May!

Somehow the last few weeks slipped by and I missed doing my weekly blog. We're already well into May which makes me think of our newest program:

wwwCharlestownFit

Many of you may remember Exercise Your Body/Exercise Your Mind. This program was created 7 years ago when I worked with Pat Fiske who was our Health&PE teacher. It was actually made to replace the old "TV Turn-Off" that had been done for several years. Well, now it's time to find a new program to promote healthy children and healthy families. Dr. Cathy Moffitt and I have planned and collaborated together to create wwwCharlestownFit. We wanted to try a month-long program that encourages wellness (healthy foods and activities), wholeness (well-rounded & creative) and wisdom (making good choices). This is the first year and we see it as a pilot to be developed and revised in the future.

The yellow papers that went home last week gave most of the information so I won't repeat it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email, phone, or notes. Also, if you have ideas about tweaking this program for next year, they are most welcome.We value the input from families as we work to promote healthier habits for all of us. Have fun!

Scenes from Reading Week - Enjoy!

Reading Week 2010

We're heading into Charlestown School's annual Reading Week. The theme for this year is "Catch the Reading Wave" which is also the theme for Summer Reading Programs at the public libraries.

Once again, there are plenty of special activities and events planned for our school. A committee decides on the basic format for the week and offers a few suggestions so teachers can do what works best for their class. Many teachers schedule their own Guest Readers to visit their classroom. Each morning will feature a brief announcement about the Featured Author for that day. Each afternoon will finish with 15 minutes of SSR - Sustained Silent Reading - in the classrooms.

Here is the general schedule for each day:

Monday - performances by storyteller Keith Munslow; K-Gr. 2 at 9 a.m.; Gr. 3 & 4 at 10 a.m.
Featured Author = Gail Gibbons

Tuesday - a wave (parade) of books in the hall - bring a favorite or choose one in class
Featured Author = Leo Lionni

Wednesday - special Guest Readers
Featured Author = William Steig

Thursday - Book Swap in the Art Room and Make a Bookmark
Featured Author = Mark Pfister

Friday - Vocabulary Hats or Ocean Creature/Fish Hats +
All school Readathon in the hallways at 2:45
Featured Genre = Biographies with water & ocean connections

The library has a big display of books featuring the author or genre of the day. I've also arranged for our own special Guest Reader to come to library classes on Monday and Thursday afternoons. If you know Mrs. Patterson, retired children's librarian from Cross Mills, you can say a big hello to her!

Day to Day in the Library

To begin with, here are some photos taken during Mrs. Owren's students' time in the library. Mrs. Owren, like many teachers, has reserved blocks to use the computers for writing projects. It's great to see the students so busy, on task, and using the library resources.

The photo below is another "day-to-day" photo of many of the activities our students enjoy. It's evident that those routines mean a lot to students. They know what to expect - from our library lessons, to "booklook" time, to my quiet announcement of "Show me you're ready" when it's time to line up. Even the 4th graders (from Mrs. Fee's class) enjoy one of the cherished routines - taking turns at the beanbag chairs. I just had to snap this candid picture when I saw the "big kids" reading quietly at our beanbags!

GettingTech-SMART!

Learning is fun! Today two Library Helpers from Ms. Miceli's class came near the end of the day. After they finished stacking chairs, making deliveries, organizing the magazine rack, and shutting down extra computers, they had a few minutes. They respectfully asked if they could write on the SMART Board before I turned it off. When I okayed their careful experimenting, they enjoyed exploring the fun writing features it offers. After showing them how to turn off the SMART Board, we were all ready for the end of the day.

When we got our first building SMART Board in September we all began exploring more and more ways to use it. Since last fall, Ms. Miceli has blocked out an hour each week for class instruction featuring the SMART Board and student use of the computers in our "mini-lab" of library computers. So many other teachers now have blocks reserved that I recently began posting the Library Schedule in the hallway so teachers can see which times are open in the Library. We also began "Get SMART Thursday" lunches every few weeks when faculty members can exchange ideas and activities and have time to practice on the SMART Board.

Last week our school received a new SMART Board; the first in a classroom. Mrs. Rathbone, Grade 3 teacher, has already created many interactive lessons using the SMART Notebook software. She is scheduled to do a brief sharing at next week's Get SMART Thursday for the first lunch. Mrs. Manchester will share activities at the second lunch and I expect there will be plenty of practicing and "playing" with the SMART Board. Our students instinctively know the best way to get familiar with technology is to "play" with it, and we're finding out the same thing!

With a Library Card . . .

Of course I'm a great fan of public libraries and hope that every family takes advantage of these wonderful community resources. Not only can you borrow books, DVDs, music, and loads of other items, but they offer free programs for children and adults. Rhode Island is lucky with our great statewide database, Ocean State Libraries of Rhode Island. This network makes it easy to quickly get books, etc. from any library in the state. Do you know you can reserve books, make renewals, or just search the oslri catalog from home? Try it with ths oslri link - http://www.oslri.org/ .

Today I want to tell you about another important resource offered through a state network. With your library card you can get free access to specialty databases that are usually quite expensive. They include EBSCO, World Book Online and others that are useful for adults and children. I know many teachers, professionals, and other adults who have benefited through these databases at AskRi http://www.askri.org/ You'll also see HomeWork Help and Career Center which can be especially useful.

I especially recommend World Book Online for students' research. Sure, we all like Wikipedia but the reading level is generally high for elementary students. Plus, the information can possibly be wrong since anyone can contribute. If your child wants to learn more, a trusted source like World Book is great. It comes in three different levels, World Book Kids, World Book Student, and World Book Advanced. It even includes how to cite where they got their information.
Here's the link: http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb&subacct=00M7105

So, grab your library card and have a look at our tremendous state public libraries!

Find the Cat!

There was much excitement for the four days of "Find the Cat", a part of our Dr. Seuss celebration. Mrs. St. Clair was the mastermind behind the hiding and hunting. Her students made announcements each afternoon of where the Cat in the Hat had been hiding for that day.

The photos included here came from the final day, March 2nd, Dr. Seuss' birthday. That tricky Cat had several imposters including Horton (in the Office window) and a black Webkins (up near the ceiling). In fact, it was easy to walk right past the display case outside Ms. Pizone's Kindergarten room (3rd photo above). However, if you look closely, you might spot a suspicious Hat in back of those imposter hats on the stuffed animals.

A closer look at the display case showed who was hiding behind those other animals - it's none other than The Cat in the Hat!