October 28^th, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to share with you our schedule and procedures for Halloween. The children should bring their costumes to school in a bag or backpack.  Please do not send your child to school in costume or face make up.  Time will be provided just before the parade to change into costumes.  For safety reasons, children should not wear face masks during the parade.  Look-a-like weapons that are part of costumes should be left at home.

There will be a simple party inside after the parade.  If it rains, the parade and party will be inside.   If you do not wish your child to participate, please send in a letter informing us and we will make alternative arrangements.

At the Annex, the parade will start at 1:15.  After the parade the children will go back into their classrooms for the party.  They will be dismissed from the classroom.    Please sign your child out in the office if you take your child out of school early.

At the Big School, the kindergarten parade will begin at 1:45.  This will be followed by their party in their classroom. Team W will not be going up to the Annex.  They will have their parade at 1:15 on the blacktop.  The rest of the grades (2^nd – 5^th) will begin their parade at 1:45.  After the parade they will go back into their classrooms for the party.  They will be dismissed from the classroom.   Please sign your child out in the office if you take your child out of school early.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday.  Hopefully, the weather will be perfect for a parade!

Tina Lehn
Principal

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I invite all of you to attend our Specials’ “School in Action” this evening, October 5th from 7:00 – 8:00pm in the Big School. Our specials teachers from both buildings are planning some fun activities for you! When you come in to South Mountain, please pick up a schedule, chose a grade and make your way from room to room. Each session will last ten minutes. You will hear a bell between sessions as a signal to move to the next teacher.

Came ready to participate in PE, Art, Music, Spanish, and Library, and Enrichment if you have a child in fourth or fifth grade.

Fourth grade parents, we will begin at 6:30 in the auditorium so that you can learn more about our Enrichment classes in math as well as Language Arts.

I hope to see all of you here tonight.

Tina Lehn
Principal

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June 1, 2011                                                      
Reading is the greatest single effort that the human mind undertakes, and one must do it as a child. -John Steinbeck

Dear Parents of Students Entering Grades 1-5:

Reading is a lifelong skill that should be nurtured and practiced regularly.  In fact, research suggests that when children read more, they become better readers.  What better way to do this, than to enjoy a great book on summer vacation!

The newly revised South Orange-Maplewood School District K-5 Summer Reading List is designed to appeal to a wide range of reading interests and abilities.  It is our hope that this list will serve as a guide to help you include reading as part of your child’s summer fun.  The public library has been provided a copy of the reading list and will have many of the titles available for you to borrow.

We invite you to share the summer reading experience by reading to your child, with your child, or by simply letting him/her read independently.   The following link will take you directly to our K-5 Summer Reading List  http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/18961067101243630/site/default.asp, or you can go to the district website, www.somsd.k12.nj.us click on Departments and click on Language Arts K-5 Summer Reading.

To assist you in supporting your child’s reading endeavors over the summer, I have included an A-Z Project List and activity sheets that you can use to help enhance your child’s reading experience.  The activities are designed to improve comprehension and critical thinking.  I have also provided you with a Reading Record that can be used to record the books that your child reads throughout the summer.  Students love to see their own progress over time.  At the end of the summer, the Reading Record can also be used to determine your child’s areas of interest for Fall reading.

We are excited about this initiative and thank you in advance for partnering with us to make summer reading a fun and enjoyable activity for your child.
In partnership,

Judy Hanratty

Supervisor, English Language Arts/Social Studies Supervisor

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May 5, 2011                                                                                      Spirit Tree

Dear Parents and Guardians of Fourth Graders,

As you know, your children will be taking the NJASK next week. They have worked hard all year and are well prepared for this assessment.

We have planned an exciting project for them that will begin the week following the NJASK. Thanks to funding from you through our PTA, the fourth graders will participate in a two week long Artist in Residence program brought to us by Spirit Tree. Our fourth graders will learn about ancient Egypt, and create an installation that will include artifacts from the daily lives of people who lived during that era. The children will create the artifacts, and will conduct research in their classrooms to write articles on life in ancient Egypt. It will culminate in the creation of a museum in our school. Your children will be the docents, leading you and the other students in South Mountain on a tour of their project.

Spirit Tree will provide most of the materials, but have asked that the students begin a collection of the following items which will be used to create some of the artifacts:

• brown paper bags used for packing groceries: about 100
• newspapers: about a 3 foot stack
• several cardboard tubes from paper towels, wrapping paper
• several egg cartons, both cardboard and styrofoam
• plastic containers, preferably with lids, from yogurt, cottage cheeses, etc.

If you have any of these items at home, please send them in to school before the project begins on May 16. Your child should drop them off to the office, marked for Spirit Tree: we will store them until they are needed.

I am really excited about this project: it will be a wonderful and enriching way to end our school year. My thanks to the PTA for agreeing to fund this program. I hope that it will become a yearly tradition at South Mountain for our fourth graders.

Tina Lehn
Principal

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Dear Parent/Guardian of fifth grade student:

On Thursday, May 26, 2011, South Orange Middle School invites you and your fifth grader to attend an informational / orientation meeting combined with our School-In-Action night.

The reception is 6:30, orientation 7:00 and tours 8:00.

This event will include a panel discussion hosted by current South Orange Middle School students who will be available to answer questions from parents regarding the transition to middle school.

If you have a general question that you would like to ask our student panel, please e-mail the question to bsmith@somsd.k12.nj.us at South Orange Middle School.

**Please send all questions to South Orange Middle School no later than Tuesday, May 17, 2011.**
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A Letter from Principal Lehn To The Auction Volunteers

March 27, 2011

Dear Shana and Janet and the unbelievable committee who put Midnight at the Oasis together,

Words escape me. I cannot believe how wonderful last night was, on every single level. Everything was perfect: The warm atmosphere, the food, the magical setting, the prizes, your organization, the thousand details that you thought of …and then some. It was an unforgettable night and I am so honored and delighted to have been a part of it. I have not stopped talking about it since I woke up this morning! My family in Ireland know every detail of how you transformed a tired room into a breathtaking space, they heard every detail about the ambiance: the tents, tables, cushions, lights, music; the baskets and prizes; the calligraphy, the delicious food…and cake! The effort each of you took to create an unforgettable night…and all because you care so much about our kids and our school. I am still shaking my head in disbelief.

I know that so many, many people helped to make this night such a success. Can you forward this email to all of them? I am sure there are parents who worked on this that I don’t even know about!

To say thank you is inadequate. I hope all of you who worked so very hard can now relax and take some well earned time for yourself and your families!

Tina Lehn
Principal

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Fifth Grade Occurrence
March 23, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians of Fifth Graders,

I want to bring something to your attention that happened in your child’s class today. One of the children brought in a “Hogwarts” jelly beans game. Many of the class played the game at recess. A few of the children threw up after eating jelly beans with names like, rotten eggs and “skunk”. Our nurse checked anyone who was feeling queasy.

I spoke to the child who brought in the game. It will not come back to school. I also spoke to the children and told them that they should not share or eat unknown foods.

Tina Lehn
Principal

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Stranger Danger – Part 2
February 15, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Yesterday, a message was sent regarding an incident that allegedly occurred over the weekend.  The South Orange Police Department has determined that the incident was a cab driver attempting to solicit potential passengers, and not, as reported yesterday, an attempt to lure children into a vehicle.  As always, please continue to review guidelines with your child for walking to and from school safely.

Thank you.
South Orange Maplewood School District

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Stranger Danger
February 14, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Over the weekend there was an incident of a man trying to lure children into his car in the neighborhood of Columbia High School.  This was reported to the police.  Please take this opportunity to review safety rules with your children as they walk to or from school. Whenever possible students should walk in groups and be reminded not to talk to strangers.

Tina Lehn
Principal

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Managing This Snowy Winter
February 1, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

First of all I would like to thank you for your patience during this difficult and trying time as we cope with the overwhelming amount of snow around both of our buildings.  Our custodians have been working night and day as well as weekends to clear the driveways and pathways around both schools.

I need your help at both schools.  Please do not drive into the Big School after 8:40 in the morning to drop off your child.  There is no room.  Buses and teachers are trying to drive into the driveway at this time and children are walking into the building.  It is not safe.  Please park on a side street and walk your child into school, or allow him/her to cross with the crossing guard.

The South Orange police have posted No Parking signs outside the Annex.  Please respect these signs: it is for the safety of all our children and will allow the buses and cars to get by more safely.  If possible, pull up and drop your child off at the drop off zone: we will unload the cars as quickly as possible and send the children in through the front door.  If you want to walk your child in, park on the side streets.

Thanks to all of you for respecting these requests: we are working to keep our school as safe as possible during this winter season.

Tina Lehn
Principal
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Evacuation Letter

December 13, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you know, the State requires us to conduct one fire drill and one safety procedure drill each month. This month we will conduct one fire drill and one evacuation drill.  This is to prepare everyone in our school for any emergency that may necessitate our need to leave the school grounds. Before the evacuation drill, an announcement will be made over the public address system.  Each teacher will exit the building with their own class and leave the school grounds and make their way to a designated meeting area.  During our practice evacuation the children will wear coats.

In the event of a real emergency that requires an evacuation, the children at the Annex go to the Big School; the children at the Big School go to Jefferson School.   During our practice we will walk one block away from the school.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal
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5th Grade Field Trip: The Magic Flute
December 10, 2010

Dear 5th Grade Parents and Guardians,

I am thrilled to tell you about a wonderful opportunity that we are planning for our 5th Grade students.   On Monday, January 3, the first day back from winter break, the 5th Grade will attend the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by Julie Taymor.  Julie is the director of Broadway’s Lion King and the new musical, Spider Man: Turn off the Dark.  January 3rd is the final day of the performance.

Leading up to this trip the students will be introduced to the opera in their music class with Ms. Wiggins.  We will play the score over the school’s  PA system each day until the holidays so that the children are familiar with the music when they attend the opera.

While the PTA is helping to support this program,  5th grade parents are asked to cover the cost of the deeply discounted ticket price and transportation at $25 per student. All 5th grade students will attend.   Please contact me if you need financial assistance.

A permission slip has been sent home with your child.  Please complete this form and return it to school by Thursday, December 16th.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal

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LOST & FOUND ITEMS
December 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have an overwhelming number of coats, sweat shirts and other articles of clothing in the cafeteria in both schools.  Many of these clothes are almost new and are lovely.

Before they are packed up, the first week in December, to be sent to the Jersey Cares Coat Drive, PLEASE stop by and see if any of these clothes belong to your child/children.

The PTA purchased coat racks, and hung the clothes on them, so they are relatively easy to sort through.  We have hundreds of items of clothing, waiting to be claimed.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal

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EMERGENCY DRILL LETTER
November 11, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

There is a new state law in effect that requires each school to hold two emergency drills each month, beginning this month. One drill will be a fire drill and one drill will be a security drill. Security drills are designed to respond to particular emergency situations. These types of drills include a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, bomb threat or active shooter situation. We will practice each type of drill twice during the school year. The safety of our students and staff is a top priority.

We will practice one of these drills next week. We plan to conduct a lockdown.  Procedures will be explained in child friendly, age appropriate language by your child’s classroom teacher.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Tina Lehn
Principal

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SAFETY PATROL
September 20, 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians of Fifth Graders,

I have had several questions about the Safety Patrol.  Every fifth grader has the opportunity to earn the role of safety patrol during their fifth grade year. The criteria for becoming a safety patrol are based on a student’s report card.  Every safety patrol must receive a grade of C in the following areas:  homework, respects others’ feelings, ideas and opinions, accepts responsibility for own behavior, maintains self control, respects rules, and respects authority.  Students must also receive a grade of C in Work Habits and Personal Behavior on their Specialist report card.

If a student has not reached this standard in their last marking period of fourth grade, they have the opportunity to do so during their first marking period and/or the second marking period of fifth grade and become a safety patrol in December.  A student may also lose this privilege in fifth grade if their grades in Work Habits and Personal Behavior drop in fifth grade.

These criteria are shared with our students during fourth grade and again in fifth grade.  It is our hope that every student in fifth grade will have the opportunity to participate in this program during their last year in elementary school.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal

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ANNEX CARPOOL LINE
SEPTEMBER 2010
Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to begin by thanking all of our parents who are following drop off procedures at the Annex so that our children get to school safely and in a timely fashion.

However, I have some concerns about unsafe and inappropriate behaviors at the car drop off area.  Several cars are parking on the opposite side of the street.  This is never allowed.  Cars have been observed backing into spaces rather than moving up.  This threatens the safety of our children.  Please do not back into a space, or park at an angle so that others cannot get by you.

Several parents have spoken disrespectfully to our staff members, questioning their authority to direct traffic.  Staff members have agreed to do this to protect our children.  Please treat them with respect.   Perhaps thank them for doing a difficult but very important job to ensure the safety of our youngest students.

Thank you,
Tina Lehn
Principal
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FRIENDLY REMINDERS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
September 2010
As we begin our new year with your wonderful children, I would like to remind our families of a few things.

1. Please do not walk your child to school with the family pet. District policy does not allow dogs or other animals on school grounds.

2. Please be sure that your children go home directly after school. They may not play on the playground or “hang out” on the grounds, even if you are with them.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal
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ENRICHMENT PRESENTATION
September 23, 2010

Dear Parents,
It is with great pleasure that we invite all 4th and 5th grade parents to participate in our Enrichment Back to School Night. It will be held on Tuesday, October 12th, in the cafeteria at the following times:

Parents of 4th and 5th grade Math enrichment students:  7:00 – 7:30 p.m.
All parents of our 4th and 5th graders are invited to the Language Arts presentation from 7:30 – 8:00 p.m.

This year’s 4th and 5th grades Enrichment Language Arts program will be modeled after our 5th grade Language Arts Enrichment program taught by Ms. Denise King last year. In October of 2009, all of our fifth graders participated in an Enrichment Unit, led by Ms. King that exposed them to the work of the artist Andy Goldsworthy.  The children took a walking trip to the reservation and created sculptures created from items found in nature. They photographed these and then wrote poetry back in school that was inspired by their creations.   Using a similar integrated model, Ms King presented the Language Arts Enrichment curriculum units to each of the fifth grade classes last year, one day per week for fifty minutes.

This restructuring allowed us to add a new and important component to the enrichment program.  Each Enrichment study unit was deepened and extended by connecting it to the Art, Music and Physical Education curriculum when appropriate.   For example, when studying the unit on ancient architecture, our students explored ancient civilizations by participating in an Olympics in PE and exploring Greek and Roman architecture and sculpture in art.  Similarly, when studying the Civil Law Enrichment unit, students investigated in music class the powerful role protest songs played in civil rights movements throughout the 19th & 20th centuries.   In this way, students engaged in this rich material through different modalities and from many different perspectives.  Material taught in this interrelated manner allowed students to make rich connections between various modalities and help them understand how the Arts have always reflected the contemporary world.

Once again, all 4th graders and 5th graders will be included in the units of study in the English Language Arts Enrichment program.  Ms. King will collaborate with the fourth and fifth grade Language Arts teachers and specialists in planning and instruction.  Ms. King will introduce the material to each class.  The class will then work on their units through discussion, activities and projects in the classroom.  In this way, all children in the 4th and 5th grade will be immersed in a rich and meaningful curriculum that we believe all children should have access to.  At the same time, every student’s individual needs will be met by either Ms. King or the teachers in grade 4 and 5.

The traditional Math enrichment program will not change.  The identified Math enrichment students will attend  Ms. King’s math enrichment class one time per week for fifty minutes, as has been done in the past.

We look forward to meeting all of you on this special evening to share the program’s initiatives.

Sincerely,
Tina Lehn
Principal

Denise King
Enrichment Teacher