Principal's Corner

Dear McMullen Booth Families,

Thank you for your help and cooperation in our dismissal procedures on January 28th. Our dismissal went very smoothly and is due to the support and assistance of our entire learning family. A proud example of how working together we make a difference! 

Report cards will be coming home on Friday, February 24th. Please support your child by checking their planner nightly for follow through on homework assignments or responding to notes regarding missing homework or assignments. These items can negatively impact a grade for the report card, and we can all help in this effort by working together and using our communication tools. Thanks for your help in this important area! 

We need your help with a safety concern. We have noticed that many children are being dropped off in front of the school or in the main parking lot and then walking across to the main entrance of the school. We do not have an adult on duty in front of the school during arrival time, as our duty stations are focused on our interior hallways, PE court and bus and car circles. Our concern has to be for the safety of all of our students, and if your child is crossing from the main parking lot alone then they are not safe. Unless you are parking your car and walking your child across the parking lot, you must use one of our car circles. As parents, we need to set a good example for our children by following the rules. Please use the supervised drop off areas at the Abbey Lake or Union Street car circles. Your support and help in this matter is greatly appreciated. 

On a last note, this week it has been a joy to be a part of our C2C recognition assemblies. We are blessed to have a student  population and community that values and celebrates character through words and actions each day. We are able to “catch” our students showing character across our campus and are happy to celebrate them by sharing these actions during an assembly. Notice when your child makes a choice to use responsibility, respect, self-motivation and honesty. Working together in support of this positive culture will make a difference in the lives of our children! 

~ Sherry Aemisegger, Principal

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Dates To Remember

	February 8	SAC Meeting, 7:00pm
	February 10	Class Pictures
	February 10	Grades 2-5 Evening of the Arts 6:30-8:00pm
	February 10	PTA Meeting 6:30pm, Cafeteria
	February 14	Pro Ed Day - No School for Students
	February 25	Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, 9:00am Cafeteria
	March 2	Walking Wednesday (Meet at Soule Park, 7:45 am)
	March 3&4	Vision/Hearing Screening
	March 8	PTA Workshop, "Cyber Bullying" 6:00pm, Cafeteria
	March 8	SAC Meeting, 7:00pm Media Center
	March 22	Field Day, K-1st
	March 24	Field Day, 4th & 5th Grades
	March 25	Field Day, 2nd & 3rd Grades
	March 28-April 1	Spring Break, No School
	April 4	School Resumes
	April 6	Walking Wednesday (Meet at Soule Park, 7:45 am)
	April 11-22	FCAT Testing Grades 3rd-5th
	April 12	SAC Meeting, Media Center 7:00pm
	April 25	Pro Ed Day - No School for Students
	April 28	Grades K-1st Evening of the Arts 6:30-8:00pm
	April 28	PTA Meeting, 6:30pm, Cafeteria
	April 29	Earth Day Activities during PE time

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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

February is Volunteer Appreciation month.  We are planning to honor our wonderful volunteers at our “Hands that Share, Hearts that Care” Appreciation Breakfast on Friday, February 25th Invitations were sent home with your student. Please plan to join us at 9 am in the cafeteria. Our talented Kindergarten students will be performing and our wonderful staff will provide the tasty breakfast buffet treats. Don’t miss out on the fun! 

Spring will be here before you know it and that means Field Days and Earth Day celebrations. More info will follow. 

• Field Days:  March 22 (K&1), March 24 (4&5) and March 25 (2&3)  
• Earth Day:   Friday, April 29 

These fun events are only possible will the help of our volunteers so please mark your calendars, and plan to come out to give us a hand! Thanks so much to all of our dedicated volunteers who give generously of their time and talents!

~ Barbara Hajko, Family & Community Liaison

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Pepsico Dream Machine Recycling Challenge Update

Thank you to all the families and businesses who have been loyally bringing in their recyclables!  We currently have 20,000 bottles scanned and are in 12th place, but the 1st place school has 100,000 bottles, so we need to keep bringing in the recyclables so we can move up and challenge them! 

Please tell all your friends, family, co-workers, church members to save their non-alcoholic beverage plastic and aluminum containers for us!   You may bring them into the school or leave the bagged items at the Union Street car circle building.  *Do not place them in the large bins outside as we need to scan and count them first!  Thank you!

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G’Day Mate!  Come on a Walkabout and Check out the Art!

Please join us on February 10th for our Annual 2nd–5th grades Evening of the Arts. Our second and third graders will perform a musical selection from t he Land Down Under at 6:45PM. Student art, from grades 2 through 5, based on the Australian theme will be displayed at various locations around the campus. Come and support your child’s creative efforts. 

Please note: The Kindergarten/1st Grade Art Exhibit will be held on April 28th!

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Another Award Winning Artist!

Recently four of our student artists had work selected in a juried show (a panel of art experts selected their pieces!). Alia Habeeb, Jamie Exum, Elise Evener and Noah McMillon are exhibiting at the Clearwater Main Library. The show is titled “A Creative StART”. It will be on display through February.  
The judges award two Awards of Excellence and three Honorable Mentions. We are proud to announce that Noah McMillon won an Award of Excellence. Congratulations Noah!

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HEARING AND VISION SCREENING

On Thursday, March 3rd and Friday, March 4th, students in grades PreK (as required), Kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd grades will have their hearing and vision checked by a county screening team here at school. Also any students new to Pinellas County will be included in the screening. It is important that students who wear eyeglasses have them available for the screening. If you would not like for your children to be screened, please send a written note to school indicating your wishes.

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Room Representative Committee Update

Happy 2011!  Thanks for all your help in the classroom celebrations for the Winter Holidays!  We know that the children had a GREAT time, as we heard about many great parties.  Now that we are settled back into school, it is a great time to have your second planning session with your teachers, to discuss activities for the rest of the year.  With Valentine’s Day coming up, we are sure that you all are getting fun ideas together for your classes. Don’t forget about www.familyfun.com as a great source for ideas.

Thanks again for all that you do! 

~ Lori Carney & Rachel Davis, Room Representative Co-Chairs

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ESOL Endorsement

Our outstanding teachers are dedicated to our students and to the goal of having them reach their highest level of academic achievement. Our teachers are all certified by the state of Florida and are qualified to teach the core academic subjects they are assigned. In addition, they attend professional development designed to keep them current with best practices in education. To that end, many of our teachers are in the process of obtaining their English as a Second Language (ESOL) endorsement. This endorsement is designed to give teachers special strategies for working with students whose primary language is not English. This endorsement requires up to 300 hours of additional professional development. Your child’s teacher is considered out of field for ESOL while working towards this endorsement. The following teacher is currently working toward the completion of their ESOL endorsement: Mrs. Nelson. Our teachers and staff work diligently to meet the needs of every student in our school. Your continued support of your child’s education is appreciated. Should you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the school at  
727-669-1800.

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Class Picture Day – February 10th

Class pictures will be taken on Thursday, February 10th.  Picture payment envelopes were sent home today. Class pictures are on a prepay basis only. Please do not combine orders. Please fill out the envelope and enclose the exact amount. Return envelopes with payment on or before picture day. Sorry, no late orders can be accepted. Make checks payable to Strawbridge Studios, Inc.

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A few reminders from the PE Department:

Students are required to participate in PE class on a daily basis. If a student is to be excused from class, a note from the parent is required with the date for the excusal. If a student is to be excused for more than 3 days, a note from the doctor will be required with a start date for the excuse and a date when physical education can be resumed.  Students who bring in an excuse for PE class will also sit out during recess. 

Students are required to wear sneakers or closed toe and heel shoes so that they can participate safely in physical education class. Shoes such as flip-flops, crocs or shoes with high heels are considered unsafe for participation. Students are also  expected to follow the Pinellas County dress code. 

PE Rules and Commitment to Character (C2C) traits are enforced in class. If a student is having difficulty with behavior, a PE note will be sent home which must be signed by a parent and returned the next school day.

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Parents of Physical Education Students

Our Physical Education Department will be testing your child on the health components of fitness. We will be striving to help students understand the health components of fitness, how to assess them and then how to use their personal information to develop a lifelong fitness program that they enjoy. 

Pinellas County Schools use the Fitnessgram testing protocol. Fitnessgram tests the five health components of fitness which are: aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. 

• Aerobic capacity / cardiovascular endurance tests include the Pacer (1 mile run) test. 
• Body composition is determined by Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is a calculation of the ratio of weight to height. Pinellas County Schools will use this method. Weighing and measuring will be done discreetly during class. 
• Muscular endurance is measured by using the curl up which measures abdominal strength and endurance and the trunk lift which measures strength, endurance and flexibility. 
• Muscular strength is tested by push ups, modified pull ups, pull ups and the flexed arm hang. 
• Flexibility is measured by the sit and reach test and the shoulder stretch. 

Each test measures minimal fitness and compares the students score to the healthy fitness zone for their age and gender. The test also gives the students pointers on how to either improve or maintain their fitness level. It is our goal to help students make good choices in their fitness activities so that they can live a long, healthy life. If for any reason you prefer that your child not be tested or have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s physical education teacher. 

Sincerely, 

Physical Education Department 
Pinellas County Schools

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Guitar Class

Session II of the Music Is Ageless guitar class will begin after school on Thursday, February 17th from 4:00 to 4:45.  Registration is open to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Class size is limited. Enrollment is on a first come, first served basis. For information, call  Cindy Riccardi with Music Is Ageless, Inc. at  727-573-7979 or visit MusicisAgeless.com.

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Way to Go!

Kylie Capraro, a third grader in Ms. Anderson's class, and also a member of the Multicultural Committee, has won a  Certificate of Merit and Honorable Mention, for her writing submission in the Radiant Peace Education Awards December 2010. She was also awarded a $30.00 check. 

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McMullen's Cafe

Good Morning!		Lunch		Lunch
Week of 2/7-2/11		Week of 2/7-2/11		Week of 2/14-2/18
Mon 2/7 Tues 2/8 Wed 2/9 Thurs 2/10 Fri 2/11	Sausage & Cheese Frittata Cereal Breakfast Bar Pancake Sausage Sandwich Cereal Grits Breakfast Pizza Pocket Cereal Oatmeal Chicken & Biscuit Cereal Grits Cinnamon Roll Cereal	Mon 2/7 Tue 2/8 Wed 2/9 Thur 2/10 Fri 2/11	#1 Chicken Patty on a Bun #2 Baked Potato w/ Cheese #3 None #4 Chef's Salad              #5 Turkey Sandwich               #1 Tacos #2 Fiesta Chicken #3 Yogurt Parfait #4 Egg Chef Salad              #5 Ham & Cheese Sandwich #1 Cuban Pork #2 Grilled Cheese              #3 None #4 Chicken BLT Salad #5 Tuna Salad Sandwich  #1 Breaded Chicken #2 Spaghetti #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 2/14 Tue 2/15 Wed 2/16 Thur 2/17 Fri 2/18	#1 Mini Burgers/Hamburger #2 Hot Dog            #3 None              #4 Farmer's Salad              #5 Turkey Sandwich  #1 Roasted Chicken #2 Macaroni & Cheese              #3 None      #4 Tuna Chef Salad              #5 Ham & Cheese Sandwich #1 Popcorn Chicken #2 Pork Choppette  #3 Flat Bread Pizza #4 Chef's Salad            #5 Egg Salad Sandwich  #1 Corn Dog #2 Chicken Nuggets  #3 Ravioli/Cheese #4 Chicken BLT Salad            #5 Bologna & Cheese Sandwich #1 Pepperoni Pizza #2 Fish Sticks              #3 Cheese Pizza              #4 Mandarin Chicken Salad #5 PB&J Sandwich *** IMPORTANT NOTICE *** All Menus Subject to Change
Week of 3/14-3/18
Mon 2/14 Tues 2/15 Wed 2/16 Thurs 2/17 Fri 2/18	Honey Bun Cereal Oatmeal Canadian Bacon & Egg on Muffin Cereal Grits              Cheese Grits & Sausage Cereal  Oatmeal              Strawberry Pancake Sticks            Cereal Oatmeal              Breakfast Yogurt Parfait Cereal Oatmeal

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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.