Volume 1, Issue 1 FALL 2012

QUIET RIOT COMES TO OES

Be a LISA, not a LARRY. This was the message students received during an anti-bullying assembly on October 10th. Sponsored by the PTO, QUIET RIOT presented their antibullying show to both the PLC and OES students. Quiet Riot is a team of two brothersBill and David Mettler who are professional story tellers. By drawing on their collection of life experiences, the brothers, through their Bully Show, provided students with tactics for victims, bullies and bystanders to cast off their roles and stop bullying in its tracks. The program encouraged students and teachers to take a stand that : NO ONE WILL BE
MISTREATED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND EVERYONE HAS A PLACE OF HONOR.

Through very entertaining story telling, complete with sound effects and audience participation, students learned that one way to stop bullying in its tracks is for everyone to remember the qualities that LISA had in the story: Lisa listened, included, shared and appreciated, whereas LARRY was a typical bully. The OES has adopted this motto: Be a Lisa not a Larry to remind us all that bullying stops when we treat everyone with respect.

L = Listen I = Include S = Share A = Appreciate

OES Happenings

OCTORARA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A NOTE FROM MS. WILSON

It is difficult to believe we are a week away from Thanksgiving and the holiday season is already upon us. The rush of the beginning of the school year somehow catapults us more quickly into the end of the first marking period and the holidays. In keeping with the holiday spirit, I would like to take this opportunity to say how very thankful I am to be your principal at OES. Your children are a joy and keep me mindful of why we, as educators, take on such a daunting task for they deserve the very best. I couldnt ask for a more dedicated and talented faculty and staff to work with, and the parents and community have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. OES is indeed a special place. Please know that I will continue to work diligently so that each child has what he or she needs, not only to be academically successful, but to also feel special so that they may blossom into the wonderful and unique person they are in the process of becoming. Thank you, parents, for your children, and I wish you peace and joy for the coming holidays as well as the new year.

Inside this issue:

Thrilling Thursday Its Reading Cats and Dogs Reading Workshop Update Frog Night Mrs. Hetricks Class Creates Maps Mrs. Schurrs Class Hard at Work OES Votes! 2 2 2 3 3 3 4

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Nov. 15thFrog Night OPLC; 6-8 pm Nov. 16thGifts N Things Pick Up; 5-7 pm
OPLC MPR

Nov. 21stHalf-Day, Early Dismissal at

12:30

Nov. 23-26No School Thanksgiving

THRILLING THURSDAY My favorite thing about Thrilling Thursday is..

Thursday will never be the same. In days gone by, it was always just one day after Wednesday and one day before Friday. Now, in the fall of 2012, Thursday has taken on a new meaning in Ms. Riekers class: It's Thrilling Thursday! Thrilling Thursday is a weekly event associated with a new word study program we are using in class. Its an effective program that lets the students sort words according to common patterns. This year, by Thursday of each week, the students have practiced sorting their words for the week and are ready to be timed. They begin with limbering activities, and a thundering thoughtful shouting of the rules for the game. They don't just sit and sort quietly. They sort to the motivating music from the movie Rocky. Twenty-seven students use their senses as they look at the pattern headers, see the previously cut word cards, use hand-eye coordination as they touch them to move them to their magic spots, and shout them to hear themselves say them. It's thrilling to witness the students using the senses to commit the words to memory. Wait, though! The thrills have not yet begun to wane. The suspense builds as the time in minutes and seconds taken for the group to do the word sort will be revealed, and the Magnificent Twenty-Seven are encouraged to make it even more of a Thrilling Thursday by doing a drum roll on their desks. Immediately after the time announcement, it's Thriving Thursday as the students display how proud they are of themselves and their classmates! Each week, the focus has been on the students' learning through sportsmanship, adhering to rules, using senses, and, especially, having fun. When it's not Thrilling Thursday, it's Motivating Monday, Terrific Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, or Festive Friday; and on these days, the learning continues with the students proclaiming loudly at the beginning

The more you read, the better you read! The better you read, the more you read!
of each class:

contributed by Mr. Joe Bonano, Title I Reading Assistant

having lots of fun with classmates and enjoying spelling. I think that I might have actually become a better speller since I participated in Thrilling Thursday! ~

ITS READING CATS AND DOGS!

Students in Mrs. Welks class are joining kids across the country in an exciting reading campaign called Paws for Reading. Students chose to side with either cats or dogs in a pledge to read every day to help make their team reading championswhile also helping to donate 250,000 books to children in need. For every 20 minutes students read, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate a book to a child in need through their literacy partners. In less than one week our class has read 1,554 minutes and donated 76 books! Way to go! For every 20 minutes students

read, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate a book to a child in need through their literacy partners.

READING WORKSHOPChoosing a Just Right Book

Students at OES are reading more than ever! I hope you have seen a change in your childs reading behavior at home as well. Your childs teacher has been able to use an assessment tool called Running Records to determine each students independent reading level, and in turn, teach him or her how to select just right books. It is vital that students read, and read a lot; however, if your child is not selecting a just right book to read on his/her
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own, then that practice he or stuck on words, cant read with she is getting will not be proexpression and if it doesnt make ductive. Research tells us sense. You can help at home by when children select books that making sure your child is reading they can read fast and every night, and more importantly, smooth, with expression, and reading a just right book. As we that they enjoy, they will make tell our students: The more we more progress in a year read, the better we read, and than if they are attempting Just Right Books are books the better we read, the more to read books that are too your child can read fast and we read! Parentsplease rehard. A book is too hard smooth, with expression , that member to sign off on your childs reading log each night. for your child if they get they will enjoy.
O E S H AP P E NI NG S

Mrs. Hughes Fourth Grade Class: Growing Great Minds

We are having a fantastic time stretching our brains and moving our bodies in Mrs. Hughes class Weve read ravishing books about everything from Jack Rabbits magic beanstalk to pigs that can do anything! Weve written wonderful stories about talking animals and even created our own Can -Do Posters. We can tell time, measure perimeter, and even add money! Do you know what a curmudgeon is? We do! How about the stages of butterfly metamorphosis? Or the parts of a crayfish? We know that too. You can even ask us how to Banana Phone! We are looking forward to traveling back in time to discover what life was like in the early days of America, and an exciting visit to earths beautiful biomes is soon to come, right here in our own classroom! We are growing and learning and cant wait for more fourth grade!

FROG NIGHT IS HERE! Nov. 15th, 6-8 pm OPLC Bring your favorite frog friends!

GIFT DRAWING FOR ADULTS AND STUDENTS EVERY 15 MIN.!!

Room 9 Celebrates Maps and Students Creativity

Mrs. Hetricks third grade class recently completed a social studies unit on maps. Students worked with Miss Gower, their student teacher from The University of Scranton, to learn to navigate maps using directions and symbols. They studied about landforms, boundaries, the equator, and the seven continents. To practice their map skills, the third grade class completed a map project. Each student created a map of an imaginary city, town or land. To celebrate their creativity and explore their map designs, family members were invited to the classroom to view the maps on display. The students practiced their public speaking by presenting their maps and sharing what made them most proud about their work. Everyone enjoyed this community experience. If only we could visit these wonderful places!

Mrs. Schurrs Class is Hard at Work, and Play!

Mrs. Schurrs third grade class has been reading, reading, reading! During class they are learning how to find a Just Right Book, become active readers, and make connections while reading. The reading logs that have been turned in have had many students reading over 100 minutes a week! Very impressive! In math, students are currently learning about fractions. They have to be able to put fractions on a number line, identify fractions, and count by fractions. Next they will be learning the basic concept of multiplication and making arrays. In science, the students have grown their own plants. They have been learning the parts of plants and the life cycle of a plant. Students also got to observe bees, learn the parts of a bee, and why bees are important to our environment. In writing, students learned about the six traits of good writing. Now, we are applying those traits to our first topic which is personal narratives. Students are now writing personal narrative stories. We have also had our first field trip to Longwood Gardens. We had a beautiful day and learned a
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lot about plants!

VO L U M E 1, I SSU E 1

OCTORARA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

228 Highland Road Atglen, PA 19310 610-593-8238

HARVEST PARTY HAPPENINGS

Principal: Ms. Elena M. Wilson x2510 Principals Secretary: Mrs. Susan Conrad x2501 Attendance/Discipline Secretary: Mrs. Dorothy Mattick x2500 Guidance Counselor: Mrs. Michelle Moran x2531 Instructional Support Teacher: Mrs. Donna Edwards x2025 School Nurse: Mrs. Margaret Michell x2541 Food Service Director: Mrs. Linda Neff x3581

www.octorara.k12.pa.us
PTO: [email protected]

KIDS VOTING USA 2012: Obama wins at OES and in Chester County OES Learns About Federal and Local Government
Students in several OES classrooms spent time learning about our candidates for President and Vice-President in their Social Studies classes in order to prepare for the Chester County KIDS VOTING USA general election , which ran from October 30th-November 6th. The Ches-

Fourth Grade Goes to Harrisburg On Nov. 7th and 8th, fourth grade students went to Harrisburg to tour the capital. Although there was not much happening the days following the election, students were able to see where it all takes place. They participated in a tour of the Capitol Building which provided information on how and where our elected state officials contribute and impact our state government.

Voters Line up at the Polls at OES

Obama, 99 votes for Mitt Romney, 6 votes for Jill Stein, and 2 votes for Gary Johnson. We hope that we have created at least 239 future American voters. ter County Intermediate Unit organized this student-friendly voting campaign and through it, over 27,000 students across Chester County voted. At OES, 239 students voted, with 132 votes for Barak