liberty School news
	Liberty School Newsletter February 11, 2005
	Voicemail: 908-637-4790 Web address: www.gmrsd.com/liberty.htm
Board of Education Regular Meeting February 14, 2005 7:30PM Middle School Workshop Meeting February 28, 2005 7:30PM Middle School PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM Great Meadows Regional School District offers a preschool disabled class, which is located at Liberty School. We currently have morning and afternoon sessions which run approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes each. The program is based educationally to teach the whole child. Specialists such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists offer their services to the preschoolers. Parents with children aged 3-5 who might be considered educationally disabled or having developmental speech, physical, or behavioral delays may contact the district’s Child Study Team office at 637-6020 for further information. Help Wanted The Great Meadows Regional School District has substitute school nurse positions available. Please stop in to the Board Office and see Ellen Weiss or call 908-637-6576. PTO News PTO meeting dates/times for the remainder of the school year are as follows:  March 8th, April 12th, and May 17th, all from 7:00-8:30 PM, with free babysitting available.  (The March and May meetings were previously scheduled for the morning; they have now been changed to the evening.)  Please join us! Thank you to all the volunteers who made the January Teacher Appreciation, "Tropical Retreat" such a success! Mrs. Davis was the lucky winner of the "Close to My Heart" stamping set, donated by Allyson Smith.  Thanks, Allyson!  February's Teacher Appreciation on 2/14 will be "Everything Chocolate But Brownies."  Please call Maureen Mathieson, Chairperson, at 637-4698 if you can help out in any way! Market Day order forms are due back at school by 2/10, and online orders entered by 2/18. Pickup is at the Middle School on 2/24 from 5-6pm. Thank you to Mrs. Sterphone for organizing the holiday toy drive, and to all the families who donated a toy.  The Children's Home of Easton kids were thrilled with their gifts and are looking forward to the 2005 drive! We are in dire need of a Treasurer to replace Charlene Prouflias as of the April elections.  Training and complete support will be provided!  As elections are held annually, nominations are also being accepted for all of the officer positions.  If you are interested, please call any of the officers as soon as possible.  You may also contact Colleen Makarevich, Nominating Committee Chairperson, at 637-6995.  Nominations will be accepted until 3/30. Lost & Found Our Lost & Found bin is overflowing with coats, hats, mittens, etc. Please have your student check the bin if they are missing any of these items! Governor’s Book Club The Governor’s selections for January are: Kindergarten: The Hat by Jan Brett 1^st Grade: 100 Days of School by Trudy Harris 2^nd Grade: Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Fight for Freedom by Joanne Mattern 3^rd Grade: Magic Tree House #13: Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne Independence First Aid Squad Regina Lane Great Meadows, NJ Saturday, February 26, 2005 4:00-8:00 p.m. Adults $7.00; Children under 6, $3.50. Information: 908-852-3422 LONGABERGER BASKET TRICKY TRAY Saturday, April 16, 2005, Independence First Aid Squad, Regina Lane Great Meadows, NJ Doors open at 6:00 p.m., drawing starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission: $10.00 (includes 26 tickets and refreshments) No one under 18 admitted. Information: 908-852-3422		School Election The Annual School Election will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2005. Any registered voter interested in being a candidate for the School Board can obtain nominating petitions from the Board Office located in the basement of Central School, 281 Route 46, Great Meadows, NJ 07838, phone- 908-637-8672. Petitions must be filed by 4 PM on Monday, February 28, 2005. Candidates filing a nominating petition for board membership must meet the following qualifications: • He/She is a citizen of the United States of America • He/She must be at least 18 (eighteen) years of age • He/She must be able to read and write • He/She has been a resident of the municipality from which he/she is to be elected for at least one year preceding the date of the election • He/She is not disqualified as a voter pursuant to R.S. 19:4-1 • He/She is a registered voter in the district. No board of education member shall be directly or indirectly involved in any contract with, or claim against the board. For Independence Township, there are two (2) seats open for a full three (3) year term. For Liberty Township, there is one (1) seat open for a full three (3) year term. To vote in the upcoming school election, a resident must be registered to vote by March 21, 2005. Voter registration forms can be obtained on the Great Meadows Regional School District website, from the Independence or Liberty Township Municipal Clerk, the Election Board in Belvidere, or from the NJ State Income Tax Booklet mailed to your home. On February 9^th, students at Liberty School jumped all over heart disease and stroke by participating in Jump Rope for Heart. The students raised more than $5,000.00 (a school record) for the American Heart Association! Donations raised for Jump Rope for Heart help fund research, fight heart disease and stroke, and support the American Heart Association’s public and professional education programs. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in America and stroke is No. 3. “This year’s event was a huge success,” said Miss Baatz, Jump Rope for Heart coordinator. “We’re very proud of all the jumpers, and we all had a lot of fun!” Jump Rope for Heart is a program that promotes physical fitness and heart health through the fun activity of jumping rope. It is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Thank you to Mrs. Young, Mrs. Paterson and Mrs. Mahler for their assistance at our Jump-A-Thon! Mug & Muffin The next Mug & Muffin meeting with Mr. Batha will be held on Tuesday, March 1^st at 6:30PM. DARE-TO-DREAM GAME The GMMS Class of 2005 will be hosting the annual Dare-to-Dream Basketball Game on March 11, 2005. All proceeds of this game go to the 8^th grade end of year activities, i.e. the farewell dance and the picnic. Any parents wishing to help out please call Donna O’Brien, Chairwoman, at 908-637-4746. Doors open at 5:30 and the games begin at 6:00 pm. Adults $8, children $5. Children under 3 are free. Tickets will be available February 21, 2005. Be sure to see the next newsletter (sent home on 2/11/05) for ticket order information. Parents: Please Note! It has been brought to our attention that several students have brought CD players to school. As stated in the Great Meadows Regional Student Code of Conduct (received by each parent in the “first day packet”), students will not “bring pagers, cell phones, CD/tape players, radios” … to school. Please be advised that the office will confiscate any of these items brought to school. Thank you! Tiger Sport Association (TSA) Football and Cheerleading Registration Hackettstown Community Center (in the back auditorium) March 9, 7-8:30 PM March 19, 10 AM-12 Noon and final sign-ups NO EXCEPTIONS April 2, 10-12 Noon. All players entering grades K-8 as of September 2005 are eligible for football. All new players to the football program must bring copy of birth certificate. All girls entering grades 2-8 as of September 2005 are eligible for cheerleading. Questions? Please call Football Director Chuck Harvey 850-9477 or Cheerleading Director Lisa Castner 637-8119.	Thank You! Thank you to the middle school administration for inviting us to the Municipal Alliance production of Into the Woods Jr. Our students and teachers had a wonderful time! Congratulations and thank you to Ms. Ritchie and Ms. Kumma, as well as to all of the amazing middle school performers for their very entertaining rendition! 8^th Grade Tricky Tray Don’t forget!! SATURDAY NIGHT! FEBRUARY 12, 2005! It’s the 8^th Grade Tricky Tray! Great Meadows Middle School Doors open at 6:00PM Over 150 beautiful baskets! Light refreshments available All proceeds go directly to the Washington, DC trip. $10 admission includes one sheet of tickets. See you there! Academically Gifted/Talented Youth Program Montclair State University Open House February 5^th & 6^th Spring 2005 Weekend Program May 14^th & 15^th Summer 2005 Program Camp June 27^th – August 5^th NJ Assoc. for Gifted Children Conference-Princeton Marriott March 4^th & 5^th Information available in Liberty School Main Office Liberty Cub Pack 138 Please congratulate the following boys for placing 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd in the 2005 Pinewood Derby: Tigers:     Steven E, John J, Justin M Wolves:    Patrick D, Cooper C, Trevor C Bears:      Randy D, Justin N, Brendan W Webelos: Daniel S, Christopher P, Tate J We will be sponsoring a telephone book recycling program.  Please watch for more details. PATHS NEWS PATHS will be sponsoring two very important and informational evening seminars at the middle school for parents.  The first will be held on Tuesday, March 15 from 7:00PM-8:45PM. Mark Francis, the Assistant Prosecutor for Warren County, will provide information on "Current Drug Trends, Identification, and Recognition."  This seminar will cover drug trends in Warren County, information about the current "party drugs," and signs and symptoms of drug use and abuse.  The second seminar will be on Friday, April 8 from 7:30PM-9:00PM.  This seminar, hosted by the FBI Task Force will provide information on internet safety, tips based on cases, on-line demos, and cyber crimes as they relate to IM, e-mail, chat rooms, etc.  Both seminars are very blunt.  Mark your calendars now; you will not want to miss either of these events.  PATHS will have a separate activity for children whose parents would not otherwise be able to attend. GIVE BLOOD SAVE LIVES DATE: Feb. 23, 2005 TIME: 2:30 - 5:00 pm Location: GMMS Dining Hall APPOINTMENTS ARE NECESSARY Call Mrs. Kohl, School Nurse at 908-637-4349, ext. 206. Sponsored by GMMS 2/14 – Board of Education Meeting – GMMS – 7:30PM 2/18 – School Open 2/21 – School Closed – Presidents’ Weekend 2/24 – Market Day – GMMS – 5:00-6:00PM <