stoddertblog

New Zealand school bans birthday cake

2008-04-07T09:11:00.001-07:00

No happy returns as school bans birthday cake
Fri Apr 4, 1:39 PM ET

Children in a New Zealand school have been banned from bringing cakes to share on their birthdays, due to new government healthy eating guidelines.
Pupils at Oteha Valley primary school north of Auckland have been told they are allowed to celebrate their birthdays, but the cake must stay at home, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.
The Ministry of Education has been on a fat-busting crusade, introducing sweeping guidelines against unhealthy food in New Zealand schools.
Oteha Valley has a large number of pupils born in September and October, and there can be up to four cakes a week in some classes, principal Megan Bowden told the Herald.
It had gotten to the point where parents thought they were required to provide a cake for their child's birthday.
The school has advised parents in a newsletter to stop sending cakes to school from the next term.
A Ministry of Education spokesman told the Herald the government guidelines only applied to food sold on the premises, and schools did not need to monitor food brought in from outside.

(Reporting by Adrian Bathgate; Editing by Valerie Lee)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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Fwd: Fillmore Dinner with an Artist information for listserv and newsletter

2008-02-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

[Hi Wendy! -- would you be so kind as to send this out to Stoddert parents? I've attached a PDF but I'm not sure how attachments work with your program, so don't worry if you can't send that. Chantale (think that is you), could this go on the blog site? Thanks a million! Karen]

Dear Stoddert Parents,

Fillmore Arts Center is currently selling tickets for its annual fundraiser, Dinner with an Artist, which will take place on Thursday, March 6, 2008. It's a rare chance to enjoy a very special, intimate evening with some of Washington's brightest artistic stars. This year's artists are remarkable: chef Nora Poullion, artistic director Michael Kahn, musician Chuck Brown, and choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess, among others.

And the best part? ALL of the money collected goes back to Fillmore to support the arts programs that your children enjoy EVERY WEEK. Rarely do you find such an "everybody wins" prospect!

Please have a look at the event description located at the following web address: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/415022

Even if you personally cannot attend, please forward the email to anyone and everyone you know who might be interested. The price and contact information for purchasing tickets are at the bottom of the flyer.

Thanks for your attention. Remember, if you ever have any questions about Fillmore, please contact me, your Stoddert Fillmore representative!

Sincerely,

Karen O'Connor-Floman
koconnorfloman@gmail.com
202-342-6046 / 202-491-3776

RE: Too much television at school

2008-01-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

Jennie and all,

Thank you for bringing this matter up at the PTA meeting and on this blog.
I am sorry I was unable to make it to the last PTA meeting since I was
thinking of bringing up this very issue. I am "shocked" to learn that
movies are shown on buses during some field trips. I don't remember
signing up for that.

We have a TV-free home and as much as I would like my daughter not to be
subjected to it at school, I know that it would be an uphill battle if I
choose to take it up. However, I do think that addressing the quantity and
quality of what is shown at school is appropriate and I would be happy to
discuss it further. I like the idea of a video library of
grade-appropriate, educational films. I also like the idea of a recess kit
and would also be willing to help put something together.

Kam...

TV in School

2008-01-21T09:04:00.001-08:00

Martha:

That's a great idea. Can you make a proposal for the next PTA
meeting? If the cost is less than $500, the PTA executive board can
decide and we don't need to go to the entire PTA.

Chantale

RE: Too much television at school

2008-01-21T05:30:00.001-08:00




Jennie,

Thank you for your posting and your very well articulated thoughts.  
I couldn't agree more  - there is far too much television at school.  
However I understand that inclement weather is difficult for 
teachers and aftercare staff. 

How do people feel about using some of the PTA funds to create 
a formal indoor recess kit for each class and for aftercare?  Within 
each kit there could be a number of age appropriate videos 
(films as well as educational NatGeo/Discovery/PBS videos, I know I 
have some I could donate), board games, and simple arts and crafts 
projects (beading, easy clean-up paints, play-doh, etc.).  The PTA 
would provide the funds, the parents would be in charge
of stocking the kit (with input from the teachers)and the teachers 
would decide how to use them.  This would not be something we 
would be imposing on the teachers, it would be more of our 
providing some rainy-day tools for them.  Perhaps the room parents 
could coordinate this per class?  I volunteer
to help coordinate the kits for my kids' classes.

Thoughts?

Martha

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The Quality and Quantity of TV in School

2008-01-19T10:31:00.001-08:00

We started a discussion about television in school at the tail end of the Jan. 16 PTA meeting; unfortunately, due to the late hour, the discussion was truncated. I mentioned that I was surprised and distressed about the quantity and quality of television my son has been watching since starting Stoddert.

It seems that movies are shown in the classroom at recess if it is raining (unfortunately, we've had a lot of rain). However, when you add the movie that is shown in aftercare, if it's raining, this may add up to two or three hours of TV that day at Stoddert. Additionally, movies may be shown in class for special occasions. But I was particularly shocked about the movie on the bus of the field trip--I feel this is (a) unnecessary; and (b) that passengers are unfairly captive viewers (I think the particular movie at that time was a somewhat violent/gruesome dinosaur movie).

However, there are two points to this issue (1) Quantity and (2) Quality. There are an innumerable amount of films that are both entertaining and educational produced by PBS and National Geographic (for kids) as well as other outlets. And given that this is a school, I would assume that educational quality would be a priority.

Many people make the mistaken assumption that because something is animated, it is appropriate for children. Some age-old favorites like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, or Tom and Jerry have a surprising amount of guns and shooting in them (and studies do show that young kids seeing violent media are more likely to act out aggressively to peers). Also, what might be okay for 7 year olds is not necessarily okay for 4 and 5 year olds. I know, because I have seen my son's fitful night sleep on the evening after a seemingly benign movie was shown at school.

A parent told me that DCPS may have a list of approved films for showing in schools. I am working to find out more about this.

I feel that we, as adults today, are too quick to plug children in front of a screen to make them still and quiet. But on a bus, where there is scenery to look at, or songs to sing, it is really not called for. Adults in an educational environment should be encouraged to lead children in songs, or games, or know how to interact with them (as our teachers and aftercare staff do the great majority of the time) rather than choosing, too quickly, to plug them in front of a screen. I know that the absence of a gym for indoor play is a disadvantage. In that case, I would be eager to see a list of films, or a library of films that teachers can use, perhaps marked by grade level, or with some procedure for selecting films, rather than an individual's spontaneous judgment that a certain film is appropriate for all the children.

I look forward to hearing what others think.

--Jennie B.