Inside this issue:

Where in NES am I?

2

News from our Classrooms

3-9

PTA News 10-12

Announcements 13

Important Dates & Contact Info

14

Upcoming Events & Flyers

15-16

January 13, 2011 Volume 2, Issue 5

The N.E.S. Newt-paper Newbury Elementary School Newsletter

Dear NES Community, Lately I have been thinking considerably about Carol Dweck’s research in regards to building a growth mindset, and the School Council has also discussed and integrated this concept into the NES School Improvement Plan. So, what is a growth mindset and what does this mean for students at NES and the NES community? Dweck (2010) makes the distinction between a fixed mindset where a student be-lieves, “…that their intelligence is simply an inborn trait—they have a certain amount and that’s that. In contrast, individuals with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their intelligence over time (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007; Dweck, 1999, 2007)”. Students with a growth mindset value effort as a means to success while students with a fixed mindset believe if they are smart they should not have to exert any effort to be successful. Individuals working from a fixed mindset tend to avoid anything challenging and steer clear of tasks they are not already good at fearing they would appear ‘not smart’ to others. There is an emphasis on finding the right answer, finding it easily and quickly, and if there is any difficulty they will not persist and give up. A student with a growth mindset embraces the messiness that deep thinking, novel solutions, and authentic learning require. Po Bronson (2007) reflected on Dweck’s research in a New York Magazine article titled, “How Not to Talk to Your Kids”, finding that “…those who think that in-nate intelligence is the key to success begin to discount the importance of effort. I am smart, the kids’ reasoning goes; I don’t need to put out effort. Expending effort be-comes stigmatized—it’s public proof that you can’t cut it on your natural gifts”. En-couraging and praising students on their effort, rather than telling them they are smart, can lead to developing students who embrace mistakes, welcome challenges, and develop resilience while working through adversity. If we as a learning commu-nity agree we want to help our students and children grow into adults with a well-established growth mindset, we can work together to value effort as means to in-creased performance, provide meaningful learning tasks that challenge students to work outside their comfort zones, and support students while they wrestle through confusion and false starts. We could change our reliance on the old adage that prac-tice makes perfect and build a new, common understanding that practice builds profi-ciency. If you are interested in reading the articles referenced, I have provided the links and references below.

Bronson, P. (2007). How not to talk to your kids: The inverse power of praise. New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

Dweck, C.S. (2010). Even geniuses work hard. Alexandria, V.A., Educational Leader-ship: 68, 1; 16-20. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational- leader-ship/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx

Michael Tracy

Page 2 Volume 2, Issue 5

Where in NES am I???

Here is our mys-tery picture from our last newsletter — did you find it? It is the small win-dows outside the story room!

Triton Today Families are encouraged to check Triton Today on the home page of the district web site for current School Committee and district news. The website is: http://www.trsd.net/tritontoday or just click on the banner from the TRSD homepage.

Look at the picture to the left—Can you find where I am in NES? Keep your eyes open to spot me—and check the next newsletter for the an-swer!

News from our Classrooms

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 5

Happy New Year! The first PE unit after returning from winter break is "Human Bowl-ing" for all grade levels. This fun,wacky activity incorporates the C.A.R.E.S. qualities of cooperation, responsibility and self control. Children take turns safely pushing a friend seated on scooters down the "bowling lane" into the foam ten pins. The length of the bowling lane is adjusted to fit the in-tended grade level. Fitness work has included the Fitnessgram Pacer challenge, 8 minute jog/walk for grades 3-6, abdominal crunches, pushups and the new addition of plank holds to build core strength. The next unit for grades 3-6 will be basketball skills and younger children will work jump rope and basic ball challenges.

Physical Education

6th grade ELA is focusing on non-fiction. Students are currently re-searching topics of interests. Students will then take their research and write a creative story. For example, students can take a journey as a turtle from birth to adult hood. Allow people to experience the life of a turtle through an entertaining narrative that includes many de-tails and information about a turtle. Another story could be to chroni-cle a day in the life of a turtle. They want to have us to learn what it is like to live a day as a turtle, but put it in a creative narrative using the facts they have re-searched. The final project will be put into a PowerPoint. Students will create animated slides, movie clips, and voice narration.

We also have started reading historical fiction books. We are reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Bud, Not Buddy, Number the Stars, and Countdown. The books focus on events in history, such as Civil Rights movements and racism, Salem Witch Trials, The Great Depression, World War II, and The Cuban Missile Crisis. Stu-dents will be observing and analyzing how facts help create and develop fiction. There is also an underlying theme in all the books of friendship and growing up.

6th grade ELA

News from our Classrooms

Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 5

Fourth graders are researching their way through space. Each stu-dent is working on research for their Solar System projects. It has been so fun watching the way they go about learning. They all have such differ-ent styles and it comes across clearly in their creations. This is such a pivotal point in the school year. You can see their independence grow every day with this project.

We have started our next unit in math. We are exploring polygons, angles, area, pe-rimeter, and volume. We will continue to practice larger multiplication and division problems to help build mastery of this concept. Students have been working on developing their writing skills in anticipation for the MCAS Long Comp. in March. We have been walk-ing the children through the process of writing their 5 - 6 paragraph sto-ries from brainstorming, rough draft, revising, editing, and final draft. They have developed into quite the authors.

4th Grade

Third Graders have been Rockin' out with Rocks and Minerals! The Museum of Science visited on Tuesday, January 3rd with an investigative activ-ity called, Rock Detectives. Students worked in teams to identify a variety of rocks. We have another exciting event taking place on January 20th. MA Senator, Bruce Tarr, will be visiting NES to speak to third graders about state government and citizenship. We are excited for his visit! We have also been studying the history of Pilgrims and Puritans here in Massachusetts. Students have been comparing and contrasting their lifestyles, religious views, and backgrounds. The Salem Witch Trials have been discussed briefly as a part of the Puritans' history. Did you know that Danvers and Peabody used to be Salem? They changed their names after the Salem Witch Trial Debacle! In math, we just finished up a unit on collecting and representing data. Students col-lected data from their peers, represented in bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots, and then

analyzed their data to see what they could conclude. We learned some really fun stuff about our friends! We are also starting to work on different types of poetry with the classes. We will create diamantes and haikus in the next few weeks. Take a stroll down Poetry Lane to see the third graders' po-ems!

3rd Grade

News from our Classrooms

Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 5

In 5th and 6th grade we have had a busy time from Halloween through December diligently practicing for our upcoming concerts. The Choir performed at the Tree Lighting ceremony which was held on December 5th on the Newbury Green. On Tuesday, December 7th, the Chorus and Choir performed in the annual winter concert. All our hard work paid off, and the boys and girls did a wonderful job. Also, some of our classroom time was devoted to playing Orff instru-ments, singing, and drumming on tubanos. In the 4th grade we watched a video about the world famous Vienna Boys Choir and then discussed excellent vocal production and good singing habits. We also danced and sang a folk song from Ireland and played a stick passing game from Sweden.

In 3rd grade we are progressing with our recorders. Many chil-dren have received their yellow and orange belts for successfully playing Jingle Bells and Jolly Old St. Nicholas. We are currently working on Ode to Joy by Beethoven and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Stodola Pumpa is the next song for the red belt. Everyone should be practicing about five nights a week for a few minutes each day. In 2nd grade we have danced to two American folk tunes, played unpitched percussion instruments while reading rhythms, learned about the string family of the orchestra, and had fun learning some new

Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hannukah songs. In 1st grade we have learned about the word tempo (the speed of the beat), danced to the Highland Gates while singing, played unpitched percussion instruments while reading rhythms, sang and danced to the play party game “Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow” and enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hannukah songs. In kindergarten we’ve played guessing games with musical instruments, sang many new songs, went on a “Bear Hunt”, started singing patriotic songs, and enjoyed Thanksgiving songs with the huge gathering drum and bells. For the beginner 4th grade instrumentalists that I teach, (flutes, clarinets and trumpets), I’d like to compliment everyone with their progress. Many students have received their first white belt which will proudly be displayed on their instrument case. If a student has been faithfully practicing and has received 5 stickers on the practice chart, then they will also be given a bead to hang on their white belt. Every student should keep all music in their black music folders. Please remember your in-strument and folder on lesson day and don’t forget to practice!

Music with Mrs. Peterson

News from our Classrooms

Page 6 Volume 2, Issue 5

BEGINNING BAND Beginning Band students have been practicing and it shows! All students are working toward their White Badge as well as playing supplemental music in their books. After school Beginner Band rehearsals will begin on Monday, January 23rd from 3:00-4:00 P.M. A late bus will be provided. Please remember to bring your instrument on Monday as well as your band folder, pencils, and any item needed to be successful (valve oil, slide oil, reeds, drum sticks, etc.). Our first Beginning Band rehearsals will focus on rehearsal etiquette, listening skills, playing together as a large ensemble, technique, and having fun while playing. Save the date… Our Spring Concert will be on Tuesday, May 29th. A handout about

this concert will be given out a month prior. The dress code is as follows: Boys: Plain white shirt (as white as possible), black pants (no sweatpants or jeans), black socks, dressy shoes (if you do not have dressy shoes, please wear clean dark sneakers) Girls: Plain white shirt (as white as possible), a black skirt below the knee caps OR black pants (no sweatpants or jeans), black socks/nylons/leggings, dressy shoes (if you do not have dressy shoes, please wear clean dark sneakers)

ADVANCED BAND Advanced Band members did a fantastic job performing in the Winter Concert! Students were well behaved and sounded beautiful. A packet of new music was handed out in the first week of January for our upcoming concerts. In the next few months, students will be working out of their repertoire packet, technique book, and they will be working toward receiving their next badge. Many eager students have already performed some of their badge requirements for me – what a talented group of students! Our next concert will come up quick as it is on March 13th. We will be performing with the Salisbury Elementary School, Pine Grove School, Triton Regional Middle School, and Triton Regional High School. This event will take your breath away – don’t miss it! Save the dates… Our District Festival is on Tuesday, March 13th and our Spring Concert will be on Tuesday, May 29th. Handouts about both of these events will be given out a month prior. The dress code is as follows: Boys: Plain white shirt (as white as possible), black pants (no sweatpants or jeans), black socks, dressy shoes (if you do not have dressy shoes, please wear clean dark sneakers) Girls: Plain white shirt (as white as possible), a black skirt below the knee caps OR black pants (no sweatpants or jeans), black socks/nylons/leggings, dressy shoes (if you do not have dressy shoes, please wear clean dark sneakers)

Music with Ms. Doyle

News from our Classrooms

Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 5

STAGE BAND If your child is interested in being a part of the Stage Band (pop/jazz), please e-mail me at ldoyle@trsd.net or send a letter in on their lesson day.

The Stage Band rehearses every Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 in the Newbury Elementary School Band Room. Students involved in the Stage Band will be playing a wide range of music from pop to swing. For this part of the year, we will focus on soloing and chord progressions. Members will learn tips on soloing, how to swing, and accompanying a solo. The Stage Band will perform at the Newbury Elementary School Spring Concert on May 29th, Salisbury Elementary School Spring Concert on May 30th, and the Pine

Grove School Spring Concert on May 24th. The Stage Band will NOT perform at the March 13th District Festival.

CHAMBER WINDS The Chamber Winds is an ensemble designed for all wind players (flute, clarinet, saxophone, french horn, trumpet, baritone, trombone) and has been created to give stu-dents the opportunity to play in a smaller group. Chamber Wind stu-dents learn listening skills, playing technique, and sensitivity to the ensem-ble. Any 6th grade student interested in performing in a small group set-ting of ten musicians or less should e-mail Ms. Doyle at ldoyle@trsd.net or speak with Ms. Doyle about the opportunity as soon as possible. Our current Chamber Winds group performed at the Senior Center on De-cember 20th then enjoyed snacks and hot chocolate.

Music with Ms. Doyle (cont’)

Effective Monday, January 23rd, student schedules will change slightly. In order to reduce the amount of time students lose specials due to Monday holidays and Friday PD time, specials classes will be rotated to allow for classes that take place on Mon-days and Fridays to take place mid-week. The specials classes remain consistent, but the order in the week was changed to mitigate the lost instructional time in specials. More information will come from the classroom teacher. Check out the new specials schedule on the Newbury Elementary Website here: CLICK HERE 

Specials Schedule Changes

Page 8 Volume 2, Issue 5

Indoor Physical Activity Fun by, Anne Jerome OT

The days of running around neighborhoods freely and walking to school seem to be a thing of the past. Instead, children sit in front of a television or computer screen for hours a day. When the weather outside is bad, the television hours increase even more. Because of this, children lead more sedentary lifestyles than ever. Parents must make an effort to provide daily physical activity opportunities for their young children. Here are six fun indoor fitness activity ideas for young children using basic items from around the house. Remember, have fun, let your child take the lead, and be creative with ideas and variations, and be safe! And turn off all electronic devices while playing !!!! 1. Paper Towel Path: Place 10 paper towel squares in a line on a carpeted floor. The child can practice jumping from square to square. Separate the squares further. Jump again from square to square. Continue separating the squares to encourage the child to jump fur-ther distances. Try playing the game hopping on one foot. 2. Paper Cup Conditioning : Gather at least 12 small paper cups. On a carpeted surface, place 4 paper cups next to each other upside down. Several feet away, place 4 more paper cups in a line. Repeat. You have set up a small hurdle course. The child can practice jumping over the paper cups. Place the paper cups in a line with each cup about 2 feet apart. Try weaving in and out of the cups. Stack the cups in a pyramid shape and throw a soft ball at them. Use the cups as bowling pins. When done, try smashing all of the cups with your feet or hands. 3. Time It: Using a stop watch or kitchen timer, time how long it takes your child to com-plete various tasks. For example, ask your child to walk upstairs to your bedroom, come back down touch the couch and skip back into the kitchen. Go for the best time over three trials. Try different movements such as hopping, jumping, crab walk and crawling. 4. Dance Party: Crank up the music and dance. Here are some variations on just dancing: play freeze dance, invent a new dance and teach it to a friend and put on a dance show. 5. Shoe Box Trail: Gather up old shoe boxes. Scatter them around a carpeted floor. See if the child can step from one side of the room to the other only stepping in the boxes. Try pretending to skate or ski around the room wearing the shoe boxes as skates or skis. Use the boxes as targets and throw wadded up pieces of paper into the boxes. 6. Create an indoor obstacle course: Use couch pillows and chairs to create an indoor obstacle course.

Page 9 Volume 2, Issue 5

Notes from the Nurse

* We have had many of our students absent with this bug and it seems to be tak-ing many different forms as well. Symptoms have included stomach ache with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This bug is not usually accompanied by a fever. Please make sure that your child has completely recovered before sending him /her back to school. Also, remember that your child should be kept home for 24 hours after vomiting. Hopefully we will be over it soon!

* I would like to remind parents to please keep your child home if they are sick or have any symp-toms that would be considered contagious such as:

¨Elevated temperature (100 degrees or greater) ¨Acute cold, sore throat, or persistent cough ¨Vomiting, nausea, or severe abdominal pain ¨Repeated diarrhea ¨Pus-like discharge from the nose or eyes ¨Red or inflamed eyes/lids ¨Suspected and untreated impetigo, scabies, or lice.

* The NES clothing closet in the Health Office is in need of girls’ pants and long sleeve girls’ shirts. Please send in any girls’ pants for recycling that your daughter has outgrown. We need all sizes and elastic waistbands are great!

* Please send your child to school with Chapstick or Blistex if they have chapped lips so that your child can apply it as needed throughout the day.

* As the weather gets colder this month, please make sure that your child comes to school with a hat and mittens or gloves. Most days the children go outside for recess and must be dressed appropriately.

Thank you! Mary Goldsmith, RN

It is important to make sure our kids are sitting properly and one popular, but negative, way children sit is in the "W position". This position is seen when children's knees are in front with their legs and feet behind them. This is a stable position and one reason some children sit in this position is because they don't have to worry about their balance. W-sitting interferes with the development of a child’s core muscles which are important for balance, pos-ture and lifelong fitness. Also, W-sitting puts excessive pressure on a child’s hips and knees that could cause orthopedic problems later in life. W-sitting should be discouraged for these reasons and should be avoided with a quick reminder to "sit on your bottom with your feet in front of you", “sit with pretzel legs” or “sit criss-cross applesauce".

Discourage W Sitting by, Irene Kelley PT

Page 10 Volume 2, Issue 5

PTA News

PTA Upcoming Events - Mark your calendar for fun and family!

FEBRUARY February 9 - PTA Meeting - NES library February 10 - NES Dance MARCH March 3 - MARDI GRAS - 7:30 -10:30 pm - Gov-ernor's Academy March 8 - PTA Meeting - NES library APRIL April 2-6 - Book Fair April12 - PTA Meeting - NES library April 26, May 3, May 9 - Penny Challenge

Page 11 Volume 2, Issue 5

PTA News

Page 12 Volume 2, Issue 5

PTA News

Page 13 Volume 2, Issue 5

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This year, we have 75 students participating in the afterschool ski and snowboard program at Ski Bradford. Many of these students are skiing/boarding for the first time, while some are seasoned participants. It is a wonderful way for our fourth, fifth and sixth grade students to enjoy the outdoors and learn a lifelong sport! Thank you to the many parent volunteers who make this program possible by riding the bus, hanging out in the lodge, skiing the slopes and helping our NES stu-dents have a safe and enjoyable time. The ski program runs on 6 Friday afternoons from 3 - 6 pm, with a noon - 6 pm outing on February 10. There will be no ski program on January 27. Parents - please remember to label all items in-cluding skis and poles for an easy unloading of belongings both at Bradford and on our return to NES. Also, please check your email for important updates each week.

Ski/Snowboard Program

We hope that you will join us for the following Walk to School dates:

Friday; January 20th Friday; February 17th Friday; Healthy Heart theme, March 23rd Friday; April 27th Friday; Celebrate Earth Day, May 25th

If you would like to participate, please join NES parent Liz Zukowski at the Newbury Upper Green at 8 A.M. If you would like to help Liz in this effort, you can contact her at elynds@mit.edu. Please remember all children must be ac-companied by a parent or guardian.

Walk to School Days

Newbury Elementary Triton Regional School

District 63 Hanover Street Newbury 01951

Phone: (978) 465-5353

Fax: (978) 463-3070

E-mail: mtracy@trsd.net

hleonard@trsd.net

PTA Officers President - Ellen Hazo hazofamily@comcast.net Co-Vice President - Elaina Sayles minies5@gmail.com Co-Vice President - Emily Abt emily1172@verizon.net Secretary - Renee Toth reneeh1992@aol.com Treasurer - Hilary Lind hilarylind@hotmail.com School Committee

Mrs. Dina Sullivan - Chair, Newbury Mrs. Deborah Choate - Vice Chair, Salisbury Mrs. Suzanne Densmore - Secretary, Newbury Mr. Lane Bourn - Rowley Mr. Paul Lees - Rowley Mrs. Linda Litcofsky - Salisbury Mrs. Mary Murphy - Rowley Mrs. Jane Purinton - Salisbury Mrs. Robin Williams - Newbury

January 1/13—Progress Reports go

home

1/16—NO SCHOOL, Mar-tin Luther King Jr. Day

1/20—Walk to School Day

1/20—Beginner Band, gr.4 begins

1/27—NO SCHOOL: Pro-fessional Development

February 2/6—100th day of school

2/9—PTA meeting, 7:00 P.M.

2/10—HALF DAY: Profes-sional Development

2/10—NES PTA Pizza Dance, 5:30– 7:30 P.M.

2/15—School Committee Meeting, 7:00 P.M.

2/17—Walk to School “Healthy Heart”

2/20-2/24—NO SCHOOL: Vacation

Upcoming Events

We’re on the Web! http://newbury.trsd.net

School Community

The NES Newt-paper is published by Heather Leonard on a monthly basis. If you would like to submit something to be included in the NES Newt-paper, please email your information to hleonard@trsd.net by the Tuesday before the newsletter is published.