Happy Holidays!

On behalf of my staff and myself, I would like to wish the families of MMES a very happy and healthy holiday season.  Below is a snapshot for our recent Polar Express experience with our K students.  Enjoy the time with your family, and Happy New Year from all of us!

I couldn't resist...

No...this is not an old photo from Halloween.  This is three of our amazing teachers (Eileen Cellucci, Sue Gould, and Kristen Morgese - grade 2) at a recent science content training.  While deepening their knowledge of science content, the teachers had a little fun with their safe suits!  Gotta love the staff of MMES...always working, always growing, always smiling!

Healthy Eating Information

                                    

Nutrition News From MERSD Food Services Department:

                                                                                                                                                                   

Dear Essex and Memorial School Parents,

I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself to you yet, but my name is Julie Jacobsen and I will be with the school district until Jan. 3^rd, 2014, as part of my dietetic internship rotations.  I hold a Master of Science in Nutrition and Health Promotion, a Certificate in Sports Nutrition, and am currently fulfilling my last requirement to become a Registered Dietitian.   I’m also a mom of three, so trust me, I know the challenges of being a busy parent and properly feeding a family! 

I have been working mostly at the middle school and high school since Nov. 18^th, but various teachers at your schools have asked me to come and speak to their classes about healthy snack options, so I’d like to share the same information and recipes with you in case your child’s class was not one that I was able to visit.

More and more kids are eating too much in the way of snacks that do nothing to fuel their bodies, critically important in a community such as yours where so many of the kids are involved in sports.  In their classes, I likened eating all those favorite snack chips to eating a glob of Crisco.  We would never think to choose a scoop of Crisco for a snack, and yet eating potato chips is basically providing the same amount of nutrition—nothing, except a lot of saturated and trans fats, and empty calories.   Real health killers!  I also reminded the kids that they wouldn’t put sugary syrup or Coke in their car to make it run…because it would break down!  It’s not the right fuel to make that machine work.  So why don’t we “fuel” our machines (i.e., our bodies) as well as we fuel our cars?

I showed the kids in a couple of classrooms how easy it is to make a nutritious, energy-filled snack to appease their hungry bodies and minds.  The attached recipes are courtesy of the dietitian on the Cooking Light webpage, but they certainly can be tweaked to your liking.  Personally, I always went for as much whole grain, low sodium, and high fiber foods as possible when providing my kids with snacks.   It sustained them a lot longer while getting all that much-needed nutrition into them.  Just have fun being creative with this!

In class we used Cheerios, pretzels, raisins, Kashi Autumn Wheat squares, and a very small amount of M& Ms, but you can easily create your own mixes bases on your child’s taste preferences and any allergy requirements.  (Ideally I would have included some form of nut such as peanuts, almonds or walnuts to provide an excellent heart-healthy protein and fat, but for obvious allergy reasons I didn’t do that.)  After learning how to mix up this trail mix in a bowl, each child received a measured-out serving, along with a clementine, and they loved it! 

By the way, kids’ love fruit for a snack.  The trick?  Have it ready –to-eat, washed and cut up in the fridge, or out on the counter ready to grab.  You can also have your kids help create and pre-package these home-made trail mixes into ready-to-grab zip lock bags so all they have to do is just grab one and run, anytime of the day.  Getting your kids involved in the creation process will mean better compliance with switching over to these healthier snacks, all while getting that added fruit and nutrition into their daily diet.

Did you know, this is the first generation of U.S. kids at risk of not living as long as their parents?  As of 2010, over one third of U.S. children were either overweight or obese, which puts them at increased risk for adult overweight issues, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers!   Remember, you have the ability to lay the foundation for their future health.  Being a parent is the hardest job in the world, but it’s also the most rewarding.  Time and energy invested now will ensure them a healthy future. 

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”              

            Hippocrates  c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC

To your health!

Julie Jacobsen, MS

Dietetic Intern

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/snack-recipes-for-kids-00412000072311/

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/snack-mix-recipes-00412000072346/

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/files/2012/10/how-sweet-is-it-color.pdf

(Sugar contents of sugar-sweetened beverages)

Summer Reading Raffle #2

Earlier this year, we raffled off a bicycle donated by Cape Ann Savings Bank to a student who participated in our summer reading program.  That student read over 800 minutes this summer to be entered into the drawing to win a new bicycle.  An anonymous fan of my blog learned about our summer reading program and contest and decided to donate a second bike to be raffled off.

At our last school-wide meeting, all of the names were put back in the hat and a winner was chosen for the second bicycle give away!  Sammy Bothwell was the proud winner of a brand-new bicycle thanks to an anonymous friend of MMES.

Ski Program

The Manchester Essex Regional Schools Ski & Board Program will be offered again this year to students in grades 3-12 in both Manchester & Essex!! Lessons in skiing or snowboarding will be given but not mandatory at Bradford Ski Area in Haverhill on six consecutive Mondays this winter starting on January 6^th!  Please visit this site for all the information!

"Night of Stars"

Please come and support The Spaulding Education Fund "Night of Stars" this Sunday November 17th- 2 shows at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm.

 Purchase your tickets today... at www.spauldingeducationfund.org or at the door on Sunday night!  

Thanks to Spaulding our school now has IPads, Nooks, Sound Systems, Artists & Poets in Residence, the Kiln, Vegetable Gardens and so many amazing programs.

Exciting News Announcement! MMES School-wide Yearbook!

The PTO is excited to announce a whole-school yearbook this year!

As many of you know, at the end of each academic year each fifth grader receives a memorable and creative yearbook that captures each student in pictures and words; it's a priceless memento of their time at Memorial School.  This year, we are pleased to share with you that in addition to the fifth grade yearbook, we are producing an all-school yearbook for children in Pre-K through Grade 4.  This soft cover, black and white yearbook will feature, for each class, (1) individual portraits, (2) a class photo, and (3) a selection of candid photos.  You will be able to order the all-school yearbooks online later this year for $15, and they will be distributed in June.  Stay tuned!

MERSD Elementary Counseling Service

 A Message from Allison Collins, Student Services Director:

Dear Parents,

Over the past two years, the District has begun the process of evaluating and refining counseling services PK-12 in an effort to best serve children with social and emotional needs.  At the elementary level, this resulted in expansion of our school psychologist positions at Memorial and Essex and a transition from guidance counselors to school adjustment counselors in both buildings this year.   In addition to supporting children in coping with short-term academic and social concerns, both of our new counselors bring strong clinical expertise in working with students with significant mental health challenges.

With the introduction of our school adjustment counselors this fall at Memorial and Essex Elementary Schools, counseling services will focus on research-based practices that improve outcomes for preschool and elementary children. Parents and students who have become accustomed to our informal “lunch bunch” model will notice a transition to individual and group counseling targeted to more specific student needs.  Our new model of group counseling will focus on topics such as anxiety management, divorce, and conflict resolution, which will be offered in 8-12 week sessions in an effort to reach as many students with social-emotional needs as possible. 

Parents referring a child for counseling services can begin this process by contacting Suzanna South (Essex) or Laura Carlson (Memorial) to discuss the child’s needs.   In considering your child’s need for services, please keep in mind that students have limited opportunities to receive counseling during the school day without missing academic classes.  In order to prioritize students who require short or longer-term services individually and in groups, students referred for counseling will be screened by the school adjustment counselors, who will assess needs and recommend appropriate interventions. 

Ms. South and Ms. Carlson are also available to consult with parents by phone or in person regarding academic, social-emotional, and peer issues that may arise for your child.  If you are interested in pursuing community-based counseling services outside of school hours, Ms. South and Ms. Carlson can assist you in navigating this process as well.  More information on accessing community-based resources is also available on the Student Services website located at www.studentservices.mersd.org.

Please do not hesitate to contact me by phone (978-525-6060) or e-mail (collinsa@mersd.org) if you have any questions or concerns regarding District counseling services.

Sincerely,

Allison Brown Collins

Director of Student Services

Good News for MMES!

Please see the message below from the Manchester Bike and Pedestrian Committee:

A public hearing for the Safe Routes to School Design for the Manchester Memorial Elementary School is Thursday, November 21, at 7PM at Memorial’s auditorium.  Please plan to be there and let’s pack the house! 

The Safe Routes to School Program is funded by the Federal DOT, run by the State DOT, and provides planning, design, engineering and construction costs to projects that improve safe access to schools.  The intersection of Lincoln/Summer and access in and out of Memorial School has been awarded an improvement project.  This will significantly improve the intersection of Lincoln and Summer and includes sidewalks, crosswalks, and curbing that will immensely improve safety at key points near the school.    Work is slated to start next spring.

The SRTS Project was initiated and driven by Manchester’s volunteer Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and then approved by the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee.

We invite the community to hear about, see, and comment upon the proposed plans in a meeting in the Memorial School Auditorium on Thursday, November 21, at 7:00 PM.

Manchester Bike and Pedestrian Committee

MMES Book Drive...Update!

Thank you to the Parkins Family who were our first donors of gently used books for our MMES book drive!  They brought in three huge bags of books that will be sorted and handed out to our classroom libraries to give students even more titles to choose from!  Pass the word to your friends...if you have any gently used, unwanted children's books (chapter books or picture books), please send them in for us to repurpose in our classrooms.  There is a bin in the lobby marked "MMES Book Drive" for you to drop them off.  Thanks so much!

I was able to dip into our newly developed volunteer pool to find a parent who has volunteered to label and sort the books based on their guided reading level.  One of parents has worked in the past as a reading teacher and has been hard at work organizing the books that have been sent in.  A big thank you goes to Petra Wilkes for sharing her time and knowledge with us!

If you missed the link to put your name in our volunteer pool, here it is:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gLwcOuxvYVtGBfMNeXr4CA9BZnJ2t6-lzjRSqSC60ho/viewform

Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to help us out at MMES!

First Annual MMES Book Drive

When I was a classroom teacher, parents of former students would often come back to visit and give me  updates on how their child was doing in the upper grades.  Many of them started a tradition where they would bring gently used books that their children had outgrown for my classroom library.  This was a great resource for me as I always tried to keep my classroom library selection fresh for my students.

I was thinking about this the other day and thought that there must be many parents whose children have shelves of books at home that they have outgrown.  This led me to the concept of an annual MMES Book Drive.  If you have any gently used, age-appropriate books that your child(ren) has outgrown, would you consider donating them to MMES?  We can sort them by guided reading level and disperse them out to our classrooms to use when they are engaged in guided reading.  We can never have too many books at an elementary school!

A box is in the main lobby for book drop off.  Simply tie, bundle, box, or bag them and send them into school with your child to put into the MMES Book Drive Box.  All books will benefit students right here at our school!  Thank you for considering!

MMES Math Team is Back!

Our math team coach, Mrs. Blanchette will be on maternity leave for this year's season, but Mr. Willis heavily recruited an interim coach.  Coach Joseph McDonough will be leading our MMES Math Team into competition this year as we strive to repeat our accomplishment of performing in the top 10% of all schools in the nation!  Information is below...

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Mr. McDonough, and I am a Fifth grade teacher at Memorial School.  I would like to invite your child to join the Math Team this year.  This team is a group of students who have a passion and talent in the area of mathematics.  We will be meeting in room 27 (Mr. McDonough’s room), at 7:30 AM, on Thursday mornings right before school.  Each Math Team meeting will last for 45 minutes.  The team will be starting practices and competitions on October 31st.  The team is limited to grades 3-5 due the high level of mathematics challenge the program will provide.

We will be using the Perennial Math program (www.perennialmath.com), which our team used last year.  The program includes monthly challenges that will be done by different math teams across the country.  The team is going to be limited to 30 students, so if you have an eager and determined young mathematician make sure you sign up right away.  First come, first served and subsequent members will be added to a wait list.

Last year, we had a very committed team of mathematicians.  The team did extremely well, placing in the top 10% of the entire country.  If your child is interested in joining the team, make sure that you have the time available for the next three months.  It is always tough to tell a student that the team is full and then have students drop out.  Please be sure to talk about the commitment with your child before signing him or her up.

Math is my favorite subject area, and I am super excited to be coaching the team this year.  If you love math, and love to challenge yourself, the math team might is the place for you.  Please follow this link to register for the team:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NEpgdaNHn5wsXdBdOw-XWhbzbLD3_nVIGfbmOzUAmhw/viewform

Sincerely,

Mr. McDonough

Math Team Coach

Red Sox Spirit Day!

Koji says tomorrow should be Red Sox Spirit Day at MMES!  Students are encouraged to wear their red-white-blue in support of the Red Sox as they take on The Cardinals in game one of the World Series!  Go Sox!  Please no face paint, hair color, or props...thank you!

Aquarium in Action!

Prior to the 2011-2012 school year, a partnership between our MMPTO, Spaulding Foundation, a parent volunteer (Tim Kirk), a local business, and myself resulted in MMES having the most dynamic and exciting lobby I have ever seen in an elementary school!  Since then, Tim Kirk, Joe Gugino, and the MMPTO have worked together to support this unique learning tool that has improved the feel of the building from the moment you step into the front door.  

I asked my teachers to let me know how they have used the aquarium over the past two years, and some responses are below...some really neat things are happening right in the lobby of MMES!

Thank you to the MMPTO, Spaulding Foundation, Imagine an Ocean, MMES staff, and Tim Kirk for making this available to all of us who learn from it!

Staff letters about how our aquarium is impacting our school (academics and climate):

In grade 5 last year, we used the aquarium as the backdrop for an introductory lesson on the relationships and interactions between two or more marine animals.  We read a story about symbiosis (mutualism) and then had the students create cause/effect chart to show how the animals rely on each other.  After this lesson, we moved into demonstrating our understanding of relationships between two or more people and events in a non-fiction historical text.  The students loved being in a new setting for their reading lesson and the live aquarium really helped to bring the lesson to life. 

Common Core ELA Information Text Standard:  Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

-Dina Flood

 Grade 5

This first year the tank arrived, 2011-2012, I had every class create an ocean theme lesson. The arrival of our new fish tank was the inspiration for the art show that year,"Art from under the sea". 

It was also the springboard for  the ocean mural volunteer Deb Citron Stevens made with the third students that year. 

In addition to the art show, I continue to have art lessons the second year, 2012-2013, that were inspired from the fish tank, here are two examples.  

Painting from Life:  Students came into the lobby with art supplies and sketched the fish and other living animals in the tank.  Later  students used watercolors to complete the finished look.

Another lesson inspired from the fish tank was the Crayola Clay Ocean Sculptures.  Students made mini ocean animals and propped them up with thin wires to make it look as though their clay animals were swimming in a small coral reef. 

This year I plan on having another painting from real life lesson and using the tank as our model.

I think the fish tank is a wonderful addition to our school. I enjoy watching the new arrivals. 

-Claudette Yutkins

 Art 

  

The aquarium provides a wonderful opportunity for students to take a meaningful break from the classroom when they need it.  A few minutes spent gazing at the salt water wonders can be just the escape that they needed before returning to daily activities. Students learn new vocabulary about this unique habitat, and it amazes me how easily they can recall the names of the creatures they identify.  They grow attached to some of the animals and personify their new friends, noticing patterns of how they swim or where they tend  hide. This experience for the students is truly spectacular!

Cait Hatch

Grade K

Tim Kirk teaching my (Elizabeth Decker) students about ocean life:

We used the aquarium this morning to make an phonics lesson more engaging for second grade students.  We first had a classroom lesson on adjectives.  We then did an Aquarium Adjective Hunt and found 10 interesting adjectives.  We used our 5 best adjectives and created super sentences.  Finally we sketched the aquarium using our adjectives to help us with our sketch. I have attached a picture of us at the aquarium as well as the worksheet used in our lesson.  My students loved this lesson!
-Eileen Cellucci

 Grade 2

The preschool makes it a daily stop on the way to get milk in the cafeteria.  It has also been used as an incentive as a special treat visiting the fish.  We have had class discussions and read fish stories as a result.

-Allison Turpel
 Preschool

Exciting Times at MMES...

Thank you to all of the parents, teachers, and the PTO board for bringing an exciting enrichment schedule to us this year!  We are ALL in for a treat...

Manchester Memorial Elementary School

PTO Enrichment Calendar 2013-14

Don’t be alarmed if your child comes home talking about BMX riders zipping through the gym, or that they spotted an oversized horseshoe crab in the cafeteria, or better yet that science class left everyone’s hair standing up on end!  These may sound like some serious tall tales but they are just a few highlights of this year’s exciting Enrichment Calendar. 

With the goal of bringing to life the classroom curriculum, the PTO Enrichment Committee, with input from the teachers, has put together a diverse year-long calendar of hands-on engaging programs for the students. 

The excitement begins on Monday, October 7 when EASTERN ACTION SPORTS TEAM takes over MMES gym and their BMX riders wow the students with tricks and jumps, all while promoting anti-bullying, team work and character building themes with a bit of bike safety thrown in for good measure.  Having performed all over the East Coast and Mid West, the Eastern Action Sports Team uses the BMX bikes to engage students and help them connect with their positive messages.

Back by popular demand, each grade will paid a visit from the one and only Special Agent Scientist, Michael Bergman, the founder of Top Secret Science! His innovative programs bring to life the science students are learning in class through creative experimentation.

Building on the success of last year’s “One School, One Book Program”, MMES is excited to be partnering this year with Essex Elementary School to expand our community read! Kicking off in late November, there will be many components to this exciting program including a musical performance at the MERHS auditorium, various classroom activities as well as a global initiative. Be on the lookout for more details to come about this exciting program!  We are keeping the book under wraps for now but this is going to be BIG!

Later in the year, Kindergarteners and First graders will get the chance to explore and interact with local tide pool animals when the New England Aquarium comes for a visit with their Tidal Pools.  Second and Third graders will be transported to another time with the help of the amazing Tanglewood Marionettes who bring classic tales to life using their large, beautifully hand-crafted marionettes and colorful sets. Lastly, Fourth and Fifth graders will have the opportunity to work on their own writing in classroom workshops with award-winning children’s author Gregory Mone.