BAY VIEW PARENT NEWS

December 2005 – 4/2

DECEMBER DATES

December 15 - CEC Meeting at PS 69 – 6309 9^th Avenue 7:00. Holiday Performances.

December 16 – Sports Night

Come out to exercise with your family and PS 102 friends! Enter at 6pm or 7:15 pm. If you can help out – please call Ms. Sheri at (347) 563-4586.

Chorus Assembly for Students 9, 10 or 11:00 a.m.

December 19 – Bay View Chorus - 7:00 p.m.

Performance will follow the PTA meeting. All students and parents are welcome to come out and enjoy our talented singers.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Kwanzaa!

December 26-January 2 – WINTER BREAK

School reopens Tuesday - January 3, 2006

REMINDERS on District 21 Gifted Programs:

Superintendent’s Program Selection forms will be accepted by invited students at the District Office on 89^th street through 1/20/06. You may give the form to your child’s teacher or the Parent Coordinator until 1/12/06.

DELTA PROGRAM applications for entering K-5 students are available in the main office or from the District Office. Applications are due at the District Office no later than January 6, 2006. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

Volunteers of the Month

Raymunda (Tina) Louie and Priscilla Quintero are two of the PTA’s most dedicated “regulars.” These close friends met almost 10 years ago when Tina’s oldest daughter and Priscilla’s godson were in school here together. Both women became active in the PTA when Tina’s youngest son entered Kindergarten and faithfully attend all executive board meetings and volunteer at pretty much every event each year. In the last two years, they have also worked on the Reading Incentive Program with Ms. Stevenson and Ms. Peters. However, I think Tina and Priscilla are most often thought of as our holiday angels who bring joy to students by running the Holiday Toy Drive. This involves collecting, shopping, wrapping, inviting, hosting and giving gifts to some of PS 102’s students each year. Please give these two beautiful women a big “THANK YOU” when you see them for sharing their love and many gifts with the children and staff of PS 102.

PS 102 SKATING REPORT - It was

a very cold very fun night. Thanks go to PTA President Anna Hom and Treasurer Linda Rainford for arranging this wonderful event and for the cookies and hot chocolate! Thanks also to Ms. Fasanelle, Ms. Lorraine, Ms. Sinisi-Kadar and Ms. Weitz for attending. If you couldn’t make it – we will have a second skating party on Monday January 23^rd.

If you lost a pair of gray men’s gloves or a ladies watch that night – please call Ms. Sheri.

ADULT ESL CLASSES AT PS 102

September-May 2005

Beginners:       Monday 8:30-10:30

            Thursday 8:30-10:30

Intermediate/Conversation:

                        Wednesday 8:30-11:45

All PS 102 Parents and Caregivers are welcome! Classes are FREE and no application is required.

Call Margaret Sheri (347) 563-4586 for details.

ST

Contact Information

School Office: 718-748-7404
Parent Coordinator: 347-563-4586, or email:

MElliotSheri@nycboe.net

School Web Site: http://schools.nycenet.edu/region7/ps102

PTA email: ps102pta@yahoo.com

Text Box: DECEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH:

This is a great book for all ages!

The Gift of Nothing, by Patrick McDonnell

Avoid reasoning when it comes to discipline

Elementary school children have reached the age where they can reason. This can have its pros and cons. Your child can understand that you expect good behavior, so it’s appropriate for you to explain why she must follow rules. However, your child will use her reasoning skills to argue with you—if you let her. Try these tips to avoid such power struggles:

Don’t offer too many explanations. If your child asks for a snack before dinner, tell her that dinner is almost ready and she can have a cookie later. If she argues, just repeat your reasoning.

Say “yes” whenever possible. The word “no” sparks arguments. Replace “No, you cannot watch TV,” with, “Yes, as soon as you finish your homework.”

Don’t give your child choices when there is only one acceptable action. Don’t ask if she’s ready for dinner. Simply say, “Dinner is ready. Please come to the table.”

Let your child know you understand why she may not want to do what you say. If she doesn’t want to stop playing for dinner, tell her, “I know it’s frustrating to stop playing your game. But it’s time for dinner.”

Be consistent with consequences. Make sure your child knows what will happen if she misbehaves and enforce it every time. Lack of consistency will confuse your child.

Reprinted with permission from the December 2005 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Millie Ferrer, Ingrid Rivera and Anne Fugate, “Parenting During the Elementary School Years, Part 2: Discipline,” Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/fy/fy54200.pdf.

Please see the school website for more articles in

English and Spanish from Parents make the difference! www.schools.nycenet.edu/region7/ps102/parentarticles

The December issue also features a science project on snowflakes, parent-teacher meetings and encouraging reading.

DECEMBER QUOTE:

“What a child doesn’t receive he can seldom later give.”

--P.D. James

Curing a Case of the "Gimmies"

– advice from the National PTA - www.pta.org

We've all noticed how stores start the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier each year, subjecting our kids to even more intense marketing than is usual the rest of the year. The result often is a severe case of the "gimmies," when kids apply pressure to their parents to ensure they get everything they want. What's a parent to do? Here are a few helpful resources:

· PBS has a website dedicated to helping kids get "media smart" http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/

· Familyeducation.com has an article, "Family Dinner Rap: Christmas Gifts that Money Can't Buy", with tips on talking to kids about gift giving.

http://fun.familyeducation.com/christmas-presents/chritmas-activities/35114.html

· National PTA offers "When Kids Want Too Much—Curing a Case of the "Gimmies" http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1133281801937.html

Benvenuti a l’Italia!

A dozen of PS 102’s 4^th and 5^th grade students are participating in the Aurora Italian Language and Culture Program for 10 weeks on Saturday mornings. The Italic Institute of America, Inc. generously sponsors this exciting free program.

VISION SCREENING of grades 2, 3, and 5 and Special Ed. students is off to a good start and should be completed in January. Thanks to all the volunteer screeners! The Department of Health screened grades K and 1 in November. If you receive(d) a letter requesting a professional eye exam – please schedule as soon as possible and return the eye form to the school. Poor vision can have a big affect on your child’s performance in school. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Sheri.

Thanks….to the PTA for a great Book Fair, Craft Fair, Skating Party, Holiday Toy Drive and the many wonderful things they do for the school throughout the year. Also to the GO for supporting our community through the Penny Harvest and Canned Food Drive. Also to Ms. Famoso and our School Aides and classes for lobby and main office decoration and to Stefania Sirota and helpers for collecting and sorting books for the Used Book Drive. Finally, thanks to all the parents who attended the UFT Workshop on testing, Parent-Teacher Conferences and Open School Week. I hope I’m not leaving anyone out – this place is hopping!

Wishing you all peace and happiness this holiday season. See you next year!