Monday, February 26, 2007

March Newsletter - 2007

Dear Franklin Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
February has not been a kind month to us weather-wise. As of this writing, we have had 3 school cancellations and 7 two hour delay days. It has been very hard to get any kind of school routine established. We have now used 6 calamity days. The State of Ohio only allows schools to take off 5 days due to weather without having to make them up. At this time we have one day to make up at the end of the year and that day will be Friday, June 1st. The week of June 4th will be utilized if we need to make up any further days.
March Calendar of Events
Put the following dates on your March school calendar.
March 5 D.A.R.E. Concert @ Lima Civic Center, 5th grade
Quiz Bowl @ Shawnee M.S., 4:30 p.m.
11 Daylight Savings time begins - Do not forget to turn
your clocks ahead one hour!
26 3rd grading period ends
29 2007-2008 kindergarten screening
30 P.T.O. Carnival @ Franklin
31 P.T.O. Amateur Show @ M.S., 2:00 p.m.

God, Flag and Country Contest Results
Our school's God, Flag and Country Contest was held on Wednesday, January 31st. All fifth graders participated and the top three speeches from each homeroom were picked to participate in our school's contest. The nine contestants were Kiara Brinkman (5A), Joe Gorman (5A), Tyler Rice (5A), Courtny Johnson (5B), Hannah Sensibaugh (5B), Brooke Teman (5B), Zavier Buzard (5C), Rileigh Stockwell (5C) and Ross Thompson (5C). All the speeches were great! Three finalists were selected to go on and represent Franklin at the local God, Flag, and Country Contest held at the Delphos Eagles on Sunday, February 18th. The finalists were Ross Thompson, Rileigh Stockwell and Hannah Sensibaugh. Ross is in Mrs. Elaine Sommers' homeroom. His parents are Rusty and Patti Thompson. Rileigh is also a student in Mrs. Elaine Sommers' homeroom. She is the daughter of Jeff and Julane Stockwell. Hannah is a student in Mr. Chris Sommers' homeroom. Her parents are Douglas and Teresa Sensibaugh. We are very proud of all the fifth graders for participating and especially proud of Ross, Rileigh and Hannah for being finalists. They did a very nice job at the Eagles on February 18th.

2007-2008 Kindergarten Screening
We will be screening for our 2007-2008 kindergarten class on March 29, April 12, 19 and 26. As of this date March 29 and April 12 are full. We have one appointment time left on April 19 and several times available on April 26. Students are eligible for kindergarten next year if they turn 5 years old by August 1, 2007. If you have not registered your child for kindergarten, there is still time. Contact the school office to pick up registration materials and set up an appointment for screening. Please share this information with anyone who has a child eligible for kindergarten next year.
Report Cards
The third grading period ends Monday, March 26th. Report cards will be sent home with students on Monday, April 2nd. Be involved in your child's education. Our school year is three quarters over. If you have questions or concerns about your child's academic progress, contact his/her teacher for an appointment to discuss them.
Retirement
Fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Elaine Sommers, has announced her retirement effective at the end of this school year. We appreciate the many years of dedicated service that Mrs. Sommers has given to the students of the Delphos City School District. She will be greatly missed but we wish her well in retirement! Her replacement has not been named yet. When I know who that person will be, I will communicate it to you in this newsletter.
"Lost and Found"
We have our "lost and found" table set up in the school lobby. Every year our "lost and found" box accumulates a lot of "stuff" during the winter months and this year is no exception. We have hats, gloves, coats, sweatshirts, sweaters and even one shoe! During morning announcements I have encouraged our students to check the table and claim what is theirs but we still have a lot of "lost" stuff! You are welcome to come into school and check out the "lost and found" table. You can view these items every day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If your child has lost an article of clothing, we might have it! At the end of the school year, unclaimed items will be cleaned and donated to a local charity.
P.T.O. Carnival and Amateur Show
The P.T.O. will again be bringing their carnival games to Franklin for the enjoyment of our students and Landeck students on Friday, March 30th. This is a big fund-raiser for the P.T.O. The monies that the P.T.O. raises are put back into our schools for our students' benefit. An endeavor of this kind requires a lot of volunteers. If you can donate your whole day on March 30th to help with the games, contact Mrs. Patti Thompson at 419-692-2919.
The P.T.O. Amateur Show will be held at the Middle School on Saturday, March 31st, at 2:00 p.m. Mrs. Kathy Waldick, Mrs. Mary Watkins and Mrs. Jacquie Fritz are in charge of this event. Entry forms have been sent home with all Franklin students and we have extras in the school office if you need one. Tryouts for the amateur show will be Thursday, March 1st, in the Franklin cafeteria. Practices will be March 8, 15, and 22 at Franklin. Times for tryouts and practices are 3:15-5:00 p.m. Dress rehearsal will be Friday, March 30th, in the M.S. auditorium.
2007-2008 Scheduling
I will begin scheduling for the 2007-2008 school year later this spring. I value your input in the scheduling process. If you have strong feelings about your child not being placed in a particular teacher's classroom you can submit a request to me. You may make such a request for one teacher per grade level only. You may also request that your child be separated from another child if you wish. All requests must be submitted in writing with the reason(s) for such request being made. I will not guarantee that your request will be honored but I promise that I will take all requests under advisement when scheduling. I will not entertain any requests to have a child placed with a particular teacher. Please do not submit such a request. The deadline for turning in your request letter is Friday, April 27, 2007. If you have any questions, contact me at school.
Ohio Parental Informational and Resource Center
Franklin Elementary is a Title I school. We receive federal funds to operate a Title I intervention reading program in grades 1 through 3. One of the requirements of the federal "No Child Left Behind" act is that we inform our parents of the existence of the Ohio Parental Informational and Resource Center (Ohio PIRC). Attached to this newsletter is a flyer from the Ohio Department of Education about this center.

Thought for the Month
PARENTING 101

1.
PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR MARRIAGE-OR YOURSELF, IF YOU'RE A SINGLE PARENT-THAN YOU DO TO THE CHILDREN.
Your marriage, if it is strong and satisfying, will give your children more security than any amount of attention.

If you are single, your sense of self-respect and fulfillment as a person can act as the same sort of anchor for children.

2.
EXPECT YOUR CHILDREN TO OBEY.
Don't apologize for decisions you make in their lives. Children need powerful parents upon whom they can count to be authoritative, decisive, and trustworthy.

You are in charge of the family.

3.
NURTURE YOUR CHILDREN'S RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THIS STRUCTURE.
Allow them to make choices and let them know that they must accept the outcomes.

From an early age, expect them to make regular, tangible contributions to the family.

That means chores they don't get paid for. And it means letting your children take responsibility for their own actions.

4.
SAY NO AND SAY IT OFTEN.
If the response is a tantrum, so be it. Exposure to frustration prepares children for the realities of adulthood.

It also gives them a tolerance of frustration that eventually develops perseverance-a key ingredient to every success story.

Your obligation is not to make your children happy, but to give them the skills to pursue happiness on their own.

5.
WHERE TOYS ARE CONCERNED, LESS IS MORE.
Having too many toys destroys a young child's ability to make creative decisions.

If a youngster has too many options, he becomes overwhelmed and can't decide what to play with.

6.
TURN OFF THE TUBE.
Preschool children need to play so they can develop basic competency skills, learned by touching and exploring their environment.

Nothing happens when a child sits passively in front of a television screen.

7.
DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE EXPERTS.
Use suggestions and ideas that make sense to you, but remember that all parents make mistakes now and then….and children aren't permanently scarred by it.

Raise your children your way and enjoy it.

-John Rosemond
Condensed from "Bottom Line Personal"

Tim Larimore
Principal