Nelson Elementary School

Nelson Elementary School
441 Granite Lake Rd
Nelson, NH 03457

847-3408

Nelson’s children attend Nelson School for grades K-6.  Nelson School has its own website and invites you to explore it.  (Click Here)  Following is a recent update on activities above and beyond the regular school day.

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December 2009

In an effort to reach out to the community, a holiday sing along was held in mid-December on a Monday afternoon.  Jennifer Hed, our music teacher led the students and community guests in holiday song.  Afterwards refreshments were enjoyed by all.  A big thank you to Cindy Benner for this fantastic idea and perhaps new Nelson School tradition.

The PTO Auction will be held on Saturday, May 1^st.  Joy Birdsey, Candyce Fulford, Jessica Bigaj and Ann Filbrick have already begun the planning for another fun filled evening!

Our annual Thanksgving Feast was once again enjoyed by all.  This year one excited second grader announced that he wished the day would go quickly so that he could go home and go to bed so that the Feast Day would arrive.

Our thanks to Mike Tarr of the Town Road Crew for making the egress for the back of the building much safer by adding crushed rock near the steps of the 3-4 classroom,  and worked to create and define a better drainage path for the water.

November 2009

Our handyman, Herb Miller, has put up a new white board in the multi-purpose room, replaced weather stripping on the doors, planned the shed’s door, and WD 40’d the outside doors to make them open easier.

Funding from the Nelson PTO allowed Nelson School students to once again to learn the concepts of pitch, rhythm, and tempo through Monadnock Music’s Lend an Ear.  This year the musical instruments featured were the trombone and tuba.

A touching Veteran’s Day assembly was held prior to Veteran’s Day.  Dan Durand, dressed in uniform, opened the assembly by explaining the history of Veteran’s Day, reading a poem, and answering questions.  Students then watched a short video clip, and we closed the assembly by verbally acknowledging veterans we know by lighting a candle in their honor.

In early November, Susan and Joe Andrews, two of Nelson’s volunteer fire responders, talked to the students about fire safety.  During their hour with us, students were able to try on the uniform of a fire fighter and view the fire truck up close.

October 2009

The Nelson teaching staff has been studying and applying a systematic approach for developing good writing skills in our students.  This process, “Six Traits of Writing,” helps students break down the complicated process of writing and look at one element at a time.  The elements are ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions. This has also been a collaboration opportunity with teachers from other town schools and SAU personnel.

October seems to be safety month, with fire and health inspections scheduled, and completion of the yearly bus evacuation.  The staff also updated their CPR training.

Upcoming Events

October 12- 16            NECAP testing, grades 3-6

October 16                  PTO meeting, 6:30 p.m., multi-purpose room

October 23                  Student progress reports sent home, grades 3-6

October 29                  Town Writing Collaboration

October 30                  Halloween holiday activities

November 11              Veteran’s Day, No School

November 14              Grades 3/4 Fundraising Pancake Breakfast

November 19              Nelson School Board Meeting, Nelson School

September 2009

Another school year begins!  The staff once again celebrated Opening Day by welcoming students off the bus with noisemakers and Hawaiian leis for each child.

School staff used the summer months to attend both an excellent writing workshop and also follow-up training in the Responsive Classroom, an approach to elementary teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school community.   It consists of classroom and school-wide practices for deliberately helping children build academic and social-emotional competencies.

The school building is also spruced up.  Over the summer, Physical Education teacher Dan Durand donated his time and built stairs leading from the classroom doors to the back of the building as requested by our Fire Chief Rick Lothrop during the fall Safety assessment of 2008.  Dan also built a storage shed for the physical education materials once again donating his time to do this.

The PTO hosted a late August Ice Cream Social where families and staff had an opportunity to meet and reconnect with one another.

Calendar Highlights

September 18                                       Mountain Day and Kimball’s
October 9                                             Professional Workshop Day
October 12-16                                      NECAP Testing
October 15                                           Pumpkin Carving
October 30                                           Holiday Celebration,  Early Release Day

June 2009

Spring grounds cleanup is complete!  The new playground slide funded by the PTO Auction has been ordered and will be installed in mid-June.

A moving Memorial Day assembly was held on Friday, May 22.  Dan Durand, our phys ed teacher, was in uniform and explained the history behind Taps.  The students from the 5/6 classroom read poems, the students from 3/4 classroom lead the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as,the preamble to the Constitution.  Each student and staff member lit a candle in memory of a loved one no longer with us and we concluded with a moment of silence to remember our loved ones.

Reading Buddy opportunities are happening between students in the K-2 and the 3-4 classroom.

Students in the photography club participated in a photo shoot which was purchased by a community member at the PTO Auction in April.

The Nelson School fourth graders participated in the NECAP Science test the week of May 12 which was administered over a span of three half days.  During the weeks of May 11 and May 18, students in kindergarten through sixth grade participated in the third and final NWEA testing.

Miss Mullins and the third/fourth classroom hosted a school dance to help raise money for the 6th grade class trip.  John Cucchi was the DJ and the event raised just under $300 which was divided between the current 6th grade and the 3/4s for their future class trips.

The students in the fifth/sixth classroom journeyed to Stonewall Farms to go back to “their roots” and learn about the work of food production. Their visit ended with a tasty light meal of freshly baked bread and seasonable garden fare.

Linda’s Closet held its 7th Annual 5K Walk/Run around Granite Lake on May 30.  Linda’s Closet is a clothing resource for women who are returning to school, entering or returning to the work place, or living on a restricted budget.

Ongoing staff development this month included workshops and/or meetings on “Student Records and Privacy,” “Leadership in Lean Times,” and “Introduction to Smart Boards and Promethean.”

Calendar Highlights

June 3        5/6 Trip to Stonewall Farms
June 10        All School Trip to Keene Art Walk
June 11        All School trip to Boston Museum of Science
June 16        Jump Up Day
June 17        Kris Finnegan speaks to students about summer library programs
June 18        Awards ceremony at Nelson School
June 19        Field Day at Otter Brook
June 24        Sixth grade graduation, Nelson School. 10 am
June 25        Last day of classes for students
June 26        Thank you breakfast for SAU staff at Nelson School
June 29        Last teacher day
August 26    First Day of School for students!

May 2009

In anticipation of warm weather, the umbrellas have been put outside to offer shade during lunch as well as a respite during recess.

Special thanks to Michael Cornog, Anne Cucchi, Joy Birdsey, Cindy Benner, Kristin Mullins, and Joyce Foster for serving on the 5/6 Teacher Search Committee.  The committee has interviewed nine candidates and invited five of these candidates back for a second interview as well as a demonstration lesson in the 5/6 classroom.

This month Nelson students participated in two weekend activities to help raise funds for the sixth grade trip.  On May 9, the sixth graders, under the guidance of Mrs. Stires, sold baked goods and lunch at CATS’ Agility Show and Go.  A Show and Go provides opportunities for green dog and handler teams to practice their skills before they enter the competition ring.

In late April the students in Miss Mullins’ third/fourth grade classroom held a weekend community breakfast at Nelson School.  This event also helped raise funds for the sixth grade trip.  Charlie Lang did a great job of making pancakes!  This fundraiser was so well received that plans are already underway for three breakfasts next year.

Ms Benner held her annual evening Author Teas the last week of April.  To a packed classroom composed of family and friends each child read their Imagemaking Book.

The multi-purpose room was abuzz with activity on the evening of April 29 when the students in Miss Mullins third/fourth grade presented their Science Fair projects to family and friends. The week following the Science Fair, these projects were displayed outside the classroom for all to see and enjoy.

Joy Birdsey and Jessica Bigaj helped put great big smiles on the faces of the teaching staff during Teacher Appreciation week. Each day brought another wonderful way of being honored. Even though the staff loved everything, one of their favorites was the sign on the Nelson exit expressing appreciation for the staff!

Calendar Highlights
May 4            Staff Appreciation Week
May 9            6th Grade Fund Raiser at Monadnock Humane Society
May 11            NECAP and NWEA testing
May 14            Photography Club
May 15            Dance at the Town Hall
May 21            Photography Club
May 22            Memorial Day Assembly
June 3            5/6 grade to Stonewall Farm
June 6/ 7       Sixth grade class trip to Boston
June 8             Parent Teacher conferences

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April 2009 News

The students, teachers, and community members at the Nelson School Auction had a wonderful time on Friday, April 4th.  By the end of the evening, the PTO had raised almost $7,000. This money will be used to purchase a slide for the playground.  Plans are already underway for a repeat performance next year.

Spring grounds clean up has begun. This year we were fortunate to have Gregg Philbrick, a Nelson School parent and community member, volunteer to haul away the tree branches and limbs that came down during December’s ice storm.  Nelson School students did their part in helping with spring clean up picking up trash and  litter.

Inez Bass from the Sandglass Theatre in Putney, VT provided Nelson School students with a fabulous weeklong residency, which enriched the arts curriculum.  Each child made a marionette, helped paint scenery, and participated in a short play. These plays were performed at the Town Hall for parents, friends, and community members.

The culminating event for this year’s Reading Incentive was a “mystery field trip” to the Monadnock Humane Society where students read to the shelter’s cats! The Keene Sentinel covered this event and did a write up which appeared in the newspaper.  Thanks to the generosity of the Nelson PTO, seven students, one from each grade, traveled to the Toadstool in Keene to purchase books for their classroom libraries.

Calendar Highlights
•    April 9              Lend an Ear
•    April 10            Dance Club
•    April 15            Multi-grade activities
•    April 16            Photography Club
•    April 17            Dance Club
•    April 20-24   … Spring Vacation
•    April 29            3rd/4th Grade Science Fair
..……….  ………….... K-2nd Grade Author Tea
•    April 30            Photography Club
•    May 12-14       NECAP Science Testing Grade 4

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March 2009

The teachers met for a second collaboration with staff from Stoddard, Harrisville, and Marlow.  They worked on rubrics (grading criteria) and prompts (starter questions) for student writing.   Classes will write pieces based on these prompts three times during the year, and staff from the four schools will analyze them to improve teaching strategies.

Physical Education teacher Dan Durand and 5/6 teacher Susan Stires are co-teaching “Dance Club”, the second after school club of the year.  The club meets on six Friday afternoons for one hour.  Students from kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and the sixth grade are participating.