February 2013 - Great Falls School

Great Falls
Xander
T., grade
4, uses a
visual guide
to braid a
toy.
CHATTER
FEBRUARY 2013
Niko G., grade 3, braids a dog toy.
Students in Mrs. Lyons' class
demonstrated that they are
students of the code. The class
created dog toys for the Great
Falls Animal Refuge League
Drive. They demonstrated
compassion by learning to braid
polar fleece into wonderfully
colorful dog toys for dogs that
are at the Animal Refuge
League.
Abrahim R. drops off toys to the Animal Refuge League Drive
Great Falls
Family Fun and Wellness Fair
Friday, March 15th
at Great Falls Elementary School
5:30-7:00
Join the Great Falls community for a fun filled night of health, wellness, and fun!
Join us as you hear from local wellness experts as well participate in activities such
as scooter board obstacle course, Family Zumba, Dance Dance Revolution and more!
Sparks Ark will be presenting his animal show at 6:00 and again at 6:30. Come join
the fun!
Special Guest visit from Redy!
Admission is free.
Gorham Kindergarten Events 2013
Welcome to Kindergarten! This year these events will be held at your neighborhood school. To 9ind out your school, please go to gorhamschools.org/
transportation/ or call the Transportation Of9ice at 893-­‐2547.
March 7th
Parent Information 5:30-­‐6:00 Registration & screening appointments 6:00-­‐7:00
April 2nd -­‐4th
Screening by appointment:
You will make your appointment for the screening on March 7th at your school.
Great Falls School 222-­‐1050 Here are some important dates for you to remember in the month of March:
Dear Great Falls Families –
I hope that February break was a good one for your family. It was a time for all of us to refresh as we gear up for … March?? While it seems to have come so quickly, I for one cannot wait for spring even though it means mud season in Maine -­‐ although I’m not sure our custodial staff would agree with this! As you know, the weather can Hluctuate a great deal during the month of March. We encourage you to keep abreast of the weather reports so that your child comes to school dressed appropriately. We continue to appreciate the efforts of many families to send healthy, non-­‐sugary snacks and drinks for your child. I am so very pleased to once again celebrate the generosity of our Great Falls School community! Our fundraiser to support victims of Super Storm Sandy called “Shells for the Jersey Shore” raised over $1200, all of which will go to the American Red Cross, with a special earmark for the families living along the New Jersey Shore where devastation continues to be at the highest. Many thanks to Mrs. Rimkunas, our amazing and inspiring art teacher for her extraordinary efforts to see this project through. Our students learned important lessons about compassion.
I look forward to seeing you around school this month! Respectfully,
Jane Esty
Friday, March 1st – Early Release for students. As always, dismissal begins at noon. Teachers will be concentrating on the Common Core Standards in Math and our Core Math program Monday, March 4th -­‐ Keep your eye out for a letter from me that talks about the purposes of conferences and the new computer based scheduling system we are using called PTCFast. Tuesday, March 5th – The window opens for scheduling your conference. -­‐ After School Kids Clubs will continue each Tuesday afternoon until April 2nd. We have 180 students participating this round!! This is all possible because of parents and staff members who volunteer their time. Aren’t we lucky?
Thursday, March 7th, 5:30 – 7:00 -­‐ Parent Information Night and Registration for Incoming Kindergarten students.
Friday, March 8th – The second trimester closes
Friday, March 15th – Great Falls Family Fun Night! Look for more info coming on this. Be sure to join us for this terri9ic evening.
March 28th – Early Release for conferences.
March 29th – No-­‐student day for conferences.
Mr. Henry look alikes on Spirit Day
Theme Three: The Reluctant Reader
Great Falls Elementary School
Lines from the Learning Lab
Why Read? The more we read, the
better we become at reading and other
language skills. Reading opens up new
ideas and connects us to people and
places from other parts of the world.
Stories will develop our imaginations and
open up exciting new worlds of fantasy or
reality- It can be just plain fun!
By Stacey Sawyer
Do You Have A Reluctant Reader?
Here are a few Helpful Sites to Explore
Blog article by Jeff Gunhus. He’s the author
the MG/YA fantasy novel, Jack Templar
Monster Hunter. His 10 Steps To Reach Your
Reluctant Reader have helped hundreds of
parents get their kids excited about books.
What can you do to instill a love of
reading in your children?
The Three MOST Important Things
Parents Can Do:
1) Read to your child. Every day.
2) Have lots of books in your home.
3)Let your child see you reading.
If you do these three things, the
research shows that you will be on your
way to having a child who loves to read.
Great Falls own blogger, Gigi McAllister. She’s
been teaching for 20 years and currently teaches 4th grade. In her blog she discusses
new and interesting books for elementary
grades. http://
www.thelatebloomersbookblog.blogspot.com/
Guys Read is a web-based literacy program
for boys founded by author and First National
Ambassador of Young People’s Literature Jon
Scieszka. Their mission is to help boys become
self-motivated, lifelong readers.
Getting Boys to Read is a community based
blog for parents, librarians, and teachers. They
provide information and support through
articles, videos, interviews, and our forum.
EagerReaders.com
Read"
"Good Books Kids Love to
What-Kids-Who-Don't-Like-To-Read-Like-ToRead: The Reading List
" High Flying Valentine First Grade Fun"
Ms.
Lesperance’s
Class flew their
Valentine
airplanes and
then measured
the distance
with their
rulers.
Great Falls
students and
staff celebrate
Dr. Seussʼ
Day!
March 1, 2013
Tips for Reading Aloud
From PBS 'Between the Lions' Show
Here are some suggestions for giving and getting the
most out of a very special time -- read-aloud sessions
with your child. Remember, it's never too early to
start. Begin reading to your child as an infant. Even
babies love to hear your voice and to look at colorful
pictures.
Read to your child every day. If you can't, ask someone else to be your child's
designated reader.
Try to find a regular time and a quiet, comfortable place for reading together.
Turn off other distractions, such as the radio or television.
Read slowly enough so that your child has time to take in the story and look at the
pictures.
Children may enjoy holding the book or turning the pages. Invite your child to point to
words on the page or help you read the words. Explain unfamiliar words.
Read with expression. Try creating different voices for different characters.
Encourage your children to ask questions about the characters, pictures, and words.
Talk about the story with your
child. Did he or she like it? Why?
Your child may want you to read
the same story over and over
again. After several retellings, ask
your child to tell you the story.
Older children enjoy reading aloud,
too. They can read their favorite
parts, or you can take turns
reading chapter books.
Visit the Between the Lions web
site (pbskids.org/lions) for more on
children and reading.
READ ACROSS AMERICA
Mrs.
Perkins
Mrs. Esty
Ms. Tardif
and Mrs. Fortier
Celebrate Crazy
Hair Day
March 1, 2013