September 1st and three days of the new school year are already hist= ory

To: Parents, Guardians = and Students

From: Dr. G.

Re: The First Snow Fall=

Date: December 8, 2006

Well, white flakes fell f= rom the sky for the first time on Tuesday morning as students disembarked from the buses. The ground was covered in a matter of minutes and, yes, there = were many open mouths trying to catch the snowflakes on their tongues. Tha= t is something I think children have been doing since the first snow fell from t= he sky; I dare say some adults still engage in this winter pastime. For those of you who could not made the trip to the Governor’s Mansion= last weekend, our kindergarten decorations were right at the top of the tree and easily detected. Dr. Z and her daughter made the tour and s= aid everything was just beautiful. While she was there, Dr. Z ran into the Rhodes family who were gracious enough to send in a few photos of the tree = and a great shot of their whole family with the Governor, who greeted everyone = as they entered the mansion. Well, if you didn’t make it, there is always next year.

On Saturday, Andover L= ego First (ALF) will attend the regional competition at Vernon Middle Schoo= l. This year, the school has expanded to two teams, ALF-NXT and ALF-RCX, and t= hey have been extremely active preparing for a win and subsequent invitation to= the state competition. The opening ceremony begins at 9:00 a .m. and the = team expects to have their first trial around 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. The c= ompetition will end at 3:00 p.m. If you have some time, come on out and support = our teams.

A reminder that Stuff = the Cruiser will take place next Friday, December 15^th. Th= is is a worthy endeavor sponsored by the Connecticut State Police. Andov= er students and their families have been supporting this effort over the years= by bringing in unwrapped, new gifts that are collected by our very own Resident Trooper Kevin Reed. The gifts are distributed to children who otherwi= se would not receive a toy during the holiday season. Last year, the sch= ool donated 820 toys!

During the holiday break,= a fun family trip might include New York City. Taking the train out of New Haven saves on finding your way into the city and fighting the madness of c= ity drivers and expensive parking costs. The off-peak time price for Metro North tickets is around $28.00 for adults and $14.00 for children, round tr= ip. Once in the city, there are many things to enjoy and a lot of them are free. The windows are beautifully decorated for the holidays and the = tree in Rockefeller Center is a must see! The Museum of Fine Arts, the Mus= eum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, and, of course, Central Park= are all things you will want to do at some time when you are in the city. =

Around here, there is als= o much to do and see. The Mystic Steam Train offers a great trip for childre= n as it winds up or down the Connecticut River – a great Sunday afternoon excursion and, during the holidays, a stocky old man with a red suite and w= hite beard visits children on board and hands out goodies. In downtown Hartford, the Wadsworth Athenaeum always has some interesting displays.&nbs= p; Spending time with family is an important piece in understanding one anothe= r. Make the time!

Several weeks ago, I spok= e about a grant that was awarded to AHM with Andover Elementary as a co-author. The Homework Club is one of the programs that will be funded through this grant and it will be starting on Monday, December 11^{th.
Of the 41 students who qualified for the program (using specific crit=
eria
from the grant), 35 students and their parents accepted the invitations to =
be
part of the program. This program will run on Monday and Thursday
afternoons, for a total of 31 sessions. A second part of the grant is=
a Mad
Science program open}

to fourth through sixth g= rade students, beginning in February. A total of 40 slots are funded throu= gh the grant and there will be 20 students selected for each session. The first session will begin on February 5^th and will run until Apri= l 2^nd. The second session begins April 9^th and ends on June 11th. Details for the Mad Science program will be made available at a later date.

As the cold weather set i= n this week, I reminded students that jackets, hats, gloves, and boots are = all part of the outerwear that must be worn if they intend to go out for recess. On Tuesday, Mrs. “Grandmother” Tebbets also made a nurtur= ing announcement to children to pack the shorts away for the season and start wearing long pants, appropriate jackets, etc. Some students wait until they are out of parent sight at the bus stop and pop their jackets into backpacks. Fortunately, I greet them every morning, catch the rascals, and make them take their jackets out and put them back on. Oh, they j= ust love that, but if it keeps them from getting sick, it is worth it! Please check the lost and found when you are in the building, and PLEASE put your child’s name in those beautiful jackets and expensive boots!

___________= ________________

&n= bsp;

Kindergarten ornaments adorn the = The Governor shares a Kodak moment

Governor’s holiday tree. The arrows &nb= sp; with the Rhodes.

point to AES’ Kindergarten-crafted

ornaments.

Sixth grade elves take = a break at

the Holiday Breakfast l= ast Saturday.