Friday December 20--Extra Snack

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lateness of this post. I mentioned to the students at dismissal that they can bring an extra snack to eat during our movie afternoon if they wish. It was a late day decision and I didn't have time to communicate any other way. This is a snack for them and not to be shared. We finished our latest read aloud today and will watch the movie version tomorrow with Ms. Tompson's class. They can bring popcorn or any other snack you have available. Don't feel you have to send one if you would rather not.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. I can't wait to see what the new year brings!

Beth

Art News from Ms. Wright

3^rd Grade Art News

http://wpsart.blogspot.com/       

 

Dear Parents,

 

Here is a snapshot of what we have been doing this fall. 

 

What We’ve Learned

 

For the first project of the year, each student drew a still-life, an arrangement of objects that doesn’t move.  They could choose which still life arrangement that they wanted to draw.  Each one has fruit and/or vegetables.   They had to draw large and fill the space and show that one object was in front of the other to show depth.  Then they used watercolors to color them.  Shadows were added to show value.

 

Elements of Art:

        -line

        -shape

        -space

        -color

        -value

 

For the next project, the students made a drawing of an “illuminated beast”, a type of art created in the Middle Ages.  The students enjoyed combing different parts of animals to create their own “beast”.

 

Currently we are continuing on our medieval theme, and the  students are drawing their own castle.   We are doing this project to learn about different types of architecture.  Architects are artists that design buildings. 

       

 

Please check out my art classroom blog!  I will be posting updates of what we are doing in the art room.  This is a great place to see what is happening during a particular project, instead of just the end result. 

 

http://wpsart.blogspot.com/      Consider following this blog so you will get emailed every time I post.  Thanks for looking!

 

-Ms. Wright

rwright@rsu14.org

 

Parent-Teacher Conferences Sign Up Clarification

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry if my double communication was confusing. If you sent back the paper sign-up for conferences, that is all you need to do. I have highlighted the time I'm planning on seeing you and have written "see you then" in the yellow highlight.
If you would prefer to sign up online, follow the link in my last blog post. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. Thanks,

Beth

Electronic Sign Up for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dear Parents and Guardians,

You are now invited to sign up for your child’s conference.  Use the following information, to go onto a secure website to schedule your conference.  Please reserve the night times for families who are unable to attend during the afternoon.

Please remember when choosing a time online that the conferences are for 40 min from the start time listed. The site doesn’t allow me to book conferences on a staggered start. If you choose 1:30-1:50 please know that you will actually be conferencing from 1:30-2:10 as listed on the form sent home on Friday.

To pick a time slot:

1.     Click the link below or enter the URL into your browser: http://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Windham_Primary_School_1
(please note the “underscores _” in the address)

2.    Select a teacher from the list.

3.    A window will popup asking for some information: the child’s last name, first name, parent name, and the email you want all correspondence to go to.

4.    Submitting this information will generate a confirmation notice sent to the parent’s email (Please check spam, junk folders, it might end up there).

5.    In the first confirmation email will be an individualized code number and a new web address

6.    Going to the new web address it will ask for the individualized code number (this is a different code from last year).

7.    Once you fill in the code number it’s then the time schedule will appear so the parent can select the open slot they desire.

8.    After hitting the done button on the bottom of the page a second confirmation email is sent.  Confirming the date and time of the conference.

This is first come first serve, so please be timely so that you can get a conference time that works best for you.

I look forward to seeing you!

Beth Earle

Growth Mindset

I will be at a conference on Friday (tomorrow). The class had a discussion today about how they could have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset when tackling a day with a sub. They all spent about 10 minutes reflecting today and wrote out some ways they can adopt a growth mindset to help them have a successful day. I was impressed with what they came up with. Feel free to talk to your student tonight about how they plan to tackle the day tomorrow.

Info coming next week about conferences. This has been a very hectic week and I haven't had time to communicate much. Sorry. I promise to get you information shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Beth

School Pictures, Windham Trip, Adjective Day and other class info.

Coming home tonight are school pictures and a flier about Adjective Day.

Students who purchased photos should have packages coming home tonight. If you know you ordered and didn't get one, please email me or call the school to let us know. Sometimes Lifetouch accidentally sends them to other classes. I can put out a call to other teachers if this is the case.

Adjective Day will be on Oct. 31. It is NOT a Halloween costume day. I am challenging kids to use things they already have at home and to not bug parents to buy things.  A lot of kids were interested in "athletic" as their adjective. When you are brainstorming, please try and come up with something unique so our day isn't just a sea of sports jerseys. We will do some brainstorming on Thursday or Friday as well. Hopefully we can have a large assortment of adjectives. We may even join other third grade classes for an adjective parade!

Reminder to get your permission slips and money in for the Windham Field Trip. We are going next Monday, October 28th and slips need to be here before students can go on the trips. I will send a second one home tomorrow for anyone who might need an extra. Money can come later if necessary, but the kids can't go unless we have signed permission.

We are finally getting into the swing of our normal schedule and the class is settling in really well. I'm so proud of the work they've done this year! Reading Workshop is taking shape nicely. Please ask them about the Options Board and some of the activities they are doing during this time. We have also started WIN time and are working on reading fluency. Also, our Math Switch time is beginning and students have been broken into groups to work on things they need extra help in as well. It's a busy time of year in third grade!

As always, thanks for your support!

Beth

Congratulations! NECAP Testing is Over!!

Hi Families,

Please congratulate your third grader tonight for the job well done on the NECAP testing. I saw some amazingly hard workers over the past 6 testing days! You should be very proud! On top of sitting and testing for so long, they did a beautiful job of rolling with a completely upside down schedule of specials and classes.
In the middle of it all we did some great work learning about different types of wetlands and wetland creatures and vegetation. We will continue this work next week leading up to our field trip on the 17th. Please be sure to dress your child in weather appropriate clothing. Just a reminder that we will be back for lunchtime that day. Pack a light snack that we can eat in the park.
We also worked a lot with different types of nouns this week. Some students are still struggling with the differences in proper nouns and common nouns. We will continue this work, but any extra conversation you can have around the topic would be welcomed.

Please remember that Monday is Columbus Day and we will have no school.

Coming home in backpacks is:

• a gift from Lieutenant Rogers from the Windham Fire Dept
• a St. Joe's basketball clinic sign up
• Windham PTA fundraiser form

Have a wonderful and safe long weekend!

Beth Earle

SMENCIL SALES

Go Green for Technology ~ Dollars for Tech Scholars 
 On sale at WPS this Friday and then the 1st Friday of each month for the remainder of the year from 8:00-8:20am - Gourmet Scented Smencils

Help WPS and the environment at the same time!
Smencils are made by rolling sheets of newspaper tightly around #2 graphite writing cores until pencils of typical thickness are formed. Then they're hardened and soaked with gourmet liquid scents. Once they're dry, erasers are attached and the stickers that identify which scent was infused into each Smencil are applied around them. Lastly, each Original Smencil is placed into its own corn-based biodegradable Freshness Tube

Recycling Facts: An average sized cedar tree will make about 172,000 wood pencils. 172,000 Smencils can be made from 430 newspapers.
All Smencil are $1 and sales go towards purchasing technology, like SMARTboards for Windham Primary Students!
If your child would like to PRE-ORDER please send money to Mrs. Earle during the week leading up to the 1st Friday each month and I will pick them up before school that Friday morning. This is helpful to students who are on later buses and can't wait in line.

In Today's Backpacks. . .Field Trip notice

Hi Everyone,

Coming home to everyone today:

Field trip permission slip for a trip to Maine Wildlife Park. We'll be studying wetlands this year and will take a trip to learn more about what a freshwater wetland is like. The tour we will take is called Wetland Metaphors and is on Oct. 17th. Please get permission slips back quickly. We will also be taking our annual Tour of Windham on Oct. 28th--slip coming soon. If you can't chaperone for one, maybe you can for the other. In the spring we'll take our trip to Scarborough Marsh and Pine Point beach--date will be planned later in the year. I can generally take 4 parents per trip, but the last trip is open to all parents.

There is a blue 1/2 sheet outlining how we will be meeting academic needs for all students this year. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Everyone will also get a packet for the school's flu clinic that will occur on October 18th. Please send back if you wish for your child to get their flu shot here at WPS.

The SchoolStore.com fundraiser is back. See the info envelope for more participation information. I have received a few hundred dollars in gift certificates in the last few years through student participation in this fundraiser. I always use the certificates to update my magazine subscriptions. I currently have Ranger Rick, Cobblestone, Discovery Kids, Highlights and Sports Illustrated kids on the shelf. The kids really love reading them when they come in in the morning.

NECAP testing New England Common Assessment Program) is also starting next week. I'll send a copy of a letter that all third grade teachers helped draft. Let me know if you have any questions. Students will be allowed to chew gum during this testing. I have a decent amount of gum on hand, but am running a bit low on mint flavors and bubblegum flavor. Feel free to donate if you can.

Chorus is starting soon. You will see a flier from Mrs. Cash-Cobb explaining what it's all about.

The last thing coming to everyone is my classroom directory. The information on this sheet was what you all wrote down on the beginning of year class directory form.

Those asking for paper copies of everything will also receive the October lunch menu. You can access it electronically through our website.

Have a great weekend! Many kids have thoughts of the Cumberland Fair this week! I've enjoyed hearing their stories.

As always, thanks for all of your support!
Beth Earle

Eagle News and Other Weekly Info

Hello Families,

I'm glad to report that all students have successfully completed the fall NWEA computerized assessments. I saw students taking their time and really working hard to show what they know. You should be proud of them!

Coming home this weekend in backpacks is information about Picture Days. As you may already know, Oct. 2-3 are Picture Days this year. Third grade will have photos taken on Oct. 2nd. Also, the Chill out and Read school wide program is officially up and running. Your child will bring home a sheet that they can fill out to receive a special bookmark. It is not a mandatory program, but there are weekly announcements made that announce students who have reached reading milestones and classes that have 100% participation. I hope to have all students interested this year! Students should also be filling out their book logs and returning them when they are complete with a parent signature. I will send another one home when they turn one in.

Information from Administration:

Reminder about drop-off information-

Drop off starts at 8:00 in the new parent drop off area near C house/football field. Please do not let your child out of the car until the school door is open. We are asking parents to stay single file and wait to pull up. We are unloading 5-6 cars at a time. Once the group leaves the next group can pull up. Please pull all the way forward to an empty spot. Reminder that this is for parents to just stop quickly, let their child out, and then go! This is not for parents to get out of their cars to help unload. This process is to ensure the safety of all of our students!

Signing up for listserve- Please sign up for our listserv to receive the latest WPS News.  If you have signed up in past years, you need to sign up again.  Click here to sign up. http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/windhamprimaryschool

 

Have a great weekend and as always, thanks for your support!

Beth Earle

Substitute Wednesday and Thursday morning

Hi Families,

I will not be at school on Wednesday and will also miss Thursday morning. I will be away at a conference on Wednesday learning about standards based education and have a professional meeting on Thursday morning at school. It is my understanding that Mr. Philpot, a retired 3rd grade teacher, will be covering my class. Please call the office at 892-1840 if you have any needs during this time, as I will be unavailable to contact you. The kids know I'll be away and we spent a bit of time talking about how to do a good job while a sub is here. They should know my expectations and I am hoping to have a great report when I return.
Please remind your child to do their best while I'm away.

Thanks,

Beth

Peanut and Nut Free Snack and NWEA Changes

Hello Families,

As you probably already know, we did not take our NWEA Reading test on Monday as planned. There were some difficulties with the NWEA program in uploading the current student information, so we had to delay it. We will begin testing on Tuesday with the reading test and finish next Tuesday with the Math portion.

We are beginning our story time snack with other classes and I need to ask for you to refrain from sending in snacks that contain peanut or nut products for snack. You may send lunch items as usual, but we will be mixing with students who have nut allergies during snack time. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

As always, thanks for your support!

Beth Earle

Volunteer needed Monday

If you are willing and able to cut out monster cardstock bookmarks for approximately 80 students this Monday during the day, please email me at bearle@rsu14.org. The A House PLC team is beginning to acclimate the students to switching classes by doing a Fun Switch each day this week. I plan to have the kids make monster bookmarks that will fit on the corner of a book. I could use some help cutting everything out. Thanks in advance to anyone who can pitch in!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Beth

Things to look for in Friday's backpack and other beginning of year information

Hello Families,

I apologize for the length of this post. I have a lot of information that I need to get to you. I promise future posts won't be as lengthy.

I just wanted to send a note letting you know of a few things to look for in backpacks on Friday. One form from the office was missing in your packet. I got it early this week and will send on Friday. It's beige and titled Windham Primary School Media Release Form. Please try and have it along with all other beginnig of year paperwork back by Monday. Thanks so much to many of you who have everything in already. It's a tremendous amount to organize and keep track of and it really helps to sort throught it all at once.  I sent reminders to those who still have things out on Thursday. Please do your best to get the rest in quickly.

Also coming home is a Boy Scout flier for boys and an article from Dr. Rhoads about attendance. I found it very informative. On the topic of attendance, please be sure to have your students here as much as possible this year. If you can schedule appointments after school so your child won't miss out, that would be helpful. I do realize that it's unavoidable, but please do your best! Also, new this year, students will be marked with an unexcused absence unless you provide a specific reason as to their absence. "Out sick" is no longer specific--the office is now tracking type of illness. Please feel free to email me if your child is out and I can let the office know.

We should have our laptop cart arriving in our room on Friday. If you would like to send your child to school with their own headphones or earbuds that only they will use this year, I can store them in ziploc bags for use when we are on the computers. Thanks to the Dempster family for donating several pair for us to use this year. If you cannot supply any for your child I do have several pair that they can use.

A note from food service: The hot lunch pricing for this year is $2.35. The reduced price is $0.40. The breakfast price is $1.00. Breakfast is free for free and reduced families. Snack milk is $0.50 for all students.

One last thing to note: Next week we will be participating in the NWEA computerized testing. We will take the Reading portion on Monday, September 9th and the Math portion on Tuesday September 10th. I'll be sending a notice about how you can help your child be successful in Friday's mail.

Next week is our first full week! We've been slowly working up to a full workload and will be ready to start our regular routine soon. I'm really enjoying getting to know your children!

Beth

First Day of School 2013-2014

Hello Families,

I am excited to report that we are having a wonderful day in third grade today. I am having fun learning all about your children. I am really impressed what they already know about our school, how it works and what our rules are. More importantly they know what the rules mean and how they apply to them! Ask them about their punch card when you see them after school today. They are excited to start working toward earning a reward coupon.

I will be doing most of my whole class family communication through this blog. If you aren't already subscribing to it, please follow these directions:

Follow this link http://mrsearlesclass.blogspot.com/ and click the  button that says Follow By Email in the top right corner. By entering your email you will get an email each time I post a blog entry. I will send more information about this next week. If you have any questions before that don't hesitate to contact me.

If you do not have internet access I will send a hard copy of each blog post I write, so you will get the information as well.

I hope your child comes home and is excited about our first day together. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Sincerely,

Beth Earle

 

Pennies for our Playground Results

The following message was sent to staff this morning. I'm so incredibly proud of my students and families. You are all amazing! We look forward to our trip to Mackworth Island on May 21st. Mrs. Jordan, our volunteer coordinator, is working on permission slips as we speak. Hopefully they will be in backpacks on Friday. Way to go everyone. We wouldn't be going on this trip without you and your generosity!

Beth
Congratulations!

 

 Your classrooms raised $5,738.89 during the month of April in our Pennies for the Playground contest!  The winning classrooms were Mrs. Earle with $614.89, Mr. Clonan with $314.68, and Mr. Musters with $502.92.  Second place finishes in each house were Mrs. Rogers with $452.57, Mrs. McDermott with $241.52 and Mrs. Cott with $272.72.  A house raised the most money as a house with $2,202.47. 

NWEA testing

Math and Reading NWEA testing will occur this week. Math will be on Tuesday morning and Reading will be on Thursday morning. You can help your child by making sure they've had plenty of sleep and a good breakfast. Remind them to take their time, read each question carefully, and do their best. This is the computerized test that is customized for them.

 

Also a note from Administration:  On May 7^th and May 9^th we will try a quiet lunch in the cafeteria. This was a student generated initiative from a vote earlier this year. This is in no way a punishment to students but was generated by students and they have continued to ask about trying it. 

Beth

Scarborough Marsh/Pine Point Beach Field Trip

Hi Everyone,

I just received notice that our field trip has been approved for June 14th. I'll be sending out a permission slip later in May, but I don't restrict the number of parents chaperoning on this trip, so I wanted you to all have plenty of notice to clear your schedules if you want to join us. I will be able to take 4 adults on the bus and like to reserve those spots for people who cannot transport themselves to Scarborough. Everyone else is welcome to follow the bus, carpool or meet us at the marsh. Parents can sign students out at the end of the trip and continue to enjoy the beach if they choose to, instead of having them ride the bus home. It's always a fun day!

All adults attending will be charged $5. More info to come. . .

Beth Earle

Pennies for our PLAYGROUND is nearing it's end

Hello Everyone,

We are coming up to our final week of the Pennies for our Playground drive here at WPS. I am pleased to announce that our class has been leading the pack for most of the contest, but we are in a heated competition with another third grade class around the corner now. We have now collected  over $250 (over 5,600 coins counted) and are excited about the chance to win a field trip to Mackworth Island to do team building activities and to enjoy the beauty that the island has to offer.

Now is the time to dig into the pockets of old coats, look in the bottom of your washing machine and possibly ask nearby relatives to help in our initiative for building a beautiful new community playground (and win a trip for this class). They have worked so hard this year and will really benefit from this trip!

Please help us with this final push. Contest ends on May 3--no amount is too small!

Thanks for your support,


Beth Earle

LIBRARY IS BACK!!!!

I am pleased to announce that we are going back to a 30 minute per week library class for the remainder of the year. After trying a different model for students to access the library, it has been decided to return to a traditional model for library services. My class will go to the library on Thursdays from 9:15-9:45.
Mrs. Allen has asked for our help. Please try and help your child get their book back to school on Wednesday. I will collect all books regardless if they are returning or renewing. If they choose to renew, we will put a note on the book and they can get it back on Thursday morning when we arrive at the library. With your help the students will have more time to enjoy the library and will mean less time waiting in line. Thanks for your support!

Beth Earle

Conference Scheduling

I'm sorry for those of you who couldn't find a link for conferences. I was under the assumption taht the office was sending notification. Here it is for those of you who haven't scheduled already. http://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Windham_Primary_School_1. For future reference, it is also located on the WPS webpage on the left hand side under Important Links. Let me know if you need assistance scheduling a conference.

Beth Earle

Spring Conferences

The spring conferences online scheduling begins today. Please remember that even though it looks like a 15 minute chunk, I will be doing 3 15 minute centers. Your conference will begin at the time slot you select, but you will be here for 45 min, not 15. This is a restriction of the scheduling application and I can't change the view you see. Sorry.

If you do not require a conference at this time, please check the box letting me know. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Beth Earle

Reminders

Innovation Day!!!

Next Tuesday, February 12 is Innovation Day in grade 3. You can help your child by getting all necessary materials to school by Tuesday morning. Some of you have already brought materials in--thank you!  Students will complete projects at school that day and will need to bring them home on Thursday, February 14th. Please help them make arrangements to get them home(large bag for transport on bus, pick them up that day, etc).

Message from Dr. Rhoads

These are exciting times for my family as we are preparing for the birth of our daughter. I wanted to make you aware of my plan for supporting my family as the due date is Feb. 9^th.  After the birth of my child, I will be away from the school for 5 days.  I will then continue to learn about parenthood by working mornings as your principal up to another 4 weeks. I am anticipating that one of the weeks of my absence will be the week of February vacation.

The leadership team at WPS has been planning for my absence. Also, Kris Grant, former assistant principal at WPS, has agreed to join our team as the acting principal in my absence.  When I am out of the building, Ms. Grant will be here to handle administrative duties. If a crisis should arise, I have agreed to return to the school to help support the students and staff. I am excited about how my life is about to change!    Sincerely, Kyle

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rhoads welcomed his baby girl today, Feb. 6th.


Upcoming Music Dates to Remember--More info will come from the Music Dept.

Saturday, March 2

Orff Festival – Select 3^rd Grade Students

Primary School

Thursday, April 4

3^rd Grade Concert
6:30 - WPAC--Windham Performing Arts Center – auditorium at the high school

Monday, May 27

Memorial Day Parade
3^rd Grade Chorus, Manchester Chorus, HS Band

Thursday, May 30

3^rd Grade Chorus
6:00 PM - Seadogs Game


There is NO SCHOOL on February 15th. Enjoy an extra day of vacation!

Beth Earle

Good Morning Everyone,

I have a few things I'd like to let you know about this morning.

I'm sending home DVDs from the holiday concert today. If you ordered one from Mrs. Cash-Cobb, you can expect to find it in your child's backpack tonight.

Our 100th day is approaching. Traditionally our school participates in a food drive to benefit the Windham Food Pantry. Each grade level is responsible for donating certain foods. Third grade will be donating boxed foods this year. If you would like to donate please send items in between Feb 1-13.

As the flu/cold season continues please remind your child to keep washing hands with soap and water if they are coughing or sneezing onto them. I am doing my best to keep things sanitized here in class to minimize the germs. If your child is sick and contagious please keep them home, but please be mindful that attendance is important and use good judgement when keeping them away from school. If they will be absent you can either email me or contact the office to let them know. Remember to let us know specifically why they are out. For example, please say sick with a head cold instead of just sick. It helps with looking at our absences data.

Communication from the office: Please be sure that your child's emergency information for addresses, phone numbers and emergency contacts are up to date. Changes occur during the year and we sometimes forget to make necessary updates. This will help us out a lot!

If you plan to pick your child up from school any time after 2:30, please report to the cafeteria. Any time before 2:30 will still be dismissed from the office.

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and hope that some of you will be able to be home on Monday as well.

Stay warm!

Beth Earle