District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.

Have you visited these two sites for ideas on project  

creativity? Interested in how the information in these  

sites aligns with selected Standards from Common  

Core? See below.

Tagxedo  www.tagxedo.com/

Dazzle your project with these word clouds. Choose a  

picture or shape, then add your words and voila, a  

visually enticing display. Tagxedo can be used to  

demonstrate speeches, animal reports, or anything  

else you can imagine.

Common Core examples:

CC.4.SL.5 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Add  

audio recordings and visual displays to presentations  

when appropriate to enhance the development of  

main ideas or themes. (SL5-Speech and Language  

Gr. 5)

CC.4.W.6 Production and Distribution of Writing:  

With some guidance and support from adults, use  

technology, including the Internet, to produce and  

publish writing as well as to interact with others;  

demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding  

skills to type a minimum of one page in a single  

sitting. (W6-Writing Gr. 6)

_____________________________________________________________

Zooburst www.zooburst.com/
Add a new dimension to storytelling, reports, and  

presentations with ZooBurst's digital 3-D tool. In this  

safe and protected space, students create and  

customize pop-up stories; add their own voice to  

characters, upload artwork or items from a built-in  

database of over 10,000 free images and materials.

Common Core example:

CC.2.SL.5 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:  

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add  

drawings or other visual displays to stories or  

recounts of experiences when appropriate to  

clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Andy Warhol Inspired Halloween Art Installation

Students in Mrs. Calhoun-Donelan's art classes created life-sized candy as part of the PSMS Annual Halloween Costume Contest. The Any Warhol inspired creations are colorful renditions of our most popular candy brands and are displayed on the stage in the cafeteria for all to see.

Grade 6 students from Mrs. Goding's homeroom Jenny Wedge, Taylor Rouse and Keegan Savage enjoyed learning about Andy Warhol, pop art and creating their projects. Here is what they had to say.

"Creating the Pop Art candy was really fun! We always wanted to hurry back to the art room to work on it and finish it. Before we were born, Andy Warhol did art like this. Andy Warhol called his studio "the Factory", so we worked in teams like factory workers. You have to cut in the edges of paint for a clean line. This is part of craftsmanship and we have been learning about craftsmanship. Tonight is Halloween and we are so excited! This project is exciting too, and related to Halloween! When we go home our parents are going to be very proud of us for doing a good job!"

Thank you to all of Mrs. Calhoun-Donelan's students for helping to decorate the cafeteria and making Halloween a special day at PSMS.

8th Graders Visit BSU

For the fourth consecutive year, 8th graders from PSMS recently visited Bridgewater State University. Prior to leaving, students engaged in activities designed to stimulate interest in preparing for the college experience. They learned new vocabulary related to college and careers. They viewed a Powerpoint presentation by our guidance staff, which highlighted information about Bridgewater State and various course offerings and career possibilities.

Upon their arrival, the students were greeted by their guides and toured the campus in five small groups. In this intimate and personalized setting, the students were able to ask questions and interact with a BSU undergraduate student, learning about campus life. The groups received a first-hand view of a typical dorm room as well as the Adrian Tinsley Athletic Center, the Maxwell Library, the Rondileau Campus Center and the brand new Marshall Conant Science Building. The students concluded their tour among the undergraduate students with lunch in the Maxwell Dining Hall in Tillinghast Hall.

The purpose of this program is to promote an early awareness about the importance and possibilities of college and careers. Our intention is to provide our students with an exposure that typically occurs much later in high school. It is our belief that this experience will inspire the students and get them thinking about their futures. Upon return, students participated in debriefing discussions with their teachers and completed a feedback survey. Hopefully, the students enjoyed the experience and realized the relationship between effort, motivation and academic and long-term success.

Halloween at PSMS

On Wednesday, October 31st, students and staff got into the Halloween spirit and participated in the Student Council Halloween Costume Contest. The cost to participate was either $1.00 or a donated canned food item for the local food bank. The Student Council generated over $200.00 and donated 2 large recycle bins of food. The winners of the 2012 Halloween Costume Contest are pictured below. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated.

GRADE 8

1ST PLACE:         

Andrew Beattie        "Big Bad Wolf"

2nd PLACE:          

Bobby Whitman       "Captain Underpants"

3rd PLACE:                

Ramona DiFrancesco     "Ariel the Mermaid"

4th PLACE :                

Julia Studley                  "The Clown"

GRADE 7

1ST PLACE:                

Ashton Stoecklin                "A Girl"

2nd PLACE:                 

Quinn Woodworth              "Cowgirl"

3rd PLACE:                 

Tamara Olson                     "Night Class"

4th PLACE :                 

Njaga Mbuthia                    "Zombie"

GRADE 6

1ST PLACE:               

Cameron Foley                 "Washing Machine"

2nd PLACE:                 

Jodi Brown                       "Barbie in a Box"

3rd PLACE:                 

Madison Condon                 "Black Swan"

4th PLACE :                  

Noah Corcoran                   "Chef Boyardee"

GRADE 5

1ST PLACE:               

Sam Kierstead                     "Tool Box"

2nd PLACE:                 

Mercedes Herrera                  "Medusa"

3rd PLACE:                 

Milena Manic                           "Hippie"

4th PLACE:                  

Olivia Cenac                         "Egyptian Princess"

5th PLACE:                  

Arianna Flohr                        "Go Go Girl"