Principal: Mr. Mark Vallone Principal: Mr. Mark Vallone Principal: Mr. Mark Vallone Principal: Mr. Mark Vallone

Dean of Students: Mrs. Erin MilburyDean of Students: Mrs. Erin MilburyDean of Students: Mrs. Erin MilburyDean of Students: Mrs. Erin Milbury

Web Site: www.sau14.orgWeb Site: www.sau14.orgWeb Site: www.sau14.orgWeb Site: www.sau14.org

November 20, 2009November 20, 2009November 20, 2009November 20, 2009

Principal’s CornerPrincipal’s CornerPrincipal’s CornerPrincipal’s Corner Teachers and Parents Make Presentation on Full Day Kinder-

garten Last night, a group of parents and teachers joined me in giving the School Board a progress report on our school’s full day kindergarten class. As you know, EES offers one full day class in addition to four half day classes. Overall, full day students seem to have benefited from the additional instructional time and made significant gains in reading, math and writing. Transition to first grade also seems to be less difficult for full day kindergarten stu-dents compared to their half day peers. Both full day and half day programs do very well in preparing students for reading and in most math topics. However, full day students are able to write more in first grade. The School Board read a research summary from West Ed regional laboratory which recommended that full day kindergarten should be available but optional. ( A PowerPoint slide presentation will be posted on the school’s web site) Thanks to all those who attended: School staff- Robin Yergeau, Lisa Daniels, Julia Masury, Carole Bilodeau, Phyllis Mahalaris, Heather Darois, Kathy McKay, Karen Page, Sandy Landis, and Dea Mayne, Erin Milbury, Cheryl MacLeay and Kerstin Rossel; Parents Andrea Meyer, Maria Spinelli and Shana McTague.

Student Council Elections Congratulations to all the candidates who spoke at last week’s Student Council election assembly and welcome to our newly elected officers: President-Carson Lusten-berger; Vice President-Tom Bullock; Treasurer-Mark Marasca; Secretary- Sophia Randall. Walmart Donates $1,000 Thanks to the effort of Administrative Assestant and TEMPO member, Cheryl MacLeay and band direc-tor Jared Breault, Epping Elementary School received a check for $1,000 to help purchase band equipment for the school’s band

CALENDAR OF CALENDAR OF CALENDAR OF CALENDAR OF

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTS.

Nov 25thNov 25thNov 25thNov 25th----27th27th27th27th----NONONONO

SCHOOLSCHOOLSCHOOLSCHOOL, Thanksgiving

Recess

Dec 5thDec 5thDec 5thDec 5th–––– EES “Make & Take”

Craft Fair @ 10:00am

Dec 7thDec 7thDec 7thDec 7th----PTO Meeting in Li-

brary @ 7:00pm

Dec 11thDec 11thDec 11thDec 11th–––– 5th Grade Field Trip

to Portsmouth Music Hall

Dec 15thDec 15thDec 15thDec 15th– EES Holiday Con-

cert, Grades 2,3, & 5 & Advance

Band held at Middle School @

7:00pm

Dec 16thDec 16thDec 16thDec 16th-EES Holiday Con-

cert, Grade 1, 4 & Beginning

Band held at Middle School @

7:00pm

program.

Student Council Food Drive There’s still time to make a donation of non-perishable food items to our school Food Drive. We would like to ask everyone to bring in non-perishable food items. The last day is Monday, November 23.

School Monday and Tuesday Next Week. We still have classes next week before the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Classroom NewsClassroom NewsClassroom NewsClassroom News

Mrs. Darois 1st GradeMrs. Darois 1st GradeMrs. Darois 1st GradeMrs. Darois 1st Grade I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is almost here! In word study we have been practicing words that contain the vowels a and i. Every week we add sight

words to our word wall. These words cannot be sounded out phonetically. We have also been practicing words that contain qu- and -ck. The students know that q is shy and needs u to talk! –ck is an end team that comes after a short vowel.

During Reader’s Workshop we have been practicing our reading strategies! The reading strategies that we use are picture clues, chunking the word into smaller pieces, beginning sounds, ending sounds, and skip-ping the word and then rereading. We are now reading independently for 20 to 25 minutes!

In math we have been working a lot with nickels and pennies. Counting money is a hard concept for children to grasp so please practice this at home. We will soon be adding dimes as well. We are also learning about even and odd. Even numbers can be split into partners and odd numbers cannot. They always have an “odd” ball out. We are now telling time to the hour and to the half hour.

In social studies we are finishing a month long unit on Native Americans. The boys and girls really loved this unit and have learned so much. They have learned that Native Americans lived in different regions of North America and had different customs. They especially liked learning about the Plains Indians and how they depended on the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, and tools. This week we are studying the Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts and the first Thanksgiving. On Monday, November 30th we will be holding a Native American Museum in the classroom. Parents and students of 1-D are welcome to join us! I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. Crane 2nd GradeMs. Crane 2nd GradeMs. Crane 2nd GradeMs. Crane 2nd Grade I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week! What an amazing first quarter we had in second grade. Thank you for all of the wonderful Parent/Teacher conferences. It was great to be able to connect and talk about how well your student is doing! In Readers’ Workshop we are continuing our discussion about how reading is thinking. We talked this week about how after we read a book, our brains stop and think about any connections they may have to the book or any connections to another book they might have read. It is great to hear our students using appropri-ate ‘book talk’! In Writers’ Workshop we are in the process of finishing our unit on Small Moments. After Thanksgiving break we will be choosing at least one small moment we are proud of and using that piece (along with all of our other writing); to talk about how we craft great writing and edit. By the Winter Break we hope to have our first fully edited published piece! In the area of Math, we are starting to learn new topic and take familiar ones to new levels. Recently we have talked about temperature and reading Thermometers as well as solving Frames and Arrows problems with more than one rule. We shall also be spending a couple of days over the next two weeks going back and learning some great math games. Perhaps they can be played over the break?!? I am very impressed with the students and their use of our vocabulary words. Each student gets excited

when they use a new word in their writing or daily language! Hooray! Have a wonderful, safe and healthy Thanksgiving Break!

Mrs. Carter 3rd GradeMrs. Carter 3rd GradeMrs. Carter 3rd GradeMrs. Carter 3rd Grade We truly are creative, hard workers who love school! In Social Studies, we have begun a new unit of study fo-cusing on the Colonial times. We are learning all about the life of a Colonial child, what toys they played with, what clothes they wore, the jobs they did, the food they ate, what school was like long ago and what their homes were like. Your child will be working on many Colonial projects in class; weaving, sewing, writing, drawing, singing colonial songs, churning butter, knitting and cooking. We will make some colonial games also. If you have any colonial items at home, please send them in to share. Have you any experience with this time in history? Would you like to teach the children how to make something? Just let me know, we would love to have you as our guest speaker! All third graders will travel to York, Maine and will visit a real Colo-nial village for the whole day, next week. My class will travel to the village on Tuesday, November 24. Please prepare your child for this outstanding educational trip back into the Colonial Era. We will imagine what it was like to be a Colonial child! Please dress in layers as we will be walking from building to building outside and will be climbing a hill to use the stockade! There is a small gift shop if you would like to purchase a colonial item. Please dress in the clothing a Colonial child might have worn. Long dresses or skirts and aprons for the girls, long pants rolled up with long stockings for the boys as well as a strong pair of boots to keep warm. Your child will need a snack, a bag lunch with a drink and warm layered clothing appropriate for the brisk cool weather. When we return, we will write a story from the point of view of a colonial child. We love Writer’s Workshop! We are writing “small moments” stories, which are true stories from their lives. Each child visualizes their story and begins to write the details of a very small moment of time, maybe as short as 10 minutes of their life! Their stories are detailed, use dialogue, are interesting and paint pictures in our minds as we listen to them read out loud during our sharing time. In Reader’s Workshop, my students are be-coming strategic readers using many different strategies to comprehend the stories. Vocabulary development continues to include the refinement of phonetic and decoding skills. Word analysis strategies include: homo-nyms, antonyms, synonyms, analogies, multiple meaning and compound words. Students expand their vocabu-lary by learning strategies for identifying unfamiliar words. We have begun Unit 4 in our everyday math pro-gram of study which means we are now focusing on multiplication and division skills! We are writing and solving whole number stories involving equal groups as we begin to study multiplication. I will expect your child to learn their multiplication facts through the 10’s this year! Please quiz your child regularly at home as they begin to memorize these facts. They will then be well prepared for our daily work! Thank you for your support! I am thankful for my precious, sweet students full of such excitement and love during every moment of their school day! My wish for you, is a wonderful, family filled Thanksgiving experience.

Mrs. Harris 4th GradeMrs. Harris 4th GradeMrs. Harris 4th GradeMrs. Harris 4th Grade Greetings from Mrs. Harris’s hardworking class! In Everyday Mathematics, we have begun focusing

on multiplication! Mastering multiplication facts is very important in fourth grade because success with the more complex math we will learn this year, especially long division, depends on quick recall of multiplication facts! We will be drilling basic facts in class, but extra practice at home is extremely beneficial. Unit 3 also reviews problem solving strategies, using parentheses in equations, identifying true & false number sentences, solving open sentences, and logic problems.

In social studies, we just finished our study of government, after our exciting tour of the Supreme Court, where we met Justice Conboy or Justice Duggan, and the State House, where we met Representative Penn Brown. Students voted last week in the school election for Student Council officers and elected Aladia, as our classroom representative, and Caleb as the alternate.

We will be focusing on Science for the coming few weeks, and investigating Bones & Skeletons! Stu-dents will be developing the skills of observation and making inferences based upon scientific evidence. We will be learning about the structure and function of the various bone groups and comparing the human skeleton with those of other animals. Also part of this study will be learning how scientists classify animals based on common characteristics, and how animals’ adaptations enable them to survive in their environments.

In reading we are focusing on Nonfiction and learning how to read for information. Students are using text and visual features, such as the Table of Contents, graphs, and headings to help them to locate and under-stand the new information. We will notice how authors use different text structures such as compare & con-trast, problem/solution, chronological, or cause & effect, and we will be using a variety of graphic organizers, such as charts and venn diagrams to keep track of what we learn. We will continue to develop strategies to read for information, especially focusing on putting together the “big idea” from the supporting details.

In writing, students are studying the craft of mentor writers to learn techniques to try out in their own writing. In their personal narratives that focus on important moments, students are working very hard to stretch out important scenes so they really come alive for the reader. Students are trying out different types of leads to hook the reader into their story, and using powerful words to show action, create sensory images, and show the thoughts and feelings of the writer. We are also developing as a community of writers and sharpening listening and responding skills through our writer’s shares.

We wish a very happy Thanksgiving holiday season to all! Thanks to all who sent in donations for the Food Drive. Soon, our holiday service project for the SPCA Animal Shelter will be underway. Watch for more details coming soon!

Mrs. Baker 5th GradeMrs. Baker 5th GradeMrs. Baker 5th GradeMrs. Baker 5th Grade The holidays are drawing very near. The weather has been beautiful. I hope you’re all enjoying it while it lasts! It was very nice meeting with all of you during parent/teacher conferences. I hope I was able to answer any questions you had and that you know that you can contact me at any time if you need anything or have any further questions. In reading we’ve just finished our study of fables and are in between genres right now. We’re taking the last few days before Thanksgiving break to read and enjoy short stories and narratives. Through these short pieces, in both reading and writing, we’re studying author’s craft, looking for things we notice, things that in-terest us, and figuring out how and why good authors include the details they do in a story, and write the way they do. I am asking them to look for parts in their choice reading where the author really draws the reader into the book, allowing them to make connections and visualize the scene and events. My hope is that the stu-dents try some of this craft out in their own work to make their writing even better. In math we are into Unit 3 on Geometry. This week we explored angle measures through the use of pattern blocks and used protractors to estimate and measure angles. We also reviewed what makes an angle acute, obtuse, right, or straight. Next we’ll be exploring the measures of polygons. In science we’re now learning about potential and kinetic energy. We’ll be doing several explorations on this topic, all of them fun! You can expect a science project assignment to be coming home after Thanksgiv-ing on potential and kinetic energy. Thank you again for coming to meet with me and please send me an email or a note if there is something that I can do to better help your child in school, or assist in homework. Have a great Thanksgiving break!

News from Classroom SpecialsNews from Classroom SpecialsNews from Classroom SpecialsNews from Classroom Specials Mrs. Colemen Music NotesMrs. Colemen Music NotesMrs. Colemen Music NotesMrs. Colemen Music Notes

Believe it or not, there are only three and a half weeks until our annual Holiday Concerts. (Yikes!!) The stu-dents thought I was crazy when I pulled out their concert music on November 1st and told them that it was

time to start rehearsing. With only three or four rehearsals to prepare (minus holidays, assemblies, field trip days, snow days, etc.), we all need to work very hard from the beginning in order to produce quality concerts. Sometimes it’s difficult to make the students believe that it’s not that far away! Your anticipation and support will encourage them to do their best. The dates and times of our holiday concerts this year are listed below.

***PLEASE NOTE*** Both concerts will take place at the MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM again this year. That venue provides more seating and better visibility for the audience. In addition, it allows students to

watch each other perform.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Holiday Concerts! Until then, my very best wishes for a wonder-ful Thanksgiving!

EES & Community NewsEES & Community NewsEES & Community NewsEES & Community News Mrs. Peterson Health NewsMrs. Peterson Health NewsMrs. Peterson Health NewsMrs. Peterson Health News

Thank you to everyone for keeping our students and staff as healthy as possible. We do continue to have stomach viruses, colds, H1N1, influenza like illness, etc. However we are recovering well and time lost is at a minimum. Please continue good hygiene practices. The use of “germ jail” and hand washing has proven to be very effective. Thank you to everyone that has been calling the school to let us know what symptoms your child has when they are out sick. This information is used in reporting absences to the state and tracking trends in our school. This also helps us to keep you informed of illnesses to which your child might be exposed. Thank you for keeping your child home when they are ill. The recovery time is shorter when a person has the time to rest and get well hydrated. Your child should stay home if he/she has a fever of 100 degrees or more and should remain home for 24 hours fever-free without fever reducing medication.

Your help is greatly needed and appreciated in preventing the spread of illness in our school.

HOLIDAY CONCERTS

GR. 2, 3, 5 and Second Year Band

TUESDAY, December 15, 2009 7:00 p. m.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

GR. 1 & 4 and Beginning Band

WEDNESDAY, December 16, 2009 7:00 p.m.

PTO NewsPTO NewsPTO NewsPTO News Collecting Drink Pouches for Cash

Epping Elementary School’s PTO has started a “Drink Pouch Brigade” to help the environment and earn money for our school! Now, instead of throwing away our empty drink pouches, we’ll put them in the collec-tion bins (you can even bring in your empty pouches from home). We’ll get $.02 for every pouch we collect, and the pouches will be made into items like backpacks and pencil cases. Collecting pouches helps the planet and our school. Think of how many drink pouches will stay out of the trash, and how quickly $.02 a pouch will add up for EES!

Harvey Mitchel Memorial LibraryHarvey Mitchel Memorial LibraryHarvey Mitchel Memorial LibraryHarvey Mitchel Memorial Library November is a big month for the Friends of the Harvey Mitchell Memorial Library. The Silent Auction has begun! Patrons use their library card numbers to bid on the myriad of gift baskets and donations from Epping neighbors and businesses. The items will be on display upstairs in the library throughout the month and bid-ding will close on Saturday, December 5th. Winning bidders must pay for their items by December 11th or for-feit to the next highest bidder. Also in November the Wendy’s Restaurant in Epping will donate proceeds from sales every Tuesday night between 5 and 8 pm to the Friends of the Library. Please take advantage of both fundraisers for this dedicated group, and help support your library. December 5th will mark the end of the Silent Auction while marking the beginning of holiday celebrations at the library. Saturday, December 5th will be the Holiday Tea Party from 11 to 1 for Epping’s youngest ladies and gentlemen. Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite “dress-up” clothes and bring a doll to play house with friends before sitting down to “tea” and goodies on real china. This will be an event fancy enough for Fancy Nancy stories. On Friday, December 11th families with children ages 2 to 8 are invited to the 7th annual Magic of Christmas Pajama Night, where classic children’s stories combine with a craft-filled scavenger hunt to create a cozy community event celebrating the season. Children and adults are welcome to wear their com-fiest holiday jammies and bring a seasonal treat to share. The fun begins at 6:30 with the scavenger hunt and ends after stories by the fireside at 7:45. On Tuesday, December 15th, the Friends of the Library are hosting a Holiday Open House upstairs in the library from 4 to 6 pm, an opportunity for library patrons of all ages to visit and enjoy a few relaxed moments during this busy time. The library is open Monday through Friday from 10 to 8 and Saturday from 10 to 2. The library will be closed on Thursday, November 26th for Thanksgiving, but will be open with normal hours on the 27th and 28th. Call 679-5944 for more information about any of our programs

Epping Elementary SchoolEpping Elementary SchoolEpping Elementary SchoolEpping Elementary School

Student of the WeekStudent of the WeekStudent of the WeekStudent of the Week

Week of 11/09/2009Week of 11/09/2009Week of 11/09/2009Week of 11/09/2009

1st Grade1st Grade1st Grade1st Grade 2nd Grade2nd Grade2nd Grade2nd Grade

Mrs. BilodeauMrs. BilodeauMrs. BilodeauMrs. Bilodeau----Alexa BadeAlexa BadeAlexa BadeAlexa Bade Mrs. BlissMrs. BlissMrs. BlissMrs. Bliss----Madison MurphyMadison MurphyMadison MurphyMadison Murphy

Mrs. DaroisMrs. DaroisMrs. DaroisMrs. Darois----Abigail RoyAbigail RoyAbigail RoyAbigail Roy Ms. CraneMs. CraneMs. CraneMs. Crane----Tyler WitmerTyler WitmerTyler WitmerTyler Witmer

Mrs. MahalarisMrs. MahalarisMrs. MahalarisMrs. Mahalaris----Sean ThorntonSean ThorntonSean ThorntonSean Thornton Mrs. DemersMrs. DemersMrs. DemersMrs. Demers----Lucas TowneLucas TowneLucas TowneLucas Towne

Mrs. PatteeMrs. PatteeMrs. PatteeMrs. Pattee----Gavin KaileyGavin KaileyGavin KaileyGavin Kailey Mrs. RosselMrs. RosselMrs. RosselMrs. Rossel----Ryan GlassRyan GlassRyan GlassRyan Glass

Mrs. SweitzerMrs. SweitzerMrs. SweitzerMrs. Sweitzer----Ryan MacVicarRyan MacVicarRyan MacVicarRyan MacVicar

3th Grade3th Grade3th Grade3th Grade 4th Grade4th Grade4th Grade4th Grade

Mrs. ButtMrs. ButtMrs. ButtMrs. Butt----Michaela SableMichaela SableMichaela SableMichaela Sable Mrs. DawsonMrs. DawsonMrs. DawsonMrs. Dawson----Evelyn CarletonEvelyn CarletonEvelyn CarletonEvelyn Carleton

Mrs. CarterMrs. CarterMrs. CarterMrs. Carter----Abby SimardAbby SimardAbby SimardAbby Simard Ms. FreyenhagenMs. FreyenhagenMs. FreyenhagenMs. Freyenhagen----Tyler WallTyler WallTyler WallTyler Wall

Mrs. DodgeMrs. DodgeMrs. DodgeMrs. Dodge----Ashley MartinAshley MartinAshley MartinAshley Martin Mrs. HarrisMrs. HarrisMrs. HarrisMrs. Harris----Aletha DeMaraisAletha DeMaraisAletha DeMaraisAletha DeMarais

Mrs. ThompsonMrs. ThompsonMrs. ThompsonMrs. Thompson----Josie WentworthJosie WentworthJosie WentworthJosie Wentworth

5th Grade5th Grade5th Grade5th Grade

Mrs. BakerMrs. BakerMrs. BakerMrs. Baker----Caleb BillyCaleb BillyCaleb BillyCaleb Billy

Mrs. TrueMrs. TrueMrs. TrueMrs. True----Erin KillenErin KillenErin KillenErin Killen

Mrs. YoungMrs. YoungMrs. YoungMrs. Young----Sabrina PattersonSabrina PattersonSabrina PattersonSabrina Patterson

From all of us at Epping Elementary School have a From all of us at Epping Elementary School have a From all of us at Epping Elementary School have a From all of us at Epping Elementary School have a

Happy ThanksgivingHappy ThanksgivingHappy ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving