October A.S.H. PTA newsletter

Generosity Goes a Long Way

Jenna LeWanda is a 12-year-old who, in preparation for her Bar-Mitzvah, chose to perform a community service project. She wrote a letter to family and friends asking for school supply donations that could be given to elementary school children in need. Jenna lives near Mrs. Bates, one of our teaches, and asked her if she thought A.S.H. students could benefit from this venture. Thankfully, Mrs. Bates said yes!

On Friday, September 2, Jenna delivered the items to our school. Donations included spiral notebooks, binders, pencil cases, scissors, glue sticks, folders, pencils, crayons, markers, composition notebooks, clipboards, book bags, and more.

We truly appreciate such generosity, as many of our students have taken advantage of this opportunity. The A.S.H. community wishes Jenna a wonderful school year.

T-shirt Sale!

"WE CHOOSE ALBANY SCHOOLS" T-shirts are available for sale for $6.00 each. They are blue with orange writing and are available in Adult 2X-L-M-S and Childrens L-M-S. The sale of these T-shirts will support the Miles of Smiles/Dental Van program in our schools.

If interested, please contact Cheryl Cahill at email address maevesmom1[at]yahoo.com or by telephone 518-426-3569. The T-shirts will also be available at the next PTA Meeting on October 11th at 7:00pm in the Library.

Needed: Volunteers to Distribute Free Books for the Reading is Fundamental Program

Chris Antonio, a fifth grade teacher at ASH is in charge of the the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) program. This program, funded throught the PTA and RIF, allows us to give free books to our students three times a year. We are looking for some parent volunteers to help us out. When books arrive at school, each book must be stamped with the RIF stamp and also leveled for distribution. We need volunteers to stamp the books and help out with the distribution three times/year. Hours can be flexible! Contact Mrs. Antonio at ASH 462-7258.

Principal's Address

It's hard to believe that we are headed into the second month of school. The staff and I are encouraged by September's parent participation during each grade level's Open House. We want to continue to work together for school success. Now that your family is settled into the new school year's routines, it's a good time to start a new routine.

Designate time in the evening for family reading. Look at your schedules. The best time will depend on other activities and commitments. Is before or after dinner better for your family to read? Ask yourself if your child is participating in too many extra curricular activities.

Choose a variety of age-appropriate reading materials -newspapers, magazines, library books, etc. Try to limit the distractions around you, such as the TV and telephone. Be realistic about how often and how long you can set a side time. Three evenings a week for 10-15 minutes would be a great start! Lead by example. Show your child how much you enjoy your reading time and he or she will look forward to it as much as you do.

The most important thing you can do is to provide your child with lots of opportunities to read (e.g., keep books in your car). Nothing builds reading and writing skills like practice. Reading and writing go hand and hand, so encourage your child to keep journals and write letters, too.

Safety First
Just like your actions show your child what behaviors you expect from them in the academic arena, you must model an appropriate attitude involving courtesy and manners towards each other. On September 22, I received a distressing call from a parent who was "cussed out" for adhering to the No Parking signs in the meridian in front of the school. Many of you are working cooperatively with me as a community by dropping off or picking-up your child(ren) with minimal time spent in this area. As I explained to the parent, don't ever feel discouraged when you are doing the correct thing, especially in the presence of your child. We did discuss her rights to feel safe and not intimidated at her child's school. My goal is to provide a safe and orderly school environment following District and Albany School Of Humanities procedures that have been put into place. Your help is required to make it successful.

One suggestion I would like to make is to have your child unbuckle their seatbelt only when they enter the meridian. It can assist with traffic flow. It is also strongly recommended that children only exit on the right hand side as an additional safety precaution.

A.S.H. Cares
Sean McGraw, a student teacher from Mrs. Emma’s second grade classroom, has our school involved in a wonderful community service opportunity. Highland Elementary School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana contacted Saint Rose to help meet the needs of the overwhelming number of students who are currently using their school as a temporary learning facility. These students have lost most or all of their personal belongings.

In lieu of our annual October Unicef drive, where we pause and put our attention on children of the world, the A.S.H. Cares school-wide project will allow us to take care of the needs of American children who live in the Gulf Coast. Many of you have already begun to support this extremely worthwhile outreach. We are in need of the following items:
· Packages of: Socks (assorted sizes)
Underwear (assorted sizes)
· School supplies: Pencils, Pens Loose-leaf paper, Notebooks, Crayons, Markers, etc. Backpacks, Books and other supplies for Grades K-5
· Clothes: For students in Grades K-5
· Belts
· Any monetary donation

We encourage you to be involved by participating in this very worthwhile endeavor.
I have found that when I give to others, I receive more than I ever anticipated.


Second Annual October Clean Up: October 15

The fall clean-up is scheduled for October 15th and will go from 9am to 3pm. The only tools we need parents to bring are weed whackers, and electric hedge clippers. The City will provide all of the other tools that we will need. As far as plants are concerned we are looking for parents to bring small potted mum plants to plant around the school. Hope to see you there!

Chess Club Starting This Week!

The first meeting of the ASH Chess Club will be this Thursday, October 6th, from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Call Dave 463-6235 to sign up (if you haven't already) -- the club will be meeting all year, and we're starting slow, so don't worry if you miss a session!
There has been interest from a wide range of ages, from kindergarten through 6th grade, so we'll have something for everyone: kids who have been playing for years can join the club and start playing, and kids who want to learn the rules can come and learn as they go along.

AAU National Karate Tournament


Kudos to ASH students who participated in the 2005 AAU National Karate Tournament, in Lakeland Florida this summer. Proud ASH students, from various grade levels, represented the American Institute of Japanese Karate under the chief instruction of Shihan Tony Butler. Among the 30 or so medals that were won under AIJK, thirteen of these medals were won from our very own ASH students!

Grade 1: Manuel Santiago
Grade 3: Nathaniel Sorce
Grade 5: Troy Davis Jr., Brett Graves, Devan Koehler, Daniel McClurkin, Javier Philpot, Jared Culler
Grade 6: Kristina Graves, Sofia DeLuise, Leeanne Tobler

The American Institute of Japanese Karate is a traditional martial arts school offering quality instruction in the art of Shotokan Karate-Do. Shihan Butler has instructed hundreds of ASH students, some of whom have gone on to become World Champions. Shihan teaches his students the five basics of Dojo Kun:

Seek Perfection of Character
Follow the Path of Truth
Endeavor
Respect Others
Refrain from violent behavior

During Shihan’s classes--which are held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons here at ASH—students practice the philosophy of Dojo Kun by continuously trying to improve and show respect for each other.