News from our Principal

May 2015 Volume 9, Issue 8

Center School Times

Monday, June 1, 2015

Spring Book Fair and

Art Show sponsored by the

HPTA 5pm-7:30pm GYM

Monday, June 8, 2015

Kindergarten Field Day

Wear your colors!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Rain date - K Field Day

Friday, June 12, 2015

Flag Day Celebration

Wear your red, white and

blue to school!

Monday, June 15, 2015

First Grade Field Day

Wear your colors!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Rain Date– 1st Field Day

Monday, June 22, 2015

Kindergarten Picnic on the

Common - see your teacher

invitation

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Last Day of School for

All Kindergarteners

Friday, June 26, 2015

Last Day of School for

First Grade-12:05pm

Early Dismissal-no lunch

Transitions: Change

June is a month full of mixed emotions. We celebrate the growth, tre-

mendous for our students, made over the last 180 days. We relish ac-

complishments and the smiles that accompany them. While excited

about the prospect of moving on to a different class and different

teacher, students often feel a sense of loss...the familiar routines will

change. For many, students and parents (teachers too), this can be un-

settling.

Children respond differently to this transition. To support a positive

school year end, acknowledge your child’s feelings. Discuss but don't

dwell. Plan a summer get-together while school is still in session.

Knowing that you’ll see a friend that you currently see most everyday is

comforting for a young child who is developing the concept of time and

“next year” seems so very far away.

We, educators and families, share a common goal: supporting whole

child growth. We facilitate multiple areas of development including

academic, physical, and social emotional. You experienced that this

year with the staff that supported your child and will again “next year”

which is mere months away Lauren Dubeau

Early Childhood Education Plan

and Building Design Direction

Middle School Library June 15, 2015 7:00-8:30 pm

Learn about the Center Elementary School Building Project and where w

e are in the process. Hear about the Education Program, what we do instruction-

ally preschool through first grade. See renderings of physical space that sup-

ports this early childhood programming.

The solution to the challenges of Center School is taking shape. Be informed,

be an active member of the next community forum on June 15, 2015.

LIBRARY HAPPENINGS Kindergarten—The month of May brought book celebrations and many different activities. All Center School students heard

“Hooray for Hat!”as we celebrated Children’s Book Week (May 4th-8th). The celebration culminated with hat day on May 8th.

The month began reading and celebrating the works of Jan Brett. Most students were familiar with “The Mitten and The Hat”.

However, we read “Hedgie’s Surprise”. The students loved hearing about a hedgehog as a character. We even had a chance to see a video of Ms. Brett drawing a hedgehog. Some of the other classic children’s authors we’ve included in our book celebra-

tion are Kevin Henkes, Leo Lionni, Don Freeman, Tomie Depaolo, Eric Carle, Patricia Polacco, and Laura Numeroff. I know that sounds very ambitious. It will be time well invested because the students will understand and appreciate quality children’s

authors and literature.

During our discussion of Don Freeman and subsequent reading of Corduroy, the students created button art by attempting to

“hide” a button somewhere on their paper. This artwork will be on display for all to see during our up coming book fair.

The first week of June will be spent on the creations of Eric Carle. Did you know that Mr. Carle paints sheets of tissue paper

(sometimes using the artistic technique called… finger-painting) and then creates his characters and scenery as a collage?

Just a FYI for parents, the students will stop checking out books on June 4th. We are attempting to collect all checked out books and assessing our collection of books for next year. Any student with an overdue book will receive a notice with the

title, author, and replacement cost (if the book absolutely cannot be found). Thank you in advance for helping us make this

process go smoothly. I look forward to seeing your children as first graders.

First Grade—In early May the students had a scavenger hunt in the library. It seemed like a game to the students but it

really was an assessment to measure how successful the students are at finding specific types of books. They worked in pairs

and tried to find books after reading a clue. The students were very successful finding the call number, title, and the physical

book on the shelf. Great Job!

We read “Library Mouse” by Daniel Kirk. It is a story about a well-read mouse named Sam that lives in a hole in the wall of a

public library. After filling his mind with thoughts, ideas, and images of far off lands, Sam decides to write a book of his own.

In fact he writes three books that are soon discovered by the young patrons of the library. The children (and curious librarian) want to meet this now “famous author” but Sam convinces them that books can be written by anyone and everyone. This book

is a wonderful introduction to writing for children. There is a natural progression from reading about Sam to wanting to share their ideas in a book. The student are planning (storyboarding) a book and will work the rest of May and into June on creating

these stories. We will have an entire class period spent sharing and celebrating our students as authors. Please watch for the

book that your child has created and have he/she read the story to you. These books will be going home during the last week of

school.

We hope the children have developed the habit of reading every night. In fact, I encourage you to keep a journal or log of your child’s reading times throughout the summer. Simply by writing down the time it keeps the student accountable to the habit of

reading. Maybe you can build in some incentives for your child if he/she reaches certain milestones. Please remember the more a child reads (or is read to) the more proficient he/she becomes at reading. Now is the time to concentrate on learning to

read but soon your child will need to read to learn.

Beginning this week, the students will not be checking out books during library time. Mrs. Jennings and I will be concentrat-

ing on getting all books back and working on inventorying our collection. Any students with overdue books will receive a no-

tice with the title, author, and replacement cost (if it absolutely cannot be found). Thank you in advance for helping this proc-

ess go smoothly.

We have many fun lessons planned for the students to fill our last few weeks. We will have a center type format with a listen-

ing station, games, and computers. We are also planning a library review in the form of a baseball game.

LIBRARY HAPPENINGS—cont.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have had this opportunity with your children. I hope I have planted a seed that will blos-

som into a healthy voracious love of reading.

Mrs. Susan Mello

Center School Librarian

Thank Your Child’s Teacher for a Great Year through the Thank-A-Teacher Program! The Thank-A-Teacher program is a great way to tell your child’s teachers how much you appreciate the work that they do! Each educator honored by a donation receives a personalized card from your child and the Edu-cation Foundation thanking them for their work. Last spring, 235 educators received Thank-A-Teacher ac-

knowledgements from families. It's a popular program that recognizes teachers for their dedication, and helps to support their efforts to give students the tools and motivation to become lifelong learners. All pro-ceeds fund Hopkinton Education Foundation grants in the schools. To participate, complete and return the backpack flyer or e-flyer that will be distributed on Friday, May 29, or

go to the Hopkinton Education Foundation website (www.HopkintonEducationFoundation.org) and download the form. Any questions, please contact Christine Coffman atcddcoffman@comcast.net.

In First Grade Health classes, students have been learning how to be safe around medicines

and poisons. Students learned that medicines can be helpful or harmful depending on how

they are used. Students learned the Medicine Safety Rule: Only take medicine if it is given to

you by a doctor, parent, or other trusted adult. In a recent lesson, students successfully ap-

plied and practiced the medicine safety rule in role-play situations!

We have also been learning about poison safety in Health classes. First graders have learned

how to recognize and avoid common household poisons, along with learning the Poison Safety

Rule: If you aren’t sure something is safe, don’t sniff, taste, swallow, or play with it. Students

also learned to look for warning labels and to ask an adult for information if they are unsure

about a product.

Family Tips: Medicine Safety: As you give medicines to your child, talk about the amount of

medicine the doctor has prescribed or the amount that is printed on the bottle. Poison Safety:

Help your child by playing “detective” with him or her. Search for poisonous products in your

home, then put them out of reach of young children and pets.

For more information: Go to the National Capital Poison Center: www.poison.org or visit Safe

Kids Worldwide: www.usa.safekids.org.

Mrs. Lewinsky wants to thank all first grade students for a great year, and wish all students

and their families a safe and happy summer! Kathy Lewinsky

HEF THANK-A-TEACHER PROGRAM

HEALTHY NEWS UPDATE

MILESTONE—FIRST GRADERS VISIT ELMWOOD

ARITHMETICKLES K-3 FAMILY PROGRAM WITH

CENTER SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS

Kindergarten Field Day Colors

Wear a shirt and/or shorts in your class color.

Be sure to apply sunscreen on your child before school.

Sneakers and water bottles required.

9:15-11:00

Lori Cowell—White

Rebecca Leary—Blue

Alaina Chagnon—Neon Green

Meredith Beauregard—Red

Stephanie Fernandez—Orange

1:00-2:45

Cathy Robinson/Kristen Pearson—Green

Stacey Homan—Orange

Sue Ferguson—Yellow

Karen McCaw—Red

Kaitlin Barry/Nancy Fiorentino—Blue

First Grade Field Day

Monday, June 15th Rain Date June 16th

Wear a tshirt and/or shirts in your class color

Make sure to apply sunscreen on your child before school.

Sneakers and water bottles required.

9:15-11:00

Mrs. Farrell—Blue

Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Denault—Red

Mr. Sanford—Orange

Mrs. Cullen—Yellow

Mrs. Katragjini—Green

Mrs. Allen—White

1:00-2:45

Mrs. Farquharson and Mrs. Kane—Blue

Mrs. Kahn—Yellow

Mrs. Davis—Red

Ms. Williamson—White

Mr. Boisvert—Green

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 7

Center School musicians have been busy singing, saying, dancing and playing. Each forty-minute session is a

combination of interrelated activities. Some favorite Grade One songs, which welcome spring, are ‘Sir Cat-

erpillar’ with a lovely tune, based upon one of Mozart’s famous melodies. Your children are intrigued by the

Japanese words of ‘Haru Ga Kita’ (Spring has come) as well as the German words in ‘Alle Meine

Entchen’ (All my Little Ducklings). They love to sing songs from other countries!

With our variety of enjoyable vocal warm-ups, First Grade musicians are learning how to use their singing

voices while becoming familiar with their wide range of pitches. They are learning how to match scale

pitches following and using the Kodaly hand symbols. Many of your children are able to sing a tune, just by

watching and ‘reading’ my hand signals. (Their favorite singing pattern is ‘Sol’ ‘La’ ‘Mi’ which sounds like

‘salami’ when sung fast.)

‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear’ is a poem that the Grade One Musicians learned to play on the pentatonic scale.

They have all had a chance to play this on the glockenspiels in the classroom. Each First Grade student was

assigned a partner ‘teacher’ to help his or her ‘student’ play the song. The ‘Judges’ then decided if they

were ready to perform for the classroom. Perhaps you have seen and heard them try this out on the black keys

(pentatonic scale) of a keyboard or piano at home.

Kindergarten singers are delighted with the upbeat, cheerful song, ‘Spring Has Sprung’. They especially

love to add the bell-like sound of the tone bars to the very end (on mi, re do) during our classroom ‘concert’.

Your Kindergarten children also loved the chant: “One two three, Mama caught a Flea….” First they prac-

ticed it using a variety of voices (high, low, whispering, no voice, etc). They then they challenged them-

selves with a movement activity by which they all had to move away – and then return to their exact spot in

the room by the end of the chant. Later they learned how to walk /run to the rhythm of the chant with their

feet moving in eighth notes or quarter notes. Kindergarteners have all had their chance to play on the glocken-

spiels (‘Up the Ladder We must Go’.) Now they are learning how to play, ‘The Pussy Willow Song’. They

are most delighted with the ending, when they swoop down the scale with a glissando.

In May we are enjoying numerous creative movement activities and singing games. Some favorites include

‘How Do you Dootie Day?’ ‘Tideo’, ‘Miss Mary Mack’, ‘Bluebird’, ‘Bow-Wow Wow’, and ‘Jump Jim

Joe’. Many of these involve dancing and moving with a partner; often they switch and change partners dur-

ing the dance. This is a fine way for children to mix together and work on their social skills.

With Flag Day coming up soon, Center School singers are working hard on all their patriotic songs. First

Grade students love to be “Music Teacher Helpers” as they work with Kindergarten students to make sure

they know the songs.

Happy Spring!

Musically Yours,

Mrs. Moran

MUSICAL NOTES