SCHOOL YEAR 2010 - 2011 ISSUE NO. 3, DECEMBER 2010

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT, HOW YOU CELEBRATE IT, OR WHAT YOUR TRADITIONS, IT’S A MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR!

ARGENTINA

RANDOLPH FLYER ? NEWSLETTER OF THE RANDOLPH FIELD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Each of us has our own views of what the holiday season is about and how to celebrate it. The coming and going of each holiday season is met with excitement and expectation, and departs quickly, leaving behind a whirlwind of memories that each person can look back on and cherish for years to come. Time with family, presents, decorations, feasts... they’re all a part of what we celebrate during this magical time of year. Retailers look forward to increased sales, shoppers look forward to the challenge of finding the best buy of the year, grocers stock EXTRA special food items, attics and storage rooms are emptied of boxes full of shiny, colorful decorations, families plan travel and special events... it’s truly a memorable and hectic time of year. But don’t forget... everyone has a different view of what this holiday is all about and how it’s celebrated. Take a peek through this issue of the Randolph Flyer for a quick peek at how a few countries celebrate this time of year. We think you’ll be interested and excited to learn about all the different traditions around our wonderfully varied globe. There are many ways to say it, but as we say in our home, “We wish you a VERY Merry Christmas!”

Christmas Day in Argentina, like here in the United States, is celebrated on December 25th each year. Many of you would recognize most of the traditions celebrated in Argentina -- trees are set up and decorated with lights, ornaments, small gifts, and even cotton balls to simulate the snow that doesn’t fall in such a warm climate; Nativity scenes are displayed with great care; Homes are adorned with colorful wreaths and garlands. Families reunite to attend religious services and to share wonderful meals and celebrate with song and dance. Midnight on the 24th of December brings fireworks and the opening of gifts that have been anticipated for such a long time. While some families say goodbye and part ways for peaceful slumber, others choose to stay up all night visiting or playing games. One of the wonderful traditions here is the release of colorful paper balloons into the night sky. These balloons (called ‘globos’) are lit with a candle on the

inside, and the hot air makes these beautiful globos fly away into the Christmas night.

Now why on earth is there a ‘?’ in the title?

SOMETIMES IDEAS FALL FLAT SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY’RE BAD

OK, You’ve all read it in past newsletters - that grand idea of renaming the Randolph Flyer... well, we still don’t have an answer. We’ve been asking for suggested names for a possible change to the title of this newsletter, and a couple of you have responded... literally, a couple. Perhaps silence is the loudest answer of all. Come on all you students, parents, staff, teachers... everyone in the RFISD family has a voice in this process. Even if you’re ‘pleased as punch’ with the current name, let us know that too! If everyone thinks “The Randolph Flyer” is the perfect name for this newsletter, let it be known! There’s no rule that says we HAVE to change the name - we just thought it might be an idea embraced by the masses. Perhaps not.

Below is a listing of the suggestions that we’ve received. If you like some of these, have others, or simply want to tell us to “leave well enough alone”, send your comments and suggestions in today! Send them to: newsletter@randolphpto.org.

Some of the submissions for the newsletter renaming have been: The Randolph Hawk, The Randolph Buzz, The Randolph Times, The Randolph Forum, The Randolph Galaxy, The Randolph Observer, The Randolph Comet, and The Randolph Spirit.

The RFISD Sunshine Committee would like to recognize the following staff on their birthdays for the 4th quarter: October: Adriene Allen, Lynda Breidenbach, Becky Garret, Tim Gendron, Manuel Gomez, Aurelio Guerra, Nilufar Hodges, Maria Luepke, Lisa Mines, Blanca Morales, Suzette Nolan, Lorrie Remick, Elena Valdez, Karen Weehler, William Woodland. November: Pat Franklin, Ramona Hafer, Jill Kinsman, Stevie Perrin, Margaret Tisue. December: Ted Bencomo, Susan Bendele, Bruce Cannon, Angiel Flores, Krista Johnson, Candace Peche, Roger Ruder.

Editorial Note: The RFISD Newsletter staff apologizes for any omissions from this list. Though we may have inadvertently left your name off this printing, we wish you the happiest of birthdays and MANY more joyous returns.

Military families: Get help from a professional tutor anytime you

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military

While Christmas is still celebrated on the 25th of December in Japan, some say it is less of a religious holiday, due to the fact that the major religions are Buddhism and Shintoism, and more of a commercial holiday. That doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of festivities, however. You’ll still find trees to be decorated, gifts to be bought, homes to be turned into glowing spectacles trimmed with lights. Some say that a popular Christmas feast in Japan could consist of fried chicken and sponge cake covered with strawberries and whipped cream - a bit like a strawberry shortcake. While this may seem like an odd tradition to some of us here in the United States, it’s an important tradition to some Japanese. Youngsters in Japan look forward to receiving presents from “Hotei-osho”, a Buddhist

monk that, like Santa Claus, leaves presents at each house for good girls and boys. Rather than relying on parental reports

and spying elves to determine a child’s status of “good” or “bad”, Hotei-osho is said to have eyes on the back of his

head, making it impossible to hide bad behavior from him. No matter where you go during this festive time of year, you’re likely to be greeted with a friendly “Meri Kurisumasu”

-- be sure to return the greeting, or Hotei-osho may pass you by this

December 25th!

JAPAN

Lots  of  tradi+ons  exist  in  Sweden,  

and  many  may  be  familiar  to  those  

of  us  on  Randolph.    S+ll,  keep  in  

mind  that  just  like  here  in  the  

United  States,  there  are  many  

different  ways  that  the  Swedes  

celebrate.      In  some  parts  of  

Sweden  the  

season  begins  at  

the  first  of  

December  with  

the  opening  of  

the  Advent  

calendar.    Many  

people  (not  just  

children!)  celebrate  the  beginning  

of  advent  by  watching  a  televised  

version  of  the  advent  calendar.    

Many  young  people  gather  on  the  

evening  of  the  12th  of  December  

(called  Lussevaka)  for  a  night  of  

partys  and  dancing.    Old  tradi+ons  

tell  of  the  dangers  of  falling  asleep  

on  this  night,  so  many  try  to  stay  

awake  the  whole  night!    The  

following  day,  children  dress  in  

special  shirts  and  robes  and  wake  

their  parents  with  a  breakfast  of  

coffee  and  Lucia  bread.    Most  

communi+es  select  a  special  young  

girl  to  be  the  queen  of  lights  (Lucia)  

to  lead  the  other  girls  in  singing  

carols  throughout  the  town  at  

schools,  hospitals  and  shops.      

Candles,  stars,  flowers  and  other  

decora+ons  cover  the  houses  and  

shops  of  the  city.    A  few  days  

before  Christmas,  a  tree  is  brought  

into  the  home  and  decorated  with  

candles,  fruit,  flags  and  small  straw  

ornaments.    Christmas  Eve  is  

celebrated  with  a  large  family  

dinner,  followed  by  someone  

dressing  up  as  the  “tomten”  

or  Christmas  gnome  

(complete  with  robes  and  a  

white  beard)  and  handing  out  

giTs  from  him  sack  of  goodies.    

One  interes+ng  tradi+on  

includes  watching  a  television  

special  starring  the  famous  Kalle  

Anka  Jul  (Donald  Duck!).    Many  

Swedes  aWend  a  special  early-­‐

morning  church  service  on  the  25th  

of  December  and  the  fes+vi+es  

con+nue  to  varying  degrees  un+l  

the  “knutdagen”  (the  13th  of  

January)  when  Christmas  is  officially  

over  and  the  decora+ons  are  

removed.

Sweden UPCOMING C ALENDAR

EVENTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS

Mark your calendars, everyone. Below are a few of the upcoming events that may be of interest at RFISD. Don’t forget to check the school website to see calendars for all three campuses!

ELEMENTARY CAMPUS

HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS

- 5th grade Holiday Performance at 6PM in the Cafeteria, December 9th

- Mrs. McCurdy’s Reading Open House on December 13th

- CiCi’s Pizza PTO night at the Forum Shopping Center on December 14th

- Choir Performance at the Enlisted Club on December 16th

- Come Ride the POLAR EXPRESS on December 17th

- Choir Winter Concert in the Band Hall at 6PM on December 16th

- Band Concert at 6:30PM on December 13th

- Choir Concert at 6PM on December 16th

RFISD SPORTS

Be sure to check the RFISD calendar for all the upcoming sporting events our students will be competing in!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!The RFISD Newsletter Staff is in dire need of contributions! Please consider sending in ideas for inclusion in upcoming issues. Not only will you see your name in print (VERY exciting!), you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas, recipes and tips, poetry and photography, writing skills and drawing skills -- the sky is the limit (so long as it’s appropriate!) Please send submissions to us at newsletter@randolphpto.org

Christmas  in  Ukraine  is  oTen  observed  in  accordance  with  the  

Julian  calendar,  meaning  that  the  holiday  fes+vi+es  begin  on  what  we  know  as  January  6th  and  ending  on  January  19th.    It  may  

seem  odd  to  us  that  Christmas  is  not  in  December,  but  it’s  just  as  odd  to  people  in  Ukraine  that  we  DO  celebrate  in  December.    Some,  however,  choose  to  celebrate  according  to  the  Gregorian  calendar  (like  the  ones  here  in  the  United  States).    As  in  many  countries,  this  holiday  holds  special  religious  significance,  and  the  choice  of  dates  to  celebrate  is  usually  determined  by  the  religious  preference  of  the  person  celebra+ng  (December  for  Catholics  or  January  for  Orthodox).        A  popular  decora+on  is  the  didukh  (wheat  stalks)  to  represent  the  

boun+ful  wheat  crops.    Christmas  Eve  is  highlighted  by  the  sharing  of  the  Sviata  Vechera  (Holy  Supper),  a  12-­‐course  meal  that  starts  with  a  type  of  pudding  

(Ki+a);  Dessert  first!    ATer  dinner,  the  family  gathers  to  sing  Ukrainian  Christmas  Carols  (Kolyadky).    Some  then  head  to  church  for  a  special  midnight  service  that  con+nues  into  the  early  morning  hours  when  the  children  are  visited  by  the  reindeer-­‐pulled  sleigh  carrying  Father  Frost  (somewhat  like  Santa  Claus)  and  his  silver-­‐blue-­‐and-­‐white-­‐fur  clad  assistant,  Snowflake  Girl  who  distribute  giTs.

Take a look around... Surely you’ve noticed... it’s everywhere! There’s equipment all over the

place! Tables, chairs, marker boards, even paper and paint and markers. But where does it all come from? While some of the

items in Randolph Schools comes from money provided by the government, not all of it

does -- and I haven’t found a student yet who has volunteered to buy a new projector, library of

books, craft paper dispenser or pic-nick table. So where do these things come from? I’m sure we’d all admit that it’s nice

to have items around that aid

and assist in our learning experience here at RFISD, but sometimes there simply isn’t

enough money to go around. That’s just one of the things the PTO is here to do -- to manage

these needs and work toward solutions... but the PTO could NEVER do it without the help of everyone at RFISD. One way

you can help is to eat breakfast! What? Yep, that’s right... finish that box of cereal, empty out

that bag of chips, bake those cinnamon rolls... do whatever it takes, but DON’T FORGET TO

CLIP THE BOX TOPS LOGO!!! Each one of those little scraps is worth a shiny dime to RFISD. I know, a dime doesn’t sound like

a lot, but your ten or twenty dimes, multiplied by the number of families in the

school district can add up to some serious cash for your school. Hey, you never know

what form that money will take. It could be a new robot for the elementary school’s robotics program, or

it could help pay for a portion of the senior class’ graduation shin-dig... you just NEVER know...

Where does it all come from?

CHARGE THE PANTRY WITH SCISSORS IN HAND !!! BUT DON’T FORGET TO ASK FOR MOM’S PERMISSION FIRST...

SOAR is an innovative program that makes it easy for parents to play an active role in their children’s education. SOAR is designed for military families, and is easily accessible worldwide. Students take an assessment aligned to state standards, and SOAR directs them to individualized tutorials to improve skills where needed. Parents can monitor their children’s progress from anywhere,and are provided with resource materials.

To learn more, please view SOAR’s Welcome Video at www.soarathome.org.

UKRAINE

Money for Your School

What do Tyson, Campbellʼs, ink jets, cell phones and Box Tops have in common? They all provide much needed money for

your Childʼs school. Next question, why are you throwing away money that can be used for your children? Do the dumpster dive, use those scissors, bag up the above items and get them to the school ( have your child give them to their teacher or drop

them off in the office). Donʼt send them for prizes. Send them because you care about your childʼs education. The money raised from labels helps finance events like Mercado and buys supplies for your childʼs classrooms.

Welcome the opportunity to help the school without having to open your wallet.

To better help you keep things organized you can go to the Randolph PTO Website and print your own collection sheets. It is open 24 hours a day so do it now!

THIS YEAR’S TURKEY BINGO WAS GREAT FUN FOR EVERYONE! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING WHO WALKED AWAY WITH SOME GREAT GIFTS (GIFT BASKETS, DIGITAL CAMERA, ETC.)

OR TURKEYS. KEEP YOUR EYES OUT FOR NEXT YEAR’S EVENT! WINNERS WERE: JULIA FOSTER, MIA HEYBURN, KATRENA JOHNSON, VIVICA JOHNSON, GABBY MEDINA, JAVIER MEDINA, WALTER MEDINA, NATHAN PEEL AND RYLIE ROMERO.

THANKS TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED WITH THE BOOK FAIR! YOUR EFFORTS HELPED GARNER NEARLY $2000 FOR THE RFISD.

NOVEMBER’S VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH WERE BRANDY COHRS, VICKIE GESCHEIDLE AND SHERRIE STANLEY! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! BE SURE TO LOG YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS EACH TIME YOU HELP OUT (AT HOME OR AT SCHOOL!) FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN. EACH VOLUNTEER GETS 1 ENTRY FOR EACH HOUR LOGGED IN THE VOLUNTEER BOOK.

SEND A NOTE TO RANDOLPHESVOLUNTEER@GMAIL.COM TO HELP OUT WITH UPCOMING VOLUNTEER NEEDS: THE POLAR EXPRESS AND THE WORKROOM. WE NEED EVERYONE’S HELP TO MAKE TEAM RANDOLPH EVEN BETTER!

JOIN BARNES AND NOBLE BOOKSELLERS AS THEY TEAM UP WITH THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS FOR THE SPURS TEAM UP CHALLENGE. GATHER AT

THE BARNES AND NOBLE AT 281 AND 1604 FOR THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES TO ENJOY GREAT READING FUN AND SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE AT THE SAME TIME.

CHILDREN’S STORY TIME AT 11:00AM ON DECEMBER 11TH

BOOK FAIR (TO SUPPORT THE USO) ON DECEMBER 12TH AND 13TH

BOOK DRIVE (PURCHASED BOOKS MAY BE DONATED TO THE USO UNITED THROUGH READING PROGRAM) THE WHOLE MONTH OF DECEMBER

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