Welcome to the Windham, New Hampshire School District

It's difficult to believe that another academic year has nearly passed us by. It seems like only yesterday we were welcoming students for their first day of school!

May was a productive month at Center School. All students completed their spring writing prompts and children in grade 4 participated in the statewide science NECAP assessment. The drama club entertained us with an outstanding performance of a new student generated version of Cinderella and grade 3 children competed in the Battle of the Books.

These final weeks will be busy and exciting, as we wrap up the curriculum and prepare to say goodbye to our homeroom families. During the month of June students will enjoy grade level Field Days, evening band and choral performances, Step-up-day, and the 5^th grade promotional exercises. The last day of school for students will be June 19^th, with an early dismissal at 12:00. Treasure these final days, and enjoy the well deserved, warmer weather!

If there is a last minute change in plans for your child’s afternoon dismissal that includes someone other than yourself picking the child up, the policy of the building is that this request must be documented in writing via fax or e-mail. To ensure the safety of each and every student here at Center School, you will be asked to call the office to verify that we have received this communication. The student will not be notified until the parent has verified that we have received this fax or e-mail.

Unless asked, please do not use e-mail as a tool for corresponding with the office staff for afternoon changes. There is no guarantee that the e-mail was received, i.e. office staff member's absence.

Wow, it's hard to believe that our year in third grade is almost over! We have the third grade violin concert coming up and we're practicing our songs for Westward Ho! The big event – ROUND UP DAY – will be June 11^th. We also have our visiting cowboy, Skip Gorman, on the 16^th. He will be teaching us about real cowboys and songs and musical instruments all at the same time! As pioneers, we'll be traveling the trail and learning all about the western expansion.

Our eggs are in the incubator and are due to hatch around June 5^th, which is also Step Up Day! What a big day for all of us! We're learning all about the life cycles of chicks as we check their development with "candling".

The weather is getting warmer, daylight longer, and summer vacation plans are coming together. We are in our final push of the year and cannot believe the end is upon us! The fourth grade will spend the remaining weeks of the school year wrapping up our curriculum in all subjects. Some remaining highlights include Move-up Day, June 4^th, Field Day, June 4^th, and a field trip to Strawbery Banke, June 13^th. It has been a busy, but productive year. Have a great summer vacation.

During the last month of school we will be enjoying many activities. The children have visited the Middle School to get acquainted with their sixth grade teachers and the new building. We are looking forward to visiting the Charlestown Naval Shipyard in conjunction with our study of the War of 1812. The fifth graders will also be involved in a day long field day on Wednesday, June 7^th. We anticipate a fun day.

In addition to these activities, the students continue to work hard each day. The fifth grade teachers continue to encourage each child to work to their full potential. It has been a pleasure working with you and your children this year.

We would like to congratulate Mr. Synder's class for winning the Jump Rope for Heart classroom contest. Mr. Synder's class raised close to $2000 for the American Heart Association. For all their work, Mr. Synder's class has earned a playground package filled with equipment to be used for fun playground activities. Center School's Jump Rope event and Hoops events raised over $23,000 for the fight against heart disease and stroke. Our thank you to the entire Center School families who helped in our efforts and to the PTA for their ever support for our events.

The end of the year is approaching fast and we are now in the planning for our annual Field Days. Please remember to send sunscreen, water and sneakers with your child on their day. This year's schedule is the following:

Our field days would not be possible without the help of the volunteers from the PTA. These volunteers will be monitoring the different activities in which all the students participate. If you would like to volunteer, please email mleahy@windhamsd.org. Help us make this a memorable day for all or our students!!

Congratulations to all the students who worked so hard and gave an all-star performance in our school's production of Cinderella! Allow me to mention Nathan Houde, whose name was inexplicably left off our program - he played our Geeky Brother and was the understudy for the Minister.

Thank you to all the parents and staff that helped make this year's Theatre production a smashing success!

Thank you,
Ms. Coakley

The 3^rd grade Final Battle will take place in the café on May 28^th from 1:15-2:30pm. All of the teams have done a great job!

Congratulations to author Cynthia Lord, the Maine author who wrote Rules, the Great Stone Face Award winner for 2008. Thanks for voting! Start reading now for next April's voting (incoming 4^th-6^th graders). You must read 3+ books to be eligible to vote. The 2008-09 list is posted online at http://destiny.windhamsd.org under "Windham Center School"—Summer Reading.

Students—(and parents!)—do you want to see Mr. Desrosiers dressed in a silly costume, while directing traffic during morning drop-off and afternoon bus dismissal? He has agreed to do so, in September, if students meet the challenge of collectively reading at least 2,008 books over the summer. Watch for summer reading packets to come home on Step-Up Day. They will include suggested reading lists and a reading log for students to return in the fall. Reading lists also will be posted in early June at http://destiny.windhamsd.org under "Windham Center School"—Summer Reading. Please help students remember to use the log to record their summer reading. Thanks!

Fifth graders will be receiving information about summer reading early in June. While summer reading is not required at WMS, it is strongly suggested. Students who are interested in receiving a quiz grade that can be used to replace a lower grade during the first quarter have the opportunity to complete a project about one book they have read over the summer. This is an easy way to start sixth grade with some extra credit. In early June all suggested reading lists and criteria for the project will be found at http://destiny.windhamsd.org on the home page of the Windham Middle School section.

The Breakfast Book Club is reading the challenging fantasy novel Eragon, and the Wednesday afternoon group is finishing the year with a movie and a book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We have had a great year of learning and enjoying books in the media center.

This month, all three grade levels will be enjoying an activity called Unique Knowledge. Unique Knowledge is a team game which gleans questions from our general curriculum, testing not only our students' knowledge, but their ability to cooperate with fellow students to achieve a common goal. It is an activity that is well enjoyed by the students, and a great way to review some of what they have learned this year.

Many classes will also attempt the challenging activity of spelling words backwards. This is a skill many have not yet had an opportunity to discover, and many are amazed at how talented they actually are at spelling even lengthy words backwards!

If your child is interested in participating on a Windham Middle School sports team please remember that an updated Physical Exam will need to be on file before try-outs. Book your appointments early to avoid a problem for the fall sports season.

Spring season seems to be in full swing. Students and their families are busy with many activities, including many outdoor functions. Providing protection from too much sun, insect/tick bites and overheating are very important. Remind your children to dress in light weight clothing, use hats/sunglasses and sunscreen and drink lots of water. Bike/skate helmets and protective gear are so important in preventing injury due to accidents at this time of year.

If your child does have an injury that requires care or special accommodations at school, please call the nurse's office. We want to work with you to ensure safety while here at school. Please obtain an MD note if PE/recess restrictions are required.

Student's that have medication here at school will be receiving a notice about medication pick-up prior to the last day of school. Forms will be given out to renew orders for the 08-09 school year. Please remember, if your child will require a prescription medication during the school day, proper MD/parent documentation is required and medication must be in an original, labeled pharmacy container.