Principals

Corner
The last month of the
school year. Hard to be-
lieve! Did the year speed by as quickly for
you as it did for me?
First, let me take this opportunity to thank
you for all you provided to help make this
year an effective one at the Columbus
Elementary School. Activities such as
classroom support, helping your child with
homework, following arrival and dismissal
protocols, fund raising contributions,
classroom supply donations, chaperoning
field trips/classroom events, library sup-
port, and becoming an active member of
the PTO; it is only through efforts such
as these that the Columbus succeeds.
Together we make a great team for our
children.
To that end I would like to thank our
wonderful Columbus PTO board parents:
Jen Cardello-3rd grade, Jen Intoppa-5th
grade, Kelley Mulvihill-2nd grade, Nancy
Quinn-2nd grade, and Dina Smith-2nd
grade, for their tireless energy, dedica-
tion, and kindness towards our school. It
is also with a sense of bitter sweetness
that we bid farewell to Mrs. Intoppa, Mrs.
Graves, Mrs. Meeker-Green, Mrs. George,
Mrs. Magayanes, and Mrs. Vargus, as they
and their children move on to the Middle
Schools. Their presence, support, and
friendship at the Columbus School will be
sorely missed. Please consider joining the
PTO to pick up where these great sup-
porters left off.
Supporting your child at home with school
skills is so valuable and appreciated by all
staff members.
PLEASE continue to do
this throughout the
summer by reading
EVERY day and prac-
ticing math facts as
often as you can. The
National Summer Learning Association
states that To succeed in school and
life, children and young adults need ongo-
ing opportunities to learn and practice
essential skills. This is especially true dur-
ing the summer months. Keep this upper
most in mind over the summer vacation.
These activities can take place in the car
as you travel to and fro, at the beach, by
the pool, at you prepare meals, before
bedtime. They not only help your child,
but offer a life long bonding opportunity
as well. This a free math resource, from
TenMarks, (normally $39) to help your
child practice math skills over the summer
http://summer.tenmarks.com
The Medford Lodge of Elks
#915 cordially invites you
to their Flag Day Ceremony
on Sunday, June 8th. They
will be celebrating the His-
tory of the American Flag with a ceremo-
ny at Medford City Hall. Honorable Mayor
Michael J. McGlynn will be the keynote
speaker and musical selections will be
performed by the Medford High School
Marching Band. The Medford Lodge of
Elks will also host a breakfast for all in
attendance immediately following the
presentation at 19 Washington St. Please
contact Lauren Powers for more infor-
mation or with any questions you may
have at 781-391-4130 or by email lau-
ren@goldenhire.com
I wish each one of our 5th
graders the very best as
they move on to their
Middle Schools and trust
that the Columbus has
prepared them well. I also
hope their memories are
fond ones and long lasting.
To the rest of the Columbus Community, I
hope that you enjoy a well earned sum-
mer and I look forward to working with
you again, starting September 3rd for stu-
dents in grades 1-5 and on September
10th for our newest members joining us
in Kindergarten.
Now to close out our school year... look
inside for important information and
dates!
Kathleen Kay
kkay@medford.k12.ma.us
* IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
* TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177
* FAX : 781.393.2187
* NURSE : 781.393.2175
* ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.3503
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JUNE 2014

VOLUME 11
JUNE 2014





June 2 5
th
Grade Students vs. Teachers Basketball Game, 6:00pm-7:00pm,
Columbus Gymnasium
June 3 Kindergarten to Grade 1 - Parent Transition Meeting, MHS, 7:00pm
Please call the Parent Center to arrange for any needed Child Care.
June 4 5th Grade Field Trip
Early Release - Dismissal at 1:30pm
June 5 1st Grade Field Trip
Science Night, 6:00pm-8:0pm
June 6 LAST DAY for Library Classes. All books should be returned by TODAY!
June 9 5
th
Grade Junior Olympics
June 10 Book Swap. Students should bring a gently used, read book to trade for a new book to
kick of a summer of fun reading.
June 11 Kiwanis Club will distribute summer reading books to Grades 1 & 3.
Early Release - Dismissal at 1:30pm
Kindergarten to Grade 1 - Parent Transition Meeting with First Grade Teachers, Colum-
bus School, 2:00pm-3:00pm (NO Child Care Available)
June 12 Columbus FUN DAY. (To volunteer, be sure you are CORI approved.)
June 13 5th Grade Field Trip
June 15 HAPPY FATHERS DAY
June 16 RAIN DATE - 5
th
Grade Junior Olympics
June 17 Mrs. Richs K Celebration, Cafeteria, 10:00am-11:00am
June 18 Ms. Vincents K Celebration, Cafeteria, 10:00am-11:00am
Early Release - Dismissal at 1:30pm
June 19 Ms. Karpowichs K Celebration, Cafeteria, 10:00am-11:00am
June 20 Mrs. Moreys K Celebration, Cafeteria, 10:00am-11:00am
June 24 5
th
Grade Move Up Ceremony, 9:45am-10:45am
June 25 Report Cards distributed.
Last Day of School-Early Release - NOON Dismissal
Page 2
We read the book The Get Rich Quick Club, (Grades 3-5) otherwise known as
the GRQ. This book was written by Dan Gutman. The story is about five kids
named Gina, Rob, Quincy, and the Bogle twins. They form a
club during their summer vacation. They have a goal to
make $1million dollars by the end of the summer. Will they
make $1milion dollars or will they crash and burn? Our fa-
vorite part of the book was when Quincy speaks Australian
and uses words like Gday mate or lovely arvo which
means good afternoon. You will love this book as Dan Gut-
man dedicated it to all the kids who dont like to read. If
that is you, I would consider adding this one to your sum-
mer reading list. Find out if the GRQ club makes the big
bikkies! (Bikkies=money) You wont be disappointed with
this funny story. ~ Review by Evenson Charles and Miles
Taylor - Grade 4, Mrs. Collins Class.
Bugged - How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Robert
Leighton. Grades 3-6. There are about ten quintillion insects in the world -
and some of them have affected human history in tremendous ways! For as
long as humans have been on earth, weve co-existed with insects . . . for bet-
ter or for worse. Once you begin to look at world history through fly-specked
glasses, you begin to see the mark of these minute life forms
at every turn. Beneficial bugs have built empires. Bad bugs
have toppled them. Bugged is not your everyday history
book. From the author and illustrator team behind kid-
favorite Poop Happened! A History of the World from the
Bottom Up, this combination of world history, social history,
natural science, epidemiology, public health, conservation,
and microbiology is told with fun and informative graphics
and in an irreverent voice, making this one fun-to-read book.
~ Review by Amazon.com
Page 3
BOOK REVIEWS
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli. Grades PreK-1.
With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny
crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed.
What will he do when his greatest fear is realized? Will vines
sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a
wild imagination that kids will love. ~ Review by Amazon.com
Suggestions to Keep Summer Brains Active
WELL MISS YOU and GOOD LUCK!
Page 4
Not only our fifth grade students are leav-
ing us at the end of this school year. Three
very special staff members have decided it
is time to take their continued adventure
on the road through retirement: Mrs.
Cathy Minogue, our computer specialist
teacher, Mrs. Elaine Marciano, a 5th
grade teacher, and Mrs. Nancy Murphy, a
therapeutic learning program paraprofes-
sional. Together their service totals 77
years of dedication and love for the stu-
dents and staff at the Columbus Elemen-
tary School. Their presence and expertise
will be hard to beat. Please join me in
wishing them continued excitement and
good health, and pleasure in knowing they
dont have to set an alarm for a school
opening ever again!
Good luck as well to Mrs. Caitlyn Murphy
and Mrs. Joan Matteuzzi who also move
on to other educational adventures. Thank
you for the time you have given to the Co-
lumbus School.
Lets also celebrate the following students
who have accomplished a vast amount
over the past 6 years.
Mrs. Maggiore/Mrs. Murphys Class:
Luana Barros-Oliveira, Sebastian Bautista,
Shane Collins, Laysa Costa, Deion
DeGraca, Kaylane Damascena, Alison Fin-
negan, Julien Jarvis, Richard Kovacev,
Stanley Liu, Eduardo Magayanes, Kiva
Nolan, Cordelia Page, Ashton Perkinson,
Steniolla Roland, Madison Rosselle, Nich-
olas Souza, Janora Spain-Grant, John
Tsaknis, Nico Volpe, Nicholas Yurasko.
Mrs. Marcianos Class:
Isabel Anglese, Nicole Barreto, Tyrell
Beaute, Zachary Bell, Devontae Cardalino-
Jones, Isabel Colina, Rebecca DeOliveira,
Evellyn DeSousa, Gabriel DiGustini, Su-
preet Kaur, Sherby Luma, Manuel Maga-
yanes, Sofia Matos Tavares, Jessica McKil-
lop, Courtney Pham, Talia Ritchie, Anvar
Sadykov, Brianna Suanders-Correa, Mi-
chael. St.Jules, Brandon Vargus.
Mrs. ODonohues Class:
Daniel Annacone, Andre Castillo Franco,
Sara Crisafulli, Anthony Charles, Iago
deSousa-Vieira, Rebecca Graves, Linus
Green, Lacey Intoppa, Marc Legal, Diana
Lozius, Lara Maldonado-Nascimento, Jes-
sica Minotti, Jessica Novoa Martinez,
Tyquawn Nowalk, Jake ODonnell,
Prabidhi Rana, Isabella Rego, Marcello
Sessa.
Ms. Burriss Class:
Kiere Bourciqout, Casey Doyle, Jayde Ed-
son, Raphael Armaiz
Many Americans have a wonder-
ful image of summer as a care-
free, happy time when "kids can
be kids, and take for granted the
prospect of enriching experienc-
es such as summer camps, time
with family, and trips to muse-
ums, parks, and libraries. Unfor-
tunately, some youth face anything but idyllic
summer months. When the school doors close,
many children struggle to access educational
opportunities, as well as adequate adult supervi-
sion. Did you know that all young people experi-
ence learning losses when they do not engage in
educational activities during the summer? Re-
search spanning 100 years shows that students
typically score lower on standardized tests at the
end of summer vacation than they do on the
same tests at the beginning of the summer
(White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexan-
der 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004). It
is important for every child to learn during the
summer to avoid losing skills they have gained
during the school year (Adapted from The Na-
tional Summer Learning Association).

Its time for teachers to bid farewell to students,
hoping their gleefully escaping charges don't
forget everything they've learned during the
school year. It's also when nervous parents take
on the challenge of keeping their children physi-
cally busy and mentally active during long sum-
mer days. To help with those efforts, the web-
site,Education World, offers 25 ideas that not
only reinforce skills taught during the year, but
also entertain children through the summer
months.

Check out the many resources & the complete
list at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/
profdev073.shtml

Many of these activities link to online resources.
In most cases, however, the activities can be
completed even by those without Internet ac-
cess.

Here are several highlights:
1) Make homemade Bubble Solution and experi-
ment with such unique Bubble-Blowing Tools as
strings, milk containers, and garbage can lids;
2) Go on a Light Walk, an outing designed to
teach kids the properties of light and facts about
the sun. Bob Miller of the Exploratorium explains
it all. Can't take an online tour? Do your own
image walk by printing the directions and tem-
plate found at the site;
3) Create musical instruments from materials
found around the house. Need help? Enchanted
Learning provides instructions for such Musical
Instruments as a rattle, box guitar, maraca, and
rain stick;
4) Cool down by making Ice Cream in a Bag.
The simple technique produces delicious ice
cream in about 5 minutes. What ice cream varie-
ties will you and your child concoct;
5) Staple together pieces of plain paper or use a
notebook to help your child make a cartoon flip
book. Kids draw a sequence of cartoons and
simulate motion as they "flip" through the pages.
(Note that the first image in the series should be
at the bottom of the stack of pages, and the
illustrations should progress from bottom to top.);
6) Have your child follow instructions to Build the
Best Paper Airplane in the World. Then ask your
child to design an original paper airplane and
diagram the steps for constructing it, so another
family member can recreate it!
7) Hang a white sheet outside at night and shine
a light on it. Observe the variety of insects it
draws. To identify some of those nighttime visi-
tors, see The Orders and Selected Families of
Insects or read the National Audubon Society
Field Guide to North American Insects and Spi-
ders;
8) Kids rarely have the opportunity to design
their own rooms to best suit their individual
needs. Invite your child to devote some thought
to ways to improve his or her living space. Ex-
plore with your child Kids' Room Decorating
Ideas to find ways your child might individualize
his or her room without spending a great deal of
money. Then have the child draw the layout of
their "new" room.
Ideas by Cara Bafile, Education World, Copy-
right 2009 Education World.
See more at:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev07
3.shtml#sthash.6W5tf0mN.dpuf