Poems in Pockets, Citizenship, Hedge Awards and More PARP

National "Poem in Your Pocket Day"

Back by popular demand, Stonehedge once again celebrated National Poem in Your Pocket Day. This celebration of poetry began in New York City in 2002, as a way to celebrate April as National Poetry Month.  It went nation-wide in 2009, when it was officially adopted by the Academy of American Poets. 

On this day, all over the country, poetry is pulled from pockets, unfolded and shared in libraries, bookstores, schools and workplaces in an effort to remind people of the joys of poetry.

Students and staff here at Stonehedge were encouraged to carry a poem in their pocket and when asked, share it!

Words of encouragement and sometimes even small prizes were awarded to anyone who could produce and read their poem. This resulted in a fun-filled day of poem sharing; adults and children reading to each other in all configurations.

Thank you to all involved and especially to Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Graser, and Mrs. Eichhorn for organizing the event.

Citizenship is Not Passive

Last Friday, we held our character education assembly for the month. Thank you to Miss Dusart's, Mrs. Carrington's, and Mrs. Prosser's students for leading our discussion about citizenship. Students noted things we can do to be good citizens. 

 Citizenship is not passive. Citizenship demands participation, involvement and contributions. Good citizens go beyond their own interests, demonstrate a concern for others and recognize their obligations to home, school, neighborhood, country and world. No one makes a difference without being involved! Ask your child how they might want to be involved. 

FIRST GRADE HEDGE AWARD WINNERS – PATIENCE AND ACCEPTANCE

 

  Miss Cantone – Erin Fortune, Osvaldo Valenzuela, Erin Wheeler

  Mrs. Cunningham – Bridget Dunham, Ryan Duffy, Justin Lisovets, Hannah Sparks

  Mrs. Donahue – Camille Bohli, Samantha Bowles, Alex Calkins, Erica Volik

  Mrs. Malbone – Luke Calkins, Jamison Gorzka, Tyler Peebles

  Miss Munley – C.J. Hammond,  Kaitlyn Hoy, Olivia Wake

  Mrs. Vincentini – Collin Schweitzer, Noah Kemblowski, Scout Oudemool

  Mrs. Vislosky – Abby Moore, Charlie Searle, Tyler O’Brien, Joliana Paratore

SECOND GRADE HEDGE AWARD WINNERS – PATIENCE AND ACCEPTANCE

   Mrs. Bailey – Janiya Daye, Noah Coleman, Andrew Mauro, Ella Thome

   Mrs. Carrington – Tatianna Blount, Tyler D’Alessandro, Maria Girazov

   Miss Dusart – Alexis Byrne, Evan Rice, Emilie Shoults, Tyler Wavercak

   Mrs. Prosser – Angelins Gittschau, Elsa Propper, Adam Salak, Ethan Smithers

   Mrs. Schweitzer – Kaitlin Fisher, Jack Murphy, Allison Putnam

   Mrs. Shepard - Jared Corrice, Ayva Dykes, Gabe June

As promised in our April e-Newsletter, here are some more PARP pictures to enjoy! 

 Lori

Fact or Fiction?



Can you name this book?





One of the winning classes



PTA moms hand out books to classroom winners



Marching Into April

Open House

Thank you all for attending Open House last night!  We enjoyed seeing you and having the opportunity to share the learning that goes on in the classrooms.  Students were so excited and proud to share their work with you.  It was a pleasure to watch the anticipation build as students and teachers put the finishing touches on their classrooms.  I have included several photos below, one of which is of Gabriel June, a student from Mrs. Shepard's room who shared his experience with four generations of family members!


Kindergarten in Room 10




Mrs. Shepard, Gabriel and family




Mrs. Bailey's room




Checking out a journal in room 10

















Thank you also to the many PTA committee leaders and volunteers who again sponsored a top notch Ice Cream Social.  The ice cream and endless topping choices were worth the wait in line!


Our PTA at work



Adding another topping



Looks yummy!



Spring Break Date

Note:  Date change from original calendar.

There will be no school Friday, March 29, 2013 through Monday, April 8, 2013.  Students will return to school on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. 

Have an enjoyable break and hopefully when we return Spring will truly be in the air!

Lori

March Madness!

March madness is upon us and it has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with fun-filled learning experiences!

Tip off

March 4^th was the tip off for PARP (Parents As Reading Partners). Reading aloud with a child is a wonderful opportunity to build a love for reading. It should include lots of rich conversations as together you let the story unfold. Be sure to include some of your own childhood favorites as you read together.  Kids love to learn about what you liked when you were in school.

This year’s PARP theme is Reading Across America and it’s a clever way to get kids to explore landmarks across our 50 states. The goal is to reach a predetermined destination somewhere in the USA by accumulating minutes read that will later translate into miles. It has been exciting to view the large maps displayed near the cafeteria.  Join the fun by reading each night with your child and participating in any of many events listed on the PARP calendar. I’ve listed a few of my favorites. I hope you like them!

*The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco      
*Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

*Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes  
*Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

*The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola     
*The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch
*Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Time out!

First grade students spent some time out of the classroom when  Jack Gramlich from Eco To Go came to visit and tap into some signs of spring. They learned how to carefully drill a hole in the tree, insert a spout, collect the trees watery sap, and boil it into syrup.  The only thing missing was the pancakes!

Teamwork- Welcome Stonehedge Bus Drivers!

Recently, we had the opportunity to welcome the Stonehedge bus drivers into our school. They spent time in the classroom to learn about the Stonehedge “I Stood Up” initiative and how they too can reward students who display good character and respect for others. They learned about the definition and different types of bullying. We shared with them specific no bullying language that is used throughout the Stonehedge community. The session ended with the bus drivers signing a pledge to join us as we take a stance against bullying. Bus drivers will be on the lookout for students who they would like to recognize for exemplar behavior!

Coaches in the Classroom
Mrs. Vincentini, first grade teacher, Mrs. Dyl, Instructional Specialist, and Miss Elmer, first grade inclusion, support and challenge student thinking during this math lesson. I’m sure you have noticed that the math your child is bringing home looks much different than in previous years. The new math Common Core Learning Standards require students to show their work and explain how they arrived at an answer. Teachers are finding that by focusing on getting children to talk and communicate about math they can deepen their mathematical thinking and develop confident problem solvers.

Stonehedge Players

Fun is what it’s all about!

Character Education Presentation
First grade children share their thoughts on patience and acceptance. During the assembly, students listened to a reading of The Rainbow Fish, an award-winning children's book by Marcus Pfister.  Thank you to Mrs. Donahue, Mrs. Vislosky, Mrs. Malbone and Miss Munley for orchestrating this presentation.

1^st Grade HEDGE AWARD WINNERS – HONESTY AND TRUST

Miss Cantone – David Jang, Lauren Miner, Marisa Closson

Mrs. Cunningham – Sebastian Rivera, Hannah McLaughlin, Joe Panek

Mrs. Donahue – Kyler Chigaridas, Peyton Long, Landyn Shaw, Karolina Lata

Mrs. Malbone – Kendall Fenn, Luke Skardinski, Henna Carr

Miss Munley - Dominick Caraccio, Benjamin Pietrafesa, Jesse DeSena, Emily Schiffer

Mrs. Vincentini - Kelly McManus, Kaitlynn Salvatore, Julissa Bague

Mrs. Vislosky – George Kazantsev, Ethan Oot, Tony Tucciarone, Camryn Hubbard

 

2^nd Grade HEDGE AWARD WINNERS – HONESTY AND TRUST



Mrs. Bailey – Nora Haines, Cameron Daniul, Christian Granato, Hassan Zawahreh

Mrs. Carrington – Haania Hamad, Sam Laufer, Liz Quinn, Robert Lopez-Cunningham

Miss Dusart – Liam Burns, Aidan Gartner-Baca, Anastasia Chuvik

Mrs. Prosser – Alexis Michaels, Ruth Melnik, Ethan Smithers, Maxwell Walker

Mrs. Schweitzer – Jacob Perry, Joshua Pierce, Kaitlin Fisher, Keegan Ribble

Mrs. Shepard – Brandon Campbell, Shannon Daley, Luciano Paratore



Short Month but Many Ways to Shine

  Each year in preparation of the 100^th day of school, first grade students are asked to visualize what life would be like when they turn 100 years old. Their responses are then recorded and displayed next to their incredibly creative artwork. Each year the responses generate a chuckle or two worth sharing. Enjoy their innovative ideas about aging!



By Anna Kroner





By Tyler Peebles







“Good Character is what you think in your head, feel in your heart and do with your hands.”

This month’s character education highlights the traits honesty and trust. Mrs. Baily, Mrs. Shepard and Mrs. Schweitzer’s classes prepared skits to demonstrate students being honest and trustworthy.

Second graders led these role playing situations to help students understand that telling the truth sometimes involves admitting mistakes and accepting consequences while you try to make a situations right. 

What would you do if you found money on the floor?

Being trustworthy is doing what you know you should do even when you think no one is listening. Thank you to Mrs. Schweitzer for narrating the accompanying slide show!

Perseverance



Can you do this?



Thank you to the 5^th grade Jump Rope Club for presenting at our recent Character Education assembly on Perseverance. Their performance included several intricate routines that can only be mastered with hard work, determination and a commitment to teamwork. Their performance is a wonderful example of perseverance.  Please help us in congratulating the following "Hedge Award" recipients

For Perseverance:

 

 Second Graders:  Isaiah Apps, Julia Quinn, Paul Walintukan, Dylan Healy, Nathen Tyler, Jaidyn Kotlarz, Grace Monchelli, Michael Herrington, William Van Horn, Nevin Amer, Noah Forte, Brianna McLaughlin, Oleg Grebenevich, Raphael Kornyoh, Marta Hevko, Emily Rolince, Bryan Tanner, David Gulev, Kevin Bailey, Leah Bigelow, Kate Kuppinger



 

 First Graders:  Dillon Collier, Henry Steitz, Lauren Miner, Brianna Hebert, Karna Warner, Dylan Radcliffe, Gavin Provo, Jameson Seeber, Devon Moses, Ella McIntyre, Irina Kasyanov, Brayden Kitterle, Afaf Zawahreh, Patrick Ford, Hayden Reynolds, Leah Flint, Brock Dyer, Mikayla Hart, Tyler Jacopelle, Wyatt Corbin, James Logana, Brianna Bullock, Seth Fitch, Peyton Cooper, Mia Kehoskie

For Caring and Compassion:

 First Graders:  Tristan Timson, Osvaldo Valenzuela, Lawrence Evans, Alex Camarata, Jordan Kolar, Alex Maione, Dylan Radcliffe, Landyn Shaw, Peyton Long, Reyann Zahran, Heavenly Valenzuela, Claire Petty, Madison Wicks, Ciara Breeeze, William Langmeyer, Nicole Vasilev, Acelynn Thomas, Ryan Radcliffe, Tyler Elmer, Logan Calkins Scout Oudemool, Tyler Jacopelle, Robby Tucciarone, James  Logana, David Fisher, Ava Spraker, David Pererscak, Joliana Paratore

Second Graders:  Jay Ramsdell, Ava Hanlon, Margaret McDonough, Samantha Whitten, Delaney Capucilli, Jaidyn Kotlarz, Joe Martini, Daniel McManus, Sophia Lefevre, Tyler Wavercak, Katelyn Hagadorn, Alexis Michaels, Elsa Propper, Collin Sutton, Logan Hamilton, Allison Putnam, Keegan Ribble, Kacen Chigaridas, Rebecca Lavender, Maria Toumbacaris

 Reminder:

Don't forget about the 2013 Stonehedge PTA Founder's Day Celebration tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the library.  Hope to see you there!

Lori