Kittredge Elementary School

Dear Kittredge families,

Here are a few reminders about procedures to help keep our school running smoothly.

• During the morning drop off, please stay in the line. Some folks have been trying to form a second line if they do not have a child to drop off. This is unsafe for the teacher on duty and the children who are being dropped off.
• Please remember to send a note if there is a change in your child's pick up routine. It is difficult for our secretary to get messages to the classroom teacher, especially if they come at the end of the day.
• If you are picking your child up, please use the pick up line. Please do not wait in the lobby for your child.
• If you are attending the chess club on Friday mornings, please park at the far end of the parking lot, away from the school. The spaces along the school are reserved for teachers and staff.
• If you are using the school for an after school program, please clean up after yourselves when you are finished.
• Please do not leave children unattended in the lobby.

Thank you for your help with these safety procedures.

Sincerely,
Nancy Jukins

Just a reminder to bring in items for the 5th Grade Community Service Project by Friday, February 10th.

Thank you.

Just a reminder to send in your KidsArt order forms by Wednesday, February 1st, 2006. Any questions, please call Ginay Pinzer +1 978 685 3062.

Please send in your baby pictures by February 1st for the memory book. Mrs. Broderick's class forward them to Mrs. Keough via Sean, and Mr. Brady's class forward them to Mrs. Donatio via Micaela. Please remember the pictures will not be returned and we are looking for wallet size pictures.

Memory Books are $19.00 and Recognition Ads are $5.00. 5th Graders need not order memory books they will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Keough at mackeough@netzero.com.

There will be two topics: "CranioSacral Therapy for Children," Cindy Mattingly, a North Andover parent and OT/R will do a short presentation and provide opportunities for parents to experience CranioSacral touch and five minute treatments; and "Meeting your child's sensory needs without depleting your resources," Casey Quirk, a North Andover parent and OT/R will share information on sensory diet and how to address your child's sensory needs with easy and inexpensive ideas that you can implement at home.

Contact Casey Quirk for location & directions: caseyquirk@hotmail.com or cell +1 508 265 4648.

Spring 2006 Registration is available on-line (for new and returning players) until February 28th at: www.eteamz.active.com/NorthAndover. Any questions, please contact Steve Chaff at schaff5451@aol.com or +1 978 807 5161. Player evaluations will once again be held at DB's Instructional Baseball located in the Lucent complex. March 4th: All 9 and 10 year olds, as well as any 8 year olds wishing to play in the 9/10 Divisions. March 5th: All 11 and 12 year olds. A makeup date will be available the following weekend. Exact reporting times will be posted soon, please check the website prior to evaluation dates.

A portion of the food sales are donated to North Andover Music Association. Win what? Enter the drawing to win two all-day lift tickets at Ski Bradford!! Also enter to win our separate DOOR PRIZE for the evening (Fuddruckers Gift Certificates & two passes for Lawrence Showcase Cinemas!) Please come!

You may register for the Volleyball Program and/or the April Vacation Camp on Tuesday, January 31st, Atkinson School, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

You may also register for the Spring Camp through Community Programs' Spring Sessions' Excel Programs. Registration for the Spring Camp is limited to the first 30 players to sign up. The registration fee for the NABC program is $60 per player and for the Spring Camp $110 per player. All registration fees must be paid at the time of registration. Please download the registration form from the Handout link and bring to registration.

Last week I explained that each week for the next few weeks I would be putting an excerpt about Bullying in the Newslink. This is part of an attempt to raise the level of awareness about what Bullying is and what we can do as a community to help prevent it. Remember, please contact the school if you think your child is a victim of bullying.

There are lots of reasons why people bully. Bullying is a behavior, it is something people learn. Bullies may also be bullied themselves, or they were bullied at one time or another in their lifetime. People bully because it makes them feel superior to others. They might get power and strength from bullying others. People bully to get attention. They think that it makes them popular, or that bullying may be a way to fit in. Bullying doesn't make someone popular or cool, it just makes them mean. People who bully are often scared about something about themselves, so they try to scare others to hide their feelings or pick on others so they won't get picked on first. People who bully are unhappy and they take out their unhappiness on others. People who bully feel little or no responsibility for their actions, and often feel the need to control others and may always feel the need to win. People who bully may be jealous of the people they are bullying. People who bully are unable to understand and appreciate the feelings of others. People who bully always choose the one person they know they can win against (basically bullies are chickens). People who bully are excellent observers of human behavior.

People who bully use 'differences' to make victims feel badly about themselves, such as "You're ugly, stupid" etc. as an excuse for their bad behavior. It's not the 'difference' in the victim that's the problem - it's the bullies who have the problem because they are afraid, jealous, envious, cruel, angry, insecure, and unhappy. Remember, it's our "differences" that makes us special and unique. You should be proud of who you are. Don't let people who bully take that away from you. Don't give people who bully that power over you.

Even though people who bully cause a great deal of pain for others, they need help too. If they do not learn how to change their behaviors, they usually end up in trouble with the law. By age 24, 60 percent of people who were childhood bullies have at least one criminal conviction. People who continue to bully have many other problems as adults who show more alcoholism, antisocial personality disorders and need for mental health services.

Some people who bully may not even understand how wrong their behavior is and how it makes the person being bullied feel. The best defense against a people who bully is to like yourself, be confident in yourself, and don't look like a victim. You should never try to beat people who bully at their own game. You can't bully someone who bullies into not being a bully. If you need help, tell an adult you know and trust. It is hard to solve such problems on your own. (taken from www.bullying.org)

Visit our Kittredge website at http://www.northandover.k12.ma.us/Kittredge/.

Please send via email to kathy.eastwood@comcast.net (please put Newslink in the subject line) or call Kathy Eastwood at +1 978 794 3025 by Friday at noon.

Classes begin at Kittredge Wednesday, February 1st, 2006. Watch for registration forms being sent home with your child. Registrations are due by January 16th, 2006. Did you miss out on Global Child classes this fall? Contact Regional Coordinator Stacia Tagliaferro at +1 978 447 1862 to find out how you can catch up and join a class starting soon!

The Atkinson PTO is pleased to present this year's Mother/Son Jammin' Fun. We will offer two nights of dancing, food, fun and raffles. For boys in grades K-2 (and their moms), the date is Friday April 7th and then on Saturday April 8th, we will host boys in grades 3-5, along with their favorite ladies. Both events will be held at the North Andover High School. Watch your child's backpack for more information on ticket sales.

Are you missing a platter/basket from Kids Go Shopping / Snowflake Cafe? If so, please call Christine Karelas at +1 978 794 2191.

We are seeking parents and community members in all occupations to share their professional experiences with students at the North Andover High School Career Day on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006. In order to offer a wide variety of sessions for students to choose from, we are looking for 75 - 100 speakers. Volunteer speakers can choose from one of the following three session times: 8:20 am to 9:20 am, 9:25 am to 10:25 am, or 11:55 am to 12:55 pm. Some sessions will have more than one speaker from related fields. Discussion topics will include educational and skill requirements, job responsibilities, working conditions, and future growth in the field. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Career Day Committee at picc@northandover.k12.ma.us or Pam Mesquita, NAHS Career Counselor at +1 978 794 8051l mesquitap@northandover.k12.ma.us by Tuesday, January 31st, 2006.

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