Thursday, October 18                                                     Pelham School Committee, 7 PM

      Monday, October 22 – Friday, October 25                  Sculptor in Residence

Wednesday,  October 24                                                Pelham Fall Town Meeting, 7 PM

Friday,  October 26                                                        Field Trip, grades 4, 5, 6

Monday October 29                                                        Third Grade Field Trip

                                                                                    Principal Open Office Hour, 5 -6  PM

            Monday, October 29 – Friday, November 2           EQA Audit for Amherst, Pelham, and Region

Wednesday October 31                                                  Halloween Party

From the Principal:

Next week, Pelham School is privileged to have a sculptor in residence.  Kevin Reese will set up his sculpting studio on the stage at Pelham School and complete work on a large sculpture that will be permanently displayed at our school.  Pelham sixth grade students have been very busy sending Kevin their designs for the sculpture, which he is incorporating into the final design.  I urge all of you to come by next week to follow his progress, and don’t miss the grand installation scheduled for 2:30 on Friday, Oct. 26.  You may also check out his website http://www.schoolsculptures.com

 

NEWS FROM THE NURSE:   We have had several cases of head lice, and we are checking the students in each classroom.  I have attached a page of information for parents.  Remember that anyone can get head lice.  Parents, please carefully check your child for lice at home. If you have any questions, please call me.  Susan Kane

 

Congratulations to Lily Plotkin who won 3rd place in the mini category for the Show Us Your Bra Calendar.  Her entry appears on the September 2008 page of the calendar.  The calendars are a fundraiser for The Breast Form Fund which raises money for postmastectomy bras and prostheses for uninsured and underinsured women.  Lily’s mother, Amy Wasserman, is a 2 time breast cancer survivor.  The calendars will be for sale at the website "showusyourbra.org", Gazebo in Northampton, Zanna in Amherst, CherylNina Salon, or people can contact Amy for a calendar.  This is a wonderful way to recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

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TRICK OR TREAT For UNICEF

wE HAVE COLLECTION BOXES FOR THE “TRICK OR TREAT FOR UNICEF” PROJECT.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE FOR YOUR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE STOP BY THE SCHOOL OFFICE TO PICK ONE UP.  oR, YOU CAN CALL or SEND A NOTE TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE, AND WE WILL PUT ONE IN YOUR CHILD’S BAG.

 

AGENDA FOR THE PELHAM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING, Oct. 18, 2007, 7:00 PM, Pelham Community Room

Welcome, Announcements, and Public Comment—7:00 PM

Update:  EQA;  MCAS/AYP,  Sculptor-in-Residence

Unfinished/Continuing Business—FY08 Budget; Spanish Program

Adjourn

 

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IMPORTANT:  Pelham School Phone Book is attached to this week’s Press!!

REMINDER:  Savings Makes Sense is EVERY Wednesday.

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Computer Club Coming to Pelham School

Have you ever wondered how computers really work?  Did you ever want to write your own computer game?  Would you like to make drawings where everything moves?  Come have fun with us at Pelham Computer Club.  David Shanabrook and Gary King are running a computer club for Pelham School students starting on October 19.  Children of all ages are welcome and no previous experience is required.  Please complete the sign up and return it to the Pelham School office. 

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       My child _________________  will attend the Computer Club starting on Friday, October 19.  I will arrange transportation home for my child.

 

________________________                                                      _____________________

Parent Name (please print)                                                                  Parent Signature

Free Wheelchair Mission

Third Grade Fundraiser

The third grade has purchased three wheelchairs with donation money so far.  We are continuing to accept donation money.  Each time we raise $44.40, we change someone’s life, by providing them with a free wheelchair.  The recipients would not have the gift of mobility without the Free Wheelchair Mission.  Thank you for your support in this fundraiser.  The third grade chose to contribute to this charity, after the completion of their unit on people with differing abilities.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

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Yoga for Kids, ages 6-12

Tuesdays, 4-5 pm

Classes are on-going, drop in ($12/class) or 6 class series ($10/class)

Yoga Center Amherst, 17 Kellogg St (above Rao's)

Call 256-0604 for information.

Email Lucy: lgertz@gmail.com

 

 

The Acupuncture Works

479 West Street  Suite 4

Amherst MA 01002

413-253-2900

 

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day Open House

 

Free Seated Ear Acupuncture

Free Acupressure (massage)

($10 – $25 suggested donation to Acupuncturists without Borders,

a group working for free in New Orleans and with veterans of the Iraq War)

 

Friday, October 26, 2007

4-6 PM

 

 

NEWS FROM FOURTH GRADE

 

We have just completed our first math unit.  Students have been generating arrays for different multiples.  We have also been working with finding all the factors of larger numbers.  Some of the math vocabulary words we have been using are prime, composite, product and dimensions.  Students have even been learning what a square number is.  Our next unit will focus on collecting, arranging and describing data.  Students will make graphs on class heights and the number of raisins in a half-ounce box.  We will continue to work on our math facts.  My goal for them is to complete 100 facts correctly in five minutes or less. 

 

The class has finished their Native American projects and first drafts of their reports.  We will be moving on to the study of Pilgrims and how they interacted with the Wampanoag.  Students will read about the reasons Pilgrims came to the New World, their journey across the Atlantic, and their difficulties establishing a new community.  After studying this interesting culture, we will come up with project and report ideas to show what we have learned.

 

We continue to hone our writing skills by practicing writing complete sentences and organized paragraphs.  Students have completed many exercises concerning punctuation and capitalization, and we are now creating pieces of writing that incorporate these elements. We have completed the fall writing prompt, and I will be sharing these with you during our parent-teacher conferences. I will also be sharing their reports and shorter writing assignments as well.

 

Fourth graders have begun a year-long study of North American geography.  They learned about different land and water features that are shown on maps. Students are learning to tell the difference between human features and natural or physical features.  For example, Massachusetts is a human-made feature in that the borders were determined by humans, even though Massachusetts has many natural features within it. Next, students will learn how industries developed and spread throughout the United States.

 

With most of our learning routines in place, including homework, students are demonstrating good work habits and respect for each other.  I look forward to sharing their progress and ideas for continued improvements at parent conferences.                                                                                                                                                   Tony Shaw

 

AMHERST PELHAM SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENTS ADVISORY COUNCIL (SEPAC)

INFORMATION SHEET

 

Do you want more information about special education services in the Amherst- Pelham Elementary & Regional Public School District?  Are you looking for a way to have input into the “system”?  Would you like to meet and network with other parents of children with special needs in your school district?  If you answered “YES” to any of the above, then the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) is for you.

 

The SEPAC is a group of parents with school aged children with disabilities.  We are a volunteer organization of Amherst – Pelham Regional Public School District parents and other interested individuals who work with our schools and the special education administration to present informative workshops, hold meetings and discussions to focus on continually improving educational opportunities for out children.

 

Come Join Us!!  Please consider completing this form and returning with your IEP. You will then be put on the SEPAC mailing list, and receive information about upcoming meetings, workshops, presentations and discussions.

 

For more information check the SEPAC Website:  http://www.arps.org/sepac/

SEPAC Email:  arpssepac@arps.org

*this email will go through the Student Services Office and will be forwarded to a SEPAC officer

 

 

Parents/Guardians Names (Please Print):_________________________________

Street Address:_______________________________________________________

Town:_______________________Zip:____________________________________

Phone:______________________________________________________________

E-mail Address (Please Print):__________________________________________

School Your Child Attends:_____________________________________________

Grade your child is in:_________________________________________________

Please list suggestions of topics that you would like to see discussed:

 

 

****This is a voluntary form****

Thanks for your input.  Please return this form with the IEP signature page or mail to Student Services Office at 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002.  Watch for further information about SEPAC workshops in your school newsletters or check the website!!!

 

 

HELP, I'VE GOT HEADLICE!

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After colds, head lice (pediculosis) is the most common contagious childhood problem in the world. Head lice live in the heads of schoolchildren in all climates, cultures and living conditions. They are not a sign of poor hygiene or dirty living conditions. They are not a serious illness or the cause of serious illness. They are an itchy nuisance infestation of bugs and their eggs (nits) which require a treatment program that can be tedious, time consuming and annoying, but is not difficult.

The LICE (live bugs) live in human hair (only humans - not pets) and feed on the blood from the scalp. The bugs are grayish and the size of a very small ant. They do not fly or jump, only crawl. They spread from head to head primarily by direct contact. Rarely do they spread in any other way, since bugs that leave the head or fall off are sick and/or injured and so will not breed.

Lice lay their eggs at the base of the hair in sacs called NITS that are glued to the hair. As the hair grows away from the scalp, the nit goes along with it. The nits are pearly gray and tear-drop shaped. Since they hatch in 7 to 10 days, nits that are further away from the scalp are likely to have already hatched.

TREATMENT

• Shampoo your child’s hair with a lice-killing shampoo or creme-rinse. These are available without prescription from the pharmacy.
• Be sure to use the shampoo as directed. They each have slightly different directions. They all recommend a re-treatment in 7 - 10 days.
• You must remove the nits from the hair. Nits are glued to the scalp. Unlike dandruff, they will not fall away when you flick the hair. In fact — that’s one way to tell nits from dandruff.
• Nit-removal might be done with a fine-tooth nit comb. However, these often don’t work because a child’s hair is too fine. The next step is use fingernails to pull out the nits. (This is the tedious part). It is important to comb out nits to prevent re-infestations, and to make it easier to recheck. Use a good strong light or daylight near a window. It helps to section off parts of the hair with a hair clip.
• Items that touch the child’s hair (combs, headbands, hats, linens) should be laundered or placed in a hot dryer cycle.
• Other household members should be checked for lice (the most likely source) but do not treat "just in case", only if lice or nits are found.

Lice are a problem in schools all over the US. The best way for schools to get control of the problem is for every parent to check every child every week, and report to the school if there is a case found. Remember though, schools are not the only place your child may contact lice, and so you should think about other places where your child is in contact with other children. Baby sitter, church, scouts, family visits, sleepovers, sports teams are all possible places where lice can spread—often from sharing brushes, combs, headphones, and hats.  .

 

Hold the Mayo. . .

Lately there has been talk of a strain of lice resistant to the usual treatment and being treated by being smothered on the hair. Several products have been suggested including Vaseline, mayonnaise, and various types of oils. At this time, the best advice seems to be to treat the hair with a lice-killing shampoo used as directed because the jury is still out on this.  Some research indicates that the "resistant cases" are really cases that were not properly treated in the first place. Treat with medicated shampoo first. Clean out all the nits. Repeat the shampoo in a week to 10 days. If that doesn’t work, call school or your doctor to see where to go from there.

THE BOTTOM LINE

• Treat with a medicated shampoo as directed.
• Remove all nits with comb or fingernails.
• Remove any live lice with comb or fingernails
• Repeat treatment in 7-10 days (as directed)
• Let us know so that we can let others know to check

 

 

 

moorer@arps.org

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