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Ocean Avenue School and PTO Newsletter
May/June 2015
May and June Calendar
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Teacher Appreciation Week• May 4-8
Maine Academy of Modern Music Concert• May 29
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MEAS Grade 5• May 4-8
Spring Fair and Bike Rodeo • May 31 |
11AM-1PM
Lincoln Parent Information Night • May 5 | 6:30PM
C-Port Assembly• June 1 | 1:50PM
ACES Day (All Children Exercise
Simultaneously)• May 6
Lyman Moore Step Up Day Grade 5• June 2 Early Release• May 6 | 2:00PM
Kindergarten Orientation • June 2 | 3:30-4:30PM
Nutrition Workshop, K-1• May 7
MEAS Grade 4• May 11-15
Arts Night Grades 3-5 • June 3 | 5:30PM
Coffee Talk with Dr. Coursey• May 13 | 8:00AM
Play Me a Story Performance• June 5 |
9:30AM
Early Release• May 13 | 2:00PM
Walk and Roll to School• May 14 | 8:15AM
Family Literacy Night • June 9 | 5:30PM
Nutrition Workshop, Grade 2 • May 14
Elementary Track Meet• June 11 | 8:00AM
King Parent Information Night • May 14 | 6:30PM
Maine Academy of Modern Music Concert• June 12
Lincoln Step Up Day Grade 5• May 15 | 12:30-2:30PM Fifth Grade Family Day, Payson Park • June 12 Junie B. Jones Performance at the Merrill,
K-2• May 18 | 9:15AM
IB Fun Day Grades K-2• June 16
PTO Special Morning Meeting• May 20| 7:30AM - 8:30AM IB Fun Day Grades 3-5• June 17
Step Up Day• June 19 Early Release• May 20 | 2:00PM
King Step Up Day Grade 5• May 21
Fifth Grade Farewell• June 18 | 1:00PM
No School Memorial Day • May 25
Fifth Grade Breakfast • June 19 | 9:00AM
Last Day of School• June 19 | Noon Dismissal
Early Release• May 27 | 2:00PM
Arts Night, Grades K-2 • May 28 | 5:30PM
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Classroom News
Kindergarten News
To celebrate Earth Day and IB learning, Ms.
Crowley’s class encourage people to "plant a
tree". Ms. Crowley's students packaged and
delivered sprouting acorn seeds to every
student and every staff member at Ocean
Avenue School! They asked recipients to sign a
pledge to help the earth by planting the acorn.
After a busy day of distributing seeds, over 400
people had received an acorn seed and signed
the pledge- all promising to plant a tree during
vacation week! Kindergarten students launched their final
IB unit of inquiry of the school year, How the
World Works. The central idea of this unit is: We use our
senses to understand growth and change in
the natural world. During this inquiry,
students will be learning about how the
senses work together to help us gather
information and make observations.
Specifically, students will be making
observations about the characteristics and
needs of plants and animals at different
stages of development. Students also
launched a new writing unit, learning to write
informational “All About” books. This unit will
be a good complement to the IB unit of
inquiry, since students will be able to write
informational books about the senses and
about plants and animals. Ms. Crowley's class will be hatching duck
eggs again this year! All classes will be invited
to share in the learning experience. We hope
to have baby ducks hatching sometime in
early June. As the school year nears its close,
Kindergarten students are showing growth in
so many areas, both socially and
academically.
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Second Grade News
Grade 2 wrapped up our How the World
Works unit on Matter and is finishing up the
year with another engaging science unit. Our
Sharing the Planet unit, Can’t Live Without
You is all about interdependence. The
central idea is the balanced
interdependence of living and nonliving
things contributes to the state of an
environment. Students are looking forward
to contributing to the school garden and a
couple of walking field trips.
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Third Grade News
During April, Third Graders got out into
the city and visited the Maine Historical
Society. We partnered with the museum to
create our very own exhibit that features
“Change Over Time”. For the display,
students created maps of their
neighborhoods to put on display. They also
collected items and photos of artifacts that
show our lifestyle today compared to the
lifestyle in Portland during the 1700’s and
1800’s. In math, we moved on from
multiplication and division into fractions.
Students studied the basics of fractions. Next
we will compare fractions. The students will be immersed in
engineering and design. The end of the year
will bring geometry and measurement in
math, poetry in writing and planting in our
third grade garden. continued …
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Classroom and School News
Third Grade News, continued …
Talk to your doctor about vaccines for
your child. Ask for copies of any shots s/he
receives and a “sports clearance” note.
Provide these copies to your middle school
nurse. Your child will need a physical exam
every 2 years to participate in sports in middle
and high school. Feel free to contact me if you
need help finding a doctor or making an
appointment.
Third grade is also gearing up for the
MEAs in the third week of May. We are
discussing how to do our best on the test
and to come to school ready to learn! Looking forward, our final IB unit will
focus on how we organize ourselves and the
crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause
and effect. Science will focus on force and
motion and how people investigate patterns
of force to predict and manipulate the world. !
All Children Exercise
Simultaneously
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Nurse’s Notes
Wednesday May 6th was ACES DAY!
Children all over Maine exercised
together to promote healthy habits and
fitness. Students were walking, dancing,
jogging, biking, or doing a combination
of these with other exercises activities.
At Ocean Avenue School we
celebrated ACES day the first thing in the
morning. Everyone gathered in the
courtyard for 20 minutes of moving and
dancing. It was a beautiful sunny
morning and the students were
enthusiastic and very energetic. It was a
wonderful way to start our Wednesday.
Please be aware this is the time of year
when mosquitoes and ticks are active. Tick
bites can pose health risks to children and
adults. To reduce the chances of a tick bite
dress your child in light colored pants, long
sleeve shirt, socks and close-toed shoes and
a sun hat or cap when going on an outdoor
field trip. If you wish for your child to wear
bug repellent, please apply before school. Check your child’s body thoroughly after
the field trip and for the next 2-3 days. If you
find a tick, remove it with tweezers or special
tick-removal kit. Save the tick in a plastic bag
or vial for identification. Wash the bite site
with soap and water and contact your child’s
physician to determine what medical follow
up is needed. You should do regular tick checks during
spring, summer and early fall. For more
information go to www.mainelyticks.com.
Laurie Hesselink, RN School Nurse, OAES
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Parents of 5th Graders
All students in middle school need
documentation of a doctor’s physical exam to
participate in ANY school sport. Please make
an appointment for you child to have a well
child physical exam before September. ACES Day at OAES!
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PTO: Enriching Our School
Enrichment Updates
Book Face at Literacy Night
As the PTO Enrichment Programs for
2014-15 come to a close, the students are
enjoying some final enrichment opportunities
both in the classrooms and after school.
The Artists for Social Change will feature
the children’s artwork in the OAES art case
during early May - be sure to check it out!
And in the classrooms, Lisa Hicks, PTO
Director of Enrichment has arranged for grade
2 students and Miss Crowley’s K class to
learn some African drumming. And the other
K and 1 classes will enjoy some dance with
Lisa. Many thanks to our volunteers who have
helped to make this PTO Enrichment season
one of the best ever!
At the OAES Family Literacy Night on
June 9, the PTO will be adding some extra
fun to the evening with a Book Face event.
Students can bring a favorite book with a
face on the cover, hold it up to their own face,
and we’ll take a photo. We’ll also have books
available. More details coming soon!
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Planting Week
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Second Grader, Nick Jones showing
his own Book Face
Supporting Our Math Team
How does your garden grow? Over the past few weeks, PTO Grounds
Committee Chair, David Kutcha has been busy
preparing the OAES gardens for planting. The
Planting Weeks are scheduled for the last week
in May and the first week in June. As we get
closer, watch your email for a call for volunteers
to help the classes with planting. FMI, please
contact Jeannette Wycoff, PTO Community
Director at [email protected].
The PTO was proud to fund the OAES
Math Team’s t-shirts. See their beautiful
card on the PTO bulletin board.
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PTO: Building Community
Spring Fair and Bike Rodeo
Sunday May 31 | 11AM - 1PM
OAES School
Join us for art, food, climbing wall, bicycling and more at this fun, free event for the entire
OAES community! Learn about bike safety, ride the trails and bike course, learn how to juggle
or make some artwork with your friends. !
Free Helmets | Free Food | Climbing Wall | Bike Safety Checks | Face Painting | Plant Sale
and More!
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All participating children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your bike to participate in the Bike Rodeo
Sponsored by the OAPTO, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Diane Newman State Farm Insurance
and Paths Culinary Concepts
Night at The Sea Dogs
June 18 | 6PM
at Hadlock Field, Portland
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What better way to celebrate the beginning of summer and the end of the school year than
enjoying a baseball game with OAES friends and families. Join the PTO and Ocean Avenue
Community for this fun even. More info coming soon on tickets.
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PTO: What’s Happening
Fair and Bike Rodeo on Sunday, May 31. If
you’d like to donate perennials to help the
PTO, or if you'd like to help at the sale. Please
contact Community Director, Jeannette
Wycoff at [email protected]
Morning PTO Meeting
Join us May 20th for a Special Spring
Morning Meeting at 7:30AM in the OAES
Library. Childcare will be provided.
• Enjoy coffee and bagels
• Learn about Spring events and activities
• Say hello to OAES administrators, teachers
and staff
• Join us for a special musical surprise!
FMI contact Nanette Dyer Blake, PTO
President at [email protected]
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Walk and Roll to School
The Portland Sea Dog’s mascot, Slugger will
join the OAES community as we Walk and Roll to
School on Thursday May 14. Join us at 8:15AM
at Heseltine Park on the corner of Irving St and
Ocean Avenue. Walk starts at 8:30AM. FMI
contact PTO VP, Allison Ayan at
[email protected].
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Fundraising Update
On April 29, the PTO held our second
Annual Call Banking event and raised $5500
which will go towards events and programs to
enrich our students education. This was our
last major fundraiser of the year. Thank you
volunteers and donors!
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Plant Sale - Donations Needed
Calling all Green Thumbs! Isn't it great to
see your garden wake up after the epic winter
we had? Are you noticing that your irises
need splitting or you have too many day lilies
- Ocean Ave PTO can help! We are looking for donations to our Plant
Sale, which will happen during our Spring
Board
Contacts
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Nanette Dyer Blake,
President [email protected]
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Allison Ayan, Vice
President
vicepresident@oapt
o.org
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Chip Gavin, Treasurer
[email protected]
Jeannette Wycoff,
Community Building
Director
[email protected]
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Erica Sabatino,
Secretary
[email protected]
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John Gordon,
Development Director
[email protected]
Katharine O’Neill,
Communication
Director
communication@oapt
o.org
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Lisa Hicks,
Enrichment Director
[email protected]
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Tobin Scipione,
Volunteer Director
[email protected]
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Julie Lannon,
Nominating
Committee Director
[email protected]
School News
Principal for a Day
graders should return their log to their
middle school library. Summer reading is a terrific way to
maintain the gains students have made over
the school year in reading. Students who
participate in the Public Library summer
reading program may use the same books
for their school reading log. Each school
will present a certificate to students who
participate and return their reading log in
September.
Have a safe and happy summer, and
keep reading!
Lynn McCarthy,
Portland Public Schools Elementary
Librarian
Mr. Christopher Emmons, president and
CEO of Gorham Savings Bank, joined our
school on Wednesday, May 6 as Principal
for a Day. Principal for a Day is an initiative that
was brought to PPS by Superintendent
Caulk three years ago. This is a chance for
local business leaders to get to know our
school system. As a student Mr. Emmons
enjoyed chemistry in school and also liked
golf and swimming. Here is a photo of him talking to third
graders in Ms. Lausier’s class about what it
is like to be president of a bank!
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June Dismissal Reminder
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Dismissal on Wednesdays returns to 3:00 for
the month of June.
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Mr. Lausier, Principal for a Day 2015
Summer Reading 2015
This summer, Portland Public School
elementary students are invited to
participate in Summer Reading 2015.
Students are encouraged to keep track of
the books or time they read over the
summer, and to bring their log back to the
school library by September 9th. Fifth
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