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2007-2008
Highlights |
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Fifth graders
raise most for
Pasta for Pennies
program
JUNE
2008—Fifth
graders in Chris Galloway's class raised the most money
at Maple Hill, a total of $489.87,
this June for the
Pasta for Pennies program—a
national fundraising program in partnership with The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
"I am very proud of my class
for how hard they worked to raise money for such a good
cause," said Galloway. " We watched a couple of videos
about children living with Leukemia and Lymphoma and the
students really took it seriously and wanted to do what
they could to help children living with these illnesses.
They emptied their piggy banks, asked family for
donations, and went door to door to help raise money."
Galloway's class was rewarded by Olive Garden
with a pasta party for
raising the most money at Maple Hill for the cause.
The school raised about $4,000 total.
 Peer mediators
celebrate with end of the year awards ceremony
JUNE
2008—Fourth
and fifth grade students that serve as peer mediators at
the school had their end of the year awards ceremony and
celebration on June 6.
According to
Barbara Driscoll, youth trainer from the Dispute
Resolution Center, close to 50 fourth and fifth graders
were trained as peer mediators at the school this year.
Through mediation,
disputing students have the chance to resolve situations
in a manner that is fair to all with the help of peer
mediators. Not only do the peer mediators gain
invaluable communication and problem solving skills in
the training, but participating students learn from
their peers’ positive role modeling.
All peer mediation
trainings and program funding are made possible by
the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant.
Students
pictured above are: Back row: (left to right): Angelica
Butler, Joseph Brunning, Teara
Yarber, Jennifer Zepeda.
Front row: Marissa Brown, Joseph Ferara,
Salvatore Pupo, George Miller.
Family Fun Night celebrates Middletown students and
their participation in the district's after-school
program
MAY
2008—On
Friday, May 16, Middletown students and their families
enrolled in the district’s after-school program came out
for the first annual after-school celebration “Family Fun
Night” held at Maple Hill Elementary School.
Click here to read more.
Fifth graders get
'middle schooled'
MAY 2008—Fifth graders at Maple Hill Elementary
School got a taste of what middle school is all about on
May 21. Students visited their designated middle school
to be, either Twin Towers or Monhagen, and spent time
touring the buildings, learning about school policies
and expectations, and the programs available to them.
"The transition
from elementary school to middle school often brings
about feelings of anxiety in children. These
feelings are typical of most children as they
prepare for a new life experience. Our middle
school orientation program provides children
information and answers their questions about what
their middle school experience will be like. It
helps the children to understand that they will be
in a safe, nurturing environment, be challenged
academically, and have a variety of opportunities to
participate in extra-curricular activities," said
Gordon Dean, TTMS principal.
Students learned about
the academic program, arts and after-school programs, music electives, and schedules
along with the usage of lockers. Students were also
introduced to team teachers and counselors and
introduced to
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)
services, which promotes positive student behavior in
our schools.
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Maple Hill students give big to troops
stationed in Iraq
APRIL 2008—Gail
Sgandurra, fourth grade teacher at Maple Hill
Elementary school, along with her students are
showing their support for troops.
Students in her class have been writing to her
son-in-law, Lt. Andrew Holler, and his platoon since
they were stationed in Iraq in May 2007.
“My class has been writing to him throughout the
year. They have made paper turkeys for Thanksgiving
and paper poinsettias for Christmas,” Sgandurra
said. “Each time they offer the soldiers in my
son-in-law's platoon words of encouragement.”
Recently the class decided to reach out to the Iraq
children through the soldiers. Class money was used
to purchase candy and toys to make 48 goodie bags.
Items included: cookies, chocolate, crayons, bouncy
balls, and party noise makers, and were sent to
Iraq.
Lt. Holler and his men will be handing out bags to
Iraqi children and have promised to send the class
photos of their efforts in the coming months.
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Mayor
Marlinda Duncanson reads to students at Maple Hill
on March 27. |
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Reading is
fundamental at Maple Hill
MARCH 2008—Third graders at Maple Hill Elementary School
got the chance to select a book of their choice on March
27 thanks to Reading is Fundamental (RIF),
a program designed
to provide free books to students in order to promote
the importance of reading. The PTO also provided a
donation to purchase some of the books.
"Our students are
fortunate to take home a book today to keep and enjoy,"
said Felicia Karamitis, a reading teacher at the school. Karamitis, along with fellow teachers Caitlin
Hoppey, Gina Churns, and Adrienne Gaither were all on
hand for the event to help students select books based
on their reading level as well as interests. Also on hand for the
event was Mayor
Marlinda Duncanson, who read several selections to
students.
Each third grader will
have the chance to select two more books before the end
of June as the school plans to host two more book distribution
sessions.
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Maple Hill students work on creating video poems
together. |
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Students pair classroom and life
skills to create video poems
MARCH 2008—Maple
Hill Elementary School students are no strangers to
poetry. Students at the school have been working with
Georgia Popoff, the district’s Writer in Residence,
since 2006 to master skills of rhyme and imagery, and
have created poetry about themselves and in response
to current events affecting our community and nation.
This winter, students worked with Popoff to create a
collective poem and then got some help from Tim Sutton
and The Children's Media Project (CMP)
in using
media and moving art. The result—fourth and fifth
graders created video poems pairing their writing, art
and technology skills with life skills of critical
thinking, team work and comprehension.
Several fourth grade classes created the collective
poem entitled "We Are…I Am," which is about the
diverse cultural and personal identities of children
in America, including who they are and who they want
to be. Then fifth graders took over, creating
animations and audio recordings to go along with their
peers’ poem with help from Sutton.
“The video poems allowed students to learn how to
translate their thoughts and feelings into language
and moving art, challenging them to think abstractly
about who they are and how they want to express
themselves to others,” said Maria Marewski, Founder
and Executive Producer of the CMP. “By involving both
grades, students used critical thinking and worked
together to effectively translate another's words into
art.”
The project is just one of the many activities that
Arts in Education programming is bringing to
Middletown students. Students are getting the chance
to pair classroom skills and life skills, all the
while working with professional artists and writers
and learning across the curriculums.
Various professional artists are currently visiting
Middletown schools and will do so throughout the year
as part of the district’s Arts in Education
programming.
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Students in the Pipers performed for Maple Hill
students on Feb. 14. |
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Pipers sing and dance
for students
FEB.2008—The Middletown High School Pipers performed for
students at Maple Hill on Feb. 14. The group sang and
danced to various selections including:
"Knock On Wood," "My
Strongest Suit," from Disney's "Aida," "Do You Love Me,"
"But It's Alright," "Hot, Hot, Hot," and "Sugar Pie,
Honey Bunch."
The Pipers are
set to compete at Disney in April and used their
district-wide tour as extra practice and as a way to
connect with younger students that may one day be
interested in being a Piper too. After their routine,
Pipers took time out to meet students and answer some
questions.
Black History Month kicks off at Maple Hill with some
help from Board members Roy Paul & John Perrino
FEB.2008—Black
History Month is celebrated each year in February. To
kick off the festivities at Maple Hill Elementary
School, Board of Education members Roy Paul and John
Perrino worked with students at the school on Feb.4 to
get them thinking and talking about influential African
Americans.
Mr. Paul, accompanied by
Shannon Wong of the New Windsor YMCA, played a familiar game
of Who Wants to be a Millionaire with students using
Black History trivia to test students' knowledge of African
Americans and their accomplishments. Students answered
questions on Helen Keller, Dr. Martin Luther King, The
Greensboro Four, among others, and had fun in the process.
In
addition, Board of Education member John Perrino visited
several fourth grade classrooms at Maple Hill and
discussed influential African Americans such as Rosa
Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Carter Woodson,
creator of Black History Month.
"I
was extremely impressed with the background knowledge of
the students and the good behavior of the classes," Mr.
Perrino said. "The teachers are doing an excellent job."
The school also participated in the 19th Annual National
African American Read-In event on Feb. 4.
Students look on as teacher Megan Creenan (left)
demonstrates one of the four instruments students
can choose to play as part of the new strings
program. |
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Sounds of music to be
heard in 2008
District to launch new strings program at Maple Hill and
Mechanicstown Elementary Schools
DEC.2007—Maple
Hill and Mechanicstown Elementary Schools will be filled
with the sounds of music come 2008, as the new strings
program at both schools is launched.
Students in grades three and four (who aren't already in
band) will have a choice to play the violin, viola,
cello or bass. And thanks to new strings teacher Megan
Creenan, students are getting the chance to learn a
little bit about each instrument before they have to
make such a tough decision.
Creenan, along with her four instruments, has been
making the rounds at both schools doing demonstrations,
and she’ll continue to do so during January.
To read more
click here! |
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Maple Hill kids hit
the stage to perform for their peers, family, and
friends
DEC.2007—Maple Hill students in the school's band
and chorus took to the stage in Dec. 2007 to perform
holiday hits for their peers, teachers and staff members
during the day. The groups also performed an evening
concert for parents, grand-parents, and family.
Maple Hill kids give thanks—Grandparents
honored at school
NOV.2007—Students
at Maple Hill Elementary School gave thanks for their
grandparents as part of Grandparents' Day on Nov. 21 at the
school. Grandparents, parents, family members and friends
were all invited to the special assembly where students and
teachers sang songs, read poems and shouted cheers honoring
their grandparents.
 May the best
butterfly win
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther
asks Maple Hill elementary schoolers to cast their vote
in butterfly race
OCT.2007—Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther visited students on Oct. 25 to talk to them
about government and the voting process in our
country. She also asked boys and girls to cast their
vote to adopt a state butterfly. Maple
Hill third, fourth and fifth graders took part
in the butterfly vote on November 5.
Gunther joined with many of her Assembly colleagues
across the state in this initiative.
Students reviewed information on five butterfly
nominees, as provided by the office of Assemblywoman Gunther, after which they casted their votes.
Results will be submitted to Gunther's office and
after votes are received from
all other schools from across the state, the winning
butterfly will be put into legislation to be voted on by
the Senate
and Assembly.
"This is your
opportunity to have a voice in government," Gunther said
to students. "That's what voting is all about."
Butterflies in the running included:
the
Black Swallowtail; the Karner Blue Butterfly; Milbert's
Tortoiseshell; the Mourning Cloak; and the Red Spotted
Purple or White Admiral.
Click here for a photo gallery!
Art Night brings
Maple Hill families together
OCT.2007—Art
Night was held at Maple Hill on Thursday, Oct. 25. Families
worked together on an art project together and had fun in
the process.
Click
here for a photo gallery!
Maple Hill welcomes
a new assistant principal
SEPT.2007—Students
and staff welcomed Jessica Turner, new assistant
principal at Maple Hill Elementary School. Ms. Turner
replaces Alan Lewis, who retired in June, and Marlene
Gaynor, now working at Special Services! |
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This
page is maintained by Melissa
Cortellini, public information specialist, according to Web
publishing guidelines used by the Enlarged City School
District of Middletown. All rights reserved. This Web site was produced
by the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service. © 2003 |
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