Dear Parents,

The end of the year TV-Turnoff forms have been distributed to all of this year’s participants.  The completed forms need to be back by May 23rd.  This will allow me (and the library volunteers) enough time to re-tally the number of medals, prepare them with labels, add the accompanying rewards (pencil for bronze, pencil and eraser for silver, pencil, eraser and minipad for gold), sort them by class, and have them ready by mid June. 

Please remember that your signature is required as well as that of your child.  I have reminded the students to write their first and last name, and the name of their classroom teacher.  When forms have complete information, it makes the process move along efficiently. 

Just to be clear:
o   Gold – no TV/video or computer games (exceptions: educational games, such as ST Math, keyboarding, programming) on school days/nights (Sunday evening through Friday morning)
o   Silver – 30 minutes total/day of TV/video or computer games… (see above)
o   Bronze – 60 minutes total/day of TV/video or computer games … (see above)

           Students must have completed their level 90% of the time. 

Thank you so much!      Roberta Baltin, Tuscan Library Media Specialist

From our Library and Media Specialist, Roberta Baltin:
On December 5th:  author, Geoff Rodkey,  will be holding assemblies at Tuscan School for the 4th and 5th graders only.  He is a phenomenal writer, who won an Emmy for his writing for Daddy Daycare, and both the Amazon Best Book of the Year award and the Chicago Library Best Book of the Year award for Deadweather and Sunrise, Book one of the Chronicles of Egg trilogy.     He will be talking about The Chronicles of Egg, as well as the writing process. Fourth and fifth grade students will have the opportunity to pre-order copies of his books.  Pre-order forms have been distributed to the fourth and fifth graders.  It is also available here.  He will be signing copies of his books (either ones students already own, as well as purchased ones) on the day of the assembly, December 5th.  Pre-order forms and payment must be sent back to Mrs. Baltin no later than Monday, November 25.

On Monday, September 23, we were very fortunate to have child advocate and best-selling children’s author, Trudy Ludwig share her books, research, and words of wisdom with the Tuscan community.  Since 2002, Ms. Ludwig has been writing books that provide children with insights and strategies to deal with bullying behavior.  And not just the classic case of bullying that involves physical aggression, but verbal aggression, and relational aggression (using relationships to manipulate or harm others).  According to Ms. Ludwig, research indicates that relational aggression is much more of a concern to children and teenagers than the physical kind.  Ms. Ludwig’s mission is to give children mental tools to deal with bullying behavior in safe and

The 2013 Book Fair is fast approaching and we are so excited!  Children will visit the Book Fair with their classes.  Students may purchase books at the time of their visit or with the help of parent volunteers, may fill out a book wish list. This wish list will come home in your child’s backpack along with an order form.  If you choose to purchase books, simply return it in your child’s backpack with payment. 
Mark your calendars for Family Night on Wednesday, October 16th from 5 – 8 PM.  Kids can bring their grown-ups to visit with friends and shop 

From our Library and Media Specialist, Roberta Baltin:
You know the school year is truly underway when Tuscan is ready and “roaring” to go with the Ultimate TV Turnoff Challenge!  It’s hard to believe that this is our thirteenth year.  

This voluntary program helps students to evaluate their screen-time habits and decide what’s worth watching and doing on screen.   It celebrates a well-rounded lifestyle, and encourages constructive values like setting goals, determination, creativity, and resourcefulness.  

Be on the lookout for the official TV Turnoff flyer.  Starting this week, it will be sent

Reminder for Monday evening!
September 23 at 7:00pm, children’s advocate and best-selling author, Trudy Ludwig will visit Tuscan School will speak at our evening PTA Meeting after meeting with students throughout the day. This author visit is sponsored by the PTA in partnership with Library and Media Specialist Mrs. Baltin and Principal Majeed.   Childcare is available for this event - please come!

On September 23, children’s advocate and best-selling author, Trudy Ludwig will visit Tuscan School to present to students in kindergarten through 5th grade and at our evening PTA Meeting. This author visit is sponsored by the PTA in partnership with Mrs. Baltin and Principal Majeed.  
To pre-order books for author signings, please complete this form, include a check made payable to Tuscan School PTA and have your student return it to the school librarian, Mrs. Baltin. Feel free to visit the author’s website, www.trudyludwig.com, for a description of each book. Since there will be a limited number of each title on the day of the presentation, orders will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Should we run out of copies, additional books will be ordered as soon as possible through Words bookstore, (also signed by the author). 
Ms. Ludwig is our featured speaker at our first PTA Meeting the evening of September 23rd as part of Mrs. Baltin's ROAR Book in a Bag program - reminder that babysitting will be available onsite through the YMCA for adults to attend.  Find the information here for childcare.

Dear Tuscan Families,
We are pleased to share that we have arranged to have childcare for chidren ages 3 and up provided onsite at Tuscan for both Back to School Night and our first PTA Meeting with visiting author Trudy Ludwig.

Reminder that Back to School Night is a 4-Hour day and hours are:
    Grades K-2    6:30pm-7:15pm
    Grades 3-5     7:30pm-8:15pm

Our first PTA Meeting on 9/23 is a partnership with our Librarian Roberta Baltin and the ROAR - Respect Others, Act Responsibly program - please join us for an informative night on supporting our kids in their social world.
Find details and the signup for Back to School Night Childcare here
Find details and the signup for Childcare for PTA Meeting: Trudy Ludwig & ROAR here 

Your PTA President,
Alan Stephenson

Two Updates:
Childcare available for $10/child by the YMCA at Tuscan signup here

Books can be ordered for Visiting Author Trudy Ludwig's - and 10% of sales will go to Tuscan PTA.  Orders are due to librarian Mrs. Baltin by September 20th (sent in an envelope in your child's backpack marked "For Mrs. Baltin - Book Order")Find the order form here.   

Save the date for our first PTA meeting of the year with award winning children's advocate and author Trudy Ludwig on Understanding our Kids' Online & Offline Social World: Friendships, Cliques & Power Plays.
Monday September 23rd  7:00-8:30pm
Tuscan School Auditorium.
Click the icon for a full flyer and for details on what students will experience with the author that day in school.   This talk is an extension of the ROAR Book in a Bag program.
Babysitting will be offered by the YMCA, signups will be required.

Resources to engage children's reading skills over the summer months for every age:

Elementary School Summer Reading Lists are posted and can also be found in the Children's Room of the Maplewood Memorial and Hilton Branch LIbraries:

Link to article on SOMSD District site here for summer reading  
     this article has PDF documents for elementary and middle grade lists (6/25/13)

From our Librarian Mrs. Baltin:
Summer Reading and READ, READ, READ
http://www.tuscanpta.org/1/post/2013/06/summer-keyboarding-and-read-read-read.html

Online Resources for Summer Readinghttp://www.tuscanpta.org/1/post/2013/06/summer-online-resources-for-reading.html

Intermediate Summer Reading

Dear Parents,
    Please note that all borrowed materials are due back in the library no later than Wednesday, June 12th.   You may write a check, made out to Tuscan School, or pay cash for any item that has been lost or damaged beyond repair.  If you pay for an item and it is found on or before the last day of school, your money will be refunded.
    Library records must be cleared of all over due items and fines for lost books before report cards will be issued. 
Thank you,
Roberta Baltin, Library and Media Specialist

Here are many reading and educational sources for over the summer months:

• Trueflix   Scholastic TrueFlix is an online resource focusing on engaging science and social studies nonfiction books, websites, and activities for students spanning grades 3-5.       http://auth.grolier.com/login/tfx/login.php Username: tuscansom  Password:  trueflix
• Tumblebooks  through the South Orange Public Library portal:Go to Tumblebooks (K-2).  It is free through the South Orange Public Library 

From our Library and Media Specialist Mrs. Baltin,  rbaltin@somsd.k12.nj.us

The Intermediate Summer Reading List has been turned into an iBook.  You cannot currently access it through iTunes, but can access it through www.bookry.com at the following link. 

https://bookry.com/book/jlatimer/somsd-reads-2013/

On Friday, March 1st, we eagerly awaited the little yellow bus carrying our CHS Celebrity readers to Tuscan School.  Just at 11:05, the bus appeared on Harvard Avenue.   

With kindergartners and fourth graders to greet them, Columbia High School students, accompanied by their teacher, Judi Cohen, paraded into our school, ready to help celebrate Read Across America Day.  Fourteen energetic and enthusiastic students 

Friday is Dr. Suess Day and also Read Across America day.   

Mrs. Baltin our librarian invites students to dress as their favorite character or in Tuscan colors on Friday as a special school spirit day.  Celebrating "RAA Day" is a long standing tradition at Tuscan, you can find last year's happenings here.   TV Turnoff Ambassadors, Celebrity Readers and other acitivities will mark the day this year.

Would you like Jan Brett to come to Tuscan School?  There’s a contest going on right now.  Go to Jan Brett’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/byjanbrett and see the details for her contest.  Look for the button "Free School or Library Visit" We might win a school visit!!

Also…

Welcome to Tuscan Library Online Catalog Where You May Now Keep Track of When Your Library Items Are Due

Here’s some exciting library news!  If you or your student (K-5th grade) would like to keep track of library materials from home, you may now check the Tuscan OPAC (the Online Library Catalog) 

click for more information and instructions

Thanks to Tuscan kindergarten teacher Mrs. Sinclair for sharing that we can help win an author visit from Jan Brett for our school.

If you are a Facebook user you can help, there are two easy steps (from a computer, not a smartphone):

1. Visit http://www.facebook.com/byjanbrett on Facebook and "Like" the author page
2. Click on the "Contest" link on Jan Brett Facebook page and enter your name and our school information. 
   

You don't need to be from Tuscan to enter the contest for us - share with your Facebook family!

Notice to correct the start time of our next open PTA Meeting on Wednesday January 23rd in the Tuscan Library.
The meeting will start at 7:00pm and will include a welcome for new Assistant Principal Kevin Mason and a presentation on how to join our Walking School Bus that will begin this spring.  Staff, parents and guardians are welcome to attend.  

Presenting the Tuscan ROAR Book in a Bag Program at the New Jersey Association for School Librarians

In November, Kathy Lamkin and I presented a talk at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL), held in Long Branch, New Jersey.  The theme of this year’s NJASL conference was Inspiration, Motivation and Participation.  We thought, what better venue is there to extol the virtues of Tuscan School, and its traditions, such as the Reading Train, the Peace Patch and its other programs that foster collaboration and community spirit in a school of over 600 students?

Our main purpose for presenting at NJASL was to describe the ROAR Book in a Bag Project, our year-long, bimonthly program, which is now in its second year.  We wanted to share with other schools, via their school librarians, the richness of a program that offers the opportunity for parents, teachers, and students to work together in using books to reflect on aspects of human behavior, as it is presented in all sorts of stories; funny, serious, fiction and nonfiction.  We had our array of ROAR books on hand, and on display, as well as their reflection cards and teacher lesson plans.  

We are very proud of our ROAR Book in a Bag program as a way of enabling us (teachers, parents, and students) to use literature to discuss character traits or consequences resulting from the actions of a character.  As technological advancements speed things up, we need, more than ever, to know who we are and why we act the way we do.  We need this knowledge to inform our decisions.  When technology allows for quicker communication, we need to make sure that the messages that are being transmitted more efficiently, carry the reflection and the careful deliberation that lead to constructive, thoughtful results.  We think that securing a time to ROAR offers the possibility of making that happen.

~ Roberta Baltin
   Tuscan Library Media Specialist