May 2013 Columbus Elementary Newsletter
Content
MAY 2013
VOLUME 8
Principal’s
Corner
The resiliency of Bostonians is awe inspiring and I urge you to allow the tragedy of the Boston Marathon to bring us closer together in our community. Please know that the staff of the Columbus Elementary School is on call to help you and your child(ren) as needed in response to this horrible event. God Bless America and all those who responded in such heroic ways.
izi, Mr. Loud and Mr. Ouellette, who helped with setup and cleanup and the many families who arrived early to make the cafeteria look like a place of science wonder: Jenn Intoppa, Kelley Mulvihill, Heather Murray, Nancy Quinn, and Kathy Yurasko. Final thanks to our concession and cleanup crew: Sara D'Amelio and daughter, Jenn DesAutels, Jenn Intoppa, Kelley Mulvihill and mom, Nancy Quinn, and Kathy Yurasko. I can’t wait until next year!
Thank you to all the families who Join us for another Safe Walk/Ride to enrolled in the School Day on May 1st. “B” Strong and SchoolStore.com wear Boston gear as you say hello to fund raising effort. Mayor McGlynn when you arrive. As prizes arrive at school, they will be distributed to the students. Please mark your Congratulations to our 5th calendar for our Kelly's Roast Beef Night, grade Bicycle Poster Final- Tuesday, May 21st from 4:00pm-8:00pm. ists: Gwen Adams, Ab- Look for the flyer in your child’s backpack; by Czwakiel, Rachel you must bring this with you. It is also a Dakermanji, Dashley “Kids Night” so there will be added enterExateur, Joshua Kentainment, usually a balloon animal maker. ney, Ansel Miller, Krystal Sam, and Kelly’s Roast Beef will donate 15% to the Anthony Teebagy. Special congratulaColumbus School. Proceeds will be applied tions to Odalys Ramos who will repreto our Fun Days for t-shirts, popsicles, sent the Columbus Elementary School as etc., from the PTO. Thank you for your our winner. Her poster will now compete continued support. with all the finalists from across the state of Massachusetts. Good luck Odalys! Two more groups need our thanks... the Medford The Columbus EleArts Council, which enamentary School particbled the PTO to bring the ipated in an outstandTanglewood Marionettes ing Science Night on to perform for grades April 11th. Sincere thanks are directed to PreK-2. The students and Mrs. Susan Schmidt for her tireless effort their teachers LOVED it! in again making this evening such a reAnd the Medford Rotary, sounding success. Please visit the website who donated brand new dictionaries for to share in our excitement. It was an every grade three student along with a event that truly brought the Community free Kindle for one lucky winner! (Check of Columbus together in joined efforts. out website for photos.) To that end, I would like to thank all teachers and staff for their hard work in the classroom preparing the students for the event and for their attendance that [email protected] evening. The sharing of knowledge was evident in the shining faces of the budding scientists in attendance! IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS Thank you also to parents and fami* TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 lies for supporting the learning of science at home and for bringing it to * FAX : 781.393.2187 our school. Thank you to families * NURSE : 781.393.2175 who donated delicious baked goods and snacks! Our custodians, Mr. Az-
Columbus News
COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155
WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US
Kathleen Kay
* ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.2177, ext #3503
May 1
Massachusetts Safe Walk/Ride to School Day Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. Art hanging help is needed for today after school
May 2
Art & Music Celebration, 5:30pm-7:30pm, Columbus Cafeteria
May 5
Spring Garden & Clean-Up Day , 1:30pm-4:00pm
May 6 & 7 May 8 May 9 & 10 May 13 & 14
5th Grade MCAS - MATH Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. 3rd Grade MCAS - MATH 4th Grade MCAS - MATH PTO Meeting, 6:30pm, Columbus Cafeteria
May 15
Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. Incoming Kindergarten Open House , 2:15pm, Columbus Cafeteria 5th Grade Violin Concert, 7:00pm, Medford High School
May 16 & 17 May 20 May 21 May 22
5th Grade MCAS - Science, Technology, & Engineering 5th Grade Basketball Game, 6:00pm, Columbus Gymnasium Kelly’s Roast Beef Night, 4:00pm-8:00pm. Bring flyer with you Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. May 24 Memorial Day Celebration, 10:00am, Columbus gymnasium. Please sign
in at the cafeteria. Tickets for only two family members per family. Please bring flyer with you.
REMAINING MCAS DATES MATH: May 6th/7th - 5th Grade May 9th/10th - 3rd Grade May 13th/14th - 4th Grade STEM: May 16th/17th - 5th Grade
MAY Page 2
BOOK
REVIEW
Lulu Walks the Dog, by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith. Ages 6 and up.
In this sequel to Lulu and the Brontosaurus, the incorrigible Lulu, oft indulged by her parents, is desperate for ways to make money to pay for a mysterious something that they absolutely cannot afford. Rejecting their suggestions to do helpful chores for people as their annoyingly well-behaved neighbor Fleischman does, Lulu settles on dog walking and quickly gathers three customers. But she hasn't anticipated that walking Brutus, Pookie, and Cordelia together is not the cinch she thought it would be, and she reluctantly accepts help from Fleischman. As these polar opposites devise strategies to bring the canines under control, they also take steps to overcome their mutual animosity, and a sort-of friendship develops. When Lulu's secret desire is revealed in a Q & A at story's end, it's clear they'll need to work together for a long time to come. The predictable plot takes a backseat to the hilarious narration with much editorial wisecracking and frequent asides directed to readers. The story moves along quickly, variations in page layout and typeface add interest, and Smith's stylized blackand-white drawings are a big part of the fun. A perfect choice for transitional readers. ~Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY α(c) Copyright 2011. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, by Stephan Pastis. Ages 8 and up. Meet "detective" Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year. Timmy Failure — a clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile, Timmy’s mom’s Segway, and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a no brainer spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity is accompanied by a whodunit twist. With perfectly paced visual humor, Stephan Pastis gets you snorting with laughter, then slyly carries the joke a beat further — or sweetens it with an unexpected poignant moment — making this a comics-inspired story (the first in a new series) that truly stands apart from the pack. ~Copied from amazon.com
Page 3
Newspaper Learning
With thousands of words in every issue, newspapers are a great way to build your youngster’s skills. Grab a paper, and try these activities. Matching Game Have your child cut out several photographs and their captions separately. Mix them up. Matching the captions and photos will improve reading comprehension. Scavenger Hunt List items in the newspaper (car ad, crossword puzzle, weather forecast), and ask your youngster to find and circle each one. This helps your child build research skills as he/she looks thought the pages. ABC Order Together, find the names of 5-10 countries, states, and cities in headlines or stories. Let your child copy each one onto an index card and arrange the cards in alphabetical order. This will help him/her practice spelling and learn about geography too!
Pitching In
Would you like your child to be more responsible, hardworking, and persistent? Here are ideas for working as a family to help your youngster develop these important traits. A Group Approach Thinking of him/herself as a “team player” can encourage your child to be responsible . Explain that your family operates as a team. Everyone must play a part to get things done. Example: You take your daughter shopping for clothes and sports equipment. She choses her outfit each morning and keeps track of her bat and glove. Hard Workers Wanted Your youngster probably has regular chores to do. You can motivate him/her to work extra hard by placing “want ads” on the refrigerator. Choose a challenging job, and offer a benefit. Example: Wanted—A hardworking family member to clean out a corner of the basement. Reward— A place for you and your friends to play. Sticking It Out Working towards small goals can make it easier to complete a big task. Perhaps your family room needs a fresh coat of paint. Write down the steps (move furniture and lay down drops cloths, prepare walls, roll paint on walls, paint trim). Tell your child you’ll take a fun break after each step is done (go to the playground, take a bike ride, etc.).
VOLUME 8
Principal’s
Corner
The resiliency of Bostonians is awe inspiring and I urge you to allow the tragedy of the Boston Marathon to bring us closer together in our community. Please know that the staff of the Columbus Elementary School is on call to help you and your child(ren) as needed in response to this horrible event. God Bless America and all those who responded in such heroic ways.
izi, Mr. Loud and Mr. Ouellette, who helped with setup and cleanup and the many families who arrived early to make the cafeteria look like a place of science wonder: Jenn Intoppa, Kelley Mulvihill, Heather Murray, Nancy Quinn, and Kathy Yurasko. Final thanks to our concession and cleanup crew: Sara D'Amelio and daughter, Jenn DesAutels, Jenn Intoppa, Kelley Mulvihill and mom, Nancy Quinn, and Kathy Yurasko. I can’t wait until next year!
Thank you to all the families who Join us for another Safe Walk/Ride to enrolled in the School Day on May 1st. “B” Strong and SchoolStore.com wear Boston gear as you say hello to fund raising effort. Mayor McGlynn when you arrive. As prizes arrive at school, they will be distributed to the students. Please mark your Congratulations to our 5th calendar for our Kelly's Roast Beef Night, grade Bicycle Poster Final- Tuesday, May 21st from 4:00pm-8:00pm. ists: Gwen Adams, Ab- Look for the flyer in your child’s backpack; by Czwakiel, Rachel you must bring this with you. It is also a Dakermanji, Dashley “Kids Night” so there will be added enterExateur, Joshua Kentainment, usually a balloon animal maker. ney, Ansel Miller, Krystal Sam, and Kelly’s Roast Beef will donate 15% to the Anthony Teebagy. Special congratulaColumbus School. Proceeds will be applied tions to Odalys Ramos who will repreto our Fun Days for t-shirts, popsicles, sent the Columbus Elementary School as etc., from the PTO. Thank you for your our winner. Her poster will now compete continued support. with all the finalists from across the state of Massachusetts. Good luck Odalys! Two more groups need our thanks... the Medford The Columbus EleArts Council, which enamentary School particbled the PTO to bring the ipated in an outstandTanglewood Marionettes ing Science Night on to perform for grades April 11th. Sincere thanks are directed to PreK-2. The students and Mrs. Susan Schmidt for her tireless effort their teachers LOVED it! in again making this evening such a reAnd the Medford Rotary, sounding success. Please visit the website who donated brand new dictionaries for to share in our excitement. It was an every grade three student along with a event that truly brought the Community free Kindle for one lucky winner! (Check of Columbus together in joined efforts. out website for photos.) To that end, I would like to thank all teachers and staff for their hard work in the classroom preparing the students for the event and for their attendance that [email protected] evening. The sharing of knowledge was evident in the shining faces of the budding scientists in attendance! IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS Thank you also to parents and fami* TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 lies for supporting the learning of science at home and for bringing it to * FAX : 781.393.2187 our school. Thank you to families * NURSE : 781.393.2175 who donated delicious baked goods and snacks! Our custodians, Mr. Az-
Columbus News
COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155
WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US
Kathleen Kay
* ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.2177, ext #3503
May 1
Massachusetts Safe Walk/Ride to School Day Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. Art hanging help is needed for today after school
May 2
Art & Music Celebration, 5:30pm-7:30pm, Columbus Cafeteria
May 5
Spring Garden & Clean-Up Day , 1:30pm-4:00pm
May 6 & 7 May 8 May 9 & 10 May 13 & 14
5th Grade MCAS - MATH Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. 3rd Grade MCAS - MATH 4th Grade MCAS - MATH PTO Meeting, 6:30pm, Columbus Cafeteria
May 15
Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. Incoming Kindergarten Open House , 2:15pm, Columbus Cafeteria 5th Grade Violin Concert, 7:00pm, Medford High School
May 16 & 17 May 20 May 21 May 22
5th Grade MCAS - Science, Technology, & Engineering 5th Grade Basketball Game, 6:00pm, Columbus Gymnasium Kelly’s Roast Beef Night, 4:00pm-8:00pm. Bring flyer with you Early Release Day, 1:30pm dismissal. May 24 Memorial Day Celebration, 10:00am, Columbus gymnasium. Please sign
in at the cafeteria. Tickets for only two family members per family. Please bring flyer with you.
REMAINING MCAS DATES MATH: May 6th/7th - 5th Grade May 9th/10th - 3rd Grade May 13th/14th - 4th Grade STEM: May 16th/17th - 5th Grade
MAY Page 2
BOOK
REVIEW
Lulu Walks the Dog, by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith. Ages 6 and up.
In this sequel to Lulu and the Brontosaurus, the incorrigible Lulu, oft indulged by her parents, is desperate for ways to make money to pay for a mysterious something that they absolutely cannot afford. Rejecting their suggestions to do helpful chores for people as their annoyingly well-behaved neighbor Fleischman does, Lulu settles on dog walking and quickly gathers three customers. But she hasn't anticipated that walking Brutus, Pookie, and Cordelia together is not the cinch she thought it would be, and she reluctantly accepts help from Fleischman. As these polar opposites devise strategies to bring the canines under control, they also take steps to overcome their mutual animosity, and a sort-of friendship develops. When Lulu's secret desire is revealed in a Q & A at story's end, it's clear they'll need to work together for a long time to come. The predictable plot takes a backseat to the hilarious narration with much editorial wisecracking and frequent asides directed to readers. The story moves along quickly, variations in page layout and typeface add interest, and Smith's stylized blackand-white drawings are a big part of the fun. A perfect choice for transitional readers. ~Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY α(c) Copyright 2011. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, by Stephan Pastis. Ages 8 and up. Meet "detective" Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year. Timmy Failure — a clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile, Timmy’s mom’s Segway, and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a no brainer spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity is accompanied by a whodunit twist. With perfectly paced visual humor, Stephan Pastis gets you snorting with laughter, then slyly carries the joke a beat further — or sweetens it with an unexpected poignant moment — making this a comics-inspired story (the first in a new series) that truly stands apart from the pack. ~Copied from amazon.com
Page 3
Newspaper Learning
With thousands of words in every issue, newspapers are a great way to build your youngster’s skills. Grab a paper, and try these activities. Matching Game Have your child cut out several photographs and their captions separately. Mix them up. Matching the captions and photos will improve reading comprehension. Scavenger Hunt List items in the newspaper (car ad, crossword puzzle, weather forecast), and ask your youngster to find and circle each one. This helps your child build research skills as he/she looks thought the pages. ABC Order Together, find the names of 5-10 countries, states, and cities in headlines or stories. Let your child copy each one onto an index card and arrange the cards in alphabetical order. This will help him/her practice spelling and learn about geography too!
Pitching In
Would you like your child to be more responsible, hardworking, and persistent? Here are ideas for working as a family to help your youngster develop these important traits. A Group Approach Thinking of him/herself as a “team player” can encourage your child to be responsible . Explain that your family operates as a team. Everyone must play a part to get things done. Example: You take your daughter shopping for clothes and sports equipment. She choses her outfit each morning and keeps track of her bat and glove. Hard Workers Wanted Your youngster probably has regular chores to do. You can motivate him/her to work extra hard by placing “want ads” on the refrigerator. Choose a challenging job, and offer a benefit. Example: Wanted—A hardworking family member to clean out a corner of the basement. Reward— A place for you and your friends to play. Sticking It Out Working towards small goals can make it easier to complete a big task. Perhaps your family room needs a fresh coat of paint. Write down the steps (move furniture and lay down drops cloths, prepare walls, roll paint on walls, paint trim). Tell your child you’ll take a fun break after each step is done (go to the playground, take a bike ride, etc.).
