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J. R. Briggs Elementary School Briggs At Large Newsletter The Voice of John R. Briggs Elementary School March 25, 2005 Volume 23, Number 24 |
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Upcoming events—March Mar. 30 Early Release—12 p.m. dismissal Mar. 28 – 31 MCAS; Gr. 3 & 5 April 5, 6, 7 Kindergarten Registration April 5 Joint School Council Meeting Oakmont Library Band practice at Oakmont April 6 MCAS: Gr. 4, ELA Long Composition Band night at Oakmont April 8 Mother/Son Dance From the Library Thanks so much to everyone for contributing to a very successful Scholastic Book Fair. Special thanks go to those who volunteered to help set up, take down, and work at the Book Fair. It was great to see the “regulars” as well as some new faces volunteering. You are each very much appreciated! Funds generated from the Book Fair are used to purchase replacement and new resources for the library, which services the entire school. Thanks again for all your purchases! KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION On April 5, 6, and 7 children will be screened for Vision and Hearing. Parents need to call the John R. Briggs Elementary School Office (978-827-5750) after March 14, 2005 to make an appointment for one of the above dates. During the registration appointment parents will complete forms for registering their child for Kindergarten for the 2005-2006 school year. Parents are also asked to call the Special Education Office (978-874-6170) to make a separate appointment for screening for any three or four year olds that may have a disability. Youth Art Month Exhibit March is Student Art Month and it is celebrated each year with a special exhibit of student art from school within central Massachusetts. Art teachers may submit up to five pieces of art from their school. The display in open to the public from March 2 – April 4 in the Higgins Education Wing of the Worcester Art Museum. The exhibit is open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. 0 5 p.m. All are welcome to attend and admission is free. Congratulations to our five student artists from J.R. Briggs! Kyle B.: Dream Catcher Julia H.: Mixed Media Scarecrow Tristan L.: Pastel Flowers Kayla M.: Paper Mache Mask Sarah W.: Woven Basket Ashburnham/Westminster Community Benefit Hockey Game Saturday, April 2, 5:00pm at Cushing’s Iorio Arena Fun for the Whole Family! Chuck-a-Puck, Kayak Race, Prizes to be raffled Special appearance by: The Wallace Snow Birds The National Anthem by Oakmont Student Jen St. Jean Tickets on sale at: Westminster & Ashburnham Police Dept., Ashburnham Wine & Spirits, Oakmont, Overlook, West. Elementary, J. R. Briggs (C. St.Cyr) Ashburnham/Westminster Faculty Members vs Local & State Police to benefit the Dupuis Family of Ashburnham. Fourth Grade News! Rockin’ along in grade 4 – we finished our rocks and minerals unit and did a SUPER job on our creative Landforms Dictionaries. No bones about it - our new science unit is awesome - “Bones, Skeletons and Animal Adaptations”! Check this out! While a pickin’ and a pokin’ at mystery objects, we found many tiny skulls, jaw bones, teeth, ribs, hips and legs along with a lot of fuzz and fur. Can you guess what our mystery objects were? If not, ask a fourth grader. Thanks to a grant-sponsored program brought to our school by staff members from the Nashua River Valley Watershed Association, our fourth graders recently became “bone-vestigators”. They worked on activities in 5 stations that involved weighing, measuring, comparing, sorting, classifying and categorizing bones and skulls from a variety of animals. It was a blast from the past! Non-fiction is the name of the game for our fourth graders’ current book project. Face the facts and list them on those game cards! Ready, set, go - first one to the finish line wins the game! Practice makes perfect they say. Math homework, lately, is focused on practice for the upcoming MCAS testing. Language arts practice is here too. MCAS testing is coming for grade 4 in April and May. Watch the upcoming events in the Briggs At Large. Don’t stress, just do your best! McGruff In honor of the 25th anniversary of McGruff, the crime fighting dog, the Friends of Stevens Memorial Library and the Ashburnham Police Department sponsored a special program on “Bullying” that was presented to grades K-4 on March 23rd & 24th by Officer Ahearn and Library Director Cheryl Bradley. The video that was shown is available at the Stevens Memorial Library. Extended Day News… April vacation is coming quick! If you need childcare, or are just looking for fun activities, call 978-827-1412 soon to reserve your space! Grow Power for Young Eaters There will be a free workshop on nutrition for children on Thursday, April 7th at J.R. Briggs Elementary School Library, 96 Williams Road, Ashburnham at 6:30-8:00 p.m. Childcare will be provided if parents pre-register. Are your children fussy eaters? Feeding kids isn’t easy. Become familiar with the Dietary Guidelines for American. Learn the ABC’s: Aim for fitness; Build a healthy base; Choose sensibly. Come learn important choices for your child’s nutrition. Registration is required. Sponsored by the Ashburnham-Westminster Community Partnership. Call Sandi Thibodeau for more details or to register: 978-874-7312. PROJECT CONNECT
Dr. Ned Hallowell will present “Connecting with your children” Wednesday March 30, 7-9 p.m. Oakmont High School For more information or to register for any of these events, please call 978-874-7312 Ashburnham Little League Fair and Car Wash April 23rd Overlook Middle School 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
We are in need of volunteers in various areas. Please spread the word as we are hoping to make this a great day! Contact Corrie Swanson for more information at (978) 827-6953. INDOOR FLEA MARKET First Congregational Church 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA Saturday, April 9, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. There will be a coffee shop, luncheon and bake sale open during the Flea Market. Tables: $15.00 Please call: 978-874-0632. FREE PARENT SEMINAR The guidance department at Oakmont High School is sponsoring: Making College Financial Planning Count Thursday April 7th –7-8 p.m. Oakmont Auditorium This one hour program will offer an understanding how the college financing process works and will include a look at; How to plan for and manage college cost; The affordability myth of public versus private colleges and universities; Types of financial aid that are available; Options your family has in developing a college funding strategy; How colleges and universities look at a divorced household; How to send your child to college without risking your family’s financial future. By attending the presentation, you will have the opportunity to receive a FREE Paying for Your College Education booklet from Bank America. http://www.makingitcount.com/seminar MCAS Update The spring will be a very busy MCAS testing time at JRB. This year students in grades 3 and 5 will have additional question try-out sessions. A preliminary testing schedule for grades 3-5 is posted on the PTO – Parent Bulletin Board. March 28th – Gr. 5 Reading Try-Out March 29th – Gr. 3 Reading March 30th – Gr. 3 Reading March 31st – Gr. 3 Reading April 6th – Gr. 4 ELA Long Composition Please be sure to have your child arrive to school on time, having had a good night’s sleep and nutritious breakfast. March Student Council This month our 5th Grade Student Council is taking on a local community project. Many of you may have heard the sad story of “Muma”, the Siberian Husky that Mrs. and Officer Ahearn adopted. We have been making “Kid Friendly” edible Puppy Chow to sell at our school ($1.00 per bag). Thank you to everyone who have contributed to this project. The response has been overwhelming. A special “Thanks” to the Ashburnham MarketPlace, DeMoulas and Gardner Stop and Shop for their generous donations to our project. A donation jar is also in the School Office, if you wish to make a donation for Muma. Notes from Band Exciting news!!! In addition to our March 23rd solo and ensemble Band Concert, there will be a Band Night Concert held at ORHS on Wednesday April 6, 2005 featuring all the bands in the District. A bus will take the band students from Briggs to Oakmont on Tuesday April 5, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. to practice in the afternoon. Parents will need to pick up their children at 4:15 p.m. at Oakmont and bring the children to Oakmont at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday April 6th (meet in the cafeteria) for the concert. Each school band will perform a few minutes then everyone, grades 3-12, will perform together. This is a great opportunity for the elementary students to be helped and inspired by the older students! Fundraiser Lions Club Buffet Breakfast April 3, 2005—8 – 11 a.m. Town Hall in Ashburnham $4/person—no charge under 3 yrs. Proceeds to benefit JRB Nature’s Classroom Scholarship Fund Last updated 03/26/05 by Tiffany Davis. |
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