Macdonough School Spelling Bee

The annual Macdonough School Spelling Bee was held on May 12th.  After seven grueling rounds, 5th grader Scott Santos emerged as the 2010 champion!

Garden Club at Work

Thanks to the members of our Garden Club for their work in getting the garden ready for another season!

3rd Grade Tours Historical Sites in Middletown

On Wednesday, the third graders, accompanied by parents Ms. Rose, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Genovese, Mr. Daniels, Ms. Alex and Ms. Whittle, spent the whole day visiting some important historical landmarks in Middletown. We learned about Saint Sebastian Church, The Russell House, the first high school in Connecticut, a location on the Underground Railroad, the Adath Israel Synagogue, the DeKoven House and the Old Meeting House. We also toured the Historical Society in the Mansfield House. A big thanks to Debbie Shapiro for teaching us so much about Middletown's role during the Revolutionary and Civil War. Before eating lunch at the lovely Harbor Park, we spent time at City Hall. Mayor Guiliano taught us all about Middletown's government and his role as the city's mayor. Special thanks to Police Chief McMahon for spending time with us during lunch and making sure we were all safe. Enjoy the pictures from our day around Middletown.

Macdonough School Walks the North End Trail!

Macdonough School participated in this year's Project ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) on May 5 at 10:00 a.m.

The event took place as part of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month along with National Physical Education Week. It has been labeled as "the world's largest exercise class" by the media.

Macdonough students, teachers, and parents walked the North End Trail in Middletown. The trail is a one mile loop through historic sections of the city's north end neighborhood. Following the walk, a fresh fruit snack was enjoyed by all!

Middletown Fire Department Visits Macdonough

Members of the Middletown Fire Department visited Macdonough School to teach fire safety to second and third grade students.  The fire fighters brought the department's Smoke Trailer to provide a hands on experience for the children.

The purpose of the Smoke Trailer is to advance fire safety and preparation techniques. The Smoke Trailer is a useful tool in teaching both the young and old to find safety in a fire. The Smoke Trailer if filled with a non-toxic smoke and visitors are led to safety. The demonstration is designed to make the public aware of fire safety, home fire prevention and the importance of establishing a safe escape route

Macdonough School Awarded Grant!

Cabot Creamery has awarded Macdonough School a grant to support the Walking Wednesdays program! 

Cabot Creamery, a 1,200 farm family dairy cooperative with members in New England and upstate New York, is a company that recognizes and support initiatives promoting healthy kids and families.  The "Walking Wednesdays" program is a perfect example of a community event which supports healthy lifestyle choices.

Edna and Benjamin Shenker Creative Writing Contest

Russell Library sponsors the Edna and Benjamin Shenker Creative Writing Contest annually. The contest is held in memory of Mrs. Shenker who was an avid reader and library user, and Dr. Shenker, a wonderful supporter of the library. Young writers are encouraged to write a short story or poem on a theme that changes each year. This year’s theme was "How I Would Make the World Better!"
We received notification that several Macdonough School students have been selected as winners of this year’s contest!

Congratulations to:

· First Grader Chris Johnson

· Third Grader Syleena Daniels

· Fourth Grader Alex Judkins

· Fifth Grader Kimberly Chambers

The students will be honored at a Literary Tea on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 7:00 PM in The Hubbard Room at Russell Library!

All Children Exercise Simultaneously

Macdonough School will be participating in this year's Project ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) on May 5 at 10:00 a.m.!

The event takes place on the first Wednesday each May as part of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month along with National Physical Education Week. It has been labeled as "the world's largest exercise class" by the media. Since 1989, millions of children from all over the world exercise together to promote proper health and fitness habits.

Macdonough students, teachers, and parents will be walking the North End Trail in Middletown. The trail is a one mile loop through historic sections of the city's north end neighborhood. Following the walk, there will be a fresh fruit snack for all.

Keigwin Band

The Keigwin Middle School Band was at Macdonough for their annual spring concert. 

The band played a variety of songs and introduced the elementary school students to an assortment of instruments (brass, woodwind, percussion, and strings).  The concert ended with a rousing rendition of The Beatles' Twist and Shout which had students and teachers alike dancing in the aisles!

2nd Grade Celebrates Reading with "Camp-In"

On Monday night students in second grade enjoyed some quality time with their parents snuggling up with a good book during a Reading Camp-In. Ms. Jukins started the night by reading Ibis the Whale and then the lights went out and it was time to flashlight read! Students and parents munched on S'mores while they drew a scene from their books to make a Reading Quilt. The quilt will be displayed on the Bulletin Board across from the office. Please take a look!

North End Pride Day

Photos from a cookout at Donovan Park (adjacent to Macdonough School) held for neighbors participating in the North End Pride Day neighborhood clean-up.  Macdonough School staff members and parents helped to host the picnic in partnership with the North End Action Team.

Turn Off the TV Night

The Macdonough PTA hosted the annual Turn Off the TV Night event on Thursday, April 22nd.  Dozens of parents and children challenged teachers to games of Connect 4, Scrabble, checkers, Uno, and more.

Walking Wednesdays Begin at Macdonough

A few weeks ago, a Macdonough parent shared an idea…

“What if we had a day when everyone walked to school? Families, kids, teachers, people from the community. What if we all walked to Macdonough? Imagine how much fun it would be for the students to see their teachers out in the neighborhood. Imagine what a great example it would set for healthy lifestyles. Imagine parents and neighbors getting re-acquainted on the way to school.”

Well, today we didn’t have to imagine any more. Today we had the chance to watch a very special tradition unfold.

 

Wiring Project @ Macdonough School

Although the children were on vacation this week, the building was alive with activity!  Mr. Jared Morin, Director of Technology for Middletown Public Schools, supervised an extensive wiring project throughout the building.

Students and teachers will return to a technology upgrades including additional computer drops, faster internet connections, and an updated phone system.

Kids on the Block

The fourth grade students welcomed the Kids on the Block puppet show to Macdonough School. 

The Kids on the Block program utilizes a series of puppets to increase children's awareness and understanding of disabilities.  They use special "hand and rod" puppets. This means that one hand works the mouth of the puppet and the other hand manipulates the rod for gestures. The puppets are 3 to 4 feet tall! Some of the puppets have a disability and use aids that make their character distinctive and realistic.

The program is sponsored by Wesleyan University and Oddfellows Playhouse.

RIF Day at Macdonough

As part of the Reading is Fundamental program, every student at Macdonough School receives a new book during "distribution days" held throughout the school year. 

Macdonough's School-Family-Community Partnership team selected April 9th to hold a book distribution so that every student would have a book to bring home during the spring vacation.

Special thanks to parents Jeannie Nocera, Kelsey Solecki, Taneone Hurlburt for their work in organizing the RIF Program.

Macdonough PTA Meeting

The Macdonough PTA welcomed three special guests to their April Meeting! 

Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano, Councilman Phil Pessina, and School Board Member Sheila Daniels attended the meeting to answer questions and lend support.

Number Kids at Macdonough School

Second grade students from Macdonough school welcomed friends from Essex Elementary School for a morning of math activities during the April session of Number Kids.

School Picture Day

Everyone had a smile day today at Macdonough...  It was school picture day! 

Pictures will be available from Grynn and Barrett Studios in a few weeks.  For more information, parents may visit the Grynn and Barrett website. 

Math Enrichment at Macdonough School

There are three consecutive even numbers that add up to 42. Can you figure what they are? You could if you were a third grader in the Math Enrichment Program at Macdonough School!

Several times a month, Mr. Hank Stockmal comes to Macdonough School armed with a series of math challenges for students in third, fourth, and fifth grade. Joined by classroom teachers and other staff members, students are divided into small groups for math challenge activities.

Answer: 12, 14, and 16

The Kindergarten Show

Congratulations to our kindergarten students and staff for another wonderful performance of The Kindergarten Show.  This year took us on a musical journey around the world!

Macdonough School on WCNX Radio!

Four Macdonough School students will be featured on WCNX radio this week reading the district's school lunch menu. 

Congratulations to Alexis, Shariah, Denaja, and Samantha!  For those who miss the radio broadcast, visit http://www.cnxradio.com/ for the audio clip.

Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra at Macdonough!

Professor Jay Hoggard returned to Macdonough School again this year with the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra. 

Students and staff enjoyed an exciting program of classic jazz orchestra compositions, including works by Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson and others. They also learned about the many different instruments featured in the jazz orchestra.

Book Buddies at Macdonough School

Children from intermediate grades and primary grades spend time each week reading together. This is a great experience for all in nurturing the love of reading.

A quote from one of the friends says it all, "We love doing this!"

WES Arts

A new initiative of the School-Family-Community Partnership team kicked off on Saturday evening at Wesleyan's Center for Fine Arts. 

The new WES Arts program pairs a Macdonough staff member and a Macdonough family for a night out to enjoy the arts.

This month's performance of Dunya, a band featuring folk, classical, and popular songs of the Ottoman Turk tradition, was enjoyed by members of the Macdonough School learning community.

CMT Field Day at Wesleyan University

Photos from our CMT Field Day at Wesleyan University!

School-Family-Community Partnership

Parents and teachers joined together to continue work on Macdonough School's Reading Compact.  The Reading Compact is a document outlining school and district reading goals with specific actions that teachers and families can take to help students achieve these goals.

For example, teachers pledged to keep families informed of student's reading progress and suggest ways to help support reading at home.  Families listed things that could be done at home including setting aside a time for reading aloud or taking trips to the Russell Library.

The completed compacts will be unveiled at the New Vision of Title I Compacts Training Institute in April.

Movie Night at Macdonough

Students, teachers, and families were treated to an old-fashioned movie night at Macdonough School complete with popcorn, beverages, and a movie on the big screen.

The movie night was sponsored by the Macdonough School PTA.

Macdonough Students at Wesleyan University

Third, fourth, and fifth grade students from Macdonough School are traveling to Wesleyan University on Friday, March 26th for an afternoon of sports and fun at the Bacon Field House.  The event is to celebrate the conclusion of this year's Connecticut Mastery Testing.

American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart at Macdonough School

Thanks to Mrs. Ehnot, our physical education teacher for coordinating this year's Jump Rope for Heart event!

Macdonough students in Grades 1-5 recently participated in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart Event. They learned about the importance of regular physical activity, good health & nutrition and volunteerism.

With Macdonough families and friends making generous donations, the students raised over $300.00. Congratulations to all who participated!

2nd Grade NUMBER KIDS Visit Bushy Hill Nature Center

On Monday, March 22, Ms. Jukins and her NUMBER KIDS met their Essex Buddies at Bushy Hill Nature Center in Deep River, CT. We learned about gallons, quarts, pints, and cups of maple syrup and we visited the Sugar Shack to taste some delicious syrup straight from the Maple Trees. We hiked in the forest and learned to identify Beech Trees, Tulip Trees, Mountain Laurels, and Maple Trees. Do you know what to do when your leader yells "CAMOUFLAGE?" Run to the nearest tree or rock and hide behind it and freeze!! A great time was had by all.

Junior Achievement Selects Macdonough!

Macdonough School has been selected for a one day program by Junior Achievement.

Junior Achievement Worldwide is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers — all working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential.

JA’s hands-on, experiential programs teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to young people all over the world.

Junior Achievement Day at Maconough School will take place on Friday, May 21st and focus on the following themes:

Kindergarten: Ourselves
Students are introduced to basic personal economic issues and the role individuals play as workers, consumers, and family members.

1st Grade: Our Families
Students learn about the role of families in the local economy, the jobs they have, and their economic needs and wants.

2nd Grade: Our Community
Students examine responsibilities and economic opportunities available to citizens within a community.

3rd Grade: Our City
Students conduct business operations, make city-planning decisions, and examine economic development issues.

4th Grade: Our Region
Students learn about state economics, the economic resources of regions, and decisions businesses must make

5th Grade: Our Nation
Students experience the concept of globalization of business in terms of high demand STEM skill based careers and the need for students to be entrepreneurial in their thinking.

Crayons for Cancer

Students from Macdonough School donated crayons to the Crayons for Cancer event this weekend at Kid City Children's Museum. 

Crayons for Cancer was founded in the fall of 2008 to raise funds for the Oncology Unit at Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford.

Old crayons are collected, peeled, melted into new shapes and sold.  The goal of the program is to raise money by selling fun and cute-shaped crayons to replenish Family Funds and Treasure Chests at children’s hospitals nationwide while teaching children the value of helping others.

Video Production Club Field Trip

The Macdonough School Video Production Club took a field trip to Middletown High School's Blue Tube Studio.  Students had the chance for a behind the scenes tour of the television studio.

The Video Production Club is an after school program led by Ms. Jukins, a second grade teacher and one of Macdonough School's Creative Learning Facilitors.

District Art Show

Congratulations to the young artists from Macdonough School who had art work on display at this year's District Art Show at Wesleyan University.

Special thanks to Miss May, our art teacher, for coordinating this year's show!

Macdonough's Video Production Club

We are very pleased to announce that Macdonough School will offer a new program, the Video Production Club, as an after school enrichment program. 

The goals of the program are:
• to teach students the basics of video production
• to produce a short film about Macdonough School

Ms. Joanne Jukins, a second grade teacher at Macdonough, will be teaching the program.  The Video Production Club, open to children in fourth and fifth grades, will meet on five Thursdays: February 25, March 4, March 11, March 18, and April 1 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the computer room at Macdonough School.  A field trip to Middletown High School's Video Production Lab will take place at one of the sessions!

Literature for Lunch - Fifth Graders

Sixteen fifth graders have been invited to join a new “Literature for Lunch” book club with Miss Chaelyn.

These enrichment clubs are part of Macdonough’s Spring Session of Recess Plus and will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays for eight sessions in the Family Resource Center. The children will enjoy enrichment activities based on Gordan Korman’s three-book Island series. Activities will include geography, art, team-building, knot-tying, survival skills, physical fitness, science experiments and more.

Each child will receive a brand new copy of Gordan Korman’s three-book Island series to keep!

Super Science at Macdonough

This Spring, sixteen first graders will be participating in a new Recess Plus Club called, “Super Science.”

Once a week (for eight weeks), students from each Grade 1 class will join Miss Chaelyn in the Family Resource Center during their recess period.

Through experimentation, participants will explore many different scientific concepts, like chemical reactions, density, and other properties of matter to name a few!

Read Across America Celebration at Macdonough

Red and white stovepipe hats were all around Macdonough School today as students, staff, and visitors celebrated Read Across America Day.  Guests included Mayor Guliano, Associate Superintendent Senges, Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano, Wesleyan students, Macdonough families, and relatives of Macdonough Staff members.

The event, in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, brought guest readers into each classroom to share some time for reading.

Appearances by the Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two, and Sam (who loves Green Eggs and Ham) added to the magic of the day.

Macdonough Basketball

The annual Staff vs.Students Basketball Game was held on Wednesday, February 24th.  The teachers jumped out to an early lead but couldn't hold on as the students charged back to tie the game with a last minute shot.

The standing room only crowd was treated to a half-time show featuring the Macdonough School Cheerleading Team as well as a Staff Cheering Squad.

Reading is Fundamental at Macdonough!

Macdonough School has been selected as a Reading is Fundamental (RIF) school!

As Middletown’s only RIF program site, Macdonough will be participating in the “Books for Ownership” program designed to motivate children, families, and community members to read together through a triad of principles basic to the entire RIF organization: book ownership, motivational activities, and family involvement in children's reading.

• Book ownership: Macdonough School students will have the opportunity to choose and keep two to five books per year at no cost to the children or their families.

• Fun literacy-related activities: Macdonough school volunteers and staff will continue to motivate children to read with a myriad of festive book activities that accompany each book event.

• Family and community involvement: RIF headquarters will provide training and technical assistance to our volunteer RIF program coordinators.

Macdonough Mariners at Wesleyan

Coach Teresa Morello brought the Macdonough Mariners basketball team to Wesleyan University this weekend.  The team watched the Wesleyan Womens' Basketball team lose a close game to Bates College. 

At halftime, the Macdonough students took the court for a scrimmage before a packed house at Bacon Fieldhouse. 

Special thank to Miss K, a former standout on the Wesleyan squad, for making arrangements for this terrific experience!

Target Grant Awarded to Macdonough School

A group of Macdonough School students will be visiting the Connecticut Science Center thanks to a grant from Target. 

As part of its commitment to provide educational resources for America’s schools, Target launched the Target Field Trip Grants program in 2006. The program is designed to help teachers bring learning to life for students and enhance classroom studies.

Macdonough School teachers have planned for a spring field trip!

Third Grade Hosts Career Day Speakers

Two Macdonough parents came in to third grade classrooms to speak about their careers.  Special thanks to Mrs. Dunkley and Mrs. Gross!

Where in the World...

A huge map of the world was added to Macdonough School's center stairwell this afternoon. 

The map is a mural size representation of the world.  Each country is outlined in vibrant colors to allow for detailed views of current political boundaries.  The map also features major cities, bodies of water, and other geographical information.

Special thanks to Mr. Nelson and Mr. Jeremy for working to hang the map.

Recess Plus Club - Knitting with Nurse P

Visitors to the main office during one of the school's lunch waves are bound to see an unusual site: groups of students knitting!  Thanks to Nurse Parmelee, dozens of students are learning to knit. 

The school's third, fourth, and fifth grade children receive instruction, materials, and guidance in knitting as part of Nurse P's Recess Plus Club.

While most are new to knitting and focusing on the basics, Nurse P has some of the children off and running on some more complex projects.  The young lady pictured to the left is well on her way to completing a scarf, just in time for this cold blast of wintry weather!

Macdonough Goes Green!

Green Street, that is...

The students and staff of the Green Street Arts Center began the first in a series of weekly visits.  Each Friday afternoon during the next few weeks a variety of exciting activities will be offered at Macdonough School. 

Children made music with African drums, learned science concepts in the lab, painted murals in the gym, and danced the afternoon away in the library.

Grant Awarded to Macdonough School

Congratulations to Macdonough School! The school was awarded a $500 grant from the Community and University Services for Education (CAUSE) committee. The grant is targeted for use in supporting the Literature for Lunch program at Macdonough School.

Special thanks to Miss Sarah Claffey for coordinating the grant application!

The Ribbon Project

Students at Macdonough School had the opportunity to show caring and compassion by creating handmade pink ribbons for breast cancer patients in Connecticut.

"The Ribbon Project" is a community art project founded by highschool senior, Jenny Roach. Participants craft handmade pink ribbons using non-ribbon materials. These “ribbons” are then distributed by Jenny to breast cancer patients in local hospitals and cancer treatment centers.

The Kids’ Korner at Macdonough School program contacted Jenny Roach via The Ribbon Project website (http://www.theribbonproject.webs.com/) after the Hartford Courant had posted an article about her work. Jenny immediately sent out a publicity packet, including posters, postcards and websites about the project. Jenny agreed to visit our site and speak to the children about creating and planning service-learning projects, including how she turned her inspiration into a reality.

A PINK DONATION BOX can be found in the school cafeteria, looking for donations of fun pink materials for Jenny. She accepts a variety of materials, including fabric, ribbon, beads, fake flowers (and more!).

Before our holiday break, Jenny brought pink foam sheets that she had formed into ribbon shapes and bag full of decorative pink objects. Over 20 Macdonough students worked together to create several decorative ribbons that Jenny was then able to take for distribution to patients in Connecticut.

To date, The Ribbon Project has created well-over 1000 “ribbons” for breast cancer patients. We are glad to have contributed to this achievement.