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January 2008 |
Kent PTA eNewsletter |
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From the Principal's Office... |
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Debbie Williams, Principal |
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Happy New Year 2008!
Dear Kent Families,
Happy New Year 2008! I hope everyone had a restful and wonderful
holiday. The spring semester is a busy time at Kent. Please check our
website for up to date information. You don't want to miss any of the
fun!
Our extended learning time/tutoring began again on Monday, January 7th.
All students should be in their classroom ready to begin their day at 8
am. This time is important for all students. Everyday from 8:00-8:30
students are engaged in activities that meet their educational needs to
either enrich their classroom experiences or to provide additional
support. As always, we appreciate your help in making sure your children
are here by 8 am each morning.
I look forward to the new semester. Please feel free to contact me with
any questions or concerns.
Debbie Williams
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KENT SKATING PARTY Sponsored by Kent PTA |
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Sarah Roye (programs@kentpta.org) |
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Tuesday, Jan.15, 6-8 pm at Interskate on Hwy 121 in Lewisville
Join us January 15 at Lewisville's Interskate from 6-8 p.m. for
another fun Family Skate Night sponsored by Kent PTA!
FREE entrance and regular skates for Kent students and siblings under
13! Adults Skate for $3.00. Inline Skates Cost Extra. The concession
stands will be open.
All Children must be accompanied by an adult.
How to get to Interskate:
Need a ride? A free bus will leave Kent at 5:15 pm. Seating is
limited, so please let Donna Cook know if you would like to ride on the
bus. Her email is cookdo@cfbisd.edu
and her phone number is 972- 968-2000.
Driving Directions to Interskate: Go NORTH on 35E toward
Lewisville and exit at Corporate Drive. Go WEST on Corporate and make a
RIGHT on Southwest Pkwy. Make another RIGHT on Hwy 121. Look for the
SKATE sign. NOTE: If you miss the turn onto Southwest Pkwy., continue on
Corporate, then take a RIGHT on Hwy 121.
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Kent PTA Life Membership Awards |
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Shirley Johnson & Sakina Mithwani (membership@kentpta.org) |
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Help Recognize Our Kent Staff & Volunteers
It's time to select the Kent recipients of the Texas PTA Life Membership
and/or Extended Service Award. Our school is fortunate to have such a
great staff and so many wonderful volunteers, so please take a moment to
nominate someone you feel really deserves this honor.
Please send your nominations to:
membership@kentpta.org or use the link to the nominating form below.
In your nomination, please include the following:
1. Your nomination(s) for Texas PTA Life Membership Award;
2. Your nomination(s) for Texas PTA Extended Service Award, please note
the recipient must have been actively involved in the Texas PTA for 10
years and have received the Texas Life Member honor;
3. Supportive details relating to the reasons behind your nomination.
Please cite specific examples where possible.
Please turn in your nomination(s) by Wednesday, January 23rd.
Our reception and awards presentation will take place after the Open
House on March. Plan to stay and help us honor our deserving recipients
and all our volunteers!
Thank you for your thoughtful input,
The Kent Life Membership Award Committee:
Shirley Johnson, Sakina Mithwani, Catherine Carlin, Donna Cook, Donna
Dalton, Christi Victor - Alternate
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Science Fair |
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Tracey Cross, Assistant Principal |
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Projects due Monday, February 11 at 8:10 a.m.
Mrs. Williams and I are so excited that 111 students have signed up to
participate in the Science Fair. We are looking forward to seeing the
fabulous projects that will be brought in next month. In stating that, I
want to remind everyone that the projects are due on February 11 by 8:10
in the morning. Once again, we will have District Specialist and
Community Business leaders judge these great projects. The First,
Second, Third and Grand Prize winners will be announced and presented
with ribbons.
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Kent Honor Choir Performs "I Need A Little Christmas Vacation" |
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4th and 5th Grade Honor Choir Students Perform "I need a Little
Christmas Vacation"
The Kent Honor Choir, directed by Mrs. Miller, delivered a great
performance of the musical, "I Need a Little Christmas Vacation! ".
Honor Choir students spent many hours rehearsing to bring us this show.
Special thanks to all the parents for getting the students to the
rehearsals and for providing costumes and to all the volunteers that
helped with the sets and costumes!
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Kent PTA Officer Elections |
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You Can Make A World Of Difference - Volunteer!
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On January 15, the PTA will vote on the Nominating Committee
responsible for identifying the slate of officers for the 2008/09 PTA
Officer Election. We are required to have a 5 member committee and 2
alternates. |
We will have several critical vacancies in the PTA next year since many
of our board members children are moving on to Blalack, including:
- PTA President
- Treasurer
- eNewsletter Editor
If you are interested in working on the nominating committee or if
you are interested or know someone you think would be good at these
positions please contact the Nominating Committee Chair, Donna Dalton at
parliamentarian@kentpta.org
or 972-446- 9472.
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C-FB ISD Used Book Sale |
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Wende Haynie (wendehaynie@yahoo.com) |
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February 27 - March 2 in the Trinity Valley Shopping Center
It's that time of year to look through your home and find those books
that you want to donate to the C-FBISD Gently Used Book Sale. There is a
donation bin located in the front lobby of Kent. We've already received
a huge volume of books during this school year but from our past years'
results, our Kent families are sure to find more.
Each year, C-FBISD Educational Foundation, in partnership with the C-FBISD
Council of PTAs, runs a gently used book sale where proceeds are used to
increase community awareness of the foundation, promote literacy in the
community and provide an additional resource of revenue for programs and
endowments. Some of our sponsors include: Cencor Realty, Time Warner,
CapitalOne, PlainsCapital Bank, SHW Group and Van Chevrolet.
You have several ways to participate:
- Volunteer to help before, during and after the book sale.
- Come and buy some of your favorite books. Last year, there were
80,000 books to choose from!
- Purchase "Book Sale Bucks" to give to your friends, teachers or
co-workers.
- Make a donation of $10, $15 or $25 in the name of a C-FBISD
employee for a STAR award.
This year the book sale will be held from Wednesday, February 27
through Sunday, March 2 in the Trinity Valley Shopping Center located at
Josey Lane and George Bush Turnpike. We have secured the prior Old Navy
store again this year.
If you are interested in volunteering your time in sorting books at Kent
in January or helping at the book sale in February, please send your
email to: wendehaynie@yahoo.com.
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Don't Get Sidelined by the Flu |
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Judith Blake , School Nurse |
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With flu season upon us, it is important that we work together to keep
our children healthy. Viruses spread easily among children in schools,
and families with school-age children have more infections than others,
with an average of one-third of these family members infected each year.
By keeping our children flu-free, we benefit the community as a whole.
You can help prevent the spread of flu or help your child get better if
he/she does get sick by following a few simple steps:
- If possible, you and your child should get a flu shot
- Remind your child to cover his/her nose and mouth with a tissue
when sneezing or coughing and dispose of the tissue immediately
- Have your child wash his/her hands frequently with soap and warm
water for at least 20 seconds
- Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces and shared items at least
once a day
- Ensure that bathrooms are stocked with soap, hand towels and
tissues
- Teach your child not to touch his/her mouth, nose and eyes
- If your child is sick and has a fever, keep him/her at home to
prevent the spread of illness to others
If you are concerned about your child's flu symptoms, call your doctor
early. Call your doctor immediately if your child has a chronic disease.
Common symptoms of flu include high fever, severe headache, muscle and
body aches, exhaustion, and dry cough. Additionally, children often
exhibit other flu symptoms that are rare in adults, such as nausea,
vomiting and diarrhea. Some children might benefit from an antiviral
medication, which can be prescribed by a physician and can help lessen
duration of the virus and reduce the risk of complications, such as
pneumonia. To be effective, antiviral medication should be taken within
12-48 hours after flu symptoms begin.
Additionally, as a preventive measure, antiviral medication may be
administered to children under a doctor's care to help them avoid
catching the flu from others in some special situations. For example:
- Children who have egg allergies and therefore cannot receive flu
vaccine
- Children who have been vaccinated, but are at such high risk for
serious complications due to a chronic condition, that extra
protection is warranted
- Children who may not have received a vaccine but are exposed to
flu
If you have any questions or would like additional information about
preventing and treating the flu, please contact the school nurse, [Judy
Blake RN, BSN] at [blakej@cfbisd.edu].
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Hospitality/Teacher Appreciation |
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Heather Kline and Bev Wilcocks |
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On December 13th Hospitality hosted our second Teacher and Staff
Luncheon of the year to celebrate the upcoming holidays. Thanks to our
wonderful volunteers, who took time out during a really busy time of
year, to make sure our Kent staff had a full holiday meal with turkey
and ham and all the holiday fixin's. Our teacher's and staff are truly
blessed to have such wonderful parent volunteers and helpers.
Mark your calendar's for our next Kent staff luncheon on May 8th
during Teacher Appreciation week, and thanks again for all your help and
support.
Heather Kline and Bev Wilcocks
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Multicultural Family Night |
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Donna Dalton |
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Save the Date: Tuesday, May 6
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We are kicking off the planning phase of our Multicultural Family
Night to be held on May 6th this year. Last year we had over 30 booths
representing the cultural heritage of our Kent Community. We also had
cultural performances representing of Ireland, the American West,
Korea and Mexico. It was a wonderful evening of learning and
community.
More information will be coming home soon. If you are interested in
participating in this year's event as a country booth leader, event
planner, or know of a cultural performance group we should contact
please contact me at
daltondx4@verizon.net or 972-446-9472.
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Kent students show us their traditional Korean clothes at last year's
Multicultural Family Night |
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News from the Library |
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Becky Brewer, Librarian |
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Don't forget to turn in your BoxTop$ by January 25th!
Greetings and Happy New Year everyone!
We have much to celebrate. We got so many new books as a result of your
support of the fall bookfair. Volunteer parents did a wonderful job on
that project which directly benefits all of our children in so many
ways. It is a special day when new books arrive in the library.
The Fall Grade Level Boxtop$ contest ends January 25th, so please
remember to put them in the grade level containers outside the office.
There was a huge response to the BoxTop$ for Education drive from the
spring and summer. By simply donating those tiny bits of paper to the
school, we get a very generous check with which we bought new books.
This year we are trying to update all of our nonfiction with special
focus on states, countries and continents. We also hope to be able to
get a new set of encyclopedias to support the already available
databases which are always current. This is a very expensive undertaking
and budget simply doesn't allow us to be as current as we would like.
Thank you so much to Mrs. Philipon, Mrs. Williams and all of you who
have clipped and supported this project. Please continue to clip. Each
baggie of 100 will equal a new book.
We have spent a great deal of library time this year teaching proper
research strategies with special emphasis on copyright law and
plagiarism. Copyright violation is a rampant challenge in schools today.
We want our children well prepared to perform not only in elementary
school but in middle, high school, and on the university level with
integrity and pride. It is very rewarding and refreshing to see the zeal
of students as they learn about new things that are of particular
interest to them and the pride they exhibit in their final projects. A
new, huge shipment of books will be arriving just any day now. As we use
budget money for books, we try to shop using input from experts in
children's literature which in addition to workshops and professional
publications also includes input from students and teachers. There will
be many new fiction selections but again will support many areas of
nonfiction such as space, plants, animals, how to, sports, history and
geography. We can't wait! Morning announcements continue to be a source
of news for our school. Our new focus this year is on character
development. We have The Thought of the Day which presents ideas and
thoughts from famous people who are examples of leadership and
character. We also have presented parents who have shared information
about their job and how education helped them in that pursuit. Students
and teachers look forward to that each week. If you have not yet come to
share, please do. It only takes 2 or 3 minutes and gives students' good
ideas about what they could be when they grow up as well as encouraging
them to be committed to school. A million thanks to parents who have
already participated. The last day for Bluebonnet and ABC Reading was
Friday, Jan. 11th. Students who read at least 5 Bluebonnet books and
students who completed the ABC Reading Log will be enjoying a party on
Feb. 8th. Congratulations to those dedicated readers. Again, Happy New
Year and thank you for your continued support of the Kent Library.
Don't forget to keep collecting your BoxTop$!
Mrs. Brewer
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If Your Child is Absent |
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Please remember to contact Mary Palmer at palmerm@cfbisd.edu or
972-968-2000.
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Kent Elementary PTA
phone: (972) 323-6900
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