All students who
will be bused to or from child care or any location
other than their home must complete a Transportation
Change Form EACH YEAR.
Forms for the new
school year are due by JULY 17. 2009-10 forms are
available in the office or
by clicking here (pdf format).
PTA Volunteer Activities
The PTA has many opportunities for parents and
family members to volunteer at Charlton Heights.
Whether you enjoy working in school with children, or
baking goodies at home, we have something for everyone!
Volunteering is an important way for you to show your
child how important school is, and how the entire
community works together for our children. For
more information on programs, please see
PTA Volunteer Opportunities
June
PTA Newsletter Now On-line
The PTA will now be using an electronic version for our
monthly newsletters. Families who have given the
school their e-mail address will be mailed an electronic
copy. Families who would like a hard copy should
contact Newsletter Co-Chairs Sue Hanson or Tracy
Blowers. You can also view the newsletters on-line by downloading our Newsletter. Past newsletters can be
viewed by clicking the PTA Sidebar on the right side of
the web page under the Charlton Heights Quick View.
Field Day ResultsThe Charlton Heights Field Day was held
on Friday, May 29, 2009.
Children who place first, second or third in an
individual event, or first place in a team event,
qualify for the District Field Day. The District Field
Day is June 2 at Stevens Elementary School at 3:30 p.m.
The rain date is June 3.
The trophy for most points scored went to Mrs. Hall's
fourth grade class and the fifth graders from Mr. Moore's class. At the awards ceremony held on May
29th, Mindy Corney and Ryan Hathaway were honored with
the male and female athlete award. The recipients
of the Sportsmanship Awards were Alyssa Hughes and
Justin Camp. The physical
education staff also distributed the
Presidential Physical Fitness Awards at the ceremony.
Congratulations to all of the participants for great
effort and cooperative spirit. Award winners from
Charlton Heights for
physical education can be found by clicking on the links below:
Charlton
Heights Wins District Field Day
The District Field Day was held
on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, at
Stevens Elementary School.
Charlton Heights placed first for the fifth consecutive
year with 106 points, just barely ahead of Stevens
Elementary with 103 points, and Pashley with 73 points.
The day featured some all time record performances: Tino
Benamati broke the fourth grade boys hurdles record with
a time of 8.5 seconds, and Gianna Flint beat the fifth
grade girls records in the 50 yard dash with a time of
7.2 seconds and the soccer kick with a punt of 109' 2".
Parents and community members enjoyed the beautiful
weather and the wonderful sportsmanship displayed by all
of the participants. Congratulations to all of the participants for great
effort and cooperative spirit. Award winners from
Charlton Heights for
physical education can be found by clicking on the links below:
District Field Day results from 1997
through 2009 are below:
Arts Award
Winners Announced at the Spring
Concert The
Charlton Heights Spring Concert was held on Tuesday,
May 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
Awards were given to fifth graders who exhibit
dedication and excellence in the arts. The award
for orchestra went to Alyssa Hughes, the band award was
given to Luke LeBel, and Emily de la Rocha was honored
with the chorus award. Performing in the concert were the 4th and 5th grade chorus, band
and orchestra, under the direction of Gina Kirsty, Carol
Drake and Karen Russell, respectively.
Award winners from Charlton Heights for the arts can be
found by clicking on the links below:
The
Kids Are Runners Too (KART) program began at
Charlton Heights on Monday, May 11, with an opening
ceremony. KART is a half marathon distance
running/walking program designed to give children the
opportunity to increase their daily levels of physical
activity. Each day at recess, the children ran or walked 2/3 of a mile. The children
kept track of their progress in the classroom.
Children received a water bottle and a pedometer
when the program began, and received a medal at the conclusion
of the program. The students ran the last
mile of KART on Wednesday, June 10, at 10:00 a.m. to the
music spun by DJ Paul Pantalone!
School Banking
The
last day for school banking will be on Thursday, June 18,
but we will resume again in September. We
are very excited to have school banking again this year.
School banking is an opportunity to teach children the
important lessons of money management and fiscal
responsibility. We allow students to deposit money
into their account every Thursday before school.
Please consider this worthwhile program for next year.
Box Tops for Education
The
Box Tops for Education contest has just been completed
for the winter/spring.
The classroom that collected the most Box Tops for
Education labels this winter and spring will receive a
special party. The labels are found on most
General Mills, Betty Crocker and Ziploc items, to name a
few. We collected 14,000 Box Tops this session! The
final winter/spring results are as follows:
1. Miss Donofrio 2,114
2.
Mrs. Hall
1,798
3.
Mrs. Conklin 1,580
4.
Miss Gobel
758
5.
Miss Jones
747
6.
Mrs. Mindel
716
7.
Mrs. McNeal 656
8.
Mr. Moore 644
9.
Mrs. O'Rourke 610
10.
Mrs. Ollari 543
Color Me
Cooperative Day Held June 8
The
Color Me Cooperative Day was held on June
8, and began at 9:00 a.m. on the back playing
fields. Children were grouped onto six colored
teams: blue, white, blue, red, maroon, gray and green.
The students participated in three
cooperative games throughout the morning. Some of
the activities included knots, amoeba race, frisbee golf,
five point basketball shoot, stepping stone relay race,
three legged race and the tug of war. A great time
was had by all, and the children all exhibited great
sportsmanship and cooperation. Congratulations to
all!
Third Grade
Students Raise $4,992 for St. Jude's Hospital
This
year, the third graders at Charlton Heights Elementary
School raised $4,992 for the St. Jude's Research
Hospital by doing a Math-A-Thon. Our students
participate in this worthy project each year in honor of
a student who lost her life battling cancer. Great
job, third graders!
Custodians Receive Building Excellence Award
Congratulations to George Dorvee, Shelley Brantley, Bob
Taylor and Joyce Murphy for receiving the BH-BL Building
Excellence Award for district custodial crews.
Noted was building cleanliness, teamwork, positive
communication with parents, staff and students, and an
ability to complete tasks efficiently. We are
extremely proud of our great custodians! Keep up
the great work.
New Absentee Call-In ProcedureThe Charlton Heights Main
Office is instituting a new way for parents to let us
know about a child who will be absent for the day due to
illness or other reasons. In addition to calling in
absentees by calling 399-9141 and leaving a message at
extension 5510, parents and guardians can now send an e-mail to the Main
Office staff to let us know about an absence.
Parents should always notify the school by 9:00 a.m.
whenever their child will be absent. If there is
no call or e-mail from a parent, the office staff must
verify the student's absence from the child's teacher,
and then call a parent. (A written excuse with
parent signature is still required when the child
returns to school.)
By 9:00
AM PLEASE
Call the district at 399-9141 and leave a
message at extension 5510 before 9:00 a.m.
Student Council News
Students at
Charlton Heights have elected the officers and
representatives for the 2008-2009 school year. A
listing of the Student Council from the past few years
as well as officers from as far back as the 1990's can
be viewed below:
The
Student Council will be sponsoring theme days
during the 2008-2009 school year. On these days,
children and staff can wear the special clothing related
to the theme. During on the theme days, the PTA
will be selling bags of popcorn for $.50.
Following are the themes for the school year:
June 24 School
Spirit Day
Reminders from the Nurse:
Students in kindergarten, second and fourth
grades plus any students new to the district
must submit a completed school physical form.
(Click here for a pdf copy of this form.)
Parents: please send completed physical forms and
immunization records to the nurse as soon as
possible.
Also, remember that medications given
during the school day need to come in the
original bottle with a written doctor's notice.
All medications must be delivered by an adult!
Parents as Reading Partners
The PTA sponsored a week
long celebration of reading during the week of March 9.
The goal was to have every child read with a partner
everyday for a minimum of 15 minutes for one week.
At the closing ceremony on Friday,
March 20, the students voted to have teachers Miss
Donofrio and Mr. Bold turn into a human hamburger.
Students and staff poured toppings like ketchup, mustard
and pickles to create the hamburger, topped of course
with a bun.
PTA Reflections Winners AnnouncedThe
National PTA developed the
Reflections program in 1969 to interest children,
parents, teachers and communities in the arts.
This year's contest theme was "Wow!" Students
created a piece of art work, took a photograph, or wrote
a story about the theme. Following is a list of
students whose work will be judged at the Regional
Level:
Musical
Composition: Nick Sinnenberg
Literature: Rachel
Muzio and Matthew
Sinnenberg
Photography:
Matthew Sinnenberg and Nick Sinnenberg
Visual Arts:
Rebecca Kelley, Colin Swain, Sophia Swain
CH Staff Donate to
Worthy OrganizationsEach
month, staff members at Charlton Heights have
participated in "Denim Days" to raise money for
community organizations. Anyone who is interested
pays $5 to wear denim on the specified Friday, and the
money goes to a worthy cause. This year, we have
raised hundreds of dollars and supported the American
Heart Association in honor of Barb Pierce, as well as
Breast Cancer Research, Adopt a Family, and the Animal
Rescue Center. Keep up the great work, Team
Charlton!
Chris Holder Fifth
Grade ResidencyThe
fifth grade students at Charlton Heights learned about
ecosystems and how humans and their actions through
history have affected the environmental ecosystem in the
Hudson and Mohawk Valley area over the past 400 years.
The interdisciplinary partnership with Chris Holder was planned by fifth grade staff,
and special area teachers including art, music, physical
education and library. The students researched
specific aspects of ecosystems and presented an
entire school assembly on March 11 at 1:45 p.m. in the
gymnasium. Chris Holder is an actor, singer,
storyteller, songwriter and master Teaching Artist in
arts in education settings across the Northeast.
This program was funded in part by the Decentralization
Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council
on the Arts, administered by the Saratoga County Arts
Council.
Congratulations
to Founder's Day Winner Sonja Thomson On
February 5, 2009, Sonja Thomson was honored with the
annual Founder's Day Award from the Charlton Heights
PTA. Sonja has volunteered her time as the Star of
the Week Chairperson, and she has also chaired the
After-School Enrichment Clubs and the Curiosity Shop
Program. She has also coordinated a program to
allow students to "vote" for president this fall.
We appreciate her efforts and congratulate her on this
well deserved honor.
Founder's Day is a nationwide celebration to remember
the founders of PTA who first gathered in 1896.
Each year the Charlton Heights PTA honors an
individual who has gone above an beyond in ways that
benefit the children and our community. For past
winners from Charlton Heights, please see
Founder's Day Award Winners.
Students present performance of Toby TylerTwenty
three fourth and fifth graders from the After-School
Enrichment Drama Club presented Toby Tyler
on Thursday, February 12, at 1:45 p.m. in the gymnasium.
The
show was about a young boy, Toby Tyler, who decided to
join the circus. There, he met many friends such
as a trapeze artist, living skeleton, and a snake
charmer. He also meets a gypsy and peanut seller
who may not have his best interests at heart.
Fire Safety Poster Winners
Announced
Charlton
Heights students participated in our annual fire safety
program and competed in the poster contest.
Thank you very much to the Charlton Fire Department
volunteers who came to school on October 15 for our day
of fire prevention information. The following students
are the winners for their grade level and will receive a
$50 savings bond from the Charlton Fire Department.
They will also enjoy a ride to school in a fire truck.
Kindergarten
Aidan Buckley and Samantha Versocki
Grade 1 Holly
Johnson
Grade 2 Kaitlyn
Rounds
Grade 3 Nathan Katz
Grade 4 Maria Parks
Grade 5 Jacob
Shippey
Brian Gillie Dance Residency
Brian Gillie worked with students in
grades 1-5 on dances from different decades. He performed for the entire school on Monday, October 6 at
9:00 a.m. and the culminating project was on Friday, October 10.
Students performed dances from different decades that the school has been
in operation. First graders did the twist and rock
dances from the 1960's such as the monkey and the swim.
Second graders danced to
tunes from the 1970's such as disco and the bump.
Third graders did the cha cha, stroll and bunny hop with
music from the 1950's. Fourth graders performed
"Thriller" and other dances from the 1980's, and the fifth graders
did the swing,
electric slide and pop dances from the 1990's.
Thanks to the PTA for their generous sponsorship of
quality Arts in Education programs.
Charlton Heights Celebrates 50th Anniversary Charlton
Heights is celebrating our 50th Anniversary in the
fall of 2008. The school was completed in 1958,
and we have planned some
special events for our community.
Monday, September 29-
50th Celebration Assembly
Students, staff and retirees gathered to celebrate the
50th Anniversary of Charlton Heights. The
program included a welcome by Principal Tim Sinnenberg, the pledge
led by Student Council Officers Alex Glowa, Tyler Jessee,
Casey Doherty and Luke LeBel, and a welcome from Board
of Education member Robert Speck. Superintendent
of Schools Jim Schultz donated several books to the
school library, and a painting donated by the family of
Dell Nessle was given to Charlton Heights in honor of
Mrs. Nessle, who was the last teacher at one-room school
house #7, the former Little Troy School. Student
Council representatives presented roses to our school
retirees, and Town of Charlton Supervisor Alan Grattidge
and Charlton Historian Laura Linder presented a historical
marker and resolution to honor the occasion.
Ballston Town Historian Rick Reynolds gave a
presentation about Bob Garling, who painted a beautiful
mural in the halls of the school, and staff member
Cathleen Buff put together a power point presentation
celebrating our past and future. Music Teacher
Gina Kirsty led the students in singing "The Star
Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America." Thanks
to everyone who helped organize the event. You can
view information about the retirees and former staff
members by clicking below:
Tuesday, September 30
A school spelling bee was held at
1:45 p.m. in the gymnasium for students in grades 4 and
5. The winner of the fifth grade Spelling Bee was Sierra
Bach, and Tony Serafini won from fourth grade.
Thursday, October 2-
School History Day Students
learned about the history of the school through
books, newspaper articles, and through other
activities. At 2:00 p.m. the school gathered in
the gymnasium to celebrate students who completed their
Summer Reading Challenge. Later, students went to the
Magic Maze to plant a tree in honor of
our 50th
Anniversary.
Friday, October 3- Color Me Cooperative This
event was postponed due to inclement weather. It
will be rescheduled for another date, and details will
be sent home about the cooperative learning
day.
The day culminated with a PTA sponsored
Sock Hop in the evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A
great time was had by all in attendance.
School Report Card posted: On
August 11, 2008, the NY State Education Department made the 2006-07 Report Cards for all NY schools public
on its website. You can view or download this
compilation of 2006-07 test scores, class size, attendance and other data for the
Charlton Heights
Elementary School here (pdf
format). More information and the report cards for all
the schools in our district can also be viewed on the
State Ed. website by clicking on "Saratoga County" at
New York State Report Cards.
2008-09
info for parents Info on
this website includes our Student & Parent Handbook that describes
Charlton Heights School
programs, services and "rules of the road."
It has been updated for 2008-09.
Click on Student Handbook on the right for a copy of
this pdf file. (Requires Acrobat Reader.)
1,001 Books
continues at Charlton Heights!
Thanks to great support by Charlton
Heights families, community members and staff, the
"1001 Book Kid" program is continuing into
the second year of operation.
The ultimate goal of the program is
that each child
will have heard 1001 stories and have formed a bond
with books and reading that will last a lifetime.
Research concludes that “there is no more important
activity for preparing your child to succeed as a
reader than reading aloud together.” The “1001 Book
Kids” program is one way we can help our busy
families access good books to read to their children
in a quick and easy way.
The program works in the following
manner. We will provide 100 bags, each of which
contains ten high quality, age appropriate
children’s books. The bags will be located in the
Charlton Heights Main Office Lobby where they are
easily accessible before, during and after school
hours. Families who participate can borrow a bag
for a week and share the books with their children.
Upon return of the bag, they perform some simple
record keeping, and then borrow a new bag. After
reading 100 bags of books, the child will then
listen to their 1,001st story from the
principal. There will be incentives offered along
the way as families reach the milestones of 25, 50,
75, and finally, 100 bags.
You can view
more information about the program by going to
1001 Book Kid.
Turn
in your Transportation Request forms now
The
Color Me Cooperative Day was held on June
8, and began at 9:00 a.m. on the back playing
fields. Children were grouped onto six colored
teams: blue, white, blue, red, maroon, gray and green.
The students participated in three
cooperative games throughout the morning. Some of
the activities included knots, amoeba race, frisbee golf,
five point basketball shoot, stepping stone relay race,
three legged race and the tug of war. A great time
was had by all, and the children all exhibited great
sportsmanship and cooperation. Congratulations to
all!
The 
The
National PTA 
The
fifth grade students at Charlton Heights learned about
ecosystems and how humans and their actions through
history have affected the environmental ecosystem in the
Hudson and Mohawk Valley area over the past 400 years.
The interdisciplinary partnership with Chris Holder was planned by fifth grade staff,
and special area teachers including art, music, physical
education and library. The students researched
specific aspects of ecosystems and presented an
entire school assembly on March 11 at 1:45 p.m. in the
gymnasium. Chris Holder is an actor, singer,
storyteller, songwriter and master Teaching Artist in
arts in education settings across the Northeast.
This program was funded in part by the Decentralization
Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council
on the Arts, administered by the Saratoga County Arts
Council.
Twenty
three fourth and fifth graders from the After-School
Enrichment Drama Club presented Toby Tyler
on Thursday, February 12, at 1:45 p.m. in the gymnasium.
The
show was about a young boy, Toby Tyler, who decided to
join the circus. There, he met many friends such
as a trapeze artist, living skeleton, and a snake
charmer. He also meets a gypsy and peanut seller
who may not have his best interests at heart. 
Charlton
Heights students participated in our annual fire safety
program and competed in the poster contest.
Thank you very much to the Charlton Fire Department
volunteers who came to school on October 15 for our day
of fire prevention information. The following students
are the winners for their grade level and will receive a
$50 savings bond from the Charlton Fire Department.
They will also enjoy a ride to school in a fire truck. 
