Thank You!

The Buy-One Get-One Free Book Fair held last week was a huge success! We exceeded our total sales over last year's Spring fair by $500 and we earned $150 in free books for the Library Media Center. But the most important aspect of the Book Fair sales is this: you put purchased and free books in the hands of your children for their summer reading pleasure. Good for you!!

Special thanks to Miss Holloran, Mr. Peringer, and Mrs. Meegan for helping set-up the Fair on Tuesday afternoon. Thanks also to Mrs. Simard who helped out during the Cinco de Mayo dinner Thursday night and who got the Fair started on Friday morning, as well as to Mrs. Blier who ran the final sales period when I was not in the building.

I've just finished packing everything up and was pleased to look at receipts and see some of the book choices that your children made. Lots of good reading will be happening in these next months thanks to your support in making this Book Fair a success.

Buy One - Get One FREE Book Fair

May 4-6 in the Multipurpose Room

Wednesday: Preview Day - no sales

Thursday: Book Fair open for sales - 8am-3pm and 5:30pm-7:30pm

Friday: Final sales - morning only

Flyers will be coming home with students on Monday, May 2nd! 

See you at the Book Fair!

Earth Day Week

In honor of Earth Day this week, we read a final Mary Lyn Ray picture book called Welcome, Brown Bird. It's the story of a wood thrush who travels between the homes of two boys - one who lives in hemlock woods in the north and another who lives in the tropical rain forest of the south. Both families protect the habitat of the migrating thrush because they so enjoy listening to its song. Many children said they've heard it here in New Hampton - have you?

A Special Visit

Last Friday, NH author Mary Lyn Ray visited classrooms and listened to students read their writing. She answered some questions that had been raised when we read this book, All Aboard, in ICT classes - and she also autographed the book for us! Thanks, Mary Lyn Ray!

Making Art Digital

Fourth graders recently completed a piece of artwork with Mrs. Plante-Renault. Then they photographed it to make it digital. Here's Jake's excellent depiction of Fenway Park. Can you guess what will happen to it next?

Free Math Apps

Beginning today and for four days only, Everyday Mathematics® is offering free math game apps for your iPhone, an iTouch, or iPad. These games are the same as the Everyday Math online games students play on comptuers and they're electronic versions of the games each grade level plays in class. These games reinforce major concepts presented in our math program. To find the games, go to the iTunes App Store, then search for Everyday Mathematics. After April 16th, the games will go back to their original price - so get them while you can!

Fun with Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks are a math manipulative that students use in class to explore math concepts. Kidspiration, a graphic program that we have on the computers, has a virtual pattern block component. This week, first graders were "building" with them, using many of the same techniques used in more sophisticated paint and drawing programs - with a little word processing for practice.