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TRANSCRIPT
Inside this issue:
Where in NES am I?
2
News from our Classrooms
2-7
PTA News 11-13
Announcements 14-17
Important Dates & Contact Info
18
March 16, 2012 Volume 2, Issue 7
The N.E.S. Newt-paper Newbury Elementary School Newsletter
Dear NES Community, Massachusetts was recently granted a waiver from portions of the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) along with nine other states. Determin-ing that the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) metric was no longer providing useful infor-mation about student, school, and district performance; the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Sec-ondary Education cre-ated a waiver proposal that includes a focus on reducing proficiency gaps by one half the growth needed to meet NCLB’s original goal for 100% student profi-ciency in Math and ELA by 2017. The D.E.S.E. will continue to focus on student growth per-centiles and the adop-tion of the Common Core Standards into the curriculum expec-tations for students at each grade level while also pursuing the Part-nership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Assessments (P.A.R.C.C.) as a means for measuring student performance. The Triton Regional School District and its schools will continue to be assessed on how well each student and school performs using a score called the Composite Per-formance Index (CPI). The graph above demonstrates our current aggregate CPI scores based on MCAS test results from 2011 while determining target growth needed to halve the gap from 100% proficiency by 2017. For more information about Massachusetts’s waiver visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/nclb/ For more information about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (P.A.R.C.C). and the assessments linked to the Common Core Standards visit http://www.parcconline.org/ Information on the Common Core Standards can be found at http://www.corestandards.org/ Newbury Elementary School will maintain its focus on academic excellence while we strive to close performance gaps in the aggregate and between student subgroups. Thank you for your partnership and support for the education of our students!
Michael Tracy
Page 2 Volume 2, Issue 7
Where in NES am I???
Look at the picture to the left—Can you find where I am in NES? Keep your eyes open to spot me—and check the next newsletter for the an-swer!
Here is our mystery picture from our last newsletter — did you find it? It is Scooby’s collar from the front entrance!
Pre-school is jumping into spring by learning about life cycles with a unit on seeds and how they grow! In addition to exploring what happens to seeds through the creative arts, each child will plant, water, and care for his/her own plant-ing. We are discussing all the essential elements needed to help things grow (including love!). We will have fun watching our seeds grow into plants and logging our observations! Among other titles, this week we are reading the big book Seeds Get Around by Nancy White. What other things grow?
Preschool
News from our Classrooms
News from our Classrooms
Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 7
First graders are beginning a poetry unit as we move into our final trimester. Our young poets are using their senses, alliteration, similes and sparkle words to make their poems come alive. This poetry unit will culminate in our long-standing traditional celebration-Poetry Day on April 12th. Students will memorize a poem of their choice to recite in front of an audience. First grade families do not want to miss this special event. While poets are blooming we are also in the midst of reading and comparing various fairy tales. There are so many versions of these classic tales and this proves to be a wonderful way for first graders to make text-to-text connections, predictions and to practice their strategy of retelling. We have also been using Readers Theatre with much success as stu-dents have gotten so familiar with these various tales including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
First Grade
This past week many art projects by Newbury students were exhibited at Triton High School for the District Arts Festival. Con-gratulations to the exhibitors and to the musicians that spent the day practicing and performing. Our own “All School Art Exhibit” is scheduled for May 24th. The artwork of famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera will be on display. Stu-dents in all grades will celebrate Mexican culture by completing pro-jects with a South American flavor. Sixth graders will be starting their Monster projects soon. It is the greatest and one of the last art projects they will complete with me at NES. Grade 5 has finished a sculpture unit and will soon be gazing into mirrors as they draw self portraits.
Grade 4 students are designing their own Ancient Egyptian styled coffins. Grade 3 has begun weaving with yarn. Grade 2 has formed little creature heads from model magic and are now designing environments for them. Grade 1 is crawling with crocodiles!
Art News by Amy Merluzzi
News from our Classrooms
Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 7
6th grade Math
Students are completing their unit of study on Geometry. Students have learned how the formulas for area of parallelograms, triangles, and circles are derived. Students derived their own formulas for surface area and volume of rectangular prisms. They applied these skills in creating an “Extreme Makeover” project in which they determined the area of a living room and chose different types of flooring and calculated the actual cost (from Home Depot) for materials and installation. Other students created projects to determine the cost of a landscape design and storage shed. These projects are displayed in the sixth grade hallway. You can also check out our 3D geometry mobiles that are hanging from the ceil-ing in 6C and in Mr. Hector’s classroom. Meanwhile, students volunteered (Juliet Trues-dale, Haley Morgan, Ben Hall, Sofie Desimone, Nina Paradiso, Ali Sommers, Marisa Soffron, and Lila Roy) to be guest student teachers in Mr. Fournier’s, Mrs. Dow’s, and Mrs. Towne’s classes to share their expertise knowledge of fractions. They wrote lesson plans with mul-timedia presentations for these visits. There are currently two math enrichment projects in progress: Some students are working with Mrs. Paige to investigate triangular numbers and patterns within Pascal’s Triangle. Others are collaborating with the recycling commit-tee to determine the cost savings of installing a dishwasher with reusable trays at NES. Fi-nally, the NES Math League is well underway. There are 20 participants from the fifth and sixth grades this year, and our first district wide meet with be on March 30th. Let the mathematical problem solving continue!
Featured to the left: Liam Cashman, Gunnar Gustafason, Vanessa Romaides, and Claire Zywiak working on makeover and landscape projects.
Dear Parents of Sixth Graders, Each year I create a picture slide show that is shared during the sixth grade recogni-tion ceremony in June. It is at this time that I begin collecting pictures. The pictures must be of school events between preschool and sixth grade and must include current sixth grade class members. Examples include classroom parties, field trips and sports events. The best way to share your pictures with me is via email: [email protected]. The second best way to share is by sending in a CD. Lastly, I can scan and return originals. If you are sending in a CD or originals, be sure they are labeled with your child’s name and homeroom. The dead-line for submissions will be May 15th. I look forward to creating this project for your chil-dren.
News from our Classrooms
Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 7
Grade 6 – Connecting with the social studies curriculum of world cultures, we learned the Italian dance of the Tarantella. We also spent some time reviewing and assessing our knowledge of quar-ter note/eighth note, and dotted quarter note/eighth note combinations, learned the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and learned about the famous composer John Williams. Ask your children what movie film scores he has composed. Grade 5 – We learned a four person, challenging hand clapping game called Four White Horses. We also reviewed and assessed our knowledge of dot-ted half notes, whole notes, whole rests, and quarter rests in various combi-nations. We learned about the famous composer George Handel (the com-poser of the Hallelujah Chorus). We also enjoyed some Irish songs for St. Patrick’s Day. Grade 4 – We did a unit with Orff instruments, hand drums, colorful scarves and singing. The song was based upon a poem written by Jack Pre-lutsky, The Jelly Bean Brigade. Then we enjoyed a couple of weeks celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. We danced The Irish Washerwoman, and on another day did an Orff lesson with the song The Wee Falorie Man. This song taught us about improvisation which we all had a chance to do. Grade 3 – We took a short break, for two weeks, from recorder playing because we learned all about Ludwig van Beethoven. We connected with our science lessons of sound emphasizing pitch, volume and vibration. Then we continued with our recorder playing. Most children should have their red belts, and many have received their green belts for playing Polly Wolly Doodle. Remem-ber, the children can come see me before school on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday mornings if they would like some extra help or if they still need to earn their green belt. We have also started the bead program. The children can earn a bead by playing any song that is not a belt song, and then they can put the bead on one of their belts. We have some very motivated students who have received several beads! Remember, to be able to play these songs you must spend some time at home practicing. Keep up the good work! Grade 2- In second grade we learn about the four different families of the orchestra. This term we learned about the woodwind section. We learned a valentine song, and we hope that you en-joyed the musical valentines that they brought home for you! A favorite game in second grade is using the story book, Ten Sly Piranhas. The children play Orff instruments, I read the story, and
we have tremendous fun acting out the part of the piranhas. Grade 1 – We continue to use Beanie Babies for our tone drills which help us to match pitch when we sing. We concluded our unit of using the Robert Munsch book, “Thomas’ Snowsuit” and integrated music and litera-ture by making the story come alive with singing and sound effects. We also did the dance, The Heel Toe Polka (a circle dance with partners). Fi-nally, we used our Orff instruments to learn proper mallet technique and used the nursery rhyme One, Two Buckle My Shoe in a variety of ways.
Music Department News with Mrs. Peterson
News from our Classrooms
Page 6 Volume 2, Issue 7
Kindergarten – We also continue to use Beanie Babies for our tone drills, sing a vari-ety of songs and play many musical games. The children enjoyed Doggie, Doggie Where’s Your Bone, learned the patriotic song America, as well as some Valentine’s songs. We just started learning how to play the xylophones. We have to learn proper mallet technique, and we have to sing at the same time as we play. The children have really enjoyed these “big kid instruments”! Other exciting news from the music department is our recent field trip over to Triton, on Tuesday, March 13th for our annual District Arts Festival. The children who participated from NES were mem-bers of the advanced band and the choir. We spent time rehearsing, performing and enjoying the company of musicians from Salisbury, Rowley the middle school and the high school. The children also worked on a performance with the high school drama director, and performed it for the parents at night. The day concluded with a massive musical concert. It was a great day and I think that every-one had a wonderful time! Beginner instrumentalists – Don’t forget to practice your band instrument so that I can give you beads for your efforts. Also, parents thanks for signing and returning the band report cards. This is a great way to see the progress that your child is making on their instrument. Another way to know
their progress is the belt system that we use. The White belt is for know-ing nine different sets of rhythms; Red, White and Clue belt – America; Orange belt – Camptown Races; Green belt – a memorized scale; Yellow belt – Surprise Symphony; Purple belt – Ode to Joy and The Flintstones; Pink belt – Happy Birthday; Blue belt – Can Can; Gold belt – Star Wars. Keep practicing and enjoy your instrument!
Music Department News with Mrs. Peterson (cont’)
Second graders have set sail around the world with the beginning of our ancestry unit. Students have begun to learn more about the people in their family trees, and what countries their rela-tives lived in before immigrating to the United States. We're discovering that every-one's ancestors came from some other nation, no matter how many years ago! This home-school collaboration will feature research on the flags, landmarks, customs, history, dance, music, sports, and games of countries around the world. We will be addressing many standards in History/Social Science, as well as English/Language Arts; for exam-ple, second graders will learn to use the conventions of nonfiction text in reading and writing about the countries of their ancestors. Our young researchers' hard work will be on display at Ancestry Sharing Day in April!
Second Grade
News from our Classrooms
Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 7
Sixth grade scientists recently presented some great projects to their classmates. Each group of students developed a project proposal and worked together to plan a presentation to share with the class. Some of the projects were explaining electrolysis, explaining density through the use of density towers, and demon-strating the difference between triple beam bal-ance scales and electronic scales to measure mass. All of the students became more adept with the use of the metric system. While continuing to develop observation and recording skills, all the students are participating in stereoscope and microscope labs. They’ve been fascinated by the differences that are visi-ble between salt and sugar!
Sixth Grade Science
Sixth grade geographers are now studying southern Asia. Students are researching coun-tries to learn about landforms, bodies of water, climate, political structure, natural re-sources, levels of education, and the current economy. They all enjoy learning from their peers through their presentations.
Sixth Grade Social Studies
Six of our NES students have been working on SEF projects since the middle of December. They have been meeting after school each week for project guidance. They will join other
6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in the Triton High School cafeteria on the evening of April 9th for our district’s SEF. Congratulations to Alden Giedraitis, Brandon Kenney, Tegan Murray, Emma Noyes, Travis Tkaczek, and Skyler Tucker for such great projects!
Sixth Grade Students in the Massachusetts Science Engineering Fair
Page 8 Volume 2, Issue 7
NES Spirit Color Day—to celebrate Leap Year!
Page 9 Volume 2, Issue 7
NES Spirit Color Day—to celebrate Leap Year!
Page 10 Volume 2, Issue 7
Got Heart? Our 5th/6th Grade Destination Imagination team would like to thank the NES Community for supporting our Got Heart campaign throughout the month of February. Our goal was to get NES students to use their heart every day to make good choices – being healthy and being kind. To do this we created a calendar called “Fitness Fun in February” and sent it home with all the kids in 1st – 4th grade. Each day had an activity, an inspirational quote and a healthy food. We set up a bulletin board in the school lobby that featured an animal from Spencer Peirce Little Farm, a healthy food with food facts and the activity of the day each school day. We built a website (www.neshasheart.com) with ideas to use your heart. The website has the biography of the animals from Spencer Peirce Little Farm, links to healthy websites, a listing of walks and activities in the area, healthy food ideas and links to our Community Partners. We send a huge thank you to our Community Partners who helped us with photography & printing (Mechanica), playground toys (Anna Jaques Hospital), a cart to hold the toys (Institution for Savings), swim passes (YWCA), an animal visit (Spencer Pierce Little Farm) and phenomenal sup-port (NES!). Congratulations to the classes with the most heart: 1st Place – Mrs Byrnes’ 1st grade class 2nd Place – Mrs Soini’s 1st grade class 3rd Place – Mrs William’s 3rd grade class Mrs Byrnes’ class has received swim passes to the YWCA in Newburyport and will be getting a special visit from Spencer Pierce Little Farm animals.
HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR HEART TODAY?
A special thank you to Senator Tarr for coming in to visit our 3rd grade classes!
Page 11 Volume 2, Issue 7
PTA News
DATES TO REMEMBER: Scholastic Book Fair - April 2 - 6 Used Book Drive - April 2 - 6 Penny Challenge - Wednesdays - April 25, May 2, & May 11 Recycling Day at NES - May 5 Family Fun at the Farm - May 20 Walk - A-Thon - May 25
Environmental Corner Our new name contest is in progress! NES students have until the end of March to submit suggestions for a new name. Submissions may be placed in the boxes located in Mrs. Raycroft's classroom, the main office, or the hallway. Thanks! If you have questions about any of our activities, please con-tact either Sally Milliken at [email protected] or Tammy Cotter at [email protected], NES Recycling Committee Co-Chairs.
Save the Date!
Saturday, May 5th is Recycle Day at NES. The NES Recycling Com-mittee is holding Recycle Day in honor of Earth Day. Several activi-ties will be held, both to recycle waste and for family fun: 1) Shred-ding Truck - bring your old financial paperwork to be shredded for a fee per box; 2) Electronic Drive - bring electronics to be recycled for a nominal fee; 3) Kids can create art projects out of recycled materi-als to hang around the school grounds; 4) Enjoy the outdoor art sculptures made from recycled materials; and 5) Informational tables from local conservation and education organizations. Snacks will also be for sale. All proceeds will go toward envi-ronmental initiatives at NES. More information to follow soon. If you would like to assist with this effort, know of organizations we could invite, or have questions about any of our activities, please contact either Sally Milliken at [email protected] or Tammy Cotter at [email protected], NES Recycling Committee Co-Chairs.
Page 12 Volume 2, Issue 7
PTA News
SAVE THE DATE! “Family Fun at the Farm”
@ Spencer Pierce Little Farm 5 Littles Lane, Newbury Sunday, May 20th
1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
Grab your family and your friends Open to the public
Live Music - The Looks Don’t Count Band Games • Yummy Food • House Tours • Hay Rides • Balloons and more!
11th
Page 13 Volume 2, Issue 7
PTA News
We invite you to visit the NES Scholastic Book Fair – with hundreds of titles to choose from. This book fair gives our children the opportunity to choose their own books, motivating them to read more! Look for your flyer in the next few weeks, which highlights a small sampling of the books at the fair.
Book Fair Dates: Monday, April 2nd thru Friday, April 6th Shopping Hours: Mon - Thurs 8:10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Friday 8:10 - noon Family night: Wednesday, April 4th from 4:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.
Checks made payable to NES PTA….. no sales tax!
We hope to see you there!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Page 14 Volume 2, Issue 7
Preschool Information Night Parents of preschool children are invited to an Open House and Information Night to be held in the Newbury Elementary School preschool classrooms and library on Monday, March 19, 2012 from 6:30-7:30PM. The Open House is for parents of prospec-tive students and will consist of an overview of the classroom program, including a power point presentation, as well as a tour of the preschool classroom. Preliminary applications will be available for next year’s pro-gram. Children must be three years old before September 1, 2012 in order to ap-ply. Spaces are limited. The Newbury Elementary School Preschool provides child-centered developmentally appro-priate preschool classes for young children ages three to five. The preschool program is fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Classes meet two, three, or four half days each week. Tuition is based on the number of days/week. Fi-nancial assistance based on income is available for those who qualify.
Triton District has created nurse FAX lines in order to be compliant with state privacy law requiring medical notes not be FAXed to shared lines. We have contracted with eFAX to provide the nurse’s office at each school with its own FAX number. This FAX number will send documents to Mary Gold-smith, NES nurse only. The new NES nurse FAX number is: 1-800-381-4065
Nurse’s Office FAX Number
Page 15 Volume 2, Issue 7
ANNOUNCEMENTS
N.E.S. NEEDS...
PLEASE
YOU!
Dr. Tracy would like an interested parent to help with the coordination of volunteers at
N.E.S.!
The N.E.S. Site-based Volunteer Coordinator will be supported by the District Volunteer Coordinator, Carla Collins, in the areas of recruit-ment, as well as maintaining records, and volunteer materials.
The Site-based Volunteer Coordinator will not be expected to
schedule volunteer services.
Please contact Dr. Michael Tracy, Principal [email protected]
978-463-5353
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Page 16 Volume 2, Issue 7
Zapatos, Zapatos, Who has the Zapatos?? Wait a minute…..What’s Zapatos?
At the very least, “What is a Zapatos?” has been the question of the spring this year at Newbury Elementary School. And it is a question that any of the cast members of Theater Workshop will be happy to answer. Zapatos means shoes! It is also the title of Stacey April Fix’s latest dramatic endeavor and thus the focus of Theater Workshop’s spring production. This spring’s production, Zapatos, which Ms Fix describes as a story of fulfilled dreams, boast 86 cast members and 18 interns, with characters from Kings to Shoemakers, to Matadors to Princesses to Jesters!
The play, set in a mythical Spanish village called Granada, chronicles how a King, played by 6th grader Finlay McIsaac, finds happiness in believing in himself and his dreams. This produc-tion is a combination of The Prince and the Pauper, and Cinderella. Audiences will laugh out loud at the antics of Rizzo the shoemaker, played by 4th grader Jack O’Keefe, the romantic perils of Prince Carlos, played by 6th grader Chris Brennan, or the predicaments of Stilletta, played by 6th grader Juliet Truesdale, who is the daughter of the shoemaker who dreams of being a Prin-cess. The audience in the end will realize that there are lessons that we should all listen to. So, Zapatos……is so much more than just shoes. Walk, run, skip, hop or jump to Zapatos. Wear your heels, flip flops, Dr Scholls, sneakers, galoshes or dancing shoes. Be ready to cheer long and loud as this talented cast awakens our untapped dreams. Come and enjoy the dynamic dances and colorful cos-tumes, and imagine yourself fulfilling your own dreams. Zapatos is the perfect fit for a Spring Show! Performances are March 30th 7:00 P.M, March 31st 3:00 and 7:00 P.M and April 1st at 1:00 P.M. For ticket information, contact: [email protected]
Slow the Flow The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge announces the “Slow the Flow” campaign and grant program. The program encourages landowners to make lawn care and landscaping more envi-ronmentally friendly.
Public Workshop Saturday, March 31 9 to 3 P.M.
Parker River NWR 6 Plum Island Turnpike Newburyport, MA To register call: 978-465-5753
$10 for Lunch www.PIESlowTheFlow.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Page 17 Volume 2, Issue 7
LAST CHANCE YEARBOOK REMINDER
DON’T MISS OUT
Capture your child’s elementary school years.
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE 2011-2012 NEWBURY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEAR-BOOK APRIL 2nd is the last day for yearbook orders. This will be the only chance to purchase a yearbook.
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR ORDER Cost $ 18.00 Make checks payable to NES/PTA Please write your child’s name and homeroom on order forms ADD IMPRINTING ($4.00) ADD ICONS ($1.65 EACH) ADD CURRENT EVENTS ($1.75) ANY QUESTIONS E-MAIL [email protected]
Is your child involved in any extracurricular activities? Writing any checks to Triton? Triton Regional School District’s bank has instituted a new policy that does not allow them to accept and process checks that are written in any ink colors other than black or blue. This is due to the scanning machines being unable to read the other colors and thus
presenting as a “blank” check in the banking software. As a result, effective immediately, we cannot accept any checks that are not written in blue or black ink at any loca-tion within the district. Please help by filling out all checks payable to the Triton Regional School District in blue or black ink only.
Newbury Elementary Triton Regional School
District 63 Hanover Street Newbury 01951
Phone: (978) 465-5353
Fax: (978) 463-3070
E-mail: [email protected]
PTA Officers President - Ellen Hazo [email protected] Co-Vice President - Elaina Sayles [email protected] Co-Vice President - Emily Abt [email protected] Secretary - Renee Toth [email protected] Treasurer - Hilary Lind [email protected] School Committee
Mrs. Dina Sullivan - Chair, Newbury Mrs. Deborah Choate - Vice Chair, Salisbury Mrs. Suzanne Densmore - Secretary, Newbury Mr. Lane Bourn - Rowley Mr. Paul Lees - Rowley Mrs. Linda Litcofsky - Salisbury Mrs. Mary Murphy - Rowley Mrs. Jane Purinton - Salisbury Mrs. Robin Williams - Newbury
March 3/19—PreK Parent Info Night,
6:30 P.M.
3/20-3/28—MCAS, Grades 3-6 3/23—”Walk to School” 8:00
A.M. at Newbury Green 3/27—Student Council 7:30
A.M. 3/28—School Committee 7:00
P.M. 3/30—TWS Performance 7:00
P.M. 3/31—TWS Performances 3:00
P.M. and 7:00 P.M.
April 4/1—TWS Performance 1:00
P.M.
4/2—4/6—Scholastic Book Fair 4/6—HALF DAY, Pre-K Screen-
ing 4/9—Science/Engineering Fair
5:30 P.M. 4/11—School Committee Meet-
ing, 7:00 P.M. 4/12—Grade 1 Poetry Day,
Grade 2 Ancestry Day
4/12—PTA Meeting 7:00 P.M.
4/16-4/20—VACATION
Upcoming Events
We’re on the Web! http://newbury.trsd.net
School Community
The NES Newt-paper is published by Heather Leonard on a monthly basis. If you would like to submit something to be included in the NES Newt-paper, please email your information to [email protected] by the Tuesday before the newsletter is published.