Memorial Buzz
News from Manchester Memorial Elementary School!
October 30, 2015
Look who's wearing pink!!! Paige and Ms. Manos win!
Mrs. Doran leading a rhythm song in music class...so fun!
Wingmasters Thank you MMPTO!
Principals Note...
If you celebrate Halloween, it is a very exciting time for children and parents. I wish you all a safe and happy weekend making memories with your family! I came across a link this week with some great tips to keep Halloween safe.
Halloween Safety Tips:
http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/
Have a great weekend!
Best,
John
Upcoming Dates...
28 - Noon Dismissal - Parent-Teacher Conferences
November
3- No School - Parent-Teacher Conferences
11 - Veteran's Day - No School
16 - School Photo Re-takes
25 - Early Release - TIme TBA - (Thanksgiving Recess)
26/27 - Thanksgiving Recess
December
6 - 3:30 PM The MMES Chorus will be performing at the Manchester Tree Lighting
18 - All-school Winter Concert @ MMES - Time TBA
22- Chorus/Band Winter Concert @ MERMHS - 7pm
23 - Noon dismissal for Winter Recess
January
5 - Students return from Winter Recess
29 - Grade 4 to Cape Ann Symphony at MERMHS Auditorium
From the Music Room
1. The chorus will be performing at the Manchester Tree Lighting on December 6th at 3:30pm
2. Mrs. Doran's website is finally up! Please check in for important information regarding performance dates, chorus rehearsals, curriculum, and more!
Thanks!
~Sarah Doran
Help Wanted...Volunteers!
MUSICAL ACCOMPANIST: We are looking for a parent with musical talent! If you are a piano player, please contact our music teacher, Mrs. Doran (dorans@mersd.org).
Mathematics Corner
Everyday Mathematics – EM4: The NEW Edition!
Grade 4 Teacher
This year students at Memorial School are using the newest edition of Everyday Mathematics!
What is the Same?
Everyday Mathematics and the Common Core State Standards remain closely aligned. They both aim at developing all students’ mathematical power –their ability to reason, communicate, and solve problems. They both also aim at fostering productive dispositions in students – a belief that mathematics is worthwhile, an inclination to use the mathematics they know to solve problems they face, and confidence in their own mathematical abilities.
Everyday Mathematics continues to bring rigor to school mathematics by building procedural skill, conceptual understanding, and application. Knowing efficient procedures affords mathematical power. Mathematical power allows children to solve a variety of problems by drawing upon their collective mathematical knowledge to solve a variety of real-world problems.
Conceptual understanding is very important. Students need to not only understand how to solve a problem but also why their procedure works. Procedural skill without understanding is inflexible, unreliable, and nontransferable. The mutual dependence of conceptual understanding and procedural skill has been widely recognized for many decades. What has not been so widely recognized is that applying mathematics is equally important. Knowing concepts and procedures is of little value if that knowledge cannot be put to use. The balance of these three aspects of procedural skill knowledge, conceptual understanding, and application has always been fundamental to Everyday Mathematics.
The spiral curriculum, another key feature of Everyday Mathematics, remains strong. Students K-5 develop depth of knowledge by repeatedly returning to topics over time, making connections and going deeper with each return.
What is Different?
A key feature of the Common Core is its call for a more focused curriculum that is narrower so that is can be deeper. This edition of Everyday Mathematics has been rebuilt from the ground up so that it achieves focus by adhering closely to the Common Core’s Content Standard as well as the Standards for Mathematical Practice. The finely grained tracking of the standards has made it easier for teachers to accurately assess and follow students’ learning trajectories in order to provide effective instruction and differentiation.
The new edition of Everyday Mathematics also now includes open response lessons. Open response problems are tasks that have multiple solution paths and often have more than one solution. They offer students rich opportunities to solve engaging problems using their own strategies and reasoning. These two-day lessons include a day for students to solve a challenging problem, followed by a day for students to analyze and learn from the solution of others and then revise their own work from the first day. Kindergarten students are introduced to the process of analyzing and learning from others’ work, but they are not expected to revise their initial responses.
Parent Link
Would you like quick, easy access to home links and family letters? Would you like to understand Everyday Mathematics better? Below is a link for just for parents. When you navigate to this page, click on your child’s grade in the left menu bar. Then be sure to click EM4 at home, so you are using the correct edition. Also be sure to check out “Understanding Everyday Mathematics.” There are some great resources here.
In Case You Missed It...
THE NURSE'S ROOM
Health Room Headlines
1. If your child is going to be absent or arriving late, please call either 526-1909 or 526-1908 to let us know.
2. If your child has a temperature of 100. F or over, they need to be temperature free for 24 hours (without relying on Tylenol or Motrin) before re-entering the school.
3. If your child is experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, we recommend that they are symptom free for 24 hours and are able to tolerate solid food before they return
4. If your child has a contagious illness such as conjunctivitis or strep throat, it is the school policy that they are on medicine for 24 hours before re-entering the building.
5. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL CLASSROOMS ARE PEANUT/NUT FREE
Physicals:
Updated physicals and immunization records are due for grades one, four and for all new students in grades 1-5. An updated physical is one that is not older than one year. Any physical completed or to be completed on your child since June 2015 and June 2016 is acceptable. Please do not go and make a new appointment. Just send me a copy of the physical when it is completed
Extra Clothing: ALL GRADE LEVELS
Occasionally a spilled drink, a fall in a puddle or even a ride down a wet slide occurs, if each child could have a change of clothing (head to toe) that would be great.
Thank you for your co-operation and continuing support.
Joanne Seaman, R.N.
Announcements from our Friends
PTO: Tapes for Education
Do you ever shop at Crosby's? We sure do! Please join us, as Manchester Memorial once again participates in the "Tapes for Education" program with Crosby's Market! Simply bring or send your Crosby's register receipts in to school. There is a red Crosby's bin by the office. The PTO will collect and submit them for FREE equipment, such as computers, printers, AV and athletic equipment, for Memorial School. Thank you for participating in this great, easy program!
Spaulding Night of Stars
Mark your calendars! Spaulding Education Fund's Annual NIGHT OF STARS will be on Sunday, November 15, 2015!
Audition dates are Tuesday, October 20 from 4:30-7pm and Saturday, October 24 from 9-11am so sign up TODAY at www.spauldingeducationfund.org!
We are looking for all talent of all ages! So start practicing that dancing, singing, juggling, instruments, magic acts, dramatic dialog, the spoons, jamming with your band, … whatever your talent we want to see it! Students from Manchester and Essex, who are Kindergarteners through High School Seniors are invited to audition. And new this year – parents and teachers from Manchester and Essex are invited to Audition too! Adults can perform with their children/students or alone.
The “Night of Stars Talent Show” is Spaulding Education Fund's largest fundraising initiative of the year, raising the vital funds needed to support their mission of advancing educational excellence in the Manchester Essex regional schools.
From the Art Room
PTO Fund Raiser
The PTO Original Art works fund raiser art work has been completed in every class. Students made a painting or drawing that will be summited to the Original art works company and printed onto items you will be able to purchase for the holidays. Please look in your child’s back pack for more information and how this program raises money for the PTO.
For more art room news go to: