ALSTEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL & VILAS MIDDLE SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

Featured Class of the Month 3rd Grade

October 3rd PTO Meet & Greet Social October 8th Fire prevention Day 10:00am October 11th Picture Day! Dress to Impress October 11th through October 13th NEHT Trip October 25th Harvest Night on the Millot Green in Alstead October 27th through November 1st AHT Trip October 31st Early Release Day
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Mrs. Katie Hanatows 3rd Grade

Dear Alstead Primary School Families, Welcome back to another excited year at APS! It was nice to see so many of you at our open house. I know all of your kids love showing off their classrooms, and all of their hard work so far! Also, a big thanks to those who helped out at the book fair. Now that we are back into the swing of things, third grade has been concentrating on NECAP and Common Core questions during math, and RTI time. All of the students have done an incredible job getting used to the high level of thinking questions! We have jumped right into our Reading Street curriculum. Our program is based on the new common core standards, so we have hit the ground running. Over the past few weeks we have discussed, plural and singular rules, declarative & interrogative sentences, and reading comprehension skills, such as, visualizing, sequencing, and subject & predicates! Science and social studies is going great! In science the third graders are learning all about weather with Ms. Ketchum. They have been working hard on taking notes, measuring different temperatures, weather vocabulary, and different kinds of weather. The fourth graders are working super hard in social studies. We are learning all about New Hampshire history, and facts. We are even creating our own New Hampshire facts alphabet book! Our NECAP testing will take place during the second and third week of October. Our information night is for third and fourth grade families. Ms. Ketchum and I hope to see you there! Welcome back, and Happy Fall Sincerely, Mrs. Hanatow & the third grade class

SPORTS

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL 2013, VILAS Middle School. This year the Alstead, N.H. girls volleyball team has come out with a hard hitting, fun and fantastic grouping of young ladies. The team has already raked up seven wins with no losses, versus last years best record ever of 22-8, which the current players are eyeing to beat. This years team consists of: Back Row: Co-Capt. Izzy Giorgi, Sarah Cronin, Coaches; 'Smokey Aumand' & 'Ed Evenson', Faith Wilson, Alexis Jones, and Co-Capt. Chrissy Craig. Front Row: Alex Kercewich, Sarah Schadler, Courtney Solomon, Lindsey Yeatman, and Haley Christie. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Note from the School Nurse September/October School is certainly in full swing! I hope everyone is settling well into the back to school routines. Here are just a few Back to School reminders: Please be sure to send in an updated immunization record for your student. Your student may be in need of a DTap / Tdap, MMR, Polio or Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine. Students should also have had a completed Hepatitis B series. Please be sure that the school has on file current/updated phone contact information. This is so we can be sure to reach you in a timely manner should we need to do so. Our classrooms would be grateful for any donations of tissues!

Back to school time is also the peak season for lice. Here are a few tidbits on lice: The most common symptom of head lice is itching. Lice are very small about the size of a sesame seed. They can be tan, brown or gray. Lice eggs (called nits) are easier to see because they are attached to the hair shaft close to the scalp. They are white, oval shaped and look like dandruff but cant be removed by shaking them off, brushing or washing. Look for small red bumps at the base of the neck or behind the ears from scratching. Lice are not a sign of uncleanliness; they LOVE clean hair best because it is easiest to latch on. Lice do not hop, jump or fly; they only go from one person to another by direct head to head touching. Removing the nits (eggs) and live lice with a special metal-tooth comb is time-consuming but the most effective way to get rid of them. They do not wash out. Schools are not the most common places where head lice are spread, homes are. Cold and Flu Season is just around the corner. Practice good hand washing, good cough and sneeze hygiene and get your flu shot! For further information on Lice and Flu please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2013-2014.htm http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html

Neilsens Kindergarten

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Dont forget to send in your box tops! Put your student name and class on your box top baggie. The class with the most box tops sent in wins a prize!

This year the 8th graders at Vilas will take part in a cross-cultural project called Bridging the Americas. This program is sponsored by The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The program partners our 8th graders with a school in Isla Mujeres, Mexico and links the students through neotropical songbirds that spend part of the year there and part of the year in New Hampshire. The program is also cross curricular and will include work done in science class, art class and in Spanish. If there are any questions visit the Vilas Middle Science website through sau60.org or call Mr. Harrison at Vilas 5

InfoSnap Update The Alstead Primary School, Acworth School, Sarah Porter School and Vilas Middle School are halfway through our InfoSnap Registrations. Please take the time to complete the online forms. If you need assistance, please contact Deborah at 835-6351.

NOTE FROM THE LIBRARY

In today's world, it is very easy for children to have access to many types of media. It is not always easy, however, for parents to know if the media children are using is ageappropriate or if the content aligns with your family's beliefs. Commonsensemedia.org is just the resource you need. According to its mission statement, "Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our nation's children spend more time

with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume." To help you make these choices, listings include books, TV shows, movies, video games, websites, and apps. Each product is given three ratings: from the organization, from parents, and from kids. Each review explains what age the title is most appropriate for and why. Detailed ratings are also provided for areas such as educational value, positive messages, positive role models, violence and scariness, sexy stuff, bad language, consumerism, and drinking, drugs, and smoking. At the end of each review are discussion questions, which you can use to further explore topics as a family. With two children at home, my husband and I turn to this resource quite often. I think you will find it invaluable as well. Carla Boyington K-8 Library Media Specialist

HAPPY FALL