School Supplies
September will be here before you know it! If you are ready to start your "back to school shopping" (or looking to take advantage of any summer sales) refer to our School Supply Lists to find out what items your Pleasant Avenue student will need during the 2008-2009 school year.

Athletic Department Announces Summer Recreation Schedule
Enjoy the nice weather, get some physical activity and have some fun! The district is again offering a variety of activities to students through its Summer Recreation Program. View the Summer 2008 Recreation Program Flier and, should you have any questions, feel free to contact the Athletic Department at 762-7636.

Pleasant Avenue Newsletter Available Online
Read our monthly newsletter: June 2008, May 2008, April 08, March 08, February 08, January 08, December 07, November 07,  October 07,  September 07

Pleasant Avenue Art Show, Book Fair & Ice Cream Social
Pleasant Avenue's Annual Art Show, Book Fair, and Ice cream social was a great success! Students worked hard at creating masterpieces and then setting up and displaying their works of art. Their efforts were rewarded with high praise from staff, family and friends, who enjoyed perusing the showcase of talent, while shopping for books and eating ice cream. Enjoy these pictures from the event!

PARP - A Huge Success!
Nearly 100 percent of Pleasant Ave. students participated in the Parents as Reading Partners activities this year. Ninety-six percent of these students enjoyed the PARP Carnival, some of whom can be seen in these photos. Thank you to the teachers, staff and volunteers for making the carnival the success it was. A special thank you to Mrs. Ammann, Ms Voudry and Mrs. Swartwout for their efforts in coordinating the PARP program this year; it was a month full of fun-filled events for everyone who participated. Although PARP is over, all children should be encouraged to continue reading daily.

Concert Band Performs for Seniors
On Friday, April 4, the Pleasant Avenue concert band performed the following selections at the Johnstown Senior Citizen's Center: National Emblem March arranged by Sandy Feldstein, Take Me Out to the Ballgame arranged by Randy Navarre, Needle in a Haystack by Joseph Compello, Louie Louie arranged by Michael Story, and Boogie Blues by Bruce Pearson and Barrie Gott. The following students performed solos during the Boogie Blues: Kaitlyn Duesler, flute; Megan Linart, clarinet; Andrew Palmateer, flute; Kevin Ammann, clarinet; Hope Cerasuolo, flute; Jenna Salisbury, clarinet; Madison Frasier, flute, and Ieasha Lopez-Gonzalez, trumpet.

The concert band is made up of 24 fifth and sixth grade students: Kevin Ammann, Hannah Breda, Justin Brownell, Adam Caputo, Hope Cerasuolo, Hannah Chamberlain,  Haley Claes, Kaitlyn Duesler, Madison Frasier, Rachel Garber, Emileigh George, Jarrett Gray, Alyssa Hadcock, Megan Linart, Ieasah Lopez-Gonzalez,Tyler Johnson, Keaton Morehouse, Andrew Palmateer, Andre Piazza, Nicole Ponte, Cameron Roten, Nick Salatel, Jenna Salisbury, Logan VonderHeide.

Congratulations to the band on a great performance!

A Penny Saved, A Penny Shared
A student at Warren Street School has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease and, in keeping with their kind and thoughtful character, Pleasant Ave. students want to help his family with hospital bills not covered by insurance, as well as supplementing income lost while the parents care for the child. For a donation of 25-cents to the fund, names are placed on a "penny" and displayed in the cafeteria.

PARP 2008 Begins!
Parents As Reading Partners (PARP) will kick-off at Pleasant Avenue Elementary on Friday, March 14 and run through April 10. This year's theme is "PARP"corn Carnival.  Want to know more about how PARP works and how to get your child involved in the fun filled events? Click here for PARP information!

Leaping Leprechauns
Getting into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, Mrs. Zullo had her kindergarten classes learn "The Leprechaun Song" and make leprechaun puppet masks too. The students had a leaping good time acting out the words of the song while they sang during music class.

Sixth Graders Take Part in Math League Contest
Pleasant Avenue's sixth graders recently completed the 2007-08 Math League 30-minute multiple-choice test, under the supervision of Mrs. Butler. The following Pleasant Ave. students, who earned the top five highest scores, will now be entered in the state-wide New York Mathematics League Contest, the winners of which will be decided at a later date:

First Place - Hope Cerasuolo

Second Place - Joey Henderson
Third Place (tie) - Andrew Palmateer & Emily Gallt
Fourth Place (tie) - Nicole Gifford, Kaitlyn Duesler, Haley Claes & Kevin Ammann
Fifth Place (tie) - Jarrett Gray & Natalia Neri 

Students Battle for Spelling Bee Title
On February 25, our Pleasant Avenue community gathered to witness a hard-fought battle between students in grades four, five and six, with each of them vying to be the best speller at the School-wide Spelling Bee. The fourth grade classroom contest winners were Ryan Ammann and Shane Smith; fifth grade representatives were Hannah Chamberlain and Chelsea Ostrander and the contenders in the sixth grade race were Kevin Ammann and Haley Claes.

When the dust settled, Kevin Ammann took first place, Hannah Chamberlain captured second place and Ryan Ammann ran third. These fine word specialists will represent our school at the Fulton County Spelling Bee at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10 at the Gloversville Middle School. It is hoped that a large crowd of Pleasant Ave fans will show up to cheer for Kevin, Hannah and Ryan! The winner of the Fulton County Bee will go to the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

The Name Game in Advertising
While reading a unit titled "Dreams to Jobs" with teaching assistant Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Simek's fourth graders discussed how advertising can help a business or product. As an activity, they designed a new cereal box and wrote an advertisement for television, presenting their ads to the class. Some of the names developed for new cereals included "Mount Rush More," "Crayola Crunch" and "High-Low."

What's on the Menu?
Student's in Mrs. Reed's class are enjoying a business unit in reading, with many of the stories being about food businesses. Now they are creating menus for a restaurant they would like to open, as well as working hard at creating logos and slogans to make their restaurant exciting and memorable.

Aunt Helen's Closet
Storyteller Ellen Mnich recently visited Pleasant Avenue School with a presentation of "Aunt Helen's Closet," as part of an Arts in Education (AIE) Assembly. Mnich regaled the students with stories of Aunt Helen's travels around the world, while providing them with the opportunity to view clothing and artifacts from many cultures. Both students and staff participated in dressing-up in the brightly colored garb, as seen in these photos.

Native American Study
While on a Native American Field Trip, first graders had an opportunity to learn and remember how Native Americans lived many years ago. See photos.

Social Circle Activities - Lamp Shade Parade

Mapping a Path Through History
As part of their study of our historical city, fourth graders from Mrs. Reed's & Mrs. Simek's classes walked to the Johnstown Public Library. Along the way, they learned about the Drum House, famous people who have lived here, the historical cemetery and many other things. Prior to venturing out, they used classroom time to view maps, which was a great help to the students as they visited the various locations.

Students Learn Swimming Safety
As part of their physical education instruction, Coach Kraemer teaches Pleasant Avenue students that it is good to learn how to swim for their health and for their own safety.  Additional Photos.

Baseball Legends
After studying about the Negro Leagues and Jackie Robinson, students in Mrs. Meashaw's class made individualized baseball cards of themselves. These featured a team name of their choice, along with their own photos.

Book Float Parade
Sixth graders at Pleasant Avenue just participated in the Fourth Annual Book Float Parade. Each student in Mrs. Hartlieb and Mrs. Swartwout’s classes chose a scene from a book they read during December and created a book float to “drive” in the parade. After the parade wound through the hallways, the judges, Mr. Blanchard, Ms. Voudry, Mrs. Butler and Mrs. Sitterly, had the difficult task of selecting the top ten finalists. From the top ten, three students were named Top in the Class. Each received a “No Homework Pass” and will have the opportunity to present to the Board of Education at its next meeting. The floats are currently being displayed on the stage in the cafeteria. Thanks to everyone for helping to make the parade a great success!

Christmas Assembly
Prior to the holiday recess, Pleasant Avenue's fifth and sixth graders presented their annual Christmas Assembly for our students and staff to enjoy. To see photos of the event, click here.

Pleasant Avenue Gingerbread Kids Found (and eaten!)
Kindergarten students made a boy and girl gingerbread pair during the week of December 17, but, to their surprise, on Friday, December 21, they were gone!! With the help of their sixth grade buddies, they searched the whole school trying to locate the gingerbread kids. Mr. Dillenbeck spotted them over by Jansen Avenue School, candy canes were left in children’s boots and, FINALLY, crumbs were seen in the Pleasant Avenue hallways, leading searchers to the troublesome duo. One was found in the computer lab and the other in the storage room! Thanks to all of the kids that kept their eyes open! See More Photos.

Everyone Goes Outside to Play
From 9 a.m. until lunchtime on December 21, our ENTIRE school went outside for a morning of holiday fun! Students and staff enjoyed playing games, sleigh-riding, skiing, building snow forts and sipping hot chocolate. Happy holidays to all of you from all of us!  See Outside Day Pictures.

A Celebration of Native American Culture
On November 27, first grade students and their families spent a fun-filled evening celebrating Native American culture. First grade teachers Ms. Edel and Mrs. Sepenara worked hard to prepare Native American foods and crafts and, everyone enjoyed the Native American food and drink served by Mrs. Sitterly. A big thank you to Mr. Cuttica, who returned to Pleasant Avenue to read and share stories with the children during the festivities. Thank you also to everyone who attended and helped to make this event special.

Pleasant Avenue Students Honor Veterans

Several veterans joined Pleasant Avenue students on November 9 for a special assembly in recognition of Veterans Day. Students honored those in attendance by singing songs and presenting a large THANKS! sign.

Duck, Duck, Goose? No, it's Halloween at Pleasant Ave!
         

Stop By the Pleasant Ave. Online Art Gallery...
Check out the Pleasant Ave. Art Gallery, where various artwork from PA students is displayed.

General Mills Box Tops for Education
Our collection of General Mills Box Tops for Education (found on most  General Mills cereals and other products) continues. Prizes will be awarded to the classes with the most collected. Support of this program is most appreciated, as it enables us to purchase new equipment for our school.

The Pleasant Avenue 10 Good Citizenship Rules
1. SAFETY FIRST!
2. Be in your seat when the 9 AM bell rings.
3. Hand in completed homework when it is due.
4. Follow all directions given by adults.
5. Walk down the halls quietly.
6. Respect other people’s bodies and belongings by not touching them.
7. In the cafeteria, speak softly, clean up your own items, and ask permission to leave your seat.
8. Use proper words, not actions, to settle disagreements.
9. Take responsibility for your actions.
10. Treat others as you want to be treated.

Just a Reminder: Visit District Homepage
Information of importance to all schools in the district (i.e., stranger-danger tips, NYS Test Sampler links, etc.) is posted to the district homepage of the GJSD Web site. When checking your individual school’s page, please remember to check the district homepage, as well.

Wondering what Greater Johnstown School District news you may have missed?

News items previously listed can be accessed in our Archives.

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Universal Pre-K Program
Central Council PTA
21st Century CLC After-School Program

Other Helpful Links:
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