Twas the Night before Christmas Poem DECEMBER

1 twas the Night before Christmas Poem (Mr. Maleske s version for the students, staff, and families at Williams Elementary!) twas the Night before Christmas , and all through our school Not a creature was stirring, not even a mule. The stockings were hung in the hallways with care In hopes that Mr. Maleske would soon grow some more hair. The children were nestled all snug at desks and tables, While visions of math, science, and reading of fables. And a teacher in her WES sweatshirt and Mrs. Hild in her fancy shoes. Kids soon settled in after a good Night s snooze. When out on the playground there arose such a clatter, Kids sprang from the lunch room to see what was the matter. Away to the windows they flew like a flash, Almost dropping the lunch trays with potatoes made into mash.

2 With a big old bus driver, so lively and funny, I knew in a moment he didn t do this for the money. More rapid than a NASCAR driver the kids soon came. And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! "Now, Jane! Now, Tommy! Now, Gillian and Bo! On, Ricky! On, Daniel! Onward, Anna and you, too, Mr. Groucho! To the back of the line! To the back of the pushing or shoving or creating a fuss! Let s dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!" He was dressed in some polyester with his nice shiny coat. And his clothes were all nicely pressed like a king with a moat. A bundle of toys he had flung on this bus, And he looked like my Uncle Ed, in whom I did trust. The bus driver s eyes- oh how they twinkled and his dimples were large! His cheeks were like Santa s, his nose like a barge!

3 His little mouth was drawn up like a letter U, And the beard of his chin was a nice Fu Man Chu. He was chubby and grand, a right jolly old guy, And I smiled when I saw him, and gave him a hi! A wink of his eye and a twist of his cap, this bus was departing while he was using no map! DECEMBER CALENDAR 1 Band Rehearsal RES 7-8 2 Wish Walk 2nd gr 5 EIU Pals 3:10-3:50 7 EIU Pals 3:10-3:50 8 Band Rehearsal RES 7-8 10 Band Rehearsal RES 11:00-11:45 Concert RES @ 2 pm 12 Band Concert RES 9:15 & 10:00 am 20 Kindergarten Music Program 7 pm Dec 22-Jan 1 Winter Break Jan 2 School Resumes Together We Can DECEMBER 2011 Arland D Williams Jr Elementary School 1709 South 9th Street Mattoon, IL 61938 217-238-2800 Page 2 Together We Can He spoke a few words and went straight to his seat, And assured the children to keep hands to themselves along with their feet.

4 And laying his finger aside of his chin, He then deactivated the warning lights, while dropping off students at their homes once again. At the end of the evening, the bus driver gives a jolly good whistle, as the students arrived home safely for a bowl full of kissel. In closing, the driver tells Mr. Maleske that the Williams students, staff, and families are so out of So, a very Happy Christmas to all and to all a good Night ! Mr. Maleske s Top 5 for the Month of DECEMBER : 1. Please develop a plan for those unpredictable winter weather emergency days. 2. As winter weather changes, the parking lots and sidewalks can be slick. Please use caution when arriving and leaving the school grounds. 3. The PTO fundraiser was a huge success!

5 Preliminary numbers indicate that we raised over $10,000 to support stu dents and staff. Thank you families!!! 4. I appreciate the extra efforts being made in following our news signs in the parking lot. Together We Can! 5. Winter break will start on DECEMBER 22nd and school will resume on January 2nd (Full student day). Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season! Parent Survey Data: DECEMBER Update: Out of those 38 surveys, the greatest concerns from our families continue to be with parking and PTO sponsored activities. As you know, we continue to work on the parking at Williams Elementary School. As a reminder, our good neighbors across the street at First Baptist will allow vehicle parking to assist our needs.

6 PTO has worked hard to establish activities for families. The Fall Festival had a nice turn out of about 200 or more people. If you have ideas or suggestions for PTO, please drop them a note on their Facebook wall. ( and do a search for Wil-liams PTO. They are great folks who want to involve you to make the organization better! Some additional comments included on the surveys: What do you like best about our school? Comments: I like the fact that I know my child is safe and taken care of when she s at school. The security is great. I like that my child seems to be taking a lot for her first year of school and is learning quite a bit. That not just anyone can come right into the school. You need to check into the office before you get in so they know who is coming and going.)

7 Teachers and staff very nice. Optimal learning environment. How can our school get better? Comments: Bring down the bullying or teasing of kids. (Mr. Maleske s comments: We meet each morning in the gym for Meet and Greet. We have policies and procedures in place so Wil-liams is a bully free school. Strategies have been shared by staff and administration with students on what to do if they believe they are a target of a bully. In addition, we practice and discuss those procedures often so students know how to identify and give an appropriate response.) Arland D Williams Jr Elementary School Page 3 ARLAND , JR. SCHOOL Vision Statement It is the vision of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Elementary School to create learning experiences and opportunities for all students, while preparing them to become contributing members of society.

8 Mission Statement The mission of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Elementary School is to create a safe learning environment of high aca-demic standards and behavior, which allows each student to achieve one s highest level. By working as a team of stu-dents, parents, and staff, we will help students appreciate the value and importance of their education. Comments: Better activities at recess. (Mr. Maleske comments: We do offer some structured activities at recess along with some free play. Our supervisors have offered some organized games for students as we know that this can help them in place of too much unstructured time which can lead into students finding ways of getting in trouble and a meeting with Mrs. Hild or me in the office. Making good choices is so important, while also allowing students times to be successful and make those good choices.)

9 Together We Can We Weren t Born To Follow We Were Born To Lead! Fourth and fifth grade Project Extra students from Mattoon s Gifted Program are busy using data and research to form a plan of action for change! They have been involved in a project called ser-vice learning. Service learning combines a hands-on approach to create meaningful service in the community while fostering civic responsibility for the stu-dents involved. The 4th & 5th graders were given an active role in de-termining how the projects were identified and accomplished, which not only created interest and excitement for learning but also ac-commodated the many different learning styles that exist within our program. Our projects are as varied as the students but variety is the spice of life!

10 4th Grade Projects Tobias Soldiers care packages for United States soldiers Bake Sale - St. Jude s Children s Research Drive for Warmth in coordination with OSCC Project Extra Park Clean Up Page 4 Together We Can 5th Grade Projects Letters to the Soldiers Food Drive in coordination with OSCC School Recycling Coles County Animal Shelter Assistance Penny Drive for the Soldiers White Nose Bat Syndrome Awareness campaign Homeless Fundraiser new book releases In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us. NOTICE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, WEDDING RINGS WERE LOST DURING THE KINDERGARTEN FEAST. PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR CHILD AND SEE IF THEY SAW THEM IN THE HALLWAY , CAFETERIA OR GYMNASIUM.