JUST SCOOP IT! A Pleasant Avenue Reading Showdown

Update as of March 3: Mr. V and Mr. Kraemer better watch out for those pies! The students have taken the lead again: 118,388 to 111,780. Keep on reading! Remember, Spring Break is around the corner and the staff loves to read during breaks!

Pleasant Avenue Newsletter Available Online
The following issues of our monthly newsletter are now available to read on line: March 2010, February 2010, January 2010, December 2009, November 2009, October 2009, September 2009

Principal's Corner - March Message
A letter from me and a survey were sent home with your child on March 1. Please take the time to read the letter and fill out the survey, as it is meant to help us improve our school plan. I would like to thank everyone who helped plan and run our PARP Olympics this year. It was a great success. Even though PARP is over, please remember to take a few minutes to read with your child. No matter how young or old your child is, they love having you share a book with them.  Click here to read more.

JHS PTSA Spring Craft Fair March 13
Mark your calendar, grab your wallet and plan to come out to the third annual JHS PTSA Spring Craft Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, at Johnstown High School.

PTA Carnival Night Fun
Pleasant Avenue families enjoyed a fun-filled Carnival Night from 6 - 8 p.m. on March 5. There were hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy to eat, and plenty of games to play, as can be seen in these photos! Thank you to the PTA for a great night of family fun!

PARP Olympics Are Underway!
Pleasant Avenue’s PARP Olympics officially started with Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, February 3, heralded by a parade through the building with each country waving its flag. Every student received a PARP package, but, there have been changes to the PARP calendar, as follows: On Tuesday, February 9, we will have GRAB DAY (Get Reading A Book). Students should bring a book to school so that they are ready to read when their teacher tells them to. On Monday, February 22, we will have DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) - Listen to announcements so you know when to "Drop Everything and Read." The changes were made due to school being closed on February 11 and 15. Remember to keep reading! See photos from the PARP Parade.

Read, Read, Read
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you will go." Dr. Seuss
In addition to the Accelerated Reader and classroom incentive reading programs taking place, Pleasant Avenue has started two new reading programs, with a third to commence soon:

Parents as Reading Partners Olympics, February 3 - 24
The theme of this year’s Parents As Reading Partners program at Pleasant Avenue will be the Winter Olympics, with each class being assigned a country that participates in the Olympic games. Even though PARP reading will not take place until February, some of the festivities will begin in January.

The Olympic torch, ignited several months before the Olympics in Olympia Greece, is a symbol of the Olympic games. It is passed along in a relay, reaching the Olympic Games on the day of the opening celebration. In honor of our PARP Olympics, we will be passing our own torch. It will start with Mrs. Toscano's classroom and be passed to each class over the next few weeks. On February 3, we will all participate in our very own PARP Olympics Opening Ceremony. At that time, students will learn how to participate in our PARP Olympics. View or print the PARP Olympics packet.

Just Scoop It! The Pleasant Avenue Show Down
"Just Scoop It!" is a school wide reading challenge, kicked off at an assembly on January 11, with students competing against staff. Two separate sundae dishes (one for students and one for staff) are being placed on the wall next to the library and "scoops" will be earned and added in various sizes, based on reading 100 pages, 500 pages and 1,000 pages; reading 10,000 pages adds a banana! Whichever group has the bigger sundae at the end of the competition on June 11 will win a sundae party. In addition, if the students win, the top reader from each class will have a chance to throw a pie in the face of Mr. Vivenzio or Mr. Kraemer. All books count, including Accelerated Reader books, PARP books and books being read for the Six Flags Read to Succeed program. Students and staff members are responsible for recording how many pages they read on a tally sheet; students’ sheets must be signed by an adult; staff members’ sheets must be signed by a student. In order for students to get credit for reading, the forms must be turned in to their teacher as books are completed.

Six Flags Read To Succeed Six Hour Reading Club
Every Pleasant Avenue student who completes six hours of recreational reading before February 19 is eligible for a free admission ticket to a participating Six Flags theme park (Great Escape is one of them). All you need to do is log your reading time on the reading log and, when you reach six hours of reading, turn it in to school. The only catch is that you have read for six hours by February 19 and it has to be recreational reading - not school work.

Third Graders Find a Way to Help Haitians
Mrs. Meashaw's third graders have been learning about earthquakes and the disaster in Haiti. The students were so interested and moved by the situation, they voted to donate $20 of their popcorn sale fundraiser money to the relief efforts. But they didn't stop there. They invited the other classes at Pleasant Avenue to help and were mentioned on local radio station WENT for their efforts in trying to make a difference. Four other classrooms made contributions and students even brought money from home. The third graders were amazed to learn that their efforts garnered $165, which they have donated to a program that provides matching funds! Money that came in after the original donation (about $20) will be contributed to the American Red Cross. Mrs. Meashaw's class extends a big thank you to everyone who donated!

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Thursday, January 14, Pleasant Avenue held an assembly in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The chorus sang "Talk about Peace" and the school joined the chorus in singing "Colors of My Dreams." The sixth graders also read the Poem "In Memory."

Accelerated Reader Update:
As January comes to a close, the top three Accelerated Readers from each class are as follows:
Kindergarten: Shawn Ammann, Gigi Stefic, Jaden Wilson
First Grade: Thomas Truckenmiller, Shunsuke Nakao, Kyla Herrick
Second Grade: Abraham Miller, Zada Poulin, Cecilia Radalin
Third Grade: Katie Ammann. Ethan Wager, Grayden Mickel
Fourth Grade: Lauryn Wilson, Heidi Chamberlain, Zachary Ropeter
Fifth Grade: Brandon Mraz, Ben Wager, Jack Truckenmiller
Sixth Grade: Erica Wagner, Morgan Romano, Alexander Lawrence

Student Council Notes
Our Student Council raised $49 towards making a new Pleasant Avenue school banner. They organized a candy raffle in which students and staff paid twenty-five cents to guess the number of Jolly Ranchers in a jar. There were 82 candies in the jar. Pictured to the right are the happy winners! To see more photos from the event, click here.

Spirit Day
The Student Council invited everyone to start off the New Year with Pleasant Avenue Pioneer Spirit by wearing dark blue and white, or any Pleasant Avenue clothing, on January 7. Participants had the chance to have their name entered in a drawing for a chance to win a free ice cream coupon.

Accelerated Reader Update
The top three students in each grade level currently are:
Kindergarten: Shawn Ammann,  Gigi Stefic, Maryann Austin
First Grade: Thomas Truckenmiller, Sebastian Russo, Emily Fleming
Second Grade: Abraham Miller, Zada Poulin, Julia Norris
Third Grade: Katie Ammann, Ethan Wager, Lillian Nevins
Fourth Grade: Heidi Chamberlain, Zachary Ropeter, Lauryn Wilson
Fifth Grade: Brandon Mraz, Ben Wager, Jack Truckenmiller
Sixth Grade: Erica Wagner, Morgan Romano, (tied for third - Ryan Ammann, Logan Brandt, Tim Brunetto, Miranda Ernst)

Former Pleasant Ave. student helps students learn about bears and hibernation
	Former student Michael Sagan came back to Pleasant Ave. recently and read current students the story "Bear Wants More"

Pleasant Avenue Parades with Pride
From Hannah Montana to wicked witches, our Pleasant Avenue students displayed creative and imaginative costumes during our annual Halloween parade. In addition, our staff decided to honor our troops this year by parading in complete military uniforms, with Uncle Sam leading the pack. See more parade photos here.

Kindergarten and Sixth Grade Buddies
Our kindergarten students at Pleasant Avenue are learning the ropes from their sixth grade buddies. The buddy program started in September and, so far, they have talked about fire safety, learned about each other's personalities, and taken time to get to know each other. Within the next few weeks, they are all looking forward to going on a leaf hunt and a nature walk. Follow this link to see more buddy photos.

Pleasant Avenue Students Appreciate our Board of Education Members
The students at Pleasant Avenue presented each of the Greater Johnstown School District's Board of Education members with mums. All of the students signed paper leaves and placed them in the mums to thank the board members for volunteering their time to help make our school district run smoothly and efficiently.

Visit our School Store
The Pleasant Avenue School Store is open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:40 a.m. - 8:55 a.m. To see what's available, refer to our price list.

Pleasant Avenue Introduces Wii-cess
The Pleasant Avenue PTA has generously donated four Nintendo Wii systems for our students to use during indoor recess. Wii systems allow our students the opportunity to be physically active by playing sports games such as tennis, baseball, golf and bowling. Students can get quite a workout, even on cold and rainy days. The Wii system also teaches students about good sportsmanship and how to be a good fan, as they cheer on their fellow classmates. Students who are patiently waiting to get on the Wii system play board games.

Right now, the four systems are set up with two controllers on each system, so that a total of eight students may play at one time. With enough controllers, each system can actually hold up to four players at a time, which would enable a total of 16 students to play at one time. Our students would like to raise enough money to purchase the eight additional controllers. A flyer was sent home during the week of January 12, asking students to earn money by doing household chores and donating the money they earn to make this purchase. Please note, students should EARN the money they are donating (.25 per chore can be used as a standard). To see photos of our students enjoying the Wii systems, click here.

The Pleasant Avenue 10 Good Citizenship Rules
1. SAFETY FIRST!
2. Be in your seat when the 9 AM bell rings.
3. Hand in completed homework when it is due.
4. Follow all directions given by adults.
5. Walk down the halls quietly.
6. Respect other people’s bodies and belongings by not touching them.
7. In the cafeteria, speak softly, clean up your own items, and ask permission to leave your seat.
8. Use proper words, not actions, to settle disagreements.
9. Take responsibility for your actions.
10. Treat others as you want to be treated.

Price Chopper Tools for Schools
Do you participate in the Price Chopper Tools for Schools Program?  Your support can help us earn cool tools for our school!

General Mills Box Tops for Education
Our collection of General Mills Box Tops for Education (found on most  General Mills cereals and other products) continues. Support of boxtops4education.com is most appreciated, as it enables us to purchase new equipment for our school.

Visit District Homepage For District-Wide News
Information of importance to all schools in the district (i.e., stranger-danger tips, NYS Test Sampler links, etc.) is posted to the district homepage of the GJSD Web site. When checking your individual school’s page, please remember to check the district homepage, as well.

Wondering what news you may have missed? Many web articles previously posted on our site can be accessed in our Archives.

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Universal Pre-K Program
Central Council PTA

Fulton County
Spelling Bee
6:30 p.m.,
Gloversville Middle School Snow Date March 17

Other Helpful Links:
;World Book
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