Kindergarten Information Night

If you have a child entering Kindergarten this fall, please join us January 29 (6:30 pm) for our annual Kindergarten Information Night. While Kindergarten registration officially began January 26, the Information Night is intended to help parents further prepare their child for the rigors of Kindergarten in the Bellevue School District. In order to enroll your child in Kindergarten, they must be five years old by August 31, 2009. The Kindergarten Information Night will be held in the library at Bennett.

Volunteer Opportunities

Bennett Elementary has always had a wonderfully involved group of parents. If you have not been involved with any of our school programs this year, we welcome you to play a role at school. Of course, those who are interested must complete volunteer paperwork and have a background check. More information can be obtained in the office at Bennett.

The following is a list of opportunities for parent volunteers.

Classroom helpers- Check with your child's teacher to see if there are any opportunities to help them in the classroom. Specifics: Teachers usually like it if parents can help out on a consistent basis (i.e. each Tuesday from 9 to 10...). Also, it is important to note that classroom help is not intended to directly involve you and your child. It is a time for parents to help the teacher with things that will enable them to focus even more on the meeting the needs of all students.

Lunchroom or recess help- Come join your child at his/her lunch table. It is fun to interact with kids at this time. Also, we can always use positive models for other kids as well.

Before/after school-We can never have enough adults during these times. Whether it's helping us supervise specific areas of campus while students are waiting to enter classrooms or walking to their bus, we welcome you.

Chris Thomas
Bennett Elementary School
Principal

President's News

Joe Mehlhoff

I am very excited to announce that we have scheduled an information presentation and Q&A opportunity with Anissa Bereano and Eric McDowell from Highland Middle School! They will be kicking off our General Membership Meeting on February 10th, and will be starting at 6:45.
This will be a great opportunity for those of you looking ahead to Middle School to learn a little more about our "home" Middle School. As many of you know, my eldest daughter is in the 6th grade, and I do remember that there was much deliberation in our home about her options for Middle School. Frankly, I had heard some things "through the grapevine" that gave me some concern. However, after hearing that Anissa would be taking the Principals position there, and talking with some former students, our decision was simple. Moreover, our experience thus far has been nothing short of great.
I hope you'll take this opportunity to hear from both Anissa and Eric, especially if your child is in 4th or 5th grade this year!

Also at that meeting, we will be looking for approval for some changes to the standing rules. I am submitting the links to these changes here:

http://schoolbennett.org/Documents/Bennett%20PTSA%20standing%20rules%202008-09-%20proposed%20changes.pdf

So that any of you that have concerns over the wording of these changes can come prepared to our General Meeting.  We had a very skilled and experienced team of folks work very diligently to make these changes, so I would like to thank them for that as well.

Finally, I just wanted to express how excited I am about our upcoming Auction!  There are some great folks working very hard to put it together, and I truly hope that you all will consider attending!

Bennett PTSA Website

Looking for information about Bennett?

Our PTSA website covers school programs, parent involvement, fund raising, calendars and anything else you can think of!

Check out http://schoolbennett.org/default.aspx

PTSA Committee News

Auction News

Just a reminder to everyone that the Bennett Auction is just around the corner. Now is the time to see if you have a talent or just something fun to share. A few ideas are: A timeshare you won't be using this year, Baking a birthday cake for someone's, babysitting for a few hours so parents can take a night out, hosting a preview party for a show or newly released movie, a cruise around the lake in your boat, lessons in your particular specialty i.e.: painting, woodworking, or a wine tasting party.

Our auction is a great opportunity to raise money for our school, while having a great time with other Bennett family's.

Thank you!

Bennett Foreign Language Program

Bennett Foreign Language Reminder;
There will be no foreign language classes the week of February 16th-19th.
This was to be mid-winter break, but because of the strike there will be regular school.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE WILL NOT BE HAVING CLASSES THIS WEEK.

ReUse a Shoe Project

The Bennett Eco-Kids are starting a tennis shoe drive for the Nike ReUse
a Shoe Project and it will run from January 12 - January 30. Our school
goal is to collect 100 pair of shoes, which will be used to create sport
and playground surfaces such as tracks, indoor and outdoor basketball
courts, tennis courts, and synthetic turf. This is one the Nike's
longest-running environmental programs and to date, more than 21 million
pairs of shoes have been collected. Any brand of athletic shoes may be
donated but they must be dry, free of mud, and cannot contain metal. If
you have shoes to donate, please send them to school and place them
inside the collection box located by the Bennett office. Thank you!

Focus Day 2009

Focus Day 2009 will happen on Thursday, February 26th. Bellevue PTSA has organized a bus, and we'd like to have as many Bennett parents on the bus as possible!

A no-hassle way to show the legislature that PTA is involved - no driving or parking, and PTA leaders provide educational information on the trip. Bring a friend!

For more information, please check out this website: http://www.wastatepta.org/leg/session_09.htm

If you're interested in participating, or have questions, please send an email to bethantuttle@hotmail.com.

Vision Screening Volunteers Needed

Are you free the morning of Thursday, February 12?

The nurse needs 5-6 volunteers to help with the vision screening from 9 to 11:30 AM.

If you can help, please email alihouse@comcast.net

Thanks,

Alison House

Calendar Changes

Staff Appreciation has been moved to February 9th-13th. More information on this week of appreciating our fabulous teachers will be out soon!

Science Night and the Egg Drop are approaching!. Join us for the upcoming planning meeting to help plan these great events. The next meeting is on February 3 at 7:00-8:00 in the Bennett Library.

Community News

Positive Ideas for Child Discipline

You, your family and friends are invited to
be part of our winter presentations on
"Positive Ideas for Child Discipline"
Our presenters for the series will be:
Debbie & Mac Taylor
Marriage and Family Therapists
Some of the topics will be:
· Parenting styles in different cultures
· The beliefs behind misbehavior
· From punishment to solutions
· Enabling vs. empowering
· Family meetings
· Sibling rivalry
All of us at Jubilee REACH Center look
forward to seeing you and your family!
Limited childcare will be provided.
The program and childcare are free!

Dates
Thursday, January 22
Thursday, January 29
Thursday, February 5
Thursday, February 12
Thursday, February 19
Thursday, February 26
Time
6:30 to 8:00 pm
Location
Jubilee REACH Center
14200 SE 13th PL
Bellevue, WA 98007
Call us to register
(425) 746-0506
(425) 456-4254

Library Corner

The Global Reading Challenge will be held on February 4th at 9:10 in the gym. You are welcome to come support our 4th and 5th grade readers as they compete in a game show style book challenge. Sponsored by KCLS.

Our 3rd graders have created a list of Non-Fiction topics in our library that they are interested in. The topics are listed below. Parents are welcome to check out books on their own account. Come find something great to read- for you or your children!

True Mysteries: Loch Ness Monster, Aliens, Big Foot

Ghosts and Witches

Mythology

Foreign Languages: German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew...

Space

Disasters: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tornados, Tsunamis

Oceans and Seas

Dinosaurs, Ice Age

Bacteria

Wild Animals: Insects, Birds, Mammals

Inventions

Human Body

Robots

Pets: Dogs, Cats, Rodents

Artists

How To: Drawing, Painting, Knit, Paper Airplanes

Music and Instruments

Movie Making

Dance

Magic

Chess

Sports: Tennis, Soccer, Basketball, Football, Cheerleading

Biographies: Ben Franklin, Presidents

Ancient Civilizations: Mummies, Egyptians, Aztec, Romans, Vikings, Pompeii , Medieval Times

Places: Countries, Cities- Venice

History: Pilgrims

Series:

You Wouldn't Want to....

Magic Tree House Guides

You Choose

Visit our catalog and databases from home:
http://weblibr.bsd405.org
See Mrs. Bolivar for log-ins and passwords.

BENNETT ELEMENTARY HOODED SWEATSHIRTS

Show Your Spirit!

Bennett Elementary Hooded Sweatshirts

*    Two Designs to Choose From
*   Navy with White Lettering and Paw Print
* Available in Youth and Adult Sizes
*    Only $16 for Youth sizes and $20 for Adult sizes

Please fill out the form below and give to school office (*Please call me to let me know your order is in the office!) with "Bennett Sweatshirts" on the envelope (checks only please). Delivery time is 2-3 weeks. You will get a call when your shirt(s) have arrived. Questions? Call Chris Douglas @ 425-603-1718.

Youth Size: Small      Medium     Large
Adult Size: Small      Medium      Large      Extra Large
Style: #1 - Large Center Emblem -- or -- #2 - Small Pocket Emblem
Price: Youth $16.00      Adult $20.00

Name:________________ Child's Name:_____________ Teacher:____________

Phone:________________ Email:________________________________________

Circle choices of style, youth or adult sizes: TOTAL
Order #1      Style # 1 or #2      Size: Youth or Adult      S     M      L     XL      ENCLOSED:
Order #2      Style # 1 or #2      Size: Youth or Adult      S     M      L     XL
Order #3      Style # 1 or #2      Size: Youth or Adult      S     M      L     XL      $________
Order #4      Style # 1 or #2      Size: Youth or Adult      S     M      L     XL
Order #5      Style # 1 or #2      Size: Youth or Adult      S     M      L     XL

2009 Informational Meetings for 5th Grade Parents

Each middle school in the Bellevue School District will host an information evening for fifth grade parents. Although it may seem early, planning for next school year has already begun! The district open enrollment period is January 12 - February 13, 2009. We invite you to attend any of the presentations that are of interest; however please note that Chinook and Tyee are full and cannot accept any students who do not reside within that attendance area.

Click here for a list of presentations: Middle School Presentations

The Friday Flyer Newsletter | Bennett Elementary PTSA 2.3.22

www.bennettelementary.org | TheFridayFlyer@yahoo.com

2008-2009 Editor: Meg Mylan

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Bennett PTSA Executive Board 2008/09

Joe Mehlholff, President

Cynthia Coron, Vice President

Christie Allemand, Vice President

Vanessa Swanson, Treasurer
Kristin Nash, Secretary

Bennett Elementary PTSA | 17900 NE 16th Street | Bellevue | WA | 98008