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School Supplies Fundraiser Begins

Kindergarten Orientation SM

SM Spring Concert & Art Show SM

School Fair 5pm SM

Variety Show (grades 3-5)

Spirit Day (rain date 6/14)

School’s Out

s o u t h m o u n t a i n j u n e

in this issue: @ Presidents �� Column� � Nominating �� Committee News�# Principal’s Message�3 � Contact Info�$ Fundraising�4 � Library News�% Administration�^ Advertising �& Advertising �*� Programming�8 � Advertising Info

School hours: Full Sessions K-5�South Mountain:�First Bell 8:05am�8:10am-2:40pm� �4-hr Sessions�8:10am-12:10pm� �Annex:�First Bell 7:55am�8:00am-2:30pm� �4-hr Sessions�8:00am-12:00noon�

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june calendar

spirit day june 11

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School hours: Full Sessions K-5�South Mountain:�First Bell 8:05am�8:10am-2:40pm� �4-hr Sessions�8:10am-12:10pm� �Annex:�First Bell 7:55am�8:00am-2:30pm� �4-hr Sessions�8:00am-12:00noon�

SAVE our PLANET ����

����������Reduce your carbon footprint and go green! Please sign �up for digital version of this Superstar newsletter! �Contact: Kim Miller �by email at: �[email protected] �� box tops: Please keep bringing in those Box Tops!�Yvette Holowczak�[email protected]

school fairjune 4

s o u t h m o u n t a i n superstar page @

as the year closes... presidents columnSylvia Cutler & Laura Reichgut, PTA Co-Presidents

We can’t believe June is already here and this year seems to have flown by very quickly. It’s been a busy spring and major issues have had an enormous impact in our school community the past few weeks. Our attentions and concerns have been focused on the devastating cuts in state aide to our school district; the budgetary decision to terminate our cherished paraprofessional staff and outsource their services next year; and most importantly, due to district rezoning, the unfortunate and sad loss of some �of our beloved South Mountain families moving to other schools. We will truly miss these Superstars, but because we’re neighbors our friendships will continue and we look forward to being with our friends again in secondary school. We extend them many good wishes and hope they have an easy transition at their new schools.� �We started the school year as “new and improved” and finish it off “newer and more improved”. Through your generous financial support, the PTA worked closely with Ms. Lehn to provide significant upgrades at South Mountain this year. The year started off with Smartboard technology �installed in all of the 4th and 5th grade classrooms and now the teachers �and students are embracing it as an essential teaching aid and learning �tool. We’re excited to report that the Annex will have a new Smart Table �which is similar technology but geared toward younger children. The big school has all new wiring installed that enables our students’ wireless internet access on more than fifty new laptops. The wiring also provided the capability for our broadcast studio to be installed and now we’re airing our daily announcements from it, which the children and staff are thoroughly enjoying participating in and watching the broadcasts every morning.� �Also with PTA funds we granted Ms. Lehn’s wish and purchased hundreds of books to help support the Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop, a new component �in our Language Arts curriculum. We’ll continue our improvement efforts and next fall we anticipate welcoming our returning teachers with a face lift on the teacher’s lounge which includes new paint, flooring and furniture. Also, through our beautification effort we hope to welcome our Superstars next year with lush green landscaping in the front of the school. Please know all �of these improvements and enhancements were made possible from your support and help with our fundraising over the past year and we truly thank you for all of your generosity. We also thank you for taking the time to complete our PTA survey as the information and your feedback is valuable information we will use to plan events and fundraisers for next year.� �As the year closes, there are two very important and dedicated South Mountain dads that we want to gratefully acknowledge for all of their time and help throughout the year. First we’d like to thank Russell Kaplan for overseeing our Cultural Arts Programming this year. Russell spent a lot of �time and energy researching programs, planning dates with Ms. Lehn and scheduling all of the educational and enriching assemblies our children enjoyed this year and we really appreciate his help to bring these performances to our school. � �Lastly we’d like to thank our entire Executive Board for their commitment and dedication throughout the last year. Our board members have already begun planning for next year and will spend many hours over the summer preparing for another school year. We extend a sincerely grateful thank you to our outgoing board members for their time and efforts and warmly welcome our�new members recently sworn in at our May meeting. ��

(continued on next column) �

06/10

We are very excited to have Amy Forman �take on her new role as Co-President next year, as she is a devoted and caring parent to our school and we’re fortunate to have �her serve as our new leader. At this time �I personally wish to thank Laura for all of �her amazing help and support this past year; it was the greatest pleasure to work with such a remarkable and considerate person. �I also want to express to the entire school community that it has been an extreme honor and enriching experience to serve as your PTA co-president the past two years. �I am very thankful to be able to volunteer �my time and I look forward to continue �being involved at South Mountain in future years.� �In closing, we want to wish all of our teachers, staff and Superstar families �a very fun and relaxing summer and we �look forward to seeing all of you when �we return next year!� �Warmly,��

Sylvia

Nominating Committee News��The Nominating Committee announced �the slate for the 2010 Executive PTA board positions during the April 28th Technology PTA meeting. The nominees were:��Treasurer: Paige Graves (2 yr) �Treasurer: To Be Announced (1 yr) �Administration VP: Marilyn Wright (2 yr)�Programming VP: Wendy Miller (2 yr)�Communication VP’s: Thomas Mixon (1 yr) and Priscilla Goldman (1 yr) �Fundraising VP: Janet Christmann (2 yr)�Corresponding Secretary: Jennifer Stemmermann (1 yr) �Recording Secretary: Robin Stephan (2 yr)��There were no additional nominations �from the floor during the April 28th �General PTA meeting. The final vote on �the slate was voted on by the South Mountain Community during the May 19th General PTA meeting. The officers in attendance were also sworn in during �the May 19th meeting.��Special thanks to Shana Teitelbaum, Thomas Mixon, Debbie Otner, Shanease Guion-Davis, and Jen Stemmermann for serving on the Nominating Committee!

superstars o u t h m o u n t a i n 06/10 page #

South Mountain PTA Executive Board Co-Presidents�Sylvia Cutler� (973) 378-8286�[email protected]�Laura Reichgut � (973) 763-6905�[email protected]��Vice Presidents, Administration�Amy Forman � (973) 763-5669�[email protected]�Julie Saydah � (973) 327-4482�[email protected]��Vice Presidents, Fundraising�Shana Teitelbaum � (973) 378-9160�[email protected]�Marilyn Wright � (973) 761-7404�[email protected]��Vice Presidents, Programming�Patricia Canning � (973) 327-4515�[email protected] �Marietta Zacker � (973) 327-4715 �[email protected]��Treasurers�Debbie Granados � (973) 761-5357�[email protected]�Letitia Campbell � (973) 763-8014 �[email protected]��Corresponding Secretary�Jen Stemmermann � (973) 327-4149 �[email protected]��Recording Secretary�Renee Leviton ���

contact info:

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heartfelt thanks... principal’s messageTina Lehn, Principal

When I joined this wonderful community last summer, I promised that I would do all I could to lead our school to continued excellence. I promised that �I would work to help every child achieve their personal best. I knew I could �not do this alone. What I did not know then was the extent of the energy, generosity and dedication that I would find among the staff and the parent community. Whatever I have accomplished this year has been because of �the collaboration with these valued members of our “village”. ��I am so grateful to each of you who have helped me in countless ways. �My heartfelt thanks to our PTA, who have fund raised, organized, cooked, greeted, planned, advised, and supported our children and staff members. They were ready at a moments’ notice to take care of whatever I asked of them. I want to also express my gratitude and admiration to our teachers, who care deeply about every child in their care, constantly searching for �ways to engage their students in learning. They have been responsive and �open to every suggestion I have made. I am also deeply grateful to our secretaries, custodians and support staff for the countless ways they �support all of us, and without whom our school simply could not function. ��There is one person who deserves special recognition. I know how fortunate �I am to have such a dedicated and caring assistant. Mrs. Samuels has worked by my side throughout this year, sharing my commitment to help every single child reach his or her potential. She worked with me to create programs �during and after the school day to meet this goal. We examined data together to address specific needs of children at all levels of mastery. We met with teachers to support them during the year in whatever way we could. Whatever I have achieved this year is in large part due to her. ��But no matter how many people support teaching and learning in the school, you, our parents, are the most influential in your children’s success. They �have blossomed because of your support, your values, and your love. ��I have learned many things this year, but perhaps the greatest lessons have been the importance of listening, and the power of collaboration. I am fortunate to be the leader in a school that puts children first, center and last. As we come to the end of this year, I wish you and your wonderful children a joy filled summer, full of family fun, books and sunshine! To our families that are going to Marshall and Jefferson, I wish each of you a rich and positive experience in your new school. We will miss you.��

Tina

It’s time to celebrate! The 5th graders have worked all year preparing for their graduation events. Thank you for supporting their bake sales, which helped fund their camping trip. The movie nights and dance-a-thon were a blast! They have gone on the overnight trip to Fairview Lake and the rainy weather made it more of an adventure! We hope all of the students enjoyed the daily broadcasts, as all 5th graders showed off their on-camera talents. The class also has plans to leave behind a 5th grade legacy with contributions to the beautification project. The next event is the year end party which will be hosted by our wonderful �Mr. Kaesshaeffer and Mr. Tait on June 4th. We look forward to a fun filled day of games, music and food. The moving up ceremony will be the last day of school. We wish this special group of 5th graders �success on their path to a wonderful and enriching future. ��Special thanks go out to our hard working parents on the 5th Grade Committee….Maria Shapiro, �Renee Leviton, Kara Erhamza, Susan Cowan, Julie Saydah, Pauline Lacey, Celina Herrero, Marlene Etienne, Debbie Granados, Linda Thibodeau, Lisa Nolet, Sandi Brand, Linda Kalodner, and our amazing 5th grade teachers, Paula Appenzoller, Elliot Cahn, Zipora Auerbach, Robin Gutkin, Amy Simon, and Holly Fried.

s o u t h m o u n t a i n 06/10 page $superstar

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER FOR JUNE 2010��June means busy, busy. There are many events planned by the school staff and the PTA. Please do not feel that as a parent, you must attend all of the events — simply pick and choose as your personal time permits. Also, remember that parents are not expected to attend School Spirit Day, which is a day for the children to show �off their mastery of physical education skills.��June 1st – School Supplies Fundraiser Begins�June 1st & 2nd — Kindergarten Orientations South Mountain, 1:30-2:30pm�June 3rd — Art Show & Spring Concert, Thursday, 6:00-8:30pm All parents welcome. Please take your child’s artwork home after viewing. �June 4th — 5th Grade End of Year Party at Meadowlands Park (rain date Monday, 7th) �9:30-1:30 Parents welcome (but not required)�June 4th — School Fair, 5-7pm—Please note new time, and all children must be�accompanied by an adult (rain date June 6th)�June 10th — Variety Show (grades 3-5) �All welcome. Times to be announced.�June 11th — Spirit Day, 12:45pm (rain date, Monday 14th) Class Parents required (all others welcome). *Also the 5th graders will visit the middle school during this day, 8:45-11am�June 12th – Kindergarten Play Date 2-4pm Orchard Park, Maplewood�June 15th & 16th – 4 hour days�June 16th – 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony 9am�June 16th – Last day of school���

hello superstars! fundraising Shana Teitelbaum & Marilyn Wright, Fundraising VP Co-Chairs

The School year is winding down but we are gearing up for lots �of Fun activities.��School Spiritwear �Get your Spiritwear in time for School Spirit Day. Shana and �Marilyn will be selling merchandise on the following dates:��Wednesday, May 19 at the PTA meeting�Thursday, May 27 on the Blacktop�Thursday, June 3 on the Blacktop�Friday, June 4 at the School Fair��School Fair – Friday, June 4 (New Time) 5-7pm �Please look for the flyer in the backpacks. Make it easier by �pre-purchasing your admission tickets. Look for new specials, such as the “Full Fair” package, which includes admission, pizza, water, �ice cream or snow cone/cotton candy. ��School Mall – Sign up to Save $$$ �Registration is easy, go on line and start saving at your favorite stores when you make online purchases. ��As the school year winds down, we would like to take this time �to thank all of the volunteers, event chairs and parents �who supported the school this year. We really appreciate �your time, energy and financial support.��Thank you!��

Shana & Marilyn

Tsipi Kaplan �Chef Instructor��� ��• Summer cooking �

camp ages 7 and up�• Cooking parties�• Catering

[email protected]� �973.761.5866�917.502.0932 cell � �www.tsipikaplan.com ������

library news

All library items due by June 2, 2010. Please return or pay for items promptly so we can inventory the collection before the summer vacation.�-----------------------------------��Please save ink/toner cartridges over the summer. The specialist teachers would like to thank those who submitted the more than 400 ink and toner cartridges this year, which enabled us to purchase various supplies at Staples each month.

library reminder tidbits

Join or host a

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s o u t h m o u n t a i n 06/10 page %superstar

Jill Abramson�Deborah Alessandro�Jane Alexander�Debbie Altamore�Karen Basedow �Susan Benslimane�Steve Berger�Michele Billec�Roosevelt Bolivard �Kanani Briggs�Andrea Bromfeld�Marc Bromfeld�Leslie Brothers�Angela Brown �Carmela Brown �Goldie Bryant �Letitia Campbell�Amy Campione�Julia Cerny �Janice Chen�Janet Christmann�Heidi Cohen�Kim Collins�Susan Cowan�David Crutcher �Mary Jo Defranco�Lisa Duggan�Andrew Dumas �Lisa-Renee Dumas �Sheryl Eccles�Marlene Etienne �Christine Fabrizio ��

Lisa Fellen �Joanne Fisher�John Freedson �Peggy Freedson�Jessica Ganjon�Crystal Glynn�Joanne Goldberg�Jamie Goldman �Priscilla Goldman�Mandee Goldner�Debbie Granados�Paige Graves�Yonette Green �Stacey Greenblatt �Laura Griffin �Canty Gross�Shanease Guion-� Davis�Celina Herrero �Yvette Holowczak�Casey Holstein�Jane Jones�Betsy Joseph�Elise Joy�Linda Kalodner�Russell Kaplan�Tsipi Kaplan�Pam Kattouf �Bill Kochi�Jeff Kofsky�Randi Kofsky�Pauline Lacey-� Woode��

Wendy Lazarus �Marilyn Lehren�Renee Leviton�Pearl Louie�Randi Mandelbaum�Lori Martin �Peg McBrien�Beth McCourt�Lauren McKinney �Kim Miller�Wendy Miller�Kimberly Minor�Thomas Mixon�Nancy Morelli �Lisa Nolet �Michele O'Cone �Lisa Olender �Kim Pryor �Anne Quinn�Jen Ratner�Martina Remy �Lorry Ripley�Laura Riso �Victoria Rivkin �Marianna Rosen�Rebecca Rounsavill �Leslie Rubenfeld �Cigale Sagev �Sandy Sandoli �Heather Sandor �Julie Saydah �Frances Schneir ��

Carrie Schwartz �Gretchen Sekel�Maria Shapiro �Patti Smith �Robin Stephan �Elizabeth (Betsy) � Stoeber �Rachel Sullivan �Marisa Tamayo �Linda Thibodeau �Regina (Reggie) � Tindall �Jennie Tinkelman �Lynne Toye�Eileen Trinity �Millie Viqueira �Joanne Watkins �Krista Wergeland �Nina Wessel �Karen Westwood�Aleshia White �Maria Witt�Karen Wolf �Marilyn Wright�Nancy Yourkoski �Allison Ziefert�

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welcome... administrationAmy Forman & Julie Saydah, Administration VP Co-Chairs

Please join us in welcoming two new families to South Mountain! �Gloria Logan has joined Ms. Conyers’ 2nd grade class�� Parents:� Heather Logan and Nick Difazzio�� Address:� 439 W South Orange Ave, South Orange, NJ 07079�� Phone:� 952-210-2079�� Email:� [email protected]��Brianne Moran has joined Mrs. Schaefer-Gelo’s 2nd grade class�� Parents:� William and Nena Moran�� Address:� 28 W. Third Street, South Orange, NJ 07079�� Phone:� 862-216-8176�� Email:� [email protected]��

Amy & JulieWe couldn’t have done it without you!��Thank you to all parents who volunteered and supported our efforts this �year. We want to extend special thanks and gratitude to all of our co-chairs, coordinators and class parents. ���

superstars o u t h m o u n t a i n 06/10 page ^superstar

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s o u t h m o u n t a i n 06/10 page &superstar

superstars o u t h m o u n t a i n superstar

ADVERTISE! ��For as low as $2.00 you can place an AD.�(business card, birthday wishes, etc.)�30 words or less.�For larger sizes and display ADs, please �inquire. Submissions by email only.�Digital PDF version will be in color.�Printed version will be in color for special�issues. Subject to change.� �2009/2010 Rate Card is now available. �Email request to: [email protected]

06/10

classifieds: Advertising Policy �Deadline: the 18th of the prior month when you wish �your AD to appear. Contact Wendy Miller at: �(973) 761-6780 or�[email protected]�South Mountain �Families ONLY!

credits: Design, Production,�Paper donated by�William Kochi�KODE Associates, Inc.� �Printing by�KODE Press�

�Advertising Info��We have made changes to the advertising section of the Superstar newsletter. The �PTA welcomes your personal or business ADs, which are still subject to South Mountain families only.� �The new advertising rate card will be sent upon request. For more information, �please contact Wendy Miller by email at: [email protected]� �We are now offering a 10% discount for AD placement in three or more issues, a 15% discount for placement in six or more and a 20% discount for all issues of the newsletter.� �For advertising information please contact:�Wendy Miller�email:� [email protected]�phone:� (973) 761-6780� �All checks should be made payable to:�SOUTH MOUNTAIN PTA�and sent to her home address:�Wendy Miller�183 Underhill Road�South Orange, NJ 07079 �

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ad notes:

Teacher Appreciation�Led by Michele Billec and Maria Witt, the Parent Teacher Appreciation Luncheon was one to remember. Throughout the week, teachers and staff members were shown our appreciation with gifts, little mementos and notes from parents and children. Thanks to Maria, Michele and their team, the luncheon captured how much we appreciate the efforts of �our teachers, staff and PTA volunteers who contribute so much to make our school a wonderful village for our children to thrive and grow. With �the help of Niv Miyasato and Laura Mixon, the gym was transformed into �a magical indoor garden. Parents contributed many delicious dishes �that fed our entire staff and more. ��Thank you to all who contributed. Your efforts continue to warm our hearts as we wind down the year.��PTA Meeting�Our last general PTA was met with enthusiasm by parents who gained insight into the middle school. The meeting was led by South Orange Middle School’s Vice Principal, Mr. Jennings, who was kind enough to replace Principal Smith in his absence. He walked us through the day in the life of a middle school student and helped parents to think about �how they can begin to prepare their child for middle school. �� looking ahead... �Kindergarten News — June 12 and July 18, 2-4pm�Kindergarten Orientations will be at South Mountain on June 1st and 2nd at 1:30pm. The PTA has organized two “get acquainted” Kindergarten Play Dates for incoming kindergarteners and their families on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, July 18 from 2:00 to 4:00pm at Orchard Park in Maplewood (Off Ridgewood Road between Dehart Road and Aquillarus Terrace). We invite all families to please come, play and meet new �friends before the start of school. Please contact Patricia Canning at [email protected] or 973-327-4482 with any questions or directions to the park.��School Fair — June 4, 5-7pm�The PTA will celebrate the end of the year with the School Fair on Friday, June 4 from 5 to 7pm at South Mountain. Come play, jump, eat and be social at the final PTA event of the year. We always welcome any helping hand you can give and invite you to have fun and say farewell for the summer with all of our Superstar families!�� last, but not least... �We are looking for volunteers to help us with the beginning of year activities such as the First Day of School Welcome, the Ice Cream Social and the New Parent PTA Meeting. If you are interested, please contact Patricia Canning at: [email protected] and Wendy Miller at: [email protected]��We have enjoyed organizing some special events this year �and look forward to bringing you an exciting and enriching �program next year. Thanks for all of your support. Enjoy the �summer and see you in September.��

Patricia & Marietta

many thanks! programming Patricia Canning & Marietta Zacker, Programming VP Co-Chairs