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2010/2011 SMS PTA Officers
President:
Linda Graffitti
Vice President:
Virginia Maloney
Treasurer:
Linda Morgante
Recording Secretary:
Teresa Lombardi
Corresponding Secretary:
Karen Collura
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Consider a Book Dedication to your school library!
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2010/2011 Newsletter Schedule
Spring Issue - Deadline 3/15, Publication 3/29
Summer Issue - Deadline 4/15, Publication 5/3
Have a submission?
Send it to :
Gayle Mottola
SMS PTA Newsletter Editor
gbdm@optonline.net
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President's Message
Happy New Year!! As we begin 2011 I would like to take this opportunity to share with you information we receive from the NYS PTA. In the monthly Advocacy Newsletter you will find information gathered by the Education, Environment, Family Engagement, Health and Wellness and Special Education Chairs. I urge you to take a moment to look through, there are many links and phone numbers for you to use. http://www.nyspta.org/pdfs/publications/AdvocacyNewsletterJanuary2011.pdf In
the monthly Legislative Briefs you will find timely information about
budget and school funding issues, wellness legislation and food and
product recalls. Please take a few minutes to catch up on the hot topics
effecting the education of our children. http://www.nyspta.org/pdfs/publications/LegislativeBriefs...January2011.pdf We hope that we are fulfilling our mission and you find the SMS PTA to be a relevant resource for your family and our community. We hope you have expressed your support by joining the SMS PTA this year. If you have not yet joined please click here and send in your membership. http://www.somersptacouncil.org/SMS/pdf10-11/MembershipDirectoryReleaseForm201011%5B1%5D.pdf If you have chosen not to join I would like the opportunity to change your mind, please email me at lgraffitti@yahoo.com and let me know why you are hesitant to support the PTA. Studies
have shown over and over again that parent involvement in schools
raises student achievement, increases school attendance, students have
better self-esteem and there is a decrease in the use of drugs, alcohol
and violent behavior. These all sound like good reasons to me to get
involved. Please add your voice, without you we are one member short! I hope to see you in the halls at SMS in 2011. Best regards, Linda Graffitti SMS PTA President |
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Internet Safety
Do you know the facts? Are your children protected?
Knowledge is key! Come learn the facts about keeping your child safe on the Internet! SAFETY FIRST · SOCIAL NETWORKING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR · CYBERBULLYING · SEXUAL PREDITORS PRESENTATION for PARENTS February 10th at 7:30pm · SHS Auditorium PRESENTATION for SMS STUDENTS March 28th · during the school day PRESENTATION for SHS STUDENTS Date to be determined This evening is sponsored, free-of-charge, by the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, SMS PTA and SHS PTA. For more information contact Parent Program Chairpersons: SMS · Kate Kurtz at katekurtz@optonline.net SHS · Linda Morgante at lindamorgante@optonline.net |
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Save the Date!
There will be a joint General PTA meeting for the SHS and SMS PTAs immediately following the Internet Safety Presentation on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 7:30pm, in the SHS Library. |
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Membership
All
you have to do is join! SMS PTA needs your monetary
support. We are still looking forward to providing many
additional programs and grants for your children through the
remainder of the year but we need your help. Just click
to print the membership form. Complete it and send it in with
your $10 membership fee with your child or mail it in to the
school. You can also make an additional tax deductible donation on
the same form.
Thank you for your support!
Submitted By: Melinda Kornblatt, Chairperson |
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SEPTA
SHOW YOUR SOMERS PRIDE! Septa is selling custom SOMERS car magnets and stickers (see below!!), Magnets are $5 and stickers are $2. To order visit http://www.somersptacouncil.org/SEPTA/2010_11DOCs_PDFs/SomersCarMagnetFlyer.pdf.Supplies
are limited - order today! All profits will benefit the special
education and gifted students of Somers. Thank you for your
support! Submitted by: Cathy Vinci, SEPTA Co-President |
Box Tops
Your efforts have paid off. District wide we have
collected almost $2,000.00 in Box Tops!! Please continue to cut
them off the products you use everyday and send them in to the Box Tops
container in the teachers lounge at SMS. See how much we can
raise 10 cents at a time.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Linda Graffitti by email at lgraffitti@yahoo.com
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Reflections
Click here to view all of the submitted works!
Congratulations to 13 Somers Middle School students who submitted entries to the National PTA Reflections Program!
* indicates that the students entry has been submitted for Regional judging.
Film Production *Gabby Rosenzweig, Grade 7
Literature
Siya Chauhan, Grade 7
Jeanette
Croen, Grade 7
*Julia Dal Ceredo (submitted 3 entries with 3 submitted for Regional
judging), Grade 7
Davies Gage, Grade 7
*Thomas Koo, Grade 7
Gillian Norbutt, Grade 7
Madelaine
Williams, Grade 7
Music
*Carleigh Meyer, Grade 7
*Jason Miller, Grade 8
Visual Arts *Erin Liffiton, Grade 7
*Live Pirrotti, Grade 6
*Garrett W. Wilson, Grade 6
The
National PTA Reflections Program is an arts recognition and
achievement program for students. The Reflections Program provides
opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and to
receive positive recognition for original works of art inspired by a
pre-selected theme, all the while increasing community awareness on the
importance of the arts in education.
The theme for the 2010 program: "Together We Can . . . "
All students who submit entries will be recognized at a Board of Education meeting in the spring.
Questions? Please email LSweig@aol.com or your school's Reflections Chair.
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News from SMS
Peer Mentors Dear Students, My
name is Mrs. Mangus. I am a Special Education Teacher at Somers Middle
School, Room 125. I will be holding interviews for Peer Mentors to work
with students in my class one time per week during your scheduled Team
Time. Some of your responsibilities as a Peer Mentor may include:
Modeling appropriate social interactions during group activities, board
games, and/or art activities. In order to qualify for an
interview as a Peer Mentor you must be in good Academic Standing. Your
Guidance Counselor and your Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must also sign an
application form. If you feel you are a good candidate for this position
and would like to donate your time, please ask your teacher about an
application form. Once completed please place your sheet in my mailbox. I
will be contacting you through your Team Time teacher for an interview
in late January. Thank you, Mrs. Mangus Drama Club Production 2011 Seussical the Musical Jr. March 3, 4, 5 7:30pm March 5 2:00pm GO CLEAN,GO GREEN SMS COSTUME COLLECTION (See the SMS homepage for details) SMS Stage Crew Goes Green (See the SMS homepage for details) NYSSMA New York State Music Association Adjudication Dates April 5, 6 for Major Ensembles April 29, 30 for Solo Adjudication Please see Music websites for more information and application deadline The SMS Science Department Once
again our volunteers from IBM are coming to the middle school for
Engineering Week. They have presented to our students grades 6-8
for the past 7 consecutive years. We have had a long standing
program with IBM about what are engineers and the contributions they
have to our economy and the job market. Their presentations begin on -
Jan 19-20 with the 7th grade:
- Topic is Sustainablility, how can we transport products effectively without destroying the rain forest.
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Jan 26-27 with the 8th grade:
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Topic is the Egg Drop, how can we protect an egg being dropped from
various heights through the use of various protective materials and
applying these collaborative techiques.
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Finally Feb 2-3 with the 6th grade: (Changed due to snow day on January 12)
- Topic is Lemon Batteries, how many would be needed to fuel a car who uses alternative energy sources.
Kathy TurkewitzCurriculum Leader Gr 6-8
Foreign Language Department/Home & Career Skills Department
Buon Appetito! In De cember t he 8th grade Italian Students at
SMS made traditional foods that represented different locales of
Italy. A three-course Italian meal was created as part of an
interdisciplinary unit developed by Elizabeth Ferrucci (Italian) and Erica Gottesman (Home and Careers Skills). The students learned about the culture and tradit ions of the regions and prepared recipes that included Bruschetta (Abruzzo), Risotto Milanese (Lombardia), and Tiramisu (Veneto).
Submitted by: Mrs. Ferrucci
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Food Drive
Dear Students and Parents, This
year we are beginning our 19th annual NYSUT Somers Faculty / Somers
School Related Personnel Food Drive. The drive will run from January
24th to February 11th. Last year, through the generous donations of our
community, 4,150 pounds of non-perishable items were collected in our
district alone! This coupled with $2,052 dollars donated by the Somers
Faculty Association /Somers School Related Personnel and administration,
made our drive a great success! The entire NYSUT Westchester/Putnam
drive resulted in the collection of over 50,000 pounds of food and more
than $30,000 dollars in cash! I am proud to say that Somers was among
the top contributing districts! You have been most generous once more!
This year we will be teaming with over 30 districts in Westchester,
Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties to provide food for the needy. Our
donations will go to The Food Bank for Westchester, Inc. As in past
years, we are inviting the donation of non-perishable food items from
students. Announcements in school will make students aware of the days
food will be collected. About Food Bank: "More than 200,000
Westchester County residents are hungry or at risk of hunger. Half of
them are seniors; a third of them are children. Food Bank for
Westchester is the supply and support center for approximately 200
frontline hunger-relief agencies throughout the county. Volunteers,
funders, and food donors all help us collect millions of pounds of food
from the food industry and the USDA and to purchase food to help feed
Westchester's hungry residents. We collect, warehouse and distribute six
million pounds of food a year, and we provide 95% of all the food that
front-line food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, child and adult
day-care and residential centers, and other hunger-relief programs
throughout Westchester County use to feed our hungry neighbors." http://www.foodbankforwestchester.org/index.shtmlThe following are the most needed items: MEAT / HIGH PROTEIN GROUP - canned meat (spam, meat spread, beef stew, chicken), canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines), peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, ravioli, beans, lentils MILK GROUP - evaporated milk, powdered milk FRUITS
& VEGETABLES - canned fruit, canned juices, juice mixes, canned
vegetables, canned soup, canned spaghetti sauce, dried fruit (raisins,
apricots, prunes) CEREALS - cereal (hot & cold), rice, pastas BABY ITEMS - baby food, formula, cereals, diapers * NON-GLASS PACKING PREFERRED ------ NO PERISHABLES PLEASE * We
look forward to another successful drive and again having the
opportunity to help those who are less fortunate. Thank you in advance
for your support! Sincerely, Bill Wienecke District Drive Coordinator |
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Energy Drink Warning
Frequent Consumption of Energy Drinks is Associated with Problematic Alcohol Consumption New Findings Coincide with FDA Regulatory Action on Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages November 18; Philadelphia: College
students who frequently drink highly caffeinated beverages, "energy
drinks," are at significantly greater risk for alcohol dependence
according to a study in a forthcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research that was authored by Amelia Arria, Ph.D. and other researchers. The
findings coincide with yesterday's announcement by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) that it is issuing warning letters to
several manufacturers of pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The
FDA decision was based partially on a summary of research evidence
presented to the Agency and States Attorneys General by Dr. Arria and
other health professionals in September 2009. Mounting evidence
had pointed to risks associated with the combination of alcohol with
high levels of caffeine, which can produce a "wide awake and drunk"
effect that can mask perceived alcohol impairment and generate even
more risky alcohol-related behavior. Today's
announcement concerns findings by Dr. Arria and her team that students
who frequently consume energy drinks (not pre-mixed with alcohol) were
more likely to have gotten drunk at an early age, drink more per
drinking session, and were more likely to develop alcohol dependence
compared to non-users and the low-frequency users. Importantly,
the increased risk for alcohol dependence persisted after adjustment
of several "confounding" variables, like risk-taking characteristics
and parental history of alcohol problems. Because the design was
cross-sectional, researchers caution against a causal interpretation
until further studies are conducted. When
viewed in connection with the previous findings, today's
release suggests there are many issues surrounding energy drinks,
alcohol laced or not. "Young adults need to understand the potential
risks associated with drinking energy drinks on a frequent basis. Mixing
high amounts of caffeine with alcohol on their own is similar to
drinking a pre-mixed beverage and can pose health and safety risks."
said Dr. Arria. "We
also need to emphasize that this study did not find an association of
alcohol dependence with other caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea or
colas," Dr. Arria went on to say. "The relationship was found
with "energy drinks" which have much higher concentrations of
caffeine." Dr.
Arria is a Senior Scientist at the Treatment Research Institute and
Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the
University of Maryland School of Public Health. Data for the
study were obtained from the College Life Study, a NIDA-funded,
ongoing longitudinal study of 1,253 young adults matriculating at a
large, public university in the mid-Atlantic region.
The
Treatment Research Institute is a non-profit research and development
organization specializing in science-driven reform of policy and
practice in substance use and abuse. For more information contact Bonnie Catone, TRI Director of Communications, at bcatone@tresearch.org or visit the TRI website at www.tresearch.org.
Submitted by: Mrs. Watkins, SMS Principal |
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SEF News
The Somers
Education Foundation thanks everyone who supported our golf outing and
wine tasting events last fall. Together, they raised more than $10,000,
which will go directly to our grantmaking activities. Recently we
awarded grants to Somers Middle School teachers to purchase iPads and
related equipment for use in the speech therapy and music department
programs! Please mark your calendar for the following events this winter and spring. As always, we appreciate your support! - Friday, January 28: Variety Show featuring Primrose and SIS students, 7pm at SHS Auditorium
- Friday, April 1 (tentative): Family Bingo, Ice Cream and Jazz Social, time and location TBD
- Friday, May 13: Harlem Wizards basketball, 7pm, SHS gym
- Saturday, May 21: Gala Dinner & Auction, 6:30pm, Villa Barone Restaurant, Mahopac
Details are available at www.sefny.org. Thanks as always for your support! Submitted By: Glenn Hintze |
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"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression. " ~ Dr. Haim Ginott
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Have questions? Need help?
Send an email to Ask The Elephant asktheelephant@SomersPTACouncil.org
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