Principals Corner

November is upon us,

a time to reflect on a
year almost ended. A
time to give thanks
for all the goodness in our lives. I
am thankful for the excitement
brought to my daily work and am
hopeful that together we will move
forward with much success, not only
in our academics, but in our social
and emotional experiences as well.
To that end, it is important to re-
member to thank our hardworking
PTO. They have already brought us
the Garden Club, the Walk to School
Day, Bestsellers Book Fair, and the
Kellys Roast Beef and Citrus fund-
raisers.
As we move into the winter months,
please remember that students are
permitted to enter the building at
8:30am. After 8:40am, you must ac-
company your child to the front office
to sign him/her in and receive a tardy
pass. For reasons of safety, PLEASE
do NOT drop your child off and allow
him/her to enter the building alone.
We thank you for having your child
ready to unload before reaching the
adults on duty in the car loop. It
helps if you do not get out of your
car to help your child unload. Re-
member: Cars may not pass or park
in the car loop, park in handicapped
spots without a permit, or park on
either side of the street. Parents
SHOULD NOT be on cell phones
when in the loop. The Medford Police
Department will visit from time to
time to ensure that safety is main-
tained. During dismissal, if you ar-
rive later than 2:55ish, know that
your child will be in the front office.
Families are very welcome to remain
on the playground, with adult super-
vision of course, however, entrance
into the building should be for emer-
gencies only. I thank you for follow-
ing these every important practices
as these help to ensure the safety of
your child and we strongly encourage
your support with each one.
Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and be
sure to remind family and friends how
thankful you are to have them in your
life.
~ Ms. Kathleen Kay
Assistant
Principals Corner
I hope that everyone
has now settled into the
school year. I know our
school office is bustling
with activity, but I have noticed that
the late arrivals are beginning to
dwindle. This is great! Students real-
ly need to start their day off on time
because their day will go much
smoother when if they enter the class-
room with their classmates. When
your child arrives late s/he often miss
a variety of social connections for that
particular day. A lot of information is
given out during the first few minutes
of each day. If you are having prob-
lems getting your child up and out the
door please give me a call and togeth-
er we will find strategies that may
help to make your morning run more
smoothly.
Enjoy the colorful month of Novem-
ber. It is a time to reflect about all the
people we are thankful for in our
lives. I would like to take this oppor-
tunity to say that I am thankful for
being a part of the Columbus School
Community.
~Mrs. Sherman-Hudson
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
* TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177
* FAX : 781.393.2187
* NURSE : 781.393.2175
* ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.3503
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NOVEMBER
2014
VOLUME 3




November 2 Daylight Savings Time Ends. Be sure to set your clocks
back one hour.
November 4 NO SCHOOL - Election Day. Come to the Columbus to vote
and while here support the PTO Bake Sale.
November 5 Early Release -1:30pm Dismissal
November 11 NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day. John Brewers Restaurant Fund Raiser
November 12 Early Release - 1:30pm Dismissal
Building Inclusive Schools, sponsored by SEPAC, 7:00pm-9:00pm,
Andrews Middle School.
November 19 Early Release - 1:30pm Dismissal
November 26 Early Release - 12:00pm Dismissal
November 27 & 28 NO SCHOOL - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Medford Public Library
The Medford Public Library offers many FREE programs for children of all ages. Visit the
Medford Childrens Library Page for information on all the librarys programming at
http://www.medfordlibrary.org/childrens
NOVEMBER PROGRAMS
Board Game Day: Wednesday, November 5th, 3:00pm-4:00pm. Bring your favorite game (or use ours),
bring your friends and have fun playing. This is an all-ages event.
Art Smart: Thursday, November 6th and 20th, 3:00pm-4:00pm (ages 6-12): Explore, create, design, and play
with different types of arts and crafts.
Science Explorers: Monday, November 10th, 3:00pm-4:00pm (ages 6-12): Experiment and learn about dif-
ferent types of science in this hands-on workshop.
3rd/4th Book Club: Monday, November 24th at 6:30pm: Novembers Book-Thank you, Sarah: The Woman
who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson.
5th/6th Book Club: Thursday, November 20th at 6:00pm: Novembers Book-The Savage Fortress by Sarwat
Chadda (Copies of the book club books available at the library).
Storyhour: Wednesdays, 3:00pm-4:00pm (EXCEPT November 5th and 26th.) (Ages 4-6).
Reading with Pearl, The Story Dog: Tuesdays, 3:00pm-4:15pm (EXCEPT November 11th)
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. There are five 15 minute times each Tuesday for children in
grades 1 and up. Bring your favorite book and read to Pearl. Please sign up in advance by
calling 781-392-7950.
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who
Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse An-
derson. Ages 5-8.
We the people of the United States almost lost
Thanksgiving? Yes. Thats right! Way back
when skirts were long and hats were tall
Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and
nobody seemed to care! Thankfully, Sarah Hale
appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock,
this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving.
But would her recipe for rescue ever convince
Congress and the presidents? Join Laurie on a journey of a woman and a pen that spanned
four decades, the Civil War, and five presidents, all so you could have your turkey and eat
it too! Anderson turns a little-known historical tidbit into a fresh, funny, and inspirational
alternative to the standard Thanksgiving stories. ~ School Library Journal
Page 3
BOOK REVIEWS
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Ages 9-12.
Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms.
Shes thrilled that her own name is a homo-
nym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a
name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein),
which, according to Roses rules of homo-
nyms, is very special. Not everyone under-
stands Roses obsessions, her rules, and the
other things that make her different not her
teachers, not other kids, and not her single
father.
When a storm hits their rural town, rivers
overflow, the roads are flooded, and Rain
goes missing. Roses father shouldnt have
let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog,
even if it means
leaving her routines
and safe places to
search.
Hearts will break
and spirits will soar
for this powerful
story, brilliantly
told from Roses
point of view.
~ Amazon.com

READING IS DREAMING WITH EYES OPEN!
All Kinds of Words

Page 4
Understanding fractions is much easier when your child can visualize them. Here are
ideas to help him/her see and use fractions.
Keep a diary. Show that fractions are a part of every day life. For a week, have your
child record and illustrate each fraction noticed. For instance, your child might write,
We had a half day of school today, or Mom asked for 1 1/3 pounds of turkey at the
store. How many examples can your child find and then draw?
Play a game. Have each player cut a sheet of construction paper into 6 horizontal
strips. Leave the first one whole and then cut the second one in half (fold it, and cut
along the fold), and the others into thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths. With bits of
masking tape, label a die: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, and wild. To play, roll the die, and
lay the matching piece of paper on your whole strip (for wild, choose any piece).
The goal is to be the first one to fill your strip without overlapping any pieces
(example: 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1 whole strip).
Put in order. Together, make a set of fraction cards, with one fraction per index card
(1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/4, 1 1/2, 1 3/4, 2). Shuffle the cards, and see how quickly your
child can put them in order. Then, while they close their eyes, lay the cards in order
but leave a few out. Give your child the missing cards, and have him/her put them
where they go.
Fractions of Fun
A large vocabulary can turn your child into a better reader. Try
these every day ways to help your child learn and remember to
use new words.
Keep your ears open. When you and your child go places,
point out words that people use. Maybe a waiter describes an
entre or the dentist talks about molars. Encourage your child
to figure out what new words mean by they way they are used in
the sentence.
Go beyond nouns. Help your youngster add verbs and adjec-
tives to his/her vocabulary. Sports and games offer plenty of opportunity to use action words. Let
your child hear you comment on the softball that soars or the runner who sprints. When he/she
sends a thank-you note or greeting card, suggest descriptive
words (a polka-dot shirt, a fantastic stuffed animal, a cheery
holiday, etc.) This can also be called colorful writing. When
writing sentences for spelling homework, or writing stories for
school assignments, take out the highlighters, markers, or
even a crayon. Choose two different colors. One to highlight
the verbs and the other to highlight the adjectives. This will
not only point out these types of words to your child in his/her
writing, but will make for a colorful page once done if lots of
verbs and adjectives are utilized. Happy writing!