A Message from Mr. Dulin

On behalf of the administration and staff at Clayton, we would like to wish everyone a safe and happy winter break. Our winter break begins December 24^th thru January 3, 2010. School reopens on Monday, January 4, 2010.

Christmas Program – Ms. Minear

This year’s annual Christmas program will be Tuesday, December 22^nd @ 7:00 pm in the school gymnasium. Our program will feature our 3^rd grade chorus singing a variety of Christmas carols. Our 4^th grade will be performing “North Pole Exposure “. There will also be daytime dress rehearsals open to friends and family members. Those performances are Monday, December 21^st & Tuesday, December 22^nd @ 1:30 pm. Come join us for an evening of holiday cheer!
On Wednesday, December 23^rd Kindergarten, 1^st & 2^nd grade students will be hosting our annual sing-a-long to be held in the gymnasium at 2:00 pm. We hope to see you there!!

PTO Sponsored Santa’s Secret Shop & Cookies with Santa

Santa’s Secret Shop gives children the opportunity to purchase small inexpensive gifts for their family for the Holiday Season! The shop will be open Monday, December 7^th thru Friday, December 11^th from 10 am – 2 pm.
Monday, December 14^th, you are invited to join Santa in the Kid’s Café at 6:00 pm for juice and cookies. Escudero Photography will be here for pictures with Santa.

PTO News

On Monday, November 23^rd the top eight sellers of the fall fundraiser enjoyed lunch and a limousine ride to Dover McDonalds. The winners were: Ellisa Govin – 4^th grade, Karlyn Schuler – 4^th grade, Kaylee Davis – 1^st grade, Julia Kreck – Kindergarten, Dakota Shaffner – Kindergarten, Kaylee Sharp – Kindergarten, Colby Morris – Kindergarten & Cameron Edge – Kindergarten
If you missed out last year, we have left over yearbooks for sale in the school office for $12. Make checks payable to CES PTO.

Inclement Weather Reminders

When school is delayed or closed due to fog, snow or ice the Alert Now system will call the telephone numbers you have provided as early as 5:30 a.m. If your home telephone or cell phone numbers change please contact the office as soon as possible so we can update the system.

In case of inclement weather and school is delayed one hour Breakfast Club still opens at 7:00 a.m.
If school is delayed two hours or closed for the day there will be no Breakfast Club. Other arrangements must be made for your child(ren). Refunds will not be available due to these cancellations. If you should have any questions please contact SSD Child Nutrition Office @ 653-3134.

Nurses Notes – Mrs. Cohen, RN, BSN

December 16^th is our second flu clinic. You must fill out a second consent form for your child to participate. Forms went home the day of the first clinic, to children who received the vaccine that day. Forms must be filled out completely. If you did not receive a consent form, contact my office and one will be sent home – please return it ASAP.
The Delaware Healthy Children Program offers reduced cost health insurance for children whose families are without health insurance. It can even be a supplement for families who feel they are under insured. For any family that has lost insurance or you feel you are under insured, please contact the Delaware Healthy Children Program at 1-800-996-9969.

The James Williams Service Center in Dover can provide a multitude of free or low cost services for families who qualify: such as immunizations, lead draws, well appointments, dental care, and TB services. Students with this health insurance program can visit Medicaid accepting dentists. Call me for a list of participating dentists.

The second week in December we are doing our annual canned food and toiletry drive. Each day is a different theme and costs at least one caned good or toiletries. All food collected is donated to a local food pantry and all toiletries collected are donated to Pinnacle Nursing Home in a program conducted by Mrs. Bernhard, our counselor.

Monday: Team Day – wear your favorite Jersey or sports colors

Tuesday: Hat Day – nothing offensive

Wednesday: Pajama Day – wear your shoes and bring slippers in your book bag

Thursday: Twin Day – dress identical to your BFF

Friday: Mismatch Day – wear completely crazy mismatched clothes

Counselor’s Corner – Mrs. Bernhard

Take a Break!

The holidays are a busy and often stressful time for everyone. There’s extra shopping to do, parties to plan, dinners to make, and guests to entertain. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of activities and forget about the reasons for celebrating. I believe that Generosity is the real reason we come together. Gifts are great, but the highest gift of the holidays is giving: to see the goodness in another, to recognize, acknowledge and reflect this goodness back to them. When you feel stressed, Take a break from all the business of the holidays. Your children will appreciate this. Giving can be done with a loving look, a kind gesture, a warm embrace, a few words of encouragement, or an expression that is as rich and elaborate as you wish. Take time to read a story, give a hug, reflect on your joys, or sing a song. Also, encourage the idea of contentment with your child. Write down all of the successful and positive things you’ve already accomplished as a family. If possible, Donate your time. There are many organizations that can use helping hands during the busy holiday season. As cliche as it sounds, donate your time to a soup kitchen or make a meal for the poor. Contact the Salvation Army or your local United Way organization to see where they need help. Our school has a Christmas Adopt-a-Child Program, where you can provide small gifts, clothing and toys for a child in need. Visit the less fortunate. Nursing homes and orphanages are full of people who feel extremely lonely during the holidays. Bring gifts or snacks and visit the less fortunate. Bring flowers to an elderly person or make Christmas cards for orphaned children. Gather a group of friends together and go Christmas caroling at a nursing home. In addition, leave some cookies for a struggling single parent and offer to help out with babysitting.

Remember:

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."-Winston Churchill