The latest announcements from the Principal and the PTO...

The Newton Cultural Center announced the 2012 Spelling Bee Winners (with apologies for any omissions or errors)

Due to space considerations, all winners will not be printed here but we are proud to share with you the names of Zervas students, past and present who placed within their grade level:

1st Grade
First group:
1st place tie - Maya Jha (Zervas), Nikhil Kothari (Horace Mann), Eric Zhang (Franklin)

3rd Grade
Third group:
1st place tie– Anna Kovarzin (Zervas), Ellie Wang

4th Grade
Second group:
1st place tie – Kathryn Rhatigan (Zervas), Ethan Kopf ((Zervas)

Sixth Grade
3rd place– Kristen Miquel (Oak Hill, formerly Zervas)

Congratulations to all!

The Lost and Found now covers two tables in the main hall at school. Please take a minute to come into the building at drop-off or pickup and check through the Lost and Found items for your child’s coats, gloves, water bottles, etc. At the end of the month all unclaimed items will be donated to charity so please retrieve your possessions if you want them.

Massachusetts Safe Routes to School and Schools all over the Commonwealth will participate in Massachusetts Walk to School Day next Wednesday, May 2nd, when students will join together to walk and bicycle to school.

There are lots of ways to celebrate! It can be as easy as students walking/biking together with parents or friends to Zervas, or by parents and kids organizing a walking school bus for their neighborhood for the walk to Zervas.

We’re looking for volunteers to help coordinate Walk to School Activities for their neighborhood for this Spring’s walk. Please contact Joe Sypek at jpsypek1@verizon.net or 617-721-9058.

The Case Against Driving

- Can you imagine the congestion that would result if each and every student was dropped at school individually by car?
- Walking, cycling, or using public transportation is important to help relieve
congestion around the school for health and safety of all.
- Students who walk or bike to school have the added benefit of exercise
which helps improve health outcomes and academic performance.
- Helps make the Newton and the Zervas community a more environmentally
friendly place.

- If you must drive to school, consider carpooling and/or dropping your child
off at a safe location near school instead of in the blue zone and then walk to school with them, or encourage your family to walk to school at least once or twice a week if they can.

NewtonZerves will take place this Sunday, April 29th from 9:00 am – 2:00pm. We need all available volunteers to help with beautification and improvement projects at Zervas. Online registration will remain open until Thursday, April 26th and new this year, only pre-registration will guarrantee you a T-shirt.

To review the benefits of participating:

• Donuts will be served at Zervas at 9:00am
• Pre-registered volunteers will receive a stylish NewtonServes 2012 T-shirt!!
• Delicious ice cream sundaes are provided by Cabot’s at City Hall at 3:00 pm.
• Zervas grounds will become even more beautiful than they are now.

Please click here to register. After you complete the information requested at the top, please scroll down to the very bottom of the form to check the box next to Zervas School. If you have any questions, please contact Caroline Wilson at cwilsonsemail@gmail.com.

Thanks and we’ll see you on April 29th!

We are looking for a few more props for the 5th Grade musical, Oliver!

If you can spare any of the following until after the performances at the end of May, please let Liz Beckett know as soon as possible on 617-331-0455lizbloodworth@hotmail.com :

- Pewter tavern mugs – 8 needed in total
- large soup tureen & ladle
- a necklace with a locket that opens
- fake strawberries, either in a basket or on their own

The 5th grade has partnered with local vendors who have agreed to support the Zervas 5th grade graduation fund by donating a portion of their proceeds from sales to Zervas families, as follows.

1. This week (4/23 – 4/27) is Zervas Week at South Street Market Café in Waltham. Bring your Zervas week flyer to South Street Market, order lunch or dinner for your family and Zervas 5th grade fund will receive 30% of the price of your purchase to support year end events. South Street Market is located at the corner of Turner and South Streets in Waltham, right near the Brandeis / Roberts Commuter Rail T Stop.

2. Next week (4/30 – 5/5) is Zervas Week at Tango Mango in Newton Centre. Bring your Zervas flyer to Tango Mango and 20% of your purchase price will be donated to the Zervas 5th grade. (Tango Mango Flyers will be distributed in school this week).

The Library Staff at Zervas invites all students, faculty, staff and families
to celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day on
Thursday, April 26, 2012!

It’s time to celebrate Poetry Month!  For the 3rd year, Zervas will be abuzz with poetry on Poem in Your Pocket Day.  To participate, students and staff will select a poem they love during the next two weeks and then carry it with them to share with classmates, students, teachers, and staff on April 26, 2012. Nationally, poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores. We are even hoping to connect with schools around the country via Skype!

Before then, check out Continue reading →

On Thursday, April 26th, the Respect for Human Differences committee and the PTO are bringing two terrific social skills-through-yo-yo shows to Zervas for the K-4 classes. Parents are welcome to attend either or both shows. Ooch is just as entertaining for adults as he is for kids. Here are some descriptions from the website of “Ooch” – the yo-yo entertainer, which you can check out at http://www.oochworld.com. Click on “Shows” for more information:

“Brett Outchcunis [ooch-KOO-nis] is a professional personality and life coach for kids who focuses on making positive life choices for a healthy state of mind and spirit through the use of comedy, music, dance, story-telling, yo-yos and improv, making his shows quite a kinesthetic learning experience.”

At 9:00 am, the K-2 classes will enjoy his “Positive Spin”program that “empowers every student to turn negative situations into positive ones… offering the students tips and tricks relating to such issues as popularity, making and keeping friends, earning respect of teachers and peers, becoming comfortable in your own skin, bullying and dealing with failure. Through the use of his own personal stories and the help ofmusic, magic, imagination, yo-yos and dance, Ooch puts a positive spin on the challenges of growing up.” At 10:15, grades 3-4 will get to experience his “Secrets to Being Social” show, which “breaks “being social” into three categories: Talking, Listening and Being: What we say, how we listen and how to be with other people in a pleasant way. With the help of humor, music, dance and his yo-yo, Ooch illustrates and elaborates on the tips and tricks that make social skills a fun part of everyday life.”

These shows will be a great way to welcome the students back after spring break and put a “positive spin” on the rest of the school year.