sandown central schoolwinning number of smartmusic assignments and is progressing on the clarinet...
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November / December 2014 Newsletter
Sandown Central
School
Principal’s Notes November/December, 2014
Dear Parents,
The month of November has gone by so quickly and we are now moving into December! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! The children have been busy this month focusing on determining main idea of paragraphs in reading. Students also have been involved in reading novels and learning about the main character in the stories, along with reviewing multiplication and division facts in math as we move into December. We also have had some wonderful learning through our distance learning program about various science and social studies topics!
We have continued to practice our safety drills at Sandown Central School and the students and staff continue to take them seriously and do an excellent job!! If your child comes home with words such as evacuation, lockdown, shelter–in-place, and reverse evacuation, you will know that they are practicing these kind of drills in addition to our routine fire drills, Of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school.
We have continued to support our community by contributing to the local food pantry during this holiday season, as well as throughout the year, giving to those less fortunate.
The PTA has sent home information on the annual Holiday Auction, which is scheduled for December 5th at Sandown North at 6:00 pm. It is sure to be a fun filled night and all to benefit the children of Sandown!!
The PTA “Elf’s” Holiday Workshop on November 21st was a wonderful way for the children to purchase gifts for their families! Thank you to all the volunteers and the PTA for making this workshop come together for the children!!
As we move into the colder months, I would like to remind parents to dress your children appropriately for the winter weather ahead. The children are going outside for recess and other activities and need to come to school prepared with appropriate winter wear. (Winter coats, snow pants, hats, gloves/ mittens, and boots). If you are in need of any of these items please let us know. Your cooperation in this regard is greatly appreciated!
With the holiday vacation approaching in a few weeks, I encourage you to take some special time together and enjoy the spirit of the season.
I want to wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season and a happy new year!!
Cordially,
Douglas E. Rolph
Principal, Sandown Central School
Upcoming Events
December 5
Sandown PTA Holiday
Auction, Sandown North
School, 6pm
December 10
Sandown PTA Meeting,
Sandown Central School,
6:30 pm
December 11
NO SCHOOL – Professional
Development Day
TRSD Budget Committee
Meeting, 30 Greenough
Road, Plaistow, 7pm
December 16
Elementary Honors Band
Concert, TRSD PAC, 6:15pm
December 18
TRSD School Board
Meeting, Check website for
location, 7:30 pm
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More Important News
December 2014 Fourth Grade News
It was a pleasure to meet with so many parents during parent/teacher conferences. It is important to keep the lines of communication open between home and school. Never hesitate to contact your child’s teacher when you have a question or concern.
It is holiday time already! We’ve begun the second trimester with the children working hard and will continue with business as usual (with a few extra treats and surprises along the way ). Please try to keep to schedules and routines as much as possible during this busy time of year. Also continue to have your child come to school dressed for the outside weather each day. We will go out if at all possible.
During reading classes we have been working on strategies like Drawing Conclusions, Fact and Opinion, and Cause and Effect as we conclude Unit 2 and begin Unit 3. It is important for your child to read books at their independent level every day. A range for your child is on the STAR parent report given to you at conferences.
Our focus in math has shifted to the basic facts, especially multiplication and division. Fluency with facts will help your child when he/she is introduced to new math concepts throughout the school year.
Students are developing their writing skills. The Six-Traits of writing and the writing process continue to be introduced and practiced. Independent use of paragraph form, responding to questions in writing, and citing evidence from the text are other skills worked on during writing time. Encouraging your child to write thank you notes or other letters to relatives during the holidays is an authentic way for them to practice their writing skills.
We are wrapping up our study of government in Social Studies and after vacation will be delving into the Regions of the United States. We have concluded our Rocks and Minerals Science unit.
Thank you again for all you do to support and assist in your child’s education. Happy Holidays!!!
More Events
December 23
TRSD Budget Committee
Meeting, 30 Greenough
Road, Plaistow, 7pm
December 24-January 2
Holiday Break
January 5-16
STAR Assessment Testing,
Grades Pre-K through 10
January 13
Sandown Winter Concert,
TRSD PAC, 7pm
January 14
Sandown PTA Meeting,
Sandown Central School,
6:30 pm
January 15
Public Hearing on TRSD
Budget, Timberlane PAC,
40 Greenough Road,
Plaistow, 7 pm
January 19-20
NO SCHOOL – Civil Rights
Day and Professional
Development Day
January 22
TRSD School Board
Meeting, Check website for
location, 7:30 pm
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December 2014 Fifth Grade News
It’s hard to believe that yet another holiday season is upon us! Our first trimester is over and we are
into our second. The school year is flying by.
We have wrapped up our study of the human body and classes are beginning a unit on the solar
system. This unit offers students a variety of choices to show their knowledge and understanding of
our solar system. We will be integrating textual resources to practice and utilize applicable reading
strategies.
In math, we are just beginning our fraction unit. Your children will be introduced to different strategies
needed to solve problems that involve fractions. Students are becoming aware of how important
mastery of multiplication facts is in dealing with fractions and many other mathematical concepts. If
your child is still struggling with these facts, please practice at home as often as possible.
Finally, the fifth grade teachers would like to extend our best wishes to all our Sandown families for a
happy and healthy holiday season!
Music News
The band, chorus, and strings are preparing for upcoming concerts. Listed below are performances
scheduled for December and January:
Chorus: Friday, December 5 at 6:00 PM, Sandown North—PTA Holiday Auction
Honors Band: Tuesday, December 16 at 6:15 PM, PAC—Winter Concert
Band, Chorus, and Strings: Tuesday, January 13 at 7:00 PM, PAC—Sandown Winter Concert
All general music classes continue to work towards independent singing and movement skills.
Students are already quite comfortable with about a half dozen longways and line dances. They are
currently learning a circle dance to “Jingle Bells,” which uses some of the same steps as previously
learned dances.
Musically yours,
Mrs. Alison Yankowskas
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From The Conductor’s Podium Of Mr. Mainella
Congratulations go out to ; Abby Farone, Joseph DeGaetano, Kyle Hickey, Cecilia Romano, Erik Kappler, Grace
Pascucci, Meghan Adams, and Owen Kellerman. These musicians are participating in the Timberlane Elementary
Honors Band representing Sandown Central School. This band is comprised of outstanding elementary band
students from our four district elementary schools. They rehearse on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 at the
Timberlane Performing Arts Center and will be putting on a concert Tuesday evening December 16th starting at
7:30. Everyone is invited to come see these outstanding musicians perform!
Congratulations go out to Meghan Adams who was awarded the Band Excellence Award for the month of October.
Megan plays the clarinet and has shown exceptional work on her instrument. She has completed an award
winning number of smartmusic assignments and is progressing on the clarinet with exceptional results having
only played for a year and a half!
All of our band students have been working hard on assignments in hope of achieving their excellence in band
letters. After completing a certain number of exercises the student receives a letter. Their goal is to spell the word
EXCELLENCE. Upon doing so they will earn their red excellence medal. This is no small achievement because
there are over 100 exercises to complete.
In other news the entire Sandown Central Music department will be having its winter concert on January 13. This
concert will also be at the PAC and will begin at 7:00PM. The 4th and 5th grade band members will be performing
together. The advanced band will be performing two separate pieces by themselves. This concert will also include
parents, siblings and some of our staff here at Sandown Central who play band instruments. Of course this
concert also includes our outstanding orchestra and chorus. This should be a very exciting night for all of us.
Hope to see you then. More detailed information regarding this concert will be coming home with the
participating musicians.
Musically yours,
John Mainella
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Growth Mindset
By Mary Youngblood
Literacy Specialist
This past summer our staff read the revelatory and highly acclaimed book, “Mindset – The New Psychology of
Success”, as it connected unequivocally with our school action plan on student motivation and success. Mindset
is a concept that was developed by Dr. Carol S. Dweck from Stanford University after decades of research on
achievement and success. Simply, people with a “fixed mindset” believe their basic qualities, such as their talent
and intelligence, are fixed traits. They believe that their talent will create success without any effort. They spend
their lives documenting and purporting their intelligence and talent, instead of developing them. In contrast,
people with a “growth mindset”, believe that their basic abilities can be developed through effort and
dedication. Their brains and talent are just a starting point. They learn from their mistakes. They have a love of
learning, and a resilience that is essential for accomplishment and greatness. This attitude creates motivation,
creativity, and success. A “growth mindset” has implications for achievement in business, sports, relationships,
education, and parenting. We highly recommend it!
I have also included links to several articles that have been crafted specifically for parents on this very topic.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secret-to-raising-smart-kids/
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/
http://wonderofchildren.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/5-things-you-can-do-to-encouarge-a-growth-mindset-
in-kids/
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Art Room News: Painting the new Sandown Central Eagle Mural in the hall!
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Salute to Veteran’s Luncheon
I would like to send out a huge thank you to all the people that helped to make our Veteran’s
Luncheon on November 12th, a success. We welcomed nearly 30 honored guests. The staff provided a
marvelous spread of soups, chili and salad. Our students hosted their guests and helped to serve food
to those who so bravely served our country. I want to thank all the veterans that joined us and for
those that could not. Your service is appreciated by the children and staff of Sandown Central.
-Diane LaRose, Dave Ciarla
[More photos available to view in the online newsletter!!]
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SPARKS!
Students Producing Actively Researched Kids Stuff!
Sandown Central is organizing our 2015 SPARKS teams. SPARKS is an extracurricular research and presentation program for any students in grades 3-5. Teams of eight students will meet with coaches once each week between March 2nd and April 23rd. A competition and celebration will be held in early May. Teams may consist of a mix of students from any grade 3-5.
SPARKS promotes critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills through investigative group challenges that require reading, discussion, planning, and production. The 2015 SPARKS challenge will be announced in January. Team members will work together to create a presentation that will be evaluated based on content, collaboration, and originality. SPARKS teams are allowed to meet for up to ten hours during the season. During that time students will create a presentation that lasts no more than ten minutes from stage call to the final bow. Presentation time includes unpacking, set-up, performance, pack-up, and interview questions. The content, performance, and time challenges add up to an exciting completion day!
We are not yet accepting requests for team members, but we are ready to enroll coaches.
If you would like to coach, please email Dave Ciarla ([email protected]) with your name, phone number and the day and time you plan to schedule for your team practices. Thanks for considering!
View last year’s competition at http://vimeo.com/94480932.
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Public Auction
Friday December 5th at 6pm
Sandown North Elementary School
Please join us for a night filled with raffles, silent auctions, and live auctions all to benefit
the children and schools of Sandown!
Some items available are one of a kind memorable items like Principal For The Day, and Fire
Truck/Police Car Rides! Other items include Class Made Projects, Specialty Baskets, Gift Certificates of
all kinds, Ski Tickets, Sports Memorabilia, and much more!
Raffles include XBOX One, iPad mini, and ChromeCast!
We hope to see you there!
Photos of items created by Mrs. Riley’s class for the Auction on December 5th.