Spring Concert Shirts

The preK-4 Spring Concert is this Friday, May 31.  With the help of the school and Student Council, Miss Dickey was able to provide special Center Drive School T-shirts for our students.  We will be wearing these T-shirts at the concert.  Students will not receive their shirts until the day of the concert.  Please do not spend a lot of time and effort picking out a special shirt for Friday, because your child will just change into the Center Drive one at school!
We just completed our rehearsal and have some fabulous songs, based around our school's Core Values, to share with you.  Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Many Thanks!

Dear Families,
Many, many thanks to all of you who showed thoughtfulness during Teacher Appreciation Week and throughout the year.  I have received handwritten notes (from students and parents), gift cards, plants, goodies, a Build-A-Bear that says "You're a great teacher!", and other thoughtful gifts.  I also receive all year long the support of families in other ways.  Communicating, supporting your child with their school work, volunteering in and out of the classroom, coming in for meetings, and demonstrating a positive attitude toward learning and growing are just some of the ways that families show their support for teachers.  I have been lucky enough to receive these gifts all year long; and for that, I am very grateful!

As the school year winds down to a close, we will be busy with end-of-year testing, finishing up projects, attending year-end activities, and so on.  Our less-structured schedule, combined with long days of baseball and other outdoor activities, combined with "Summer Vacation Fever" will lead to what some might call a "bit of craziness"!  I will cherish these next few weeks as the students and I enjoy all the benefits of participating in this living and changing system we call school.  Let's make our own sunshine and bring in our sunny best as we finish out the year!

Thanks again to all those who were able to participate in our field trip to Abbe Museum!  Below are a few photos of our day:

Making ash and sweet grass inspired bookmarks.
We learned just how tricky the craft of weaving is!

These flower-shaped bookmarks are actually the
first stages of basket making.  This would be how
the bottom of a basket is made.

George is sharing a traditional Wabanaki tale about
Gluskap (a character who often helps us learn a
lesson in Maine Native American stories).

Learning about birch bark canoes.

On a Scavenger Hunt through a variety of artifacts.

Raney shares with us some more traditional stories, using
artifacts to help support her story.  She also read to us a
picture book called Kunu's Basket, written by
Lee Francis, a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation,
and teacher at Indian Island School.

Raney shows us strips of ash that can be later used
for weaving ash baskets.

Passamaquoddy Traditions

To help us learn about Maine Native Americans, Mr. Colson (who teaches middle school) came to our class today.  Mr. Colson is part Passamaquoddy.  He shared with us some Passamaquoddy words, showed us a basket made from sweetgrass by a master basket maker, and let us see a decorative piece (that would be worn like a tie) made from elaborate beadwork.  With the help of seventh graders Amber and Alayna, Mr. Colson also treated us to fry bread - a traditional Native American food.

Many were interested in the recipe for fry bread.  This is how Mr. Colson made it:

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
a little sugar
a little salt
and just enough milk or water to make it "sticky" (not as thin as pancake batter)

Amber and Alayna used an electric griddle to fry the dough, but you can also use a deep fryer.
Mr. Colson says that you must use real butter on the fry bread when you eat it (not margarine!).

Mr. Colson also told us that a Passamaquoddy tradition when eating is that the oldest is served first.  So we lined up in order of age and followed the tradition!

"Woliwon", Mr. Colson, Amber, and Alayna - Thank you!

Dates to Know

Here is an on-line copy of the paper that was sent home the other day:

Tuesday, May 21:  Second Grade Field Trip to Abbe Museum
Friday, May 24:  No School - Teacher Inservice
Monday, May 27:  No School - Memorial Day
Friday, May 31:  1:00 K-4 Spring Concert
Thursday, June 6:  1st and 2nd grade field trip to Moose Point State Park
                             (More information and sign-up to chaperone will come home later.)
Tuesday, June 11:  Field Day
Thursday, June 13:  Last Day of School


** Another reminder that if you would like to chaperone any field trips, help out at Field Day, or volunteer in any way -- you must complete the paperwork, background check, and Volunteer Training through the office.

Save the Date!

The Second Grade Field Trip to Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor is *tentatively* scheduled for Tuesday, May 21.  We are on the calendar at the museum, and are just waiting to hear approval from the school and bus company.  Remember, this is not yet a guarantee.  But if we get approved, the date is set.

The Abbe Museum is dedicated to educating those of all ages about Maine Native Americans.  Mrs. Lent and I like to attend a program that is geared toward second grade; which includes traditional story telling, a tour of artifacts, and a Native American inspired craft.  

Parent Volunteers, Field Day, and Field Trips

It's that time of the year when classrooms are starting to schedule field trips and Field Day.  Our school has a new policy this year that states that all parents who wish to volunteer in any way during a school function must go through FERPA training and a background check.  Many parents in our classroom are already greatly involved and are all set to finish out the year.  Some of you, however, may be thinking about helping out during some of our end-of-year activities, and are volunteering for the first time.  Please be sure to contact the office as soon as you can if you are not already on our "Approved Volunteer List".

Here is what I know so far for dates:

Field Day:  Tuesday, June 11

Field Trip to Moose Point State Park (1st and 2nd grade):  TENTATIVE DATE Thursday, June 6 (**This is not yet cleared by the office and bus company.**)

Field Trip to Abbe Museum:  (2nd grade)  I am waiting to hear back from the director of educational services at Abbe Museum.  I offered several possible dates, so I cannot begin to guess when this will be (or even if we can make our schedule work with the museum's schedule; or if it will get approved)

M&Ms and Reading Activities

To wrap up our unit on fractions, parent volunteer Jen Ramos led the class in an M&M fraction activity.  Students were to estimate totals, find fractions of a group, compare fractions, sort and regroup to find new fractions, and eat M&Ms (that was the challenging part!).  Thank you, Mrs. Ramos for the delicious math lesson!

Mrs. Ramos and baby Isabella.

Although reading is woven throughout our day through a variety of areas, our Reading Block is a time when students are found in small groups doing a variety of activities.  Here are some pictures to show some of what we are up to:

Buddy Reading

Literature Circle Discussion

Independent Reading

Written response to reading.  Gavin and Isabelle are applying
their learning about generalizations and supporting details,
while following directions on a reading activity card.

Also at that time, small groups of readers meet with me for guided reading instruction, students participate in various word work activities (including learning spelling rules, dictionary work, ABC order, etc.), and students continue to add to their poetry books.  There is such a variety of ways for students in second grade to become engaged in literacy activities!