To: Parents, Guardians and Students

From: Dr. G.

Re: MLK, SBS, ETC.

Date: January 12, 2007

Monday is Martin Luther King’s birthday and a holiday. Please take a moment to reflect on what this great man did for our country and the price he paid in the pursuit of freedom and equality for all. School will resume on Tuesday, January 16^th, at 8:25 a.m.

Thursday, January 18^th, is the annual Winter Concert. It will be held in the gym and will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. Please come support our music students. Keep the 2^nd of February open so you can participate in the PTA-sponsored Family Bingo Night. There will be lots of prizes and a whole lot of community fun. Come out and join your classmates and neighbors!

Mrs. Turgeon’s class will get a visit from Mr. Gary Bogli next Tuesday from the Connecticut Salmon Association. Upon his arrival, the 4^th grade students will become the surrogate caregivers for 200 salmon eggs. Mr. Bogli will give the students an update on the Salmon Restoration Project and show a movie detailing the life cycle of the salmon. The tank, as was reported earlier, was prepared for the new occupants with careful attention given to water temperature, acidity, and assurance that all the controls and pumps were in prime condition. Traditionally, this has been a fifth grade project given the math calculations needed to control the environment so that the eggs do not hatch prematurely. Even when they are released into the river in May, the timing needs to be accurate enough so that there is adequate nourishment in the egg sack to sustain the baby salmon until they acclimate to the wild and begin feeding on their own. The fourth graders have willingly and enthusiastically accepted this responsibility with a “we can do it” attitude. Best of luck to the 4^th grade on this project!

The program on underage drinking, sponsored by RHAM High School and AHM, was attended by a number of Andover parents and students, as well as residents from the other two towns. Each of the panel members included in their comments actual incidents of underage drinking and the impact they had on individuals and their families. During the question portion of the program, one woman thanked the members of the panel and indicated she was sorry she had not taken her son with her as hearing this type of information from her would not be as effective as from the high school principal, the resident state trooper, the MD at CCMC, or the prosecuting attorney. It was a well-run forum and a hearty thank you to those individuals who worked so diligently to bring this opportunity to the three communities. There will be another program held in May.

Well, next year’s calendar was adopted by the Board of Education this week at its regularly scheduled meeting. For your planning convenience, it is attached to the back of this week’s memo. When planning family vacations, please try to make the trips coincide with the students’ scheduled breaks.

Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching. For those folks who don’t like to cook up a big banquet on that important day or just appreciate a great homemade grinder, the 6^th grade class has come to the rescue. As one of their fundraisers, they will be selling grinders – ham, turkey, roast beef, and veggie – at $4.00 a piece on a pre-order basis. Flyers will be coming home today, so save some time and effort on SBS and treat the family to grinders. Orders must be in by January 30^th and pick up will be at the school café on February 4^th between 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Kindergarten students received a thank you letter from Governor Rell for their ornaments which adorned the Children’s Tree at the mansion during the holidays. Look for it on the school web page.

Excursions in Learning for Children is an enrichment program for elementary and middle school aged students offered at Manchester Community College. The courses are activity-oriented and are offered at the college on all four Saturday mornings in February from 9:00 a.m. to noon. For more information, there are some brochures in the office or you can check online at www.mcc.commnet.ed/ce/. The cost is $35.00 per class.