Boulevard Friday Flyer
December 9, 2016
The Boulevard Friday Flyer is a weekly publication of the
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Boulevard Weekly Calendar
Save the Date:
PTO Teacher Appreciation Breakfast | Thursday, Dec. 15 
Winter Break | Dec. 17 - Jan 2, 2017

Visit the  Online Calendar  and filter by Boulevard Elementary School for more upcoming events.
From Mr. Robinson

Dear Boulevard Families,

This week we held our annual PTO Book Fair. The event, including Tuesday’s well attended Family Night, was a huge success thanks to the hard work of a very dedicated group of individuals. A special thank you to Mrs. Dori Katz, Mrs. Barb Horrigan, Loraine Clunie, and all the volunteers who helped pull off this wonderful week-long event! 

Hopefully, your student now has many new additions to his or her personal library as a result of the Book Fair. Here are some tips you may want to consider to encourage your child to read:

Encourage reading for fun. Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney says that sometimes adults focus so much on getting kids to read they forget about the fun. But kids who are having fun will read.

Go graphic. There are many high-quality graphic novels that draw in readers through illustrations, short-form text, and engrossing story lines.

Seek out sportsFor kids who'd rather be physically active than read a book, consider books about teams or by athletes, such as You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter about the famous lefty; Hothead by Cal Ripken Jr.; or other books about sports.

Let them follow their interests.  You may not love Captain Underpants, but if that's what your kid wants to read, put aside your judgment for the greater good.

Find characters who reflect your kid's experience. Kids like to see themselves in the stories they read. Whatever helps kids identify with the story will keep them more engaged.

Look for different reading opportunities. Reading is valuable no matter what the format: Comics, product labels, game manuals, recipes. Mix in shorter-form material with longer stuff.

Get techy. Ebooks and storybook apps that offer some multimedia along with the narrative can be entertaining and educational and may draw in kids who are turned off by text alone. Use them alongside traditional reading.

Fact-check. With their amazing stats, incredible images, and start-anywhere formats, books of facts such as Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It or Not entice kids who'd rather not tackle longer stories.

Take turns. With a book your child has chosen, take turns reading a page (or two) to each other. Ask questions along the way.

Sincerely,

Neal Robinson

Teacher Appreciation Breakfast

Happy Holidays dear ones!

It is that lovely time of year again to show the teachers/staff at Boulevard Elementary School how much we appreciate all the important roles they play for our little ones throughout the days, months, years they are at Boulevard.

Teacher Appreciation Breakfast potluck is THURSDAY, DEC 15th.

Click here and take a moment to fill out this sign-up with item(s) you would like to contribute. 

Thanks SO much all-

Anna

*Rye and Guthrie's mom 4th grade
RESERVE BY DECEMBER 19 TO GUARANTEE RATE & AVAILABILITY
Boulevard Kalahari Fundraiser
Thursday, January 19, 2017

On Thursday, January 19 (no school the following day), Boulevard families will receive a discounted rate of $119/night at Kalahari Water Park in Sandusky, Ohio. This includes a resort room for one night and water park admission; plus Kalahari will donate $10/room to the PTO. This event last year had a great turnout and was a blast! To make a reservation, call 877-525-2427 and ask for the Shaker Heights School District-Boulevard Elementary PTO Fundraiser room block.  Hope to see you on the water slides!
ELL Corner
Our Feature Country: China

Nǐ hǎo 你! China is our spotlighted country of the week! This country is on the continent of Asia, is the third largest country in the world, and has the largest population in the world with 1.3 BILLION people. WOW! Beijing is the capital of China. The summer Olympics was held there in 2008. Each year on the solar calendar is represented by an animal (there are twelve in all); this year is the year of the monkey. China is well known for the giant panda. It can be found near the Yangtze River in China. Red is believed to be a lucky color. The main language of China is Mandarin Chinese.


Parents, I want to remind you that there is a collection of books in international languages available in the ELL room. This is called the World Languages Lending library. If you would like to borrow books or other material, please email  Jill Lasheen. Reading is a great way to strengthen literacy. Also, the better a person knows their 1st language, the easier it is to learn a 2nd language.  

Please see Our International Community website at the link hereThere are many website links to aid children in learning English.

SAVE THE DATE:
January 16, 2017
Family Volunteering Opportunity - MLK Day 

All Shaker families are invited to join the Shaker Schools Community Builders for a day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/16/17) from 10am-12pm at Shaker Heights High School.  Students in grades K-4 and their families will be making fleece tie blankets for the homeless community in Northeast Ohio.  More details and registration will be available after winter break.  We are currently collecting donations to purchase fleece and supplies for this project.  Please consider supporting this project by making a donation at PayForIt ("Fundraiser"  tab, then select school and "MLK Day of Service K-4"). Please contact Jen Bordeaux at jenjasko@hotmail.com or Hannah Mendelsohn at hbmendelsohn@icloud.com or click here for more information.  

Each week the Boulevard PTO publishes the Boulevard Friday Flyer highlighting school events for our families. If you have items to contribute to the flyer, please submit to boulevardfridayflyer@yahoo.com by 12 pm on Wednesdays.

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