Winter Break December 19- January 2

Happy Holidays...we hope you enjoy this time with your families.  School resumes on Tuesday, January 3.

Fifth Grade Spelling Bee Tuesday, December 13

You are invited to our fifth grade Spelling Bee that is being held in the school cafeteria Tuesday, December 13 at 9:00 a.m. .  The fifth grades students have been practicing and are ready to spell for the championship.  Good luck fifth graders!

Congratulations to Pauline Gonzales

Pauline Gonzales, second grade teacher at New Berlin, was selected by First Coast News as Teacher of the Week.  Phil Amato's interview with Mrs. Gonzales will be aired Wednesday, December 14 on  Good Morning Jacksonville.  Congratulations to Mrs. Gonzales.  Her dedication and commitment to the misison of the school is outstanding.

Polar Express Night, Thursday December 15

Grab your surf board.  Polar Express Night is Thursday, December 15 at 6:00p.m.  This year, it's Florida Style.  Come hear your favorite teacher read the story and afterwards particiapte in some fun activities.  There will also be a Toys for Tots toy drive.  Students who bring a toy will received a homework pass and help a child have a great holiday.  Mark this night on your calendar and join in the fun!

Thanksgiving Holidays

There is no school Nov. 23 - Nov. 28.  School resumes on Tuesday,November 29.  Enjoy this time with your family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you NBE Community

Thank you for supporting the Fall Book Fair, the Awards Ceremonies, and Chick-fil-A Spirit Night.  It is because of your financial support that we are able to have such a great school for our students.  Our book fair profits totaled around $7,000 dollars.  This money will be used to purchase addittional books for the Media Center.  Money earned at the Chick-fil-A Spirit Night will be used for student incentives. 

Furthermore, thank you for attending the Awards Ceremonies.  It is a pleasure to honor your students for their great work!

Veteran's Day Flag Raising Ceremony

New Berlin Elementary Honors Veterans with Flag Retirement Ceremony

Hundreds of students, teachers, parents and staff at New Berlin Elementary gathered around the school flag pole to honor the veterans with a new American flag. After retiring the flag that flew since the school’s inception five years ago, the U.S. Navy Honor Guard arrived to present New Berlin Elementary with a new American flag.

The flag retirement ceremony began the celebration of Veterans Day by honoring those who have served for our country. The Honor Guard officers explained the process and meaning of retiring an American flag.

“Today, we are honoring the veterans,” said Principal Reese. “The U.S. Navy Honor Guard presented a new flag after retiring our flag of five years. We want our children to learn about patriotism and appreciate that they’re living in a country that’s free.”

New Berlin Elementary welcomed the men and women who participated in the ceremony. Thank you to AM2 Jay Wilson, ET2 Rick Jimenez, AEC Kevin Tracy, Petty Officer Johnson and AM3 Horton for your service and passion for this country, its values and our freedom.

As the new flag hung high above the school representing freedom, liberty and peace, the fourth- and fifth-grade students sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “This is America.”

“It’s incredible to instill patriotic virtues within our children,” said Frank Nettles, New Berlin’s music teacher. “The fourth- and fifth-graders perfected the patriotic songs that they’re performing today.”

Mrs. Soles’ second-grade class performed a skit of the book of the month, “America’s White Table,” by Margot Theis Raven. Students passed the microphone as they described the table’s symbols for the fallen, missing and captive service members. The ceremony concluded by recognizing all veterans who were present.

To view pictures from the ceremony, visit the DCPS’ flickr photostream

1st Nine Weeks Awards Ceremonies

Parents,
Please join us this week to celebrate your child's academic success for the first nine weeks.   Awards will be given out in the classroom.  Please see the schedule below for dates and times.

Awards
Tuesday, Nov. 15
9:00 Kindergarten
9:30 First Grade

Wednesday, Nov. 16
9:00 Fourth Grade
9:30 Fifth Grade

Thursday, Nov. 17
9:00 Second Grade
9:30 Third Grade

New Berlin Flag Raising Ceremony November 10, 2011

In honor of Veteran's Day, New Berlin Elementary will hold a flag retirement ceremony as well as a new flag raising this Thursday, November 10th. A Naval Honor Guard will be on hand to retire the old flag and will explain to students the meaning and reason for doing this ceremony. The Honor Guard members will include flag handlers AM2 Jay Wilson and ET2 Rick Jimenez, along with narrator AEC Kevin Tracy. The flag, which has been flying since the school opened 5 years ago, will be folded and presented to Principal Wanda Reese and then displayed in the case in the front office.

4th and 5th graders will sing the "Star Spangled Banner" and "This is America", and Mrs. Soles 2nd grade class will be acting out the Book of the Month, "America's White Table", by Margot Thesis Raven. It is a book that emphasizes honoring, remembering and respecting our service members, something especially important on the Veteran's Day holiday.

We hope NBE parents and community members will join us for this special event.


Marla Bryant
DCPS Good News Ambassador
for New Berlin Elementary

November Newsletter page 1

New Berlin November Newsletter P.1 -

November Newsletter page 2

November Newsletter page 2 -

RTI Parent Workshop Friday, November 4

Please join us Friday, November 4th at 9:00 a.m. for a parent work shop on RTI.  Response to Intervention (RtI) provides a framework that schools use to design instruction that meets the needs of ALL students. This presentation will focus on the big ideas associated with RtI. It will also highlight how New Berlin is implementing RTI.  Please check your child's agenda for a flyer and RSVP now. 

Out of this World Book Fair Starts Nov. 4

Don't miss New Berlin's Scholastic Book Fair.  It begins on Friday, November 4th and runs through Thursday, November 17.   Students will attend the book fair on their media resource day or may shop before school.  Family night will be Tuesday, November 8.  On that night, the book fair will be open until 6:30p.m.    Reading is out of this world at New Berlin!

4th and 5th Grade Students to Perform October 25

Please join us Tuesday evening, October 25 at 6:30p.m. in the school cafeteria  for our 4th and 5th grade performance. The students will be performing patriotic songs. Mr. Nettles and the students have been practicing and are looking forward to the show. Please mark this special night on your calendar.

October 24- 28 Red Ribbon Week- Just Say No to Drugs

This week is national Just Say No to Drugs week. New Berlin will be participating with the following activities.

Red Ribbon Week

Monday (24Oct) – RED-y to be Drug Free! Wear red to take a stand against drugs.

Tuesday (25 Oct) – Make a sign for your door that says “Close The Door On Drugs.”

Wednesday (26 Oct) - Stay in the Game; Be Drug Free! Everyone wears warm ups or athletic wear to represent choosing a drug-free lifestyle.

Thursday (27 Oct) – Team up against Drugs! Wear your favorite team shirts or jerseys and choose sports not drugs.

All Star Learning Night October 20

Thanks for supporting NBE's All Star Learning Night. Here are a few highlights from the evening.

Literacy Pumpkins

All Star Volunteers

Thanks to all the volunteers who donated thier time to help with vision screening. Your help was greatly appreciated.

All Star Learning Night October 20

Hope you can join us Thursday for our ALL STAR LEARNING NIGHT Thursday evening starting at 6:00pm. A lot of fun learning activities have been planned. Maggie the Reading Dog will be there, South Paw from the Jacksonville Suns and our annual Literacy Pumpkin Patch. The patols will be selling hotdogs, so don't worry about dinner. All purchaes will be cash only. Also, T-shirts will be on sale for $8.00.

Please join us for all the fun! Students will get a free homework pass for attending,

New Berlin Kicks Off Annual Start the Arts Competition with a Parade

New Berlin is excited about the Arts! The school kicked off its annual PTA Reflections competition with a "Start the Arts" parade in October. Each class toured the school, visiting artists from six different art genres along the route. These art stations included literature, film/video production, photography, visual arts, musical composition and dance/choreography stations. Students then were encouraged to express themselves in one of these categories by creating artwork that goes with this year's theme PTA Reflections theme: "Diversity means....". The entries are due on November 4th, and a group of judges, which includes NBE Art Teacher Sara Hadden, will choose the favorite artwork in each category, with the top winners going on to compete in the DCPS PTA Reflections competition.

New Berlin Newsletter Page 1

October Newsletter Page1 Updated -

Team New Berlin Newsletter Page 2

October Newsletter page 2 updated -

New Berlin Team News

A free newsletter by Smilebox

Early Release October 5th

FALL DANCE

The Safety Patrols are sponsoring New Berlin's annual fall dances.  K-2 is Thusrday, October 6, from 3:00-4:30 and grades 3-5 is Friday, October 7.  All students must have a signed permission slip to attend.  Entrance into the dance is $5.00.  Please contact your child's teacher for a permission slip.  Let's boogie... NBE!

Great Things Happening at New Berlin

New Berlin was featured on DCPS website... checkout the story
http://www.duvalschools.org/static/contact/communications/spotlight/2012/0926b.asp

Progress Reports

Prorgress reports go home Monday, Sept. 26.  Please check your child's bookbag for this document.  Don't forget to sign and return to your child's teacher.

Elephanormous Reading Challenge

Students at New Berlin Elementary received a huge reading challenge Tuesday, September 20, by Mr. Toni Vecchio, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Zoo. As part of their yearly reading goal, students will have to read a million words. If each student meets his/her goal, Principal Wanda Reese will have to work in the elephant barn at the zoo helping to clean-up after the elephants. The class who reads the most will be invited to come for a behind the scenes view and their teacher will have to help Mrs. Reese clean the barn. The top readers for each grade level will be invited to come along as well.

For students in grades 3– 5, one million words would be equivalent to 30 chapter books a year. For students in grades K-2, one million words is equivalent to reading or listening to 4 books per day. Research shows reading one million words a year supports students in becoming more proficient readers. It helps develop sufficient vocabulary, as well as creating excitement around reading every day.

The campaign unites the whole school around reading and the Read it Forward Jax Campaign. Students read books at their independent level and select books on their own personal interest. Students are held accountable for their reading in the form of a reading record or book log.

Elephanormous Reading Challenge

Tuesday, September 20, Mr. Toni Vecchio,Executive Director of the Jacksonville Zoo will be visiting New Berlin to share the reading challenge for the year. Be sure to check back to see what the challenge is going to be. It is going to be "elephanormous"! Don't foget to check out the Read it Forward Jax website http://www.duvalschools.org/readitforwardjax/default.htm

Happy Reading!

Be an All Star Volunteer

New Berlin is looking for parents to help with vision screening and the Scholastic Book Fair.  If you are available to help please contact our School Volunteer Liaison Regina Chancey at reginachanceynbe@yahoo.com


Vision Screening is October 10,11 & 12 and the book fair will be held November 4-17.

Picture Day & Open House

Smile.... Picture Day is Tuesday, September 13.

Open House for grades 3-5 Thursday, September 15, 6:00pm-7:30pm.

New Berlin Hosts Annual Grandparent's Tea

There was plenty of love, tea, and cookies at the annual Grandparents Tea that was held at New Berlin Elementary on Friday, September 9. Over 550 grandparents and students gather in the school cafeteria for a time of sharing. Students honored their grandparent by presenting them with a special card and singing the Grandparent's Song. Principal Wanda Reese read the story; Love you Forever by Robert Munsch. A heartwarming story about the love a mother has for her child and the cycle of life. Tears were seen throughout the cafeteria as students and grandparents listened to the story.

Grandparents were honored for having the most grandchildren at New Berlin, for driving the farthest, and for being the oldest grandparent. Each winner received a $15.00 gift card. They were thanked for volunteering at New Berlin and for being positive role models in the lives of the grandchildren. The tea ended by students giving their grandparents a hug and a kiss before reporting back to class.

Ted Anti-Bullying Show

On Friday September 2, all of the students at New Berlin attended the NED show. This was a anti-bullying presentation that teaches kids to Never give up, Encourage others and Do your best - N.E.D. Not only did our students learn how to deal with bullies, but they also learned ways to build great character. NED kept us entertained by telling funny jokes and doing neat tricks with yo-yos. It was a fun Friday event for us all! Take a look at NED...