Habit of Mind for October

Questioning and Posing Problems:

“Nothing shapes our journey through life so much as thequestions we ask.” Greg Levoy

Our goal in teaching students to think and perform at a higherlevel is for them to have curiosity and ask questions. Students need to have aquestioning attitude, know what information is needed and develop questioningstrategies to find the information. We need them to find problems to solve.They need to ask themselves how do I know?

Persisting (All Year): Stick to it until you do it!

Here are examples of some books that have the Habits of Mind for Questioning and Posing Problems:

Airmail To The Moon by Tom Birdseye, Amelia Bedelia by PeggyParrish, Anna Banana and Me by Lenore Blegvad, Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner by Amy Schwartz, Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott, Autumn Harvest by AlvinTresselt, Big Al by Andrew Clements, Brave Irene by William Steig, Busybody Nora by Johanna Hurwitz, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, Curious George by H.A. Rey, The Fisherman and His Wife & The Four Clever Brothers by Mitsumasa Anno, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. B. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg and Jumangi by Chris VanAllsburg.

Music for November

During the month of November as our children arrive and have breakfast, we will listen to the masterpieces of Antonio Vivaldi.

Parent Conferences for Report Cards

All parents areencouraged to make an appointment for a parent/teacher conference to go over the first-quarter report cards and other student assessments. We will hold the November 10th report cards until these conferences can be held.

Downtown Pocket Park If you have not seen the beautiful wall downtown with our Overton students' handmade tiles you are in for a treat. The tiles are so well done with so much variety. Landscaping, brickpavers and the bronze marker are now in place. Congratulations to the Overton students whose tiles are displayed: Katie Bullock, Kariana Williams, and Tessa Halpin.  A dedication of the pocket park will take place November 21^st.   

Blue Planet – November 21, 2009   From the unique vantage point of 200 miles aboveEarth's surface, we see how natural forces - volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes - affect our world, and how a powerful new force - human kind - has begun to alter the face of the planet.

Blue Planet offers an eloquent reminder--and a cautionary warning--that the planet Earth is a delicate living organism, constantly reshaped and rejuvenated by the awesome forces of nature. The Earth's delicacy is emphasized by stunning views from space, filmed by NASA astronauts in orbit above the Earth's surface. Blue Planet inspires a new appreciation of life on Earth, our only home.
The Margaret C. Woodson Planetarium at Horizons Unlimited invites you to joins us for this informative planetarium program at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21st. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.  Admission is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children 12 and under. Guests should park and enter in the back of the building accessible from Lilly Avenue. For information, contact Horizons Unlimited at 704/639-3004 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

White Christmas Canned Food Drive

Overton will participate in the Salvation Army’s canned food drive. Nonperishable food items will be collected beginning November 1st. This drive is one of the many ways Overton students are showing empathy and compassion to others in need.Thank you in advance for your support!

Early Release Days

During the 2009-2010 school year there are four days that students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. The school staff will use the remainder of the day for staff development. Those days are November 24th, March 17th andApril 1st. Students will be fed lunch before they are dismissed.

School Improvement Team Parents are always welcome to attend School Improvement Meetings as visitors. Meeting dates are December 14, January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, and May 20 at 2:30 p.m. Parents are also always welcome to attend School Improvement Meetings as a visitor.

World Book Online

Allschools now have access to World Book Online. This is a great resource for allgrade levels and may be used at school and at home. There are three differentlevels including World Book Kids, World Book Student, and World Book Advanced.To access thesite, go to www.worldbookonline.com

The user name is rsmedia and the passwordis rsmedia.

Ways Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Friends, and Neighbors can help Overton

1.   Please link or relink your Food Lion MVP Card (Lion Shop and Share) to Overton Elementary by going online to www.foodlion.com, then "Lion Shop and Share", and then "Register MVP Cards".

2.   Please link or relink your Harris Teeter VIC Card (Together in Education) to Overton Elementary. Overton's ID number is 1816. You may link at Harris Teeteras you purchase groceries or go online towww.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/link_to_your_school.aspx 

3.   Please check your cereal, cake mix boxes, flour bags, and other grocery items tosee if they have the logo for "Box Tops for Education." If you see this logo, please cut it out and send it to school. Our PTA can redeem these Box Tops to help our children.

4.   Please provide Overton's ID number (70062374) while shopping at Office Depot.Overton receives 5% of the purchase.

5.   Please link your Target card to Overton. Overton receives a % of the purchase.

6.   Please collect and send in Flip Tabs from canned drinks. Our student government collects these flip tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.

7.   Attend Family Dinner Nights at Sonic, Frost Bites, McDonald's, Chick-Fil-A, and Jersey Mike's for fun fellowship and the school receives a % back!

8.   Buy an Overton magnet for $5 each. Contact the office to purchase.

Keep up to date on a weekly basis by onlineaccess: http://new.schoolnotes.com/bettytunks/

Dates to Remember:

November 17^th         7:00 PTA Meeting/ Musical Entertainment and Bookfair open

November 18th Student Council Meeting, 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

November 20^th                        End of 3^rd Month

November 23^rd               5:00 p.m. Board of Education Meeting

November 24^th                Early Release Day, 11:45 dismissal

                                    Service Above Self Awards, 6:30

November 25^th -27^th             Thanksgiving Days Off

Mission Statement:  The Overton staff, in partnership with students and their families, will provide a safe and orderly environment in which all students have the opportunity to achieve academic success and to develop the character, which will enable them to become responsible members of society.