Pelham Press Vol. 20,  No. 29    March 25, 2010 http://www.arps.org./pe/

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                        March 22 - April 9         MCAS Testing              Grades             3 – 6

            Friday, March 26                                                Game Night, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

            Tuesday,  March 30                                           Special Town Meeting, Pelham School Gym, 7 PM

            Friday,  April 2                                                 No School

                                                                                    Pelham Library Movie Night

            Monday, April 5                                                 Pelham PTO, 7 PM

            Tuesday,  April 6                                                6^th Grade Field Trip

            Thursday,  April 8                                               Fine Arts Center, K - 6

Pelham School Committee, 7 PM

            Friday, April 9                                                    Lasagna Dinner,  6 PM

            Wednesday,  April 14                                         Spring Open House

            Thursday,  April 15                                             3^rd Grade State Fair

            Friday,  April 16                                                 Fine Arts Center, grades 4, 5, 6

                        Spring Break   April 19 – 23     School Closed

From the Principal:

            Tuesday night I attended the information meeting to learn about the wood pellet boiler and the state grant to fund it that is being considered for the Pelham Community Center and the Pelham School.  The Pelham Energy Committee, represented by Pelham School parent Tom Hartman and former Pelham School parent and Pelham Selectman Jim Huber, along with representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and Bowman Engineering, presented information about the use of wood pellets as a fuel source, wood pellet boilers, and the need for a new roof on the Community Center.  Next, Tuesday night, Pelham voters will decide if the town should apply for this grant and spend $50,000 as a matching contribution toward the grant.  This is a complex topic and I urge Pelham residents to visit the Town of Pelham website for more information. 

 

 

WE FEEL APPRECIATED!

 

Thank you, parents, for the wonderful staff appreciation luncheon on Wednesday afternoon.  The soup, salad, and quiche buffet and the incredible desserts were delicious.  The entertainment, provided by Imani Stevens, Heather Eliot, FranLisa Rowell, Nina Choquette, and Nicole Bousquet, was terrific, and the staff particularly appreciated the thank you cards and note cards created by Pelham students.   The timing for the luncheon was perfect—in the middle of the stress of MCAS—and on a beautiful spring day. 

 

 

 

First Graders Help the Hungry and Homeless

As part of the first grade unit on “Families,” children have learned about homeless families and wanted to help people in need within our area.  We brainstormed an impressive list of ideas and settled on helping our local outreach organization, The Survival Center.  Several children decorated a collection box, which is in the first grade classroom. We encourage you and your child to send in a contribution for our Survival Center collection box.  Cash, checks and non-perishable food items will be handled with care and delivered to the Survival Center next month.  The act of giving or volunteering empowers children to make a positive difference in their world and to feel good about themselves.     Thank you,   Paul Lipman

 

 

Principal Search Update:  The search for a new Principal of Pelham School is underway.  While it is difficult to think of our school without Rena Moore at the helm, we must move forward with a new appointment to this position.  Advertisements for a full-time, school-year principal have been placed in newspapers and online for the coming weekend with a deadline of April 15 for receipt of applications.  A Screening Committee is being formed and will be comprised of 1 School Committee member, 2 Parents/Guardians, 2 Teachers, and 1 Community Member.  If you are interested in serving on the Screening Committee, please contact Kathy Mazur, HR Director via email at mazurk@arps.org or by phone at 362-1803."

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MENU for MARCH 29, 30, and 31

 

Monday, March 29	Tuesday, March 30	Wednesday, March 31
Spaghetti and Meatballs Hot Veggie	Hamburger/Cheeseburger/ Veggie Burger Corn on the Cob	Turkey, Gravy with Peas and Carrots over Biscuits

 

 

Second Grade News

 

            As the weather outside has been heating up, so have our unit studies. Our hot topic is the desert; we are learning how a desert is formed and how plants and animals adapt to the desert environment.  Last week we finished our big desert project.  Each student chose a desert animal from the Southwest U.S. deserts to study.  They had to research information about their animal to create a scene, by using a diorama, which could be used in a museum to show the land, plants and animals that their animal needs or that need it.  The children have had a great time researching and creating their dioramas.  We will have them on display during Open House next month.  We are now beginning to explore a Native American group, the Hopi, which has lived in the southwest deserts for thousands of years. We will learn about their culture and how they adapted to the desert environment. We will also compare their lives to ours.

          This week began the two week lead teach for my intern, Laura Swanson.  I know she will do a great job since she has had lots of practice during the last two weeks when I was out with a bug that seemed to like me much more than I liked it!  I was able to see her in action last week and she was doing a wonderful job.

          Our classroom has also been working very hard during the last month to rid ourselves of the “mean disease”.  The bullying and teasing seemed to overtake the classroom, so we are focusing on nice things to do for each other.  Ms. King read our class a story about “feelings buckets” that each person carries with them at all times.  We are trying to fill each other’s happiness bucket by saying nice things about them and not taking out of their bucket by saying or doing unkind things to them. Also I started a kindness jar. When someone does something nice for someone, the person who received the kindness can stop the class and celebrate by naming the kindness and the giver.  Then the giver of the kindness can put a ball into our jar. When the jar is filled we will have a movie and popcorn. The children have really been trying to think of ways to be kind and helpful to one another, and our jar is almost filled!!  I am very proud of them and they are very proud of themselves.

                                                                                                                   Cindy Corey

 

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Shutesbury Elementary School PTO presents:

The Deedle Deedle Dees!
Friday, March 26,6:30
Shutesbury Elementary School
Free!

The Deedle Deedle Dees are an educational rock band based in Brooklyn, NY. “American History + Rock n’ Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees” is their latest album. They entertain families with songs inspired by subjects including the Underground Railroad, Nellie Bly, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, the Lowell Mill Strike, Satchel Paige, John Muir, and Diego Rivera. And they rock out!
Check them out at www.thedeedledeedledees.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Learn how to build and program LEGO robots!

 

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Girls ages 8 to 13

 

Bring a team of 5 girls and be part of the Western MA Girls Connect event.  This cool all-girl introduction to FIRST LEGO League matches you up with coaches and professional engineers to learn how to build and program LEGO robots to do real-world tasks.

 

We'll provide sandwiches for lunch and an afternoon snack.  At the end of the day, we'll show off our robots in a friendly competition and teams will receive awards for their hard work.

 

Where:  Rooms 150-151, Computer Science Dept at UMass Amherst, 140 Governor's Drive

 

When: Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9am to 4:30pm

 

Parking: Free parking available in Lot 31, Governor's Drive across from Computer Science Building.  See parking map at http://parking.umass.edu/images/maps/mapvisitorparking.pdf

 

What to bring:  Four of your friends, one adult chaperone, and a willingness to try new things!

 

Registration deadline: We must receive your application by Friday, March 19, but we will fill spaces on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

Please return registration forms (disregard the portion about a fee as the program is FREE this year!) to Karen Sullivan, 119 Prospect Avenue, Northampton, MA 01060.  Registration forms are attached to this message, or contact Karen Sullivan for forms.

 

Questions: Contact Karen Sullivan, ksullivan@usfirst.org

 

Want to know more about FLL or FIRST? Visit  http://www.firstlegoleague.org  and http://www.usfirst.org

 

This event is co-sponsored by Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education (CAITE) (http://www.caite.us) and LEGO Education (http://www.legoeducation.com).

 

We hope to see you on March 27!

Karen Sullivan, FIRST

Cathy Helgoe, LEGO Education

Renee Fall, CAITE

 

 

 

	Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County Bangs Community Center  *  Amherst,  MA  01002  *  Phone:  413-253-2591 Fax:  413-253-0124 * Email: bbbshc@chd.org

 

 

 

 

                               

 

                                       March 11, 2010

 

Dear Parents,

 

Several Pelham School Teachers have formed a bowling team (The Pelham Penguins), which, once a year, raises money for Big Brothers Big Sister of Hampshire County.  This annual event, The Bowl-A-Thon, takes place this year on Saturday, April 10, 2010.  It includes dozens of teams that raise almost $50,000 to support mentoring for children in Hampshire County, many of whom attend school in the Amherst-Pelham District.

 

Please think about forming a team or sponsoring our team of Pelham School teachers in this effort to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County.  Sponsorship checks can be made out to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County and sent to the Pelham School office by March 30.

Thank You,

“The Pelham Penguins”

Leanne Hasbouck, Bridgette Hasbrouck, Deb King, Paul Lipman, Janet Scott, Meg Gallagher and Lennie Ware

 

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Vernal Pool Natural History Workshop

Sponsored by: Town of Pelham Conservation Commission

 

Spring will be here soon so visit one of Pelham’s vernal pools and explore the mysteries of salamanders, wood frogs, fairy shrimp, and other aquatic life.

 

Where: 59 S. Valley Rd., Pelham

(Home of Dana MacDonald and Patricia McGirr)

When: 1:00-3:00 PM Saturday, March 27, 2010

What to bring: Warm “outside” clothes and some rubber boots or waders

 

An adult should accompany children and workshop is limited to approximately 30.

 

For information or to RSVP call: Dana MacDonald at 413 253-9362

 

Study Island for MCAS preparation

Just a reminder that this web based software is available for students to use. The URL is www.studyisland.com This is a good way for students to practice MCAS-type questions at home.  All students in grades 3-6 have a username and password. All students have logged in at school and have their username and password. If they have forgotten them or are having trouble logging in please email Margo Russell and she will retrieve their username and password. She can be contacted at russellm@arps.org

 

MCAS TEST TAKING TIPS

For Parents and Guardians

· On time arrivals at school are essential to best student outcomes on testing days.

A late arriving student may be prohibited from taking the test on the scheduled

day and have to take it on a scheduled makeup day.

· Be sure your child/ren observe routine and early bedtimes for at least 48 hours

ahead of testing. Well rested children have more focused energy to devote to the

challenges associated with testing!

· Ensure a healthy breakfast on testing days.

Protein (rather than sugar cereals) will keep your child’s energy and attending

focused.

· Support an “I Can and I will” test taking attitude.

Students who identify as capable learners and combine that with effective effort

are poised to show what they know!

 

 

 

 

 

Family Game Night

Friday, March 26^th, 2010

6:30 – 8:30 pm

 

Come join the 6^th grade class for an evening of

games and dessert

 

Traditional Family Board Games, Chess, Checkers, and Cards too!

 

Candy Bar Bingo at 8:00pm

 

Admission $2 per person or $6 per family

Desserts and Beverages available for sale

 

Games will be provided, but feel free to bring your own favorite(s) as well.

Proceeds will help fund the annual sixth grade trip to Nature’s Classroom.

Contact tracyfarnham@comcast.net  or 531-7641 with questions

 

 

 

Mangia!Lasagna!

 

Pelham School’s 5^th and 6^th Graders request the honor of your presence at their Annual Lasagna Dinner

 

When: Friday April 9^th, 2010, 6pm

 

Where:           Pelham Elementary School Cafeteria

 

What:             Lasagna (cheese or meat), beverages, salad, bread, and dessert

 

Cost:   Adults--$8.00           Children Under 12--$5.00

 

Please return ticket order forms by April 7^th, 2010 to the Pelham School Office.  Pick up your tickets at the school or at the dinner.  Proceeds help fund the annual 6^th grade Nature’s Classroom Trip.

 

 

Please complete the order form below and return to the Pelham School office no later than April 7^th, 2010.

 

Ticket Order Form:

 

Adult Tickets Cheese Lasagna_____       Meat Lasagna_____

 

Child Tickets Cheese Lasagna_____       Meat Lasagna_____

 

Make checks payable to the Pelham 5^th/6^th Grade Fund

 

Name:__________________ Phone:_____________________

Mangia! Lasagna!

 

moorer@arps.org

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