Smile-O Gram

Delaware Valley Elementary School

244 Route 6 & 209

Milford, Pennsylvania   18337 (570) 296-1822

http://www.dvsd.org/DVES/DVESpage.htm

Our School is a Magic Place!

Vol. 21 – Issue 2          We are making tomorrow!             October, 2007

Calendar of Events

Nov. 2 - Family Fun Math Night – 7 p.m.

Nov. 7 – Third Grade Concert - 7 p.m.

Nov. 8 - School Board Work Session: District Office - 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 9 – Picture Retakes

Nov.13 - PTA Meeting - 7 p.m.

Nov.14 – Family Fun Boys’ Night Out - 7 p.m.

Nov. 15 – Regular School Board Meeting: SES Cafeteria @ 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 20 – Teacher Conferences –   ½ day for students

             DVES Book Fair  12-8 p.m.

Nov. 21 – ½ day for Students/Faculty

Nov. 22-26 – Fall Recess

Dec. 1 – Holiday Gift Shop

Dec. 6 – Board Organization Mtg.-7:30 p.m.

Dec. 12 – First Grade Concert – 7 p.m.

IMPORTANT: If Your Child Is Absent

Parents: Please call your children's absence in to the school nurse at 296-1828.

Terrific Tuesdays

 11/6 – Dress Like Your Teacher Day

11/13 – Twin Day

11/20 – Slipper Day

11/27 School Spirit Day

Fun Fridays

On Fun Fridays wear "Red Shirts" to show your support of our troops. Teachers, don't forget to keep track of your class wearing red shirts on Fridays. A treat will be provided to the top three classrooms.

       E-mailed Smile-O Gram

            You have probably noticed that this month’s Smile-O Gram has been labeled and delivered via our youngest student in your family.  We will send printed copies home monthly this way, but only to families without and email address on file.

            Our goal is to stop printing hard copies of the Smile-O Gram and only send it by email.  This will cut back greatly on resources and time.

            Please email scole@dvsd.org with your name, your children’s names and their teachers, and your correct email address to receive the Smile-O Gram by email.

            We appreciate your help.   

Family Fun Night

By Billy I – 6G

It’s that time again for Family Fun Night.  This month’s Family Fun Night will be Math Night.  It will be held on November 2.  Math Night will be run by Mr. Crump and Mrs. Moglia. 

We hope to see you on November 2, and don’t forget to bring your math brain skills.

 CALLING ALL IMAGINATIONS!

If you think you might have fun being part of one of our Odyssey of the Mind Teams…You’re right!  Each O.M. team will have seven members, who will combine their creativity and work together to solve one of five different problems.  Tryouts for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students will be scheduled for November.  More details will follow, as soon as a date is selected.

A special note to Mom & Dad….DVES has openings for parent coaches this year.  O.M. Coaching provides a fun-filled, rewarding opportunity for parents interested in encouraging creativity and problem-solving among the students.  Please contact the office for more information.

To learn more about Odyssey of the Mind, visit www.odysseyofthemind.org.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Cynthia D- 6R

We all know about teacher conferences.  But do you know what goes on at them, or what your teacher and your parents are talking about?  I interviewed the woman who knows about it all--our principal, Mrs. Cole.  I found out a lot.

This year’s conferences are November 20th and 21st.

The way parent/teacher conferences help kids and parents is to help kids to improve their weaknesses.   It helps to inform parents about their child’s strengths and weaknesses and gives them time to discuss good areas and to come up with ideas to help in weak areas. 

Some of the questions that could be asked at a parent/teacher conference are…”Is my child making strong progress?”  “Is my child on grade level?”  “Is there an area for improvement?”  “If so, how do I go about helping this problem?” “Would tutoring help?”

In some ways, teachers like conferences but in some ways they might not.  The thing teachers might not like about conference day is that it is a long day and probably tiring.  What teachers do like is to meet parents and improve problems, because teachers want their students to do their best and succeed.  Talking about a child’s weakness is important, to help him or her succeed. 

The conferences are important, because you need communication between parent and teacher.

Mrs. Cole has asked me to mention that one thing she thinks would be good is if fifth and sixth grader students also attended the conference.  “I feel that they are making the good or bad decisions that will lead them to success or failure in school,” said Mrs. Cole.  “It would be beneficial to have them involved in getting the praise for a good job or being part of the plan for improvement.”

Make sure you mark your calendar to attend these important meetings between parents and teachers. 

Our Third Grade Concert

Ashley G – 6G

            Do you like our school’s concerts?  If you do, then make sure you come to our school gym on November 7th at 7:00 p.m. for this year’s third grade concert.

The classes participating are all third grade classes. They are Mrs. Thompson’s class, Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s class, and Mrs. Krisandra’s class.

There are speaking parts in which the people play special characters that were famous and come back for a visit.  The show is called, “Lights! Camera! Action!”  It’s a program of music from famous kids’ movies.  Some of the songs selected are ‘Candy Man’ (from Willy Wonka) and ‘Hot Hot’ (from Polar Express). The rest will be a surprise.

Miss Golden says that the program is delightful and the 3rd graders sound terrific.   She is sure both children and adults will love it, and she hopes everyone will go to the concert and support these talented children. 

Remember to come.

PTA Reflection Contest

By Harina P – 6G

            I would like to tell you about the PTA’s Reflection Contest.  I have entered this contest in the past.  This year’s deadline is just around the corner.  You must have your work in by November 2.

            The Reflection Contest is a contest where there is a theme and then there are categories we can do the theme on. The categories are literature, visual arts, music, and dance, or you can also choose to make a collage of pictures with this theme. This year’s theme is “How I Can Make a Difference”.

            If you would like to join the Reflection Contest, all you need to do is complete the form your teacher gave you, give it to your teacher, and after a day or so Mrs. Rosen will give you the rules and maybe also your form.  Then you can get started and do what you going to do for the contest.  When it is finished, you put the completed information form on the other side of your work.

            I was going to also tell you the rules, but the problem is that we have such short time and space that we cannot give you such long rules.  As I said before, you will have them from Mrs. Rosen.  When you receive them, you will find them to be such a wonderful surprise.

Veterans Day

By Morgan T- 6M

Mrs. Cole is letting students invite veterans to visit our school for donuts and juice during the week of November 5-9.  Do you know a veteran that you could invite and thank for their service?  Just bring back the form that was sent home last week.

Did you know that Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day?  It was named because of the signing of an armistice which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.  The armistice, or peace agreement, was signed seven months before the Treaty of Versailles actually officially ended World War I on June 28, 1919. 

Armistice Day, November 11th, became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all veterans.  In 1968, the date was changed to celebrate this holiday on the fourth Monday in October, but because November 11th was of such significance to so many Americans, Congress changed it back to November 11th in 1978.

Thanks to all veterans that read this for serving our country.  We appreciate all that you have done for us.

Book Fair

By Morgan T - 6M

Have you been to one of our P.T.A.’s awesome Book Fairs? Well, one is coming up on November 20th, from 12-8 p.m.  You should go.

I asked the Book Fair director some questions about this year’s fair. Mrs. Dorothy Barth told me that Scholastic sends out the books that the students will buy.  The P.T.A. does not get to pick out the books. She told me that her favorite part of the Book Fair is to watch the students look at the decorations. 

“I think they look forward to seeing what we will do next Book Fair,” said Mrs. Barth.

Have you ever noticed the excellent job our PTA does in decorating for the fair?  They have big displays outside of the cafeteria, with all different themes.

Mrs. Barth told me that she thinks that the students like to go to the preview. They also like to see what costumes will be here.   The PTA always has costumed characters to greet the kids. 

“I am not going to tell you who will be here in November,” said Mrs. Barth.

Mrs. Barth also said it would be good if you remind your parents to pick a book from the Teacher Wish List.  Every teacher picks out books that they would like to have in their classroom.

“I know that all of the teachers look forward to seeing how many books they will have in their mailbox the day after the fair,” said Mrs. Barth.

So, if you want to have a good time, come on out to the DVES book fair.

School Safety Week

By Harina P- 6G

         Some of you may have noticed that we had a School Safety Week in October. During this week of safety, we learned all about how we can help to keep ourselves and others safe.

         We had many generous people who came to our school, and we would like to thank Mrs. Cole for inviting them. We all would like to thank Police Chief Mark Moglia for starting off School Safety Week and giving us many safety tips. We would also like to thank Mrs. Cindy Stine, of Survivors Resources, for coming and teaching 5th and 6th graders how to help fight Domestic Abuse, Mrs. Fran Rosario for teaching us important things about school bus safety, the Westfall Fire Department for teaching us to stay calm and how to stay safe in case of a fire, and Milford Ambulance for teaching us how to help save our own lives or the lives of others.

         Now our school is the safest it can be.   Stay safe!

Ambulance Volunteers Visit DVES

By Josiah D – 6M

During the week of Oct. 9th, ambulance volunteers came to teach the basics of how to keep someone who’s injured alive. 

To teach us, they taught us the ABC’s.  “A” stands for airway.  If someone has his airway blocked, you should do the “Head-Tilt-Chin-Lift” to open the airway.  “B” stands for breathing.  If someone isn’t breathing, do CPR and give the person two breaths.  “C” stands for circulation.  If someone is choking, do the Heimlich Maneuver. To do the Heimlich Maneuver, go behind the person, make a fist, and push up on the rib cage.

Now you know a few of the basics of keeping someone who’s injured alive. Now go save someone’s life!

Police Chief Moglia Visits DVES

By Jilian D – 6Co

DVE-TV’s news show was honored to have Westfall Police Chief Moglia as a guest on our show.  Chief Moglia took the time from his busy day fighting crime in our area to talk about safety with us.  He gave us great tips for safety.  Chief Moglia reminded us how important it is to always wear your seatbelt.  He explained that when you are lost or separated from the adult caring for you, it is best to just stay where you are.  Once you are discovered missing, the adult will backtrack to find you. 

Chief Moglia reviewed Halloween safety tips with us.  When Trick-or-Treating, we should carry a flashlight, stay in small groups, and always have an adult with us. 

In my interview with Chief Moglia, I learned a lot and had a fun time doing it.  Thanks to Chief Moglia, we here at Delaware Valley Elementary School know more about how to be safe.

Librarian Visits DVES

By Jenny W & Sarah A – 6M

            DVES had a special guest on Friday, September 28.  Ms. Karla Schmidt, a librarian who represented the Library of Congress’ The Book project, visited our school. DVE-TV and DVE-News reporters had a chance to interview Ms. Schmidt and have lunch with her.

            Ms. Schmidt was here for the Letters of Literacy Program, which is a program hat lets kids all over the country write to their favorite author and maybe get their letter published in The Book.

            The Book is a book that has kids’ letters to their favorite author.  The letters are not actually mailed to the author, but the contest winners are published in The Book. The winners also get a gift card from Target and they might get a chance to go to the Library of Congress. They also win things for their school.

            All of the DVE-TV kids had a really fun time and a great lunch with Ms. Karla Schmidt.

            Hope you enter the contest!!  Remember, it’s open to anyone in our school who is in fourth, fifth or sixth grade.

Art

By Cynthia D -  6R

            Everyone knows about art.  It is an exciting way to express your creative ways. Everyone is good at something, and I know it.  For example, Kendall Baird; she is amazing at drawing and she has a very large imagination. There are many other people who have the talent to bring drawings to life. Some projects take two weeks, and others take more or less time, so be patient parents—your surprise will come soon.

Art is my favorite subject ever.  I hope you enjoy art and Mrs. Coniglio. Art! Art! Art!

Fall

By Alexis R 6-C

F irst you see a leaf, the first leaf

A ll the leaves get raked up

L eaves get jumped on

L eaves go away then snow comes

Payal Cheerleading

By Ashley G – 6G

Payal Cheerleading is an exciting way for children ages 6-13 to express their minds creatively. If you are interested, you should talk to Mrs. Gail Sebring about joining. If you’re a guy, you can join, too. 

Payal is an exciting way to hang out with your friends if they sign up, too. My friends and I have a lot of fun. You and your friends can hang out at practices and games. You will learn cheers and a half-time dance. We also need a coach for the Senior Steelers.  So, if you’d like to coach there is a place for you, too.

For only $50 dollars, you can join a team, get a uniform, and have a lot of fun. There are some rules in Payal.  They are:

   Listen to your coach

   Don’t talk bad about other cheerleaders

   And HAVE FUN!!!

            Remember, Payal needs many peppy and rough kids for both cheerleading and football. Stop by and have fun. Tell your friends. Hope to see you at the next game.

I Love Soccer!

 By Gianna P – 6R

Did you ever do something so much that you get bored with it? Well, with me if I do it more I love it mor e.  When I get better at something, I feel so good to have accomplished the trick or kick. I have accomplished so much during my years playing soccer that now I am on a travel team. We are the Eastern Pike Travel Soccer Team, or the Strikers.

I love soccer!  I have been playing since I was a little girl. As you know, someone that is very active can’t just like one sport—like me. I love to play lacrosse, too. I hope when I get into the middle school, I make it onto the soccer team and lacrosse team. I also like to play other sports, but I just play them for the fun of it.

So, just get out of the house and get active!

Thanksgiving

By Scott K – 6R

Do you know why we celebrate Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday?  In 1621, the pilgrim’s fall harvest was very successful. There was corn, fruits, and vegetables, along with fish packed in salt and meat that was smoke- cured over fires.  They even had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims built homes in the wilderness and were at peace with their Indian neighbors. William Bradford, the governor, proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

This annual Thanksgiving celebration continued through the years.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November.  Have a happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving

By Austin A - 6G

            Thanksgiving in my family is a day of feasting and playing around. I don’t know how other people celebrate, but in my family we always have a football game with about 20 people. I like Thanksgiving. My dad goes hunting on Thanksgiving and tries to get a deer or two. My Mom cooks the biggest turkey she can find and puts stuffing to the side.  My Aunt Cindy has a really, really big house so we usually have dinner at her house.   That’s pretty cool. I like Thanksgiving in my family because we have a really big family and a lot of good cooks.

            We also have great desserts.  We have sugar cubes, jello, pies, cakes, and ice cream! YUM!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving

By Taylor B – 6R

T urkeys Gobbling

H appy Thanks Giving

A lways cooking

N ever hungry afterward

K eep on eating the stuffing

S pecial feast

G etting sick of eating so much

I  can't eat another bite!

V acation

I  ‘m not doing the dishes!

N ot going to eat anymore

G iving thanks

Grey Towers

By Ashley G - 6G

Grey Towers  is an exciting experience that I was lucky enough to attend. My trip to Grey Towers was with Hannah Thompson, Brendan Paulson, Jeanine Kleist, Wyatt Sebring, and Gianna Pampalone. We interviewed Ranger Dan, who does tours, and Lori McKean, who is the director of special programs that go on in and with Grey Towers.

We found out that many generations of the Pinchot Family lived there. Also, John F. Kennedy was there two weeks before he was assassinated. We took a tour, and one of the most fascinating things we saw at Grey Towers was a table with water in the middle. The family would eat there and their way of passing their food was they would put it in bowls and push the bowls across the water.

Grey Towers was exciting and educational and I would recommend it to anyone.    

Kindergarten Interview

By Grace F & Laura F – 6C

We had the chance to interview three of Miss Chudoba’s kindergarten students.  We interviewed Virginia Yost, Liam Sheldon, and Chelsea Snyder.  They were all excited and eager to participate.  We asked them only a few questions, like what they liked most about kindergarten. 

They all agreed that they liked it when their teacher gave out gummi bears as rewards for their good behavior. 

When we asked them what they were looking forward to in school, Liam said he wanted to learn math; Virginia was excited to learn to read; and Chelsea was excited about what they would learn the next day. 

They all said they really love kindergarten and they love their teacher!  But why wouldn’t they? 

We would like to thank Liam, Chelsea, and Virginia for participating in this interview. 

Our High School Helper

Grace C  - 6M

We have a high school helper here at Delaware Valley Elementary School

Her name is Jeanna L and she is 15 going on 16.  She will be 16 in December.  Jeanna answered a few of my questions.

            Jeanna helps with the Smile-O Gram and the Computer Club.  She said she keeps coming back because she loves Mrs. Siegel and the kids here. She said she volunteers for us in the DVE-News/TV room because she has helped Mrs. Siegel for a long time.  She likes working with the computers and the kids here.

Student Council News

Pumpkin Guessing Winner

By Ashley G – 6G & Baylee R - 5F

            The Student Council put on a Pumpkin Guessing Contest. The winner was Austin A, in Mrs. Gray’s class. The correct amount was 178 pounds. The contest went on for four days. All grades and many kids guessed, and many people were close. There was actually a tie between Dana Hunt (6Co) and Austin A (6G).

            We made a lot of money on this contest.  In order to vote, you had to pay $.25 a guess.  The money will go toward doing something fun for the students. Last year we used the money to buy balls and recess equipment.

            Student Council loves doing fun activities for helping our school. Congratulations to Dana Hunt and Austin A, and thanks to everyone who guessed!

What’s Going On at DVES?

Reflection/ Scarecrow Contests

By Harina P - 6G

I am going to give you the scoop on what is going on in our school. I have started this column because many kids who like/love to join contests don’t get to join because their form might have ended up in some Recycle Bin, the Garbage Bin, or on the floor.

            Then, when it comes time to announce the winners, everyone says, “What contest?  There was no contest!”  Well, if you or your friend has this problem, then this is the column for you.

          I would like to remind everyone that the Reflection and Scarecrow contests are about to end.  Watch for others that are coming up.      

Bully Busters!!!

Stopping Playground Bullies

By Ashley G - 6G

            Bullies are usually a problem. This column will show you how you can deal with bullies. Each month I will write about different types of bullying and how to deal with this.

            This month’s type of bullying is playground bullying.  When dealing with a playground bully, make sure that an adult knows immediately. If the bully approaches you, then make sure that you run away and to a teacher or an adult that is watching you and anyone else. If you know anyone who is being bullied, you should make sure they don’t get hurt and also get help.

            Next month is “Bullying in the Lunch Room”. 

            Just remember, you can be bully free.   

Our Cool Library

Caution: Spooky Library

By Grace C & Morgan T – 6M

Bats and ghosts floating in the dark atmosphere,

cobwebs hanging from counter to counter,

and pumpkins glaring in colorful stares.

The gargoyle stares as you walk through his lair,

and halls fill with laughter as he captures you there.

As lights flicker, you start to stutter.

As spiders watch your every move,

music keeps the haunted groove.

Ghosts and witches await your arrival,

as the goosebumps drive you wild.

Make sure you stay awhile,

and as you leave don’t be tribal.

Come again soon, then …

ENTER IF YOU DARE!

Book Worm

The Tale of Despereaux

By Alex Huff - 6G

For this month’s Book Worm, I am going to tell you about a book called The Tale of Despereaux.  The author of this book is Kate DiCamillo.  It is listed as 4th grade level and it is worth five points on Accelerated Reader.

The Tale of Despereaux is about a mouse that lives in the walls of a house, with a king.  There are a lot of mice there, but the people don’t know that there are mice in the house until Despereaux crawls out of the house and gets noticed by some one who lives in the house.  Despereaux starts to talk to the woman who lives there, but she screams and runs off.  Despereaux’s parents find out and send him into the dungeon where the rats are.

That’s all I can tell you about the book, but I did interview Mrs. Gonzalez, a fourth grade teacher whose class is reading this book.  I will give you some information about Mrs. Gonzalez’s class project next month.

See you next Book Worm.

DVES Welcome Mat!

New Second Graders

By Gianna P – 6R

                 Welcome to Delaware Valley Elementary school, new students. I will be introducing you through my column.  This month I interviewed second graders.

 Before she came to DVES, Rachael Hinkley lived in Montague, New Jersey.  She went to Montague Elementary School for two years.  She felt very sad when she had to move. She has Mrs. Thiele for her teacher here, and she likes everything about Mrs. Thiele.  She said Mrs. Thiele is very nice and kind.  One thing she likes about this school so far is the library.  She thinks our school is very big.

Before starting school here, Anthony Plumley lived in Dingmans Ferry Pennsylvania. He went to Dingmans Ferry Elementary School. He has Mrs. Connolly as a teacher.  He likes everything about Mrs.  Connolly, but he did feel sad when he had to move.

              Next month I will be back to introduce some more new students.

“K” ooking with Kendall

Yummy Dead Worm Pots

By Kendall B - 6R

This month is October, which means spooky witches, gruesome ghouls, cool pumpkins, loads of candy, and AWESOME COSTUMES!!!!!

If all this is going on, what about an easy recipe? Well, I think the best food for Halloween is the Dead Worm Pot. This is how you make it…

1.      Get a bowl, Oreos, chocolate pudding, gummy worms (plain or sour) and a spoon.

2.      Put the chocolate pudding in the bowl.

3.      Place the gummy worms in the bowl.

4.      Crush Oreos, and then sprinkle them over the bowl of pudding.

5.      Stick the spoon in the bowl.

6.       STIR, STIR, STIR!!!

7.       Enjoy your spooky treat!!!

HAVE A SCARY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

Going Bananas!

By Kendall B – 6R

 Hey, kids! You might have seen me making Quesadillas, but now I’m telling you about a “Super Snack” that is healthy, cheap, and more importantly, TASTEY!!! They are bananas!

Here are some awesome things about bananas:

   They have plenty of fiber, and they contain three natural sugars—sucrose, fructose and glucose.

      Remember, have a banana once a day.

Birthday Corner

Happy October Birthday!

By Harina P – 6G

            Hi, again!  As you all know, I am the birthday corner girl.   Again, I will be telling you whose birthday is coming in the following month.   This month is going to be October birthdays, which unfortunately have already passed. As you know, my saying is, “Let’s get the birthday candles blowing.”

            Happy October Birthday to: SarahA, Laura R, Steven G, Aspen N, Andrew S, Theodore B, Megan C, Thomas L, Noah D, William, I, Shayna K, Samantha Ml, Jacob B, Anastasia R, Nicholas S, Jenna P,  Jason Z, Darrian G, John H, Michelle Se, Brandon Valent, Coutlin E,  Emtiaz J, Victoria J, Nicholas Z,  Roger N, Paul T, Jacob R, Claudia C, Grace F, Brandon  G, George C, Amanda O, Ashley M, Moses C, Axel M, Brett R,  Anthony M, Zoe E, Erin F, Zackery M, Wyatt S, Daniel C, Harrison M, Andrew N and last but not the least, Cole A.

            Happy Birthday to all of you, and many, many, many happy returns of the day.

Oh yeah, if you would like a story of yours in the Smile-O Gram write one and give it to Mrs. Siegel or Mrs. Banach, and they will try their best to fit them all in.  They do get a lot of good stories.

Also, if you would like to see your name in the Birthday Corner, keep on reading the Smile-O Gram.

See you next month!!

DID YOU KNOW?

By Kevin S – 6G

Z     The names of the three wise Monkeys?
They are Mikazaru (hear no evil), Mizaru (see no evil), and Mazaru (speak no evil).

Z     A fathom is 6 feet long?

Z     Tokyo was once known as Edo Japan?

Z     The pin that holds a door hinge together is called a pintle?

Z     The United States flag has 13 stripes for the original 13 colonies?

Z     Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first?

Z     Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing?

Z     The names of all of the continents end with the letter they begin with?

      See you next month with more fun questions and facts?

Classroom of the Month

Mrs. Thompson’s Class is Helpful

By Grace F – 6C

Have you been in the 3rd grade wing lately? I have.  I had a chance to ask Mrs. Thompson some questions about what she and her third grade class is doing this year.

In science, the class is growing peas and green beans so they can see the life cycle of how a plant grows.  For reading, they are reading as a class The Twits, Pelly and Me, and The Giraffe.  All of the books they are reading are by Roald Dahl.  He is a famous author whose birthday was celebrated in our school this month.  In math, they do many things. They add and subtract numbers and work on probability.  They also study vocabulary words every week. They say that everyone is happy and helping one another. 

Thanks for letting us know about your class Mrs. Thompson!!

Staff Members of the Month

Mrs. Bennett is Awesome!

By Sierra B & Stefani W – 6G

Do you know that lady who is always on the field? It’s Mrs. Bennett, our awesome gym and health teacher. We have known Mrs. Bennett since we started going to the school, and in our opinion she is the best P.E. teacher ever!

Throughout the week, we interviewed Mrs. Bennett. She told us that she remembered being in high school, about tenth grade, and thinking about how much she loved Phys. Ed class and how much fun it must be to teach it.

 “My parents were really big on education, so there was no question about going to college,” said Mrs. Bennett.  “It was just a matter of where I was trying to go and what I wanted to study.”

Mrs. Bennett used to get really good grades in English, and she loved this subject.   She thought about studying it in college, but she’s glad she chose health and gym as her teaching field.  She likes being in both teaching situations. She said by teaching both health and physical education, she is able to show kids why fitness and exercise are important and how to work to make it happen.

“Teaching health puts you in the classroom, where the challenges are mental,” said Mrs. Bennett.  “Gym class puts you in a gymnasium or outdoor classroom where movement is the challenge.”

Surprisingly, Mrs. Bennett never had gym class until she was in high school, so no elementary school gym teachers inspired her to teach elementary school physical education classes. In elementary school and middle school, her class had long recess times with games they wanted to play, and they did have sports teams that they could join.

During long recesses, her class played four-squares, double-dutch, regular jump rope, kickball and tag. At home, after school, she and her friends played kickball, kick-the-can, and hide-and-go-seek.

“My gym teachers in high school were awesome! I wanted to be like them,” said Mrs. Bennett.

Mrs. Bennett’s favorite season to teach outside is now, the fall.  She loves being outside at this time of the year.  She loves the cool temperature of the fall and the view from the field as it faces the mountain. She loves how the leaves change color and how beautiful they look.

Mrs. Bennett said that the hardest part of her job is keeping everyone safe. She has to constantly watch how everyone is playing; draw their attention to unsafe things and make sure teams are fair, and that people are playing fair.  She said poor sportsmanship is hard to deal with, since it affects so many more people than just the person who is being a poor sport.

Outside of her school day, Mrs. Bennett rides her bike every day that she can. She hates the winter months when it gets dark so early.   Then she walks every night.  She walks her dog a mile every night.

Mrs. Bennett has one grandchild, Chase, whom she spends as much time with as she can. But he lives about 2 ½ hours away. She also crochets and embroiders.

Besides gym classes, Mrs. Bennett helps kids get exercise by doing the Intramurals for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades.   She feels like time goes by very quickly during intramurals.

There is one other thing about Mrs. Bennett that we know.  Mrs. Bennett is the school district’s teacher with the longest amount of time in the district.  Mrs. Bennett has been teaching in Delaware Valley School District for 35 years, and she says it has all been great.  She remembers when she first started teaching at Delaware Valley she traveled to all four of the elementary schools for health and P.E.  She said that would be impossible now because of the much larger number of students in our district.

How long does Mrs. Bennett plan to teach?  She says at least for a few more years. 

Her parents are now in their 80’s and could use her help, and her three children all live in the suburban Philadelphia area, as well as her sisters, a brother and many nieces and nephews. They would like her to retire to be near them, but she’s not ready yet.

“Maybe a few more years,” said Mrs. Bennett.

We’re glad Mrs. Bennett will be her for a while.  She is an awesome, fun, and amazing teacher!  Thanks for the interview, Mrs. Bennett.

Mrs. Curtis is Really Nice

By Sierra B & Stefani W – 6G

Mrs. Curtis is a new fifth grade teacher in our school, and we can tell you first hand that she is really nice. Before she started teaching, Mrs. Curtis was the leader of Scrapbooking Club. She came up with really cool ideas. She loved looking at all of our pictures. Mrs. Curtis showed us some examples as ways to make scrapbooks.

To get to know Mrs. Curtis a little better, we interviewed her.

Mrs. Curtis said teaching fifth grade at DVES is one of the most rewarding jobs that she has ever had. She did not originally start out in the teaching field. After graduating from DVHS she pursued a career in medical laboratory technology and also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry.  Her first job, after graduating, was working as a radio-chemist for a firm that manufactured radioactive chemicals for medical uses. Later, she worked as a research chemist for a company that manufactured cosmetics and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, like sunscreen and toothpaste.  She loved research and thoroughly enjoyed her job, but she stopped working to raise her two sons.

After her youngest son was in school full time, Mrs. Curtis decided to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher. She has been teaching CCD classes (Sunday school) to second graders for the past seven years and discovered that she loved teaching.  She took classes toward her Master’s Degree in Education and earned her Elementary Teaching Certificate.

“I was fortunate enough to do my student teaching at DVES and was hired to teach fifth grade,” said Mrs. Curtis.  “I have enjoyed teaching the younger students, but my favorite level is fifth grade!  I love being able to share my science and math background with students.”

Mrs. Curtis finds her biggest challenge as a fifth grade teacher to be convincing students that they need to become proficient writers to succeed in society.

When she is not working, Mrs. Curtis enjoys photography, scrapbooking, reading, Tang Soo Do, and spending time with her family!

Thanks for letting us interview you, Mrs. Curtis.  We’re glad you’re teaching in our school!

Mrs. Gonzalez Enjoys Teaching

By Kierstin N – 6C

Have you been in the fourth grade wing lately?  I had the chance to interview Mrs. Gonzalez.  She has been teaching at DVES for 18 years. She chose teaching as a career because she enjoys sharing learning experiences with children. Her own children inspired her to want to teach.  Mrs. Gonzalez’s aunt was also a teacher and she liked learning about her years of teaching school.  She likes teaching all the subjects. Actually, she feels that all the subjects are connected.   Fate will determine how much longer she will be teaching.

Mrs. Gonzalez thanked me for asking about her job and told me it was a pleasure having me in her fourth grade class. 

Thank for your time, Mrs. Gonzalez. 

Mrs. Fean Loves Teaching at DVES

By Sierra D – 6M

Guess who’s this month’s Staff of the Month?  The one and only Mrs. Fean!! I interviewed her for the Smile-O-Gram and I got some very cool answers.

Mrs. Fean likes working at DVES.  She said that DVES is a super place to work, and there’s always something fun and exciting going on.  She also told me that she has a really great class this year.  They are looking forward to doing lots of fun things and learning a lot.

The reason Mrs. Fean became a teacher was because she really enjoyed working with kids.   She was inspired to become a teacher by her primary school teachers, Mrs. Oblewicz and Mrs. Gross.  “They were sweet and caring, but also fun and dynamic kind of like a grandmother,” said Mrs. Fean.

Our school is special to Mrs. Fean because she thinks it is a great place to work.  “Both the kids and the staff are awesome to be around,” she said. 

Mrs. Fean thanked me for interviewing her. That was my wonderful interview with a very nice teacher.  Thank you, Mrs. Fean, and have a wonderful school year.    

Mrs. Krisanda Thanks Her Students

By Jenny W – 6M

Mrs. Krisandra is a wonderful third grade teacher. I have asked her a couple of questions about her job. The first thing I asked her was how long has she been working at DVES.  She said this is her nineteenth year of teaching.  She loves teaching third grade because it is a challenge because in third grade, students move to the intermediate grades.  That requires a lot of responsibility.             

    Mrs. Krisanda told me her dad inspired her to teach. He taught history at Wilkes University, and she would go to work with him when she was younger and pretend she was a teacher too.

Mrs. Krisanda’s favorite subjects to teach are math and language arts.

Mrs. Krisanda said she doesn’t know how long she will be teaching. She said no one knows what the future holds, but she has a feeling she’ll retire as a teacher. Mrs. Krisandra has said she would like to give a thank you to all of the students she has had in these 19 years of teaching. She hopes that the students she has taught have learned a lot from her just like she has learned a lot from them!!                                                                                                           

Nurse's Notes

I would like to send out a BIG THANK YOU to the following Mom's for volunteering their time and making our annual mass hearing screens go so smoothly. Diane Burger, Bonnie LaFe, Tracie McDougall, Rebecca Morton, Ingrid Neugerbauer, Wendy Porter and Roxann Shearer. I would also like to thank the following screeners, Sharon Kelly, Loraine Gregory and 4 students from ESU.                               

Just a reminder that 6th grade physicals were due to me by October 31, 2007, unless you have called me with a date that your child will be going for their physical.

Reporter’s P.T.A. Corner

Meet the President, Mrs. Moglia

By Rachel T – 6G

Our school has a cool P.T.A. that does a lot of things us, and we appreciate what our P.T.A. does for us. We like all of the activities that they do for us. The P.T.A is so cool that we should dedicate a day for the P.T.A. so they know how much we appreciate them. P.T.A. – you rock!  We think that you are the coolest people in the school.

            This month I interviewed Mrs. Moglia, the president of the P.T.A.  Mrs. Moglia said Mrs. Cole asked her in the spring if would like to be involved in the extra incentives our school has to offer the students.  Mrs. Moglia became the president of the P.T.A. 

 “I thought it would be fun and challenging, and it really is,” said Mrs. Moglia.

            Mrs. Moglia said the P.T.A. will have many Fun Nights, Book Fairs, fundraisers, Wampum Shop, Reading Extravaganzas, Community Contests, Holiday Shop, and many other events that are scheduled for this year.  

Some of the dates scheduled for November are Family Fun Night (November 2nd), PTA meeting (November 13), Boy’s Night Out (November 14), and PTA Book Fair (November 20th).

One other thing I know the date for is the 5th and 6th Grade Sleepover Party.  This will be held on April 11, 2008.

            Mrs. Moglia thinks that getting together with the parents and community is the most important thing about having a P.T.A.  She thinks it is important to make DVES a fun and rewarding place by getting the teachers and parents involved with the children to make learning fun.

Mrs. Moglia does not have much spare time, but when she isn’t working, she likes to enjoy her time with her family and her friends.

We thank you, Mrs. Moglia, for all you do with the P.T.A. and for our school.

Artists of the Month

            Congratulations to this month’s Artists of the Month!