May 2013

PrincipaFs Message
Happy Spring and welcome back from the April vacation week! The winter thaw and rain has brought us green lawns and beautiful spring flowers in abundance. An event that reminds us that spring has arrived to the Mastricola community is our Kindergarten Open House, where we welcomed many new and returning families with children who will enter kindergarten this coming fall. It's always so exciting to see their enthusiasm as they have time to explore the kindergarten classrooms. Part of what makes our community at JMES so special is that we celebrate the diverse talents of our students at every grade level. This quarter our Fourth graders performed the musical. It's Saturday for all of the students and staff and in the evening for their families. It was an enjoyable event for all - there's nothing more pleasing than hearing children sing. Another traditional family event is JMES' Principal Story Hour. This year's theme was 'It's a Story Laboratory' was held on March 2 1 ^ ^ for our Preschoolers, Kindergarteners, First and Second graders. It was very well attended and kicked off the PATT's Scholastic Book Fair fundraising event. We thank you all for attending the parent/teacher conferences and for visiting the Book Fair which supports many of the programs offered to the students. (Principars Message cont'd Page 8)

Assistant Principal's Message

.. that TIGER Theater performed their anti-bullying musical for MES on February 21'^? ..that three MES Destination Imagination teams competed at the Nashua North on March 16^^? ..that Jacqueline Davies, author, visited our school on March 26^^ which was hosted by the PATT?

.. that on March ^0^^ the MES Fire Muster team placed third at our annual competition? .. that Mr. Saunders and our fourth graders performed the musical "It's Saturday"? It was held on April 4 ^ * " for the school during the day and for family and friends in the evening. ..that Mrs. Cleasby and our students held our Fitness Fundraiser April 10^^-12^^? .. that the PATT Family Fun Run was held on April 13^^? .. that Mr. Saunders and the Guitar Club performed for family and friends on April 17^^? ... that on May 6^^ is the start of National Teacher Appreciation Week? ...that our 4^^ graders will take the NECAP Science assessment during the week of May 13^^?

(Assistant Principal's Message cont'd Page

P A T T Presidents^ Message
What a crazy year! We can't believe it's almost over. Thanks to all who attended and helped out at all the PATT events like Bingo Night, Principals' Story Hour, Book Fair and the Fun Run. Without all the support, these events wouldn't be possible. That being said, we still have many openings to chair events for the 2013-2014 school year, as well as openings on the PATT Board. Please contact Ann Martin annm__03054@myfafrpointnet for more information about how to get involved and to volunteer. The final push is just around the corner. Kat Knauer and Ann Waller have organized a great Teacher Appreciation week to thank our fabulous stafl" and the Field Day committee is working hard to make our largest PATT event a success. Here's to a great 4th quarter! Nicole Williams Nancy Phillips
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Preschool
Both Preschool classes were busy in April learning about the Spring changes that are happening around them. Part of our goal is to encourage great observers! Paying attention to details in the world around them is a skill that will help them to succeed in leaming in many different areas. We talked about snow melting, mud, spring flowers such as forsythia (which started blooming over vacation), daffodils, and crocus. We talked about robins and how they migrate in the winter and return in Spring. All classes also did some spring planting, which has already come home to them. Encourage them to report back to school about the growth of their plants. As a culminating activity and another chance to "find Spring" around them, all three 4 yr. old classes attended (or will attend) a hike at Grater Woods hiking loop. We found many, many signs of spring: buds on the bushes, a goose, ducks, lots of ants, a salamander, and even a great big black frog. This is a great 1 mile loop hike that is located right behind the Middle School if you are looking for a place to bring your child.

Kindergarten
Kindergarteners say, '*\f I had a pot of gold I would..." "Fill it with tacos." "Take all the gold out and put other things in the pot." "Use it to buy a beautiful dress, a pink Mustang, and a beautiful pink pair of shoes." "Use it to be rich." "Spend it on my friends and family." "Take it to the race track and trade it for a ride in a racecar." "Give it away to get something different." "Spend it all on candy." "Take all of the gold and celebrate... I have gold!!!" "Buy some Batman and Spiderman toys." "If I were a leprechaun, I would..." "Dig for gold." "Bring my gold to the other side of the rainbow." "Show everyone that leprechauns are nice." "Go to Hawaii!"

First Grade

The first grade classrooms are buzzing with many literacy and math activities. We are learning about characters' personalities and physical traits, locating Information in a nonfiction text and how to use context clues to learn new words. Our daily math fluency practice has helped us with our fact power. The students continue to work on counting money and telling time. On March 13, the first graders visited the SEE Science Center in Manchester. They explored many hands-on exhibits about light, electricity, momentum and sound. The favorite exhibit was the electrostatic generator which made several of our classmates have very crazy hair! Another fun activity was making silly putty In the Slimy Science Lab. Ask a first grader to tell you the ingredients in silly putty. We are currently studying weather, and leaming about diflPerent kinds of storms and clouds. The finale to our weather unit will be a visit from WMUR Meteorologist Kevin Skarupa. The first graders are happy spring has arrived, and are excited that they don't have to wear snow pants and boots any more!

Second Grade
During the third quarter second graders enjoyed a field trip to Parkers Maple Barn. While they were there they enjoyed a scrumptious pancake breakfast and took a tour learning about how sap is turned into maple syrup. If you haven't seen the slide show on our website please take a minute to check it out. Students have been working hard to improve their writing skills. Learning how to formulate complete sentences, capitalize and use punctuation properly are just a few skills the students are working toward mastering. They are also attempting to add verbs and adjectives to make their writing more interesting and to help create mental pictures for the reader. In reading, students continue their daily quest to become proficient readers. Working on reading multi syllable words, identifying prefixes and suffixes, reading with good expression and fluency are just a few of the skills covered this quarter. Students spent 3 weeks learning to identify text features. Ask a second grader you know why an author uses headings, labels, table of contents, a cut away, diagram or an index. In math, students have put forth their best efl'ort learning about fractions, how to calculate perimeter and area and have compared customary and metric units of measurement. After several winter months our coat closets have shed a few layers and students are enjoying the warmer weather outside during recesses. They continue to enjoy their duties of the Wee Deliver Program. Every Tuesday and Thursday the students anxiously wait to see if they receive mail.

Third Grade
Our third graders were hard at work during the third quarter. They have completed the introduction of the lower and upper case cursive alphabet and are now capable of completing written assignments using this new skill.

We are nearing the conclusion of our study of the Native American cultures and introducing a brand new science unit to third grade WEATHER. We have exciting activities and experiments planned.

As we complete this quarter, our third graders should now be able of independently reading silently for a half an hour. Please try to have your child choose books from diflFerent genres to expose them to all types of literature.

Happy Spring!

Fourth Grade
The fourth graders are off to a busy start to their "New Year". The Granite State Fit Kids Program was presented and the children really enjoyed the weekly instruction. The activities focused on nutrition, health, and fitness. Another highlight has been learning 2-digit multiplication and division and learning about fractions. Mrs. Wyman continues to review library skills to reinforce the use of reference materials. Students are researching US regions and learning about the wonderful country we live in. In addition, students have been collecting donation^ of food for the food bank, and we thank everyone for helping make that a success. Finally, The Discovery Museum recently shared a "L/ght and Laser^' presentation to enhance students understanding of light for our unit on energy. The fourth graders continue to work hard and their effort makes a difference everyday!

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Technology Corner
During Computer classes, first graders continue to use KidPix to create projects that teach them to use the mouse and type on the keyboard. For example, they made a spring poster where they inserted clip art and typed and formatted spring words. Second graders have used a program called Kidspiration to create math projects based on graphing, patterns, and symmetry. Third graders used Word and Excel to collect data and create a graph based on some of our favorite things. The fourth graders are finishing up a project on Cyber bullying where they drew animals characters and created a comic that explained various cyber bullying problems and solutions. Third and Fourth graders are continuing to use a typing program called Typing Web to leam how to type. Mrs. Hitchcock's class has received 100 awards since the beginning of school. Let's see which class will be the next to catch up! In addition, all students have been using BigUniverseto read and write books and Everyday Math Online to play some math games. On our school website, there is something new! There is a link to a great resource called Merrimack Links. Merrimack Links is a website that shares online ^ ^ ^ r e s o u r c e s . There are a lot of great websites for kids, |H|fefe||| parents, and teachers... go check it out!

Math Corner
Students at JMES are busy deepening their math knowledge through building upon previous leaming, while at the same time learning alternative problem solving strategies through group collaboration. Everyday Mathematics lessons probably look different from the elementary math lessons you remember. Think back to your elementary math lessons. You probably remember laboring over the memorization of multiplication tables and filling out endless worksheets. Everyday Mathematics was designed to help children understand mathematics and learn to apply it, so they can succeed in competitive careers that are rich in technology, problem solving, and math knowledge. Here are some frequently asked questions that parents like you may have about why Everyday Mathematics is different from math lessons of the past... and why that difference is good news. Many of us are surprised to learn that there are often several ways to amve at the same answer. The methods for solving a problem are called algorithms. Everyday Mathematics teaches children alternative algorithms, or different ways to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Why? Based on research from Everyday Mathematics authors, we know that giving students different options for performing math allows them to choose which works best for them. This is helpful for children at all levels from gifted to struggling math students. 10

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(Math conVd page 8)

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Literacy Corner
Battle of the Books
Over 30 fourth grade students have been meeting monthly to discuss books and "battle" about the books they have read. This quarter the students are reading Hana's Suitcase, Archer's Quest, and MVP. It is wonderful to see so many fourth graders engaged in reading preselected books and having the opportunity to discuss the books with their peers. At the end of the program the students will be participating in an official battle. They are looking forward to the challenge with great enthusiasm. We thank their families for providing encouragement, as well as transportation, for this after school program.

Mrs. Romein, LA Coordinator Mrs. Stearns, Paraeducator Mrs, Wyman, Librarian -4-

Music
The third quarter was a busy one in the music room. We prepared and performed our 4^^ grade musical and Guitar Club show. Both were huge successes. Kudos to the 4^^ graders and their teachers for putting in all the hard work to make this year's show one of the best I have been a part of. The 3 " ^ ^ graders are hard at work with recorders and we will be performing along with our JMES chorus at the annual Art and Music Show in late May. If their playing continues to improve at the rate It is now, we will be in for a fantastic performance. The 2"^ graders have finished their families of instruments unit which consisted of looking at many instruments and getting our hands on quite a few to see how they work and sound. They also were able to utilize the SMART board here at school to explore the NY Philharmonic Orchestra's Kidzone website. They were able to play games and explore the instruments of the orchestra there. Grade 1 spent a lot of time studying rhythm and how it is notated. They each created a packet of ''fruit rhythms" which they used in class and eventually took home to create rhythms of their own. The 4^^ quarter is sure to be busy with every grade level starting new units and exploring various aspects of music.

Fitness Fim News

March Madness is here with our school wellness initiatives in full swing. Jump Rope for Heart was a huge success as we raised $5,920 for the American Heart Association. Thank you to everyone who helped to support this year's event. The Fitness Fundraiser took place during the week of April 8 ^ ^ 1 2 * ^ with Tuesday's classes on April 16^^ and the Fun Run on Saturday, April 13^^. In our PE classes, the third and fourth grades have been taking part in the March Madness basketball phenomenon. They have learned basic skills from dribbling, shooting, passing, and game play. They even had a chance to complete March Madness NCAA brackets. The first and second grades have just finished a unit on jump rope skills. They have learned how to use the basic single rope, partner ropes, long ropes, various jump rope rhymes, and even double-dutch. Ask your kids to demonstrate some new jump rope tricks and I'll bet you will be impressed! As always, remember to bring those sneakers on PE days and ask about our school minute moves every Wednesday at 10:30.

Mr. Saunders Music Teacher

Mrs. Cleasby PE Teacher

Art
The end of the year is fast approaching and the art room is filled to the brim with your child's wonderful art ready to deck the halls of JMES for the upcoming Art Show on May 29th. Grade four students earned lots of favorable comments on the "Winter Birch Tree" paintings on display in the entry of JMES. The kids were very proud of the results they achieved while learning about cool, warm and complimentary colors. A discussion about light and shadow was explained and demonstrated. The young artists used blending and shading colors while gaining experience with different media, techniques, and processes. The faculty here at JMES was amazed. In their current project they are working with a new medium, acrylic paint, and learning the process of creating a landscape painting. The figure plays an important roll in art but it is often a frustration to children trying to depict action. In our "Red and Yellow Sketch a Fellow" third grade students enhanced simple stick figures to show action. They also used pattern and repetition to create rhythm to enhance the action of their figures. First and second grade students created figure drawings in their "Dancing Leprechauns". The kids discovered they could draw many tricky poses and some even created acrobatic arrangements. In these projects students see results quickly and courage to try becomes the standard in the art room. These projects instilled a confidence and pride in their ability to draw the figure. Mrs. Bosiak, Art Teacher

Library News
To celebrate National Poetry Month the library bulletin board is dedicated to our student poets. In many of the classrooms the students write poems about the subjects they are learning about in Science and Social Studies. Many of the fourth graders wrote poems about the states they had researched in the library. After reading a biography, Mrs. Hitchcock's students wrote poems about their famous person. Some of the poems that are displayed on the Library bulletin board are also posted on the Library website.

Guidance Office
Transition By its very definition, the word transition congers up a sense of change and, perhaps, a sense of nervousness or excitement. A passage from one place to another; a passage from one chapter to another. Fourth quarter marks the beginning of transition for students at Mastricola. Whether going from a half day kindergarten to a full day in grade 1, OR from our building to the Upper Elementary, all students have begun to think about 'what's next.' As educators, we will help them, over the next few months, see these changes as positive - talking, sharing and experiencing new things will help ease some of the angst children may have around moving up. As parents, perhaps you will do the same. Because we don't really know what's around the corner, we rely on our own past experience for guidance. Just a few suggestions for you to chew on: * Replay the beginning remember how you felt on the first day of school this year? Think about how you feel now. Remind those who are staying here at MES that the only things that really change are the rooms into which they are walking on September 3'^. For those moving up to JMUES, a tour, a buddy and a call to me will help make that transition smoother.

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* Every week Mrs. Wyman posts Almanac and Geography questions for the students to look up and answer. The students who have won the most prizes so far are Mike Lyna in fourth grade, John Brennan in third, Riley O'Hara in second and Nora McMakin in first. Second grade has the most diflPerent students who have won so far. Ask your kids if they have tried to do the library questions. l\Ars. Wyman, Librarian

(Guidance cont'd page 8)

Science
Mastricola scientists have been busy at work! Our first and third graders have been learning about weather. We are exploring different weather instruments that are used, what a meteorologist does, and the different types of clouds. The fourth graders have finished their unit on weather as well. Kevin Skarupa, meteorologist from WMUR channel 9 News visited our 1st, 3rd and 4th graders to talk about the weather cycles. Our first and second graders are getting ready to explore the life cycles of plants by growing their very own. First graders will also be exploring the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. Be sure to ask your first grader about the different types of frogs they have learned about! And lastly, our fourth graders enjoyed their field trip to the Discovery Museum. Be sure to ask them which exhibit they enjoyed the most!

Mrs. Cordeiro Science Facilitator

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Viirse's Corner
A recent study concerning children's weight was completed by anonymous questionnaire for parents of children in the 4-8 year age group. The study looked at parent's perception of their child's weight. The study showed that parent's concern about excess weight did not differ between those children with normal weight and those children who were overweight. What was surprising was that the accuracy of parent's perception about their child's weight (with the overweight child) was only accurate 10.5% of the time. Put more simply, 89.5% of the time, parents fail to recognize when their child Is overweight/obese. Obesity is now considered to be the most prevalent nutritional disease of children and adolescents In the United States. Most of this stems from poor diet and exercise habits. These preferences are influenced by parental practices and familial environment and probably shaped in early childhood. Parental participation is needed in recognizing when your child Is overweight and in understanding that obesity puts the child at risk for associated short and long term health problems in addition to being more likely to become obese adults. If you have concerns about your child's weight, or if you question if your child is overweight, please feel free to contact me or visit the following for weight questions: http://www.cdc.gov/ hMlthyweight/as$essing/bmi/childrens_bmi/ about_childrens_bmi.html or visit http://apps.nxcdcdc.gov/ dnpabmi/ to track your child's weight and BMI. Adapted from Etelson, D., Brand, D.A., Patrick, P.A. and Shirall, A (2003), Childhood Obesity: Do Parents Recognize This Health Risk?. Obesity Research, ii:i362-i368.doi: io.i038/oby.2003.i84

Social Studies
This was an exciting quarter in the area of Social Studies. Children celebrated and learned about Martin Luther King Day and President's Day. They also were able to witness a presidential Inauguration. These events provided a mix of history and current events. We encourage you to continue these discussions In your homes. This quarter, grade levels have worked on the following skills and essential questions: * Grade 1: * "How are countries/communities celebrated?" * "Where is my place on the map and why do I live there?" Grade 2: * "Why do we need money?" * "How do individuals make a difference?" * "Why do people live where they live?" * The second graders enjoyed a field trip to Parker's Maple Barn where they learned about the economics of a local business. Grade 3: * Continued learning about Native Americans. Grade 4: * "How/Why is the United States divided into regions?"

Linda S. Freeman, RN School Nurse

Airs. Adams

Social Studies Facilitator

Wellness Notes
Spring Greetings from the Wellness Committee, we hope this season finds everyone happy and healthy. Here at JMES we have been busy with: *Fun In February-the snow people made at JMES were well dressed with items donated. * March Madness-basketball stations for all grades were a big hit at the end of the day. We will move into Spring with Active in April. We hope to get outside and take advantage of the O'Neil field with some walking or jogging. We hope that many parents will participate in the Zumbathon on May 10*^ as members of the Wellness Committee will be there to show support. As the days get longer and your schedules get busier please remember to spend some time to relax and regroup as a family. Eating well and getting enough sleep is important for everyone. Wellness Committee -7-

(Math cont'd) The high achiever comes to understand math more deeply and learns problem-solving skills important for the workplace. Struggling students may find an alternative method that allows them to solve problems that they could not solve before. Math and Technology Looking for an App to help your child master division? How about one for telling time, fractions, or decimals? The Texas Computer LducMJm_>^sodatio^^ has created a spreadsheet of math Apps, organized by topic and strandwith everything from counting to calculus. (Of course, a favorite of the JMES community is the Everyday Mathematics Ap_ps!) Mrs. Romero, Math Facilitator (Guidance News cont'd) * Don't dwell. Answer questions, calm concems and move on. Asking frequently how students are doing with change makes them wonder If they should feel worse than they do. Please remember, the staff and I are here for you if you need us. Use our experience and our knowledge to help you through this next most wonderful stage. Mrs. Hoover, Guidance

(Assistant Principal Message cont'd) that the Art & Music Show will be held on May 29^^? The 3'"^ grade students will play their recorders and the s' ^^M^^ grade chorus will sing several songs. There's a lot of incredible artwork in the hall, so be sure to check it out when you visit! that Field Day plans are well underway? It will be held on June 12^^. This year's entertainment will be a magician! that the Kindergarten picnic will be held on June 18th? ..that the 4^^ grade celebration will be held on June 17^^, at 1:00 in the JMES Gym? that the last day of school is on June 21st? that MES would like to thank everyone for follow Ing the parking lot procedures during arrival and dismissal times!

Happy Spring,

Mr. Gratton ,Assistant Principal

(Principalis Message Cont'd ) In literacy we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday during our 'Read Across Mastricola' week. 'Stop, Drop and Read' was one ' of the most popular activities. The author of the Lemonade Wars series, Jacqueline Davies, met with all of our students and shared her love for writing. A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Merchant, who in keeping with the spirit of the author visit treated all the children to lemonade during their lunches. Mrs. Romein, Mrs. Wyman and Mrs. Stearns have met regularly with a group of fourth grade students for the 'Battle of the Books'. The students read many books this year and then compete against one another by answering challenging questions about each story. This has been a lot of fun and really challenges and celebrates each participant's love of reading. Our fourth graders are kept very busy during the months of May and June preparing for the many activities that have become a yearly tradition - In early May they will be taking the Science NECAP assessment. They will enjoy the MHS Baseball Day, Artist in Residence program, Fourth Grade Celebration, JMUES Concert and tour and visits from Mrs. McGill and Mr. Morris. Lastly, we would like to share a connection that the Merrimack School District has been building with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). At the Mastricola Complex (JMES and JMUES) this past fall and spring, we hosted eight SNHU student interns who were taking the course. The Inclusive Classroom. These eight interns, as a part of the course work, observed classroom and special education teachers in our 2 " " ^ and 3 ' " ' ^ grade rooms every week for one hour. We also were able to place four student teachers into classrooms this year to work alongside our teachers who mentored during each semester. As this year continues to move at a rapid pace, we thank you all for your continued support in making this a spectacular year! I hope you plan some outdoor time taking advantage of the longer days and brighter skies. Happy Spring! Warm regards, Emilie Carter, Principal