Kindergarten Shines!

Today's Kindergarten Tea went very well. Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend. I hope you enjoyed the performance. The kindergartens certainly earned all of the applause they received. I'd also like to thank Mrs. Bonarigo, Mrs. Chiaro, Mrs. Donahue and Miss Hawkins for their hard work. Without them, we wouldn't have an event like this. Great job!

Mrs. Blasko, Mrs. D'Alesio, Mrs. Farber amd Mrs. Kalicatzaros also deserve to be thanked for helping set up and serve our delicious refreshments.

Be sure to read about our school's latest contest! the information is coming home on a blue sheet of paper.

Great Job!

I am very proud of the 35 students who participated in this year's Juvenile Court Advisory Board's Poster Contest. I thought all of the entries were wonderful. Contest winners will be notified by October 21st. All who turned a poster in received a Chick-fil-A card good for a free kid's meal. In addition, each student has been entered in a drawing to eat dinner at my home. Names will drawn within the next few school days.

Enjoy what looks like a cool evening.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Poster Contest!

All entries for this year's "Stay in School Poster Contest" are due tomorrow. I am thrilled to see so many 3rd and 4th graders taking advantage of this opportunity. I will be delivering the posters to the Mahoning County Juvenile Court Friday.

All first graders will be bringing home a reservation form tomorrow for the upcoming Family Disney Night scheduled for Thursday, October 20th. Please return the bottom portion of the form as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank those who have been saving their empty aluminum cans for our school's recycling efforts. Please keep them coming!

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Thank You!

Wow! The Box Tops I asked for are certainly making their way to our school. Thank you for supporting our efforts and taking the time to cut those little guys out. Keep them coming! Our school's goal is to raise $4,400.00 this year.

Plans are being finalized for this Friday's Kindergarten Tea. It's nice to hear our kindergartners practicing their songs. I'm sure they are going to look and sound great. I'd like to thank Mrs. Bonarigo, Mrs. Chiaro and Mrs. Donahue for their efforts.

Please make sure your child is not missing a jacket or lunchbox. I remind them each day to check our lost and found if something turns up missing. There is a container in the gym with articles of clothing and quite a few lunchboxes. All unclaimed items will ultimately be donated to charity. Make sure your child's name is on all items that find their way to school.

I woke up today to find quite a few leaves in my front yard. Between the leaves and 3,000,000 acorns, I'll be lucky to see grass in a few weeks.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Tailgate Party!

Information about our upcoming Tailgate Party is heading home tomorrow. I hope that all of our students are able to attend this annual event. PTO is asking for a $1.00 donation per family. A $500.00 community grant from Kohl's will help defray the majority of the cost. In addition, 4 or 5 employees from Kohl's will volunteer their time to help serve food and assist in our clean-up efforts. Thank you Kohl's!

Thank you for supporting this year's PTO fundraiser. If you forgot to send in the orders and/or money, you may do so tomorrow. Please give me a call if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

BoxTops!

Beginning Monday, I will reward all students who bring 10 Box Tops to school with Chick-fil-A cards good for one free Kids' Meal. I explained that there will be a yellow collection box on the stage where the Box Tops can be placed. Names must be visible. Once morning announcements are over, I will make sure the Box Tops make their way to the appropriate homerooms. As most of you are aware, our school receives money for each one collected. Last year our school raised $3,600.00. Information about this program was sent home earlier in the month. In addition, feel free to click here or the link on the bottom left of this page to visit the Box Tops website where you can play a variety of games that could benefit our school. Thank you in advance for your support. Start clippin'

Don't forget that all PTO fundraiser order forms and money are due on Monday. On behalf of our PTO, I'd like you for your support. I'd also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian for handling all of the orders. You are appreciated.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

One Day Closer to Friday!

We have had another great week of school. Our students continue to be very well behaved and are handling the routine of the school year very well. Each morning I encourage our students to work hard, be kind and remain organized. As a result of their positive efforts, we will be watching a movie tomorrow. The G-rated movie will be broken into two short sections, so our teachers can still conduct their planned lessons.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of autumn. Many of the trees around our school have started to change colors. My yard will probably be covered with leaves soon! AHHHHHH!

I have some wonderful news that I will be sharing soon. I'm not very good at keeping secrets, but I am not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag. Stay tuned.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

A Busy Day!

Last time I looked at the clock it was 10:30 a.m. The day certainly flew by for me. It will be Friday before we know it.

Please continue to send in your PTO membership forms. I am proud to report that our numbers remain high. Thank you. Our students and staff are fortunate to have such strong support.

Plans are coming together nicely for our upcoming Family Disney Night for 1st graders and their parents. Reservation forms will be heading home soon. Students and parents will be rotating to a variety of stations set up throughout the building. Each one will carry a "Disney" theme.

Enjoy the evening.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Just a Reminder!

Please continue to support our PTO's fundraiser. All order forms and money are due on Monday, September 26th. Your support is deeply appreciated.

If your child is in the 3rd or 4th grade, please continue to encourage him/her to participate in this year's Juvenile Court Advisory Board's Poster Contest. All entries are due by Thursday, September 29th.

Be sure to ask your children what is happening in the book I am reading during morning announcements. A new character was introduced today. See what they remember about Sheila Tubman.

Thanks,

Mr. Masucci

Check this out!

On Friday, a group of students walked to Cocca's Pizza to plant flowers in front of the store's sign. This has become a nice tradition at Poland Union and one we will continue in the spring and fall for many years to come. Steve Cocca was there to lend a helping hand and made sure all of his youngest workers were well fed. Enjoy the pictures.



Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

The Weekend has Arrived!

Have a great weekend! Our first full week of school went very well. I am very proud of how well our students are behaving. As parents, you should be proud.

Let's hope the Bulldogs can get back to their winning ways tonight! If you are going to the game, I may see you there. Don't forget about Saturday's YSU game. Enjoy what should be a great event.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Fire Drill!

I am proud to report that our first fire drill of the school year was very successful. All of our students moved quickly and quietly as they were guided outside by their classroom teachers. During morning announcements, I informed our students why they need to remain quiet and pay attention to all of our staff members. I am very proud of them.

Please be sure to return your PTO membership forms to school as soon as possible. Michelle Masucci, PTO's Membership Chair, will be providing me with a list of those who have already joined. (She responds to pressure well.!) My goal is to have at least one parent of every student become a member this year. Your support is deeply appreciated.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Thank you!

I'd like to thank those were able to make it to today's PTO meeting. In all, there were over 30 members who attended. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to have the chance to meet so many new ones. It is always nice to have dads attend, too. Thanks Mr. Mainhardt and Mr. Sicafuse! The PTO's budget for the 2011-2012 school year was voted on and approved. In addition, details about many upcoming events were shared. Minutes from the meeting will be posted on the PTO's homepage soon. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 12th at 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you there.

We will have our first fire drill of the year tomorrow. I'll be sure to share this information with our students tomorrow morning. I like to let them know that a drill is nothing to worry about while emphasizing why it is so important. As the year goes by, I may catch a few by surprise with one. However, they will know what to do and realize there is not reason to panic.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

It's Contest Time!

All of our 3rd and 4th graders have an opportunity to participate it an excellent contest sponsored by the Mahoning County Juvenile Court Advisory Board. This annual contest's theme will be "Dive into Your Education Beneath the Sea". Much more information will be sent home today. Please encourage your children to participate. Those who choose to participate and follow the contest's guidelines will be entered into a drawing. At the conclusion of the contest, I will randomly pick two 3rd graders and two 4th graders to eat dinner at my home. They will be joined by any students who receive honors in the contest itself. Good luck. All entries are due by Thursday, September 29th.

I am looking forward to tonight's Parent Orientation. In addition to meeting your child's teacher and learning about the school day, you will have the opportunity to join our PTO if you have not already done so. Our PTO is incredibly strong and works hard to provide wonderful experiences for all of our students. Check the calendar page for times. T

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

PTO Fundraiser!

Information is heading home today about our PTO's annual fundraiser. Please consider supporting their efforts. I'd like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian for their willingness to help keep track of our progress. Please consider supporting it any way you can.

Parent Orientation will be held tomorrow evening. Information about it was sent home last week. I look forward to seeing you there.

Our first PTO meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday, September 14th at 9:00 a.m. There is quite a bit to discuss this time of year. I hope to see you there, too.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

Patriot Day!

We have made it through our first week of school! I think everything went very well. There are always a few bumps in the road, but our year has started off on the right foot. Thank you for all of your cooperation. Poland Union is fortunate to have such wonderful students.

As many of you know, our Pre-School will begin on Monday. Pre-School students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. If you pick your K-4 student up at the back door at the end of the day, please do not arrive too early. Please give our pre-school parents enough time to enter the building , pick up their children and leave. Thanks!

It is hard to believe 10 years have passed by since our country was attacked. Please spend a few moments this weekend talking to your children about the importance of Patriot Day.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mr. Masucci

Patriot Day!

A letter was sent home yesterday regarding free YSU football tickets. Each student is entitled to 4 free tickets to the September 17th game. Please return the bottom portion of the letter as soon as possible. Hope to see you at the game. Go Penguins!

Today's Pre-School Orientations went very well. Classes begin Monday, September 12th. I'd like to thank Mrs. Bucci, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Mayle and Mrs. DeLost for all of their hard work.

In honor of Patriot Day, all of our students and staff have been encouraged to wear red, white and blue tomorrow.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

A Great Start!

We had a great start to our day today. Each bus was able to drop off students safely with no problem. Parents found far less congestion this morning, too. One day can make a big difference. Thank you for your cooperation.

I will spend time each morning talking to our students. Today I read a book about a dog who always seemed to get into trouble. Despite trying to be good, he just couldn't change some of his ways. We talked about accepting the strengths and weaknesses in others and modeling appropriate behavior in school. Be sure to ask about the dog named Toby.

Check out our calendar page for important dates. I was able to post quite a few.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

The First Day of School!

The first day of school was a success! By 8:45 a.m., all of our students were settled in their classrooms getting to know their new teachers. I'd like to thank our bus drivers for adjusting to our new morning and afternoon routines, too. Despite a few glitches, everything went very well.

The first day of school is always an exciting one. Be sure to check backpacks and folders for important papers coming home today. Many of them need to be filled out and returned to school as soon as possible.

Ask questions about your child's day. Find out who he or she sat by at lunch and in class. Ask about the best part of the day. (Do not except......"Going home!" If you are positive about school, it will encourage your child to be positive about school!

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci

1 Day Closer

Yesterday's orientations for kindergartners and new students went very well. I'd like to thank our PTO President, Christy Pepperney, for taking the time to stop by and speak to Union's new parents. All were encouraged to join our PTO.

Be sure to check out our calendar page. I was able to get quite a few important dates posted.

Class lists will be posted tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.

Thanks,
Mr. Masucci