October 2006

 

Mural - TFHS - Students design and create a portable mural on a 12' x 12' canvas to display in the high school, with an unveiling and reception for community members. 

Science Alive - Hillcrest — Grs. 1 & 2 Students will work with the Hitchcock Center. Students will interact with live animals and insects. Classroom kits purchased will include insects that will enable the classes to continue the studies into the year.

Lego Mindstorms Robotics Inventions - Sheffield Grs 5 & 6 Students will build and showcase inventions using the Lego indstorms Robotic programming software. 

Les Ecuries de Joséphine dinner in Paris - TFHS French Class 
While on a field trip to Paris, they will enjoy a 'typical' French dining expérience. 
Students did fundraising for the trip itself

Roman Legionary-Legio III Cyrenaica - TFHS Latin Students
Fifty-one high school students from the Latin and a humanities class will experience a Roman Legionary re-enactor from the Higgins Armory Museum. 

Tapping into Music - TFHS Alternative Learning Program
Two guitars and a portable electronic keyboard will be purchased for the Alternative Learning Program at TFHS. Students earn time to learn and play the instruments. 
Social skills are also promoted by having students teach other students.

Quilt Chronicles — Hillcrest Grs. K-2 A two year project, the students will be studying quilting as it lends itself to literature and math concepts, as well as art. This funding is for a field trip to the Brattleboro Museum quilt exhibition, which will also feature Faith Ringgold, a celebrated children's author.

Because They Asked — TFHS (all students) The TFHS librarian has been tracking student requests for particular books which the library. The purpose is to provide reading material which interests students and will encourage them to read for pleasure.

SADD Chapter for TFHS - all students 
The school nurse is re-starting a chapter of the Students Against Destructive Decisions, which will engage students in school and community outreach and education regarding decisions which are harmful.



 

February 2007


 

Field Trip to New England Flower Show - TFHS
Forty-two (42) students enrolled in Greenhouse, Botanicals and/or Marketing will attend the NE Flower Show. The students will attend lectures and watch demonstrations, as well as learn about a variety of plants, learn about sales promotion, and learn about floral display. They will also develop their own marketing plan for their plant sale. The goal is to raise interest in botanical culture and provide some training for those who may wish to do summer work in landscaping. 

Meet the Deadline - Gill School — Gr 6
Gill School 6th graders will learn to be reporters through recording, interviewing and news writing following a week-long class trip to The Sargent Center for Outdoor Education. They developed newspapers that include advertisements and comics. Students have already met with Joe Parzych. David Detmold (of the Montague Reporter) will teach the class about interviewing and subsequent article development, and the project will culminate in a trip to the press room.

Our Community- Tracks and Fossils - Hillcrest - Gr 1
Students (51) will visit the Pratt Museum of Natural History to view the collection of dinosaur tracks removed from Turners Falls. They will also see rocks, minerals and other natural history specimens. This experience will help them understand that their locality was once home to dinosaurs and learn about how observations helped scientists come to this conclusion. They will keep journals and drawings.

Black Ash Basketry - TFHS Students enrolled in Greenhouse and Botanicals classes (50) will have the opportunity to visit a master basket maker, Alice Ogden, and learn about the history of basket making. Students will make baskets after taking notes from a lecture of history and a demonstration of basketry. The project encompasses art, history and science (floriculture and forestry). The grant includes money for scholarship assistance.

Field Trip to Museum of Fine Arts — TFHS - Mr. Dubovik and Ms. Nichols will take students (51) from French and Spanish classes to the Museum of Fine Arts to view pre-selected pieces from the European collection. Through this study, students will learn about culture and history as well as art, and to understand the interconnectedness of the pieces and the cultures.

Connecticut River Watershed Project Part 2 -  Connecticut River Watershed Project Part 2- Gill School — Grs K-2
Student (47) will work with a Hitchcock Center presenter to reinforce science curriculum that focuses on the Connecticut River Watershed. Students will learn about the community's natural resources and discover the watershed's diverse habitats and see how over time the watershed has changed.

Audio Equipment Upgrade - The TFHS TV studio, which serves students in classes and provides a news program produced by students, will have new audio recording equipment so students can learn about professional-level audio recording. The 
students will be able to use this in the production of student films, as well.

College and Theatre Trip - GFMS Gr 7
Students (90) will attend a performance of "Rain," by Cirque Eloize. The performance will include dance, song and music, and the traditions from ancient times are woven into these. Students will be able to make connections with their studies of the culture of ancient Egypt, as well as be exposed to a form of artistic expression they might not otherwise experience. A connection between math and juggling will be investigated, and students will write reflections for language arts classes.

Culinary Arts Meets Science - GFMS — Gr 8
Students (88) will make ice cream as part of the science curriculum which teaches chemistry. This project will allow the students to learn about how heat moves in predictable ways, the affect of heat on particle motion, discover the energy of heat, and learn about the freezing and melting points of substances and the role of salt in the process. The students will then use pictures to explain the process.

Incredible Insects - Hillcrest & Montague Center — Gr 2
Students (67) will attend a Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center program on the study of insects and life cycles. They will learn about adaptations and habitats of various insects.

Field Trip to Sturbridge Village -  Sheffield - Gr 3
Transportation for students (45) who will take a trip to Old Sturbridge Village for children to experience the living history.

The Preamble - Montague Center - Gr 3
Students (14) will create a tile project recreating the preamble of the constitution. Some tiles will have illustrations of some of the framers of the constitution. The tiles will grace the school with a backboard and frame as a reminder of the importance of law and rules.

2007 Award Winners for Young People's Literature - GMFS/TFHS
Award winning young people's literature will be purchased for the two schools to correlate with the curriculum in the high school and supplement the directed reading program collection in the middle school. (approximately 675 students)

Pond Probe: Trip to Northfield Mountain - Hillcrest — Gr 1
Students (51) will take a field trip to Northfield Mountain to participate in a program that allows students to catch, observe and draw pond life. Students will learn about water cycle and notice characteristics of the pond habitat.