Peak viewing time for this year's
Leonid Meteor Shower (an event caused by the Earth passing through an especially dusty area of space) is 2 a.m. this Sunday morning. The extra dust is there because the orbit of the Temple-Tuttle comet passes near Earth's orbit every 33 years and leaves behind a dusty trail. According to
USA Today (Nov. 14, 2001), this year's shower will be especially intense because the Earth actually passes through two dust trails -- one left by the comet's 1699 orbit, and another left in 1866. There will not be much of a moon, so the effect will be especially intense. Just go outside at the appropriate hour, look toward the constellation Leo (hence the name "Leonid") and you should be able to see shooting stars occurring several times per minute! For further information visit
Meteors and Meteor Showers.
Congratulations to Cheryl Buck on securing the full-time night custodial position at Onaga.
The U.S. Postal Service does not forward pay warrants, even if a change of address has been filed at the Post Office! Always inform Payroll and Personnel of any address chages immediately. We want you to be paid on time.
It's Almost W-2 Time - Remember to check your pay stubs CAREFULLY to make sure that your SSN, name and address are correct before W-2's are printed! It is always a good idea to check your withholding allowances and marital status each month also.
FFA & Santa's Secret Shop -
Put all volunteer sheets in the FFA box for Santa's Shop. Please ask all parent classroom volunteers if they can help during your class' shopping time.
New Items for Thursday, November 15, 2001
Principal's Night at McDonald's is
TONIGHT. A portion of proceeds gleaned from 5-7 p.m. will go to Onaga.
STAR Assessment Time
Mrs. Sweet has requested that you have your classes begin renewing STAR assessments for this quarter. Updated graphs for your classes will be posted. Please let the computer lab know in advance when you would like to have your class do the testing.
You too can join the list of ‘Good Girls and Boys’ that so far includes Mrs. Kuehndorf, Mr. Schram, and Mrs. Keyes. Thank you for your promptness.
Picture Make-Up Day
If you need your picture taken, make-up day is Wed. Nov 28, 9:00 - 11:00 in the MPR. If you're purchasing pictures, you must have your money with you. No late payments will be accepted.
O-MAIL: Second Session 11/28 at 3:15 - 5:15 Tech Lab. CED Pays.
Accelerated Reader Quiz Reports
The default on Accelerated Reader has been changed. No longer will Reading Practice TOPS (The Opportunity to Praise a Student) reports automatically print out after a student finishes an AR quiz. Reports can still be printed, they just are not automatically generated anymore.
Directions for printing out Reading Practice TOPS reports follow:
Click on Start | Programs | Accelerated Reader
Enter YOUR password.
From the Menu Bar select Go | Reading Practice
In the top window choose the Student name for whom you wish to print the report. (Their name will be highlighted in navy blue.)
Select (highlight) the particular quiz from the bottom window.
Click the Print TOPS button along the left hand (blue) border.
In the Print Preview window which opens, click Print. (You may also choose lower quality printing Options prior to printing to save ink if you wish. Draft or EconoFast mode (depends on which printer you’ve got) is perfectly adequate quality for nearly every purpose.)
All information remains available for your use. The computerized display will help reduce some of your paper workload.
Subject: Not a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving....
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:
Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims, and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.
As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like.
In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.
Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning:
Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your brother in the head with warm tasty bread. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance.
Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice: take it or leave it.
