MHS/WES Newsletter
October 31, 2019
News From the Principal
Yesterday's Glow/Fun Run was a huge success! It takes a village to pull off an event like this. We sincerely appreciate the incredible support and generosity of our community. As of this morning, our estimated school pledge profit was $22,831. In case you missed it, below are a few pictures from our Glow/Fun Run. The positive energy in the gymnasium was contagious!
Expectation Assemblies
This week we started our annual Expectation Assemblies. All students in grades K-5 are attending brief meetings with myself, Mrs. Alyes, our school nurses, and our school adjustment counselors to discuss expectations and the importance of creating a positive, fun and safe environment for all. Specifically, we will address the following areas of the school: bus, playground, cafeteria, hallway, nurse’s office, and the guidance office. Hopefully students will be able to share something about what was discussed with you at home!
Visitor Sign-in Table - We had 287 visitors!
Thank you to all of our volunteers!
It's Glow Time!
IMPORTANT DATES
- November 5~No School~Staff Development Day
- November 11~No School~Veteran's Day
- November 20~PTO Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. in the WES Library
- November 21~1/2 day of school~Professional Development
- November 22~A Night for Excellence 6:30-10:00PM, Colonial Hotel
- November 27~1/2 day~All Schools~Thanksgiving Holiday
- November 28 & 29~No School~Thanksgiving
Second Grade News
Second graders have spent much of October learning about the incredible continent of North America! Did you know that in addition to the large countries of Canada, Mexico, Greenland and the USA, North America also consists of 19 small countries in the Caribbean and Central Americas? Mexico is made up of 31 states, while Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Are you aware that Greenland is the world’s largest island and that there are no roads there? Residents travel by boat, plane, snowmobiles and with sled dogs! Your kids have learned these facts and many more while enjoying a number of books, videos and activities about North America. A hands-down favorite is National Geographic’s Really Wild Animals of Amazing North America! Be sure to ask your kids what they learned!
From The Counselors; Mrs Pinkes and Mrs. Kosiak
Alternate ways to ask your child “How was school today?”
What was the coolest thing that happened today? (What was the worst thing that happened today?)
Pretend you are the teacher. How would you describe the day?
What made you laugh today?
How were you kind or helpful today? Was anyone kind or helpful to you?
Let’s see what you brought home today.
Tell me about a book you enjoyed today.
If you could choose, who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT like to sit by in class? Why?)
Where is the coolest place at school?
Who would you like to play with at recess that you’ve never played with before?
What do you think you should do or learn more of at school? (What do you think you should do or learn less of at school?)
Where do you play most at recess?
Who is the funniest person in your class? Why?
If you got to be the teacher tomorrow what would you do?
Music News – October 30, 2019 Mr. Lucander
Greetings to all! Here are just some of the highlights for general music class, the bands, and the chorus!
Grade K
These students have settled in well as they have been using their singing voices. Encourage your kids to teach you the songs so you can share in the fun! The Holiday Sing-A-Long for grade K is scheduled for Wednesday December 18 during school, with a snow date of Thursday December 19. Your child’s classroom teacher will provide details when the time grows closer.
Grade 1
Our 1st grade students have developed their singing voices nicely as they review old songs and learn new ones at the same time! Ask them about the song Ti-Dee-Oh!
Grade 2
These students have had a big unit on rhythm as they are learning how to read, say, and play rhythms involving quarter notes, and sets of 2 eighth notes. They learned about the classical piece of music called the Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas; they acted out the story and saw a short Disney cartoon. They also learned about the bassoon, as well as learning some new songs for Halloween.
Grade 3
These kids have worked on a rhythm unit, reviewing notes, working with new whole and half, whole and half rests, as they play and say rhythms on percussion instruments and pianos. They learned about the famous piece of music by Sergi Prokfiev called Peter and the Wolf; they heard a story, saw a short cartoon, constructed a story line, and learned about the instruments of the orchestra. These students also participated in Halloween songs as they sang and had fun.
Grade 4 and 5
Students learned and reviewed prior knowledge of rhythms and learned about new 16th notes, and 8th note triplets. They also play on percussion instruments. They started to learn about famous pieces of classical music of Edvourd Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and Camille Saint-Sans’ “Danse Macabre”, as they learned about the orchestra. Also, I’m looking for help in developing a ukulele component to our general music classes in grade 5. If you would like to help me research other schools, write grants, decide on instruments and storage, I could really use your help.
Chorus
Chorus has already started rehearsing for various performances. The WES Chorus will do the Town Tree lighting ceremony at 4pm on Sunday, December 1. Our two Holiday concert performances are scheduled for December 16. The first is 9am at WES and the second is 6:30 pm at Monty Tech.
B Band
Beginners have been learning their instruments by taking lessons and attending rehearsals on Wednesdays from 3-4pm with Mr. Lucander. Remember to encourage daily practice of all the things they know and new material that the teacher shows them. Have them perform often for relatives at home! Our two Holiday concerts are scheduled for December 16. The first will be at 9am at WES, while the second will be at 6:30pm at Monty Tech.
A Band
These kids had quite the fall already opening up for our town Cracker Festival, and then playing recently at the ORHS football game with the Marching Spartans at halftime!. Students finishing the work needed to play the concert ahead of time are eligible to be a Cool Yule Kid, which is a group of kids that do extra music and performances in school and before the concert. Those students must have their concert order all checked off by their private teacher, and then completely learn the 1st packet known as the Christmas Favorites packet. Cool Yule kids have several opportunities to perform including during the week before vacation; in halls to greet WES/MHS kids off the buses in the lobby, at the December 15 Lions Pancake breakfast at 10am on December 15, and in the auditorium at Monty Tech as people arrive for the concert. Our two Holiday concerts are scheduled for December 16 at Monty Tech. The first will be at 9am at WES, while the second will be at 6:30 pm at Monty Tech.
Thanks to all of the parents who helped load and unload equipment for the Cracker Festival. I will be needing 5-6 folks (or more) again on December 16 to load up some gear, and more importantly, set up all of the stage risers at Monty Tech. Please let Mrs. Popik know if you are able to help me. There is some heavy lifting, but I'll also have several other jobs to be done. We will meet at 12:30 at WES, then drive to Monty Tech and be there until around 2pm.
Jazz Band
Our jazz band played the music they learned last year for the spring concert recently at the Cracker Festival and really were awesome! Students wishing to be in jazz band in January should get music ahead of time to audition. Music will be available in December. Auditions are on both days of January 15+22.
Westminster Food Pantry
The pantry is in the basement of the Congregational Church in downtown Westminster.
We service Westminster families only, we check IDs when people come to the pantry.
We give out bins of food depending on the number of people in the household. Along with canned and boxed foods, we typically have bread, cheese and eggs.
We are open Wednesdays, 12:00-1:00 and Thursday nights 6:30-7:30.
We have a Facebook site and a link on the Town of Westminster website.
Click below to download Forbush library Planetarium flyer
5th grade happenings!!
You know it’s truly fall when it’s still dark at 7 in the morning and the leaves in your yard are piling up by the hour! Fall is a very exciting time in fifth grade at WES! First, we would like to thank you all for your support with helping to make our Vocabulary Parade a total success! It was so much fun to see all our vocabulary words come to life! Third graders had a blast learning new words and seeing the creative costumes. Students also had a chance to practice public speaking by sharing about their vocabulary word on stage to the rest of the fifth grade.
The BoosterThon FunRun brought the Wild West to Westminster and we had so much fun! Being able to run around a glowing gym with friends while earning money for our schools is just the best! Thank you to all who donated and helped make this event a success!
When we aren’t dressing up like vocabulary words or running around a glowing gymnasium with our friends, there is so much learning taking place in the fifth grade classrooms! Classes are working hard to multiply multi-digit whole numbers, extend our writing pieces, and understand more about outer space and Earth’s place in our universe. All fifth and fourth grade classes are also enjoying reading the Global Read Aloud titled “The Bridge Home” with Mrs. Divoll in library. The Global Read Aloud project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. The Global Read Aloud has continued to grow each year with more than 4,000,000 students from 86 different countries around the world participating.
A WESTMINSTER PTO SPONSORED EVENT
– Welcome to the Barre
Friday, November 8th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
6:00-7:00 Body Barre
7:00-8:00 “social hour” raffles & early holiday shopping with local vendors (Smith’s Country Cheese, Young at Heart, Shizen organic lotions, Regenia’s Essentials & Usborne Books & More)
$20 Donation* and % donated by vendors sales.
Young at Heart,
97 Main Street (between Dunkin and Subway)
Preregister online at www.young-atheart.com, call (978)467-6173 or
email paula@young-atheart.com
Minimum of 5 and maximum of 20…preregister early.
*80% of donations and 100% raffles made to Westminster PTO.