Clarendon Elementary School Newsletter May 2016 Clarendon Elementary School 84 Grange Hall Road, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 P: (802) 775-5379 F: (802) 747-7584 Fred Valastro, Principal •
[email protected]
“Every Student, Every Day, Our Personal Best in Every Way!” Hello Clarendon Families, All of us at your school hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying the spring. This month has been a very busy and fun-filled one for our students and community. As we mentioned in our last communication, CES is developing a healthy living calendar of events and educational opportunities for our children – Pride In Prevention. Our inspired endeavor began with all of our elementary schools joining CES in a strategic and energizing walk about the grounds, a picnic lunch, and dancing to the music of DJ Brett Myhre. The focal point of the day was the entertaining and poignant message from Cris Johnson “Drug Free, That’s Me!” The students watched magic and listened to a message of smart choices and avoidance of drugs. As you can see on the next few pages a good time was had by all! Thank you to all of our Pride In Prevention Partners who participated in and helped plan such a magnificent event. Russ and Karen Edwards (Russell Edwards Plumbing), Emily Marchinkowski (Rutland Area Prevention Coalition), Courtney Santor (Boys and Girls Club), Susan Daley, Pat and Kathy Martin (Wits End and Rutland Regional Hospital), Brett Myhre (DJ and Entertainer), CES AfterSchool, CES Parents and Teachers Organization, and your colleagues at Clarendon, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, and Wallingford Elementary Schools. You may have noticed as you drove in to the parking lot that our Peace Garden and Playground look cleaner and brighter. The group of volunteers from Neighbor Reach spent many people hours clearing debris and leaves in and around the Peace Garden. They also spread tons (literally tons) of woodchips in our playground to enhance the safety and play of our children. We would like to extend a big CES Pride thank you to all that volunteered and to Mr. King for coordinating the efforts of these wonderful workers. We would like your input and submissions for the Leland Congdon Award that is presented by the Clarendon School Board to a sixth grade student who has demonstrated outstanding service to his/her community. This award seeks to inspire students to take an active role in their communities and to encourage civic awareness. Civic responsibility that is developed in an individual at an early age continues throughout his or her life. Service can include, but is not limited to, the following examples: helping others, volunteering at nursing homes or hospitals, church activities, scouting activities, helping the elderly or ill in the community, picking up trash or litter along the highways. Please see our application on-line in your weekly update. Last Week of School – Monday, June 6th Promotion Day, Tuesday, June 7th Peace Garden planting, Wednesday, June 8th Sixth grade to the lake, Thursday, June 9th Step up Day - Field Day & Picnic, Friday, June 10th Trip to Boston (6th grade) Last day of school and early dismissal at 12:30 PM.
Your principal, Fred Valastro IMPORTANT DATES
School Board Meetings Tuesday, May 17—5:30 pm
NO SCHOOL Memorial Day Monday, May 30
The children should be at school by 8:15 AM School starts at 8:20 AM - Thank you!
Special thanks to: Russ and Karen Edwards
Wit’s End Support Group
CES
PTO
The Pre-K students and the 4th grade students spent some time being scientists together. We went on a nature walk to find signs of spring. Paired together, they were looking for anything from rocks and trees to worms and birds. As they explored around our school they found many different plants and animals.
Spring Shared Reading
Mrs. Pritchard's sixth grade class continues to buddy with Mrs. Loyzelle's Kindergarten class for a monthly read. This month the theme was Spring. The Kindergartners had a special surprise for their buddies this month as they shared stories THEY had written...Go Kindergarten Authors!
Kindergarten had a blast at Drug Free, That’s Me!!
Lights, Camera, Action! The kindergarten classes sang their hearts out with the other primary grades at their spring concert.
Taking a ride on the wild side. Miss Doiron let us ride bikes down the hallway! Mr. V says “What?!?”
Gaige and Isabelle as Elsa and Olaf. They sang "Let It Go!" at the Clarendon Talent Show.
Celebrating Reading Road Trip with a popsicle party. Kindergartners love to read!!
This month the first graders were awarded a cupcake party for being the class with the highest participation in the Reading Road Trip. Over 80% of the students returned their completed Reading Road Trip map!
Students solving 2-digit addition problems 4 different ways: vertical, number bond, place value chart, and tape diagram.
Mrs. Cohen playing various math games with the 2nd graders.
Second grade authors share their daily journal writing.
Second Grade Bird Watchers Students held carrots to attract an unusual colorful bird which migrated to the Clarendon area at the beginning of April. After searching the trees surrounding the school, the children were disappointed that they couldn’t find the elusive “Lirpaloof.” Their frowns quickly became smiles when Ms. D’Amico and Mrs. McLaughlin yelled, “April Fools!”
During Four Winds, Quincy Bruckeroff led the children in interesting games to demonstrate how deer population varies with available resources. This fun activity was a great way to end our week and begin our spring break. Thank you, Mrs. Bruckeroff!!
Lacrosse and Volleyball in PE!
Reading Road Trip Celebration! Congratulations to our Kindle Fire winners and to the 1st Grade class for turning in the most maps.
Creating Animals in Clay One of the 5th & 6th grade Spring Art projects was creating small clay sculptures of their favorite animals. Students had a chance to examine small animal sculptures from other cultures. We worked in colored plasticene clay. Here is a sampling of their wonderful work!
CES Math Night Grades 2, 3 & 4
On April 7 there was a Math Night for second, third and fourth graders and their families. It started with a wonderful potluck supper – thank you to everyone who contributed – and over 50 members of the Clarendon Community attended. The fourth graders displayed the mathematician biographies they have been working on, including more than a dozen poster-boards representing some of the greatest mathematicians of all time, from Archimedes to Julia Robinson, and their great contributions. These contributions took over 2,300 years of computational thinking to understand each of the processes that we all still study today.
Across the hall there were a variety of geometry-themed activities. It was really nice to see intergenerational participation and exploration. Just about everyone helped create our community math project – a tetrahedral kite made out of straws, string and tissue paper. We all look forward to flying the kite on a breezy afternoon in late May. Thank you to teachers, students and family members for coming together as a learning community and making this Math Night a success.
It's hard to believe that it's May already, especially with the cold weather that has come in for the past few weeks! With only six weeks of school remaining, now is the time to start thinking about summer reading plans. By making plans with your child now, you can help avoid the "summer slide" that many of our children experience. For younger children, this can mean returning to school not being able to read at the same level, or forgetting important phonics skills. For older students, it often means losing critical stamina that allows them to read for extended periods of time. All children need to continue to read and be read to throughout the summer. A good guideline for younger children is exposure to reading every day. For older children, a half an hour a day is a good goal. Students in grades three and up should be able to finish about a book every 1-3 weeks depending on their reading level and the type of books they are choosing. Check out the Summer Literacy Challenge for some suggestions to support your child's reading over the summer. Thank you to all of the parents and students that participated in the Reading Road Trip and attended our evening celebration. If you were not able to pick up a copy of the summer reading list for your child's grade level, please stop by the library or ask your child's teacher to send one home.
This April our students participated in the First Annual Robot Rodeo. The Robot Rodeo sent robots to host schools across Vermont as a way of extending the Hour of Code that CES participated in during December. All students were given a chance to play with our robot, the Finch Bot, during Technology class time. Students in grades 2-6 were also able to program the Finch Bot using SCRATCH, a coding language invented by students at MIT. SCRATCH is a free coding language that CES students use throughout the year to do everything from programming robots, to making games, to telling stories. CES students had a great time learning and playing with Finch Bot and we hope to participate in the Robot Rodeo again next year!
After School Program May Workshop Descriptions Homework / Activities (All grades) This is a quiet time when students work on homework. There are adults available to assist with homework or projects, listen to students read, or offer other assistance students may require. When children are finished with homework they may join another workshop, read, or play a quiet game. Computer games will be available for the last 30 minutes of this workshop (4:45-5:15). Children will have access to computers for specific homework assignments at any time. Outdoor Adventure (K-2) - Join Ms. T for adventures that include snake bubblemakers, treasure hunts, group games, nature walks, and other outdoor games. Yo-Yo Fun (3-6) – Boys and girls help each other to grow their yo-yo skills. Start with basic tricks such as Sleep, Walk the Dog, and Forward Pass, and move on upward to string tricks that will amaze. Children may bring their own yo-yo or we will have some available. Environmental Literacy (K-3) – Come and explore nature with five senses as we learn about our neighborhood trees and surrounding environment. Bike Fun (4-6) – In this workshop we will improve basic bike skills while riding the back roads of Clarendon. Bikes will be available for this workshop and helmet use will be required. NOTE: We will be riding the back roads of Clarendon, so children will not be available for pick-up until 5:00. Also by signing your child up for this workshop, you are giving permission for your child to leave the school and ride the backroads. Art Studio (K-3) – Local artist Linda Evans is BACK. Create amazing works of art using fun designs, shapes and colors while exploring artist’s tools and materials. Indoor/Outdoor Games (3-6) – THIS WORKSHOP IS BEING HELD ON MAY 4TH AND 25TH ONLY. Get ready for family reunion. Practice games such as spike ball, horseshoes, and can jam. Steel Drums (4-6) – In this workshop you will learn about the history of this amazing recycled instrument from the Caribbean Islands. Learn to play on the lead, double, triple, bass drums AND be part of the rhythms section, which is called the engine room. Finally work together to create and perform as the After School Steel Drum Band. PLEASE NOTE: THE DATES OF THIS WORKSHOP ARE MAY 11TH, 18TH, JUNE 1ST AND 8TH Faux Stained Glass (A) – Students will make stained glass sun catchers using tissue paper in various colors, shapes, and designs. Outdoor Man (3-6) – Join this after school clinic to learn casting and fishing methods to take home the big one. Outdoor Man, Bob Stefanski a VT Certified Instructor, will teach you how, when and where to be a better fisherperson. Fun Friday (All grades): 5/6 - This month our community food drive Fun Friday will be Popcorn and a Movie. Movie choice will be The Good Dinosaur. Please note this movie is rated PG. The fee for this Fun Friday is a nonperishable food item that will be donated to the Rutland Community Cupboard. 5/13 – Wonderfeet Museum (Rutland) –The museum fosters curiosity and exploration, inspire creativity and engage the imagination through play. Explore! Create! Imagine. Cost: $4.00 5/20 – Amazing Race II teams of students will work cooperatively to solve a variety of challenges. Cost: FREE 5/27 – Otter Creek Fun Center – play the state of the art 18-hole golf course with waterfalls and shooting fountains. Try your hand at the hottest arcade and redemption games. Cost: $5.00
5
March’s PBiS prize were Swim passes, NED Yo-Yo’s and a Kindle Fire! The winners of the ping-pong drawing for March were
Caelyn from Kindergarten! Jennah from 1st Grade! Sophia from 2nd Grade! Ian and Bronson from 3rd Grade!
Audrey PM PreK
Natalie
McKenzie
K-Doiron
Logan O.
K-Loyzelle
Aaron
Evan
1-Jakubowski
2-D’Amico
2-McLaughlin
Logan
Dominick
Will
Alex
Samantha
3-Lind
5-Hogan
4-Lannon
6-Pritchard
May Word of the month is Community Community means: -a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood) -a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc. -a group of nations
5-Hogan
Eliot
6-Moore
Clarendon Elementary School 84 Grange Hall Road, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 P: (802) 775-5379 F: (802) 747-7584 Fred Valastro, Principal •
[email protected]
Every Student, Every Day, Our Personal Best in Every Way!
Sun 1
Mon 2 6th Grade Promo Mtg.—6:00
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
3 Teacher Appreciation Day
4 5th Grade Field Trip
5
6
7
8
9 School-wide Field Trip
10 Band/Chorus Concert 9:00 AM 7:00 PM
11 Incoming Kindergartener Parent Night 6:00
12
13 Kindergarten Registration 9:00—2:00
14
15
16
17 CES Board Mtg. 5:30
18
19 4th Grade Field Trip
20 3rd Grade Field Trip
21
22
23
24
25 5th & 6th Grade Wax Museum 6:00
26 5th Grade Field Trip
27 Memorial Day Celebration 2:00
28
29
30 NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
31
