Marvelous Mythology News from Ms. Singer:  Congratulations to the fifty-two third, fourth, and fifth grade students who took the National Mythology Exam during the first week of March.  The exam, sponsored by the American Classical League of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, was administered by Ward School Literacy Specialist, Ms. Naomi Singer.  The children who chose to take this rigorous exam did so because they are interested in Greek and Roman mythology.  Students prepared for the exam independently over the course of several months.  All of them did an outstanding job and received commemorative certificates of participation.  We are proud of our mythology buffs and applaud all they have accomplished in their study of this exciting literary genre!  Twenty-four students, or 39%  of our participants, earned medals.  

Gold medalists scored 100%!  Silver medalists scored 93% - 99%!  Bronze medalists scored 86% to 92%.  

Grade Three   

• Silver Medalists:  Cameron Mastoras, Matthew Rabin, Sara Buchwald
• Bronze Medalists:  Einat Gavish, Eitan Green, Daniel Saukkonen
• Certificates:  Ilai Gavish, Jon Hammer, Ryan McLaughlin, Catherine DeGroot, Ilona Demler, Jill Kirson, Aleks Gropman, Max Mandel, Lydia Smith, Lukas Alexander, Ryan Park, Ally Beizer, Valerie Dubinsky, Katherine Ho, Grace Donovan, Ben Beizer, Ian Post                   
  

Grade Four     

• Gold Medalists:  Sasha Dubinsky, Paris Karniadakis, Nalini Khurana, Richard Wang
• Silver Medalists:  Audrey Bloom, Amanda Powers
• Bronze Medalists:  Camila Aro, Alexa Lyons, Emily Moss
• Certificates:  Roy Avieli, Ally Wolf, Alex Chin, Max Steinberg, Marshall Craig, Natalie Cotter

Grade Five     

• Gold Medalists:  Katherine Gao, Dianne Lee
• Silver Medalists:  Eliza Bresler, Jackson Bunis, Holden Greene, Katherine Zhou
• Bronze Medalists:  Alex Horn, Ethan Smith, Michael McCabe
• Certificates:  Jared Kreppein, John Lee, Erin McLaughlin, Liam Clancy, Gianlucca Zaccai

Bravo and three cheers to all of our Ward School Masters of Mythology!

Lice Support:  Many of our classrooms experienced infestations of lice this year. In an attempt to help reduce the number of cases, a group has formed to provide a confidential support program.   Parent volunteers will rotate to offer education and support outside of school, including lice checks, where appropriate.
 
Though it takes just one louse to start a village, we need more than a few volunteers to make this program successful. No previous experience required (but if you have ever been there, I hope you will join us as you know how desperate one becomes if left to single-handedly rid a home of these awful creatures).  If you need support or wish to get involved, please contact Maria Sullivan mariasullivan18@hotmail.com (617) 527-9136.

Exciting Poetry News from Ms. Singer:  Twelve Ward School students' poems have  been accepted for publication in the spring anthology of Creative Communication's "A Celebration of Poets".  Congratulations to our talented poets who submitted their thoughtfully crafted work!

• Ally Appel, Grade 2 for "Grandma's Garden"
• Talia Belz, Grade 2 for "Fall"
• Will Kritzer, Grade 2 for "Homework"
• Ethan Lee, Grade 2 for "The Ladybug"
• Sam Schwartz, Grade 2 for "Summer Day!"
• Rachel Slater, Grade 2 for "Flowers"
• Maja Smed, Grade 2 for "Springtime"
• Lucy Verdone, Grade 2 for "Everyone Is Special"
• Amanda Powers, Grade 4 for "Heron"
• Aaron Soibelman, Grade 4 for "Snowboarding"
• Dianne Lee, Grade 5 for "The Sun"
• Lia Osborne, Grade 5 for "Long Meadow"

If your child has written a poem he or she would like to enter, please submit  the poem to Ms. Singer  by mid June for entry by the summer deadline. 
 
Registration for Fourth Grade Instrumental Music Lessons Coming Soon:  Students entering fourth grade in September may elect to participate in the Instrumental Music Lesson Program where they will learn how to play a band or orchestra instrument.  This fee-based program ($150) is a unique opportunity for students with little or no experience playing a musical instrument to receive a weekly 30-minute group lesson during the school day. For many children, this program marks the beginning of a lifelong endeavor as a musician in Newton Public Schools and beyond.

During the months of May and June, our instrumental music teachers will be conducting a special demonstration/information session for all third grade students in their schools.  The teachers will provide an information packet with registration forms for students to bring home to their parents and guardians on the day of their demonstration.

By June 1st, all of the information about this program will be posted on the district website including registration and financial assistance forms that can be downloaded.  The registration deadline is August 31st.  If you have questions about this program, please contact Richard P. King, Fine Arts Coordinator by June 23rd at (617) 559-6149.  Newton Public Schools website: www.newton.k12.ma.us.

Ward School PE and Wellness:  This past Wednesday, Ward School students in grades 2-5 participated in its first Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser for the American Heart Association.  The event took place during the student's physical education class and the students were asked to count every single jump so we could add them up at the end of the day.  I am very happy to report that the students jumped 117, 413 times in total between the four grades.

As far as the fundraising part of the event, this went very well.   We collected over $4,000!  The students who raised money each received a certificate as well as some other prizes based on how much money they each brought in.  Prizes will be sent to me from the American Heart Association by the end of May.

I would like to thank all of the students, and the parents who helped their children raise money.  Together everyone has contributed in some way to saving lives!

Lastly, I would like to recognize all of the members of the '$100 Club'.  Each of the following students raised 100 or more dollars: Erin McLaughlin, Eliza Bresler, Lexi Gershkowitz, Tanya Anatolieva, Sara Buchwald, Eitan Green, Lydia Smith, Jill Kirson,  Maya Dayanim, Morgan Britt-Webb, Emily and Edward Evangelakos, Jordan Feinberg, and Brett Miller

The '$200 Club' includes: Charlie Zwetchkenbaum, Evan Lipchin, Ian Sloane and Talia Belz.

And a final thank you to our top money raiser, Amanda Freedman.  Amanda brought in $303!  She is a proud member of our '$300 Club'.

Thank you again to all of our participants!

Sincerely,
Chris MacPherson

Do you like to play BINGO?  Come join us from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM on Friday, May 29th.  Play Bingo and interact with Seniors at the Scandinavian Living Center in Newton Centre.  It should be a rewarding afternoon for all.  

Early Release Thursday, June 4th:  We are visiting Waltham Farms and will have a nice program to learn about the farm.  This is usually a lot of fun for the kids!  Contact Amy Silberstein (amyjim45@comcast.net) with questions, but there will be more details as we get closer to the date.

Monday, June 1st:  Last CARE Meeting of the 2008-09 school year.  (8:00 PM at the home of Sherri Wolf)  Please join us if you would like to get involved or have a social action idea you would like to share. 

Spring Cleanup - Thank you so much to the many volunteers and coordinators at last weeks' Ward School cleanup.  It was great to see so many people pitch in and really make a difference.  Check out the beautiful new butterfly garden on the south east side of the school, the new platform on the wood playground structure (Dads have now replaced six different platforms where wood was rotting out!), and the colorful asphalt games adorning the new paved area.   Things are shaping up.  Have ideas for how to make things even better?  Please contact Beverly Craig beverlycraig@yahoo.com and show up at our evening PTO meeting this Wednesday at 7:30 PM at the Craig household- 24 Fellsmere Rd.

The Ward Garden Project Planting Day, Tuesday, May 12th: Please help your children plant the Ward Garden. See your child's class planting schedule below. Bring shovels, trowels and gloves. We also need volunteers to water the garden. Now thru September for 1 week periods - please contact: Lili Sloan at ests40@comcast.net

 Each class is expected to be in the garden for approximately 30 minutes.

Seasonal Allergies:  The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and birds are singing. But, noses are running, eyes are puffy and throats are scratchy. Not only is it spring, but it is allergy season as well.

The uncomfortable symptoms of sneezing, congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, cough and others are caused by allergens.  Common springtime allergens are pollen, mold spores, animal dander (dead skin flakes and saliva), and dust.  Allergens In the early spring are largely from wind-borne pollen from trees. In late spring, grasses start to cause trouble. The worst time for allergy symptoms are during hot, dry or windy days when there's a lot of pollen in the air.

But before you settle for plastic flowers and artificial turf, try these simple and effective strategies. You can't completely avoid springtime allergies - but you can reduce your signs and symptoms by being prepared. Here are some tips that can help:

1. Visit your child's doctor. Talk to your child's doctor about starting allergy medications before the pollens and molds get underway
2. Keep windows and doors shut at home. Your screens will not keep out those tiny pollens and molds that may find their way to your eyes and nose even while inside the house. Consider running the a/c earlier in the year if it gets stuffy.
3. Keep the car windows up. When in your car, keep your windows up. If you can adjust your vent to re-circulate inter-compartment air, do it! Sorry, this also means keeping the sunroof closed.
4. Time outdoor activities properly. Try to avoid outdoor activities in the early and mid-morning hours. Pollen counts tend to be higher in the morning.
5. Have your child take their recommended antihistamines. If being outside is unavoidable, ask your doctor about have your child take their antihistamine before going to their soccer or baseball game  When they return from an outing, have them remove their clothing and take a shower and shampoo the hair immediately after going back in the house.
6. Know your allergens. If your child has some allergy symptoms during winter months they are probably allergic to dust mite, pets or mold spores. Indoor environmental controls may help during the outdoor allergy seasons by reducing their response to these indoor triggers over night. Sometimes indoor triggers are more of a problem when the outdoor allergens pick up (a process called priming).
7. Wash out the nose. Keep some nasal saline around to rinse out their nasal passages two or three times a day when allergy symptoms are more active.

Information taken from:

• The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/asthma.cfm
• The Mayo Clinic  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/springtime-allergies/AA00060