Principal's Corner

Dear McMullen Booth Families,

Happy Earth Day! We are planning a wonderful learning and activity day in celebration of Earth Day, to take place on April 29th from 8:45 AM to 1 PM on our PE courts. Students will learn about and take part in a plethora of earth friendly activities provided by community vendors, volunteers and our own classrooms and  students. It is a great example of how McMullen Booth works together to make a difference! 

Can you believe how the year is flying by?  We are completing our FCAT make ups this week and soon the tests will be in the shipping boxes and on their way to be scored. We are proud of all of our students who worked hard to show what they know by trying their best and utilizing all of the knowledge and strategies they have learned so far in their elementary career.  Although the tests are done, our instructional year is not. I would like to remind everyone that we are still teaching and students are learning, so our focus on the importance of being in school on time and focused on our work continues to be important.  We will continue to conduct our end of year assessments in reading, writing, math and science to let students show us how much they have grown in all academic areas. We are proud of the progress that each child has made and celebrate their successes as we go into the final weeks of this school year.

I hope that you had an opportunity to participate in our Science Showcase, held in our media center on Thursday evening. This was a wonderful display of the great hands-on science and learning that is taking place in our science classrooms! Whoop! Whoop! for our MBES Scientists! 

Lastly, it appears we are having another bout with the flu and cold season occurring across our campus.  Please remind your children to wash hands frequently to avoid the transfer of germs. We want everyone to be able to participate in all of the learning activities that are planned for their classes during this spring time of year.

Have a great weekend!

~ Sherry Aemisegger, Principal

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Dates To Remember

	April 25	Pro Ed Day - No School for Students
	April 29	Earth Day Activities during PE time
	May 2-6	Book Fair, Media Center 8:00am - 3:00pm
	May 4	Walking Wednesday (Meet at Soule Park, 7:45 am)
	May 5	Book Fair Evening Hours 6:00 - 8:00pm
	May 5	PTA Meeting, 6:30pm - Cafeteria
	May 5	Grades K-1st Evening of the Arts 6:30-8:00pm
	May 10	Crispers Family Night 5:30-8:30 pm
	May 26	Mentor Training 8:30-10:30 am (Pre-registration required)
	May 30	Memorial Day, No School
	June 1	Walking Wednesday (Meet at Soule Park, 7:45 am)
	June 7	5th Grade "Clap Out" 2:00 pm, Courtyard
	June 8	5th Grade Awards Ceremony 8:45-10:45 am, Cafeteria
	June 8	Last Day of School for Students 8:35 am - 1:35 pm

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Recycling Challenge

The Pepsico Dream Machine Recycling Challenge ends April 29th. Please do not send any beverage containers, plastic or aluminum, after this date. Thank you for your participation in this recycling competition!

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Community Happenings

The following flyers are located in the school office, and you are welcome to stop by and pick up any papers that interest you.

The school is neither endorsing nor sponsoring the events nor approving or endorsing
the views of the organization sponsoring the activity.

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Family and Community Relations

Our Field Days were a great success thanks to the efforts of our PE Department and the wonderful volunteers who came out to lend us a hand. Thanks to all of you.  If you weren’t able to join us this time, don’t miss out next year!

Earth Day is coming on Friday, April 29th and we are in need of many helping hands. Please come in to the office to sign up or call me and I will add your name to our list. Remember, it takes many hands to make these fun events possible for our students.

We will be holding a Mentor Training Workshop here at McMullen Booth on Thursday, May 26th from 8:30 – 10:30 am in the Media Center. A flyer was sent home with every student last week. A minimum number of participants are required to hold a workshop. This training is beneficial to all parents and attending does not obligate you to become a Mentor.  Please consider joining us for this worthwhile workshop. The registration form needs to be returned to the office by May 6th. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. 

Please Note:  The Volunteer database will convert to a new system at the end of April. Please be sure all of your volunteer service hours are entered into the computer as soon as possible. I will need to generate a report of these hours prior to the changeover and want to be sure it truly reflects the time our volunteers have generously given to our school. If you are not able to come in, give me a call and I will enter the hours for you. Thank you for all you do!

~ Barbara Hajko, Family & Community Liaison

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Earth Day 2011 - April 29

Each child is asked to bring newspaper or aluminum cans to recycle as they enter Earth Day. There will be many free activities and some activities for a small fee. There will also be plants for sale and a nature store for shopping. Students will participate during their PE time. Parents are invited to join their child during their regularly scheduled PE time. Let’s celebrate Mother Earth!

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Media Center News!

All students in grades 3-5 have been introduced to the Battle of the Books program. This program supports the Sunshine State Standards by encouraging the students to read the 15 Sunshine State books. The students with the top scores on the qualifying test were placed on teams. There will be grade level battles where the winning teams will battle in the school battle. The winning team from the school battle will battle against other schools at the Regional Battle. The winning teams at the Regional Battle will go on to the District Battle. Congratulations to the following students who earned top scores on the Battle of the Books qualifying test:

3rd Grade Teams
Sarah Savage—Captain   Miranda Whitaker   William Guerrera	Sophie Klein—Captain   Ali Grutchfield    Ian Shaw
4th Grade Teams
Angelika Sadowski—Captain   Andrea Ocampo   Kiley Carlin	Nolan Carney—Captain   Bailey DeSalvo   Davis Hughes	Christina Cianciolo—Captain   Sarah Barlo   Brielle McShan
5th Grade Team A - 9:45-10:30am
Paul Dobler—Captain   Madison Barros   Elaina Brooks	Adam Keeports—Captain   Karissa Contreras   Andrew Nam	Gatlin Hatcher—Captain   Selene Euan-Blanco   Genevieve Hall
5th Grade Team B - 9:00-9:40am
Tammy Nguyen—Captain   Carl Evans   Kaylee Swaine	Nicole Wirgau—Captain   Parker Hamilton   R.J. Barrido	Sam Long—Captain    Sarah Dukes   Tyler Cole

Parents are invited to attend the battles which take place in the school cafeteria:
  - Tuesday, April 26th 10:00-10:40am (4th grade) 
  - Wednesday, April 27th 9:00-9:40am (5th grade) and again at 9:45am -10:30am (5th grade) 
  - Thursday, April 28th 9:00-9:40am (3rd grade) 
  - School Battle-Wednesday, May 4th 10:00am-10:40am (winning grade level teams)

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Are You Making Homework A Good Experience?

There aren’t many children who love doing homework.  But most kids don’t fight and rebel.  When parents find ways to make homework a positive experience, children will usually do it without a battle.  How are you doing?  Answer yes or no to each question below to find out: 

• Do you give your child choices – such as which subject to study first?  Whether to study right after school or before dinner? *Are you available and nearby to offer support when your child is studying? 
   
• Is homework time a quiet time for your whole family?  Do you turn off the TV and ask everyone to read or study? *Do you help your child study by calling out spelling words or holding up flash cards? 
   
• Do you praise your child for working hard?  This gives her a sense of pride in her accomplishments. 

How well are you doing? 

If you answered mostly yes, you are doing your part to make homework a positive learning experience for your child.  Mostly no answers?  Try the ideas in the quiz. 

Reprinted with permission of The Parent Institute. 
April 2008, Parents make a difference!

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Parent Input

Pinellas County Schools welcomes input of parents regarding the job performance of district employees.  A  Parent Input Form is available for parents to give input regarding teacher performance. Also available is a Parent Teacher Input Form for input regarding administrator performance. Each form requires a  signature. A copy of the form will be shared with the employee. Forms are available in the school office.

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Spring Book Fair – May 2-6 – Your Ticket to Read!

McMullen Booth Elementary is hosting a Scholastic  Book Fair on May 2-6, from 8:00am to 3:00pm (8am – 2pm on Wednesday). On May 5, from 6:00 to 8:00pm, the Book Fair will be open for an Evening Book Sale. The funds raised from the book fair will be used to purchase books for the Media Center. Everyone is invited to attend the Book Fair: Your Ticket to Read!  

The Book Fair will offer special-priced books and educational products, including new releases, award-winning titles, children’s classics, adult books, and current bestsellers from more than 100 publishers. 

Book Fair customers may help the school build classroom libraries and improve children’s reading skills by  donating loose change to the One for Books® programs. 

To find out more about our upcoming event or to find out how you can help out contact Marcy Kemerer or email her at luv2travel@tampabay.rr.com.

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Room Representative Committee Update

It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over! As our thoughts turn to Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6), end-of-year parties, teacher gifts and summer vacation, I just wanted to take a moment to thank each of you who worked throughout the year to make this a special year for our children. I hope that you enjoyed being a Room Mom or Dad, and I also hope that you know how much your gift of time and creative ideas contributed to making this year memorable for the students at our school! You are truly appreciated! 

Also, I want to thank everyone that I have worked with this year.  This is a special school with a phenomenal staff and a wonderful group of students and parents.  It has been a pleasure to be a part of this very special community!  You are the best!  Enjoy your summer. 

~ Lori Carney, Room Rep Committee Chairperson

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Kindergarten & 1st Grade Art Show

Join us on an Artistic Safari Adventure featuring the creations of our very talented Kindergarten and First Graders. Each child will have work on display during the PTA General Meeting and our McMullen Booth Book Fair Night on Thursday May 5th.

Also, that night we will be auctioning off the beautiful Aboriginal Dot painting created last December by all students in grades K – 5 and some adorable sculptural giraffes created by our first graders!

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Spring Book Fair – May 2-6

Our Scholastic Book Fair “Carnival “ begins the week of May 2nd and will be open daily from 8:00 am-3:00 pm except on our shortened day, Wednesday, when it will be open until 2:00 pm. Come see all the exciting new books available for your child’s summer reading. It will transform the school media center into our very own book store where you will find hundreds of books from new and favorite authors. Everyone is invited!  It’s your ticket to read! 

The book fair will also be open on Thursday evening, May 5th, from 6:00pm-8:00pm during our General PTA Meeting and Evening of Art for  Kdg & 1st Grades.

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Secret Pal Program

Thank you to those of you who participated in the Secret Pal Program this school year. The little goodies we give to our teachers each month go a long way to make their day special.  May 2nd – 6th is “Teacher Appreciation Week” and would be the perfect time to reveal yourself to your Secret Pal so that they may know who has been so good to them during the school year. Thanks again for your participation in this program. 

~ Karen Carlin, PTA Secret Pal Chair

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McMullen's Cafe

Good Morning!		Lunch		Lunch
Week of 4/25-4/29		Week of 4/25-4/29		Week of 5/2-5/6
Mon 4/25 Tues 4/26 Wed 4/27 Thurs 4/28 Fri 4/29	Pro Ed Day No School for Students Max Stick Cereal Grits Pancake Pup Cereal Oatmeal Chicken & Biscuit Cereal Grits Oatmeal Cereal Cheese Toast	Mon 4/25 Tue 4/26 Wed 4/27 Thur 4/28 Fri 4/29	Pro Ed Day No School for Students   #1 Cheeseburger #2 Hamburger #3 Yogurt & Fruit Plate #4 Chef's Salad              #5 Turkey & Cheese Sandwich #1 Beef Dippers #2 Lasagna Roll-up              #3 None #4 Chicken BLT Salad #5 Ham & Cheese Sandwich  #1 Breakfast for Lunch #2 Chicken Tenders #3 None #4 Farmer’s Salad #5 Bologna & Cheese Sandwich #1 Pepperoni Pizza #2 Fish Sandwich #3 Cheese Pizza #4 Mandarin Chicken Salad #5 PB & J Sandwich	Mon 5/2 Tue 5/3 Wed 5/4 Thur 5/5 Fri 5/6	#1 Chicken Nuggets #2 Pasta w/ Marinara Sauce            #3 None              #4 Chef's Salad              #5 Turkey Sandwich  #1 Meatball Sub #2 Corn Dog              #3 Veggie Chili      #4 Chicken BLT Salad              #5 Ham & Cheese Sandwich #1 Sloppy Joe #2 Max Stick  #3 None              #4 Farmer's Salad            #5 Bologna & Cheese Sandwich  #1 Teriyaki Chicken #2 Rib-B-Que  #3 None              #4 Farmer's Salad            #5 Bologna & Cheese Sandwich #1 Pepperoni Pizza #2 Fish Sticks              #3 Cheese Pizza              #4 Crunchy Chicken Salad #5 PB&J Sandwich *** IMPORTANT NOTICE *** All Menus Subject to Change
Week of 5/2-5/6
Mon 5/2 Tues 5/3 Wed 5/4 Thurs 5/5 Fri 5/6	Breakfast Turnover Cereal Grits Egg Patty & Sausage Cereal Oatmeal              Breakfast Pizza Cereal  Grits              Waffle Stick            Cereal Oatmeal              Yogurt Cereal Sausage Biscuit

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Cafeteria News

Have you wondered how much money is left on your child’s lunch account? Well, now you can find out, and it’s free! Go to www.mealpayplus.com. You will need your student’s ID number (located on their negative balance letters). Enter the number as the ID and PIN number. You can check the status of the account, see what they have purchased and get e-mail alerts when the account falls below a certain amount ($5.25 is a good number, that’s 3 lunches left). All of this is available at no charge to you!

You can also, for a small fee, add money with a check, debit or credit card. When adding to the account, if there is a negative balance in the meals, make sure you add money to zero that out, as well as adding to the “general” account if your child is able to purchase ala carte items.

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The School Board of Pinellas County, Florida, prohibits any and all forms of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, orientation or disability in any of its programs, services or activities.