Principal's Corner

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year! The start of a new year is always exciting! The smell of new school supplies is in the air and new beginnings and the possibilities that a new school year bring surround us. I am proud to be called the Principal, the “head learner,” of McMullen Booth Elementary School where we have a long history of working together to make a difference in the lives of our children.

I know that each of you will join me as we explore the possibilities, sharing a vision for our children’s future and a passion to make every day the best it can be for our students. Together as partners, we can make a positive difference in the lives and education of each McMullen Booth student. I thank you for your support as we work together to make this the best year yet at McMullen Booth! We ask you to join us as partners in our efforts, because we can’t do it without you! Join us whenever you can, there are many opportunities to be involved. No effort is too small, as everything we do for our students counts!

Please join us in living our motto, “We are McMullen Booth! Working together, we make a difference!”

~ Sherry Aemisegger, Principal

School Office Hours

The school office personnel will answer telephones and be available in the front office during the hours of 7:30 am – 3:30 pm.

Dates To Remember

Aug. 30                   Gifted Open House 6:00-7:00 pm, Open House Grades 3rd-5th 7:00-8:00 p
Sept. 5                    Labor Day, No School
Sept. 15                  Picture Day
Sept. 23                  Pro Ed Day No School for Students
Sept. 30                  Volunteer Orientation, 8:45 am Cafeteria 
Oct. 14                    Pro Ed Day No School for Students
Oct. 20                    Picture Retake Day

School Hours

Our school hours are 8:35 am – 2:50 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday school hours are 8:35 am – 1:35 pm. Students should not arrive on campus before 8:20 am and should be picked up promptly at dismissal. Students not picked up in a timely manner will be supervised by our after school care provider, RClub, at a cost to the parent. To avoid being marked tardy students should be in their classroom seats BEFORE the 8:35 am bell rings. Thank you!

Parking Information

If you wish to walk your child into school in the morning, we ask that you park in the front parking lot by the flagpole and front office. Then you may walk your child into school. The front parking lot is NOT a student drop-off. Students must be walked in by their parent in this area.

Family and Community Relations

Welcome to another wonderful school year at McMullen Booth. I am looking forward to your involvement in our Volunteer program. Parent-school partnerships are vital to the success of our school. There are many exciting opportunities for you to become a special part of your child’s school community. Please let me help you find the perfect one! 

Please remember you must be registered and approved before you may begin volunteering. Registration forms were sent home with your student on the first day of school. I would encourage all new parents to register now so processing is complete prior to any activities or field trips your child’s class may plan. The process for approval takes a minimum of 15 business days to complete. Only approved volunteers may participate in school functions and field trips. For the safety of our students No Exceptions will be made. Once approved, all volunteers must sign in at the volunteer computer each visit. Returning volunteers need to re-activate themselves by logging onto the volunteer computer in the front office. A volunteer nametag must be worn at all times while on campus. 

Our theme this year is ― "All Hands on Deck … Volunteer". It takes many hands for a “smooth sailing” school year. Jump on board and be a part of all of the wonderful things happening at MBES – your child will be thrilled to have you here. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who came out to give us a hand during this busy first week. We could never do it without you.

SAVE THE DATE! Our Volunteer Orientation & Coffee will be held on Friday, September 30th at 8:45 am. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Come & learn all about the wonderful world of volunteering at McMullen Booth. We will share some light refreshments and a raffle will be held. Hope to see you there! 

Mark Your Calendar: The Great American Teach In will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2011. Plan to share an hour or so with our students! Watch for more information to follow. 

Looking forward to seeing you all!

~ Barbara Hajko, Family & Community Liaison

We Need It!

Please be sure to return the important forms such as the clinic emergency card, volunteer registration form, library checkout form etc. that were sent home with every student in a large brown envelope on the first day of school. These forms are VERY important.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this yearly ritual!

Label It Or Lose It!

Please label all of your student’s items such as lunch box, water bottle, jacket, sweatshirt, etc with a permanent marker. Please use the student’s LAST name when labeling these items since we have many children named “John, Katie and Zach!”

Thank you!

Portal – Full Implementation 2011-12

This year we will continue to use Portal to serve the needs of our students, staff and families. Teachers in grades 1st – 5th will be using the Portal tools for record keeping and grades. With your individual Portal ID and password you may check on your student’s grades, attendance and discipline at any time. If you do not have an ID and password, you may visit any Pinellas County School and the office staff will assist you in accessing the identifiers so that you may use all the tools in the Parent Portal. Communication is key to our partnership with you as we work together to achieve success for all students!

News From Our Social Worker

Welcome to the ’11-’12 School year! I am your School Social Worker, Vicki Koller, MSW. I am looking forward to providing school staff, students, and your family with support and services. I will work as part of the school staff to strengthen student's psychosocial/behavioral readiness so that they can be mentally and emotionally open to learn. My assignment this year includes Eisenhower Elementary (727) 725-7978 ext. 1075 (Mon., Wed. & Fri.), and McMullen Booth Elementary (727) 669-1800 ext. 2141 (Tues. & Thurs.). I am available by email (kollerv@pcsb.org) or by phone. Please, let me know how I can support school staff, you, and your family to ensure a successful school year.

Bienvenidos al año escolar '11-'12! Yo soy Su Trabajadora Social Escolar, Vicki Koller, MSW. Estoy disponible para apoyar personal de la escuela, los estudiantes y su familia. Voy a trabajar como parte del personal de la escuela para ofrecer a los estudiantes y a sus familias servicios para que puedan estar mentalmente y emocionalmente abierto a aprender. Las escuelas que voy a servir este año incluye Eisenhower Elementary (727) 725-7978 ext. 1075 (Lunes, Miércoles. Y Viernes), y McMullen Booth Elementary (727) 669-1800 ext. 2141 (Martes y Jueves). Estoy disponible por correo electrónico (kollerv@pcsb.org), y por teléfono. Por favor, hágamelo saber cómo puedo apoyar al personal de la escuela, usted y su familia para asegurar un año escolar exitoso.

School Nurse Notes

Welcome back to school! Every school has a school nurse assigned either full or part time. School nurses identify and assist students with their health-care needs during the school day. A clinic card is sent home with each student at the beginning of every school year. Please complete the cards promptly with the important health and contact information and update the information as often as needed.

Medications should be taken at home whenever possible. If medications (both prescription and over the counter) are required at school, a medication card must be completed each year.

Each year the State of Florida requires that all students in grades K-1-3-6 have a vision and hearing screening, and a height and weight screen to calculate the BMI (Body Mass Index). Students in grade 6 will be screened for scoliosis. If you do not want your child to participate in these screenings, you must notify the school in writing. 

Perfect Attendance is a Pathway to Success

Studies have shown that the more time a student is engaged in learning the more opportunity he/she has at being successful. The more often a person is present, prepared, and ready to learn the more open they will be to acquire information. That said, I urge you to make it a family goal to arrive on time and attend school everyday. Make wellness a family resolution so that you can strive for a healthy school year and ensure perfect attendance. Look for future tips in the newsletter that you may find helpful in getting your child to be present, prepared, and ready to learn!

From Your PTA President:

Welcome everyone, to a new school year, especially to the new faces joining our McMullen Booth family. In your first day packet, you received a PTA membership form. Please join our PTA and be a part of five million members networking and supporting ALL CHILDREN. We are very excited about our school year, and I have a phenomenal PTA Board in place to work with so that we are able to reach every dream for our children. We know you received a lot of papers, but please take a moment to return each of them.

Our SECRET PALS program is a great way for you to let our faculty know how much you really appreciate everything they do every day. Please consider signing up to have a secret pal.

Our ROOM REPRESENTATIVES program is a great way to stay in touch with your classroom teacher and give a little of your time to help.

Our DIRECTORY is published every year to assist McMullen Booth families in keeping in touch with each other.

We started off the school year with over 75 of our wonderful faculty already joining our PTA. Our goal this year is to surpass the 375 memberships we had last year, but we cannot do this without your support.

PLEASE JOIN OUR PTA and SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN!

Paula Keyser, MBES PTA President

McMullen's Cafe

Cafeteria News

We have sent out new Free/Reduced Meal Application forms for the 2011/2012 School year. We have also sent out flyers about the Apply for Lunch system. Check out the website: www.applyforlunch.com.

We also have sent out flyers about the NEW payment system called School Payment Solutions the website www.SchoolPaymentSolutions.com.

For technical questions, please call 727-547-7152.

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.