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Principal's Corner
Hello,
Here we are already in our third week of school. Is
everyone having fun yet? I hope so. As I walk the halls I
see students actively engaged in their work. This is a
beautiful sight. I also see smiling faces in the hall. Today
(Tuesday), we are celebrating the International Day of
Peace. Thanks to Nancy Doherty and Susan Happ, we
have a special outdoor assembly planned for this
afternoon. "What Can One Little Person Do?" has been
chosen as the theme. This will be an opportunity to come
together as a community, honoring one another, and
promoting peace within ourselves, toward each other and
in the larger world.
On another very different, but equally important note, we
are in the process of sending out MCAS scores to parents.
You should be receiving them in a few days. Mr. Nadolny
has been hard at work in this area. I am pleased to
announce that, for the first time in two years, we made
Adequate Yearly Progress in math. However, our English
Language Arts scores did not show the kind of
improvement we were hoping for. As I noted at the Parent
Orientation, we are still in Improvement (rather than
Corrective Action) status. Although we are not required to
work with the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education at this time, we are proactively working with
their data specialist to look closely at our scores and
analyze how to make improvement.
We have had quite a few fire drills in hopes that we can get
our students comfortable with the routine. We want them
to know what to do if there really is an emergency
situation. Also, the more drills we do in the warmer
seasons, the less we have to do in the cold. We expect to
have a lockdown drill within the next two weeks. We did
this last year and it went smoothly. Given the students'
excellent behavior during our fire drills and the severe
weather drill we recently had, I expect the lockdown to go
smoothly.
Please feel free to call me with any question or concerns
you may have. I really enjoy meeting with parents face-toface, so at any time you would like to set up an
appointment to come in and see me - please do.
Enjoy the crisp weather,
Pam Kenyon, Principal
Ivan as he sees himself.
Self-Portraits
Third and fourth grade students in Jody Burkle's classroom
experimented with perspective and proportion through
self-portraits. Here are two examples and many more are
on display in Mrs. Burkle's room.
Aaron pictures himself.
Steps to Respect
Pre-K Focuses on Apples!
by Nancy Doherty
by Jo-ellen Height
We are pleased to announce that we will be using our
school-wide strand meetings to teach lessons from the
Steps to Respect Program. This initiative is an integral
part of our anti-bullying programs for children at all grade
levels.
As part of the program, our students will be asked to
participate in role-play, poster campaigns and a variety of
interactive activities that focus on respectful behavior and
responding to bullying.
Liam creates a masterpiece using apples to print.
This week's theme in the Pre-K is apples. We are printing
with apples, counting apples, and making patterns with
apples. We tasted apples and voted for our favorite. On
Friday, we'll round out the unit by making applesauce!
Second Graders Learn About
Metamorphosis
by Jenn DeAngelo
The second grade students have been learning about the
life cycle of monarch butterflies. They have been
observing and charting the daily progress of the monarch
caterpillars that were brought to school during the first
week. This past week, Sugar, Sneezy, and Stripey, the
caterpillars from Jenn's room turned into butterflies! The
class released them at the butterfly garden on Friday
afternoon so they could make their long journey to
Mexico!
Children bid farewell to their butterflies as they make their way to
Mexico.
An Apple a Day…
Health and Nutrition Facts
by Susan Weinstein
Apples have no fat, cholesterol or sodium, and contain
small amounts of potassium, which may promote heart
health, help maintain healthy blood pressure and a healthy
weight.

Did you know that apples contain mineral called
boron that strengthens your bones?

Apples are also a GREAT source of fiber. Fruits
and veggies provide fiber that helps fill you up
and keeps your digestive system happy.

Apples are a good source of Vitamin C. Vitamin
C has many health benefits including: it keeps
your gums healthy, helps your immune system so
you can fight off colds, and helps cuts heal faster.
Vitamin C is also an important nutrient for
healthy vision and has been associated with better
cognitive (brain/thinking) function.
Whether it be a sweet yellow Golden Delicious, a sour
green Granny Smith or a juicy red Honey Crisp…an apple
a day will help to keep the doctor away!
(Image courtesy of http://www.sogoodblog.com.)
The U & ME Schoolyard Garden Update
by Peggy Henden-Wilson
Mrs. Hughes kindergarten students harvest potatoes with Peggy.

Welcome back to another bountiful year in the U & ME
Schoolyard Garden! The students have been busy
harvesting vegetables that were planted by the Summer
Garden and Cooking program. The cafeteria has received
zucchini, parsley, beans, patty pan squash, and tomatoes
which have been used in soups, salads, and vegetable pita
sandwiches.
The elementary teachers have been scheduling time to
work in the garden to provide experiential learning
opportunities for their students. Stay tuned for more
information on the U & ME Schoolyard Garden as the
season progresses.
This week in the U & ME Schoolyard Garden:


The kindergarten students enjoy looking at the variety of potatoes in their
bountiful harvest.

Mrs. Petrucci's Mount Everett Culinary Arts
students will be harvesting basil this week to
make pesto. They will be preparing lots of
culinary treats for the NEASC meeting this
Sunday, September 26th. The students will be
making beans, roasted vegetables, and salsa to be
used as appetizers during the "Show & Tell"
portion of the NEASC meeting.

This year the U & ME Schoolyard Garden has a
new group of high school interns who will be
working with the elementary students in the
garden. Our three seniors, CJ, Max, and Fiona
will be working along with a junior, Ryan, to help
harvest the crops and mentor the younger
students.
Mrs. Weinstein’s first grade class harvested
cucumbers and made Refrigerator Pickles (see
recipe below). These pickles are a "bread &
butter" type that store nicely in the fridge for up
to 4 months.
Mrs. Weinstein's first graders measuring out the ingredients for their
Refrigerator Pickles.
Mrs. Turner's first grade class helped harvest
some of the tomatoes that are now just becoming
ripe. The tomatoes were planted a little late for a
"back to school" September harvest. There are
some wonderful yellow pear, cherry, and
heirloom varieties that come in an array of colors
and sizes.
The kindergarten classes of Mrs. Hughes, Mrs.
Milukas, and Mrs. Montgomery have been
harvesting lots of potatoes the past few weeks.
The purple, red and yellow varieties are being
harvested and cured for use at a later date. How
would you use purple potatoes?
Stay tuned for upcoming tips, recipes, and podcasts about
the U & ME Schoolyard Garden. We look forward to
planning, planting, caring for, feasting from, and
celebrating our healthy garden with you and your children.
Refrigerator Pickles
9-10 small to medium cucumbers, sliced very thin
1 sweet onion, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons of celery seed
2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of white vinegar
Mix all ingredients well and put in an airtight container.
Let cucumbers marinate in the vinegar solution for 1 week
before eating the tasty pickles!