TEACH Update
Mrs. McDonnell and Mrs. Patrie did a
great job organizing the April TEACH reward. Students had a wonderful
time outside playing Wallaby Kickball! They have been working very hard
to earn these rewards and also to earn white slips. Each week during our
TEACH pod meetings, Wallaby white slips are drawn from the raffle box.
Students can pick from a variety of rewards including a prize from the prize
box, lunch with a favorite teacher, or being a special helper. There are
also TEACH suggestion boxes in the office and cafeteria for students to put
their ideas for TEACH rewards. We are very proud of all of the students'
hard work!
Library 
During the
month of May will be celebrating Children’s
Book Week with awesome activities in the library. From May 11th – May 17th,
students will be participating in three events during library classes:
- Make Your Own Book Mark contest
- Book Clues game
- Scavenger Hunt
We will also
be holding our spring BUY ONE GET ONE
FREE Book Fair! The fair will be held during the Night of the Arts on Thursday, May 14th, 5 – 8 PM.
It will not be open during library classes.
Look for Book
Fair flyers and book mark contest information to come home soon.
The April TEACH reward was kickball. We hope everyone had a
good time. Remember children should continue to follow the
teach values and collect those wallaby slips! Keep up the good
work.
Teach Committee+
Art Studio
How wonderful it is to see how proud the
students are when they choose their artwork for display during the Night of the
Arts! The students are selecting a favorite artwork that will on display in the
Washington Oak Art Gallery!
Night of the Arts will
be held on Thursday, May 14th from 4:00~7:00 with many wonderful events
planned. From chorus and band to arts, & a craft, to summer Book Fair!
Please mark that date for a wonderful afternoon and evening filled with art
activities. Watch for the upcoming flyer with specific event times. Please keep
this date available.
In
the Studio:
5th Graders are studying pen
and ink techniques.
4th Grade will be studying
concepts of size and proportion in their May art lessons. Painting florals ala
Georgia O’Keefe and Exaggeration in design
3rd Graders are very excited
about their pastel animals.
Thank you 2nd Graders who remember
to bring in colored sand for our sand art project. We will be studying
landscapes to better understand depth and dimension in art. Please continue to
donate colorful sand.
1st Grade Eric Carle unit is
fun! Tissue fish are everywhere! Lots of
glue and paint will be the focus for May.
Kindergarteners are looking at colors and
line in Stained glass. Please point out local stained glass windows to your
child as you go around town.
See
you at the art show! ~ Mrs. Carlu
Music News from Mrs. St. Martin
We have been very busy learning in the
music room! Grade 1 students have completed their entire beginning music
notation. Great job writing! Grade 2 just finished learning where all the notes
go in the staff so they will be ready to read music next year as they learn
recorders. Grade 3 completed a unit on meter – tough work but they hung in
there! Grade 4 is in the middle of their pioneer music unit to correspond with
their social studies unit. Grade 5 is just completing their jazz unit. They are
the first class to finish all 6 segments from the Ken Burns documentary Jazz adapted for educational use.
Arts Night at Washington Oak is Thursday,
May 14, 2009!!! Recorder students are invited to perform their repertoire for
family and friends at Arts Night starting at 6:00 p.m. The concert will be
about 25 minutes long. Remember to bring back your permission slip for extra
credit and take home your recorder that day! All classes have played through
black belt and most have earned their brown belt! Awesome job recorder
students!
The band and the chorus are gearing up for
the spring concert. They are putting the final touches on their pieces for
“It’s All About Music”. Watch for your invitation to Arts Night, Thursday, May
14th. The band and chorus concert will start at 7: 00 p.m. We will
gather in the music room at 6:30 p.m. to set up instruments and sign each
other’s concert t-shirts. Wear black pants or skirt to go with your t-shirt.
Fifth Grade Band students will perform at
the PAWSOX where they will play the National Anthem on the field! The rehearsal
for the PAWSOX is Tuesday, May 5th from 4:30-5:15 p.m. at Coventry High School. The performance at the
PAWSOX will be on Wednesday May 7th. Report to the first base side,
Gate A at 5:45 p.m. Students will need a music lyre (tiny music stand that
attaches to their instrument) to hold their music as they walk on the field and
play. Return your permission slips ASAP! Remember to wear black pants or skirt
and a white shirt.
Physical Education 
Beginning May 11th, grades k-5 will begin a
walk/run unit. This unit promotes health and fitness and encourages students to
appreciate exercise as a lifelong activity. With a $1.00 donation, students in
grades 3-5 are allowed to bring their IPOD or MP3 player to school on days they
have Physical Education class. The students will be able to listen to their
music as they walk/run on the schools outdoor track. The $1.00 donation will
help raise money for new equipment for the PE department. The students will be
encouraged to wear comfortable walking attire on the days they have Physical
Education. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact
me. Thank you again for your continued support and generosity!
Amy McGovern
From the Health Office
Spring is here and brings the warm weather, birds singing and
flowers blooming!
I know everyone has been watching the news
regarding the H1N1 (swine) flu. It is most important to practice preventative
medicine and make sure your child knows how to wash their hands properly. I
have also seen a resurgence of strep throat; you may have received notices
home.
Growth and Development health education for
4th grade girls and 5th grade boys and girls will take
place on May 7th and 8th.
The
district is also planning a Wellness Week during the week of May 11th.
Each school will be doing different things. Washington Oak has some interesting
things planned with the students.
Be healthy and happy!
Mrs.
Hennessy J
Reading Newsletter
It’s that time of year again…spring
cleaning time! Time to dust off those
books you’ve finished with and donate them to your school or public library. Think about taking stock and choosing a book
you’ve wanted to read but haven’t had the time.
What could be nicer than a book, a cool glass of lemonade and a hammock
or porch swing on a warm spring day?
We’ve been keeping busy in the reading
center here at Washington Oak. Reading
Week was a fun time to learn about new books and revisit old favorites. What fun it has been to walk around the pods
and see the creative door decorations that the teachers and students made for
reading week.
Mrs. Malachowski is helping her students
learn lots about bees and other interesting non-fiction and fiction topics with
her groups in grades K-2. Mrs. Wright is
currently reinforcing non-fiction reading skills with a book about
bananas. We have been practicing
questioning and inferencing techniques as well in groups and with
Raz-Kids. Mrs. Limoges is working with
her students in fourth grade on comprehension and Raz-Kids. Her reading recovery students are making
leaps and bounds!
We wish you all a healthy happy
spring. Here are a few book
recommendations from some of our students:
Cole Loughlin:
GR.4-Old Blood and Guts by Alden Hatch
Dan Cotrone:
Gr.4-Hatchet by Gary Paulson
And for
parents:
Mrs. Malachowski-The
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Mrs. Wright-
Spartina by John Casey
Preschool
The children
are enjoying learning about Earth and ways to keep the earth clean and
green. We are recycling at school and we
encourage you to recycle at home, too.
The preschoolers know that it is very important to throw garbage into
the trash to prevent littering and help planet Earth!
Students will
spend the rest of the school year learning about the remaining letters of the
alphabet. We are beginning letters Dd
and Qq and studying ducks and pond life.
It’s Spring
in New England! The weather can change quickly. Please be sure that your child is prepared to
play outdoors each day. We will be
sending home your child’s extra clothing sometime during the next two
weeks. Please return another set of
clothes that fit (They have grown so much!) and is appropriate for the
season.
We hope that
all Moms have a very special and Happy Mother’s Day!
Ms.
Joy Marshall
Ms. Ellen
Murray
Kindergarten News
We are all
enjoying the wonderful weather! The
children are even enjoying a few minutes of recess each day! What fun! J
Our worms arrived and the children are learning to be scientists. We are asking questions, using our senses to learn,
noticing and observing details, and drawing and writing about what we see in
our science notebooks. Our visit from
the Audubon Society, entitled Wonderful Worms was the perfect way to kick off
our learning about worms!
This month we will continue to be super
scientists with units on Caterpillars/ Butterflies and Planting. We will observe the lifecycle of a butterfly
firsthand, and learn to take care of our butterflies before setting them free. We will also be planting seeds, and learning
about how we can help them to grow. This month our author study on Eric Carle
will give us the opportunity to read many wonderful stories with beautiful
illustrations. We will learn about Eric Carle, how he gets his ideas for his
stories, and how he creates his colorful illustrations. Two particular stories
by Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Tiny Seed will
fit nicely with our themes this month!
Check out some Eric Carle books next time you are at the library!
*The week of May 18th, we will
be administering a test called the GRADE to our Kindergartners. The test will be administered in the
classroom for short periods each day over the course of the week. Be sure your child gets adequate rest and a
good breakfast so they can be at their best! J
Enjoy the
month of May!
Mrs. Abood
and Mrs. Schofield J
Grade 1
The warm weather is upon
us finally! The children in first grade are excited about their field
trip to Mystic Aquarium. Please send in $18 in an envelope with you
child's name and permission slip if you have not done so already. We will
pick the chaperones from a lottery. Chaperones will be notified the week
of May 4th.
All students and
chaperones should bring a bagged lunch. We will not visit the gift shop,
so there is no need to bring money.
First grade
students are allowed to bring in water bottles and keep them in their
cubbies. It can get quite warm in the classrooms, so please remind your
child to bring one each morning.
The children in
first grade will be taking a standardized reading test during the week of May
18th. Please make sure your child gets to bed on time and has a good
breakfast. This can really help the students’ concentration and test
results.
Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the
beautiful weather!
Grade 2
Spring has really sprung in grade two! We have begun our last
science kit on Pebbles, Sand and Silt. Children will be classifying and sorting
rocks as they explore the places earth materials are found and the many ways
that they are used. These lessons coincide nicely with our work on our
"Garbage to Gardens" grant. We will be visiting URI 's
learning landscapes on May 5th and 6th and continuing our work throughout the
month arranging and planting our new flower beds under the windows on the
playground side of the building.
The weather outside is FINALLY nice out and summer shoe time
has arrived. However running outside in flip flops can be dangerous....so maybe
sneakers/sandals would be best.(also remember sneakers on gym days) As
spring fever settles in any extra reinforcement you can provide for completing
homework would be helpful.
An additional THANK YOU to our volunteers this year is certainly
in order! With our large numbers your help was beneficial has been greatly
appreciated!!!!!
Grade 3
Thank goodness that
the warm weather is here! After a long winter the children are enjoying
being outside during recess, gym, and sometimes even for lessons, as a special
treat. Unfortunately, sometimes students lose recess as a consequence of
not having homework. Please encourage your child to remember their
homework. Typically, it should be taking around 30 minutes to complete
nightly homework. Thanks for your support!
As a continuation of the RADKIDS program
Office Lombardi and School Resource Officer Burlingame will be teaching a
refresher class focusing on 'out and about safety'. They have requested
that students bring a canned good for the food bank. More information
will follow regarding this special program.
A fieldtrip notice has been handed out
for our trip to the Aperion Institute for Environmental Living On May
12th. It's located right here in Coventry!
This fieldtrip complements the service learning project related to recycling
that was completed this year. We are so proud of our 3rd graders for
doing such a great job recycling at Washington Oak. Keep up the great
work, students!
We are running low on pencils and
tissues and would greatly appreciate donations!
Grade 4
Grade 4 students have begun their final
science kit, ecosystems. Thank you to parents for sending in soda bottles and
to those of you who assisted in cutting them and putting them together. We will
be adding terrarium and aquarium components over the next few weeks. Mrs. Hammer’s
class has enjoyed working with Ms. Ribeiro, who will be with us until Friday,
May 8th. The third trimester
project, writing and illustrating a children’s book, was assigned and is due on
Monday, June 1st. NECAP testing in Science for grade
4 will take place on the mornings of May 19, 20, and 21st. Please make every
effort to have your child here on time. Also, all students need to be well
rested and have a good breakfast the mornings of the test. We appreciate your
cooperation. Happy Spring!
Grade 5
Toy Projects due Monday, May 11th.
They will be on display on Arts Night in the red pod. Upcoming fieldtrips
will be the RI Philharmonic on May 6th and Gilbert Stuart on May 14th
and 15th. Ms. McKinney and Mrs. Pullano’s classes will attend
The Gilbert Stuart Museum on the 14th. Mr. Greenwood and Mr.
Colomb’s classes will attend on the 15th. The Safety Patrol
fieldtrip will be on June 3, 2009. Permisson slips will be going home
soon. The grade 5 end of the year celebration at Camp Westwood
will be on Monday, June 22nd. All parents are invited! Spanish
students from Coventry
High school have been
teaching Spanish lessons to our 5th graders on Thursday
mornings. They will be here for the month of May.
Dates to Remember
Monday, May 4- May 8 Faculty
and Staff appreciation week
Tuesday, May 5 TEACH meeting
8:20
Grade
2 rms 168 & 166 fieldtrip
Wednesday, May 6 Grade
2 rms 169 & 171 fieldtrip
Grade
5 fieldtrip to Philharmonic
Thursday, May 7 School Based
Improvement Team meeting 8:20
Friday, May 8 Feinstein
Sports Day
Saturday, May 9 Mothers’ Day Applebee’s’
breakfast
Sunday, May 10 Happy Mothers’
Day!
Monday, May 11-15 Wellness
Week
Tuesday, May 12 Grade 3
fieldtrip rms 164 & 165
PTA
meeting 6:30
Wednesday. May 13 Grade
3 fieldtrip rms. 170 & 167
Thursday, May 14 Arts
Night and grade 5 toy display
Friday, May 15 Midtrimester
3 reports home
May 19, 20, & 21 NECAP
grade 4
Monday, May 25 No school-
Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 26 Grade 1 to
Mystic Aquarium
Wednesday, May 27 Grade
5 PowerPoint presentations for superintendent
Thursday, May 28 Elementary
Service Learning celebration 6-7p.m. at CHS
