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Elysian Charter School
Weekly Newsletter
A Positively Different Public School
October 13, 2015 Vol. 11 Issue 5
Please note that the school newsletter is sent out on Mondays. When there is a holiday, the newsletter is sent the following day. Please send news to lynne.shapiro@ecsnj.org by 1:00 PM on Mondays.
The weekly newsletter is archived on Elysian's website, www.ecsnj.org, so that you can always access both the most recent newsletter as well as all previous ones.
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Harry's Corner School Climate About a week ago I received word that a number of our 7th graders were involved in a cyberbullying incident. It seems that some nasty things were written on Instagram (the social media site of choice) by a person with a username of “unknown.” Now most of the students were able to see these messages. But this story has a silver lining…every one of the students who saw it sent a message of support to the victim, and several of them called to be sure that the victim was okay. “Unknown” was totally isolated by peers and quickly disappeared.
We always talk with our students about being “bystanders” or “upstanders.” Those who contacted the victim were clearly upstanders. These students demonstrated the power of being an upstander. Preteens and teens, moving from childhood to adulthood, often try things out, sometimes making mistakes. The most effective learning tool comes from peer response.
In 2013 Elysian Charter School commissioned a study of Elysian on school climate from Spectrum Diversity, a social research group, which provides insight and training into issues of school climate. In the finding of that report, the researcher, Dr. Paula Rust, analyzed student, parent and staff responses to a questionnaire that looked at our climate in-depth. She stated in her conclusion that “Findings are extremely positive, indicating both areas of success and suggesting areas in which to focus attention during the 2013--‐2014 school year.” Since that time we have had a School Climate Team that consists of students, staff and parents helping to guide our efforts. The team is led by our social worker, Diane Sasso, LSW. Last spring we commissioned a similar study for grades 3 to 8, using updated questionnaires, also from Spectrum Diversity. We have gotten some of the preliminary results back at this point. When the full report, including the comparisons with the 2013 report, is complete, we will present the information to the community. In the preliminary reports some of the data looks extremely positive. Here are a few highlights: - Students having a trusted adult—“findings are extremely positive in grades four to seven.”
- Students having problems in school—“findings are very favorable.”
- Students being nice to each other—“findings are extremely positive.”
- Students making derogatory comments to peers—“findings extremely positive.”
- Students telling an adult about a situation—“as grade level increases, the percentage of students who say that their peers would tell an adult decreases…However, the percentage of students who say their peers tell each other to stop remains constant…As grade level increases, findings also indicate that students are more likely to show support for a targeted student in a behind the scenes way…”
- Students’ Perception of Whether Their Teachers Like and Care about Them—“Findings extremely favorable.”
- Students’ Perceptions of Teachers’ Response to Mean Student Behavior—“Findings are very favorable.”
- Students’ Perceptions of Improvement in School Climate Over the Past Year—“The majority of students have noticed that teachers are trying harder to stop bullying, taking bullying more seriously, watching more closely, and talking about bullying more than they did in the past.”
These are just some of the findings of the report. The words used are taken directly from the report itself. The actual report provides a great deal of detail, including information by grade levels.
Once the report is completed, Dr. Rust will be reporting to our community on these results. It is important to remember that as children grow they try out new things, often looking for attention from others. Sometimes they make a mistake or don’t understand all of the consequences of what they do— just reflect on your own growing up years to help understand.
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Drop Off and Pick Up
As most of you know the drop off and pick up is going quite well. Just a few notes and reminders:
- A speed bump will be installed on Garden Street near the corner of 15th Street in the next few days. This is to ensure that during the most crowded times everyone has slowed down.
- A few people are still parking in front of the building and going upstairs. That creates difficulty for everyone else. If you must go upstairs, please do not park in front of the building. If you are waiting for someone, please do not stand on Garden to wait (either side of the street).
- When dropping off, please pull all the way up as far as possible to make room for other cars.
- We are working with the building to ensure that delivery trucks are not in the way during drop off and pickup.
- Children may not ride skate boards, scooters, etc. in front of the building during drop off or dismissal.
- Children should not be climbing on the railings in front of the building.
Thank you for your cooperation and help.
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| PTSO Corner
Picture Day is this Friday, October 16th. Get in those order forms if you haven’t already done so! You may pay by check or online. PLEASE NOTE that Package D is $25.00.
Please get in the payment for the KidStuff Coupon books! The deadline has long passed and we need to square up our numbers!
Remember to turn in your PTSO dues if you haven’t already done so. The official envelope isn’t needed. Please just drop payment in to the office. $25 per child. This money goes towards educational and recreational events for your children. Thanks! Thank you to all of you who helped make the book fair a success – both shoppers and volunteers!! An extra special thank you for those of you who purchased books for the teachers and their classrooms! And of course, thank you to Anne Marie Schreiber for running this event and devoting so much of her time to our school!!
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Thank You from the Music Room
I would like to thank the Crafts, the Schreibers and the Gurtners for their gift of books to the Music Program that were on my request list. These song stories will be appreciated by al the children at ECS who will sing them.
Best Wishes,
Mary Guthrie
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About Elysian's Music Program
Dear Parents,
This year I would like to tell you, in more depth, about the music program at ECS. I will be writing a series of articles that will be published though out the year. Each article will cover one or more aspects of my program. I hope that each of these articles will be interesting, informative and will give you a sense about what your children do in the music room on a daily basis.
WHY OUR STUDENTS STUDY MUSIC
At the Elysian School, students study music not only for the joy of making music, but also to gain an understanding of music as a powerful and highly expressive language. Students study a piece of music, whether vocal or instrumental, in order to gain experience and understanding of emotional content (the emotional reason for and meaning behind the music which will determine the interpretation of the music), musical concepts (beat, rhythm pattern, meter, scale, melody, harmony, form, etc.) and physical mastery (technique). Students study improvisation and composition in order to learn to express their emotions and ideas through the language of music. The self-discipline, creativity, and development of skills required in music can be transferred directly in to other areas of life, and support our students’ other academic endeavors.
In order to speak and understand the language of music, there are some fundamental questions which we, as listeners, students, and performers, need to ask, and over time answer, in order to speak and understand the language of music. Here are some of the questions:
Where does music come from?
How does music express emotion?
Why do composers do what they do?
How do Composers know what to do?
How can we know what composers and other professional musicians know about what makes music expressive?
How do performers study and prepare for performances?
Why do we study movement in order to understand music?
Why study vocal music?
Why study instrumental music?
In order to help the children explore these questions, I teach music through an approach called Dalcroze Eurhythmy.
WHY I TEACH DALCROZE EURHYTHMY
I bring a program of Dalcroze Eurhythmy because it is the most comprehensive approach to the study of the language of music and because it provides a rigorous framework for learning by using playful, challenging movement, singing and instrumental games and improvisation to teach musical concepts. In addition, Dalcroze Eurhythmy places a child not only in the role of student, but also in the roles of peer and teacher.
In future articles, I will explain much more about Dalcroze Eurhythmy and the various components of the music program. I look forward to any questions or comments you may have. I hope that these articles can answer your questions and open and interesting dialogue about arts and education.
Sincerely,
Mary Guthrie
Music Teacher
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Safe Bicycling Workshop #2, October 20th
Limited Space Available
Our initial Safe Bicycling Workshop attracted 22 students. The next step, suggested by our host Jay from Hudson County TMA, is to pull together a SMALL group of students and try a sample bike ride. In this session we will cover things like crossing, turning, yielding, right of way, and basic bike mechanics and ergonomics (such as seat adjustments, handle bars) etc. The plan for this session is to stay OFF the streets, and only ride the waterfront path between 15th street and Weehawken. This format requires we keep the group smaller. If you are interested in having your child participate please a) confirm they know HOW to ride and b) if they are available Tuesday October 20. \ Please keep in mind bicycles and helmets are required for ALL participants. Also, if you have any children that might be interested in Beginner/Learn to Ride classes then feel free to let us know that too so we can plan for the future.
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Elysian Track Team
Information and Registration
Coach Jason Morales
The track team is open to all students from grades Kindergarten through 8.
- All students must have a completed physical form (physical completed within the last 365 day) on file in the nurse's office. These forms were sent home during the summer. They are also available on our website--www.ecsnj.org, click on Parent Resources, then Forms. It is the second form, entitled "Preparticipation Physical Evaluation," and begins on the second page. It is four pages long
- All parents must sign the "Concussion Information and Sign-off" form, also found at www.ecsnj.org. Click on Parent Resources, then Forms. The last page of this form must be signed and given to the coach at the first practice.
- Also on the Forms page, please read the the brochure entitled "Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes."
- Track practices will all take place at the Soccer field, located at 1600 Park Ave. from 3:30 - 4: 30 on the following Wednesday:
- (October 21--at 1;00 p.m., Oct. 28, Nov. 11th)
(Students can be walked over by Coach/Aftercare staff) Students who self dismiss may walk there on their own. Dismissal procedures will be based upon the instructions below.
- Track meets will all take place at Lincoln Park in Jersey City (blue track) on the following Saturday & Sunday mornings at 10:30a.m. Please arrive by 10:15 for warm-ups
- October 24-25, Nov. 1st, Nov. 14th
- Parents are responsible for bringing and picking up the children from track meets.
Registration
Please return registration form to the school office in either Demarest or Rue, or email to harry.laub@ecsnj.org.
Student's Name_________________________________________
Student's Teacher________________________________________
Dismissal instructions
___Parent will pick child up/ ___Name and phone number of person who will pick up ______________ ______________________________________________
___ Child may self-dismiss
___Preparticipation Physical Examination Form is on file with the nurse (please note, no child without this form on file, may participate).
Telephone number where you may be reached during practice/meets__________________________
Email address__________________________________________
Parent's name____________________________________________
Parent's signature_________________________________________
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| BE A VOLUNTEER CLUB LEADER! ELYSIAN’S AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT CLUBS!
Thinking about hosting a club? Here is some information that might help you decide.
Session I – Fall Session - To Begin October 26 through Dec. 4 / 18
(DEADLINE FOR Turning in Club Forms: 10:00 am – October 15
“Free” After School for your child on the day of the club! Elysian parents who wish to lead a club can have their child/ren attend the After School Program for free during the time of the club. The children must be of the ages of K – 8 and must attend our school. As of this time, we do not have care options for children under the age of Kindergarten.
What are Enrichment clubs? The Clubs are fun/educational groups run by Elysian staff, parents or friends of the children of Elysian. Their purpose is to provide experiences outside of school which will further enrich the lives of our children. Clubs in the past have provided opportunities in many areas that children might not normally experience. The philosophy of the clubs mirrors that of the school, in that children will be encouraged to explore their potential and experience the joy of learning in a safe, nurturing environment.
What does a Club leader do? The Club leader is someone with a hobby, talent or interest that he or she would like to share with children. Leaders volunteer their services, but can expect to be reimbursed for materials purchased (please keep receipts). He or she should be comfortable working with a small group of children (usually no more than 10). Club leaders should arrive no later than 2:45 PM and may leave as soon as all children are picked up at 4:00 PM by either their parents or After School. Leaders are responsible for clean up afterwards. If a Club meeting is canceled for any reason, it is up to the Club leader to notify parents, students and the Elysian office that the Club will not meet.
Times - Clubs meet Monday through Thursday. Clubs are not held on Fridays.
Please call Susan at 201-876-0102 to discuss other possibilities.
Club Leader Assistance – Thinking of leading a club but afraid to do it alone? We can sometimes find others interested in helping out. Call Susan and 201-798-1160 or e-mail at susan.gilbertson@ecsnj.org
Yes! I would like to lead a club!
CLUB PROPOSAL FORM
Session I – Fall Session – Begins October 26 – through Dec. 4/18
Proposals Due: 10:00 am Thursday, October 15, 2015
Return to Office !
Or email: susan.gilbertson@ecsnj.org
Name: ________________________________________________________________
Child: _______________________________ Class: _______________________
Telephone: Hm._______________________ Cell: ___________________________
E-Mail:_______________________________ Work:__________________________
Name of Club: __________________________________________________________
Grade levels included: (Circle all that apply) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
How many children total in the club? ___________________
List the type of space needed: _________________________________________
Give a summary of what a typical club day would be like. Be sure to include topics and activities.
List expenses associated with this club as well as necessary items & how much they will cost. You will be provided a reasonable amount up to which you may submit receipts for reimbursement. If you feel expenses will be more that $10 per child, list the expected cost per child.
Days Available - Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
*Questions? Call Susan at 201-798-1160
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| PARENT WORKSHOP TONIGHT: Suicide Prevention Awareness
Presented by the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
Elysian Charter School in collaboration with Stevens Cooperative School, The Hudson School and Hoboken Charter Schoo invites 3rd-8th grade families to a Parent Workshop titled “Suicide Prevention Awareness” Scott Fitz, C-Founder of The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (http://www.sptsusa.org ), will discuss the importance of raising public awareness about teen suicide risks and what role parents can play. Parents will learn strategies for how to ask their children the right questions and to advocate for their child’s well-being.
Any questions? Call Diane Sasso x303
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Friends of Elysian's Annual Meeting is Thursday, October 15, 6:30 PM
The Friends of Elysian will host its 2015 Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 15th, 2015 at 6:30PM at our building at 1460 Garden Street. We will be discussing/planning our fundraising initiatives for the 2015-2016 school year and also will be accepting nominations for Friends of Elysian's 2015-2016 board of trustees. Please consider joining the Friends of Elysian and showing your support for Elysian through fundraising!
All Elysian community members (e.g. parents, teachers, staff, relatives, Hoboken residents) are welcome to join the Friends by attending the annual meeting or by contacting Friends of Elysian co-chairs: Kim Demopoulos (kim.demopoulos@ubs.com) or Eileen O’Brien (scotchies@aol.com). Individuals who currently hold positions on the ECS board or any other elected position within Hoboken or Hudson county are not eligible for voting member or board of trustee or officer positions.
We hope to see you on the 15th!
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| Elysian Collects Box Tops and LABELS for Education: Look for the container near Deb's desk in the office! Thank you!
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| October Calendar Tuesday, October 13 - 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Suicide Prevention Awareness Workshop for Parents (at Rue Gym)
- LOTS - bring a lunch for the Hoboken Shelter!
Thursday, October 15 - 2nd grade trip
- 5th grade trip
- Rugby Club practice, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
- Friends of Elysian Annual Meeting (see above), 6:30 PM
- Deadline for turning in Club Forms, 10:00 AM
Tuesday, October 20- LOTS - bring a lunch for the Hoboken Shelter!
- Safe Bicycling Workshop, #2, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Wednesday, October 21- Half Day of School, 12:30 dismissal for Staff Development, After School Program available
- 7th and 8th grade overnight trip
- PTSO Meeting, 6:30 PM, Pizza and childcare available
Thursday, October 22 - 2nd grade trip
- Rugby Club practice, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Friday, October 23- New Victory Workshop for 2nd grade
- 7th and 8th graders return from overnight trip
Saturday, October 24- Halloween Party, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Monday, October 26 - High School Night 5:30 p.m.
- Enrichment Clubs begin
- Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 27- LOTS - bring a lunch for the Hoboken Shelter!
Wednesday, October 28- New Victory Workshop for 8th Grade
Thursday, October 29- 8th grade trip
- Rugby Club practice, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Friday, October 30- New Victory Workshop for 8th Grade
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1460 Garden Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Harry Laub, Ph.D., Director
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harry.laub@ecsnj.org
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Phone:201.876.0102
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Fax:201.876.9576
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