Pelham Press - Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools

Pelham Press
                                    Vol. 29, No. 3 September 29. 2018
                                             http://pe.arps.org

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Dates to Remember:
   10/2/18-Pelham School Committee-6:30
   10/8/18- Indigenous Peoples Day- NO SCHOOL
   10/9/18-Sexuality and Gender Education and Empowerment Dialogue Session 7:00-8:30
   10/10/18- Picture Day
   10/17/18- Early Release- 1:20- Conferences
   10/18/18-Early Release- 12:00-Conferences
   10/19/18- Early Release- 12:00-Conferences
   10/28/18-Trunk or Treat Event
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Dear Pelham Community,

In order to ensure the safety of our students at dismissal time, we are making some adjustments to the after school
gym parent pick-up process. Please understand this is a new process, subject to change, as we find a system that is
efficient and guarantees students are released and signed out with authorized adults. We will be sending home a
weekly dismissal plan form on Monday for families to complete and return.

Currently, parents/guardians are requested to sign out students from the staff at dismissal. There is now a sign-out
table in the gym that parents should proceed to. Once their child is signed out, the child will be called over. We are
asking families to exit the gym immediately after they pick up their child, as we are trying to get students out as
quickly as possible to prepare for the After School Program to use the gym. Pick up begins at 3:10, and any child
not picked up by 3:15 will be brought to the office for parents to collect there.

We will no longer allow individuals to walk through the gym and into the school without signing in as a visitor at
the sign-out table. Preschool parents will be asked to sign out their children at the preschool entrance if dismissal is
indoors. If the weather is amenable, preschool sign out will be in the preschool playground. Preschool pick up at
the preschool door will begin Monday.

In the previous newsletter, there was a message indicating that permission slips would be sent out for the SGEE
curriculum. At this time, we will not be distributing any permission slips. We have a curriculum policy that ensures
that a careful process if followed that allows for ample community input before a curriculum is implemented. If
you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Lisa Desjarlais

The Art Room Recycles!
Hello parents and guardians! I am the new art teacher at Pelham Elementary, and I am very excited for this opportunity to
work with your students. I’d like to begin collecting more sculptural materials for the kids to build with. Could you please check
your recycle bin for the items below and send in donations with your student? If you have something interesting that is not on
the list, feel free to send that too. Our creative students can make good use of lots of stuff! There is a box for donations in the
school lobby. Thank you!
                                                             --Emily Stewart (stewarte@arps.org)
We love -->

                      Cardboard                  Small Boxes
                     (good quality,                                                          Cardboard
                          single                                                               Tubes
                       thickness)

                                           Interesting plastic debris         Corks, wire, wood scraps
                      Plastic
                  containers and
                       lids

                      **Please do not send in egg cartons, milk jugs, or anything contaminated with food.

Getting rid of stuff? Our wish list:

                                                                                         Magazines with
                                      Plastic storage                                    animal or sport
                                      tubs (any size)                                        pictures
                                                                                           (for drawing
                                                                                            reference)

                                Sewing Supplies                                      Art Books for
                               (yarn, fabric scraps,                              our classroom library
                                 thread, stuffing)

Quinlan’s Quill

       The fifth grade is getting into the swing of things. We are learning the
routines, the expectations and we are creating a class culture. The beginning
of the year is always exciting, and a little overwhelming.
       During the first weeks of school we learned about ourselves. We created
“Real Me” bodies which showed our favorite outfit and we worked on following
directions, listening skills, fine-motor skills and working together. We are also
discussing different learning strategies, the idea of Effort and explicitly
teaching what that means. We are talking a lot about Effort in 5th grade and
the specific behaviors that help children put effort into their work. These
behaviors are time, focus, using effective strategies, using different resources,
accepting feedback and commitment. We are setting academic goals for the
year and learning about growth mindset and fixed mindset. Also, during the
first few weeks we learned about our family's history, traditions, and the story
of our names.
             Also, during this unit we will be writing personal narratives. This will
be our first structured writing assignment. Students are working on writing a
well-structured 5 paragraph essay about an event in their lives.
       In math I will be utilizing the math program Go Math! Along with other
resources such as Everyday Math, and Scott Foresman. This is my second
year using the Go Math curriculum for 5th grade and it is the same program
that Ms. Light uses in 6th grade. We will also be doing a lot of Problem
Solving. A part of every Friday will be dedicated to problem solving.
       In reading, the class is reading Bud not Buddy a wonderful book by
Christopher Paul Curtis. In this book, we work on different literary devices
such as hook, point of view, simile, metaphor, setting, flashback,
characterization, personification, humor, cliffhanger, and conflict. During this
book, I am reading the book and students are following along. We are also
answering questions and modeling what a thorough answer is in 5th grade.
Finally, during this time, Ms. Carlisle is pulling kids to do reading
assessments. She will work with each student and evaluate their reading
level.
       I am looking forward to working with the new 5th grade. We will work
hard, learn a lot, and hopefully have a little fun.
       If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

                           Suzanne Quinlan

Sixth Grade News
It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night. If you haven’t signed up for an October
conference, send me an email or call to schedule a time. We’ve been in school for only a few weeks,
but we’ve accomplished a lot already, including various assessments and establishing our regular
schedule.

Our classroom chrome cart is up and running, and this week we used the chrome books to write stories,
study math vocabulary with Quizlet, and review history with Kahoot It!

In ELA we’ve been reading poetry with Civil Rights themes to prepare for our first literature unit that
starts next week. In addition, our spelling and vocabulary groups finished their second week with tests
on Friday. You should have seen, signed, and returned the letter I sent home about how we run the
groups, including the information that we don’t have spelling and vocabulary on short weeks (fewer than
five days).

On Thursday, we had our first math test on chapter one, Numerical Expressions and Factors, which
included Whole Number Operations, Powers and Exponents, Order of Operations, Prime Factorization,
Greatest Common Factor, and Least Common Multiple. The tests will be coming home next week for
you to see, sign, and then return to school for students’ portfolios. Our next chapter is calculating with
fractions and decimals. I like our textbook, Big Ideas Math, which alternates between discovery activities
where student partners explore various concepts, and the lessons which guide us through vocabulary,
algorithms, and practice problems. Sixth graders have math homework every weeknight, with optional
Friday homework.

Our first Science unit in the Project Based Inquiry Science program is called “Diving In.” We have been
learning about how scientists work together, by solving problems and experimenting with paper. Our first
challenge was building book supports out of index cards, rubber bands and paper clips, and our current
project is changing one variable to increase the fall time of a paper whirligig. After this unit ends in a few
weeks, we’ll start our robotics unit, which requires students to program NXT robots to respond to various
sensors. Other science units this year include geology, Earth in the solar system, and science fair.

 In social studies we use the History Alive! Ancient World text. There are engaging activities with every
chapter’s lessons, and we’ve already completed chapters one and two, which incorporated visiting
stations set up in the classroom to learn about hominids. Over the course of the year we’ll also study
Egypt and Kush, Greece, and Rome. In addition, we study five major world religions and use our news
magazine, Junior Scholastic, to discuss current events.

As we settle into a routine, we’ve had some encouraging experiences working as a community. Two
highlights have been digging up and roasting the potatoes from our garden, and the positive post-it
notes that several students have been leaving for our class and the school at large.

I am grateful to those of you who have already contributed to our class supply of granola bars. We
never seem to have enough, so they are very appreciated. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any
time. I check my email regularly: lightm@arps.org or you can call the school or stop by before 8:30 am
or after 3:15 pm to talk.

Margaret Light

Sexuality and Gender Education and Empowerment program (SGEE)
On Monday, October 9th from 7-8:30pm, members of the SGEE Team and Certified Sexuality
Education Instructors will offer a workshop for parents/guardians, faculty and staff to support conversations at
home about sexuality, relationships, crushes, bodies developing, and other traditionally uncomfortable topics.
This All Adult Dialogue Session will provide an opportunity to explore our own experiences with and
perspectives on talking about bodies and sexuality through writing prompts and voluntary group discussion, and
offer building blocks for having discussions with our children. This workshop is separate from the Information
Session and will not include details or content about the SGEE program. Parents/guardians who are interested
are highly encouraged to attend this special event. This session will be held in the school gym.

           START OF THE YEAR AFTER SCHOOL AFTER THOUGHTS
                            October dates:
Oct. 8– holiday closure, no program
Oct.15 – tuition for November due
Oct. 17– early dismissal at 1:20 P.M., Gap Care provided
Oct. 18 & 19– early dismissal at NOON, Gap Care provided
Oct. 20 - A.B.C. Walk in Amherst

You can opt for an email alert that your bill is due. Then simply pay your regular amount and you are all set. At any time,
you can check your balance by emailing me or by requesting a hard copy of your bill. Simply email me
(clwarepel@comcast.net) with the subject heading “TUITION BILL ADDRESS” so I have the proper email for sending the
alert.

Extra clothes needed! We have a lot of kindergartners this year (10 to be exact) and sometimes there are accidents.
Please send in a change of clothes for your little one, in a labeled plastic bag, that can be kept in afterschool. Many thanks!

We are happy to welcome Steph Stearns from UMass as our newest group leader. We also have some new UMass
America Reads tutors: David Matos-Magrass, Colin McCarthy, Djihane Abdelkebir, and Maria Calabro. We are lucky to
have some new C.I.T.s as well: Vlad Kenney, Owen Candito, TT Coggeshall-Burr & Kaya Walker.

Please remember to sign out your child when they are picked up. Not only is it a state licensing standard, it is also a good
safety rule. If you have someone else picking up your child(ren), they should be reminded of the procedure.

Dear Pelham Community,

The 2018 Fall Book Fair has ended! With it, the dazzling array of fuzzy narwhals, flip sequin unicorns,
scaly dragons, and secret agent super spy journals have been shipped off for another year, along
with sundry lockets, fossils, invisible ink pens, magic wands and yes- many books! We know that you
will miss them all, but rest assured, their magic lingers throughout the year in the form of the
wonderful books that stock the school library.

Thanks once again to the generous support of Pelham families, teachers, and staff, the PTO
concluded another successful fall book fair, the proceeds of which directly benefit the Pelham school
library and our Pelham students. Each year the fair raises an average of $1500 to be spent on books
that support our children in the classroom and at home.

Special thanks this year, as always, to our wonderful school librarian, Rosalba Baroni-Booth, and to
PTO president Jenny Franz, for all of their help setting up and running the fair. Under-caffeinated,
through the pouring rain, surrounded by dinosaurs, kittens, and Minions. They were heroic, trust me.

A big thank you also to this year's parent volunteers Andrea Allees, Kate Paradis, and PTO treasurer
Nicole Black, as well as past volunteers and helpers Emily Marriott, Kate Paradis, Darci Palmquist,
Tracy Walker, Crystal Wolaver, Heather Edwards, Brenda Barlow, Kristin Balboni, and Tara Luce.
Thank you to Sally Goldin of the school library for her behind-the-scenes support; to Lennie Ware
and the after school staff for providing childcare; to Amy and the building staff for providing tables; to
Laura Arpiainen, Emily Nieman, and Emily Stewart for sharing the gym space; and to Lisa Desjarlais
and Genesis Rosario-Torres for their support from the front office.

It's been great fun organizing the fair for the past few years, and now the time has come to pass the
super secret fuzzy narwhal torch to the next keeper of the books. If you're interested in running the
fair next year, please let Jenny and the PTO know atpelham.ma.pto@gmail.com, or find me on the
playground and I'll tell you all about it! --Maia

Dear Parents and Members of our School Community,

I write to you to as a reminder of and to bring awareness to the Bay State Textiles
White Collection Box located on our school campus, in the back parking lot next to
the PTO shed.

Why is the box placed?
The box is placed as a solution to the problem of unwanted textiles. In Massachusetts
alone there are 520 MILLION pounds of unwanted textiles that end up in the waste
stream of which 95% can be reused or recycled. The country as a whole is only
recycling 15% of unwanted textiles.

What goes in the box?
Bay State Textiles accepts clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, household linens and stuffed
animals in ANY condition as long as they are not wet or contaminated with hazardous
material. Visit baystatetextiles.com for a list of acceptable items. ****Items NOT
Accepted: Mattresses, Couch Cushions, Lawn Furniture Cushions, Foam Products
(mattress pads, etc.), Carpet Remnants, and Rugs (larger than 2’ x 4’) For the safety
of the drivers please bag your items and tie the bags!!!

What happens to the items in the box?
Collecting unwanted clothing, shoes and linens, creates economic opportunity all over
the world. Bay State Textiles employs Massachusetts residents, contracts with local
vendors for supplies and exports the material throughout the global market. As the
material is shipped to graders, the useable items are resold creating jobs and
economic benefit for those wanting to purchase inexpensive quality clothing.
Additional jobs are created in the wiping cloth and fiber conversion industry. Please
refer to SMART for additional information on the benefits of textile recycling.
The good is NOT shredded!!!

How does our school benefit?
Bay State Textiles services the box weekly, weighing the items. Bay State Textiles
sends a rebate check monthly based on the weight of donation. This is a “Feel Good”
program to support our school community with your unwanted textiles. Tell your
friends, neighbors, relatives, coworkers, etc. when cleaning out their closets, re
decorating or updating their household linens, to support our school community. The
convenience of the box is that it is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Thank you for your support of our Textile Recycling/Reuse Program!