Imagine That!!!!!! from the March 2008 Chalk Marks

This year is just zooming along.  As I type this I glance out the window and feel just the first hints of spring.   It has been a very busy winter for the Imagination Team.  But the biggest news by far is the arrival of the newest member of the team on February 18th. Mrs. Walsh gave birth to James Tristen at about 4:30 PM.  He weighed in at 7lbs 11 and both mother and son (and father and sister Nella) are doing fine.  I know you all congratulate Mrs. Walsh and all of JT’s new “aunts and uncles” on the team.  And young JT is not the only new addition to the team as we welcome Mrs. Cookie Henn, filling in for Mrs. Walsh.  Mrs. Henn comes well prepared for the job on the team having interned at the school all last year and having, most recently, been teaching the CMT remediation course for the first part of the year.  Please join us in making her feel welcome on the team.  We are gearing up for the start of the CT Mastery Test, to begin on Feb. 29.   The testing continues for the first three weeks of March.  We ask for your assistance in making sure our students get to bed and have a nourishing breakfast each day.  Testing is very stressful for many students so we caution our parents to be aware of the testing and the strain it has on our children, loving support and understanding is crucial to a successful testing program. Even though we have been working hard on our academics we have had time for some fun and celebrations.  Our pre-holiday craft day was a huge success and this past month we celebrated the Chinese New Year with an in-house field trip to see a demonstration of Tae Kwan Do by our own Miss Carter.  A great time was had by all.  We would also like to announce our Figment award winners for the second marking period, Sally McHugh and Dan Zakrzewski.  We need to also say a huge thank you to our team parent’s assistance for all the help and copying being done.  Also we need to give a big tip of the hat to Anne Morcone, our team parent, who keeps things humming along. There are many exciting things in the offing as well.  As soon as testing is over comes the highlight of the year for many 6th graders, Nature’s Classroom and Home based Nature’s Classroom.  Whether your child is braving the wilds of Camp Jewel or staying in Monroe to take advantage of the many offerings here, an exciting and memorable time is guaranteed.  The week after Nature’s Classroom brings the Monroe Middle School’s production of Seussical, this year’s spring musical, directed by our own Mr. Halliwell and featuring many of our talented team members.  Be sure to order tickets early for this shows Thursday, April 2, opening, or any of the following days shows.  We are sure to sell out quickly.  Progress reports will be out the first week of March and that will bring us to the end of the third marking period after vacation.  Can it be long before the robins are back and my crocus make their appearance? Imagine that!

Imagine That!!!!!! from the December 2007 Chalk Marks

This year is just flying by!  We hope you feel it as well.  It seems like we were just holding our first team meeting and here we are filling out the second set of progress reports!  We hope in the rush of the holiday swirl, everyone gets a chance to really enjoy the spirit of the season.  We celebrated our first team celebration with a pizza and game day in November.  Many of our students were honored previously in their Unified Arts classes so we had a somewhat truncated awards ceremony this time.  We did acknowledge fourteen Homework Heroes.  To be a Hero a student must get every homework assignment for a given marking period in on time and completed (incompletes, or left in locker, count as a late homework).  We applaud those who met this challenge and look for more to rise to the Hero level next marking period.   Also honored were our two Figment award winners, Amanda Redmond and Jeff Sadownick.  The figment award (based on Disney’s Figment of the Imagination, the other purple dinosaur) is given to all around good kids.  They represent the spirit and attitude that we like to see in all our students.  They can be scholars, or helpful or just solid citizens but the team teachers all see something that goes above and beyond to make them a Figment winner.  We have two winners each marking period.  If you see Jeff or Amanda, congratulate them on their honor and you’ll see why they were chosen. Not that it has been all celebration in school, for we have been working hard in our classes.  In science we are still checking variables while flying planes, shooting catapults, and sinking boats.  This week we have taken a break to stargaze in Star Lab.  This remarkable tool allows us to replicate the night sky and show the wonders of the universe, proving very exciting for students as well as teachers.  Math classes are breaking apart the whole to study decimals and fractions, while social studies classes continue in their study of our neighbor to the north (no not Newtown, Canada!)  In language arts students are reading at their “just right “ level and finding the joys of getting into a good book, while we continue with our writing workshops.   Any parent who would like to submit books for our reading workshops is urged to do so.  We appreciate all the books we have been given so far and could always find room for a few more. We are setting plans in motion for our annual craft day, to be held on the 21st.  We will have breakfast in the morning with our first classes and then in the afternoon get together to make some small gifts for the holidays.  This event is always a wonderful way to kick off the vacation week.  We invite any parents who wish to join us to come in that day.  Team Parent, Anne Morcone has details or contact Mr. Halliwell at Chalk Hill. At this time of year we all realize the many blessings we all have been given.  We thank you for your support in our efforts with your children.  And, finally, all of us on the Imagination Team wish you and your families the happiest of holidays and our best wishes for a wonderful New Year.