February 2010 News

Our MES PTA Spring Fundraiser is underway! Variety boxes of chocolate and chocolate-covered almonds are being sold this year. Please help the PTA support our school this spring by participating. If you need a box to get started, or if you need another box, download a request form here (prize information here). Thanks so much for all you do to make MES a wonderful school for our children!

Once again, to celebrate the New Orleans Saints appearance in Super Bowl XLIV, St. Tammany Parish schools will be raising money to be donated to the American Red Cross for its work in Haiti. On Friday of this week (February 5), students and staff will be allowed to wear Saints jerseys, caps, black and gold colors, blue jeans, etc. in exchange for a donation of $1.00 or more to aid the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. We realize that most donations will be cash, but if checks are written, please make them payable to MES with Haiti Relief Donation written in the memo line. You may begin sending in your donation to your child's homeroom teacher. We will continue to keep the people of Haiti in our thoughts and prayers.

In an effort to reach out to help the Haitian people, St. Tammany Parish schools will focus on raising money to be donated to the American Red Cross for its work in Haiti. On Friday of this week (January 22), students and staff will be allowed to wear Saints jerseys, caps, black and gold colors, blue jeans, etc. in exchange for a donation of $1.00 or more to aid the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. We realize thta most donations will be cash, but if checks are written, please make them payable to MES with Haiti Relief Donation written in the memo line. You may begin sending in your donation to your child's homeroom teacher. We will continue to keep the people of Haiti in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Madisonville Elementary is participating in the Albertsons Community Partners Program. Every time you scan your Community Partners card along with your purchase, Albertsons will donate a percentage of each purchase to Madisonville Elementary.

For more information, please contact Fran Pechon in the school office.

As the new year begins, put your house on an Energy Diet! According to the US Department of Energy, the typical family spends about $1900 a year on home utility bills, but experts say homeowners can reduce their energy bills in the coming year by following these easy suggestions (adapted from the Times-Picayune, January 2, 2010):

• MAKE A LIGHT SWITCH: Replace your five most frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact flourescent bulbs that save as much as $65 a year. These bulbs use less energy and can last up to 10 times longer.
• GET WITH TEH PROGRAM: Install an Energy Star-qualified programmable thermostat and take the time to program it (the majority of consumers don't). When used properly, these thermostats can save as much as $150 a year in energy costs.
• GO WITH THE (LOW) FLOW: Replace your existing shower head with a new 2.5-gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head. If you take a 10-minute shower, hte water-efficient head will save 5 gallons of water over a typical bath. That can translate to $145 saved each year on energy used to heat the water.
• LET THE LAUNDRY CHILL: To save hot water - and the $24 to $40 in fuel that it tgakes to heat that water each year - wash your clothes in cold water. Be sure to choose a detergent formulated for use in cold temperatures.
• MAKE A DENT IN THE LINT: Clean the lint trap in your clothes dryer before every load of laundry to increse its efficiency and save another $34 each year.
• DIAL IT BACK: Lower the temperature on your water heater from 145 degrees to 120 degrees and the only place you'll notice the difference is on your utility bill. This slight reduction can save the average homeowner $36 to $61 each year.
• STOP THE STANDBY ENERGY USE: Unplug digital devices when not in use, as "standby" energy consumption can add up. In fact, you can save about $165 per year just by unplugging a plasma TV.

Overall, these suggestions can save homeowners about $660 per year on utility bills.

The school board offers 2 new communication services for parents. The first is an "instant alert notification system" that will alert parents via voice call or text when a situation occurs at a school or system-wide. The second is a quarterly e-newsletter with information about events and programs throughout the school system. You can find out more information and sign up for the services by following this link.

You can help produce Madisonville Elementary's yearbook this year! Go to www.hjeshare.com, enter the code "1001851" and you'll be able to upload pictures to be considered for inclusion in the 2009 - 2010 school yearbook.

In the near future, we'll have more information about how you can order your copy of the yearbook. Thanks for you help!

Madisonville Elementary's Veterans Day Celebration is airing on Channel 13! Please check the broadcast schedule here for times and dates. You may also view the program on the web! Just follow this link: http://stpsb.org/channel13_view.php.

- St. Tammany Parish Public Schools and The Green Schools Alliance have some suggestions of things YOU can do to save energy.

By using energy more efficiently at school and home, you can lower your energy bills by more than 30%. This involves how we use and choose lights, heating and cooling, appliances and water. Lighting alone accounts for 15% of all energy used in homes, much of which is unnecessary. These are some of the easiest changes you can make:

1. Turn off the light when you leave a room: A no-brainer. Simply don't leave a room without flicking the light switch off. It's just the right thing to do and couldn't be easier. Teach this to everyone in your school and at home and make it a household rule.
2. Don't turn the lights on and work by natural light: When possible, don't even turn the lights on. Work by daylight or sunlight.
3. Install automatic timers and dimmers on your lights: Automatic times are quite inexpensive and very easy to operate. They are purely mechanical and require no special electrical wiring. Dimmers reduce the amount of electricity used and are also quiet inexpensive and simple to operate.
4. Replace regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's): These more efficient bulbs will fit into most school and household fixtures and give the same steady light as your incandescents. CFL's are more expensive than the old light bulbs, but you'll save money over time because they use only 25-33% of the energy used by regular bulbs and last 10 times as long (average life of CFL is 8 years). Remarkably, each CFL keeps half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the air over its lifetime. CFL's are only usec by 6% of consumers today!!!

*The St. Tammany Parish Public School System would like to acknowledge the Allen-Stevenson School Committe on the Environment (COTE) and the Natural Resouces Defense Council for these energy-saving tips.

- For the safety of all children, please do not walk through the carline to bring your child to school in the morning. We have many parents walking through the car line as the duty teachers are opening the car doors. THIS IS NOT SAFE! We ask that you remain in the carline when dropping off in the mornings.

- The MES Volunteer of the Quarter is Lizzette Gambino. Lizzette had volunteered 89 hours this first marking period. Lizzette wins a $25 gift card to Target and a PTA volunteer shirt.

Lizzette has two daughters in Madisonville Elementary. Sydney is in second grade in Mrs. Whittaker's class and Lauryn is in Kindergarten in Mrs. Stephens class. Both daughters win as well, as they get to have lunch with Mrs. Spencer!

Congratulations Lizzette, Sydney, and Lauryn! A very big thank you, Lizzette, for all your volunteer hours. Thanks to all of our volunteers this first quarter, the school and the school functions would not be as good as they are without you.

- With all the concern about influenza, particularly the H1N1 virus being discussed in the news, the St. Tammany School Board is taking steps to be proactive and attempt to alleviate this and other health concerns. Follow this link to find out more about what St. Tammany schools are doing.

- With the increase in our student population, the traffic situation in the mornings and afternoons continues to be a problem. Please consider allowing your children to ride the school bus to and from school. If you have concerns about bus routes or other transporation issues, contact the school board's Transporation Office.

- Our school librarian, Mrs. W, is looking for parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents come help teach the students chess before the morning bell. From about 7:05am to 7:30am, the library is open for students with an interest in chess to play. They really enjoy playing against adults, learning from them and practicing new strategies. If you can spare 20 minutes of your morning and and enjoy a good game of chess (whether you know how to play or not), come hone your skills against our MES students; it'll be the best 20 minutes of your day! Contact Mrs. W for more details and schedule your match.

- Parents: if you are going to purchase a meal from the cafeteria, please call (845-3870) the DAY BEFORE you wish to eat with your child. Unless you call ahead, we will not be able to accommodate you. Please do not call the office.

- No fast food items are allowed in our school cafeteria even if they are transplanted into brown paper bags. This practice is unfair to the students who do not have this opportunity. Canned drinks are also not allowed.

- Parents, on special event days, please refrain from having lunch with your child, due to the limited space in our cafeteria. Special events include: parties, Art Day, Field Day, etc. On other days, please remember to call the cafeteria the day prior to coming for lunch so that our staff can adequately prepare enough meals for everyone.

As always, remember NO FAST FOOD OR CANNED DRINKS are to be brought on to school grounds. Our school cafeteria serves nutritionally balanced meals every day. Thank you for your attention and for being a part of your child's education.

- Looking to get involved around school? The Madisonville Elementary School PTA has many opportunities for you to consider. There are a couple of committee positions currently open; please consider joining the PTA Board and help us continue to make MES a wonderful place for out children. And, speaking of children, there are lots of volunteer opportunities coming up throughout the year. Watch your child's backpack and the PTA page for more details one the activities this year we need your help with. If you're considering becoming in involved with the PTA Board, these events are a great way to see first-hand how things operate. Come join us!

- Permission slips that are sent home for field trips and other school activities are available via the website. Look for the schedueled date in the Important Dates section of the home page or on the Upcoming Events page. If the event is hyper-linked, you can click on it and download the appropriate form (in PDF format).

- As a reminder, parking at the church is only allowed during special school events. Parking before and after school is strictly prohibited. If parking continues during unapproved times, we could lose theprivilege of parking during our school events.

- Looking for ways to lower your energy bill? Want to teach your kids about energy conservation at the same time? Download this neat checklist from the US Department of Energy to help out!

- IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please DO NOT use the church parking lot across Hwy 1077 in the mornings. Pastor Burris has asked that we only use the lot during major events such as Dads' Days, Moms' Moments and other crowded events. He has been very generous to us and we are very grateful, but if you park at the church before school, you risk being towed at you expense. Please use the car line or school parking lot when bringing your children to school.

For major events, please sign in at the tables in front of the main office. Someone will release you to the event at the proper time.

The bus loop is reserved for buses and special education drop-offs.

Copyright © 2007 Madisonville Elementary School
Last modified: 1/20/2010