1007_PFThursdayThoughtsForPDF.pub

Mr. Cassiday’s Comments

I felt as if children and teachers were running a gauntlet! Trying to focus on security was mind numbing! So, when it was suggested to try exiting the double doors near the Computer Lab I felt it was worth a try even though changing procedures can be daunting at times. As a result, most parents seem to be tolerant enough to give this a fair trial run, and several have gone so far to offer up constructive critiques. Some of these may be doable and others definitely aren’t. But what I appreciate most is the willingness of several people to approach me with a viable solution based in reason. Often we teach our students that there are no dumb questions/suggestions without personally embracing the concept ourselves. I’d like to acknowledge the value in embracing such a team oriented concept; not everyone is so fortunate. My family will testify that I could benefit from any constructive input you feel comfortable in offering up!

Parent Teacher conferences happen next week! It’s my great desire that you enjoy this special opportunity for face to face conversations with parents and other family members regarding the successes and challenges the children in our care are achieving. Monday, October 1^st and Tuesday, October 2^nd, as well as Thursday October 4^th I’ll be available to meet and greet parents and otherwise participate with you to express the Pathfinder message of high academic expectations and the need for positive parent involvement.

The MEAP testing window opens Monday, October 8 and closes Friday, October 26. Our third graders will be assessed to gauge our collective proficiency as educators, the children’s response to intervention techniques, and to market local real estate and a way of life. The data they generate will drive our planning for the future in the form of professional development, school improvement, and funding. Reported results should be printed and shipped to school districts either late in December or January.

My experience administering the MEAP has been that those teachers and assistants who administer the test feel a great amount of pressure for “getting it right”. Regardless of the fact that they’ve not provided any of the instruction for the material being tested they probably feel professionally responsible for providing good data while protecting the integrity of our profession; kind of like intellectual gatekeepers.

I mention this because while taking the MEAP test has become big news it’s important to remember our focus is to educate and support the children in our care. There are several ways to support both the test givers and takers. Write notes of encouragement, offer supportive words, don’t enter classrooms during posted testing times, be flexible with scheduling, and smile.

“COATS FOR KIDS”

We will once again be participating in the “Coats For Kids” campaign sponsored by NCCS. Look for the drop-off box in the front of our school (by the office). NCCS will be collecting “gently used” or new coats from September 26th - October 10th. Please check your closets for any coats (children and adults) that you might be able to donate to this worthwhile cause.

Counselor’s Corner

I am serving as the counselor for all three elementary schools this year. Because of dividing time between the buildings, a primary focus for my time in each, has been chosen.

At Pine Street, I am assisting teachers with a new way to service at risk children called Response to Intervention. This process is a very standardized, meticulous approach to assessing children’s performance and behavior and then choosing interventions to assist them. The concept is very similar to how our district has always operated, but the change comes in how the process is monitored and the amount of paper trail needed. The latter is where I hope to be of most assistance to the Pine Street staff.

The VIP program, at Pathfinder, will continue to be my primary focus. In VIP class, I teach lessons about life skills relating to our Six Pillars of being a person of character. This enables me to impact all students and be of assistance to the Pathfinder staff in their quest to help children develop the notion of making decisions based on the question, “what’s the right thing for me to do?”

At Daisy Brook, my main focus is to work with children who need or ask for my help in making sense of things. I use the term “things” very generally, referring to most anything that may be occurring in their life that is confusing them or causing stress, frustration, sadness, anger etc… This age group can often express themselves verbally and have the ability to take in feedback and use it to their benefit.

Did You Know? *The Church of The Nazarene is a local provider of Angel Food Ministries. This food program, open to all, provides $75 worth of food for $25!!! What a great way to stretch your dollar! Call 924-3024 for more information.

*I will be offering Rollercoasters classes, after school, beginning in late October. Students in second through fifth grade are eligible for this class. The class is directed towards children experiencing a family change. The change is most often a divorce, but children who have had a parent lose a job, or have experienced a death in the family, have also participated in this class. The curriculum teaches the children how to cope with their situation. If you would like some more information regarding this opportunity, please call me at 924-7265.

*A lending library of Love and Logic parenting information is available at Pathfinder. Many books, tapes and CD’s are available for checkout. Check with me if you’re interested. Loveandlogic.com is a great website for parents to use as a resource. *This past summer approximately 75 children attended summer camp through the FACF partnership with Camp Henry. FACF provides scholarships to schools to reduce the cost of camp for students whose families may have a difficult time paying the full amount. Generally, families who qualify for free or reduced lunch, may receive a scholarship. Summer camp information hits my desk in February and if you think you might be able to take advantage of this opportunity, it’s never too early to get your child’s name on the list.

NEWS FROM THE P.E. OFFICE

Just an update to let you know what has been happening in the physical education department so far this year at Pathfinder. The students started out the school year learning the basic classroom procedures and how they relate to safety, which is always my number one concern. You, as a parent, can help your child remain safe by remembering to send him/her with tennis shoes on their regularly scheduled gym day. Your help in doing so is greatly appreciated. Speaking of safety, your child also had a playground safety day where he/she learned to use the playground equipment and play in an appropriate and correct manner.

We are concluding our soccer until the week of September 24th with a game called line soccer, which is a modified game of regular soccer to help ensure every kid remains active throughout the entire game. During the days of the soccer unit leading up to line soccer, your child participated in stations where they learned the fundamentals of passing, overhand throwing and ball control skills. Furthermore, an emphasis is being placed on displaying good sportsmanship and respect of rules. At the conclusion of the soccer unit, we will begin a throwing and catching unit the week of September 29th.

Again, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s development as it pertains to physical education, I can be reached by phone at 924-7258, or my email address is milynch@fremont.net. Sincerely, Mike Lynch

CONFERENCES & BOOK FAIR

Fall conferences and the Book Fair are scheduled for Monday, October 1 from 5:00—8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, October 2 from 5:00—8:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 4 from 3:45—6:15 p.m. The Book Fair will be open until 8:00 p.m. the first two nights and until 6:00 p.m. on the 4th.

SCHOOL PICTURES

Picture day is Monday, October 1st. Our pictures will be taken by Geskus Photography this year. Just a reminder to parents that the office staff does not keep enough money in the office to make change

CLUB’S CHOICE FUNDRAISER

We are once again using Club’s Choice for our fall fund-raiser. Your student should have brought home a packet of information this past Tuesday. All order forms are due back to the school on Monday, October 8th. The delivery date is Thursday, November 8th. Please make all checks payable to Fremont Public Schools. If you will be paying with a personal check, you will need to pay NO LATER than October 8th. If you will be paying on pick-up day, November 8th, ONLY CASH or MONEY ORDERS will be accepted. No personal checks will be accepted on pick-up day. Thanks!

EARLY RELEASE DAYS

Please make note of the following Early Release days for the 2007—2008 school year.

OCTOBER 15 FEBRUARY 11

On Early Release days, Pathfinder dismisses at 1:10 p.m. Lunch will be served on these days. Please make sure that you have made arrangements for your child on these afternoons. If your child’s transportation arrangements will change for Early Release days, please put the change in writing and send it to school with your child. Unless we hear differently, in writing, your child will be dropped of at his/her usual spot. Thanks for your help with this!

A Friendly "Reminder From the Nurse . . .

Due to the number of sick children this time of the year, we want to remind parents not to send their child back too quickly after an illness. If a child has a fever, we ask that they stay home until they have gone a full 24 hours without a fever. This means 24 hours without medication (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.) that will keep the fever down. The same rule would apply to vomiting. Please keep the children home until they have gone 24 hours without vomiting as well. If your child does come to school with either of the above problems, we will be calling you to come and pick them up. This is to help prevent the spread of colds and flu to other students. Thank you!

RELEASED TIME BIBLE CLASS

Released Time Bible Class is a program permitted by Michigan law, whereby children are released from school classes during the school hours to attend religious instruction at a nearby location. Mr. Joe Murray has been conducting Released Time Bible classes in our area since 1993. Before our students are allowed to attend, they MUST RETURN A PERMISSION FORM. Forms will be available in the office in early October. Our first class will be Tuesday, October 23rd.

CASH ED, BOXTOPS AND PRINTER CARTRIDGES

Empty ink and toner cartridges and old cell phones earn money. Spread the word and send them in to school with your child. Together we will turn trash into cash.

We also need your help in saving your receipts from Bill’s Shop ’N Save for our Cash For Ed program. Receipts can be turned in to your classroom teachers. The money collected from this will be used in your child’s classroom for supplies, field trips, etc.

KIDS HOPE

Elementary schools in Newaygo County are once again benefiting this fall from a special program called Kids Hope U.S.A. This program matches mentors from area churches to elementary school students for one hour a week to help address students emotional, social, and academic needs. The separation of church and state is one of the important “non-negotiable requirements” of this program as well. We are fortunate to have Fremont United Methodist, Church of the Living Christ and Reeman CRC return this fall. New this year will be 2nd CRC. All of these churches have committed to sending trained mentors to our school to provide this one-on-one mentoring at no cost to the school. Our mentors from last year will be moving up to the next grade level this year so they can continue to mentor the students they began with in 2005-2006. We feel very fortunate to be a part of this research-proven initiative for our

THANK YOU MISS TRAPP

Friday, September 28th will be Miss Trapp’s last day as our school nurse. Cary has decided to work with home care. Many thanks to Cary for all the care and concern she has shown to all of the Fremont Public School students! She will be missed!

Sharon Folkema will be our new part-time nurse. We will be sharing her with White Cloud Public schools. Sharon has been learning the ropes with Cary this week and will be starting next week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday.) Welcome Mrs. Folkema! We are excited to have you join us!

PRINCIPAL’S POINT CLUB

We have had several parents inquire about our reward program for reading. When our students read, they acquire a certain amount of points. The points and rewards are listed for your information.

5 points Super Reader Bookmark (1st graders only)

15 points Eraser

25 points Pencil

35 points Wesco Pop and Popcorn

50 points Accelerated Reader Button AND Season’s Kid’s Meal

75 points Pathfinder Reader Pennant AND Samuel’s Kid’s Meal

100 points Mancino’s Coupon

125 points Accelerated Reader T-Shirt

150 points Lunch with the Principal

200 points Librarian for the Day AND Season’s Family Dinner

250 points Teacher of Your Choice for the Day

300 points Principal for the Day

HALLOWEEN

Advance notice . . . Our Halloween parties and parades will be on Wednesday, October 31st. Please keep in mind that we do NOT allow any students to wear any costumes that involve guns, knives, swords or any other weapons of violence, or costumes that are of a gruesome or bloody nature. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. More information will be sent home at a later date.

MOBILE DENTIST

The Mobile Dentist team will once again set up a mini-dental office in our building on November 2nd. Mobile Dentist can provide dental examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays and sealants (if necessary) for children who return a completed form. A signed consent includes an initial visit and a 6-month check-up during the school year.

Mobile Dentist can provide these services to families who need financial assistance and it has subsidized fees for those who choose to pay for the preventative care. No child is ever turned away from Mobile Dentist

FIT FOR THE FUTURE

. . Has decided to help make Newaygo County one of the healthiest in the

nation starting with your family! Fit for the Future is a cost free program for families of children 0-18 years.

All you need to do is . . .

* Call Stephanie at 924-8894 or Katherine at 924-8896

* We will set up a time to meet at your convenience

* We will go through a questionnaire with you and your child

* Based on your answers, we connect your family with professionals who can best help your family reach your health goals

* We have physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dietitians, social workers, exercise specialists and cooking instructors all ready to serve you!

Call us with questions or to get started! We look forward to serving you!

Fit for the Future is a partnership of Newaygo County Regional Educational Services, Gerber Memorial Health Services and HeartStart and is funded by The Fremont Area Community Foundation.



	Mr. Cassiday’s Comments I felt as if children and teachers were running a gauntlet! Trying to focus on security was mind numbing! So, when it was suggested to try exiting the double doors near the Computer Lab I felt it was worth a try even though changing procedures can be daunting at times. As a result, most parents seem to be tolerant enough to give this a fair trial run, and several have gone so far to offer up constructive critiques. Some of these may be doable and others definitely aren’t. But what I appreciate most is the willingness of several people to approach me with a viable solution based in reason. Often we teach our students that there are no dumb questions/suggestions without personally embracing the concept ourselves. I’d like to acknowledge the value in embracing such a team oriented concept; not everyone is so fortunate. My family will testify that I could benefit from any constructive input you feel comfortable in offering up! Parent Teacher conferences happen next week! It’s my great desire that you enjoy this special opportunity for face to face conversations with parents and other family members regarding the successes and challenges the children in our care are achieving. Monday, October 1^st and Tuesday, October 2^nd, as well as Thursday October 4^th I’ll be available to meet and greet parents and otherwise participate with you to express the Pathfinder message of high academic expectations and the need for positive parent involvement. The MEAP testing window opens Monday, October 8 and closes Friday, October 26. Our third graders will be assessed to gauge our collective proficiency as educators, the children’s response to intervention techniques, and to market local real estate and a way of life. The data they generate will drive our planning for the future in the form of professional development, school improvement, and funding. Reported results should be printed and shipped to school districts either late in December or January. My experience administering the MEAP has been that those teachers and assistants who administer the test feel a great amount of pressure for “getting it right”. Regardless of the fact that they’ve not provided any of the instruction for the material being tested they probably feel professionally responsible for providing good data while protecting the integrity of our profession; kind of like intellectual gatekeepers. I mention this because while taking the MEAP test has become big news it’s important to remember our focus is to educate and support the children in our care. There are several ways to support both the test givers and takers. Write notes of encouragement, offer supportive words, don’t enter classrooms during posted testing times, be flexible with scheduling, and smile. “COATS FOR KIDS” We will once again be participating in the “Coats For Kids” campaign sponsored by NCCS. Look for the drop-off box in the front of our school (by the office). NCCS will be collecting “gently used” or new coats from September 26th - October 10th. Please check your closets for any coats (children and adults) that you might be able to donate to this worthwhile cause.



	Counselor’s Corner I am serving as the counselor for all three elementary schools this year. Because of dividing time between the buildings, a primary focus for my time in each, has been chosen. At Pine Street, I am assisting teachers with a new way to service at risk children called Response to Intervention. This process is a very standardized, meticulous approach to assessing children’s performance and behavior and then choosing interventions to assist them. The concept is very similar to how our district has always operated, but the change comes in how the process is monitored and the amount of paper trail needed. The latter is where I hope to be of most assistance to the Pine Street staff. The VIP program, at Pathfinder, will continue to be my primary focus. In VIP class, I teach lessons about life skills relating to our Six Pillars of being a person of character. This enables me to impact all students and be of assistance to the Pathfinder staff in their quest to help children develop the notion of making decisions based on the question, “what’s the right thing for me to do?” At Daisy Brook, my main focus is to work with children who need or ask for my help in making sense of things. I use the term “things” very generally, referring to most anything that may be occurring in their life that is confusing them or causing stress, frustration, sadness, anger etc… This age group can often express themselves verbally and have the ability to take in feedback and use it to their benefit. Did You Know? The Church of The Nazarene is a local provider of Angel Food Ministries. This food program, open to all, provides $75 worth of food for $25!!! What a great way to stretch your dollar! Call 924-3024 for more information. I will be offering Rollercoasters classes, after school, beginning in late October. Students in second through fifth grade are eligible for this class. The class is directed towards children experiencing a family change. The change is most often a divorce, but children who have had a parent lose a job, or have experienced a death in the family, have also participated in this class. The curriculum teaches the children how to cope with their situation. If you would like some more information regarding this opportunity, please call me at 924-7265. A lending library of Love and Logic parenting information is available at Pathfinder. Many books, tapes and CD’s are available for checkout. Check with me if you’re interested. Loveandlogic.com is a great website for parents to use as a resource. This past summer approximately 75 children attended summer camp through the FACF partnership with Camp Henry. FACF provides scholarships to schools to reduce the cost of camp for students whose families may have a difficult time paying the full amount. Generally, families who qualify for free or reduced lunch, may receive a scholarship. Summer camp information hits my desk in February and if you think you might be able to take advantage of this opportunity, it’s never too early to get your child’s name on the list.



	NEWS FROM THE P.E. OFFICE Just an update to let you know what has been happening in the physical education department so far this year at Pathfinder. The students started out the school year learning the basic classroom procedures and how they relate to safety, which is always my number one concern. You, as a parent, can help your child remain safe by remembering to send him/her with tennis shoes on their regularly scheduled gym day. Your help in doing so is greatly appreciated. Speaking of safety, your child also had a playground safety day where he/she learned to use the playground equipment and play in an appropriate and correct manner. We are concluding our soccer until the week of September 24th with a game called line soccer, which is a modified game of regular soccer to help ensure every kid remains active throughout the entire game. During the days of the soccer unit leading up to line soccer, your child participated in stations where they learned the fundamentals of passing, overhand throwing and ball control skills. Furthermore, an emphasis is being placed on displaying good sportsmanship and respect of rules. At the conclusion of the soccer unit, we will begin a throwing and catching unit the week of September 29th. Again, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s development as it pertains to physical education, I can be reached by phone at 924-7258, or my email address is milynch@fremont.net. Sincerely, Mike Lynch

	CONFERENCES & BOOK FAIR Fall conferences and the Book Fair are scheduled for Monday, October 1 from 5:00—8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, October 2 from 5:00—8:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 4 from 3:45—6:15 p.m. The Book Fair will be open until 8:00 p.m. the first two nights and until 6:00 p.m. on the 4th.	SCHOOL PICTURES Picture day is Monday, October 1st. Our pictures will be taken by Geskus Photography this year. Just a reminder to parents that the office staff does not keep enough money in the office to make change



	CLUB’S CHOICE FUNDRAISER We are once again using Club’s Choice for our fall fund-raiser. Your student should have brought home a packet of information this past Tuesday. All order forms are due back to the school on Monday, October 8th. The delivery date is Thursday, November 8th. Please make all checks payable to Fremont Public Schools. If you will be paying with a personal check, you will need to pay NO LATER than October 8th. If you will be paying on pick-up day, November 8th, ONLY CASH or MONEY ORDERS will be accepted. No personal checks will be accepted on pick-up day. Thanks! EARLY RELEASE DAYS Please make note of the following Early Release days for the 2007—2008 school year. OCTOBER 15 FEBRUARY 11 On Early Release days, Pathfinder dismisses at 1:10 p.m. Lunch will be served on these days. Please make sure that you have made arrangements for your child on these afternoons. If your child’s transportation arrangements will change for Early Release days, please put the change in writing and send it to school with your child. Unless we hear differently, in writing, your child will be dropped of at his/her usual spot. Thanks for your help with this!

	A Friendly "Reminder From the Nurse . . . Due to the number of sick children this time of the year, we want to remind parents not to send their child back too quickly after an illness. If a child has a fever, we ask that they stay home until they have gone a full 24 hours without a fever. This means 24 hours without medication (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.) that will keep the fever down. The same rule would apply to vomiting. Please keep the children home until they have gone 24 hours without vomiting as well. If your child does come to school with either of the above problems, we will be calling you to come and pick them up. This is to help prevent the spread of colds and flu to other students. Thank you!



	RELEASED TIME BIBLE CLASS Released Time Bible Class is a program permitted by Michigan law, whereby children are released from school classes during the school hours to attend religious instruction at a nearby location. Mr. Joe Murray has been conducting Released Time Bible classes in our area since 1993. Before our students are allowed to attend, they MUST RETURN A PERMISSION FORM. Forms will be available in the office in early October. Our first class will be Tuesday, October 23rd. CASH ED, BOXTOPS AND PRINTER CARTRIDGES Empty ink and toner cartridges and old cell phones earn money. Spread the word and send them in to school with your child. Together we will turn trash into cash. We also need your help in saving your receipts from Bill’s Shop ’N Save for our Cash For Ed program. Receipts can be turned in to your classroom teachers. The money collected from this will be used in your child’s classroom for supplies, field trips, etc. KIDS HOPE Elementary schools in Newaygo County are once again benefiting this fall from a special program called Kids Hope U.S.A. This program matches mentors from area churches to elementary school students for one hour a week to help address students emotional, social, and academic needs. The separation of church and state is one of the important “non-negotiable requirements” of this program as well. We are fortunate to have Fremont United Methodist, Church of the Living Christ and Reeman CRC return this fall. New this year will be 2nd CRC. All of these churches have committed to sending trained mentors to our school to provide this one-on-one mentoring at no cost to the school. Our mentors from last year will be moving up to the next grade level this year so they can continue to mentor the students they began with in 2005-2006. We feel very fortunate to be a part of this research-proven initiative for our THANK YOU MISS TRAPP Friday, September 28th will be Miss Trapp’s last day as our school nurse. Cary has decided to work with home care. Many thanks to Cary for all the care and concern she has shown to all of the Fremont Public School students! She will be missed! Sharon Folkema will be our new part-time nurse. We will be sharing her with White Cloud Public schools. Sharon has been learning the ropes with Cary this week and will be starting next week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday.) Welcome Mrs. Folkema! We are excited to have you join us!



	PRINCIPAL’S POINT CLUB We have had several parents inquire about our reward program for reading. When our students read, they acquire a certain amount of points. The points and rewards are listed for your information. 5 points Super Reader Bookmark (1st graders only) 15 points Eraser 25 points Pencil 35 points Wesco Pop and Popcorn 50 points Accelerated Reader Button AND Season’s Kid’s Meal 75 points Pathfinder Reader Pennant AND Samuel’s Kid’s Meal 100 points Mancino’s Coupon 125 points Accelerated Reader T-Shirt 150 points Lunch with the Principal 200 points Librarian for the Day AND Season’s Family Dinner 250 points Teacher of Your Choice for the Day 300 points Principal for the Day HALLOWEEN Advance notice . . . Our Halloween parties and parades will be on Wednesday, October 31st. Please keep in mind that we do NOT allow any students to wear any costumes that involve guns, knives, swords or any other weapons of violence, or costumes that are of a gruesome or bloody nature. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. More information will be sent home at a later date. MOBILE DENTIST The Mobile Dentist team will once again set up a mini-dental office in our building on November 2nd. Mobile Dentist can provide dental examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays and sealants (if necessary) for children who return a completed form. A signed consent includes an initial visit and a 6-month check-up during the school year. Mobile Dentist can provide these services to families who need financial assistance and it has subsidized fees for those who choose to pay for the preventative care. No child is ever turned away from Mobile Dentist



	FIT FOR THE FUTURE . . Has decided to help make Newaygo County one of the healthiest in the nation starting with your family! Fit for the Future is a cost free program for families of children 0-18 years. All you need to do is . . . * Call Stephanie at 924-8894 or Katherine at 924-8896 * We will set up a time to meet at your convenience * We will go through a questionnaire with you and your child * Based on your answers, we connect your family with professionals who can best help your family reach your health goals * We have physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dietitians, social workers, exercise specialists and cooking instructors all ready to serve you! Call us with questions or to get started! We look forward to serving you! Fit for the Future is a partnership of Newaygo County Regional Educational Services, Gerber Memorial Health Services and HeartStart and is funded by The Fremont Area Community Foundation.