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MICROSOFTGeorgetown Gazette“Spread Your Wings and Learn”Volume 1, Issue 3December, 2010PTA President’s Message:Georgetown Elementary School995 Long Grove DriveAurora, IL 60504Office: 630-375-3456Principal: Kim StephensInside this issue:President’sMessage1PTA MemberSpotlight2PTA FacultySpotlight3Holiday Lettersfor Our Troops4PTA MemberSpotlight5AppreciationStation6-7Event Calendar8What are you waiting for? Areyou waiting for a day when youare less busy? Are you waitingfor the return of warmerweather? Are you waiting for apersonal invitation? This is it! Iinvite YOU to get involved withPTA.We all put off those things thatare unfamiliar or a littleuncomfortable because theyare new - like going to ameeting where we don't knowanyone. We put off things thatfeel like 'more work' ( for me,its cleaning the bathroom!) .We put off things that seem likethey'll still be there tomorrow,so they don't need immediateattention - they'll always beanother PTA event. "Maybenext time," you might be tellingyourself .hopefully we encourage our doing your best to show yourchildren to do this every day.kids what it means to grow, tostretch, to take a chance?Think about it - what childwillingly practices an unfamiliar It doesn't have to be a biginstrument, begs to review their commitment - just an hour orspelling words, or gladly folds two - but it will go a long waytheir own laundry that seems towards showing your child thatperfectly fine thrown around you care about their future andtheir room? But its our job as you are willing to be part ofparents to push them.to teach their success. Give us a call orthem the value of working send an email to sign up andthrough the challenges and help. You'll feel really good thataiming for something better.you did!Be a role model. Become a Stephani Gordon, 2010-11volunteer. Come to a PTA Presidentmeeting and speak up. Make a Georgetown Elementary PTAc o m mi t m e n t a n d . . . f o l l o wthrough. We need you and wewelcome you!Yes, your PTA will still be heretomorrow ( even if the warmweather won't be! ) . But theopportunity to show your childBut the only way we makewhat it means to take a leappositive changes in our lives isand try something new will passto make a commitment andbefore you know it. Are youfollow through. As parents,Wendy’s Night Drawing Winners!Congratulations to the following Georgetown Students, whoentered the drawing at the November 17th Wendy’s Night!Wendy's Soccer Ball : Kayla Romo, Grade 4GS and Autumn Henderson Grade 1ERubic's Cube: Leslie Samperio, Grade 4L and Caleb Neal Grade 1B 5 Wendy's Gift Card: Liamy Henderson Grade KB, and Erica Carlson Grade 5LNext PTA Meeting: Thursday, December 9 at 7:00pm in Georgetown’s LMC See You There!

Page 2Georgetown GazetteHelpful information from SchoolFamily.comSharing key information about your child can help teachers make a connection.by Emily GrahamWhat can you tell a teacher that will help him do his job better? You might be surprised. While your child ’ s teacher is the expert ineducation, no one knows more about your child than you do. It ’ s just as important for parents to tell teachers about issues at home thatmay affect school performance as it is for teachers to report how children are doing in the classroom.Students do best when parents and teachers work together as partners. The start of a new school year is a great time to open a dialoguewith your child ’ s teacher. Not sure where to start? Here are seven things teachers wish you would tell them. Sharing this information with ateacher will help her better understand your child ’ s needs and lay the groundwork for a cooperative relationship throughout the school year. Health conditions: If your child is diabetic, uses an inhaler, is allergic to peanuts, or has a serious health condition, her teacher shouldknow. It ’ s also helpful to let the teacher know whether your child has been diagnosed with conditions like ADHD, which may affectbehavior and concentration. Family issues: Fill in the teacher if your family is going through a major change that could affect your child, such as a divorce, a death inthe family, or a move. Even if your child seems to have adjusted well, alert teachers so they can watch for behavioral changes. Personality traits or behavior issues: Maybe your son is painfully shy and is worried about making friends at a new school. Or perhapsyour kindergartner has been having tantrums at home and you’ r e concerned she ’ ll do the same at school. It ’ s best to maketeachers aware of these issues before they become a problem at school. Strengths and weaknesses: Your daughter is a star student in math but is embarrassed to read aloud. Your son loves language arts butstruggles with science. If you tell teachers these things up front, they ’ ll have more time to help your children improve in the areas theyneed it most. Learning style: You ’ ve spent years teaching your kids, from potty training to tying shoelaces, so you have a good idea of their learningstyles. If your child learns better through hands-on activities than through listening to explanations, mention that to his teacher. Alsoshare any teaching strategies that you ’ ve found work well with your child. Study habits: Does your son speed through math homework but labor over reading assignments? Do your daughter ’ s grades sufferbecause she spends so much time at skating lessons? Tell teachers about your children ’ s study habits and any issues they face incompleting the work. Teachers often can offer suggestions to make homework time go more smoothly. Special interests: Knowing more about your child ’ s hobbies or interests can help the teacher forge connections in the classroom. Letthe teacher know that your young son loves a particular comic book superhero and that your middle school daughter is a gifted painter.PTA Member Spotlight - Tricia RodriguezTricia Rodriguez pictured above, with husband Brandon, daughterLillian, and son Reese.I'm Tricia Rodriguez, aproud mother of aGeorgetown student andalso the 2nd VicePresident of this year'sPTA. I joined the PTAwhen my daughter was inKindergarten three yearsago and it turned into oneof the decisions I'm mostproud of. Being part ofthis team is something Iwish everyone wouldexperience as it's helpedto build my relationshipswith the mentors in mychild's life. I marriedBrandon, the yin to myyang, almost 9 years agoand we have two childrentogether: daughter, Lillian( 8 ) and son, Reese( 4 ) . We have tworescue dogs: Tish aretired greyhound racerand Lucky a senior whowas looking for a home.In my spare time I love toknit, draw, read, andwatch my daily dose ofdrama. Yes, I am adaytime soap addict and Iam not ashamed to admitit! I work part time as acaregiver for seniorcitizens and absolutelylove what I do. If I couldtravel anywhere in theworld it would be to Fiji fora week of relaxation,waves and silence ( lol ) .However at the end of theday, I am thankful,healthy, and happy to behere, with my family,living my life, one day at atime.

Volume 1, Issue 3Page 3PTA Faculty Spotlight - Kim Stephens, Georgetown PrincipalMy name is Kim Stephens and Ihave the honor of being principal ofGeorgetown School. I actuallybegan my relationship with IndianPrairie Dist. 204 as a student atWheatland Elementary School,which I attended from kindergartento the middle of fourth grade. I was acountry bumpkin, and Wheatlandwas a school of 300 students ingrades K-8. In the 70's it felt verymuch like a parochial school wherethe girls had to wear a dress everyday, and the teachers were verystrict, but it was a warm and caringplace to be. I attended Illinois StateUniversity, completing a degree inMusicEducationandalso certification in Language Arts,K-9. I worked in Aurora Dist. 129 myfirst two years of teaching and joinedDist. 204 in 1988. After teachinggeneral/vocal/choral music in ourdistrict, I taught second grade. Whileteaching second grade I pursued mymaster's degree in EducationalAdministration at ISU. I don't teachmusic anymore, but I am still activein singing in my church choir,playing handbells and directing achildren's bell group. I love playingthe piano for enjoyment and readingnovels. My parents taught my threesiblings and me that we have towork hard and do our best in all wedo. I have worked a lot of placesPrincipal Stephenspictured on rightwith husbandLarry, and sonsAdam and Dan.during my life, beginning at age 14at "Fitzer's Frostie" in Plainfield,selling ice cream and hot dogs. Myco-workers and I sometimesexperimented to invent new kinds ofice cream treats. While in college, Iworked summers as a custodian inthe Plainfield schools washing wallsand scraping gum off of desks. Incollege, I held a part-time job as anoffice assistant for the Departmentof Geology. In addition to typingtests, I got to split rocks ( lots ofgeodes ) from archaeological digsand make displays for the geologystudents. It was a lot of fun andearned me about 25 a week forspending money! My husband,Larry, and I have two boys who arein middle school. Dan is in eighthgrade and Adam is in sixth. Mychildren are the center of my life.They play baseball, wrestle, playmusical instruments ( guitar, Frenchhorn, saxophone, piano andhandbells ) and are involved inchurch youth activities. We like totravel as a family. The photo is fromour driving vacation this pastsummer to Yellowstone and is takenat my favorite place on earth - theArtists Falls at Yellowstone. I feelv e ry f or t u n a t e t o w o r k a tGeorgetown with a highly-skilledand caring staff and students andparents who also work hard andcare about education. One of thebest parts of my job is working withthe PTA to provide activities for ourstudents and their families. As Iwrite this the day beforeThanksgiving, I know that I havemany, many things for which to bethankful!Hear Ye! Hear Ye!!Georgetown PTA is looking to fill the position of Service Committee Chairperson! In this importantrole, you will coordinate many of our school’s great activities, including the Ice Cream Social, and ourFamily Outreach program! Other great activities include the Helping Hands program, along with ourSpiritwear sales. Don't fret, because you would not be alone! The Service Committee Chairpersonwill work alongside other PTA members, coordinating and volunteers and making sure event run assmooth as possible. If you have any interest or even questions concerning your future role in this please emailStephani Gordon at stephanie.gordon@gmail.com.