2011 Connecticut Higher Education Community Service Awards

A student group from Wesleyan University was honored with a 2011 Connecticut Higher Education Community Service Award.  The ceremony was held on Tuesday, April 12th at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford.

The Wesleyan students who were honored are part of the WES Reads / WES Math initiative at Macdonough School.  This program provides small group enrichment support to more than fifty students each week.

The program was co-sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education and the Connecticut Commission on Community Service.

Keigwin Band Performs at Macdonough School

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). 

Former Macdonough School students who now play in the Keigwin Band received big ovations from students and teachers alike. 

 
Special thanks to Mr. Daddario, Director of the Keigwin School band for making this performance possible.

Macdonough Teachers Present at Literacy Essentials Conference

Congratulations to Sarah Claffey and Michelle Maletta! 

The pair was invited to Central Connecticut State University's 5th Annual Literacy Essentials Conference to discuss reading initiatives in place at Macdonough School.

Their presentation, "12 Things You Can Do Tomorrow to Raise Reading Achievement," was modeled after the work being done at Macdonough School.

Macdonough Students attend An Evening with Author Bryan Collier

Children from Macdonough School were invited to a very special literacy event to kick off this year's Literacy Essentials Conference at Central Connecticut State University.

An Evening with Bryan Collier is the first annual community literacy event sponsored by the Literacy Essentials Conference. The event was held at the New Britain High School on Friday, April 8th at 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Grades 3 to 5 students, teachers and parents were invited to an evening that celebrated the work of award-winning author/illustrator Bryan Collier, who has illustrated numerous children's books, including Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and Rosa by Nikki Giovanni both of which were awarded a Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor. Included in the evening’s program were literature circles, dinner, an art walk and a presentation by Bryan Collier.

Special thanks to Miss Claffey and Miss Maletta for arranging this wonderful experience for our students!

Julia's Star

Macdonough School fifth graders participated in a Wesleyan University outreach program connected to a book that a Wesleyan student, Johanna Justin-Jinch, wrote when she was 15 years old.  The outreach project is another example of the strong connections between Wesleyan University and Macdonough School. 

Julia's Star tells the story of a young girl who wears the Star of David on a necklace to school and how when her friends ask her questions about it she becomes uncomfortable.  The young girl is unsure of what her friends think about her and her religion. The outreach activity provides elementary school students with an opportunity to discuss differences, stereotyping and how to sensitively ask questions about their friends to learn more about the cultures, beliefs, and families.

A Cheetahriffic Staff

We took part in a cheetahriffic day at Macdonough.

The staff was in a jungle spirit!

All City Music Festival

The All City Music Festival showcased the music programs in the city schools on Saturday night. The Festival, hosted by Wesleyan in the ice hockey arena, students from all of Middletown's schools, starting with the 4th grade bands and ending with the high school band and chorus.

Congratulations to our music teachers Mr. D'Amato and Miss DeAngelis as well as to all of the Macdonough students who participated. 

Special recognition was given to Macdonough School by Mr. Gaylord, Director of Fine Arts for Middletown Public Schools, for our participation in a world premiere of a piece by composer Glenn McClure, Dear Mother Earth: Letters to the Planet.

Connecticut Student Poet at Macdonough School

In only the second time in its history, Middlesex Community College has an official “Connecticut Student Poet” among its ranks. The student, Hannah Watkins, is the first MxCC student to receive this honor in more than 36 years. As part of this honor, Watkins will read her poems at events throughout the state, and will have some of her work published in the fall 2011 issue of the prestigious “Connecticut Review” creative arts publication.

Hannah visited Macdonough School today to share some of her poetry with students and talk about the writing process!  She was accompanied by Professor Christine Ruggiero from MxCC.

Walking Wednesdays are Back!

Macdonough teachers joined students and families for a brisk walk to school as part of our Walking Wednesdays program. 

 As a special treat this morning, two lucky students were awarded bicycles by their teachers in recognition of hard work in and out of the classroom.  Thanks to Miss DiBacco and Miss Claffey for presenting the bicycles.

Macdonough Students at Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind Competition!

We are so proud of Macdonough's first Odyssey of the Mind team and their performance at this weekend's statewide competition!  The Macdonough team, coordinated by Miss Jillian McKenzie, was comprised of a group of enthusiastic second graders.


Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program for students K-12 and college. Odyssey provides teams with the opportunity to learn creative problem solving, teamwork, brainstorming, self-reliance, and respect for individual strengths -- unique, unforgettable experiences that will serve them in every aspect of their lives now and in the future.

"Bikes for Kids" at Macdonough!

Students were in amazement today as more than thirty bicycles were donated to the school by the Bikes for Kids organization and unloaded into the school gymnasium.

Bikes for Kids takes donations of gently used bicycles, repairs them, and then gives the bikes, along with safety helmets for each rider, to deserving recipients. Over the 20 years of its existence, Bikes for Kids has given out some 12,000 bikes.

The bicycles will be distributed to students in the coming weeks to reinforce SURFS Up behaviors of Safety, Responsibility, Understanding, Respect and Self-Responsibility.

CMT Fun

To celebrate the conclusion of this year's CMT, teachers and students participated in the annual Wacky and Tacky Day.

Students came in all sorts of Wacky and Tacky outfits.  Not to be outdone, the teaching staff were sporting mismatched clothes, crazy colored hair, and even a tiara! 

Governor kicks off anti-hunger program at Macdonough!

MIDDLETOWN — More than 127,000 Connecticut children are at risk for going hungry, but the new No Kid Hungry program aims to get those kids fed.

That was the message Gov. Dannel Malloy shared at the No Kid Hungry kickoff event at Macdonough Elementary School Wednesday. The new program aims to end childhood hunger in Connecticut by 2015.

Middletown hosted the launch event for a good reason, explained Dawn Crayco, deputy director of End Hunger Connecticut! She said organizers chose Macdonough to host the kick-off because Middletown had made great strides toward providing healthy food to children, especially in the city’s North End.  “It’s just the epitome of what we’re trying to achieve statewide,” Crayco said.

Second Grade Visits Nature Center

Did you know that it takes about 40 buckets of sap to make one bottle of Maple Syrup? That's only one amazing fact we learned at the Bushy Hill Nature Center this week. The sap gets boiled in the Sugar Shack and then you have sweet, yummy homemade maple syrup.

We also experimented with gallons, quarts, pints and cups, visited a wildlife museum, and played "camouflage" in the woods. We ended the visit sharing a picnic with our classmates and friends.

It's Parent-Teacher Conference Time at Macdonough School!

Parent - Teacher Conferences are being held on March 22nd, 23rd, and 24th! 

Did you know that our goal is for every single family to attend a parent-teacher conference?  That is how much we value the opportunity to share the highlights of our students' growth.

Judging from the first day, we are well on our way to an A+ for attendance at our Parent - Teacher Conferences!

Mobile Dental Clinic visits Macdonough School

Our Health Center was transformed into a dental clinic this week as Macdonough School was visited by the Mobile Dental Clinic. Many of our students had the opportunity to see the dental hygienist for check-ups and cleanings!

The Mobile Dental Clinic visits Macdonough School twice each year - once in the fall and again in the spring.

If you would like your child to have access to this program, please call the school and ask for information on the Community Health Center at Macdonough School.

Macdonough is a "Donors Choose" School!

Did you know that Macdonough School is a "Donors Choose" school? Many of our teachers have projects posted on the Donors Choose website.

Supporters of our school donate to the projects and when a project is fully donated, materials are sent to our school.  It's a simple way to support the work of the Macdonough School staff. 

Interested? Check out the Donors Choose web site for great Macdonough School projects by clicking here!

St. Patrick's Day Fun

The first grade teachers and students celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing lots and lots of green.  They also had a delicious green treat for snack!

Macdonough School Featured on "Spotlight on Education"

The Macdonough School Video Production Club was featured on this week's "Spotlight on Education" cable television program.  Each week "Spotlight on Education" recognizes members of Middletown Public Schools for educational excellence. 

Ms. Joanne Jukins and two of the Video Production Club members (Kyle and Michael) had the opportunity to speak with host Corinne Gill about the club and their award winning entry into the Recess Rocks Video Contest.   

The group traveled to Middletown High School's Blue Tube Studio for the taping and recieved a behind the scenes tour of the set.

Wesleyan Women's Lacrosse Team visits Macdonough School

Head Coach Holly Wheeler and Assistant Coach Rob Stone brought members of the 2011 Wesleyan Women's Lacrosse Team to Macdonough School to volunteer in classrooms today.  While most of the Wesleyan students are away for Spring Break, the Women's Lacrosse Team is on campus.  During an off day from practice and games, they volunteered to help students at Macdonough!

CMT Fun

Students at Macdonough School are treated to an assortment of fun during the weeks of the Connecticut Mastery Test.

Each day brings a different surprise to keep our kids (and our teachers) enthusiastic during the testing period.

Today was "Pizza with the Principal!" 

Veterinarians Visit Second Grade

To celebrate our Amazing Animals Reading Unit, we invited Dr. Andrew and Nurse Jocelyn, from Beckett Associates in Glastonbury, to bring some amazing animals to Macdonough School. They brought Sebastion and Pacman and these two amazing dogs demonstrated how animals get examined. We even got to listen to their heartbeats with a stethescope. It was a fun and educational visit for all.

Books for Babies at Macdonough School

Everyone knows that the teachers at Macdonough School give books to kids.  Lots and lots and lots of books.  Thanks to a new program called "Books for Babies," we'll be giving books to children before they even come to our school!

The Books for Babies program at Macdonough School provides a book collection to every Macdonough family who welcomes a new baby to their family during the school year.  This year, each family will receive a boxed set of Eric Carle books. 

We want to send a message that reading aloud to children is important and you can't start too early!

Special thanks to the Macdonough teachers for making this program possible for our families!

CMT Fun

Students at Macdonough School are treated to an assortment of fun during the weeks of the Connecticut Mastery Test. 

Each day brings a different surprise to keep our kids (and our teachers) enthusiastic during the testing period. 

Today was face painting!

Macdonough Students Honored at Common Council Meeting

From the Middletown Eye (3/7/11):
Middletown's Common Council is always in agreement when it comes to the importance of recognizing members of the community for their accomplishments.

At tonight's Common Council Meeting the first honors went to the children of the Macdonough School Video Production Club, for taking 2nd prize in the National Recess Rocks Video Contest.

Students were each provided with a copy of a Common Council Resolution submitted and read by Councilman Dan Drew.

Wesleyan’s Jazz Orchestra

Professor Jay Hoggard of Wesleyan University, will have his jazz orchestra class perform at Macdonough School on Tuesday, April 26th at 1:00 p.m.

Arrangements for this special performance were made through Wesleyan's Center for Community Partnerships.

Student - Staff Basketball Game

Smiles of excitement were on the faces of children and teachers during the annual Student vs. Staff Basketball Game.  Fourth grade teacher Mr. Nelson, sporting a vintage New York Knicks jersey with Patrick Ewing's #33, led the teacher team.  He was joined by Miss Claffey, Miss McKenzie, Miss Lavoie, Miss Jakiela, Miss Grossman, Miss DiBacco, Miss Morello, and a special return to Macdonough School by Miss K!

Coach Teresa Morello managed the students to another fine performance.  Sportsmanship, hustle, teamwork, and tenacious defense characterized the student team.

Spectators were treated to a half-time show by the Macdonough School Cheerleading Team under the direction of fifth grade teacher Miss DiBacco. 

Third Grade Receives Dictionaries!

There were smiles all around in Miss Morello's class this morning due to a wonderful surprise!

Special thanks to the Middletown Rotary Club for providing each child in third grade with a brand new dictionary.

The gift was made possible through the Dr. Wilfredo Nieves Dictionary Project and coordinated by our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michael Frechette.

District Art Show

The Middletown District Art Show is just around the corner. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 5th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. A special, Principal’s Choice Award will be recognized at 6:00 p.m. Artwork from students, K-12, will continue to be on display through Sunday, March 13th at the Zilkha gallery at Wesleyan University.

Gallery hours are as follows:

Saturdays & Sundays: 1-4 pm

Monday-Friday: 12-7pm

Macdonough in the News

From the Middletown Press

MIDDLETOWN SCHOOL GROUP NAMED WINNERS IN NATIONAL RECESS ROCKS VIDEO CONTEST

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (February 3, 2011) – The Macdonough School Video Production Club at Macdonough Elementary School in Middletown have been named winners in the national Recess Rocks video contest for their ideas for combating childhood obesity. The students at Macdonough placed second in the group category. The contest is part of the nationwide Recess Rocks childhood obesity prevention campaign launched by Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) in September 2010.

The video contest, which ran from September 8 to November 30, invited children and young teens in grades 2 through 8 across the U.S. to submit a two-minute video featuring a speech, song, dance or commercial that answers two questions: “How do you feel about the childhood obesity problem?” and “What can you do about it?”. Children could enter individually or as part of a group from a public or private school or youth-focused community organization or club. Entries were judged on overall impact, creativity, memorable content and delivery and a clear message on how the problem can be solved.

The MacDonough School Video Production Club’s video begins with one student telling another, who is playing a video game, to “Put it away. It’s time to play!” Those two students play, then find another sedentary student to recruit. Through a chain reaction, the two students soon become a group of kids who are playing a game outdoors.

The students at Macdonough won $1,000 for their school, A complete list of winners in the individual and group categories is available at http://www.recessrocks.com/.

Macdonough is a RIF School!

Did you know that Macdonough School is a Reading is Fundamental (RIF) school?

As Middletown’s only RIF program site, Macdonough School participates 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 have the opportunity to choose and keep books each year at no cost to the children or their families.

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

Black History Month Celebration!

Macdonough School Selected as Finalist in National Video Contest!

Macdonough School has been named as one of six finalists in a nationwide video contest sponsored by Recess Rocks! 

The contest engaged children and young teens in grades 2 through 8 across the United States in addressing childhood obesity. Children—either individually or as part of a school class or youth group — were asked to submit videos featuring a speech, song, dance or commercial that answered two questions: “How do you feel about the childhood obesity problem?” and “What can you do about it?”

The Macdonough entry, created as part of the school's after school Video Production Club, features students putting away electronics in favor of outdoor activities. 

View the finalists' videos by visiting the Recess Rocks website.

Jazz Concert

Thanks to our School - Family - Community Partnership team, a lucky Macdonough family is receiving tickets to a "sold out" jazz concert by the Charles Lloyd New Quartet.

The concert will be performed at Crowell Concert Hall on the campus of Wesleyan University.

Student-Teachers Begin the Semester at Macdonough!

We are delighted to welcome a group of student-teachers from Central Connecticut State University to Macdonough School this semester.

• Miss Olivia Delaney will be working with Mrs. Shalan Paul in fourth grade.
• Miss Amanda Adams will be working with Miss Sarah Claffey in fourth grade.
• Miss Crystal Kolman will be working with Miss Allison Monarca in second grade.
• Miss Kristie Fergusson will be working with Miss Lauren Weindruch in fifth grade.
• Miss Danielle Velodata will be working with Mrs. Spaman in kindergarten.

Junior Achievement Selects Macdonough School!

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.

Youth Issues: A Lecture Series

SURFS Up at Macdonough School

Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is the focus for our school-wide positive behavioral support program. Through the acronym SURFS, students and staff have a common understanding of expectations for behavior in a variety of settings.

S=Self-Responsibility

U=Understanding

R=Respect

F=Fairness

S=Safety

We believe that introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior is an important of a student’s educational experience.

Please join us in helping to instill these important character traits in your children - at school and at home!

Macdonough Student Honored at MLK Ceremony

A celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., was held Monday at the First Church of Christ on Court Street.

The 18th annual event featured music and dancing in honor the civil rights leader's birthday.  As part of the celebration, Macdonough School 4th grade student Kendalyn Zipf read her entry into the "Letters to Dr. King" contest.  Her letter detailed ways that the work of Dr. King had changed Middletown for the best.
 
The event was sponsored by the Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown which provides scholarships to deserving students.

Macdonough Mariners at Wesleyan University

Coach Teresa Morello brought the Macdonough Mariners basketball team to Wesleyan University this weekend. The team cheered on the Wesleyan Mens' Basketball team as they took on Amherst College.

At halftime, the Macdonough students took the court for a scrimmage before a packed house at Bacon Fieldhouse.  Miss K served as the ref for the intersquad game between the Mariners.

After the scrimmage, the team stayed for the second half of the college game and watched as Wesleyan lost a close game to their rivals from Amherst.

New Electronic Keyboards at Macdonough!

Thanks to Farah DeAngelis, our music teacher, for writing a grant to get additional electronic keyboards at Macdonough School.  They arrived today from UPS!

The keyboards will be used by students in our after school program.  Miss DeAngelis, along with Professor Barbara Johnson from the Hartt School of Music, provide free piano lessons to Macdonough School students each week.

Macdonough Students to Attend Dave Fry Concert!

Thanks to the efforts of our School-Family-Community Partnership team, two lucky Macdonough families have been invited to the Dave Fry Concert at the Buttonwood Tree this weekend.

Dave Fry is a wonderfully engaging family folk musician with decades of experience performing for kids and adults at festivals, clubs and schools throughout the East Coast.  Dave is a CT Teaching Artist, NJ Master Artist, with award-winning children’s music CD’s and several national PBS-TV shows.  Dave features banjo, guitar and mandolin and a bag of instruments to involve the whole family in making music together.

Macdonough School... In the news!

Featured in The Middletown Press on January 10, 2011

MIDDLETOWN – Ronald McDonald House

Charities® of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts has honored one area teacher with the fourth annual RMHC Local Hero Awards.

A teacher for over 20 years, Joanne Jukins has been a second grade teacher at Commodore Macdonough Elementary School in Middletown for the past six years. She was selected for the award due to her superior teaching skills, as she gives individual care to each of her students and creates an environment where her students can excel. RMHC awarded a $500 grant to Macdonough Elementary School in her honor.

A Book for Macdonough

A Book for Macdonough is a new program that provides the opportunity for people to donate a book to our school library in honor of someone.

The newest book donation is the Children's Book of Music by DK Publishing.  This book was donated by the Macdonough School staff in honor of our two amazing music teachers: Miss DeAngelis and Mr. D'Amato.

The Children's Book of Music takes readers on a chronological journey around the world, exploring the sounds and rhythms of different cultures, the development of instruments, and the progression of musical styles. The book also includes a bonus CD, featuring a selection of music from around the world!

For more information about A Book for Macdonough program, please click here.

Donors Choose Project - Technology!

DonorsChoose is a simple way to fulfill needs and foster innovation in our public schools.  Teachers post projects and donors fund those that are of interest.

Ms. Jukins, a second grade teacher at Macdonough, is seeking money to purchase a document camera for our school.

This is part of her project description:

“The doc cam is a wonderful technology tool that allows us to share student work on the spot. We can project work in order to edit and revise as a class, to explore and create together, and to have instant access to projected images for all to see and learn from!”

Want to learn more? Click here!