The Bear Essentials

Glenside Elementary School’s weekly newsletter, sponsored by the PTO
Volume 6, No. 14 | Week ending January 8, 2010

Upcoming Events Rainbow of Friends Kindly

Tuesday, January 12
Kicks Off the New Year
• School board meeting | 7:45 p.m., Administration
Happy New Year! Our first Rainbow of Friends
Building assembly was held on January 5. The children
Friday, January 15 learned about the character trait Kindness. Kindness
• No classes | Teachers’ in-service day is showing others they are valuable by how you treat
Monday, January 18 them. At Glenside, we will be practicing kindness in
• No classes | Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of all we do. Our children have been encouraged to
Service catch their friends being kind. We have a 100 Acts of
Tuesday, January 19 Kindness Chart in our hallway that we plan to fill
• PTO meeting | 7:30 p.m., GEM with 100 kind acts during January, the month of Dr.
Wednesday, January 20
• Early dismissal | 2:45 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth. Dr. King tried to
make changes using peace and kindness, and we will
try to demonstrate kindness in all we do.
Help Needed With Editing; Our community service project for January is to
Trust Us—It’s Not That Hard collect nonperishable food items for families in need
Hey, new year! But old pleas! We still need a 3rd through Philabundance. The organization’s statistics
grade parent to serve on the 4th Grade Yearbook say that one in three children in the Philadelphia
Committee. Your time commitment would be area will know hunger. One box of cereal, can of
minimal this year—you’d be on board mostly just to food, or container of juice (no glass please) will
learn the ropes for next year. And we also need a mean a lot to a hungry child.
photographer. If you have an interest in graphic arts, This is a perfect weekend to discuss kindness
scrapbooking, photography, or other creative areas, with your child. It’s also a great time to catch your
you’d be perfect for this committee. And we’re not child in the act of kindness!
just saying that because we really, really need you. —Cindy Goldberg
Though, um, we do.
Start the New Year With Service
We Paws for Linens As has become a Glenside tradition, our
If you received new sheets and towels for the students, teachers, and parents are marking Martin
holidays and don’t Luther King Day with volunteer service. If you’re
have room in your interested in helping to coordinate our project,
drawers and closets contact Diane Simms or Trish Dougherty (see back
for the old ones, well, page for their digits and e-mail addresses). Further
are you ever in luck! information will be distributed as it becomes
You can donate them available via the Google Groups e-mail list and next
to our springtime week’s issue.
collection drive for
the Philadelphia It’s More Fun Than Eating
Animal Welfare
Society. Save ’em, Right and Exercising
wash ’em, and put ’em Hey, while you’re busy not keeping your
in a bag marked resolutions—don’t worry, we’re right there with ya—
“PAWS.” Contact Mrs. don’t forget that our first PTO meeting of the year is
Boner (sboner@ 
 fast approaching. We’ll be gathering on Tuesday,
cheltenham.org) for January 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the GEM. If you resolved
“Feel free to send Scooby to be more involved in 2010, this is the chance to
drop-off details. Snacks, too!”
walk the talk …

Monday Tuesday
4 5
11 12
School board meeting | 7:45
p.m., Administration Building
18 19
No school | MLK Day PTO meeting | 7:30 p.m., GEM
MLK Day of Service
25 26
It’s So Easy Being Green
Tips from the Glenside Going Green Committee
Do you still have gifts in the wrappings or bag?
Are your decorations still up? If so, here is your
opportunity to start the new year as a GREEN
machine! Do you have …
• Used but still durable gift bags? Fold them
neatly and store them until next year’s
holiday.
• Wrapping paper (used)? Most paper is
recyclable! Remember to put it in with your
home paper-recycling bin.
• Wrapping paper (new)? Store it with the gift
bags.
• A “live” Christmas tree? Township residents
can put them curbside, where the township
will collect them from January 11 through
22. Be sure to remove all decorations before
placing the trees at the curb. For more
information, call the Public Works
Department at 215-887-1000, ext. 330.
Please check for your street’s specific date.
• Other “live” greens? Place outside for
backyard habitats or put them in your
outdoor compost.
• Candles (used or new)? Store and reuse for
next year’s festivities.
Inspire the Desire
Glenside Elementary School
8149 New Second Street, Elkins Park, PA 19027
215-881-6440 (p) | 215-886-6797 (f)
www.cheltenham.org/Glenside.cfm
January 2010
Wednesday Thursday Friday
6 7 8
13 14 15
No school | Teachers’ in-
service day
20 21 22
Early dismissal | 2:45 p.m.
27 28 29
PTOs Present Anti-
Cyberbullying Workshop
Last night Tina Meier, the mother of Megan
Meier, presented a workshop to district parents and
families about bullying and cyberbullying. The
mission of the Megan Meier Foundation is to bring
awareness and education and promote positive
change to children, parents, and educators in
response to the ongoing bullying and cyberbullying
in our children’s daily environment. Megan was a
child who committed suicide because of false
MySpace postings. To learn more about her story,
see meganmeierfoundation.org.
Newsletter Contributions Wanted!
Anyone is welcome—you didn’t expect us to say
otherwise in the new year, did you?—to contribute
items to The Bear Essentials. Our deadline is 7 p.m.
on the Wednesday before each Friday’s issue.
Contact the editors:
• Jen and Tom Durso | 215-885-7501,
jdurso11@yahoo.com, tom@tomdurso.com
Contact the PTO Co-Presidents:
• Diane Simms | 215-884-6186,
dianesimms@comcast.net
• Trish Dougherty, 215-885-7795,
trishandchuck@comcast.net
Thanks to Kris Griffin for copying and
distribution.