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Focus On: The Last Week. This last week has been busy with exciting special events such as swimming at Adams Playground, Spirit week activities, Field Day, Authors’ Teas and other presentations to parents including a Cowboy Night and a Museum Night. Even normally shy children have impressed us all with their poise, confidence, and willingness to “try something new and different.” It has been such a year of academic and social growth for all of our students, and as always, we are grateful for your parental involvement and support!

Last Week Schedule:

Monday, June 19th

9 AM – Volunteers’ Breakfast
4th grade to Adams Playground

Tuesday, June 20th

2nd grade to Adams Playground
1:30 pm – 4th grade graduation in gym

Wednesday, June 21st

12:30 Dismissal for all Kind. – 4th grade students

Parents may want to bring home Kindergarten students after their morning classroom celebrations, or at 12 Noon (as it can be a bit hectic at 12:30 on the last day of school). Of course Kindergarten students are also welcome to stay until 12:30 for parent pick up or going home on the bus.

There is no school lunch on this last day of school.

Progress reports and information on next year’s class placement will be sent home with students on June 21st.

Next School Year Schedule:

Tuesday, August 29th, 2-3 PM – Informal Open House for grades 1 – 4

Wednesday, August 30th – First Day of School for grades 1-4

Thursday, September 7th – First Day of School for Kindergarten

This is the last “Friday principal’s letter” for this year. It has been such a very good year, full of heart and meaning, new friends and tremendous growth and learning. My personal best wishes to our graduating Fourth graders -- and I’m already looking forward to seeing all the returning students and families in late August.

Have a wonderful summer! Susan Copley, PES Principal

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Thank you to Parent Volunteers! What an exciting time of year it is! On Wednesday, over eighty-five parents contributed to an exceptional Staff Appreciation Luncheon. The gym looked so inviting, and the food was superb! Parents set-up, cooked, hosted, cleaned-up, and volunteered in the cafeteria and classrooms. Everyone on staff commented on the outstanding cuisine, the special gift of eating together with colleagues, and the gracious generosity of PES parents. Thank you all!

PES Science Day. Also thanks to parents for helping to make last Friday’s first-ever PES Science Day so successful. The goal was to provide K-4 students with engaging, interactive enrichment experiences in engineering and the physical sciences. Students were introduced to aspects of astronomy, aviation, chemistry, robotics, optics, filtration, and other exciting topics. Presenters included PES parents, teacher spouses, SMS students, a CVHS chemistry teacher, community members, Daniel Webster College pilots, and SkyLab scientists from the Montshire Museum. Students asked probing questions and learned so much!

Spirit Week Schedule: [Have Fun!]

Monday, June 12th: Tie Day
Tuesday, June 13th: “Clash” Day
Wed., June 14th: Field Day, 9-11 am and Color Day -- Kind: Your favorite Color; 1st: Green; 2nd: Red; 3rd: Blue; 4th: White
Thurs., June 15th: “Whacky Hair” Day
Fri., June 16th: Hat Day

Other important dates:

PTO mtg: Mon., June 12th, 6:30 pm – Special Celebration of 05-06 PTO leadership and events.

Grade Level End-of-the-year Picnic & Celebrations at Adams Playground. 1st gr. – June 16th; 2nd gr. – June 20th; 3rd gr. – June 15th; 4th gr. – June 19th. Parents welcome!

Fourth Grade “Graduation” – Tuesday, June 20th at 1:30 pm.

Last Day of School – Wed., June 21st – All school dismissal at 12:30 pm (No Lunch @ school).

With warm thanks to all PES families as we begin to wind down another exciting school year!

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FRIDAY, May 26th, 2006 12:30 DISMISSAL for ALL Kind. thru 4th Grade Students

(School-wide picnic with Buddy Classes at 11:15)

Focus On: Children and the Arts. Thank you for all your parental and volunteer support related to the fabulous Children and the Arts Day Festival last Saturday. The famous artist James Grashow inspired countless students with his cardboard art and his warmth, humor, and obvious passion for creative art! I hope you have the opportunity to visit the incredible “Aquarium of the Imagination” exhibit of student art work at the Sharon Art Center; it runs through this Saturday, May 27th.

Focus On: Emergency First Aid.Along with their regular program of studies, students this week have been learning about First Aid and emergency medical care. Our students took this very seriously and learned a great deal about what to do and what not to do when someone is injured. Thank you, Peterborough Fire and Rescue (since they have twice saved my husband’s life, I also feel personally indebted to this incredible ambulance service!).

Curriculum Spotlight: Science. Science is on our minds these days. (In this photo, two second graders are presenting the results of a carefully conducted experiment on plant growth). Next Thursday, June 1st, we will enjoy PTO-sponsored assemblies with Gary Pozzato, an Aerospace Educator. Then Friday, June 2nd is “Science Day!” with presentations on topics ranging from aviation and astronomy to chemistry and robots. We hope it will be an exciting and inspirational day for everyone. Thanks to chair Betsy Gordon and the entire planning committee (Margaret Blackburn, Cyndie D’Andrea, Jenny Dark, Amy Lavoie, & Pam Murphy) – and all the parent/ community presenters and volunteers!

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Focus On: The Wonder of Water. With all the recent rain, it seems all the more timely to have hosted presentations by PES parent Judy Blake and Peterborough Water Department’s Steven Rheaume. They talked with students about “The Wonder of Water” and how to help save water and preserve our town’s water quality. Thanks to librarian Nancy Richard for coordinating this program.

Focus On: Dental Health. This week we also hosted dentist Dr. Greg Perry and the “Tooth Fairy,” Pam Delahanty, who taught students about dental health. Next week the town’s Fire & Rescue E.M.T.’s will talk with our students about emergency safety.

Another highlight of the week was the TIGER troupe from Plymouth State University who gave a creative, energetic, and entertaining 1st-4th grade performance about the importance of respecting and including friends.

Congratulations to Mary Forssell . Congratulations to Mary Forssell who is providing helpful leadership on the district-wide Administrative Assistants professional development committee. Mrs. Forssell and teacher Nicky Fraley will be “Walking for the Cure” (of Breast Cancer) this Saturday in Boston. We wish them well in their marathon walks that are raising research funds to combat an illness that has entered the lives of far too many beloved staff and family members.

Focus On: Volunteers. And congratulations and thanks to all the many teachers, parents, and staff members who are volunteering at tomorrow’s Children and the Arts Day!

Curriculum Spotlight: Poetry. Fourth graders are delving deep into the powerful world of poetry. They are becoming familiar with a wide range of poets, and writing their own lively poetry with vivid imagery. Children have invested considerable time in selecting poems to recite and perform at the traditional Fourth grade Poetry Nights.

See you all tomorrow at the Children and the Arts Day Festival!

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Thanks to the PTO for sponsoring a delightful and informative Wednesday evening presentation on Gardening with PES’ resident horticulturalist (and evening custodian), Dick Carlson. It was an inspiring illustrated talk on how to create rich, nutritious soil and healthy plants. Mr. Carlson has raised exotic plants for over forty years, and generously shares his expertise with others.

Spring Projects are apparent all over school. For instance, students are making special planters for Mother’s Day flowers, and creating incredible painted cardboard fish and other underwater creatures for the May 20th Children and the Arts Day. The design and creation of such art requires imagination, planning, fine motor skills, and cooperative work skills.

Student Teachers. This year we have been blessed with many exceptional student teachers from Keene State College and Antioch. Sadly this is the last week at PES for many of our much-loved interns who contribute so much to our classrooms. We are proud of PES’ tradition of serving as a professional learning community for pre-service teachers, and are grateful for the skilled mentoring provided by our exceptional faculty.

Congratulations to Second grade teachers Eric Rothhaus and Shannon Dunning who are starting their Master’s degree programs at the University of New England. Also warm congratulations to Guidance Counselor Paula Stewart who was awarded a Master’s Degree at Keene State College last Sunday.

May 16th, 1 pm TIGER Assembly

May 17th, 9:30 am Cool Day Celebration

May 26th, 12:30 Dismissal, K-4th

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Focus On: Children and the Arts Day Festival. We’re enjoying all the vagaries of a New England spring… and getting ready for the Saturday, May 20th, Children and the Arts Day festival in “our town.” This year’s theme is Under the Sea, and we hope you all will enjoy the special displays at the Sharon Art Center. Of course there will be special exhibits and performances all over downtown Peterborough – and a fantastic giant puppet parade leaving from PES. It is definitely one of my favorite family-friendly week-end events!

Focus On: Upcoming Events.
At 1 pm on Tuesday, May 16th, we have a drama group from Plymouth State University performing “Just Between Friends” for 1st – 4th graders in the gym. Families are also welcome to attend.

Next Wednesday, May 17th, at 9:30 AM we will be holding our last Cool Day assembly of the year. Come join us for May Day dancing and singing!

On Friday, May 26th, PES students will be dismissed at 12:30. This means that Kindergarten students are released a half hour later than usual, and 1st – 4th grade are dismissed earlier than usual. At 11:15 that day we are planning to have an all-school picnic with ‘buddy classrooms’ eating together on various parts of our school campus. Please be sure to write a note to your child’s teacher if your child’s “end of the school day” plans are different for the 26th. Thanks!

Focus On: Assessment. Last Friday I enjoyed helping to host an NHASCD Conference in Concord with presenter Jay McTighe on “Assessment for Learning.” McTighe is the co-developer with Grant Wiggins of the Understanding by Design model of curriculum development that is the framework for our district’s new Social Studies program. This is a “backward design” framework for creating units by starting off with clear goals for what we want students to know, understand, and be able to do; then developing the appropriate assessments for students to demonstrate these goals; and then, finally, developing appropriate learning activities to address the ‘essential questions’ and ‘overarching understandings’ the teacher has addressed. I love the notion of building curriculum around big ideas, key questions, and core assessments and believe McTighe and Wiggins provide a helpful framework for schools and classrooms!

2006-2007 School Calendar. Here is a copy of next year’s school district calendar that was approved by the ConVal School Board earlier this week. Please note that the February and April vacations will be a week later than this year.

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Thank you to volunteers. Thank you for your willingness to volunteer for the many upcoming spring field trips and PTO-sponsored events. There is so much happening!

Curriculum Spotlight: Language Arts. We continue to emphasize the importance of reading and writing at every grade level. Our Language Arts program balances the “basic skills” with an emphasis on understanding and creativity. Students’ excellence in these areas is the cause for celebrations both at school and in the larger community. Recently Emma Simila, a student in Mrs. D’Andrea’s Kindergarten class, wrote a delightful story, The House by the Seashore, that won Second Place in the northern New England “Reading Rainbow Contest” sponsored by NH public TV!

Focus On: Chess. Thoughtful planning and strategic thinking are alive and well at the Monday afternoon Chess Club, taught by PES parent Rev. Adrian Robbins-Cole and numerous community volunteers. It is quite exciting to see our young players demonstrating such enthusiasm for this intellectually challenging classic board game.

NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAPS) testing. Second through Fourth graders will take the MAP tests May 1st through 12th. These adaptive multiple-choice tests are taken in the Deb Geer Library on individual laptop computers in the areas of Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. Please reassure your children that they will have plenty of time to complete the tests. Actually, the more able students work their way up to longer, more complex questions and thus will need more time to take the tests. I mention this as some students still feel that “if you work/finish quickly, you’re smarter…,” and this is not how it works for MAPS tests. The testing results will be sent to parents when they become available; they are one helpful “data point” when looking at students’ overall growth and progress.

Congratulations to our school nurse. Our school nurse, Pam Murphy, R.N., has just been named the state representative to the National Assoc. of School Nurses’ Board of Directors; she also serves as the Continuing Education Chair of the NH SNA, organizing numerous professional seminars and conferences. We also know Mrs. Murphy as our deeply caring, highly skilled nurse-health educator!

Take Time… Please see the reverse of this newsletter for a compelling article on “The Importance of the Family Dinner.”

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April 17th – 21st: Spring Vacation [NO SCHOOL]

Focus On: Children and the Arts Day. The annual Children and the Arts Day Festival will be held on Saturday, May 20th. The theme is “Under the Sea,” and many classes are already starting to prepare artwork, including fabric collages, for display during the festival. Others are working on pieces for the Giant Puppet Parade and for a special display at the Sharon Arts Center inspired by cardboard artist James Grashow whose sculpture is in the permanent collections of businesses and museums such as Morgan Stanley, Walt Disney, and NYC’s Museum of Modern Art. Volunteers are welcome to help out with these creative educational projects!

Focus On: NWEA/MAPS Testing. NWEA/MAPS Testing will take place May 1st – 12th for Second – Fourth graders. Students take these adaptive tests in Math, Reading, and Language Usage on laptop computers in the Library. The results are one helpful “snapshot” of students’ growth and progress.

Congratulations. Congratulations to our Associate School Psychologist and evaluator, Meg Piana, who has just been accepted into numerous doctoral programs. We wish her well as she starts a rigorous Ph.D. program at Boston’s Northeastern University in the fall! Also belated congratulations to the brave PES staff members who participated in the very demanding March 26th Community Spelling Bee at the Peterborough Town House.

Focus On: Visiting Authors/Illlustrators Program. Illustrator visits PES. PES parent and award winning children’s book illustrator Beth Krommes spoke to classes this week as part of our Visiting Authors/Illlustrators program coordinated by Teacher-Librarian Nancy Richard. Mrs. Krommes described the year-long process of researching and creating the scratch-board illustrations for each of her books. It was inspiring to hear her describe how she responded to the artistic challenges and frustrations of each project -- as well as the pride and pleasure to see the beautiful books when they are finally published. Thank you, Beth Krommes!

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NO SCHOOL – FRIDAY, APRIL 7th, 2006

Congratulations. Congratulations to our Art and Music teacher Lynn Compton who has just been selected by the Monadnock Garden Club for a full tuition scholarship to a week-long session of ocean kayaking and nature study at the Audubon Camp on Hog Island, Maine. The MGC award letter notes, “The Peterborough Elementary School is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher on their staff.” We agree!

Focus On. Foreign Language. Thanks to the ConVal High School French and Spanish clubs for providing spring after-school foreign language enrichment for PES students. These are fun and worthwhile sessions.

Focus On: The Harris Center's Family Events. The Harris Center in neighboring Hancock, NH (Te: 525-3394) is sponsoring many free family-friendly outdoor educational activities this spring, including:

Wed., April 12th – 7:20 PM. Meet at the Fremont Field Conservation land on Old Jaffrey Rd. to see and hear American Woodcocks as the almost full moon begins to rise (the male birds “chirp and zig zag” in an amazing display!). Dress warmly.

Sat., April 22nd, 7 PM at the Harris Ctr. The “famously funny” herpetologist professor Tom Tyning will give a slide show on NH amphibians. Hardy souls can then follow Tom outside for an evening field trip to look for wood frogs and giant salamanders.

Sat., May 13the, 8 AM. Meet at the Willard Pond Sanctuary to hike around the pond looking for spring birds with Peterborough bird expert Francie Von Mertens.

Sun., May 14th, 9:30 AM at the Harris Center. Family Hike on the Orr’s Edge Trail that borders fields and forest habitat.

Sat., May 27th, 8 AM, meet at the Harris Center for a backyard birding field trip through the Old Welch Farm’s fields, woods, and beaver wetland habitats.

Sat., June 3rd, 10 AM at the Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary parking lot. Hike around the pond with artist/botanist Franckie Brackley Tolman to have fun looking at native plants.

Upcoming Events:
This month's Cool Day Assembly will be at 9:30 am, Wednesday, April 12th. Everyone is welcome!

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Focus On: Spring. What a beautiful week of sunny weather! As we shift into lighter outdoor clothing, thank you for reminding your children to dress in light layers for recess. It warms up fast! One addition to our school rules: students may not wear “wheeled sneakers” at school or out at recess. They look like great fun, but are just not safe in our school environment. Thanks!

Curriculum Spotlight. Research. Students throughout the school are presently involved with research projects, utilizing interviews, print, and supervised on-line sources. An increasing number of students are using desk top or our Mac laptop computers in class for preparing and producing reports. The results of their research may be a map, a skit, a hand-made book, or a written report (but maybe from the perspective of an historical or fictional character, or even an animal!). The quality of the writing and illustrating in these reports and the “time of day” picturing writing is impressive!

Curriculum Spotlight. Music. This week Third graders, who study Sound in Science, had a visit from professional “Lend an Ear” musicians. The students asked excellent questions after listening to a range of pieces, including Camille Saint Saens’ beautiful melody,The Swan. Ask students about the surprise material in a cellist’s bow!

Congratulations. Congratulations to our custodian Dick Carlson, a talented horticulturalist, who has once again cajoled his Bird of Paradise plant to blossom right here in our main hallway. Thank you, Mr. Carlson!

Friday, April 7th - No School (Teacher Workshop)

Wed., April 12th, 9:30 am – Cool Day Assembly

Thurs., April 13th, 6:30 pm – Registration at PES for 06-07 Kindergarten

April 17th – 21st – Spring Vacation

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Focus On: Community. Thank you for your active participation in the town/ school district Voting Day last Tuesday, and for your support of the school district budget for 2006-2007. We are so blessed to have a community that truly values quality public schools!

Focus On: Parent-teacher conferences.Also thank you for taking the time to avail yourselves, if you feel it would be helpful, to participate in a parent-teacher conference during this month of March. Please contact your child’s teacher if you wish to schedule a “by phone” or in-person conference to review your child’s growth and progress.

Focus On: PTO Pancake Breakfast. We are looking forward to Saturday’s Pancake Breakfast (7- 11 AM), Scholastic Book Fair and Tag Sale. Thanks to everyone who will be volunteering at these child/family friendly events that help raise funds for class and school-wide field trips, assemblies, and enrichment opportunities. It’s a PES tradition!

Staff News. Congratulations to Third grade teacher Lori Groleau who is completing her Master’s Degree at Antioch New England University; her courses sound fascinating!

Kindergarten Registration. Kindergarten Registration for next year’s Kind. class will be held at 6:30 PM on Thursday, April 13th. Children who live in Sharon or Peterborough and turn five on or before September 30th are eligible to attend public Kindergarten at PES. If you (or someone you know) has an eligible child but is unable to attend on April 13th, please call our office at 924-3828. Thanks!

Job Fair. Interested in possibly teaching, driving a school bus, working in the school lunch program, coaching, or substitute teaching? Come learn more (and submit applications) at the district’s Job Fair next Tuesday, March 28th, from 6-8 PM at ConVal High School!

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Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed your February vacation week and perhaps the chance to spend more “family time” together. It was a treat for me to fly down to visit my daughter, son-in-law and now 18 month old granddaughter, Sophia! In northern Alabama, daffodils are in bloom and we had a great time “playing on the slides and swings” at the local parks in Huntsville. But now it’s back to wool hats and mittens – and a very exciting time for teaching and learning at PES!

Focus on: Dr. Suess. Dr. Seuss’ Birthday was celebrated this week by second graders. Children had great fun making “Dr. Seuss hats,” reading many of his books, and even writing their own Green Eggs and Ham stories. A native New Englander, Ted Geisel attended NH’s Dartmouth College where he began to use his middle name Seuss as a pseudonym. In spite of his creative talent, Geisel’s success required persistence: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times before being published by Vanguard Press. Honored with the Pulitzer Prize and two Academy awards, “Dr. Seuss” eventually wrote and illustrated more than forty children’s books that have been translated into fifteen languages.

Focus on: PBIS. The “Universal Team” is now meeting every two weeks to continue on our exciting journey of creating a safer, kinder and more respectful school community that will enhance the teaching and learning environment here at PES. Our coaches – Helena Bates, Shannon Dunning, and Eric Rothhaus – are providing positive, collaborative leadership for this important project. I feel very confident that everyone will benefit as we clarify our positive expectations for “what’s expected/what’s OK” in every school setting.

Curriculim Spotlight: Music. Lend an Ear. On Tuesday our Third grade classes enjoyed an educational concert presented by two members of the Monadnock Music orchestra. Coordinated by Lynn Compton, this series of three performances introduces children to the history and sounds of various brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The performers obviously enjoy children as well as music – and are always impressed by PES kids’ responsiveness and probing questions. We have many children who are eager to play their own instruments in the next few years!

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Focus On: Student Growth. We have seen such impressive growth in your children the past six weeks! It is so exciting to see students so much more confident in their math, reading, and writing skills – and so involved in their authors’ teas, art and science activities, and special social studies projects such as the Third graders’ study of the Civil Rights era.

Curriculum Spotlight: Science. On June 1st the PTO is sponsoring science enrichment assemblies with aerospace educator Gary Pozzato. This “Go For the Stars” multimedia, interactive presentation involves learning about rockets, robots, microgravity and more. We are now in the early stages of planning additional science enrichment experiences for a day or so after Mr. Pozzato visits. Please start thinking of local scientists and engineers -– yourselves, friends, neighbors, relatives -- who might be willing to share their special interests (for free!) with groups of our students in a fun, interactive way. This could be a wonderful set of experiences, interesting in themselves as well as possibly planting the seed for future study and even life-long hobbies or vocations. But we’ll need your help!

Guidance. After vacation, we are fortunate to welcome our new Guidance Counselor, Paula Stewart. A Peterborough resident, Paula holds a master’s degree in school counseling from Keene State, and has extensive experience working with children and families. Welcome, Mrs. Stewart!

Focus On: NHDI Residency. This year Fourth graders will have an NHDI residency with Jess Lawler Codman during the week of March 6th. They will perform for parents Friday afternoon, March 10th. We are so pleased that the highly successful NHDI residencies with Kindergarteners and Second graders will now be available to our PES 4th graders!

Performance. Also on March 10th, 2nd and 3rd graders will see a performance of Peter and the Wolf in the gym at 10:20 AM. Parents are welcome to attend.

Enjoy your February vacation next week!

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PTO Game Night. Thanks to event coordinator Stacy Kolk and the dozens of other parents who helped Friday evening, the PTO Game Night was a terrific success! Children of all ages enjoyed board games and delicious snacks in the cafeteria and then active Hawaiian-themed activities in the gym, including various ways of “doing the limbo”! Children and parents played a wide variety of games that are great fun, and also reinforce many skills, from taking turns and “not always winning” to counting and reading. Thank you everyone!

Focus On: Differentiated Instruction. On Friday I participated in an NHASCD conference on “D.I.” with presenter Carol-Ann Tomlinson from U.Va. Basically D.I. takes the best practices from a wide base of educational research and synthesizes these into a responsive teaching model (rather than “one size fits all” teaching). It means teachers proactively plan varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they will show what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can, as efficiently as possible. Dr. Tomlinson described many strategies and examples for keeping students actively engaged in their learning with caring and supportive teachers. It was a stimulating day, and very affirming of the practices we try to use everyday at PES!

Curriculum Spotlight: UbD. In Feb. and March PES teachers will be learning more about Understanding by Design. The district has adopted this powerful model, closely related to D.I., as the basis for planning, assessing, and teaching the new Social Studies curriculum. UbD stresses the importance of teachers clearly understanding and articulating the ‘big ideas’ of what students should be able know, value, and understand at the end of any topic or unit. ”Start with the end in mind” (identify desired results), then work backwards to plan appropriate assessments, and THEN plan experiences and instruction to support these goals. UbD also provides useful ways of making sure teaching is “minds-on” as well as hands-on. Just as Reading involves “making meaning” and not just decoding words, UbD reminds us that students need to thoughtfully understand the big ideas of any discipline as well as learn facts and skills.

Upcoming Events:
Tues., Jan. 24th, 7pm at ConVal High School – District meeting to discuss the Warrant Articles (including Laptops for 6th graders) and School Budgets for 2006-2007. All welcome.
Wed., Jan. 25th, 9:30 am – Cool Day Assembly (postponed from last week).
NO SCHOOL Friday Jan 27th (Teacher Workshop Day)
Th. & Fri., Feb. 2nd & 3rd – PBIS ‘Universal Team’ for PES attends Concord, NH, workshop

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It has been a “slushy, mushy” few days at recess and we’re looking forward to more seasonable temperatures – and some new snow!

Reading Comprehension Workshops. This week our teaching staff has participated in district-wide grade level workshops on Reading Comprehension with a presenter from Heinemann. Teachers have enjoyed learning more about how to help students become more proficient in their use of the comprehension strategies outlined in Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader’s Workshop (1997) by Keene and Zimmermann. It is exciting to be in a school district that actively supports on-going professional development!

Curriculum Spotlight: Music. What a treat it is to hear children singing, dancing and “making music” throughout our school! It is both calming and invigorating, providing another crucial way for students to express themselves. National research studies indicate a significant relationship between schools “rich in the arts” and students who are far stronger in their abilities to express thoughts and ideas, exercise their imagination, and demonstrate academic competence. They also score higher on measures of resilience, self-regulation, cooperation, goal-setting, perseverance, and the ability to relate to people in other cultures. Teachers in these schools are much more interested in their work and are more likely to be innovative and effective in their teaching. [see “Music and the Intellect,” Phi Delta Kappan (Sept., 2005), pp. 24-31]. So another Hurrah for Music and the Arts at PES!

Focus On: PBIS. As our school embarks on this project to strengthen students’ positive behavior, I will try to share some of the ideas and practices that we will be studying and using. Here are a few of the ‘big ideas’ of PBIS: 1) Adoption and maintenance of effective practices require a school-wide “systems” approach to ensure common language and expectations throughout a school; 2) Data are needed to make useful decisions (e.g., collect information about where and when students experience behavioral difficulties); 3) Sustainable change requires long term commitment (we will be involved in this comprehensive project for at least three years); 4) A team-based approach is needed to guide the PBIS process (we will be developing a “universal team” to provide leadership in the PBIS project). Our goal is to develop an ever more positive and effective school environment for teaching and learning. Thank you for your interest in the PBIS initiative!

Upcoming Events:
NO SCHOOL Monday, Jan. 16th and Friday, Jan. 27th
Cool Day Assembly 9:30 am, Wed., Jan. 18th
PTO Game Night 6:30 pm, Fri., Jan. 20th

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Focus On: Helping others. Thank you for your support of December’s Fourth grade Bake Sale project to raise money to help with the renovation of the Alstead, NH, town recreation playgrounds that were seriously damaged in last fall’s floods. Students, teachers, and parents all had fun working together to raise over $370. The children practiced math skills while baking, pricing items, and ‘making change’ during the sale, and the entire school supported this holiday out-reach that will benefit young people in a town that lost so much.

Congratulations. Congratulations to teachers Carter Judkins and Betsy Gordon who were selected by the NH State Dept. of Education to participate in two days of evaluating state testing results generated through the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program. These were the ‘paper and pencil’ tests that our Third and Fourth grade students took in October.

Focus On: PBIS. PES is an excellent school – and one of the reasons for this is that we are constantly striving to improve! This week the PES staff voted unanimously to participate in the multi-year program known as “PBIS” (Positive Behavior, Intervention and Supports). The PBIS program, already instituted at SMS and Dublin’s elementary school, provides training and support to schools that want to increase the use of positive teaching and academic success through decreasing any problematic, disruptive, or non-compliant behavior. Through our involvement with PBIS, we are looking forward to developing more school-wide consistency in the expectations and support for students with behavioral challenges, and more ways to affirm students who are already safe, kind, and respectful. As we become more involved with this project, we will keep parents informed about what we may be doing here at school, so that we can continue to strengthen our school/home/school connection. Thank you for your interest in supporting the growth and learning of all of our students!

Hands-on Projects. Wintry weather invites us all to spend more time with new activities, both outside and indoors. In Art and in a number of classrooms, students are learning to knit, weave, and crochet, creating beautiful ‘products’ and practicing important fine motor skills.

Upcoming Events:
Wed. Jan. 18th, 9:30 AM – Cool Day Assembly, all welcome.
Friday, Jan. 20th, PTO Game Night in the PES gym and cafeteria. All families welcome!

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Focus On: Winter Clothing. As we settle into colder weather, warm clothing for recess becomes all the more essential. Thank you for being sure your children come to school with boots, snow pants, hats and gloves/mittens. It also is very helpful to send in an extra pair of socks and to have each item labeled with your child’s name. Second graders are also studying how various NH mammals cope with winter as they live in our local forests of hardwoods and evergreen trees. Our Harris Center naturalist, Janet Altobello, provides in-class and “in the field” enrichment!

Curriculum Spotlight: Science. Science is one of the core academic areas in the ConVal elementary schools (see www.conval.edu and click on curriculum and then science to learn details of each grade level’s curriculum expectations). Children are naturally curious, observing closely the world around them, and asking great questions! The hands-on STC experiments invite students to think, act, and write like adult scientists who are testing hypotheses and trying to solve real world problems. Quite amazing!

Curriculum Spotlight. Math and Social Studies . If you are traveling over the holidays, I encourage you to plan and monitor the trip with your children using maps of wherever you are going. Maps are such powerful tools to enhance students’ “spatial intelligence” and develop important skills used in math and social studies. At PES, children in the early grades learn to draw diagrams of their rooms and houses, while third and fourth grade students create maps and models of Peterborough, the state of New Hampshire, and even the continents around the world.

All the best for this magical season of the year! Susan Copley, PES Principal

“The teachers I admire…create the environment and give students the tools they need to read deeply and thoughtfully, so that they can contemplate ideas alone and with others, and write persuasively about what they read. They are teachers who embrace the wide range of responses their students give to the same text, and challenge the students to read books they believe they cannot. We have all had those teachers… who believed in us, who trusted our uniqueness, who unleashed our dormant talents, and who gave us [new] skills and confidence…. Perhaps their greatest gift was the standard they set as curious and passionate learners… By teaching [reading] strategies, teachers give children the tools they need to exercise their critical thinking faculties, to struggle with human confusions, and to embark on their own explorations of the mystery and beauty of life.” –Keene and Zimmerman, Mosaic of Thought (1997, p. 217).

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Thanksgiving Spirit. Thanks to the PES School Spirit Committee and the organizational leadership of teachers Shannon Dunning and Marylou Elwell, our front hallway bulletin board is filled with “turkey feather” handprints of students and staff members. Each one includes five original reasons why each person is particularly thankful – and they are well worth reading. Enjoy!

Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with teachers during the month of November. These conferences are crucial times to share insights and perspectives on each child’s strengths and needs, and to develop social and academic goals for the rest of the year. We very much appreciate your support and involvement here at PES.

Congratulations to Mr. Richard Mellor. Mr. Richard Mellor, our Head Custodian, this Wednesday was honored as NH Volunteer of the Year for his decades of effective leadership and conscientious service to municipal government in his hometown. For 26 years he has served as Chair of the Rindge Conservation Commission, helping to preserve Converse Meadows and working with local property owners to respect and protect a variety of other natural areas.

Student teachers. PES continues to benefit from the active presence of students from Keene State College, Antioch University, Franklin Pierce College, and ConVal High School. Along with their youthful enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, these dedicated “pre-professionals” make it possible for many more students to have 1:1 and small group instruction throughout the day. We are fortunate that colleges appreciate our teachers as outstanding mentors!

Reading Workshops. Recently PES and AES have hosted district-wide grade level teacher workshops with nationally known presenter Kathy Heap. These workshops have been affirming and inspiring, as we’ve watched Kathy guide small groups of students to become more skilled and confident readers. It is always so exciting to see young children use new strategies, proudly going way beyond just “reading words” to really pondering the deeper meaning of stories and picture books. I found the discussions among the teachers and Kathy to be so rich and stimulating! We are fortunate indeed that our ConVal district supports excellent quality professional development that is focused on student growth and learning.

PTO Supper and Movie Night. See you tonight at the PTO Supper and Movie Night (bring your sleeping bags, pillows, and warm PJ’s!).

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Thank you to the PTO. Thank you for your active participation in last Saturday’s PTO Fall Fun Fair! It was such a treat to see the dozens of parents who volunteered to make games, cook and bake, and host all the varied activities throughout the day. I loved watching kids selecting favorite titles from the Book Fair, munching on the home-cooked lunch, and thoroughly enjoying everything from the Bouncy Castle and face painting, to playing golf and making their own scare crows. Along with families enjoying the activities and one another, the rainy day Fun Fair generated over $1,000. for field trips and special projects at PES. Thank you all!!

Focus On: Testing. Second, Third, and Fourth graders are in the midst of taking the NWEA “MAPS” tests on computers in the Library; 3rd & 4th graders have now completed their NECAP paper and pencil tests. To help clarify the similarities and differences in these two programs, please see the back of this parent letter.

School Photo Re-take Day will be Friday, November 4th. There is no additional cost if you return the complete original package of photos. Or if your child was absent on the first photo day, please call the office and a new order form will be sent home; the form and the cost of ordered photos will be needed on Nov. 4th.

Focus On: Halloween. Weather permitting, 1st – 4th grade classes will be meeting on the High St. side of the school at 1:15 on Monday, October 31st for a parade through the down-town area. Costumes need to be brought to school in a bag, not worn to school; children then change into these just before the parade (parents are welcome to come in and help!). Many children enjoy creating their own low cost/ no cost costumes that are creative and quite delightful. Please remember that even on Halloween, our school does not allow weapons or toy weapons. Also, if your child prefers not to participate in the parade, please send in a note to your child’s teacher so that we can plan an alternate activity in the gym during the half hour used for the parade. One last note: if you are contributing food to class parties on Halloween, please try to think of fun healthy snacks that are also low/no sugar. Thanks so much!

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Focus On: Katrina Fund Raiser. Thank you for your support of the “PES Kids Care” Fund Raiser. The money collected will go to children and schools in Collins, Mississippi, a rural town devastated by Hurricane Katrina that has been “adopted” by Monadnock area communities. Our big jug in the Library foyer is filling up fast!

Focus On: Fire Safety. This week we have hosted members of the Peterborough Fire Department who have been visiting classes to talk about fire safety and fire prevention. Students asked excellent questions about the jobs of fire fighters and how they use their specialized equipment. Children also learned “what to do” in case there is a fire at home. We are so blessed to have such dedicated and skilled volunteers in Our Town.

Curriculum Spotlight: Learning Styles. Our school is committed to providing students with engaging educational activities that address a variety of “intelligences” and learning styles. For instance, students may learn their spelling words using a traditional workbook, along with spelling the words using finger paints, sand trays, the white board, the computer, or while doing jumping jacks or skipping rope. We want “hands-on learning” to be more than just tasks involving pencil and paper; this way the learning is more likely to “stick”!

Upcoming Events:
Friday, October 7th: NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workshop Day)
Oct. 10 – 15th: PTO Scholastic Book Fair
Wed., Oct. 12th, 6 – 7 PM: PES Open House
Sat., Oct. 15th, 10 -2: PTO Fall Fun Fair [rain date Sun. Oct. 16th, 1-4 PM]
Tues., Oct. 18th, 7 PM: School Board Mtg. at PES

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Curriculum Spotlight: Math. Thank you for providing opportunities for children to practice their math skills at home. The district’s Math Investigations program is organized around units where students find a variety of ways to solve math problems. The overall goal is for students to truly understand, enjoy, and appreciate mathematics – and to value their own thinking and problem solving strategies. Students still do need to learn their addition and multiplication facts at home and school. At PES, younger students learn to count and skip count forwards and backwards. All students learn a variety of games and special math activities to help them understand number relationships. They learn how to collect, display, describe, and interpret real data, how to keep track of their work, and how to visualize and analyze their spatial environment. Please contact your child’s teacher if you’re interested in volunteering to help with math activities in your child’s classroom. It is definitely fun yet challenging for all!

Congatulations. Congratulations to Richard Mellor, the PES Head Custodian, who has been nominated by the Rindge Board of Selectmen for the state’s Municipal Volunteer Award. Mr. Mellor has served on his town’s Conservation Commission since 1979, including many years as Chairman; he was also a key person in the protection of the lovely Converse Meadows conservation area. We are proud of Mr. Mellor’s commitment to preserving the natural environment in his town and in special places throughout the entire Monadnock region.

Curriculum Spotlight: Music and Art. Music and Art are now integrated ‘specials’ at PES, with lively and engaging instruction provided by Lynn Compton. Also, students in most classes are introduced to a new artist each month through the Famous Artists Come to School (FACTS) program taught by parent volunteers. This year our artists include Georgia O’Keeffe, Leonardo daVinci, Salvador Dali, and Faith Ringgold. Please contact Lauren Martin if you’d like to be involved in FACTS.

Focus On: Curriculum extension trips. Field Trips have already started! Today two Third grade classes studying birds returned from a trip to South Pack Monadnock’s raptor watch, so excited to have seen osprey, turkey vultures, ravens, and a variety of hawks and other large birds heading south for the winter. Other classes are soon heading off to the Fremont Conservation Land, the Harris Center, Stonewall Farm, and theaters in Keene and Concord. Thanks to parent chaperones for helping to make these well organized curriculum extension trips possible!

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Thank You. Thank you for your support of those who have lost so much in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There is a large bottle in the foyer just outside the library where we are collecting contributions. Every coin will truly make a difference for children, families, and schools in the Gulf Coast region. Thank you for your caring generosity.

Focus On: Professional Development Workshops. This week our teaching staff participated in district-wide grade level Reading workshops with the nationally known literacy coach, Kathy Heap. These were very stimulating and enjoyable day-long seminars, and everyone returned to school with fresh ideas for stimulating more thoughtful, reflective and interactive reading in their classrooms. I was fortunate to sit in on parts of these days, and relished the opportunity to listen to the incredibly rich and exciting conversations about how to promote more engaging and meaningful reading experiences.

Curriculum Spotlight: Assessments. All over the school, students are already involved in stretching themselves in new learning activities. In a few weeks, 3rd and 4th graders will take the New England Common Assessment Program (“NE-CAP”) tests, and then 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students will take the NWEA/MAPS adaptive computerized assessments. Both tests look at students’ skills and understandings in math and reading. The results will help track students’ individual progress, and provide teachers with helpful information about where each class may need more in-depth, specific instruction. Results of standardized tests are balanced with teachers’ professional observations and informal curriculum-based assessments.

Focus On: PES Outdoor Campus. New Trees at PES! Thanks to a “Shade and Beauty” grant from the Goyette Foundation, and support from the school district, our school now has an impressive row of trees along the top of the recess hill, and a number of other new trees and bird gardens planted around the school. Students and staff alike enjoy the increasingly attractive outdoor campus that now provides numerous opportunities for fun and worthwhile science activities. In the spring we hope to clean up the school property out past the parking lot so that in the midst of the “forest” there will be a lovely meadow, full of birds and wildlife – and we hope to use an old chicken coop foundation for an observation platform. We’ll keep you posted!

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What a wonderful start to the school year! Students have been very involved in getting to know their new classmates and teachers, and strengthen the sense of a classroom community with clear expectations for safe, kind, and respectful behavior. Along with implementing the early fall district curriculum units, teachers are also informally assessing students’ reading, writing, and math skills. It is such a treat to walk around the school to see students working so hard and truly enjoying their new friends!

Focus On: Hurricane Fund Raiser. The news from the Gulf Coast continues to touch us all. So many children and families have lost so much. It makes our one summer week without drinkable tap water seem like a very, very small inconvenience compared to what hundreds of thousands of people in the southeast are continuing to experience. As part of a district-wide outreach, our school will be conducting a three-week “PES KIDS CARE” fund-raising project. Students and their families are encouraged to drop coins in the big plastic container that will be outside the Deb Geer Library. Children often feel proud and more optimistic about tragedies when they realize that they can contribute towards “making the world a better place.”

Focus On: Computer Helper Needed! Do you enjoy fixing computer problems and have extra time to help out at PES? (If so, please speak with the principal). We are looking for someone who can help us keep our ageing computers up and running, and help solve a myriad of day-to-day Mac and PC issues. We are very grateful for the skilled and generous tech support we have received from PES parents and hope one more person might be just waiting to help out!

Open House anf Fall Activities. Open House this fall will be 6-7 PM on Wednesday, October 12th – and the PTO Fall Fun Fair will be Saturday, October 15th. The PTO Book Fair will run from Oct. 10th – 15th.

Focus On: Cool Day Change. Cool Day, our school’s monthly assembly to highlight students’ talents – and to strengthen our whole school community spirit – will now be held on Wednesday mornings. Our first Cool Day will be at 9:35 on Wed., Sept. 21st. Parents are always welcome to attend.

Focus On: PES Horticulturalist Awarded. Congratulations to horticulturalist Dr. Michael Gordon who has just been selected to receive an Honorable Mention “Garden Crusader” Award from the National Gardening Association. This national award honors Dr. Gordon for his visionary leadership developing extraordinarily beautiful public gardens all around downtown Peterborough and for his vital work at PES where he has helped plan and plant our lovely gardens and new shade trees.

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Welcome back! I’m looking forward to hearing more about everyone’s summer adventures, and getting to know our many new students. Everyone has been hard at work preparing for the first few weeks of school. The school facility has been thoroughly cleaned and the outdoor campus includes new paving and PTO picnic tables, and new shade trees and garden areas. We are very pleased to welcome new teachers Nicola Fraley (4th grade), Amy Bissell Lavoie (4th grade), and Jill Hickox (3rd grade EST/Sp.Ed.). New Special Education Aides include Cynthia Ingraham, Kristen Davis, and Renee Mercier.

Curriculum Spotlight: This year teachers will be introducing new district-wide curriculum in both Language Arts and Social Studies. The district is also developing a new K-12 Health curriculum, and this year we will be piloting a new pro-social skills program called Second Step. Kindergarten and First grade teachers will be implementing a new Phonics/ Phonological Awareness program. This activity-based program will help provide a consistent, comprehensive foundation for spelling and reading instruction. To address our goal of continuing to improve students’ love of reading and specific reading skills, all teachers will be participating in advanced workshops on guided reading and reading comprehension.

Focus On: Enrichment. PES is blessed with wonderful parent and community support. I encourage you to volunteer in the school, to support our very active PTO (see Pres. Gloria Schultz’s letter in this packet), and to help out with our important PES arts enrichment activities. We are also fortunate to have excellent support from the Superintendent’s Office and School Board as well as community organizations. This year we have a grant from the Monadnock Community Foundation for a naturalist to provide additional science enrichment for our Fourth graders. We continue to work cooperatively with the Harris Center for Conservation Education and the NH Dance Institute, and to garner support from community sources such as Target stores and Peterborough’s Goyette Foundation.

Thank you for your abiding interest in Peterborough’s excellent schools. Please do contact us if you have any questions or concerns as we embark on another exciting year at PES!