HT Newsletter of March 14, 2008

Principal’s Corner

I received an e-mail the other day which included the line “now that the end of the (school) year is approaching...” I nearly fainted! The end of the year? Approaching? Good night! Have the weeks really zipped by that quickly? And, of course, the answer is yes they have. We’re nearly 3/4 of the way through the school year.

So, that short phrase has given me a wake-up call. It reminded me that I have a short time to do so many things before this school year winds down. And you, as parents, must be amazed at how much your child has grown physically, socially, academically, and emotionally. Our Kindergartners are so much more self-reliant than they were when they entered, some teary-eyed, that first day of school. Our 1st and 2nd graders are becoming readers and finding their own interests. Our 3rd graders are losing some of their chattiness and are starting to take personal pride in their schoolwork. Our 4th and 5th graders are realizing the privileges and responsibilities tied into being the “older kids” here at HT.

We will soon close down the grade books on our third term and have one last term to spend with your children. Please continue to work with us as we focus on important skills for, not only this grade level, but for lifelong learning.
Here are ways you can help us:

1. Speak often and positively about learning and the privilege of attending school.
2. Encourage your child to “finish well”. Compare it to running a race. Doing well for the first 3/4 of a race does not win/complete the race. The runner must cross the finish line.
3. Continue the habits of good nutrition, appropriate rest, and family time.
4. Honor your child’s right choices and attitudes.
5. Set clear expectation about honesty, respectfulness, caring and language.
6. Recommit yourself as a key role model for your child(ren).
7. Marvel aloud (and in front of your child(ren) about the positive changes you have seen this school year, about the amazing things they’ve learned, about your pride in being their parent.

Enough for now....I have much work to do because “the end of the year is approaching”!

Donna McGibney

Dates to Remember

March
18th: PTA meeting at 6:30
18th: Chorus rehearsal, 2:30 - 3:00
19th: Dress rehearsal for grades 3-5 Spring Concert, 9:00 - 11:00
19th: Early Release - students dismissed at 12:30
19th: HTS Spring Concert, Grades 3 - 5, 6:30 pm in HTS Gym
28th: PTA Spaghetti Supper, 5:00 - 7:00

April
1st: Spring pictures - more info to follow!
3rd: End of third quarter

Wednesday, March 19th is an
Early Release Day.
Students will be dismissed at 12:30.

A Note from the Art Room
If you have empty egg cartons or clean styrofoam meat trays, please send them in to our art teachers who will put them to good use!

Kindergarten Registration for 2008-2009
It’s time to register for kindergarten! If you have a child who will be five years old on or before October 15, 2008 and you would like your child to start school in the fall, or if you know of any child who will be starting kindergarten this fall, please contact the school at 724-3930.

Gardiner Area High School Band
“Italian Jazz” and Auction
Help the band travel to
Washington DC to perform!
Gardiner Area High School Cafeteria
Saturday, March 15th
(snow date of March 22nd)
Spaghetti Supper - 5:00 - 6:00 pm
$3.00 students, $5.00 adults, $15.00 family
Auction - 6:30 pm, free admission
For more information and to view auction items, please visit http://home.maine.rr.com/mccaslin

PTA News
Spring is right around the corner even if it still looks a lot like winter outside. The PTA is looking forward to the 5th annual Cabin Fever Night and Spaghetti Supper on Friday, March 28th. Join this fun community event at the school and share good food and good company. Early registration saves you a little money and helps us know how many people to expect so send in your form and check by the 21st. That evening we will raffle off six theme baskets full of goodies -- this adds to the fun and helps the PTA raise a little money too. We rely on YOU for donations of items to contribute to the basket raffle. Please drop off donations at the school before the 25th -- any donation to any basket is welcome, but each grade is "responsible" for filling a basket as follows: Kindergarten/All in the Family; 1st grade/Let's Get Physical; 2nd grade/Pamper Me; 3rd grade/Pamper My Pet; 4th grade/Great Outdoors; 5th grade/Cook's Pantry. Then come and buy raffle tickets in hopes of bringing one of the baskets home! You don't need to be present to win and you can buy tickets in advance. Contact Susan Caldwell at 582-8658 or jscaldwell@gwi.net with questions.

Looking ahead to the Peter Pan Fair on May 17th we are beginning to plan for a wonderful 58th annual school fair - Wow! This is one of the most important fundraisers for the PTA and all of the funds raised go right back into the enrichment of your children's school experience. Your support is so important and appreciated. One of the ways that we raise funds is by selling raffle tickets -and again we rely on the community to make contributions to the raffle. What would you hope to win?! Please ask local businesses or individuals to make a donation of that item to Helen Thompson School. Contact Lorna Prince at 724-2673 or Lorna1227@roadrunner.com soon -- we will need to get those tickets printed before the end of March!

Stay tuned for information about the spring book fair and teacher's dinner coming in April. All are welcome to the next PTA meeting on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:30 pm in the school library. Thanks so much for your support!

Congratulations to our Destination ImagiNation Teams!
Helen Thompson School was very well represented last Saturday at the DI Celebration at Brunswick High School.
Some of our students competed at the elementary school level, and placed second in the region for that level!
Several current and former HTS students competed at the middle school level and also placed 2nd in the region for that level. This team also won the Spirit of DI Award, which is awarded to only one team in the entire region!
Both of these teams will compete at the state level at the University of Maine at Orono on April 19th. Best wishes!