N E W S L E T T E R

VOLUME 16, NUMBER 4 January, 2012

Dear Parents,

Here we are towards the end of January already, which means that half the school year has passed.  It truly is amazing how time flies, especially when we are all so busy raising our children to the best of our ability.  I am always reminded of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the month of January and I think about his contributions to society.  Dr. King was a leader during the Civil Rights Movement who encouraged minorities to stand up for their rights.  His words still ring true today as they continue to inspire people of all races.  His quote, “The time is always right to do the right thing“ is something that I believe we strive to do each day.  When we do the right thing, we don’t have to worry about having done the wrong thing!  Since we are role models, we are also teaching our children that doing the right thing, being a good citizen, being respectful and showing responsibility are a part of our every day lives.  What a valuable lesson to teach as it truly is timeless and priceless!  These values are also some of our pillars of character that we emphasize as educators each school day, which is also part of our curriculum. 

Warm Regards,

Beth

The Kildonan Elementary School

“The time is always right to do the right thing.”Martin Luther King, Jr.

JanuaryThursday, January 26 Ski/Skate day # 3

FebruaryThursday, February 2 Ski/Skate day # 4Thursday, February 9 Ski/Skate day # 5Tuesday, February 14 - Valentine’s Day activity - Elementary Field Trip to Bardavon Thursday, February 16 Ski/Skate day # 6Monday, February 20 Presidents Day SCHOOL CLOSEDTuesday, February 21 Parent/Teacher Conference Day SCHOOL CLOSEDMonday, February 27 SNOW DATE for Parent/Teacher Conferences SCHOOL CLOSEDTuesday, February 28 3rd Grade Field Trip to McEnroe’s Farm 12:45 - 1:35Wednesday, February 29 6th Grade Play

MarchThursday, March 1 SNOW DATE for 6th Grade PlayFriday, March 2 Winter Term Assembly Sandwiches and Refreshments 1:00 PM Assembly begins at 1:30 PM Monday, March 5 thru Monday, March 19 Spring Break SCHOOL CLOSED Tuesday, March 20 CLASSES RESUME

T H E S I X T H G R A D E P L AY

The Kildonan Elementary 6th Grade class presents:

Wednesday, February 29th at 10:00 AM( * SNOW DATE: Thursday, March 1st )

Parents - Please join us

WHEN: Friday, March 2nd

WHERE: Elementary Community Room

TIME: 1:00 PM - Finger sandwiches and refreshments will be served in Room 1

1:30 PM - Assembly begins

DISMISSAL: All students will be dismissed at the end of the Assembly. Please remember to notify your bus company if your child will not be riding the bus home on this day.

W I N T E R T E R M A S S E M B LY

Here is what the Actors have to say:

Wade

Zach

Taylor

Matt

James G.

Dalton

Bernardo

Emeline

I play Jack the baroness’ helper, he is “dumber than a doornail.” He is a funny character to play. I had a blast.

I play Inspector Detector. He is a sophisticated formal type of guy. I think the Inspector is good at his job. I like mystery books and it is kind of interesting that I got

to play this part.

I play Lou, Pauline’s Uncle. I play in disguise and am a surveyor. This character is naturally odd, loud, and clumsy. My character gets to chew gum

which is exciting.

I play the Baroness Braunschweiger. She is the criminal mastermind and has two idiot minions that she is always yelling at and telling them what to do. I am in disguise and have to pretend to pretend to be someone else. Playing my character is very satisfying.

My character is a Butler and he is very formal. He always has good posture and uses fancy words. I like playing this character because he gets to watch over

everything.

My character is Mack and he is a worker for the Baroness. He is very dumb and gets arrested and doesn’t even know. I like playing him because he is very funny

My character is Frank, the cook/housekeeper. He is “blind as a bat” and bumps into things. Playing this character is adventurous.

I play Pauline Precious, she is the youngest character. Playing this character is fun because she’s “RICH!”

T R AV E L I N G T O F I J I

3 R D A N D 4 T H G R A D E B L A C K H I S T O R Y T I M E L I N E

4 T H G R A D E R A I S I N G T R O U T I N T H E C L A S S R O O M

Australia

The whole elementary community will be learning about Fiji after Spring break. Community time on Wednesdays will be devoted to learning about that country, and each of the classes will incorporate Fiji into the curriculum. Our studies will begin with a Fijian Festival. If you have been to Fiji or know of someone who has, and you would like to share your knowledge please call or email Beth.

200 trout eggs arrived at

school on 12/12/11 hatchlings 12/21/11

197 young trout 1/19/12

they are 3/4 inch long and

are fed twice a day

5 T H A N D 6 T H G R A D E S T U D E N T S V I S I T V A S S A R C O L L E G E

Ms. Hollanders’ Math class are using manipulatives to add and understand fractions.

The fifth and sixth grade students recently went on a field trip to Vassar College. They visited the campus Library, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, and the Olmsted Hall of Science. Students viewed the exhibition “Albert Einstein: Life and Letters,” some period art, including Picasso, and got hands-on experience using florescent microscopes to view different parts of worm cells.

1922-23 Pablo Picasso, Glass, Guitar, Musical Score painting

Vassar College Library

F U N W I T H F R A C T I O N S

C A M P U S M A S T E R P L A N

Thanks to a generous donation, the Elementary building will soon be home to five new SMART Boards in four classrooms and one in our Community Room. The SMART Board is an interactive, electronic whiteboard which can enhance instruction and learning.  The SMART Notebook software makes it possible for teachers to create content rich, dynamic lessons which address specific student skills.

Now you can look as well as LISTEN to The Kildonan Schools’ Campus Master Plan on our website kildonan.org.

Just click on this symbol

on any page throughout our website and listen to what we are all about!

F I E L D T R I P T O T H E M U S I C C E L L A R W I T H J O H N N Y G R U S A U S K A S

G U E S T P E R F O R M A N C E B Y L E M S H E P PA R D

Alec - I liked the electric guitar. I liked playing the drum set. The best part was drumming. Best field trip ever.

Fred - It was the best field trip ever. I learned the Tumbau. I got to play the bass guitar. I think we should do it every year. My favorite part was the electric guitar.

Liam - The drums were fun to play. Johnny was really good at playing the drums and the guitar. The instruments were fun to play.

Jolie - I liked the drums and the music Johnny made when he played them. His room was cool with all different instruments.

Katie - The drums were cool and I enjoyed playing them. It was a fun trip.

Jamison - I think that the drums were cool. I was allowed to play them and they sounded awesome. I think the sound of the drums was like thunder.

Julian - I liked when I got to play the drum set. The sound was great when we each had a different instrument to play. I loved when Johnny G was playing the drum set.

Devin - I think the place was cool looking and I think Johnny is a cool guy.

Our elementary community was treated to a musical performance by Lem Shepard that brought the history of the Civil War alive. Mr. Sheppard traced the history of African-American music sharing historic information accompanied by songs.

Horses were here before mankind. I own horses. I have Appaloosas, Thoroughbreds, Belgians, and others. Most of the horses I have are race horses. Thoroughbreds are the best horse on the the track. They have great stamina and love to run.

My horse is named Cartoon. He is an Appaloosa/ Clydesdale. He is 18 or 20 hands high. I am older than he by one year, so he is eleven. Cartoon’s father is smaller than his mother in height.

Cartoon is scared of puddles. He thinks its deep so he walks around them. Cartoon was so beautiful as a baby. Cartoon follows me around. If he got out of the fencing he would not go anywhere. He would follow me back in. I love Cartoon!

Now I am going to talk about Butter Ronny Pony. Butter Ronny was being used to ride. He came back and he was skinny. He is alive but lame, a medical term for he can’t walk well. He is a quarter horse. He is not a pony. I don't remember him when I was little. I have just gotten to know Butter Ronny. I love Butter Ronny Pony.

Now I am going talk about Zorro. Zorro is a Paso Fino. Zorro is pitch black. Zorro can’t canter because Paso Fino horses fast trot, and if they canter they might break a leg. He likes to walk on the trails. If you ride Zorro you don’t need a saddle. Zorro is small. He is fun to ride around the area. Zorro has been with me for three or four years. I love Zorro.

Now I am going to talk about DJ. DJ is a retired race horse. Before I had him he belonged to my cousin, Julie. DJ doesn't like to be brushed. He loves horse cookies and loves to run. He gets silly and then he ies down. Once my Aunt Christina fell off DJ. DJ loves to eat grass, cookies, and peppermints. I love DJ.

Now I am going to talk about Mariah and Gold Beauty. They are miniature horses. Mariah and Gold Beauty can do tricks and pull a cart. They belong to my uncle Angel Cordaro. They love people but Gold Beauty gets a little grumpy and

will kick but Mariah doesn't kick. They are nice and quiet. Mariah and Gold Beauty have been together all their live. I love Mariah and Gold Beauty.

A S H O R T S T O RY

B Y B E R N A R D O M .

Horses

“ H O R S E S ” A S H O R T S T O R Y B Y B E R N A R D O M .

Now I am going to talk about Diva. Diva is a black and white pony. She doesn’t like to be ridden too much. Diva likes people and all other things like me. Diva likes to eat carrots, grass, horse cookies, apples, hay, clovers, flowers, grain, and corn if she gets to it. Diva loves to be a little lazy. Diva is a good pony and I love Diva.

Now I am going to talk about Honey the donkey. Honey is a Rescue. She got fed too much, so she is obese. Honey had a baby but the baby went to a new home. Honey is a good donkey. She likes to eat grass, hay, apples, carrots, and horse cookies. The noise she makes at night sounds like a dinosaur and people get scared at night. She has a flat back that the chickens sit on. Honey is very funny. I love Honey.

Now I’m going to talk about Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash is a Rescue donkey. He came to me as a baby and he was drinking milk. He slept in a crib and came inside my house and watched tv on the couch. He loves people and Honey a lot. Johnny Cash loves dirt baths. He loves to eat horse cookies, apples, grass, grain, and carrots. He loves to run around and chase me for fun. I love Johnny cash.

These are my horses. But horses are different than each other and have different personalities too. If you read the book “Black Beauty” you would read about horses being abused. Horses die from being abused every day. People have abused horses a lot from 1887, when Black Beauty was written, until now. You can help abused horses by going to these websites www.igha.org/abuse.html, www.justsaywhoa.org/ and www.greenhorn-horse-facts.com/horse-slaughter.html. Help stop horses being abused.

How To Take Care of Your Horses

You must have the right tools to take care of your horse or horses. You need brushes to clean them off and a pick to clean their hooves. You need a comb for the tail and mane to get all the knots out. You need a place for the horses to run around. You need good hay and grain to feed them. Shelter is important if you have horses, and you need tools to clean the shelter, the stall and the run-in shed. The tools are pitchforks and a wagon to put the shavings in.

When I grow up I’m going to take over the family business and build the farm. My dad and I dream about building a farm in Amenia. The horse business went down a few years ago. Having a farm is something I want to do when I grow up. I love horses!

About the Author

Bernardo M.

Bernardo attends The Kildonan School. He is in sixth grade. He lives on a farm in Pine Plains, NY. The farm has many different animals. He feeds and takes care of his animals. He enjoys teaching them tricks. He has lived with horses all his life. He wrote about horses, because he enjoys riding and caring for them. At the Kildonan School, he rides horses and learns about the the history of horses. He hopes to work with horses when he grows up.

brushes picks pitchfork

“ H O R S E S ” A S H O R T S T O R Y B Y B E R N A R D O M . C O N T I N U E D

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

22 23 24 25

Modified BB GameHome vs. PoughkeepsieGame time: 4:30

Guest Performer, Lem Sheppard - A Civil War Commemorative Musical Performance 10:00 AM

26

Ski/Skate Day #3

27 28

29 30

Modified BB Game@ Upton LakeGame time: 3:15Return time: 5:15

31

January

16

VA L E N T I N E S D AY

Students who would like to participate in a Valentine card exchange should have a card for each student in the elementary community. Here is a list of our 25 students:

WadeBudZachJulianTaylorMatthewCharles

JolieJamesLiamJamesEJDalton

FredKatieAlecMaartenAmadeusJamison

StillmanKyleQuinnEmelineDevinBernardo

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2Ski/Skate Day #4

3 4

5 6 7 8

Modified BB Game@ MizzentopGame time: 4:00Return time: 6:15

9

Ski/Skate Day #5

10 11

12 13 14 Valentine’s DayElementary Field Tripto the Bardavon -Black Violin8:45 - 12:00

15 16

Ski/Skate Day #6

17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 *SNOW DATE for Parent/Teacher Conferences - SCHOOL CLOSED if using this date

28 3rd Grade Field Trip to McEnroe’s Farm 12:45 - 1:45 PM

296th Grade Play10:00 AM

February

20Presidents’ Day

School Closed

21Elementary

Parent/TeacherConference Day

School Closed

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 * Snow Date for 6th Grade Play 10:00 AM

2 Winter TermAssembly 1:30 PM

3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20

CLASSES RESUME

3rd Grade Field Trip to McEnroe’s Farm 12:45 - 1:45 PM

21Elementary Field Trip to the Bardavon - Young Peoples Concert 8:45 to 11:45

22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

March

* *Spring Break - School Closed * *

* *Spring Break - School Closed * *

* *Spring Break - School Closed * *