Thanksgiving break is here! I hope everyone has a restful week filled with family and lots of good food to eat.  Drive safely! 

I sent home a Thanksgiving Break Reading Challenge! Have your child read at least 20 minutes each day and fill in the feathers.  If they bring it back when it is all filled in, they get a free book!

     Now that we are a little past the Fall Season, (I refuse to admit that it is winter) please remember to send your child to school with winter gear! It is no longer warm enough to go out to recess in a shirt and shorts. They need boots, a warm winter coat, snow pants and warm hats and gloves. If students do not have boots, they are not allowed on the snow at recess time, and that is no fun.

The 4th annual PTC online auction is coming up! Bids open up Nov. 28, and close Dec.2 at 5pm.
The web address for this auction is: www.32auctions.com/oldtownelementary2016
Some of the amazing items up for auction are a whitewater rafting trip, 100 gallons of heating oil, concert tickets, classroom artwork, and much more!

     Last week was a difficult week to say the least. In our classroom, we talked about the recent tragedy in our community. As the discussion unfolded, I was struck by the compassion and thoughtfulness that are in these little minds. Instead of thinking of themselves, their talk turned quickly to how they can help the family and the firefighters feel better. So far, some students chose writing letters of condolence to the family, others chose to write thank -you notes to the firefighters, police and first responders. As they continue to process and think, I am sure there will be other acts of kindness from this sweet group of kids.

  A heartfelt thanks from all of us goes out to all the hardworking and heroic firemen, policemen and first responders - we notice and appreciate all you do to keep our school and community safe.

   Families, pleasepleaseplease check your smoke detectors often, and

have a fire safety plan for your family. It could save a life.

     November 13 is World Kindness Day!  To celebrate, on Monday 11/14 the only homework will be to go home and do a random act of kindness and report back to the class. Tuesday we will get to hear about all the kind things that these kids chose to do to make their world a better place.

This is the homework page that will go home tomorrow: 

Yesterday (11/13) was World Kindness Day!  To celebrate, the only homework tonight is to plan and do a Random Act of Kindness for someone in your family or in your community, and write it down. It can be big or small, all acts of kindness are important! Please give this some thought, and make someone’s day better. On Tuesday, we will get to hear what we all did to make our world a kinder place.  I will post about this on our blog as well, so our readers can enjoy it too!  Maybe your choices will inspire others to do their own acts of kindness!

What random act of kindness did you do to make your community a better and kinder place? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It is November already, I can't believe it.  It seems like just yesterday was the first day of school!

Our class received a donation of packaged snacks for kids who forget theirs or don't have one from a couple of families this week - thank you so much!  Your generosity is much appreciated!  We always need things like pencils, tissues, pencil top erasers, and post-it notes if you find good deals in your travels and feel inclined to donate them.

I would also like to thank Nicole Morgan and Bangor Savings Bank's Be Kind program for their donation of 50.00 to our room. We are going to use that money to go toward the purchase of blank hardcover books! We will use them when we publish our informational non-fiction books in the third trimester, and the students will get to bring them home at the end of the year.

The students chose Mrs. Costello as our person to thank in November on our gratitude board!  Her hard work to help keep our school healthy and care for the kids and families at OTES does not go unnoticed!

The week of Halloween we worked on spooky stories based on the Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris VanAllsburg.  There is a lot of creativity in this room!

Our guest reader this week was Griffen! He did a fabulous job reading this difficult book fluently and with expression.

The students have worked together to make these 2 pieces of art for the online auction that starts right after Thanksgiving. They decorated tiles with Sharpies, and we carefully dripped rubbing alcohol on to them to create a stained glass effect. They came out beautifully! This is the picture of the work  in progress.

The finished masterpieces look like this!

The next Learners for Leaders assembly for grades 3-5 is November 2.  The criteria for October was ‘Digging Deeper’. The students recognized consistently showed that they took their learning to a deeper level on their own.

November’s criteria is “Patient Persistent Problem solver. “  I will be on the lookout for students that consistently do their best to use problem solving skills and persevere to solve their problems! 

This Friday, November 4 is the next Walk to school day!  Meet us at Perkins Park at 7:20 to get some fresh air and exercise before the school day!

Other Important dates: 

-Picture retake day is Nov. 9

-No school on Friday, Nov. 11

-Thanksgiving break is November 23-25 

This is a big week at OTES, we are celebrating Red Ribbon Week!  We will have a theme each day to celebrate making healthy and drug-free choices

Monday = Wear red, and we will be decorating our door with a safety and positive choices theme.    

Tuesday =”Pajama day” follow your dreams!  Wear your pjs 
Wednesday= Team up against drugs (wear your favorite team jersey)

Thursday= Put a “cap” on drugs. Wear your favorite hat for $1, money goes to a local charity. Hats in school, holy cow!!!

Friday =  wear your community colors, OR NEW THIS YEAR!!!! Super hero day! Dress as your favorite hero!

** If you plan to order from the Scholastic Book Club, please have your order in by Friday, 10/28. **

Our class met with Fire Fighters last week, many thanks to the Old Town Fire Department!

This week, Lily was our guest reader!  She practiced this book all week, and did a stellar job reading to the class.  

Don't forget this Friday, 10/21 is the next walk to school morning!  We will be meeting at 7:20 am at Perkins Park in Old Town, and walking to school together.  It is a great way to start your day with a little activity!

Please send your student to school with a pair or earbuds or headphones!  The dollar store kind is just fine. This is a school supply that we don't share for hygiene reasons, so everyone needs their own pair.

If you are planning to order from the October Scholastic Book order, you should get your orders in by October 25!  

We will be celebrating 3 birthdays this week - Happy Birthday Zack, Brooks and Gavin! 

Governor's Fundraiser - November 15

Old Town Elementary School PTC is partnering with Governor's Restaurant in Old Town to raise funds for our school community. On November 15th from 4-8pm 10% of all dine-in AND take-out orders are donated to the PTC.  All who attend may enter to win one of two $50 Governor's gift cards!