liberty School news
	Liberty School Newsletter September 23, 2005
	Voicemail: 908-637-4790 Web address: www.gmrsd.com/liberty.htm
School will be closed on Monday, October 10^th for Teacher In-Service. STUDENT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP When dropping-off your child, please remember that students may not enter the school building prior to 8:55AM. Adult supervision does not begin until that time. When picking-up your child at dismissal, please arrive at the school at 3:15, go into the office, sign both pages in the white “Students Taken Home” book and then proceed to the multipurpose room to meet with your child when they are called for dismissal. VISITORS Please be advised that all visitors must report to the main office upon arriving at Liberty School. After signing in, each visitor will be given a Visitor’s Pass. No one may enter a classroom without being issued a Visitor’s Pass by the office. BUILDING HOURS Please remember that students are not able to gain access to classrooms after 4:00PM. Back To School Night We look forward to seeing all parents at Back To School Night on Thursday, September 29^th at 7:00PM. Liberty township Recreation The final Basketball and Cheerleading sign-ups will be held on Wednesday, September 28th from 6 to 7:30 PM in the Liberty Township Elementary School lobby. Do you miss the Concession Stand at the Free Union Field? Wanted: Individual or small group needed to manage, stock, and coordinate parent volunteers to run concession stand for Saturday soccer games. Call Liberty Recreation at 637-4579 ext. 26 or email eileeng@epix.net. Argyle Fish or Chicken & Chips Dinner Friday, Sept. 23, 2005 Independence Fire House 5-7 pm Adults-$10, Seniors-$9, Children under 12-$7 Advance Tickets Only Contact Terry 908-637-8272 or Susan 908-850-6422 Montclair State University Gifted & Talented Fall 2005 Programs This fall, MSU will again offer learning experiences for gifted students in grades 1-11. Brochures are available at the school office. Fall 2005 Weekend Program: Will begin on Saturday & Sunday, October 1^st & 2^nd and will end on the weekend of December 10^th & 11^th. For further information, please call 973-655-4104. Liberty Cub Pack 138 Bake Sale:  Saturday, 9/24 10-2 at Liberty Municipal Bldg. Popcorn Sale Begins October 8th Reminder: Phone Book Recycling in March 2006 Liberty Township 2005 Fall Cleanup Saturday, September 24^th Sunday, September 25^th 8AM-4PM Residents are asked to bring their materials to the Road Department parking lot where dumpsters will be in place. Proof of residency is required i.e. current driver’s license, tax bill, electric or phone bill, etc. 1^st Car/Pickup truck drop off Free 2^nd Car/Pickup truck drop off $20.00 3^rd & final Car/Pickup truck drop off $20.00 No Dump Trucks No Box Trucks No U-Hauls Acceptable Materials Appliances, metals, mattresses, box springs, couches, chairs, TV’s, clothing. *Refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers – all must have the Freon removed. Proper Freon removal tag must be attached. Unacceptable Materials Leaves, brush, tree stumps, etc., hazardous materials (paint cans, oil cans, etc.), construction or building materials of any kind, car parts, tires and household garbage. Questions? Call 908-637-4579 Governor’s Book Club The Governor’s Book Club selections are: Kindergarten: Hey, Pancakes! By Tamson Weston 1^st Grade: Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch by Cynthia Rylant 2^nd Grade: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo: Out to Lunch by Nancy Krulik 3^rd Grade: A Jigsaw Jones Mystery: The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest by James Preller PTO News Welcome and thank you to all the new parents who attended the two "New Parent PTO Orientation Meetings".  We also had our first very successful PTO meeting of the year; thank you to all who attended/volunteered.  Our next meeting is on November 1st from 7:00-8:30 with free babysitting.  Thank you to all the babysitters (past and present) who so graciously volunteer(ed) their time to help us out! Congratulations to our new 2005/2006 Co-President, Joni Sheridan.  We know you will do a great job and wish you much success in your new position!  Thank you to all the volunteers who took time out of their summer to help out with the Back to School Packets, KidStuff/Entertainment Coupon Books, Back to School Day, and Teacher Appreciation.  You are truly appreciated :-) Back To School Day - The children had a wonderful first day of school.  They were greeted by many cheering parents and teachers at the school entrance and received gifts of new folders and bracelets courtesy of the PTO, and apples so wonderfully donated by Donaldson Farms (many thanks to Greg Donaldson!). Thanks to those of you who have purchased/returned your KidStuff/Entertainment coupon books!  These books more than pay for themselves, and the school gets 50% ($12.50) of the purchase price of each book to help pay for activities like assemblies and Field Day.  Please send in your payment or returned book(s) before Oct. 3rd. A huge thanks to everyone who has sent in a donation to the PTO!  Although we continue to receive more every day, to date we have received over $1,500 to help supplement our childrens' activities!!!		Liberty School Butterfly Garden Recognized by National Wildlife Federation Stop by the Liberty Elementary School Butterfly Garden and you will notice a flurry of wings. Monarchs, swallowtails, painted ladies, cabbage whites, fritillaries, and bumblebees are all frequent visitors, putting on a spectacular display as they nectar and flutter gracefully from plant to plant. This garden is more than just a beautiful place, however. The garden has recently been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as an official School Yard Habitat Site. This designation is quite an honor. School Yard Habitat sites are recognized for providing 4 essential elements that living things need in order to survive and make a place their home, or habitat. All School Yard Habitats must provide food, water, shelter, and a safe place to raise young. One of the ways the Liberty Garden provides food for butterflies is to offer a wide variety of nectar sources such as Mexican sunflowers, purple coneflower, butterfly weed, and butterfly bushes. These flowering plants attract adult butterflies who in turn lay eggs on host plants for butterfly caterpillars such as milkweed, parsley and dill. In other words, this garden has plants that are specifically planted for caterpillars to eat! Finding plants that are chewed and munched on has been very exciting for Liberty staff and students. Several classrooms in the school are currently raising monarch caterpillars that were found in the garden. Our district will continue to administer strep testing this year. Please remember that there will be a $10.00 fee for each test, and no culture will be given without parental consent. Checks should be made out to Great Meadows Regional School District. Thank you. Also, please remember that absences are to be reported to Ms. Latimer, Liberty School Nurse, at 637-4790 (press 1 for the nurse’s office) by 9:00AM. Box Tops for Education It's Box Tops season again! We'll kick this year off with a contest for the month of October.  The class that collects the most Box Tops from October 1 to October 31 will win a prize!  Start clipping and bring your Box Tops to your homeroom teacher.  Good luck!  Any questions?  Call Katie Connelly (637-8013) or Sarah Montgomery (637-9972).  IMPORTANT DATES 9/26 – Board of Education Meeting – 7:30 – GMMS 9/29 – Back To School Night – 7PM 10/10 – School Closed – Teacher In-Service 10/11 – Board of Education Workshop Meeting – 7:30 - GMMS 10/24 – Board of Education Meeting – 7:30 – GMMS 10/28 – Halloween Parade BOOSTER CLUB NEWS FALL FANTASY TRICKY TRAY ** Basket Donations Wanted** If you attended last year's Winter Wonderland Tricky Tray, you know that this is a huge event. So much time and hard work goes in to making sure that our guests have a fun filled evening with a delicious Buffet dinner and cocktails, and that our baskets are beautiful and full of great things. All Tricky Tray proceeds will be put towards updating the playground facility at Green Acres Field of Dreams!!! We are counting on another sell out at this year's Tricky Tray, to be held on Friday, November 4th at the Wyndham Hotel in Mount Olive. The cost will be $40.00 per person (includes Buffet dinner and one sheet of tickets). Ticket orders will be accepted starting September 30th. You must use the ticket forms available at the school office, Municipal building or at the Pavilion on Saturdays. Tickets are first come first serve. Please note that this event has sold out on the last 3 years! Our goal for this year's Tricky Tray is to exceed our profit from last year! To do this we are counting on support from the families in our community. Our hope is that we receive many more basket / tray donations from families and friends in town. The minimum value of our baskets is $35.00. We understand that not everyone can spend this amount, so please look for sale items or consider making a basket donation with friends or family. Please wrap your baskets.  We also accept monetary donations, the more donations that we receive, the less money the Booster Club will have to spend, thus increasing our profit. We are now accepting donations! Your donation is tax deductible! Please contact one of the volunteers below to drop off basket or tray. As always, an undertaking such as a Tricky Tray requires many volunteers. To accomplish our goals, we need people to help with the soliciting, wrapping, setup, and basket running. If you wish to volunteer or make a donation, please contact Geri Cavanaugh 637-8986, Lin Mahler 637-4722, Michele Bohm 637-6964, Ellen Parisi 637-6192, and June Hill 637-4665. Thank you to those of you who have already donated baskets and volunteered. Please note that no flyers of this event will be sent home. You must go to one of the above locations to receive a flyer or a ticket order form! Thank You PTO News (Continued) Don't forget to order your Spirit Wear with our new jaguar mascot by Oct. 5th!  Order forms will be sent home soon. Check out the shirt samples that are hanging in the school hallway next to the PTO bulletin board. Market Day order forms are due back to school by Oct. 7th, internet orders placed by Oct.11th, and pickup is October 17th from 5-6 pm at the middle school.  Please support our school while enjoying delicious, convenient meals! Two Chairpeople are needed for Winter Family Fun Nights (formerly TV Turnoff) - 4 events, one for each week in March. One Co-Chair coordinates each event. We currently have three Co-Chairs, but are in need of one more.  A "Head Chair" is also needed to oversee the four events/Co-Chairs.  If you are interested, please contact Joni Sheridan at 637-6090 or mcsjes@aol.com. Also needed is a Chairperson and volunteers for the "Red Ribbon Week Kick Off Event" sponsored by Community Action Partnership of Community Prevention Resources.  The PTO has been invited as a Warren County Social Service (WCSS) agency to provide an activity relating to drug awareness for the attendees.  The event is on Oct. 24th from 3-8 pm at the middle school, and will host a Battle of the Bands performing their anti-drug song, along with speakers, activities, and special performances.  Anyone interested in coordinating a PTO activity, please e-mail Connie Collier at concoll@comcast.net, or call 908-475-1997 before September 30th. A Co-President opening will also need to be filled for the 2006/2007 school year as this will be Connie Collier's last year as an officer.  Full training will be provided. Nominations will be accepted until April 4, 2005.	Butterfly Garden (Continued) School Yard Habitat sites also provide students, staff, and community members with an opportunity to experience hands-on learning in an outdoor laboratory. Many of the plants in the garden were planted by Liberty third graders last spring. Milkweed seeds were sown in the garden by last year's second graders. This year's second graders are making good use of the garden as part of their insect study in science class.  Parents and their children volunteered to take care of the garden throughout the summer, and the garden has thrived under their tender loving care. The Liberty School Butterfly Garden is the result of the collaborative hard work of many teachers, parents, administrators, students and custodial staff. Initial financing for the project came from a Project Earth Grant provided by PPL, and gardening tools and learning supplies were provided by a Liberty PTO grant. As a result of Liberty School's environmentally responsible planning, landscaping, and gardening, this School Yard Habitat supports wildlife and learning and helps to keep wildlife in our future. Board of Education Regular Meeting September 26, 2005 7:30PM Middle School Workshop Meeting October 11, 2005 7:30PM Middle School Art News Congratulations to Daniel M., Lauren M., Ryan R., Tim M., and Lauren B. for solving the “Mystery Artist Contest.” Edward Hopper, the famous American realist, was September’s artist. Here are the clues for October’s contest: This month’s artist was born in Albi, France, in 1864. He is best known for his lively pictures of Paris nightlife.