Ocean Avenue School News
March 2019 ~ Volume 34, Issue 34
Early Release Days ~ Student-Led Conferences ~ March 14 and 15 ~ School is Dismissed at 11:30 AM
Principal's Message
The MEA online assessments will be administered to Ocean Avenue School students during the testing window of Monday, March 18 through Thursday, April 11. The testing schedule is designed to minimize disruption to instruction and to maximize student confidence and success. Specifically, the dates for testing are:
- Grade 5: Monday, March 18 through Thursday, March 21
- Grade 4: Monday, March 25 through Thursday, March 28
- Grade 3: Monday, April 1 through Thursday, April 4
- Make-Ups: Monday, April 8 through Thursday, April 11
We have found the following strategies parents do at home can also help prepare students for a successful testing experience:
- Have your child get a good night's sleep every day.
- Make sure your child attends school during the dates his/her grade level is taking the assessment.
- Have your child eat a healthy breakfast at the start of each day.
- Reinforce with your child that the test is designed so that some parts will be easy, some parts "just right", and some parts will be challenging.
- Encourage your child to relax and try his/her best while taking the assessment so they can show what they know.
- Please avoid any non-urgent medical appointments during MEA testing.
Snacks Needed for MEA Testing!
These special snacks help our students feel as if you are "cheering them on" during testing! Thank you for your caring and support!
MARCH is for Literacy Inquiry
MARCH 1 was Read Across America Day 2019 at Ocean Ave!
To celebrate the joy of reading, our Grade Three RAAD Invitation Team invited some special people from our community to come read in our classrooms. It was a wonderful parade of 20 community leaders who care about our students and the importance of books. Here’s a sampling of the action:
Senator Susan Collins
Superintendent Xavier Botana
Daniel Chuhta, Maine Dept. of Education
Lyman Moore Principal Ben Donaldson
King Principal Caitlin LeClair
Andy Colvin, Congressional Aide
Anita Stewart, Portland Stage
Martin Webster, Portland Symphony
Laurie Davis, PPS Board Member
March Community Meeting Pics & Videos
Poem in a Pocket Week!
This past week, students and adults around our school are choosing poems to carry in their pockets by visiting the library or finding their own poem. They ask to share their poems with others, in recess or at the front office or with their book buddies, or during a quick hallway errand. Students even demonstrated a happy sharing of pocket poems at our monthly Community Meeting on March 7.
See below for one of our selections of a poem in a pocket, "The Wood Frog".
Coming March 28th ~ Family Literacy Night ~ SAVE THE DATE!
Save the date and don’t be late, 5 PM to 6 PM….
We’ll have library reading corners, spine poetry-making, record-a-read stations, make-a-poem games, and a great presentation on how to balance digital and non-digital literacy. Hope to read together there!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS ~ CLYNK BOTTLE DRIVE ~ March 16, 8 AM-12 PM
We will be holding a Bottle Drive here at Ocean Avenue on Saturday, March 16th from 8 AM until 12 PM. We had a GREAT turnout last year and hope to do the same this year. Every dollar that we earn these next 6 weeks, Hannaford will donate an additional $.50 back to the school. Last year we earned over $4,100.00!
As of Monday, March 8, we are in 2nd place and have raised $804.45. The main office at Ocean Avenue has collected over 150 bags themselves, but we really need your help to keep ,us on top. We are currently $355.70 out of 1st place! This equals 7,114 five-cent containers! Please ask friends, neighbors, co-workers for their support too! Even one bag per family would make a difference!
Get your CLYNK bags in the Main Office. When filling your bags please be sure not to make them too heavy. The bags this year are not as sturdy as last year. We have plenty of bags, so please take what you like.
Thank you for your support!
Classroom News and Happenings
Kindergarten News
The month of February, although short, was filled with excitement for our youngest learners.
A daily Kindergarten routine is to keep track of the number of days we have been in school. Excitement built as the students approached that all-important milestone: the 100th day of Kindergarten! It arrived, at last, on February 12th. Students entered their classrooms through specially decorated doorways and counted to 100 in various ways.
Students began their fourth unit of inquiry ~ HOW WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES: Community. The central idea of this unit is: People work together in a community. The children are exploring the meaning of “community,” what it means to be a community member, and the roles and responsibilities of community members. They will be immersed in this unit throughout the month of March.
Art Room News
Youth Art Month
March Music Notes
We have a new face in the music room! Welcome to McKenzie Larson, our music student teacher. McKenzie Larson is working towards her Master’s of Arts in Teaching Music Education from the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Larson also studied vocal education and vocal pedagogy and maintains a private voice studio. We love having her kind smile and beautiful voice in our school!
In this chilly month we have embraced Winter through a variety of songs, poems, and listening activities with a winter theme, some classes even tried a little ice-skating in the music room.
Kindergarten Music
Kindergarten Music
Kindergarten students continue to explore voices, beat motions and movement in the classroom; students moved fast and slow, high and low, curvy and straight or as snowflakes guided by the glockenspiel instrument to the poem “Hush Hush.” Students are developing leadership and community skills in one of our favorite songs Old King Glory. We are working hard learning American Sign Language (ASL) to a very special song called ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong. Our youngest musicians will be demonstrating their ASL alongside the Chorus at our upcoming Community meeting on March 7.
In the picture at right, Kindergarten students are practicing musical expression with scarves to “Aquarium” from "The Carnival of the Animals", by Camille Saint Saens.
Third Grade Music
Rhythm Readers
In music class, becoming good rhythm readers begins with identifying rhythm patterns in language and speech. All words have rhythmic patterns; we find rhythms in our names, flowers, nursery rhymes or….. pies! Third grade students created delicious ‘pie rhythm’ compositions and performed them on a variety of percussion instruments.
In the picture at right, third grade students are creating and playing rhythmic compositions.
Fourth Grade Music
Recorder Karate
Fourth grade students are completing their recorder curriculum this month. In Recorder Karate, students earn a ‘karate belt’ for each song they learn. Students are learning that they have to be principled and persistent with this challenging woodwind instrument if they want to earn their black belt!
In the picture at right, fourth grade students are working towards their recorder ‘black belt’!
240 Strings Community Partnership
Thank you 240 strings for providing free lessons and a free instruments for our OAES students. Currently, we have 8 students enrolled in this program learning violin, cello and piano.
Library News
The library has been abuzz with figurative language creation. Like the poets and authors they are, Ms. Gurney's class has been turning ordinary language into extraordinary language by looking at fiction and non-fiction texts in the library.
Some favorites to transform were the most simple non-fiction books like "Our Lungs" and "Firefighters' Tools". Sometimes the most simple text can create the most beautiful language.
Ocean Avenue Upcoming Events, News, Notices and More...
SAVE THE DATE! MULTICULTURAL POT LUCK!
Multicultural Pot Luck on APRIL 25, 2019 from 5 to 6:30 PM in the Cafeteria. We will be welcoming a very special musical group, Pihcintu, to the stage to share a performance with us. Pihcintu is a girl's chorus, based right here in Portland, comprised of girls from our City's immigrant community, as well as girls whose families have been here for generations. They are frequent performers, recently at the United Nations General Assembly. We eagerly anticipate their performance here at Ocean Avenue, and hope you will join us. Many thanks to our EL teachers for organizing this event, and to the PTO for sponsoring the event.
CLICK HERE to get a taste of their music, or just wait to be amazed when you hear them in person!
Keep your eyes out for more details about the Multicultural Potluck. But do Save the Date -- you don't want to miss this one.
Backpacks Needed!
Our most urgent need right now is for new and "gently used' backpacks. If you have any backpacks at home that are not in use, we would love to have them for our new students.
Thank you for your help and generosity!
Traffic Safety at Ocean Avenue Elementary
- Please drop-off or meet your child at the designated pick-up area only. This area is the sidewalk next to the driveway loop in front of the school. This area is quite congested; we recommend parking on neighboring streets (i.e. Walton, Austin, Mackworth) and walking in to meet your child at dismissal.
- Please do not park in the handicapped area next to the school building when dropping off or picking up at dismissal, unless you have a handicap tag or license plate. This area is reserved for the school vans for drop-off and pick-up.
- Please do not park or drive in the bus loop area.
- If your child normally walks or takes the bus, but you are planning to pick up your child at the end of the day, please pick them up at the designated pick-up area. Please send a note or call the office early in the day to allow time for the message to be delivered to the classroom teacher before dismissal.
- Calls to the office requesting changes in dismissal arrangements MUST BE MADE BEFORE 2 PM. Please do not wait until the buses are loaded or have already left to notify us!
Thank You to Our Local DAR Chapter!
5-2-1-0 Every Day!
March is National Nutrition Month! Check out these healthy healthy snack ideas!
News from the PTO
PTO Meeting
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 at 6 PM in the OAES Library. We hope to see you there!
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Our Margaritas fundraiser in January raised about $350, with all of the money raised going to fund new eyeglasses for a group of OAES students.
The PTO auction was a huge success as well! Thanks to all of the businesses and individuals who made donations and sponsorships, as well as all who came to the auction! It was a great night!
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GOT BBQ?
On Wednesday, April 10th, Elsmere BBQ in Portland will donate 8% of food sales, including takeout, to the Ocean Avenue PTO!
We hope to see you there!
PTO Fundraiser!
The PTO invites you to help your child create an original piece of artwork! Your child will bring home a yellow packet for a program called Original Works. This fundraising program helps to transform your child's artwork onto a variety of keepsake items. The packet will contain a blank piece of paper for your child to create whatever he or she desires using crayons, markers, watercolors, tempera paints, photos, or paper collages.
Visit the Original Works website to learn more about the products that can be ordered and to review the art instructions.
All order forms (and completed artwork!) are due back to the Main Office by April 2 to ensure delivery of products by the beginning of May.
If you have any questions, please contact Annie Madio and Chelsea Graves at fundraising@oapto.org.