May/June Newsletter - 2007

Dear Franklin Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

This will be the last newsletter of the 2006-2007 school year. It is hard to believe that the school year has almost come to an end. It has been another good year at Franklin. We have many outstanding individual and group accomplishments. If I tried to list them all I am sure I would forget someone so as not to hurt anyone's feelings I will not try to recount them at this time. You parents are a big part of what we do here at Franklin. Thank you for the strong support that you have shown us this year. You are the best!!

Below is the calendar of events for May and June. As you can see it will be a busy time!

April 30 Ohio Reading Achievement Test, grades 3-5
May 1 Ohio Math Achievement Test, grades 3-5
2 Ohio Writing Achievement Test, grade 4
Ohio Science Achievement Test, grade 5
3 Ohio Social Studies Achievement Test, grade 5
7-11 TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
9 2nd grade field trip to the Neil Armstrong and Allen County
Museums
15 5th grade orientation tour of the Middle School
16 3rd grade field trip to Science Central in Ft. Wayne
Mrs. Kathy Buettner's and Mrs. Amie Buettner's IEP conferences
Title I conferences with Mrs. Wilkin
17 5th grade Band Concert, 7:00 p.m.
Title I conferences with Mrs. Wilkin
18 Delphos Mini Relay for Life
21 rain date for the Mini Relay for Life
22 1st grade field trip to the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo in Ft. Wayne
24 4th grade field trip to the Toledo Metro Park in Grand Rapids
25 5th grade field trip to Sauder's Village in Archibold
28 MEMORIAL DAY - NO SCHOOL
29 rain date for the 5th grade field trip
30 rain date for the 1st grade field trip
31* Year-end Student Awards Assemblies
9:00 a.m. - grades 1-3
1:30 p.m. - grades 4-5
June 1* LAST OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS.
Dismissal is at 1:30 p.m.
Report cards will be sent home with students.
* The dates of these events could change if we have to make up more school days due to inclement weather.

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7-11 is designated as Teacher Appreciation Week and Tuesday, May 8, is National Teacher Day. This would be a great time to let your child's teacher(s) know how much you appreciate the time and effort he/she has put into working with your child to help him/her grow academically, socially and emotionally. Find time this week to send a note to your child's teacher(s) saying, "Thank you for your hard work and dedication to my child."

Field Trips

Permission letters for our annual spring field trips have been sent home or will be sent home in the near future. The permission form must be returned to your child's teacher before he/she will be allowed to go on the field trip. We ask that you please return this form in a timely manner. If you have any questions about your child's field trip, contact his/her teacher.

5th Grade Band Concert

Band classes for our 5th grade students began last October. The students picked an instrument and have been receiving weekly instruction on how to play it from Mr. Stearns and Mrs. Anderson, our band instructors. The culminating activity for this class will be Thursday evening, May 17, when our 5th grade band students combined with the Landeck band students will perform their first concert. This performance will take place in the Franklin gym at 7:00 p.m. All parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends are invited. There will be a reception in the cafeteria following the concert. We need volunteers to provide cookies for the reception. If you can donate two dozen cookies, contact Mrs. Petersmeyer or Mrs. Antalis in the school office or send a note to school with your child. Thanks for your help.

Year-end Awards Assemblies

We will hold our annual student awards assemblies on Thursday, May 31st. The times are:
9:00 a.m. - grades 1-3
1:30 p.m. - grades 4-5
The assemblies will be held in the gym. At these assemblies we will recognize and honor our students' accomplishments during this school year. We invite all parents to attend this important event to show support for your child(ren).

Staff Retirement

We have one retirement to report. Mrs. Elaine Sommers, 5th grade reading, language arts and science teacher, is retiring at the end of this school year. Mrs. Sommers has given many years of faithful service to the students and staff of the Delphos City School System. She will be greatly missed! We wish her well in retirement. At this time, I have no announcement as to who will be replacing Mrs. Sommers for the 2007-2008 school year. We will be working to fill this position between now and the end of the school year.

Summer Office Hours

Summer office hours will begin on Tuesday, June 5th. The office will be open from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m. every day. Our office will close for the summer on Friday, June 15th, and reopen for the 2007-2008 school year on Monday, August 6th.

Important August Dates

The first day of school for students in the 2007-2008 school year will be Tuesday, August 28th. We will hold registration for the new school year during the week of August 13-17. This is the first time that class rosters and teacher assignments will be posted and you can pay your school fees for the year. Office hours for registration will be 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m. each day. The schedule for registration is as follows:

Monday, August 13 New family registration for students who did not attend
Franklin Elementary last year (includes all grades)
Tuesday, August 14 Families of students in grades K & 1
Wednesday, August 15 Families of students in grades 2 & 3
Thursday, August 16 Families of students in grades 4 & 5

At this time I cannot tell you exactly what the school fees will be for next year. My best estimate, based on last year's fees is:
Kindergarten - $55.00
1st grade - $60.00
2nd grade - $89.00
3rd grade - $48.00
4th grade - $63.00
5th grade - $63.00
Adjusted Curriculum - fees will vary depending on the grade level

I will not know the exact amounts until this coming August. I know the fees are high and go up every year. Be assured that we will make every effort to hold your costs down as much as possible.

On Wednesday evening, August 22nd, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., we will hold our annual Open House to kick off the new school year. Mark this date on your calendar now and plan to attend this event in August.

"Mini Relay for Life" News

This year's mini-Relay For Life will take place on Friday, May 18th (rain date is Monday, May 21st). Your child will once again be listening to speakers, walking laps, and playing games throughout the day. We have scheduled several new speakers this year. The day should prove to be both educational and fun for your child! If you would like to volunteer your help on this day, please let your child's teacher know. Also, any candy or small prizes you could send in to be used for the games would really be appreciated. Thank you for all of the support you give us for this wonderful event!

Summer D.A.R.E. Camp Information

D.A.R.E. Summer Camp will be held on June 19, 20, and 21 at Franklin Elementary. It will run from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. each day. Students in 4th-8th grades this year are invited to attend camp. Activities planned for this year include team events, bowling at the Delphos Recreation Center, swimming at the Delphos Pool, and Ultra Sound games. Applications for the camp will be distributed in homerooms within a few weeks. All activities and events are free for students.

Thought for the Month

50 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR CHILDREN

1. Hug every morning. 2. Go to zoos, parades, and amusement parks. 3. Hang their art and awards on the refrigerator. 4. Create family traditions. 5. Be patient. 6. Apologize when grumpy. 7. Go camping. 8. Play tic-tac-toe and hide-and seek. 9. Always carry Band-Aids and gumdrops. 10. Know their strengths. 11. Compliment them. 12. Encourage them. 13. Appreciate them. 14. Eat meals together. 15. Slow down. 16. Respect their privacy. 17. Listen. 18. Don't discipline in anger. 19. Be consistent. 20. Say "I love you" frequently. 21. Let them be silly. 22. Accept imperfections. 23. Reward good behavior. 24. Explain the rules clearly. 25. Laugh often. 26. Go to their favorite restaurant. 27. Invite their friends over. 28. Buy ice cream cones. 29. Go on vacations. 30. Know when to be gentle and when to be firm. 31. Make birthdays unforgettable. 32. Teach responsibility and respect. 33. Choose your battles. 34. Don't embarrass them. 35. Help with schoolwork. 36. Protect them. 37. Build memories. 38. Keep promises. 39. Say "no" when needed. 40. Don't yell. 41. Give gifts. 42. Model virtues. 43. Pray with them. 44. Pray for them. 45. Talk with their teachers. 46. Tell them you're proud of them. 47. Reach out. 48. Count stars together. 49. Talk every bedtime. 50. Let go with blessing.

Dr. Steve Stephens
from "Stories for the Family's Heart"

Tim Larimore
Principal