Welcome Ms. Stetekluh!

Parents and Students-
I am excited to announce that we will be joined by an intern from The University of Tampa beginning this coming Wednesday. To introduce herself, Ms. Stetekluh wrote a letter to say hello. Read on to learn a little about our new "Co-teacher".

Dear Parents,

       My name is Hilary Stetekluh and I will be Mr. Catania’s intern this semester. I grew up right outside our nation’s capital in Arlington, Virginia and moved to Florida four years ago. I am a senior at The University of Tampa and look forward to graduation in May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Last semester, I worked with third graders at Lomax Elementary School.

When I am not in the classroom teaching, I spend my time swimming on the UT Swim Team, enjoy working at an English deli, and going to the beach.

       As a student and aspiring teacher, I am eager to learn and grow right along with the students and help them become lifelong learners. I look forward to meeting all of you during the course of my time at Gorrie.

Thank you,

Hilary Stetekluh

What Should I Read Next?

I have come to observe that both students and parents sometimes have trouble figuring out what book to read once they finish a series or their independent reading book. I found a great resource that may just be the answer to this problem. Please follow the link below to the website and carefully type the name of the book into the search bar. If the database recognizes your title, it will suggest a list of similar books that may interest you. Happy Reading!

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

Gorrie Cares Service Club Project

November 7, 2012

Gorrie School Community-

PS 114 in Rockaway Beach, NY was completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012. This Queens school is close to Principal Sandler's Heart... it is her childhood elementary school and is in a community similar to South Tampa. Many people in the community lost everything and are homeless. The school is now shut down due to storm damage and students are being sent elsewhere to learn. Winter is coming and the temperatures are already dropping. To a child, a cozy fleece hat and scarf will provide protection from winter weather and offer a sense of comfort.

WHAT IS GORRIE PLANNING TO DO?

Gorrie Cares Service Club plans to be in every classroom on November 15th to assist students as they make fleece hats and scarves that will be sent directly to Rockaway Beach school community. This activity will take 15 minutes and be part of a community service unit for the Great American Teach- In. We hope to send over 500 hats and scarves!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Wear your hat on Thursday November 15th and bring $1 OR MORE to donate to PS 114. Give money to your homeroom teacher.
• Send in monetary donations for PS 114. Label the envelope "Hurricane Sandy Donation" and return to homeroom teacher.
• Parents can help in the classroom on Thursday November 15th by facilitating the hat/scarf service activity. To be a facilitator, email Mary Galvez (magalvez@tampabay.rr.com). 
• Help prepare materials for the service project by coming to Jennifer Pope's home (814 S Willow Ave) on Tuesday, November 13th, from 10am- 12pm. Anyone interested in cutting and sewing fleece is welcome.

Having been in a hurricane's path, our community can sympathize with those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Let's show we care with 100% participation on November 15th!

Thanks and if you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

Jen Pope and Mary Galvez

Gorrie Cares Service Club

jen_norris1@yahoo.com

magalvez@tampabay.rr.com

Red Ribbon Week

 Red Ribbon Week
October 22-26, 2012

Please support this important week by having your children dress according to our daily theme!  We have chosen the following themes for the week:

Monday: “Team Up” Against Drugs!  Wear your favorite college or team jersey.

Tuesday: “Black Out” Drugs.  Wear as much black as you can.

Wednesday: “Sock” It To Drugs!  Wear crazy socks.

Thursday: Be a “Jean”ius—Say No To Drugs!  Wear jeans.

Friday: “RED”-y to Live Drug Free and Make a Difference!  Wear red clothes.

Tropicana Speech

It's that time of year again!  We are introducting Tropicana Speeches to the students on October 15.  Students will be required to write their speech and present it to the class.  We are working hard to break down the various compenents of the speech over the course of a couple of weeks to hopefully prevent a stressful situation at home.  If you are new to the county and have never participated in Tropicana Speech, don't hesitate to ask for guidance once we begin the process. Please look at the timeline of events below and some tips and suggestions to make the speech writing process easier.




Timeline of Events:

October 15 - Introduce speech to students in class

October 18 - Topic due

October 22 - Step 2 due

October 24 - Step 3 due

October 26 - Step 4 due

October 29 - Step 5 due

October 31 - Step 6 due

November 2 - Step 7 due

November 5 - Final notecard check

November 6-13 - Practice speech at home with family and friends

November 13 - 15 - Class competitions - ALL students need to be prepared to present their speech on November 16

December 4 - Schoolwide competition - 2 class winners will represent each homeroom



Tips and Suggestions:

1.  While students are not expected to memorize their speech, they will need to be familiar enough with their speech that they will not need read directly from their notecards for their entire speech.

2.  Their speech will need to 2-3 minutes in length.  Anything under or over the designated time length will disqualify them from winning the class competition.  In addition, they will lose points from their overall total.

3.  Students will be graded on the following:

   - Choice of Material - Was the topic original and unique

   - Effective introduction - Was the introduction interesting?  Did it capture attention and indicate the topic?

   - Effective body - Did the main portion of the speech have a logical and smooth flow?

   - Use of language - Was the selection, combination and use of the words effective?

   - Audience bond - Did the speaker establish and maintain eye contact with the audience?

   - Delivery - Did the speaker appear relaxed and the delivery flow fluently and smoothly?

   - Pronunciation - Did the speaker pronounce the words correctly?

   - Articulation - Were the words spoken clearly and was the speaker easy to understand?

   - Volume - Were there effective changes to the volume level throughout the speech?

   - Speed - Did the speaker speak at a pseed that could be understood?  DId they vary speed and use pauses effectively throughout the speech?

A Note From Mrs. Wolbarst

Respect is the character trait for October. Respect is showing regard for the value of persons or things through courteous consideration and appreciation. As an optional, school-wide assignment, we are encouraging students to write or draw what the character trait means to them. Once complete, your child may turn their work into the Character Education bin in the Media Center. The most interesting will be chosen from the bunch and read on the Morning Show by the student and then put on the bulletin board in the cafeteria.

MOSI

Don't forget that our field trip to MOSI is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday). We will be gone most of the day, but will be returning to campus for regular dismissal. Please either pack a bagged lunch for your child or let them know that they will be buying lunch. Today, I will be taking count of students who need to buy lunch, so Mr. Singh can prepare them in the morning before we leave.


REMEMBER: Try and wear your Gorrie shirt so we can stand out when walking through the museum together. If you are new to the school and don't have a Gorrie shirt, a grey or red shirt will do just fine! I look forward to a wonderful day tomorrow!