AES Weekly Blast
12/3/21 (Volume 12)
Ashby Elementary School
Email: agapp@nmrsd.org
Website: https://www.nmrsd.org/Domain/11
Location: 911 Main Street, Ashby, MA, USA
Phone: 978-743-1005
News from the Principal
Boy did the month of December sneak right upon us.
Thank you to all those who donated coats for our annual Coat Drive. We are up to 97 coats.
This is just another reminder that the district is not allowing students to ride a different bus to or from school during the pandemic.
Our next half day for PD will be on Wednesday, January 12th. Please note that our district PD is in the morning, and students will be arriving at school at 11:15 AM breakfast will not be served on this day.
How to Access Student Information For Report Cards:
Electronic Report Cards for Grade 1-4 students will be posted, in the Aspen portal on Friday, December 10th. To access student information, including report cards, you must have a family portal account. If you do not currently have an account, the necessary steps to create an account are below. If you have other questions, please refer to the NMRSD page (https://www.nmrsd.org/familyportal)
The weather has turned slightly colder and, I would recommend sending in a coat, hat, and mittens every day just in case our playground is cold. We try to go out daily unless the temperature is below 20 and, the wind chill does play a large part in if we go out.
Our Fall picture retakes are taking place on Tuesday, December 7th.
Please read the nurse section; to get updates on NMRSD Covid protocols.
A notice went home on Monday for our annual holiday gift drive. This year we are collecting art supplies. No crayons, please.
Dates to Remember:
- December - Student Council Coat drive.
- Tuesday, December 7 - Fall Picture Retake Day
- Friday, December 10 - Electronic Report Cards for Grade 1-4 students will be posted, in the Aspen portal
- Winter Reading Challenge through Footsteps2brialliance - January 20th. The top the readers will be awarded a Kindle. The top class reading calculated by minutes will get a goodie bag with non-edible items.
- Wednesday, December 22 through Sunday, January 2, Winter Break, no school
- January, 4th AES School Council Meeting - Virtual Join with Google Meet
meet.google.com/ehp-dpck-ffn
Join by phone
(US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 811 209 338 9416#
January 12 1/2 PD with a late start of 11:15. No breakfast will be served.
January 17th - No School
January 22 - 6PM SECC Preschool Information Night - This event is in person at our preschool located at 66 Brookline Street Townsend, Ma
Picture Day Retake is coming soon! Tuesday, December 7th
AES Annual Coat Drive
News from Music - Mr. French
Hello AES families, we have been busy in the music room playing a lot of different songs, dances, and games.
In kindergarten, we are playing some awesome games like Snail Snail and Old King Glory that are helping us follow lines and have fun creating different shapes. We are also singing some fun songs like Down By the Bay and The Moose Song.
In 1st grade, we are taking some time to play some games we missed out on last years, like Old King Glory, but we're also singing songs about animals and nature. Ask your kids about the Rattlin' Bog to hear about all the different things we've found there. We're also starting to create songs of our own on the spot. It's always so exciting to hear what students can come up with to make up a song. We've sung about surfboarding dogs, cats stuck in trees, and chocolate pizza, to name a few.
Moving on to 2nd grade, we are starting to learn an exciting musical language through different games like Doubles and Poison Pattern. We are also learning how to sing overlapping songs called rounds, like Row Row Row and White Sand and Grey Sand. Finally, we've been playing some exciting games like Charlie Over the Ocean and Sailor, Sailor. Ask your kids about any of these songs or games to find out just what we're doing in class.
In 3rd grade, we are continuing to build the musical language we started learning in 2nd grade. We are also singing more complicated rounds such as Oh How Lovely and Frere Jacques (which we are singing in another language!). We have also have been performing many folk dances, such as Fjaskern from Sweden and the poorly named Seven Jumps (which features zero jumping whatsoever). We are also starting to get ready for the recorder, which is a very exciting part of 3rd-grade music. Keep your eyes peeled for an email about the recorder in the next few weeks.
Finally, 4th grade is working hard to keep adding to our musical language. We are working on reading notes and rhythms and developing our musical ears by singing three- and even four-part rounds such as Ghost of John and I Love the Mountains. We are also performing a lot of different folk dances such as The Chimes of Dunkirk, and more recently, Alabama Gal' which, features the complex move known as "Peeling the banana."
There's a lot of great music to make, move to and listen to this year in all grades. I'm looking forward to seeing how far each group can go and where the year will take us. As always, if you have any questions about what we are doing in the music room, feel free to reach out. I am always happy to hear from parents and answer questions as best I can.
BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENUS (Elementary Level)
Squannacook Early Childhood Center Preschool Information Night
PRINTABLE NMRSD CALENDAR & SCHEDULES
News from the PTC
Join me in earning cash for our school by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love!
Use this referral code TATU0Z9G when you sign up and you’ll get 50 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 10/31/2021, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=TATU0Z9G