MSAD 1 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS - School Administrative ...

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Page 14 • SAD 1 Community Connections • October 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAPLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Dan Duprey, Principal - 764-1589 Large crowd attends First Day at Mapleton A large crowd of parents and family members joined students at Mapleton Elementary School on Thursday morning, September 8, for the traditional First Day Celebration around the flagpole on the school’s northwest lawn. About 8 a.m., after students got off the buses and parents had arrived, the teachers came out of the school build-ing. All the students, accompanied by parents and family members, got in line behind their teacher. Led by two fifth grade grand marshals pulling a wagon with a loudspeaker playing marching music, the students and parents paraded around the front of the building to the flagpole. With the crowd surrounding the flagpole, the grand marshals and staff members raised the U.S. and State of Maine flags. Then, Principal Dan Duprey led the commu- 3rd. 4th, 5th graders learn golf at Mapleton Elementary School Golf is a lifetime sport that anyone—young or old, boys or girls— can enjoy. That’s why Ralph Michaud, physical education teacher at Mapleton Elementary School, has made golf part of the fall PE schedule for third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders. “I introduce golf to the thirdgraders, and when they get to fourth grade, it’s more review,” he says. “By the time they’re in fifth grade, they’re quite good.” The golf lessons last three or four weeks. This fall, golf was a threeweek unit because school didn’t start until September 8. For the first two weeks, students hit balls in the field in back of the school. After each session, they go out and collect the balls they’ve hit and put them back in the buckets for the next day. During the third week, Mr. Michaud set up a nine-hole putting course in the gym. Gym class lasts 30 minutes, so there isn’t enough time to go out on a real golf course, but Mr. Michaud teaches them the rules of the game and how to keep score. He also provides a copy of the scorecard from the golf club he belongs to, so that the students can keep score on the putting course. “They have to record the correct score on the correct hole—and do the math correctly,” he says. Mr. Michaud is a golfer, but never thought about teaching the sport at Mapleton until he attended a conference for PE teachers about eight years ago. “There was a session on teaching golf to middle-school students,” he recalled. “I thought I could do this at Mapleton. We have the room. We’re not a middle school, but I could do it with third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders.” Mr. Michaud says his young golfers did pretty well this September. “The fifth graders I have this year are quite good,” he says. “Some of them were hitting the ball 100 to 120 yards.” He also enjoys working with the beginning golfers and helping them Third grade golfer shows good form. learn the basics of the game. “With the third graders especially, it’s fun to watch their eyes light up when they finally hit a ball that goes in the air,” he says. (Continued on next page) Fifth grade grand marshals Jacob Sjoberg and Elizabeth Collins help raise the flag during Mapleton Elementary School’s traditional First Day Celebration on September 8. nity in the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a brief wel-coming back to school speech. The fifth grade grand marshals were Jacob Sjoberg and Elizabeth Collins. Mr. Duprey said it was very well attended. “This event is well attended every year,” Third graders tee off during Mr. Michaud’s golf unit in physical education class. Mapleton Elementary raises $1,000 for C.A.N.C.E.R. For the second year in a row, students at Mapleton Elementary School held a penny drive to raise money for the local C.A.N.C.E.R. (Caring Area Neighbors for Cancer Education and Recovery) group. Dan Duprey, Principal at Mapleton Elementary, says the students raised $1,000, exceeding the previous year’s total by $300. The check was presented to Louise Calabrese, C.A.N.C.E.R. volunteer and board member, by Mr. Duprey and a contingent of Mapleton Elementary students, on May 31 at the school. Mr. Duprey said last spring’s campaign started slow but finished strong. “We were way off for a while, but we got a lot of support from the community,” he said. “People came in with pennies—and with checks. They wanted to make sure we met our goal, and we surpassed it by $300.” C.A.N.C.E.R. is a local group that was formed to help people who are undergoing treatment for cancer. The group is not affiliated with any state or national organizations, and it is staffed entirely by volunteers. Every penny it raises is spent supporting cancer patients and their families. he says. “The First Day Celebration demonstrates to our students how important and valued they are. Family members, faculty and staff, along with the entire community play a significant role in their education. It’s a positive community event, for sure.” Principal Dan Duprey (standing, left) and students present a check for $1,000 to C.A.N.C.E.R. volunteer Louise Calabrese (left).
New staff at Pine Street and Mapleton Holly Vigue – Guidance/ Social Worker at Pine Street, Mapleton Holly Vigue is the new guidance/ social worker at Pine Street and Mapleton elementary schools. She grew up in Aroostook County and resides in Castle Hill with her husband and two children. She received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the Uni- Holly Vigue Jay Blackstone versity of Maine at Presque Isle and her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of New England. She has worked in the social work field for several years and was employed prior to MSAD #1 as an Early Childhood Specialist coordinating FAPE services for preschool children, a Children’s Targeted Case Manager, an outpatient mental health therapist, and a mental health consultant for a local Head Start and Early Head Start programs. She thoroughly enjoys working with the school aged population and is excited to join the MSAD #1 team. She is looking forward to working with the staff, students, and families of Pine Street Elementary School and Mapleton Elementary School. She can be reached Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Pine Street Elementary School, and Thursday and Friday at Mapleton Elementary School. Jay Blackstone - 3rd grade, Mapleton Jay Blackstone has joined the staff at Mapleton Elementary School as a third grade teacher. Teaching is a second profession for Mr. Blackstone. After graduating from Washburn District High School, he attended Alfred State College in New York, where he received an associate’s degree in General Agriculture. He spent the next six years working with his cousin, operating the potato and dairy farm which has been in his family for six generations. Mr. Blackstone then decided to pursue a career in education. He graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 1996 and taught third grade in Caribou for two years. Mr. Blackstone came to SAD 1 in 1998. His first teaching assignment was at Cunnigham Middle School, where he taught 6th grade social studies for six years. He then went to Pine Street and Zippel to teach 4th grade for six years. He also taught at Presque Isle Middle School for a short time and now is excited about the opportunity to teach third grade at Mapleton. Mr. Buzza said that there is one kind of apple that would grow as big as her head! Students in the SAD 1 Pre-K program took their first field trip of the year to the School Farm on September 14. The program included a tour of the farm and the apple orchard, led by School Farm Manager Aaron Buzza. The students rode in a wagon pulled by a tractor. During the tour, they saw the apple trees and some corn and sunflowers. They also found some pumpkins and chose one to bring back into their classroom. The Pre-K students also learned about pumpkins from the ladies of the Cooperative Extension Service during a presentation inside the barn. The ladies talked aobut the life-cycle of the pumpkin, and they showed the students a huge pumpkin and asked them if they thought it would float or sink in a tub of water. Since the pumpkin was so big and heavy, the Pre-K’ers thought it would sink—but since it had air inside to give in buoyancy, it floated. The Pre-K students were divided into two groups. One class went on the tour, while the other learned about pumpkins in the barn. For the second half of the field trip, they switched. Both classes had their picture taken with Mr. Buzza and enjoyed pumpkin muffins made by the Cooperative Extension ladies. The Pre-K program has a number of other field trips planned for the 4-year-olds. • In October, they’ll visit the Malcolm Science Center in Easton to see the program “Birds, Birds, Birds” • In December, the students will make little ornaments and give them to the residents of Leisure Village and Leisure Garden. During their visit, they’ll sing Christmas carols and pass the ornaments to the residents. • Next spring, the Pre-K’ers will make a second trip to the Malcolm Science Center to see “Don’t Duck, Look Up,” a program about day turning into night and night turning into day—and what they see in sky at night and during the day. • Prior to Mothers Day, they’ll visit the greenhouse at the School Farm to hear Mr. Buzza talks about plants and to prepare a pot with a marigold plant for their moms. Students are enjoying a tasty snack of pumpkin muffins at the school farm. October 2011 • SAD 1 Community Connections • Page 15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd, 4th, 5th graders learn golf at Mapleton Elementary (Continued from preceding page) Mr. Michaud’s biggest concern about teaching golf is safety. “We go over the safety rules every day,” he says. “The kids have been excellent—everyone follows the rules.” The biggest challenge is to get the students to stop using their baseball swing and to use a proper golf Mrs. Boyce’s afternoon Pre-K students discovered that this great big pumpkin really does float! Pre-schoolers enjoy visit to School Farm Students look on as Miss Sasha put the pumpkin in water to see if it would float. Mr. Buzza used Cassidy Carlisle’s head to show how big the Wolf River apple grows! Mrs. Boyce’s afternoon Pre-K students enjoyed the ride around the farm. Mr. Buzza and the afternoon students! swing instead. “The kids can grip the club correctly, but they want power, so they swing around their body like they’re hitting a baseball, instead of swinging up and down,” he says. “Your hips don’t turn the same way as they do in a baseball swing.”
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