Wellness Day @ the Old Town/Orono YMCA

Wellness Day @ the Old Town/Orono YMCA
Over the last month, students in both Bradley and Alton have
had opportunities to do some healthy after school activities. Both
schools had trips to the New Balance Rec Center pool in March on
April 1, we had a combined trip to the Alfond Arena for ice skating. It
was surprising how many of the kids had never been on skates, but
they caught on fast! On Tuesday, April 12, the Old Town /Orono YMCA
hosted both schools for a Wellness Day. Students circulated between
swimming in the pool, the skate park, the gymnastics room, the climbing wall and an obstacle course in the gym. After lunch, there were
three more classes. Jana Caron taught students about healthy snack
choices. Students got a chance to try yoga in the dance studio. The
students lastly had a lesson from Stephanie Salley about nutrition and
creating a complete, healthy meal. Each student created a meal that
may be chosen to be featured on an upcoming menu! It was an exciting way to emphasize to students the benefits of a healthy lifestyle
and how to make suitable choices to support that healthy lifestyle.
Students had fun and the experience opened their eyes to some activities that were new to many of them. It was a beneficial day for VRS
and AES students!
April 15
Progress Reports go
home
May 3
Literacy Night at AES
May 2-6
Teacher Appreciation
Week
May 6
World of Work Day
@OTES
May 27
Field Trip to Leonard’s
Mills AES & VRS
May 31
AES Spring Concert w/
Spaghetti Dinner
June 6
VRS Spring Concert @
OTES
Enrollments
One
VRS
AES
Pre-k
11
8
K
13
2
1st
19
7
2nd
13
9
3rd
11
2
4th
10
6
AES Science Night — On April 12, teachers hosted a science night for parents to come
see what students have been learning about lately in science. Pre-k and kindergarten have
learning all about recycling and doing some recycling of their own. First and second grade has
been learning about seeds and how they travel. They also tapped trees and made maple syrup
this month! Third and fourth grades have been immersed in the salmon eggs in the tank in their
classroom. Lots of great activities for parents and other family members to enjoy!
Alfond Arena Skating Trip
On Friday April 1, students from both schools
were able to sign up to go ice skating on campus after school.
The mens’ and womens’ hockey teams were on hand to help lace
skates and assist our new skaters. They distributed folding chairs for
beginners to push around to help with balancing and gave several
kids rides on those chairs. It was a LOT of fun and students improved
so much in just an hour of skating. These after school trips will hopefully
encourage active interests and open students’ eyes to the
diversity of the opportunities at the University.
Peanut butter and Jelly Drive
During the month of March, Viola Rand School
families brought in peanut butter and jelly to
help support the Bangor Savings Bank food drive.
There were a lot of jars donated!
Feelin’ Groovy Book Fair @ VRS
The third week of March is book Fair week
in Bradley. One evening, there was an
event with opportunities to create beaded
necklaces, tie dye tee shirts, dance under
a disco ball, have snacks and shop for
books all while dressed in 60’s apparel!
Viola Rand School Walk-a-thon—
Each year the Viola Rand School chooses a
project as part a of a Community That Cares
mission to support. This year, with a house
being remodeled through Habitat for Humanity right on Cram Street, it was an ideal
local project. Students collected pledges
and on Friday, April 15, walked over to the
house to present the organization with a
check for $830. They were excited to be
taking part in creating a home for the family
who will live there in the community.
Study of Ireland
Muffins for the Music Cafe
Second grade students in Bradley learned
about Ireland during the month of March.
They had two guests who shared their expertise. Peyton Boucher showed students her Irish
outfits and taught them clog dancing. Peter
Beckford came in and did an assembly for the
whole school on St. Patrick’s Day on the bagpipes. Students asked really well informed
questions of him, which impressed him and
their teachers. It was an interesting demonstration.
Mrs. Vafiades’ class of first and second graders
have been studying Maine crops such as blueberries, cranberries and maple syrup. They
made blueberry muffins with help from some
parent volunteers. These muffins were given to
the Music Café for teens to enjoy there. They
made some mini muffins to sample themselves. They gave them a thumbs up!