Reading Incentive

Every family and staff member at Bartlett Elementary School received a copy of the book, Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. This is a family activity and everyone is expected to complete the book. As part of this program, there has been a daily trivia question, based on the reading assignment. To help celebrate the completion of this reading program, the students and staff were asked to dress up like Gooney Bird Greene. Everyone enjoyed this story about a young storyteller. We would like to thank the PTA for purchasing a copy of this wonderful book for every student and staff member. We will be planning more book projects throughout the year.

Hannaford Help Schools

Hannaford Helps Schools is a program that provides schools an opportunity to raise money for playgrounds, assemblies, etc. When customers purchase participating products at any Hannaford Supermarkets, now through the beginning of December, they will receive “School Dollar” certificates at the register. Just bring these certificates to the school through December 6th and help support the school. Ask your friends and family to give you their certificates to bring in. We will be using the money raised for assemblies and other student activities. We appreciate your support.

Open House

Bartlett Elementary School will be having an Open House on Tuesday, October 6th for 1st and 2nd graders and on Thursday, October 8th for 3rd and 4th graders. Each of these Open Houses will be held from 6:00-7:00 PM. You will have the opportunity to visit your child's classroom, meet the teachers and tour the building. You'll be delighted by all the displays of student work. While at the Open House, please visit the gym where we are having the Book Fair. You and your child may choose from a wide variety of books. The Book Fair will also be set up during the week for visitations and purchases.

Community News

GOFFSTOWN COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)

We will offer FREE disaster preparedness training Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 10 weeks starting on October 6th and ending November 12th from 6 to 8 p.m. in conjunction with the Goffstown GAP (Goffstown Adult Education) Program. All sessions must be attended to fulfill this certified training. To register for this class, please contact Susan Jutras, CERT Director at goffstowncert@hotmail.com or contact the Goffstown Police Department at 497-4858. For more information on CERT, visit our website: www.goffstowncert.org.

Welcome Back!

Welcome to another exciting school year at Bartlett Elementary School! We had a rather smooth opening yesterday. I would like to inform you of some of what has been happening at Bartlett during the summer and this fall.

NEW STAFF: I would like to welcome our new staff members to Bartlett Elementary School. They include:
Casey Grondin-Diehl – Special Education
Sarah Bienvenue – Guidance Counselor
Bob Bergeron – Teacher EBD program
Traci Ceccherini – School Psychologist
Beth Coyle – Guidance Counselor EBD program
Carol Chabot – Paraeducator

Also, congratulations to two staff members who got married this summer, Sarah (Frisbie) Mullin and Andrea (Lafortune) Rounds.

Blue Ribbon Award: Yesterday we received notification that Bartlett Elementary School has once again earned the Blue Ribbon School Achievement Award for 2008-2009. This award is given in recognition for the outstanding dedication of its volunteers to the school, students and educational community. Thank you for making this award possible and special thanks to our Volunteer Coordinator, Lisa Lambert, for her hard work and dedication to the school.

Homework: According to the Goffstown School Board Policy IKB-R, students should have about 10 minutes of homework per grade level each night (second grade – 20 minutes, etc.). Also, all students are expected to read (or be read to) for 20 minutes per night. Any child not completing his/her homework will be expected to stay afterschool the following day to finish the assignment. Remember, if your child is having difficulty with his/her homework and requires substantially more than the recommended time, please write a note on the homework paper, informing the teacher of his/her difficulties. This will help us know where your child may be struggling so we can provide extra support and attention.

Reading Incentive Program: Bartlett Elementary School’s library will be organizing a yearlong, school-wide reading incentive program again this year. The kickoff for this program took place at today’s All-School Meeting.

Gooney Bird Greene Reading Program: Today we began a new school-wide reading program. Every family and staff member at Bartlett Elementary School received a copy of the book, Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry along with a suggested schedule to follow. We are hoping this will be a family activity and expect everyone to complete the book. As part of this program, there will be a daily trivia question, based on the reading assignment. When we are finished with the book, there will be a school-wide celebration for everyone who completed the book. As stated earlier, everyone is expected to take part in this reading program. Remember, your child can record the reading on his/her Reading Log.


Hannaford Help Schools: Hannaford Helps Schools is a program that provides schools an opportunity to raise money for playgrounds, assemblies, etc. When customers purchase participating products at any Hannaford Supermarkets, now through the beginning of December, they will receive “School Dollar” certificates at the register. Just bring these certificates to the school through December and help support the school. Ask your friends and family to give you their certificates to bring in. We will be using the money raised for assemblies and other student activities. We appreciate your support.

Memorial Day Program: Bartlett Elementary School held its Memorial Day Program last Tuesday, May 26th. The students sang patriotic songs and recited Memorial Day poems. Also, the third and fourth grade strings students performed songs for the program. I was proud of the students' performance. Special thanks to the students and their teachers, especially music teachers, Mrs. Orcutt and Miss Richard, for their hard work in putting on this performance. I was glad so many families and friends were able to come to see the performance.

Welcome to Bartlett Night for Families of Incoming First Graders: On June 4th, we will be hosting our Welcome to Bartlett Night for families of incoming first graders. Beginning at 6:30, parents will be given the opportunity to learn about our school and programs while our new first graders have a tour of the school and participate in some fun activities. If you haven’t registered your child yet, please call the school at 623-8088 to begin the registration process. A child must be six years old on or before September 30th to enter the first grade.

Bartlett Bash: On Friday, June 19th, we will be holding our annual Bartlett Bash. The festivities will be held throughout the day. Some of the activities planned include outdoor games and crafts. Every student will be treated to a pizza lunch and then will enjoy a movie in the afternoon. Bartlett Bash has always been an enjoyable, end-of-the-year activity.

Fourth Grade Farewell: The Fourth Grade Farewell has been scheduled for Monday, June 22nd in the Bartlett Elementary School gym. The Farewell is a chance for us to say goodbye to the fourth graders before they leave for the fifth grade at Mountain View Middle School.

Last Day of School ???: At this point, Wednesday, June 24th will be the last day of school. We will be offering school lunch and students will be dismissed at 12:45.

New From the Principal

Winn-Dixie Reading Program: We are very pleased with how well our new school-wide reading program has been received. So many students and staff have been discussing the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Everyone is expected to finish the book on April 13th and there will be a school-wide celebration for everyone who completed the book. As stated earlier, everyone is expected to take part in this family reading program. Remember, your child can record the reading on his/her Dive Into Reading Log.

Grandparents’ Lunch: We have scheduled our annual Grandparents’ Lunch for April 14th (grades 1 & 2) and April 15th (grades 3 & 4). We will be serving a choice of spaghetti and meatballs or chicken patty sandwich, the choices from the March 10th Kids Vote election. The cost for an adult’s lunch is $3.00. Children really enjoy this special day. If your child's grandparent is not available, feel free to have a family friend or another family member attend as a "foster grandparent" for the day. Grandparents are asked to arrive five minutes before their grandchild's scheduled lunchtime.

Earth Day Celebrations: Bartlett Elementary School’s students and staff will be celebrating Earth Day with a multitude of activities during the week before April vacation. On April 24th, the whole school will be going to Hooksett to see the movie Disney Earth. There will be no cost for students to attend this informative movie.

Yearbook Update: The 2008-2009 Bartlett Elementary School Yearbook is in the final stages of completion. So far we have an amazing assortment of images that have been submitted from parents. The order forms have already been sent home, so please return them with your payment if you are interested in ordering a yearbook, no later than April 20th. Books are limited and will be sold on a first come first serve basis, so please do not delay. If you have any questions or concerns about the yearbooks, please call Holly at 647-7247. A sample yearbook can be furnished upon request.

Calling All First Graders! If you have a child that will be entering first grade next fall, or know somebody who does, please call the school at 623-8088 to begin the registration process. A child must be six years old on or before September 30th to enter the first grade.

News From the Principal - January 23, 2009

Martin Luther King Day Celebration: On Tuesday, January 20^th, we held our monthly All-School Meeting. Besides the typical business (announcing Students of the Month, recognizing students who have their writing on display, etc), we also watched technology presentations developed by our students, including a special video developed by Mrs. Audley’s class on fairness in honor of Martin Luther King Day (To see the video, you can go to Mrs. Audley’s website). During the meeting, students were also introduced to books that were nominated to receive the Bartlett Book Award this year. You may want to discuss the meeting with your child.

PTA Spaghetti Dinner: The PTA is having a Spaghetti Bowl (Spaghetti Dinner) on Thursday, January 29, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the Bartlett Bistro (Bartlett Cafeteria). Please join us and some of Bartlett’s faculty and staff for a fun night and to get ready for the big game. The cost is $5.00 a person or $20.00 a family. The proceeds of this event will help with the cost of Birthday Books, the Bartlett Reading Incentive, field trips, Bartlett Bash and other PTA sponsored events. If you have any questions, please call Carolyn Blanchard at 627-4431 or email atcblanchardpta@comcast.net. We hope to see you there!

Yearbook: The yearbook is in full swing and we need pictures!!! One picture per student doing their favorite activity would be greatly appreciated. We do not want to leave any kids out and it is very difficult for us to keep track. Please email your photo to Colleen at colleencharest@comcast.net. If you do not have digital files, please send your picture to school in an enveloped, marked “Attention yearbook.” We will scan your photo and return it to you. Please be sure to include your child's and teacher's names with the photo. We need the photo no later than February 27^th. The anticipated cost of the yearbook will be between $15 and $18. The books will be in full color, 48 pages with a cover designed by 4^th grader. Any questions? Please contact Colleen at colleencharest@comcast.net. If you have any photographs from any Bartlett events, we would greatly appreciate you sharing them.

Lost & Found: Our lost and found box is growing on a daily basis. We have new girls boots, snowpants and hats. There are also many gloves, mittens, snow pants, sweatshirts and other clothing articles that may belong to your child! There aren’t names on many items. The box will be emptied at the end of the month to make room for next months items!!

Calling All First Graders! If you have a child that will be entering first grade next fall, or know somebody who does, please call the school at 623-8088 to begin the registration process. A child must be six years old on or before September 30^th to enter the first grade.

Community News

Early College Planning for Parents Grades K-8: Mark your calendars now! It is never too early to begin preparing for a college education. Between deciphering admission requirements and deciding how to pay for college, parents can quickly become overwhelmed. Long-range planning and goal setting are an integral part of this process. Goffstown High School and the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) invite you to join us on Thursday, May 7th at 6:30 pm for a free seminar focusing on the parent’s role in academic and financial preparation for college. This seminar will take place at Goffstown High School in the Craig Hieber Auditorium. We look forward to seeing you all there as you take this important first step in college planning!

Summer Playground Program: Registration forms are now available for the Goffstown Parks and Recreation Summer Playground Program. Registration forms are available at the schools and the Parks and Recreation Building. This is a 7-week program beginning on Monday, June 29th. This program will be at Barnard and Roy Parks, Monday-Thursday from 9-3 with field trips on Fridays. Activities include outdoor games, arts & crafts, quiet games, tennis and swimming. Deadline to register is June 5th. There is no fee for this program. For more information, call 497-3003.