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.