Good morning

To: &= nbsp; Parents, Guardians and Students

From: Dr. G.

Re: &= nbsp; Vacation Begins

Date: = ; February 15, 2008

This afternoon marks the = beginning of the February vacation, which starts with President’s Day on Monday and runs through February 22nd, the traditional George Washington’s birthday. The school office will be closed o= n the 18^th and 19^th but will be open for business the rest = of the week. Students resume cla= sses on Monday, February 25^th.

Jump Rope for Heart will be held on Tuesday, February 26^th=, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 = p.m. Participation forms were due in to Mrs. Valentini yesterday.

On Thursday of the week w= e return from vacation, there will be a PTA-sponsored assembly celebrating Black History= Month. Times have not yet been final= ized. When assemblies are scheduled in on= ly the a.m. or the p.m., students from the preschool and kindergarten not in sessi= on at that time are welcome to come in with their parents for the performance.= FYI – The date on Friday of t= hat week will not occur again for four years, in the year 2012. Happy Birthday/Happy Anniversary to= those of you who will age or celebrate 75% less than the rest of us. At that rate, if my birthday was Fe= bruary 29^th, I would be a ripe old age of 15!

Artwork created by Andover Elementary = School students will be shown in a district-wide art show at the Marlborough Art Center. The opening reception will be Frida= y, March 7^th, from 7= :00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. All are welcome. The Center will be open Saturdays a= nd Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. through March 30<= sup>th.

Jumping ahead to March 3^{rd<=
/sup>,
we have the start of CMTs for
students in grades three through six. It is important that children get a=
good
night’s sleep and have a healthy breakfast so that they will be able =
to
perform at their peak. While =
we
understand the importance of this testing, we also need to maintain a normal
learning environment as to minimize stress for the children. The students will be administered o=
ne
test per day which will last between 55-70 minutes. There is one exception and that is =
for
the fifth graders who will be taking the science segment, along with eighth
graders, for the first time this year. That test will be on the 14^{th<=
/sup>
and will be their last test. Testing for the rest of the grades will conclu=
de
on Thursday, March 13^th. The one test that is mandated to be=
ing
given on the same day across the state is the Direct Assessment of Writing,=
and
that will occur on Tuesday, March 4^th. No testing will take place on March=
10^th
as that is the first day after daylight savings time begins. Make-up tests will be administered=
to
students who were absent immediately upon their return to school. All make-up tests must be completed=
by
March 30^th.}}

March 3^rd is also Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America (RAA) day. The National E= ducation Association’s theme for this year’s RAA is, “WE SPEAK FOR THE EARTH”. The RAA committee has used this the= me to develop the afternoon program on the 3^rd that will commence arou= nd 2:10 p.m. Students have been encouraged to ta= ke the pledge, “to do our part in protecting the environment and working tow= ard a healthier earth for future generations.” After taking the pledge, students w= ill sign a pre-cut leaf and then hang it on a big tree in the café. There is also a bookmark contest s= tudents can enter in which they illustrate some aspect of “WE SPEAK FOR THE EARTH”.= Winners will be announced at the assembly. There is also a puzzle that will be= put together during the assembly whose message will not be known until it is fu= lly completed. I am sure it will follow the earth = theme. Donations of gently used book= s will also be collected during the gathering and contributed to “Books to Dreams”, a recycling effort that also enhances the ability to read for others. The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s classic of 1971, is considered one= of his most socially conscious books. <= /span>His inspiration for the story came while he was on a safari in Africa. When he saw the decimated for= ests there, he exclaimed, “they’ve stolen my truffula trees” a= nd the theme was brought to life as was the Lorax, the Once-ler (the villain),= the Swomee-Swans, Brown-Bar-ba-loots, the Humming-Fish, and the child who wande= rs into the dismal abyss and asks who is responsible for this impact on the environment. “Unless so= meone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not”.

The Governor has initiated a “Green America” program, running ads on TV and developing a web site (www.Onethingct.com), which is complementary to this year’s RAA theme. In her message the Governor states,= “One Thing builds on the momentum that can be achieved if everyone in Connecticut take= s one small step, every day. If eac= h of the state's 3.5 million residents do One Thing a day, every day, for a year that would be more than 1.2 billion One Things - more than enough to make a real difference on issues such as consumption, conservation, and the use of clean and renewable energy.” At Andover Elementary, students also announce daily over the PA one thing that can be done to conserve energy and slow the effects of global warming.

Below are two poems written by s= ixth grade students in fulfillment of a Language Arts assign= ment. Enjoy!

Written by T.S.

Migraine=

There I was

Talkin’ with Colin

When someone

Probably the devil

Shot an arrow

Into my head.<= /p>
Then Zeus

Chucks

Thunderbolt after thunderbolt

At my head

Then my neck is the anvil

And someone wants to pound my iron flat head

All it does is

Send tears of fire gushing

Like my eyes are volcanoes

Setting my head afire

Now someone

Has thrown a bucket of ice water

On my head

Now I lay in bed

I check my pulse

By the throbbing in my head

The curtains are closed over my eyes

I wish

That if it is daytime

I may pass out

And if it’s nighttime

May I fall asleep

Zzzz…..