Ms. Amy and Ms. Kelley’s classes talking about the project collect tabs for Ronald McDonald House with Officer Tony from the NLPD.
We are so very lucky to have a great partnership with Connecticut College. In working to deepen this partnership, the students in Dr. Roberts' literacy course, their mentor teachers, literacy coaches and administration at RMMS have embarked on a cooperative learning experience. In addition to the field experience requirements, this cohort will meet several times to enrich our understanding of the complexities and components of literacy- both its theoretical, as well practical applications. Through observations, lesson development, reflection, and group work, we will work together to enrich the learning for all of students.
By KYLE CHEROMCHA Special to The Day
Publication: The Day
New London - When Bruce Snider agreed to host a poetry workshop with a group of fifth-graders from the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London, he wanted to help children relate to poetry and poets.
"One of our main goals was to introduce kids to a living writer," said Snider, the poet-in-residence at the James Merrill House in Stonington this spring. "Since most poetry they read is written a long time ago, I think a lot of kids have the feeling that in order to be a poet you have to be dead."
Snider teamed up with the school's literacy coach, Heidi Simmons, to put on two workshops for selected students, designed as an extension of the yearlong, in-class poetry instruction.
Despite being pulled from an all-school assembly to attend the workshop, the group of 10 students filed into the conference room last Friday morning eager to share the poems they had written for homework.
"What did you notice about that poem?" Snider pressed the group after each student finished reading their work. "What stood out to you? How did it make you think in a different way?"
Despite the onslaught of questions, the kids had no shortage of answers. Often, multiple hands were wiggling in the air before he had even finished his sentence.
Friday's workshop focused on the use of sounds in poetry, including alliteration, repetition, rhythm and onomatopoeia - words that imitate the sounds they describe. After guiding the group through an analysis of "Ode to a Drum," in which the students debated the various interpretations of the words, Snider set them to work on their own sound-inspired poems.
"I want you to think of a sound, any sound, and find a way to capture it in the way you write the poem," he said. "Make it as vivid, as strange and as memorable as you can."
One student wrote about the "blip-plop" sound of pots boiling over on the stove in her busy kitchen at home; another wrote about the sound of scribbling pencils that filled the room as the other students worked on their poems. Snider said that it's important for them to write their own poems because it's a kind of experiential learning they can't get from just reading.
Principal Sally Myers was thrilled at how well the students responded to Snider's instruction.
"This is the first time we've had a poet come in and work with the kids in this way," she said. "From what I saw, I thought it was amazing."
Butterfly Magic
by Dasha Klein
Butterflies
Maroon, fuchsia, chartreuse,
Every color you can think of
Darting here and there
Landing on lilacs and lilies
Wings beating wildly
Fanning out in an array of color
Bringing beauty to the world
That is the butterfly magic
New London’s Memorial Day
and Hope Week Parade
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the
United States Coast Guard Academy
www.newlondon.org
Saturday, May 22, 2010
10:00 a.m. – Noon
RMMS will be participating as a school. All families that participate should wear an
RMMS t-shirt or a purple top. Contact Sally Bondy at 437-7775, Ext. 152, if you
need to purchase one.
If your family would like to be part of celebrating our wonderful school as a part of
the parade, please call the school at 437-7775 and let Ms. Gloria at the front
desk know.
All parade participants must be at Williams Park by 9 a.m.
We will meet at RMMS by 8:45 and then move toward Williams Park.
On Friday, May 7th the RMMS Foundation will be hosting Heart and More, a silent auction fundraiser to support programs for the children of RMMS. It will be at the Crocker House Ballroom in downtown New London, on the corner of Golden and Union Streets, from 7:00-10:00 pm. Tickets are $25.00, which includes delicious food and beverages donated by Go Fish. There are many exciting items up for auction (wonderful jewelry, art, ceramics, services, tickets to Broadway Shows, and a bi-plane ride have all been offered in the past). Please come and support the RMMS Foundation! This is an adults only event.
Beginning on Monday, March 29, RMMS will be piloting a focused language/culture experience for students at the 2/3 level in either Chinese or Arabic. The program will be for one month and will be held from 3:30-4:15 after school either on Monday/Thursday (for Arabic) or Tuesday/Thursday (for Chinese). Connecticut College students will be teaching these classes under the supervision of RMMS staff. We are so lucky to be able to utilize the language/culture expertise of our Conn College family.
Ms. Amy's and Ms. Joanne's classes visited Fiddleheads, our local food coop to continue their learning about conservation, the environment and nutrition. They sampled organic milk, saw baby broccoli, and learned about a self-sustaining dairy farm. Many thanks to everyone who helped make this learning trip happen.
