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Monday, September 21  to  Friday,  September 25          BOOK FAIR

Wednesday,  September  23                                           First Grade Field Trip (Postponed)

                                                                                    Fall Curriculum Night

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From the Principal: 

What a treat to see so many students and parents at the Pelham Ice Cream Social!  Even our new Superintendent Alberto Rodriguez came for the delicious ice cream sundaes and enjoyed meeting all the Pelham students, parents and community members.  Please take a minute to learn a little bit more abour our new superintendent in the interview below.

Reminder:   The Pelham Parent Curriculum Night will be on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 for grades K-6. 

                                                Class Presentations--Grades K, 1, & 2                         7:00 - 7:20 PM

                                                Class Presentations--Grades 3 & 4                               7:20 - 7:40 PM

                                                Class Presentations--Grades 5 & 6                               7:40 - 8:00 PM

This is a parent/guardian only event, a time when teachers share with you important information about their classrooms and their curriculum.  Most teachers will have a sign up sheet for parent conferences.  Teachers will begin their classroom presentations promptly at the time on the above schedule. We hope to see all of you there!  Please call the school office by September 21 if you will need childcare.                                                  Rena Moore

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MISSING:  One Black Messenger/Laptop Bag

If you have taken it home by mistake, please return it to Pelham School.

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SPOTLIGHT on our new Superintendent: Alberto Rodriguez
What you want us to call you:     Alberto or Dr. Rodriguez
Where did you graduate high school?     Coral Gables Senior High School, Coral Gables, Florida
Best memory from high school:     My friends
What was your favorite subject in school?    History
Tell us about your family:     I have been married to my best friend, Maria, for over 23 years and we have two daughters, Madison and Danielle.  They are 20 and 19 years old, respectively, and are both in college.
What are you reading right now?     Primal Teen.  It tells us a lot about the adolescent brain and how it works.  It explains a great deal about why adolescents do the things they do.
And what would you recommend to read?     Millennials Rising: The Next Generation by Neil Howe, William Strauss and R.J. Matson. This gives educators and the general lay public an insight into this transformational generation.
What is your favorite movie?    I have many, but I’ll name a few:  The Godfather (I), Jaws (I), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
What do you consider comfort food?     Italian food
What is one thing you miss from your home in Florida?     My family, friends and house
How would you describe your leadership style?    There are several aspects of it:  Facilitative, Distributive, and Delegative
What is one thing that really sets you off?      When adults lie.
What is one thing that you really love about education?   When a child’s life is turned around because of an outstanding teacher or a successful program.
If you were the US Education Czar, what big idea would you introduce?     It’s not a big idea—just replicate and fully-fund programs and initiatives that work and discontinue those that don’t work.  Additionally, fully-fund early childhood education to the extent that all children have access to quality Pre-K.
How do you relax?    Reading, traveling and spending time with my family
Do you have a favorite sport?     Baseball
Do you have a guilty pleasure?    Eating food that I shouldn’t eat.
What surprises you the most about Amherst so far?    How such a liberal community can be so resistant to change.
If we want to talk with you, what is the best way?  Through my fantastic assistant, Debbie Westmoreland.  westmorelandD@arps.org                                                                           Interviewed by Crocker Farm Parent, Clare Bertrand

 

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Savings Makes Sense begins Wednesday, September 30^th.

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Parents, please return all your child’s forms as soon as possible,

including the PTO and School Committee Contact Information. 

We will need these forms before your child may go on field trips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy, On-going Pelham School Fundraisers

Box Tops for Education	Campbell Soup Labels	Printer Cartridges	A+Bonus Bucks at Stop and Shop	BIG Y Education Express
Found on General Mills products, please cut and send to Pelham School	Please cut and send to Pelham School office	Send your used cartridges to the Pelham School office.	Our School ID is 05202	Our school ID is 6258

 

STUDENT DISCOUNT TICKETS

 

Alegria from Cirque du Soleil will be at the Mullins Center September 16th-20th.
Take advantage of Cirque du Soleil’s Back to School offer, which allows Students and Parents of Students
to see Alegria for as low as $25

To access this offer, please visit the link below.

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/special/alegria/Amherst.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Quinlan’s Quill

 

 

       Fifth grade is off and running.  Students are working very hard in all areas.  They are learning the rules, expectations and consequences.  I am so impressed with how they are responding to the increased expectations and the pace of the classroom and you would be too.

       This week we began some of our programs.  Students began their spelling, vocabulary, and reading groups.  We cross-group our spelling and vocabulary groups, so your child might have a 6^th grade teacher for those subjects.  Also, there are four different reading group in the class for our current unit to meet the needs of all the students.  We are fortunate to have so much support in the classroom to address student strengths and needs.  If you or your child have questions about the various groups, I will be happy to discuss the decisions at the parent conference or stop by in the morning.

       Next week, we will begin our skills groups.  Again, these groups are cross-grouped with the 6^th grade to maximize the adults we have to teach the groups.  These groups teach specific skills such as reading decoding, fluency, comprehension, and multiplication facts.  If your child does not need those skills, we have extensions for them to do.  We run the skills groups 3 times a week for a half-hour each day. 

       As you can see, there is a lot happening in 5^th and 6^th grade.  As I type this newsletter, I can imagine it is overwhelming for some of you.  The 5^th and 6^th grade team has been together for more than ten years, so the program runs very smoothly.  The kids will quickly learn and understand the rhythm of the days. 

       In math we have been studying place value, will move into a quick review of adding and subtracting whole numbers, and then begin a study of algebra.  I have also introduced the math problem solving books, which will be a great way for students to challenge themselves in math.

       In writing, we are beginning with a personal narrative paragraph.  Students will write a clear, concise, paragraph with a good topic sentence, details and a concluding sentence.   They are also reviewing capitalization rules and soon will move onto punctuation rules.

       I look forward to seeing everyone at Curriculum Night and then parent conferences.   If you need to talk to me, I am at school by 7:15 in the morning and that is the best time to reach me.  Thank you for your support and the privilege of teaching your children.                                                                                                           Suzanne Quinlan

 

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   Sixth Grade News

September 14, 2009

 

 

We’ve had a busy start to the school year. We are almost completely up to speed with our regular schedule.  This week we started our spelling and vocabulary programs, which are geared to each student’s needs. They have weekly spelling and vocabulary words to learn and study, with tests on Friday.  In math we are working through our first unit, teaching students the mathematical concepts as well as how the math program is organized.  Every day we correct homework, have a lesson on new material, try a few problems with a check by the teachers, then have independent practice work. Our program also includes special Problem Solving books students use to solve word problems and explain their thinking. In sixth grade we assign math homework every night. Our River unit is underway, and it includes field trips, science experiments, river literature, and a study of ancient civilizations. Our other science and social studies units this year include Maps and Globes, Experiments with Plants, Physics, and Health. We will be writing various process pieces including a personal narrative, descriptive essays, a persuasive essay, a research report, various expository paragraphs, book summaries, and a business letter. We will read historical fiction, realistic fiction, biographies, poetry, and folklore together. In addition to the subjects we study, we address organizational and social skills.  Our sixth graders are training for the greater independence that will be required of them in the following years. Our goal is that each Pelham student is a successful learner, with the skills and knowledge they need for the next step in their education.  I look forward to seeing each of you at the Curriculum Night.                                                                       Margaret Light

 

      

 

moorer@arps.org

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