Here Comes December...

THIS WEEK:

Staff Room Clean-up Crew: Kim F, Karen G, Katrina W

11/29 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room

11/29 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Almai, Stephanie, Teena, Jim, Chrystie

11/30 Tues. - Char and Almai at School Board Study Session, 9-11, ESC Pioneer

11/30 Tues. - Cultural Explorers, 2:46-3:45 PM, Gym

12/1 Wed. - Individual Planning LIC; Walking School Bus

12/1 Wed. - PSD Diversity, 3:30-5 PM, ESC Pioneer

12/2 Thurs. - Report Cards due by 3 PM to Char or Almai for review

12/3 Fri. - Character Trait Assembly: Leadership, 9-9:30 Intermediate, 10-10:30 Primary (Remember to bring your leadership mind map to the assembly.)

IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR ALL STAFF:

If you haven't gotten the training on Boundary Invasion that was delivered at the last staff meetting, please come see Almai, Christina or LouAnn by Wednesday morning. It takes about 5 minutes at the most. Remember to sign on the "Staff Sign-in Sheet." Thank you to some of you who have notified Almai already if you received the training in another school.

ENTERING THE BUILDING DURING NON-SCHOOL HOURS OR AFTER THE ALARM HAS ALREADY BEEN TURNED ON

To enter the building after it has already been secured or armed with the alarm, just wave your badge on the black pad outside of the building. This will unlock the single door to let you in. Upon entry, you'll hear the alarm's continuing beeping sound. Wave your badge to the white pad and the beeping sound should stop. Remember to sign-in just like before. When you're leaving and after signing-out, just wave your badge in front of the white pad. The alarm message window will let you know that the system is now armed and it'll count down from one minute.

COMING UP:

Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/6): Christina G., Mary H., Brian W.

12/6 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Jackie, Marlene, Angelo, Stacy, Kim M.

12/7 Tues. - Report Cards are sent home today.

12/8 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus

12/9 Thurs. - Char and Almai at PEP and then Region 2 Elementary Nuts and Bolts, 8-12, ESC Pioneer

12/10 Fri. - PTA Date/Movie Night, 6-9 PM, Gym

12/10 Fri. - Staff Holiday Party, 6:30 PM, the Krause's Residence

Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/13): Jennifer H., Chrystie J., Melanie W.

12/13 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Christina, Joy, Missy, Kim F.

12/13 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room

12/13 Mon. - CSIP Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library; Co-op Board, 5-6:30 PM, Library; PSD School Board, 6:30 PM, Ballou; PTA Board, 7:00 PM, Library

12/14 Tues. - Char, Almai and LouAnn at ASB Workshop all day

12/14 Tues. - Staff Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library

12/15 Wed. - Principal-directed LIC; Walking School Bus; District Reading Cadre, 4-5:30, Shaw Road Library

12/17 Fri. - last school day for the year 2010; school resumes January 3rd, Monday

REPEATED POSTS:

FIRGROVE GIVES BACK...CLOTHING DRIVE DECEMBER 4TH!!!

Firgrove PTA is hosting a huge clothing drive "give-away" to support families in need this December 4th. If you have clothing items, including shoes, hats, gloves or accessories to donate please bring them in to support the cause! This wonderful event will be open to the general public on December 4th between 11am and 4pm, and by counselor invitation only to select families and foster families from 8:30-11:00 am. If you have questions please contact a member of PTA or Jackie.

REMEMBER... Remember to include the late start directions for teachers into your substitute notebook. Also, be sure to cut and paste the message to parents into your next newsletter! All school closure information will come directly from our PSD Communications Office via SchoolMessenger, as well as posted on the PSD website.

What are you thankful for?

Hector in Melanie Martin's 3rd grade classroom writes with a thankful voice! Check it out in the hall!

Second grade turkey artwork is beautiful!

Thankful at Firgrove

THIS WEEK:

11/22 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Char, Angie, Megan, Wendy J, Claire

11/22 Mon. - PSD School Board, 6:30 PM, Ballou Commons
11/23 Tues. - Picture Retakes on the stage
11/23 Tues. - Char and Almai at Region 2 K-12 Nuts and Bolts, 7:00-9:00 AM, Zeiger
11/24 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus
11/25 Thurs. - Thankgiving Break, No School
11/26 Fri. - Thankgiving Break, No School

COMING UP:
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/29): Kim F, Karen G, Katrina W
11/29 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room
11/29 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Almai, Stephanie, Teena, Jim, Chrystie 11/30 Tues. - Char and Almai at School Board Study Session, 9-11, ESC Pioneer
11/30 Tues. - Cultural Explorers, 2:46-3:45 PM, Gym
12/1 Wed. - Individual Planning LIC; Walking School Bus
12/1 Wed. - PSD Diversity, 3:30-5 PM, ESC Pioneer
12/3 Fri. - Character Trait Assembly: Leadership, 9-9:30 Intermediate, 10-10:30 Primary (Remember to bring your leadership mind map to the assembly.)
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/6): Christina G., Mary H., Brian W.
12/6 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Jackie, Marlene, Angelo, Stacy, Kim M.
12/8 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus
12/9 Thurs. - Char and Almai at PEP and then Region 2 Elementary Nuts and Bolts, 8-12, ESC Pioneer
12/10 Fri. - PTA Date/Movie Night, 6-9 PM, Gym
12/10 Fri. - Staff Holiday Party, 6:30 PM, the Krause's Residence
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/13): Jennifer H., Chrystie J., Melanie W.
12/13 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Christina, Joy, Missy, Kim F.
12/13 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room
12/13 Mon. - CSIP Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library; Co-op Board, 5-6:30 PM, Library; PSD School Board, 6:30 PM, Ballou; PTA Board, 7:00 PM, Library
12/14 Tues. - Char, Almai and LouAnn at ASB Workshop all day
12/14 Tues. - Staff Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library
12/15 Wed. - Principal-directed LIC; Walking School Bus; District Reading Cadre, 4-5:30, Shaw Road Library
12/17 Fri. - last school day for the year 2010; school resumes January 3rd, Monday

FIRGROVE GIVES BACK...CLOTHING DRIVE DECEMBER 4TH!!!
Firgrove PTA is hosting a huge clothing drive "give-away" to support families in need this December 4th. If you have clothing items, including shoes, hats, gloves or accessories to donate please bring them in to support the cause! This wonderful event will be open to the general public on December 4th between 11am and 4pm, and by counselor invitation only to select families and foster families from 8:30-11:00 am. If you have questions please contact a member of PTA or Jackie.

REMEMBER...
Remember to include the late start directions for teachers into your substitute notebook. Also, be sure to cut and paste the message to parents into your next newsletter! All school closure information will come directly from our PSD Communications Office via SchoolMessenger, as well as posted on the PSD website.

Firgrove Thanksgiving Feast this week!!

THIS WEEK:
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/15): Kay dV, Cecilia D, Kaarin V
11/15 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Terry, Melanie, Kay, Jennifer A, Wes
11/15 Mon. - Harbor WildWatch Workshops in some classes - pre-arranged earlier with Almai
11/16 Tues. - Staff Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library
11/17 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus; Firgrove Thanksgiving Feast (12-1, Staff Lounge); Char and Almai at PSD Administrative Meeting, 4-5:15, Mt. View Community Ctr.
11/18 Thurs. - First Grade Literacy & Lending Library Night
11/19 Fri. - PTA Bingo Night, 6-8 PM, Gym
11/19 Fri. - Char and Almai at Superintendent class, 5-9 PM, ESC

WAY TO GO!
Firgrove has reached 109% of our United Way Goal for the year! So far we have brought in $2,550.00 to support the greater Pierce County area services. If you have been meaning to get your United Way Pledge form in, you still have time. Deadline to submit pledge is December 1st! Just put in in the red "Urgent" folder on Almai's office door.

GAME DRIVE!
Remember we are collecting new games to donate to the Puyallup Gift Makers! Questions? Ask Jackie!

WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE CLEANING?
Well for those of you who are still wondering...Region 2 Principals and their office staff had an opportunity to attend a very powerful workshop sponsored by the Association of Washington State Principals titled "Breakthrough Coach". The basic idea is that it is easy to let the job overwhelm you, but by starting with some simple strategies that involve cleaning and yes...time management...a person can increase their effectiveness and not burn themselves out. =) Stay tuned....

Weather Watch...I know we've all heard that this winter is supposed to be a real bear. Be sure you have what you need at home such as extra food, water, batteries, flashlights. If you have been pondering the idea of purchasing a generator, this might be the time...Department of Emergency Management will be putting out information to the community on tips to prepare and see the winter through. As we get information we will pass it on for sure.

SAVE THE DATE~STAFF HOLIDAY PARTY AT THE KRAUSE'S!

Friday, December 10th 6:30 PM

We will have Lasagna, Caesar Salad, Bread and Beverages!

If you can make it (and I hope you can) you may bring an appetizer, dessert and/or beverage of your choice!

Cheers!!

COMING UP:
11/22 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Char, Angie, Megan, Wendy J, Claire
11/22 Mon. - PSD School Board, 6:30 PM, Ballou Commons
11/23 Tues. - Picture Retakes on the stage
11/23 Tues. - Char and Almai at Region 2 K-12 Nuts and Bolts, 7:00-9:00 AM, Zeiger
11/24 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus
11/25 Thurs. - Thankgiving Break, No School
11/26 Fri. - Thankgiving Break, No School
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/29): Kim F, Karen G, Katrina W
11/29 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room
11/29 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Almai, Stephanie, Teena, Jim, Chrystie 11/30 Tues. - Char and Almai at School Board Study Session, 9-11, ESC Pioneer
11/30 Tues. - Cultural Explorers, 2:46-3:45 PM, Gym
12/1 Wed. - Individual Planning LIC; Walking School Bus
12/1 Wed. - PSD Diversity, 3:30-5 PM, ESC Pioneer
12/3 Fri. - Character Trait Assembly: Leadership, 9-9:30 Intermediate, 10-10:30 Primary (Remember to bring your leadership mind map to the assembly.)
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/6): Christina G., Mary H., Brian W.
12/6 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Jackie, Marlene, Angelo, Stacy, Kim M.
12/8 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus
12/9 Thurs. - Char and Almai at PEP and then Region 2 Elementary Nuts and Bolts, 8-12, ESC Pioneer
12/10 Fri. - PTA Date/Movie Night, 6-9 PM, Gym
12/10 Fri. - Staff Holiday Party, 6:30 PM, the Krause's Residence
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (12/13): Jennifer H., Chrystie J., Melanie W.
12/13 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Christina, Joy, Missy, Kim F.
12/13 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room
12/13 Mon. - CSIP Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library; Co-op Board, 5-6:30 PM, Library; PSD School Board, 6:30 PM, Ballou; PTA Board, 7:00 PM, Library
12/14 Tues. - Char, Almai and LouAnn at ASB Workshop all day
12/14 Tues. - Staff Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library
12/15 Wed. - Principal-directed LIC; Walking School Bus; District Reading Cadre, 4-5:30, Shaw Road Library
12/17 Fri. - last school day for the year 2010; school resumes January 3rd, Monday

Veteran's Day This Week

Quote of the Week:
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others." ~Pericles

Thank you for...
~ helping keep the lunch-serving area quiet and orderly through your consistent supervision
~ making sure that the notes being sent to the office have the students' full names
~ having completed you sub-folders and having placed them in a highly visible location such as your desks
~ for consistently holding your students accountable to behavior expectations, especially in common areas
~ for consistently walking your students to and from the following: recess, specialists, dismissal to the bus and loop


THIS WEEK:
Staff Room Clean-up Crew - Angie C, Sara D, Megan T
11/8 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: LouAnn, Michelle, Sara D, Renae
11/8 Mon. - CSIP, 3-4 PM, Library
11/8 Mon. - Co-op Board, 5-6:30 PM, Library; PTA Board, 7-8 PM, Library
11/9 Tue. - Veteran's Day Assembly (all school; no chairs for 6th), 9:10-9:40, Gym
11/10 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus
11/10 Wed. - Char and Almai at Puyallup Elementary Principals' (PEP) Pro Dev & then Region 2 Elementary Nuts & Bolts, 8-12, ESC 11/10 Wed. - District Writing Cadre, 4-5:30, Woodland Library
11/11 Thurs. - Veteran's Day, No School
11/12 Fri. - School IS in session (you may want to remind your students and their families)

Update on United Way: Tis the Season of Giving...
Thank you to those of you who have donated to United Way by returning the completed form in the red "Urgent" folder in Almai's box. As mentioned earlier, our school's goal is $2,400. We are at 62% of our goal as of last week's donation, not counting any donations submitted after Wednesday. Those will be part of the update next week. We are more than half way our goal. Thank you for your generosity, especially during these tough times.

Again the great thing about donating this year is if you've never donated before, your $5 donation generates more money because the Gates Foundation will match new donors' donations dollar per dollar. On the other hand, if you're already donating to United Way and you increased your donation this year, the Russell Company will also match that increase dollar per dollar. These "match the donation dollar per dollar" only apply to the donations designated to the General Community Fund.

From the Safety Team:
If we hold a lockdown drill or earthquake drill this week...are you and the students ready?

Please make sure you bring the emergency garbage can and/or the reusable supplies (discard food) in Portable 31 per the email you received from Cindy a couple of weeks ago. Thank you if you already have.

Finally, the Safety Team will work with the parents, teachers and school nurse to make sure that students with "special diet" (i.e. food allergies) will have emergency food packs.

COMING UP:
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/15): Kay dV, Cecilia D, Kaarin V
11/15 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Terry, Melanie, Kay, Jennifer A, Wes 11/16 Tues. - Staff Meeting, 3-4 PM, Library
11/17 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus; Firgrove Thanksgiving Feast (12-1, Staff Lounge); Char and Almai at PSD Administrative Meeting, 4-5:15, Mt. View Community Ctr.
11/19 Fri. - PTA Bingo Night, 6-8 PM, Gym
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/22): Michelle D, Claire E, Nancy W
11/22 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Char, Angie, Megan, Wendy J, Claire 11/23 Tues. - Region 2 K-12 Nuts and Bolts, 7:00-9:00 AM, Zeiger
11/24 Wed. - Evaluation & Conference LIC; Walking School Bus;
11/25 Thurs. - Thankgiving Break, No School
11/26 Fri. - Thankgiving Break, No School
Staff Room Clean-up Crew (11/29): Kim F, Karen G, Katrina W
11/29 Mon. - Safety Team, 7:40-8:15 AM, Nina's Room
11/29 Mon. - Salad Club Day; Thank you, Salad Hosts: Almai, Stephanie, Teena, Jim, Chrystie 11/30 Tues. - Char and Almai at School Board Study Session, 9-11, ESC Pioneer