--------------------------------------------------------------

Your PTO at Work:

The PTO is proud to supply the flashlights used in every 5th-grade classroom for “Flashlight Friday” reading experiences, during science experiments, and many more projects! Ms. Daniels explains: Flashlight Fridays is a time when the fifth grade students read independently with the lights off, and flashlights on. This is a fun and different way to engage students to read to self. Also, the same flashlights can be used in science class when learning about the seasons. Students make sun dials and use the flashlights to model the sun. The light casts shadows on the dial, and students can experience how the sun’s shadows tell the time and season.

March 4th, Markham Place School: LSPD presention on cell phones:

For a little device that only weighs a few ounces, phones bring heavy responsibilities and issues to the table. LSPD’s Officer Chenowith presented the social, emotional and legal ramifications of Cyberbullying to all Markham kids today. While it’s fresh in their heads, talk to your kids about where cyberbullying happens (email, texts, IM, social media, chats, and gaming). Ask them if bullying is easier to get away with online (81% of teens say it is). Ask them if they would tell you if they were cyberbullied (10% of kids don’t). Ask them who Ryan Patrick Halligan was (he was 13). Ask them what some cyberbullying tactics are (gossip, impersonation – ask them if they know their friends’ passwords, harassment, and exclusion are a few). Remind them that anything they do on their phone NEVER goes away, and they are held accountable for it. Remind them to go to an adult for help if they need it, and to speak up when someone else does. Adult responsibility is in our kids’ hands.

March 5, 2020; Ben Franklin presentation to K-4 at Point Road School:

BEN FRANKLIN visited Point Road School today and taught our K-4 students all about life in his day and his life’s work! Ask your student how many birthdays he had and why (2 – because the calendar changed), what he discovered using a kite and a key (electricity), and what the basis for all his inventions was (to help people). He started the first fire department and hospital, encrypted $5 bills with leaves so they couldn’t be copied, and invented the lightening rod among COUNTLESS other things! Ask your child why there’s really only 46 states (because MA, VA, KY and PA are commonwealths), and why “paradise” was spelled with an f (it was a long s back in his day). Ask your child what THEY would like to invent…. we bet they have a bright idea. Thank you to our cultural arts committee for this historical presentation!

The PTO supplied Ms. Files with a Cricut maker and mats as part of our teacher grant program. What is it? The Cricut makes is the ultimate smart cutting machine. With the ability to use more advanced tools, the Cricut maker gives you the freedom to make virtually any DIY project you can imagine. from 3D art to school decor, iron on, vinyl, paper projects and so much more. It has the tools to cut hundreds of materials quickly and accurately, from the most delicate paper and fabric to the tough stuff like matwood, leather and basswood. This machine features a unique cutting versatility, a huge library of design ideas, and easy to use apps. Why is it helpful? This machine will be available to the teachers to use to create unique learning tools, beautiful classroom displays or creative projects for their students, such as add creative detail to the art show or design hallway displays for the play.

The PTO was happy to support the 8th grade science curriculum with a NewAir® Portable Countertop Ice Maker. Mrs. Macchia’s application stated: It will be used during laboratory activities and engineering design challenges. In physical science we use a lot of ice in lab activities. Currently I have 10 labs that need ice to conduct the class. The ice maker would replace buying bags of ice from the convenience store. Students also have an Engineering and design project called the big freeze. They need to design and build a container to keep an ice cube from melting the longest. Ice cubes are used to test, design, and fix projects along the way.

The PTO is proud to support our music teachers in their development of an Artist-in-Residence program. The goals of the program, according to Ms. Bennett and Ms. Brush, are to “bring a local, professional musician into the school to share their skills and perspectives with our student musicians. This experience will create enriching, memorable moments in our students’ lives, and will be an avenue for teaching core content through actively engaging students with a professional musician”.

Markham jazz students being led for by professional jazz guitarist, David O’Rourke, who gave them tips on how to improvise!

Markham percussion students to take a master class with professional percusstist, John Gronert!

The PTO was happy to provide a first grade classroom with this library book shelf. It promotes reading by keeping the books organized and accessible!

Did you know…Physical activity is correlated with higher academic performance, better overall health, and improved behavior. Studies have found that short bursts of movement in the classroom contribute to better on-task behavior, with the most improvement seen in children who were the least on-task initially. (1) And offering changes in positions and movement opportunities throughout the day provide these short bursts of activity.

Students in Ms. Mullan’s class enjoying flexible seating options

As therapists and teachers, we know that a multi-sensory approach to learning contributes to better learning outcomes, attention, and behavior. Research supports the idea that dynamic seating options can be used to improve attention in students. (2, 3) Just as adults need to get up and take a walk or pace the room while we think and brainstorm, kids also need outlets for moving and fidgeting during the school day. https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/alternative-seating-classroom/