Just Scoop It! The Pleasant Avenue Show Down
"Just Scoop It!" is a school wide reading challenge, kicked off at an assembly on January 11, with students competing against staff. Two separate sundae dishes (one for students and one for staff) are being placed on the wall next to the library and "scoops" will be earned and added in various sizes, based on reading 100 pages, 500 pages and 1,000 pages; reading 10,000 pages adds a banana! Whichever group has the bigger sundae at the end of the competition on June 11 will win a sundae party. In addition, if the students win, the top reader from each class will have a chance to throw a pie in the face of Mr. Vivenzio or Mr. Kraemer. All books count, including Accelerated Reader books, PARP books and books being read for the Six Flags Read to Succeed program. Students and staff members are responsible for recording how many pages they read on a tally sheet; students’ sheets must be signed by an adult; staff members’ sheets must be signed by a student. In order for students to get credit for reading, the forms must be turned in to their teacher as books are completed.

Let's Go Fly A Kite, Up to Its Highest Height
First grade students in Mrs. Sepanara's and Ms Edel's classrooms, with help from Mrs. Wagner's and Mrs. Carville's fifth graders, put together their own kites and took them outside for flight. Some students learned that hard work pays off, as their kites flew through the air. Other students found that no matter how hard you try, it might not happen. Just keep trying was the “life lesson” the first and fifth graders learned. Thank you to Ms. Sanges and Mr. & Mrs. Lamori, who served as the “pit crew” and worked diligently to help with necessary repairs to crashed kites. See more kite photos

DARE
Sixth graders recently concluded their DARE education program and, after pledging to remain drug and alcohol free, received a certificate and a t-shirt. During a special ceremony, students Whitney Western, Erica Wagner, Michael Thiessen and Victoria Belknap were selected to stand before their teachers, classmates and parents and read essays they had written. Officer Jones chose students Theadora Dingmon and Miranda Ernst to win a Darrin, the DARE Lion, stuffed animal. They were recognized for their participation in and commitment to the DARE the program. See photos

Caught Being Good
Congratulations to the following students: Ben Russo, Lindsay Lamori, Kalvin O’Brien, Clayton Yourn,Brandon Mraz, Brady VanAernam,Ryan Schoonmaker, Nick Caputo, Conner Edel, Whitney Western, Caylee Fregin, Ben Wager, Logan Brandt, Austin Heroth, Christine Avery, Shaelyn Oathout, Tatiana Rosario. They were all "Caught Being Good" by Mrs. Pinaha, Mrs. Abraham, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Avery, cafeteria aides, or Mr. Dillenbeck, our custodian. These students were honored at our Character Education Assembly on Friday, May 7, and each student received a gift package and earned a chance to win a NED item. See more photos here.

Earth Day 2010
Students from all grades sent powerful messages to all Pleasant Avenue Earthlings. An Earth Day Poem Contest was held to inspire students to protect our planet. The Student Council received over 50 entries. Kate Ammann won first place for her "Save the Earth" poem. Second place winners were Ethan Wager and Lauryn Wilson. Third place winners were Breanna Beekman, Madison Blood and Felicia Hillman. All students' poems are shared on the bulletin board across from the cafeteria so that everyone can read the inspirational writings of our students. We are so proud of them!
 

Buddy Up
Pleasant Avenue has started a new reading program called "Buddy Up." Fifth and sixth grade students volunteer their time in the morning before school every Thursday to help first grade students improve their reading skills. We have 44 students participating at this time, some of whom can be seen in these pictures.

Pleasant Avenue Scientists Show off their Stuff
Our 2010 Pleasant Avenue Science Fair took place on March 25. Hosted by the Pleasant Avenue PTA, this year's theme was "Green" and the projects - many of which carried the green theme - were incredible! Check out these science fair photos!

Miss Fulton County Visits Pleasant Avenue
	Heather Shaffer, Miss Fulton County, recently visited kindergarten and third grade classrooms at Pleasant Avenue. She also performed in an assembly at our school on April 21, delighting students and staff with her dance and gymnastic routine.

Chess Club is Up & Running at Pleasant Avenue
Meeting before school every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., our students are learning more about the game of Chess and challenging their classmates. Thank you to Mrs. Sepanara for running this program! See additional photos here.

Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Winners
Pleasant Avenue staff and students congratulate Lauryn Wilson on her third place finish in the Fulton County Spelling Bee on Monday, March 15, 2010. We would also like to wish this year's spelling bee winner - former Pleasant Avenue Student Kevin Ammann - good luck in the National Spelling Bee. We will all be rooting for you!

Don’t Let It Fall, Save Sir William Johnson Hall!
Sixth graders in Mrs. Swartwout’s classroom recently learned about the possible closing of Sir William Johnson Hall due to state budget cuts. This historic site, a part of Johnstown since the 1700’s and opened to the public in 1905, continues to be a very important and well known tourist attraction. The sixth graders are writing letters to their local representatives and to the Governor expressing their concerns. You can show your concern by contacting your New York State Representatives as well, and also by signing a petition. To see additional photos and for contact information, click here.

PTA Carnival Night Fun
Pleasant Avenue families enjoyed a fun-filled Carnival Night from 6 - 8 p.m. on March 5. There were hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy to eat, and plenty of games to play, as can be seen in these photos! Thank you to the PTA for a great night of family fun!

PARP Olympics Are Underway!
Pleasant Avenue’s PARP Olympics officially started with Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, February 3, heralded by a parade through the building with each country waving its flag. Every student received a PARP package, but, there have been changes to the PARP calendar, as follows: On Tuesday, February 9, we will have GRAB DAY (Get Reading A Book). Students should bring a book to school so that they are ready to read when their teacher tells them to. On Monday, February 22, we will have DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) - Listen to announcements so you know when to "Drop Everything and Read." The changes were made due to school being closed on February 11 and 15. Remember to keep reading! See photos from the PARP Parade.

Parents as Reading Partners Olympics, February 3 - 24
The theme of this year’s Parents As Reading Partners program at Pleasant Avenue will be the Winter Olympics, with each class being assigned a country that participates in the Olympic games. Even though PARP reading will not take place until February, some of the festivities will begin in January.

The Olympic torch, ignited several months before the Olympics in Olympia Greece, is a symbol of the Olympic games. It is passed along in a relay, reaching the Olympic Games on the day of the opening celebration. In honor of our PARP Olympics, we will be passing our own torch. It will start with Mrs. Toscano's classroom and be passed to each class over the next few weeks. On February 3, we will all participate in our very own PARP Olympics Opening Ceremony. At that time, students will learn how to participate in our PARP Olympics. View or print the PARP Olympics packet.
 

Six Flags Read To Succeed Six Hour Reading Club
Every Pleasant Avenue student who completes six hours of recreational reading before February 19 is eligible for a free admission ticket to a participating Six Flags theme park (Great Escape is one of them). All you need to do is log your reading time on the reading log and, when you reach six hours of reading, turn it in to school. The only catch is that you have read for six hours by February 19 and it has to be recreational reading - not school work.

Third Graders Find a Way to Help Haitians
Mrs. Meashaw's third graders have been learning about earthquakes and the disaster in Haiti. The students were so interested and moved by the situation, they voted to donate $20 of their popcorn sale fundraiser money to the relief efforts. But they didn't stop there. They invited the other classes at Pleasant Avenue to help and were mentioned on local radio station WENT for their efforts in trying to make a difference. Four other classrooms made contributions and students even brought money from home. The third graders were amazed to learn that their efforts garnered $165, which they have donated to a program that provides matching funds! Money that came in after the original donation (about $20) will be contributed to the American Red Cross. Mrs. Meashaw's class extends a big thank you to everyone who donated!

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Thursday, January 14, Pleasant Avenue held an assembly in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The chorus sang "Talk about Peace" and the school joined the chorus in singing "Colors of My Dreams." The sixth graders also read the Poem "In Memory."

Student Council Notes
Our Student Council raised $49 towards making a new Pleasant Avenue school banner. They organized a candy raffle in which students and staff paid twenty-five cents to guess the number of Jolly Ranchers in a jar. There were 82 candies in the jar. Pictured to the right are the happy winners! To see more photos from the event, click here.

Spirit Day
The Student Council invited everyone to start off the New Year with Pleasant Avenue Pioneer Spirit by wearing dark blue and white, or any Pleasant Avenue clothing, on January 7. Participants had the chance to have their name entered in a drawing for a chance to win a free ice cream coupon.

Former Pleasant Ave. student helps students learn about bears and hibernation
	Former student Michael Sagan came back to Pleasant Ave. recently and read current students the story "Bear Wants More"

Pleasant Avenue Parades with Pride
From Hannah Montana to wicked witches, our Pleasant Avenue students displayed creative and imaginative costumes during our annual Halloween parade. In addition, our staff decided to honor our troops this year by parading in complete military uniforms, with Uncle Sam leading the pack. See more parade photos here.

Kindergarten and Sixth Grade Buddies
Our kindergarten students at Pleasant Avenue are learning the ropes from their sixth grade buddies. The buddy program started in September and, so far, they have talked about fire safety, learned about each other's personalities, and taken time to get to know each other. Within the next few weeks, they are all looking forward to going on a leaf hunt and a nature walk. Follow this link to see more buddy photos.

Pleasant Avenue Students Appreciate our Board of Education Members
The students at Pleasant Avenue presented each of the Greater Johnstown School District's Board of Education members with mums. All of the students signed paper leaves and placed them in the mums to thank the board members for volunteering their time to help make our school district run smoothly and efficiently.