Memorial Elementary School Bulletin

 

IMPORTANT DATES
June 18th    LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS – DISMISSAL AT 11:15
Aug. 27th    STUDENTS’ FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Aug. 28th    KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION
Sept. 1st     NO SCHOOL – LABOR DAY
Sept. 2nd     FIRST FULL DAY FOR KINDERGARTEN

FROM THE OFFICE/MRS. R.
Dear Memorial Families,
Well, this is it – our last bulletin before the long-awaited start of summer vacation!  It has truly been a great year, punctuated by many wonderful events that celebrate learning as well as the kinship that develops in a community like ours.  

Last night, 5th graders celebrated moving up to middle school in grand style with a special ceremony in the gym, followed by a dance-party with DJ Jack Ferren.  Today, they are off for a day of fun and next week they will receive a yearbook to help them remember ‘life’ at Memorial School.  Special thanks to the 5th grade committee, chaired by Karen Heffler and Nancy Sahagian, the Yearbook Committee coordinated by Shital Bhammar, Jeanmarie Parker, Diane Babineau, Marissa Connolly, and Diane Porter, fourth grade parents Michelle Frey and Kerry Conley who put out tasty treats for the celebrating fifth grade families after the moving up ceremony, and to the many others who worked on these events and activities.  This is just another example of the ways members of the Memorial Community come together to make good things happen for Memorial kids! 

As I have said in the past, it is the people who make the place, and Memorial School is a special one because of all of you!  I look forward to working with you again next year, and wish you and your family a safe, relaxing, and fun-filled summer! 

BURLINGTON EDUCATION FOUNDATION  Thank you for all your support during the 2007/2008 school year!  Your children are benefiting because of your support.  Help is needed as we plan for next year.  For more information, visit our website at www.burlingtonedfoundation.org

CALLING ALL MEMORIAL KINDERGARTNERS-TO-BE
Who's ready to move on from preschool? On Monday, June 16th, from 10am - 11:30am, come meet other incoming Memorial kindergarten students at Wildmere Park. This is a great opportunity to meet other children they will be attending kindergarten with.  Please RSVP to Donna Noonan.

THE SHUT UP CLUB There’s a new Club in town with the main goal of making its members feel happy & share a lot of laughs.  It’s a support group for parents of children (on IEP’s, 504’s) and it has a very unique, catchy name - “The Shut Up Club.”  The “Club” will work closely with the Burlington Special Education Parent Advisory Council (PAC); however, the two organizations are separate.  The Shut Up Club will have its first official kick-off meeting on Friday, June 13th 7:30 p.m. at Flatbread Pizza, 313 Burlington Road, Bedford.  All parents are welcome.  A private room has been reserved and food and beverage will be available for purchase.  There will also be a visit from a surprise guest.

DARE of Burlington invites you to our 20th annual D.A.R.E. Day held on Saturday, June 14th, from 11:00 to 3:00 on the Burlington Common.  Come out and help us celebrate our 20th year.  We promise a day filled with fun activities, games, amusements, exhibits, raffles, music, a variety of food concessions, and much more. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please contact your school D.A.R.E. Task Team member, or Officer Steve Cross or Officer Keith Sheppard, scross@burlmass.org or ksheppard@burlmass.org.

RECYCLING COMMITTEE  Spring cleaning… summer parties… so many opportunities to recycle rather than just put everything in the trash!  All this is picked up at curbside.  Glass bottles, metal cans, and plastic containers should be rinsed.  Plastic - milk, water, juice and detergent jugs. Paper - newspapers, magazines, cereal and tissue boxes collapsed.  Questions? Call Town Hall (781) 270-1672 or Allied Waste at 1-800-442-9006.  Permanent lists are sent from the Town and also appear on page C19 of the local Burlington Community Connection Yellow Pages, which comes to all residents. Thank you from the Burlington Recycling Committee

P.S.  Invite your child to take responsibility for your family’s recycling this summer.  We’ve had lots of experience here at our school doing exactly that!  It will help him or her to become more responsible, reduce your own list of chores, help reduce the town’s expenses for trash pick-up, and of course, help the planet too. 

SUMMER READING  As you make your vacation plans, don’t forget to add summer reading to your list.  Summer shouldn’t mean taking a break from learning, especially reading!  Studies shows that most students experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months, but
children who continue to read maintain or actually gain skills.

From “3 Ways to Prevent ‘Summer Slide’ ”
by Francie Alexander (www.readingrockets.org/article/15020)

Six books to summer success
Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader (or any reader, for that matter!) from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right – not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child's age, interests, and abilities.   Libraries often run summer reading programs that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area. Also check our booklists for recommendations.

Read something every day

Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:

• Morning: The newspaper – even if it is just the comics or today's weather.
• Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter or son likes the food channel, help him or her look for a recipe on the network's Web site – then cook it together for more reading practice.
• Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book he or she is currently reading (one of the six books, above).  Have your child rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Re-reading will help him or her to be more fluent – able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.

Keep reading aloud

Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, but especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so he or she will build listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will increase your child’s knowledge and experience with text, so that he or she will do better when reading independently.