Swift River School Current

Notes from the Principal’s Desk

Bom Dia,

We just returned from an awesome performance by the Deraldo Ferreira Afro Brazilian Ensemble. Marcus Magalhaes, Alexandro Silveira, and Deraldo Ferreira took us on a tour of Brazil with three stops. We learned about the Samba from Rio, the Capoiera from Bahia and the Muchelele from Amazon. Many children readily volunteered to try the moves and follow the lead of our Brazilian guests.

Many thanks to the Wendell and New Salem Cultural Councils and to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for funding this event and supporting our school’s study of Brazil.

Last week the children paraded the halls and attended puppet shows in the spirit of the Brazilian Carnival. The puppet shows were based on different regions of Brazil and adapted by our student writers under the marvelous direction of Sally Alley. Muito obrigado for the wonderful celebration.

Adeus,

Sheila Hunter

ENCHANTED FOREST NEWS
We are cooking!! Starting next week, Enchanted Forest will run a three-week series of cooking Brazilian food. A bright yellow flier was sent home on Tuesday with information about this. Next Wednesday, 3/10, we will cook Feijoada and Arroz com Coco, a dish of pork and black beans with a side dish of coconut rice. On Tuesday, 3/16, we will make Pao do Queijo, cheese buns, from scratch. During the last class on Friday, 3/26 we will try Mingau Fuba, cornmeal soup with kale. For each class the cooking and eating will take up most of the afternoon until 5:30 p.m. Parents are invited to arrive a little earlier (4:00 p.m. or later) to enjoy a taste of Brazil! In order to purchase ingredients we are charging a little extra for these classes. Join us for this culinary adventure in Brazil!!

PTCA March Dean’s Beans Order
An order form is attached to this week’s Current. Please return with payment, to Nan Mead by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12th. Thank you for supporting our PTCA.

Neon Bowling
Please join the PTCA for an afternoon of fun at the French King Entertainment Center on Sunday, March 21st from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Registration forms were sent home with all children this week. Please contact Nan Mead at the school with questions. Thank you to the PTCA for subsidizing this event!!

Preschool and Kindergarten Open House
On Wednesday March 31, interested parents/guardians and age-eligible children are invited to attend an Open House to meet the teachers, visit the classrooms, and find out more about our Early Childhood Programs. The Preschool Open House will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. The Kindergarten Open House will take place between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. Children who are 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2010 are eligible to attend preschool. Children who are 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2010 are eligible for kindergarten. For more information, and to let us know if you plan to attend, please contact Phyllis Lawrence, Early Childhood Office at 978-544-6926 X236, or by email: lawrence@swiftriverschool.org. We look forward to meeting you!

Science Fair News
No time for dinner and then to get to the Science Fair on time? Don’t worry; there will be a bake sale during the Science Fair offering dinner items too. All proceeds will go to support the sixth grade graduation trip. If you haven’t experienced the bake sale during Saturday morning soccer, you are in for a real treat! Some items to look forward to are Jen’s “famous” chili, homemade mac & cheese, and more. Don’t forget to leave room for dessert; there will be many tempting treats. Thank you for your support!

6th Grade Bake Sale News
Thank you to all those who have donated food goods or worked the bake sale table during Saturday morning soccer! We even had our very own 6th grade teacher Beth Haggerty working the bake sale. Thank you Beth! Wow, if that’s not dedication I don’t know what is! Thank you for the consistent weekly donations from Jen & John Mannino, Bethany & Chris Maselli and Bethany’s mom, John & Lisa DeWitt, and Boone & Jessica Chmyzinski! And let’s not forget the dads. Thank you, Boone Chmyzinski, for being there from set up through clean up, and John Mannino, Chris Maselli, Dan Cook and John DeWitt! It’s nice to see those dads being so supportive (no pun intended, lol.) Thank you for the donations from; Diana Smith, Lisa Jenks, Michelle Duga, Beth Temple, Becca Fraser, Kelly Diemand, Paulette Smith, and Cindy Phelps. If I forgot your name I apologize, I am off coaching or monitoring the hall. Please keep the food coming and lend a hand at the bake sale; we need you, 6th grade parents!

Library Lines
It's been a busy week in the library. We celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday this week by discussing our favorite Dr. Seuss books. Preschool through 4th grade read Green Eggs and Ham while 5th and 6th grades read Oh, The Places You'll Go. And yes, I even wore the striped "Cat in the Hat" hat while reading! Each student received a "Green Eggs and Ham" bookmark to commemorate this book's 50th anniversary.

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield., MA. He wrote and illustrated 44 children's books including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, The Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss created The Cat in the Hat when he was asked to write and illustrate a children's primer using only 225 "new-reader" vocabulary words. His first book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected by publishers 27 times. This is a great reminder to students to never give up!

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? I've included a fun matching game based on Dr. Seuss characters in this issue of the Current.

The Six Flags Read to Succeed reading logs are due tomorrow, Friday, March 5. February Pizza Hut Book It! forms are also due tomorrow.

Thirty-one 4th, 5th and 6th grade students from Swift River School will be attending the Books in Action party tomorrow evening (Friday, March 5) at Shutesbury Elementary School. There are activities based on most of the 25 MCBA books. I am looking forward to this exciting evening!

Tomorrow we will have tryouts for Swift River's Battle of the Books team. Any 4th, 5th or 6th grade student interested in participating is invited to attend tryout sessions. Swift River is the current reigning Union 28 Battle of the Books champion and we hope to keep our title!

Make time to read,

Betsy

SNOW DAY INFORMATION
If school is called off because of inclement weather, power outage or other reasons, information is broadcast on the following stations:

Amherst           WRNX   100.9        WPNI   1430 AM
Greenfield        WRSI      93.9        WHAI    98.3
Northampton WHMP    99.3
Orange            WAHL     99.9        WJDF    97.3
S. Deerfield     WPVQ     95.3
TV       WWLP Channel 22         WGGB Channel 40

Please note that Swift River is part of Erving School Union #28. School closing or delayed openings are made as School Union #28 or Erving Union #28, usually not as Swift River School.

You may also call the school at 978-544-6926. In difficult weather, we will have a recorded message on that line announcing a closing, a delay, or an early dismissal. Kuzmeskus, our bus company, has a website you can check to see if school has a delayed start or will be closed due to bad road conditions. The website can be found at www.travelkuz.com

Things Swift River Needs

As recommended by the School Committee members, we will publish in this box a list of needs for our school. You don't know until you have asked!

Networkable Color Laser Printer

Several iPods - any model except the Shuffle

Community Bulletin Board
These announcements and events are not school sponsored.

Wendell Free Library Events in March

Movie - Julie and Julia
On Friday evening, March 5th at 7:00 p.m. a free movie is being offered. Adults, come enjoy the movie on a large screen in our comfortable library “cinema” and stay afterwards, if you'd like, to compare the book to the movie.

Kids Movie Night
At the Wendell Library Cinema on Saturday, March 13th at 6:30 p.m. Planet 51 rated PG is showing. American astronaut, Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker, lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950’s America. Their only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders—like Chuck!

After School Crafts and Play with Miss Deb is being offered for children in1st grade and older on Wednesdays in March from 1:30 to 3:30pm. These workshops are free! Deb will offer a different craft each week. Join for one or more sessions. Workshops are limited to 10 participants. Please register by calling the Wendell Library at 544-3559. Parents can make arrangements with school to have the school bus drop children at the Library.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Wendell Free Library.
New Salem Public Library
FREE Events continued
The following free events are sponsored by the Friends of the New Salem Public Library:
*Tuesday, March 9th at 3:00 p.m.
French Cooking with Karen Powers
Call 978-544-6334 to reserve a spot.
*Tuesdays, March 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th
The New Salem Public Library will have an after school Story Hour at 3:30 to 4:30 pm. There will be a snack, some stories and a craft. We hope you can join us for stories and fun. The readers will be different each session. Call the library at 978-544-6334 for more information.

New Salem General Store
Join with Hilltown Business Club members Rick Oliver, Karen Powers, and Lisa DeWitt this Thursday, March 4, from 4:30 to 6:30 at the New Salem General Store for a remarkable tasting event featuring samples of Berkshire Brewing Co. beer, apple ice wine, and spirits from Berkshire Mountain Distillers. The event will be catered by Lisa and Karen’s new business, Harvest & Home Food Co. Learn more in the latest issue of the New Salem General Store News (hot off the presses!) at www.newsalemgeneralstore.com/NSGS_Newsletter_March_2010.pdf. Hope to see you there Thursday!

Also, be sure to see the profile of Harvest & Home in the January edition of the NSGS News at http://www.newsalemgeneralstore.com/NSGS_Newsletter_Jan_2010.pdf. You can sign up to receive the General Store’s newsletter and periodic news/event alerts on the General Store’s web site.

HILLTOWN BUSINESS CLUB
Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 24, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

This is early notification that the next meeting of the Hilltown Business Club will be Wednesday, March 24, 2010, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the home of John & Lisa DeWitt, 16 West Main Street in New Salem (across 202 from Whittier Plumbing). Please put it on your calendar – and join us as we plan upcoming business club events, including a spring fair and three-town tag sale on Memorial Day weekend as well as pavilion at New Salem’s Old Home Day in July.

If you haven’t already, please register yourself and put your business overview in our FREE business directory at www.hilltownconnect.com. (And be sure to let us know if you’re interested in advertising opportunities on the site.) All businesses and businesspeople, independent contractors, artists, farmers, and others interested in the business club and local economic development are invited to join us. Our monthly meetings feature substantial time for networking – and as always, we serve beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres. Come join us! And even if you don’t want to attend meetings, you are welcome to join the club, utilize the Hilltown Connect directory, and participate in special events. There is NO COST TO JOIN the Hilltown Business Club.

Information About Our Town Libraries

Wendell Free Library

Tuesday 3-6
Wednesday 11-8
Saturday 9:30-3:30

New Salem Public Library

Tuesday 12 - 8
Thursday 9 - 3
Saturday 9 - 1

Laptop Computers

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The New Salem/Wendell School District assures that all programs, activities and employment opportunities are offered without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, economic status, homelessness, sexual orientation and physical or mental disability.