Classroom News and Projects

Kindergarten - Mrs. Haseltine

Grade 1F – Mrs. Finethy

Grade 1/2GS –Mrs. Gehring/Ms Spack

Grade 2M- Mrs. Malo

Grade 3/4M – Ms Martens

Grade 3/4W – Mrs. Wasson

Grade 3/4Y – Mrs. Yates

Grade 5CR – Mrs. Craycraft/Ms Richards

Grade 5 HW – Mrs. Harris/Ms Winkler

Grade 6DK– Ms Duffield/Mr. Kiely

Art – Mr. Stasiuk

Music – Mrs. Johnson


Kindergarten - Mrs. Haseltine

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Grade 1F – Mrs. Finethy

Click here for pix!

Hello and happy last newsletter. I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by and how much the first graders have learned. This week was a lot of fun and the class did a great job in the Talent Show doing the Hand Dance, and they also enjoyed being part of the audience too. You should have a copy of your child's End of The Year Assessment for math in their folder. Overall, everyone worked hard on it and showed all that they learned this year. We also sent their workbooks home on Thursday so take a look through them and see all the work they completed. You could redo the numbers on a page and have your child practice their math during the summer. Please, please, please have them continue to count coins, tell time, practice their addition and subtraction facts and keep them skip counting forwards and backwards. This will help them stay ready for second grade math! Everyone had a blast on our field trip to the Squam Lake Natural Science Center and the first graders loved seeing all of the animals. Look for the pictures that Ms. Jones put under 1F so you can see some of the fun we had. I still love the otters, the bear and the deer. I want to thank all of the chaperones that came along with us. You all did a wonderful job and we wouldn't have as much fun without you! Thanks again for your time and energy and I hope you had a good time and learned something during the day. Report cards will be in your child's folder and in the envelope there is also a printout of their MAP scores. Here are a few reminders for next week; Field Day is on Monday so please have your child dressed with sneakers, shorts and sunscreen. It is a busy day outside with all kinds of fun activities! Tuesday goes very quickly and we will spend a lot of the day in the gym watching the sixth grade festivities. Remember it is an early release day and we will be dismissing at 12:30. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me! It has been a pleasure working with your first graders this year and I will miss them tremendously over the summer. They have all learned so much and they are ready for the challenges of second grade. Please keep them reading, writing and practicing their math skills over the summer so they’re ready for new learning!! Have a fantastic summer!!!!!

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Grade 1/2GS – Mrs. Gehring/Mrs. Spack

Click here to see second graders’ book projects!

As our school year comes to a close we would like to thank our parents for sharing their wonderful children with us. It has been a fantastic year in 1/2 GS! We started out this week with our fun pet days. Everyone enjoyed learning about each of the pets and what a variety we had! From many differently sized dogs and Felicia's unusual Devon Rex cat to a variety of hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs! It was a lot of fun! We also read two more postcards from my daughter, Brigitte. One was from Ireland and the other from Germany. The children enjoyed hearing about these different countries and locating them on the wall map. We ended the week with the school talent show. Our class had a number of acts and everyone did a fantastic job! Bravo! On Friday we went on our field trip to Squam Lake Science Center. It was a fun, educational time for all. We are sending home the first grade end of year math assessment. Over the summer it is important for you work with your child on facts, counting, and time. Also encourage your child to read and write daily. Daily practice helps your child to retain the skills they have learned over the school year. Don't forget that Monday is field day. Children should come to school dressed appropriately for lots of outdoor physical activity. Sneakers would be best. Also put sunscreen and bug spray on in the morning. It would be a good idea to send in a water bottle and remember to put your child's name on it. Tuesday is our last day and students will be dismissed after lunch at 12:30. This is step-up day for the 6th graders and is a yearly tradition at New Durham School.  Remember to visit the town library and sign your child up for the summer reading program. It's guaranteed healthy, educational summer fun!  We wish everyone a healthy, active summer!  See you in September!


Grade 2M – Mrs. Malo/ Mrs. Swenson

Click here to see Character Can Book Projects!

 I can’t believe we’re at the end of the school year and this is the last letter I’ll be writing!  All of us are anxious for summer vacation and we’re thankful that all assessments have been completed.  The children were able to share interesting information about themselves as they wrote a letter to next year’s teacher.  On Thursday we had our annual school talent show where some children in our class shared dance, music and wrestling.  Earlier in the day we had our own class talent show.  We all enjoyed watching the children demonstrate their talents of flexibility, jumping rope, singing, and performing the Electric Slide.  Friday was a relaxed day with our stuffed animals as we celebrated three summer birthdays and watched the movie Little Giants.  Thanks to Jessica and Bryan’s families for providing the goodies. REMINDER:  Please check your house for any school books and return them with your child.  On Monday we will be grouped in our school families to participate in Field Day.  Then on Tuesday we all say our farewells until next year.  I have enjoyed working with your children and wish all of you a wonderful, safe summer vacation.

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Grade 3/4M, 3/4W, 3/4Y  – Ms  Martens/Mrs. Wasson/Mrs. Yates

Click here for Memorial Day Program Pics!

It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  This year has been a learning process for both staff and students with our combination classes.  The majority of us have felt that this has been a successful year allowing us to cover all the demands of curriculum and student needs.  The students rose to every occasion with the changing of classes and teachers on a daily basis.  Wow, were we impressed with their ability to remember the who, what, and where of each day.  We all agree that the independence level of students increased by taking responsibility for their materials and assignments for every class.  Of course, all of this would not have been possible without parental support, which we are grateful for.  Thank you for a wonderful year.  We all wish you an enjoyable, safe, summer and we'll see you in the fall.  Sincerely, Marion Martens, Allison Wasson, and Mary Yates.

 

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Grade 5CR – Mrs. Craycraft/Ms Richards

Hello everyone. It is difficult to believe we have arrived at the end of the year. 5CR kept so busy, to the last minute, that this week really did not feel like the last full week. We finished our work on the mysteries with most students having a rough draft. The developing sense of plot and character was nice to see in these pieces. It was also evident that these young writers have a good grasp of logical organization and the use of transition words and phrases. These elements worked together to make for fluent pieces of writing. Our reading time was spent researching the various tests we performed in science and creating presentations that were shared on Friday.  We also spent time finishing assessments. Everyone wrote a letter to next year's teacher, completed spelling tests, and was benchmarked in reading. SCIENCE - The students enjoyed sharing their ideas in science. Both classes prepared presentations on who they thought committed the crime against Felix Navidad. Then they were asked to defend their choice using logical explanations for evidence that might seem contradictory to their theories. They did a good job. I was especially impressed by the explanation one group came up with to explain the brown stained paper towel. It was food coloring used to make the cola still appear the normal brown after the poison ice was added. Some groups thought Felix was alive, most thought he was not and almost everyone thought Kendra was guilty. As is often the case in real life crime, and science for that matter, we do not know for certain if our ideas are correct. We can only rely on the evidence and continue to explore, and experiment, to find further explanations for the things we see and experience, but are yet to understand. I want to take this opportunity to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with your children this year. It has been a fabulous time. Each and every student in 5CR and 5HW is a unique person with many gifts to share. I have enjoyed getting to know each of you and look forward to watching you grow, and eventually graduate from high school. This year I attended the graduation of my first class- the sixth grade class of 2001-2002. It was a pleasure to watch these now grown students cross that stage. It is a moment I'll not forget and one I look forward to repeating with each class of students I have taught. Take care, have a great summer and I will see you next year.


Grade 5HW – Mrs. Harris/Ms Winkler

Click here for Boat Painting Pix

 

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Grade 6DK– Ms Duffield/ Mr. Kiely

This has been a packed week with the talent show, sharing our myth projects and also visiting the New Durham Public library on Friday. We hope that many of our sixth graders will visit the library over the summer and take out some of the many tantalizing books they chose today. We thank Max for his introduction to the young adult section that many of our sixth graders now enjoy. As the year closes we notice that some of our classroom books are still missing from the shelves. Please check at home and return anything that belongs to NDS, sixth grade, or Jill Duffield!! It should be labeled inside. Thanks!  Finally, it is hard to believe the year is almost done. This has been an outstanding group of students and we will be honoring them in many ways at our step-up day next Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. in the gym. Of course, all parents and family are more than welcome to join us as we say goodbye!

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Art – Mr. Stasiuk

 

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Music – Mrs. Johnson

 

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