part of Eden Gardens- it is so much fun to be an Eagle! Our teachers, students, and parents have all worked together so we could have another wonderful fall at our school. The holiday spirit is taking over the Eagle nest and our teachers are making sure each student will soar into 2015! As you have heard, Mrs. Hughes is retiring at the end of this month. She has been an enormous blessing to Eden Gardens for over 30 years, having served as a teacher, counselor, and principal. She has touched the lives of many people- students, teachers, and parents. We wish her well in her retirement- she will certainly be missed! We have been very busy in the Garden this fall: Kristy Payne and the Welcoming Committee planned a very successful Open House, and there are many that are eager to be Eagles next year! Many thanks to Christy Griffin and her Carnival Committee for putting on a funfilled Luau in the Garden, and Kelly Stratton and Olivia Showalter provided fun and prizes at the Silent Auction. Suzanne Cutty rounded out our Carnival team and coordinated all the food for our Luau. Helen Wise and the Book Fair Committee turned the library into the kingdom of Read-a-lot for a week. All students had an opportunity to be princes and princesses of Reading! I cannot thank enough all of the parents who made each of these events so much fun and successful! Our PTA Membership Drive finished strong, thanks to Kristin Parsons. Many thanks also to Elizabeth Holtsclaw for the countless hours she spent getting our school directory up and running ONLINE! Parissa Zamani headed up the very popular Holiday Dress Pass. Kendra Meiki has been working with Mrs. Roach to coordinate Accelerated Reader treat days. Kristin Parsons has collected and submitted our Reflections entries- Congratulations to all our winners and Good Luck in District! Terri Lux has done an outstanding job maintaining our website. Jennifer Rossi has been collecting donations for the Eagle Society- it’s not too late to donate, and all donations are taxdeductible! Sarah Hamauei has spent hours keeping all of our finances in line on all our projects and events. Lannie Henderson worked hard to ensure another fun Blue Ribbon Day. Lindsey Smith and Kelly Stratton are planning another great EGM Fun Run. And without Rachel Jacobs, you would not be reading this wonderful newsletter! Please remember Eden Gardens in your year-end giving. We would like to have another iPad lab in place before the end of the school year so we can be prepared when testing goes to a computer-based format. Great schools are always evaluating the changing needs of their students, and Eden Gardens is no exception. Thank you so much for your support of our PTA in 2014, and we look forward to a fabulous 2015! Eden Gardens Website: www.edengardensmagnet.com District PTA Meetings January 22nd April 16th School Board Central Office 9:00 -10:00 Visit PTA Websites Educational Resources for Parents pta.org - National PTA louisiana.org – Louisiana PTA caddodistrictpat.org – Caddo Parish PTA Newsletter 3 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Amy Watts, PTA President Outstanding Student of the Year Finalists Congratulations to the following students who were nominated as finalists for the Eden Gardens Outstanding Student of the Year: Neelie Lim Autumn Moore Kiley Rourke Emerson Roberts Ruhani Sachdeva Gergely Szarvas ___________________________ As we prepare for the holiday season, here are some tips to think about! Tips For Parents: Making Holidays Special by Jan Levinson Gilman, Ph.D. As a parent of young children, you These students were selected using Caddo Parish SOTY Procedures. They will participate in essay writing and interviews during the month of December and one of them will be chosen as Eden Gardens Outstanding Student of the Year. They will represent Eden Gardens at the parish competition. What a fine group of boys and girls!!!!! We are so proud of you. probably share an almost universal desire to make holidays special for your children. You also may have to overcome certain obstacles in creating your own special experiences with your children such as finances, distance from family members, and the special circumstances created by divorce, step-parenting, and blended __________________________ families. Many parents work overtime during the holidays only to find themselves frustrated by the experience and doubtful that the end "result" was particularly meaningful to their children. While it's difficult to determine exactly what special means to any one child, here are some guide lines which are most likely applicable to your family. 1. Develop traditions. Create activities which are special to your family. They need not be elaborate or costly, but they need to be enjoyable and reflective of your family. Traditions can be as simple as a special recipe that everyone associates with the family holiday to an elaborate vacation or special event in which everybody participates. Some family holiday meals consist of recipes that the parents enjoyed when they were children or foods that are reflective of their culture. The opportunity for everyone to participate in the preparation of the meal may become part of a tradition. Traditions may NEWS 4 naturally develop around certain activities such as finding a Christmas tree or they may be deliberately planned in order to make the holiday special. Once formed, these traditional activities contribute to a sense of identity and uniqueness for your children about their family holiday. Season’s Greetings, Eagles!! Time sure does fly when we are having fun! As we prepare to end the first semester, it is a great time to reflect on student progress and attendance. If you have not already done so, please sign up via our district website (www.caddoschools.org) to gain access to the JCampus parent portal. Through the parent portal, you may keep up with your child’s grades and academic standing from your home or smartphone. If you need directions for signing up, please let me know, and I will send the directions home with your child. ATTENDANCE Please continue to make every effort to get your child(ren) to school on time. The tardy bell rings at 7:55 daily. If your child arrives at school after 7:55, please plan to walk him/her to the office and sign them in. The first few minutes of instruction are just as pivotal as the lesson closure, so it is very important that children arrive early enough to be seated and ready to begin each day. UPCOMING UNIVERSAL SCREENERS SUBJECT Reading Math SCREENER DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Aimsweb Writing Aimsweb DATE(S) January 26, 2015 January 20 – 30, 2015 January 20 – 30, 2015 GRADE(S) K-5 K–5 2-5 EUREKA MATH HOMEWORK HELP For Eureka Math tips and homework help, please visit our district website: www.caddoschools.org. Click on the link, STUDENT/PARENTS, and select “Eureka Math Homework Help.” Here, you will find resources for each grade level separated according to each module. 2. Keep the scope of your plans within the scope of your resources. Holidays are double duty for most parents. What parent hasn't wondered where the extra time will come from to shop, wrap presents, cook, and plan and attend special events? What parent hasn't wished for that mythical homemaker of the 1950 sitcoms to be dropped on their doorstep to complete all the family's holiday preparation in a timely manner? Short of granting that wish, be realistic about the scope of your plans. If you are hurried and stressed your personal contribution to your children's holiday may be your short temper and irritability rather than your patience and enthusiasm. 3. Be sensitive to your children's wishes. This is the time of year when it's difficult to avoid the many conflicting issues between parents and children. This is often true when children become teen-agers and the value of family time changes. Blended and divorced families pose special challenges for the holidays. Children often lose the delight and excitement of the holidays and instead feel the demands of making all their parents happy. If you anticipate any of these circumstances, plan ahead. Discuss with your children how they and you will spend their time. 4. Help your children understand the value and the meaning of the holidays. Don't rely upon others to convey the meaning to your children; do it yourself. Talking about your own personal meaning is important. If the holidays are a religious experience for you, impart that by your religious practice; if it's a sharing experience, provide your child an opportunity to share; if it's a predominant family reunion experience, provide a reunion for your child. 5. Finally, have fun yourself. Don't expect perfection. Remember just as your child doesn't need or want a perfect parent, neither do they need a perfect holiday... just a good enough day will do. Children Helping Children Sharing the spirit of the holidays with other children has become a tradition at Eden Gardens. “Children Helping Children” allows our students to focus on giving rather than receiving. Our project this year will focus on sharing our love with the students at J S Clark Elementary School. We will be collecting new clothing items to give to the students. What a wonderful way to really share “The Reason for the Season.” Thank you for supporting this project. NEWS 5 Incentives Congratulations to our Reflections Contest Winners: Literature Category: Primary Division Elizabeth Watts Intermediate Division Hadley Bailey Jack Parsons Photography Category Primary Division Aubrey Strong Intermediate Division Emma Grace Strong Visual Arts Category Primary Division Anna Slaughter It’s time to turn your trash in to cash for our amazing school. Every year, Eden Gardens collects Box Tops, Labels for Education, Coke Caps, Community Coffee, Tyson A+, and Prang Power UPCs. UPCs are turned in during both our fall and spring contests. The fall contest runs from Sept 2nd until Oct 25th. Anything submitted past this date should be saved for the spring contest. Please send all items inside a baggie that includes your both child and teachers name. Awards will go to the top earning classes/grade and to the three top earning students school wide!! Please trim collections prior to submitting without removing the expiration date. Please do not send expired Box Tops. Any Box Tops with an expiration date of July 2014 or older, cannot be accepted. All other collection UPCs, e.g. Labels for Education, etc., do not expire! Don’t Forget: Target Red Card visit: www.Target.com/tcoe to link your card to EGM. Our Target ID is: 55280 Kroger visit: www.krogercommunityrewards.com to designate your Kroger Plus card points to EGM. The Incentives Committee: Susan Easley, Jamie Wilhelm, Shannon Wicklund, Molly Fouts, Christy Walford, Jodi Guthikonda, Alex Sanders, Kayla Patrick, Lacey Whited, and Marissa Still. Congratulations to our schoolwide winners! Their entries will represent Eden Gardens at the Parish level! Way to go Eagles!! The Saftey Drawing Contest theme this year “Stranger Danger” Deadline: December 19th We would love to know about your Super Student. Please email Rachel Jacobs at [email protected] with awards and accomplishments. _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Class Pictures in uniforms 8:30am (3rd - 5th Grades) January 20th 9:30am (1st & 2nd Grades) NEWS 6 Jan. 21 Magnet school testing for Kindergarten at EGM Jan. Magnet school testing for Kindergarten & CMM at 23 EGM Jan. 26 Who to Call??? Who Will Help??? Jan Hughes, Principal Any Schoolwide suggestions, ideas concerns Sydney Allen, Principal Any concerns related to your child, such as: Enrollment/Registration questions Contract/contract renewal Questions about standardized testing Gateway questions/referral information Counseling for a child Moving - Need copy of school records Questions about health card, social security card, or fees Social Studies Fair projects to school Jan. 29 Chocolate distributed to students Jan. 30 Social Studies Fair Judging Feb. 2 World's Finest Chocolate Sale begins Felecia Gipson, Coordinator Any curriculum related questions required for each student. Lost textbook or workbook information Parent Resource Center information Homework questions Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Transportation concerns DIBELS Next testing for K-3rd students DSC Testing for K students Substitute Information All Schoolwide professional development After School Tutoring Educational resources for parents School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Plan Mrs. Hughes has been my co-worker for 32 years. She has been my friend for even longer. I love my job and to have a boss to love as well is icing on the cupcake! Jan has worked hard to make Eden Gardens the school we all love. Mrs. Hughes is the reason we are a Blue Ribbon School. In November 2011, I had the honor of accompanying her to Washington D.C. to receive this award for our school.The children thought I was chosen because I was the oldest teacher. There was some truth to that but I had the honor because I have been at Eden Gardens the longest. Mrs. Hughes is passionate about the children and what is best for them. The children are her first consideration in every decision made. Jan's sweet smile warms our hearts daily. You can always count on her to understand any situation that occurs in the classroom because she has been there and she somehow makes you feel better! It may have something to do with that sweet smile. I will miss popping my head in her door to chat and ask about her family. I will miss her friendship and her leadership. Jan Hughes will always be a part of our Eden Gardens family. We love you, Mrs. Hughes! Lana Gilliam Susan Foley, Secretary/Bookkeeper SchoolPay- Online payment system for parents Another copy of school letter or communication Money related questions (T-shirts, yearbooks, pictures, directories, etc.) Message to teachers Questions about monthly calendar events Lisa Calhoun, Office Clerk Absences, attendance, tardy Any EGM website information, concerns, advertising Change of address Homework for an ill child WebPAMS questions Transportation information Change in transportation plans Your Child’s Teacher Academic progress or concerns Playground or peer concerns Report card questions or corrections AR reading updates/testing/goals/ ZPD Levels Cafeteria - Ms. Phillips (318) 861-6848 Questions about individual accounts Special dietary requirements NEWS 7 Dear Mrs. Hughes, I am speaking for faculty, parents, fellow students, and myself when I say you are the best principal in the entire world! I appreciate everything you put into Eden Gardens to make us #1. Also, you’re always doing whatever possible to make everybody happy. I want to thank you for organizing all of our events like our pep rallies and Blue Ribbon celebrations. Everyone knows how hard your job is, but I want to tell you how awesome you are doing by making it look easy. If you have any questions contact, Angela Green [email protected] I remember my first day at Eden Gardens in second grade when you greeted me with open arms and told me I was going to be fine at a time when I was very nervous. Most of all, you should know how much you contribute to our education. You make sure we are surrounded with the best teachers, counselors, coordinators and everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, you make it look easy when it is a pretty hard thing to do, especially with how many teachers and students we have. Eventually, it is worth it because we students are going to end up with amazing jobs someday. __________________ I just want you to know that everything you have done and every choice you have made contributes to our school, Eden Gardens. Remember, you are so amazing and have done a great job being our principal. Lastly, you should know you set us off on the best foot you possibly could and you are leaving us in the warmest hands imaginable! You are sweet, caring, loving, and wise, and just a wonderful person all around! Love, Emerson Roberts 5th Grade NEWS 8 Mrs. Hughes loves the children at Eden Gardens! NEWS 9 Dear Mrs. Hughes, Thank you so much for your support of the PTA over the years. We have worked together to accomplish many goals that most would consider unattainable. Our collaborative efforts have placed SmartBoards in every classroom, purchased 2 iPad labs, made numerous upgrades to the computer lab, made security improvements, and countless other endeavors. It takes a group effort to be successful, and you have fostered positive relationships between school personnel and the PTA to maximize the educational experiences for ALL students. I am forever grateful for the opportunities my children have had at EGM and the foundation you laid for them to be successful in the future. You have equipped us well for what lies ahead in the garden. Much Love, Amy Watts Magnet Applications will be available at Eden Gardens and Caddo Parish websites October 13, 2014 -January 9, 2015. Applications will be accepted at Eden Gardens in that same time period, until 3:00PM on January 9, 2015. Testing will be held at Eden Gardens January 21, 23, and 27. NEWS 10
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