FLIPPER FACTS

Edition #15|January 18, 2013

PARENT WORKSHOP JANUARY 23RD

On Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013, from 6:30 - 8:00, the Reading, Writing and Math Student Support teachers will present the Strategies for Success Parent Workshop. Mrs. Harley and Mrs. Shirvanian will guide parents through strategies used in class to improve reading fluency and comprehension. Mrs. Hoffman and Ms. Liscinsky will model problem solving strategies and methods for assisting children at home. Mrs. Hlinka and Mrs. Vilagarut will provide translation assistance for parents as needed. Child care will be provided by the Key Club students at Hunterdon Central High School in the gymnasium. In addition, refreshments will be provided for our parents in the main foyer. We look forward to seeing you on January 23rd.

HEALTH ALERTS from the School Nurse

Influenza – What you Need to Know

•Symptoms – fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose

•Characterized by sudden onset

•Most recent data shows moderate levels in Hunterdon, however surrounding areas are high

•It is not too late to get a flu vaccine

•NJ Department of Health has posted “Flu Vaccine Finder” at

•Pharmacists are not permitted to vaccinate children under 18, however CVS Minute Clinics are staffed with nurse practitioners and physician assistants; see for details

•If your child has the symptoms listed above with a fever > 100 ⁰ , please keep them home until they are fever free for 24 ⁰ without medication and feeling better

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Head Lice – What you Need to Know

•There have been a few cases of head lice reported recently

•Please check your children before sending them to school

•Most common sign is an itchy scalp

•If your child has been scratching their head and you look but don’t see anything….

PLEASE call the Health Office at 284-7545 to have them screened by the nurse

•It is very easy to miss if you have never seen it before

•We do encourage parents to let the school know when their children are treated

for lice so that we can screen classmates to help prevent it from spreading

More information can be found at

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART DUE JAN 25TH

Jump Rope For Heart fundraising slips are due back to Miss Goldman on Friday Jan 25th. Remember although we accept paper and online donations, our goal this year is to try and go green and do as much online as we can. Go to and click on “Register Now”. Type “Desmares” when prompted to search for a team and follow instructions from there!

PICTO SEEKING DONATIONS

Attention All Desmares Families: PICTO is Friday,February, 8th. If you own a business and would like to support our school by donating a basket or service, please contact Nydia Peake at We will promote your business throughout the night and in our Promo Bags! All proceeds from this event benefit our Desmares students. Thank you, Nydia Peake & PICTO TEAM

BAKERS NEEDED FOR PICTO FEB 8TH!

The PICTO planning team needs bakers for the PICTO Bake Sale. Please sign up on volunteerspot.com if you can bring a baked good. NO NUTS PLEASE. Because some children have nut allergies, please make sure your ingredients do not contain any peanuts or tree nuts. It would be helpful to label your baked goods "no nuts" or list the ingredients so we can safely tell a child with an allergy what they can eat. Store bought baked goods are welcome...please check the ingredients. All baked goods should be brought to the office the day of PICTO (February 8th). If you have any questions, please contact Kathleen D'Auria at .

RE-GIFT UNWANTED ITEMS DONATE ASAP!!!

Now that the Holiday Season is over you might have some gifts you would like to Regift! PICTO would love to put those to great use. If you have any donations or items you would like to donate towards a PICTO basket please drop off at the school in the main office. Kindly place your donations in the bin labeled PICTO DONATIONS. If you have any questions please contact Nydia Peake at We are also in need of ribbons, baskets, and tissue paper. THANK YOU, The Picto Team.

DESMARES BOOK SWAP DONATE TODAY!

Please consider DONATING the children’s books that your kids have outgrown. A receptacle will be placed in the Desmares lobby from Jan 25th thru Feb 22nd. We are looking for books that are appropriate for children in grades K -4.

Desmares School will be hosting a BOOK SWAP on Thursday, February 28th from 6-8pm in the school lobby where the entire Desmares community will be welcome to select the FREE books to take home for their children. Desmares will also be hosting a FAMILY READING NIGHT on the same night where there will be special guest readers who will be reading to the children. Questions, contact Jayne Barrett at .

(2) NEW AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS COMING SOON . . .

Gymnastics/ Safety Town Club will be available in March – flyer and details to follow soon. YOGA Club also coming soon – stay tuned for details.

YEARBOOK PHOTOS NEEDED CARNIVAL & OTHER EVENTS!

If you have any good photos of Desmares events, please consider sending them into the yearbook committee. You can e-mail (5) photos to or you can burn larger quantities of photos to a disc and send it into the school marked “YEARBOOK PICTURES”. Contact Kristen @ (908) 806-2834 if you have any questions.

LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ASAP!

The Library is in need of some additional volunteers. This is a 3 hour commitment twice a month. You will help the children with book selections, checking out their books and with the re-shelving of books. Morning and afternoon shifts available. This is a great way to be involved with the children in a very fun environment. Please contact Nancy Breitenbach at

DESMARES DEVILS NIGHT MARCH 13TH

Come out and see the NEW JERSEY DEVILS battle the

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS on March 13th at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Tickets are specially priced (almost 1/2 off!) for Desmares students and their families!

See attached flyer for more details.

BOX TOPS & LABELS FOR EDUCATION

DID YOU KNOW...that our school can earn valuable points by clipping the UPC codes from retail magazines including:

· ALL YOU

· Cooking Light

· Health

· PEOPLE

· Real Simple

· Southern Living

· Time

All the UPC codes from the magazines listed above are worth 5 points each!! Please send them to school with your Box Tops and Labels for Education!! Thank you!

Please start collecting now for our Spring collection so your child's class wins the next Pizza Party!! Send your CLIPPED Box Top Coupons and Campbell's Labels for Education UPC Codes in with your child in a Ziploc bag with their teacher's name on it. Thanks to your clipping, over the past 5 years the school has earned close to $6,500 from Box Tops and close to 32,000 points from Campbell's. Thank you!

Click here to see Box Top participating products:

E-LABELS FOR EDUCATION @ SHOPRITE -

Now there’s an additional way to earn FREE STUFF for our school! It’s easy to sign up! Every time you purchase participating Labels For Education® products with your Price PLUS® card, our school will automatically receive 1 point for each item purchased. Labels For Education® points can be used by our school for much needed merchandise, such as art supplies, sports equipment, computers and more! Sign up now at: .

Click here to see Labels For Education participating products:

STOP-N-SHOP NO COST FUNDRAISER

To date we have 91 families that have signed up for this fundraiser and have raised $770. Our goal is to have 200 families sign up! Please take a few minutes to stop when you are at the store to register your card or go online to register now. Log on to to register online OR Dial 1-877-275-2758 to register your card over the phone. Our school ID is 12852. You just need your card number and the first 3 letters of your last name. It's a great way to raise money for our school without any additional cost to you! Note that you have to register every school year. Please help us meet our goal by signing up today.

If you wish to unsubscribe to this e-mail, please click on the following link,

, type “unsubscribe”, and you will be taken off of the distribution list.

Any further questions, please contact Kristen Cook @ (908) 806-2834.