Marathon Memo
April 2024
Important Dates
Wednesday, April 10
Eid al-Fitr
No School
April 8 - 12
Spirit Week
Details Below
April 15 - 19
Spring Recess
No School
Notes From the Principal
Solar eclipse: April 8
On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. This prevents the Sun’s light from reaching Earth. As the Moon passes in front of the Sun, the Moon’s shadow sweeps across Earth. The sky gradually grows darker.
For Massachusetts, the eclipse will begin shortly after 2 PM ET and will last about 2 and a half hours until about 4:30 PM ET. While not in the path of totality, weather permitting we might see some of this event. We have ordered solar-viewing glasses to protect our eyes. The glasses should arrive any day!
PebbleGO - Eclipses (Username: marathones Password: school)
How to Explain April’s Total Solar Eclipse to Kids
Everything you need to know to safely see the 2024 total eclipse on April 8.
Resource:
Resources for the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Photo by Mark Tegethoff on Unsplash
Marathon Dismissal Time Reminders
Preschool dismissal is at 3:00 pm.
This is to allow the parking lot to clear for kindergarten and first-grade dismissal.
Kindergarten and First Grade Dismissal is at 3:20 pm.
Do not park early to wait as preschool dismisses at 3:00 pm and needs access to the parking spaces. Early in the year, Mr. Mitchell and I checked vehicles and asked K/1 pick-ups to leave and return so that preschool families could pick up their children.
Thank you in advance for arriving at the appropriate dismissal time. We have many children at Marathon who are picked up each day. Abiding by these times helps all.
Spirit Week: April 8 - 12
Monday, April 8: Tie Dye Day
Wear Tie-Dye!
Tuesday, April 9: Team Day
Wear your favorite team/sports gear!
Thursday, April 11: Rainbow Day
Wear every color of the rainbow!
Friday, April 12: Marathon Day
Wear your running gear!
Creator: worldofvector | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Building Fact and Computational Fluency
Shelly Moran, Director of Elementary Mathematics
Being able to recall the facts quickly and easily frees up brainpower and leaves room for more complex mathematical computations as students progress through the years. In Hopkinton, our work begins with understanding the definition of fact fluency.
What is fact fluency?
Math fact fluency is the ability to quickly and easily recall addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math facts through conceptual learning, fact strategies, and memorization.
For details: HPS Building Math Fluency: April 2024
Hopkins School Addition Project
A website has been created for the Hopkins School Addition project. Check it out!
Email for questions about the project: hopkins-project@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Kindergarten and First Grade News
Music News
In April, your children will be adding to their repertoire of singing games, dances, songs from many cultures, music listening, coloring musical pictures, playing instruments, and writing music. They are always eager to learn something new, but delighted when we review the songs and fingerplays they loved earlier in the year!
First Grade musicians learned some new songs from other cultures. They especially enjoyed Haru Ga Kita, a Japanese song about springtime, and also a singing game from Africa. Our lively circle dance from Ireland, ‘Planxty Madame Maxwell’, elicited such enthusiastic response from your First Grade children!. Your children were engaged in playing our game of Rhythm Bingo. By hearing the repetitive, but varied rhythmic patterns, all the students in Grade One feel much more confident with their enhanced rhythmic understanding. It was fun for them to locate the rhythms on their own rhythm cards and color the squares with bright colors! Your children delighted in hearing the great music which Camille Saint-Saens included in his Carnival of the Animals as we reviewed the first half of the music. They colored the picture of the Elephants, making note of the fact that it is in the meter of 3, and together we practiced the conducting pattern along with this music. Your children are having fun learning the French words and adding motions to our song ‘Ah! Le joli papillons’. Soon, we will complete our study of this fine French music - and hope to continue with the composer from Austria, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Children in Kindergarten enjoyed a lively dance in the ‘village square’ as they pretended to wait for their family and friends from Hopkinton to gather around and watch them dance the Irish Jig while I played along on my recorder. They stood, patiently waiting, in their dancing pose, while I beckoned the arrival of our ‘audience’ with a song, played on my guitar. After we completed our study of Prokofiev with his musical story Peter and the Wolf, your children showed their own creative ideas as they drew colorful pictures of their favorite scenes, their favorite characters and the instruments that they heard. How delighted they were when they entered the music room to find a special instrument under each chair for them: triangles, tambourines, rhythm sticks, claves, and maracas! After much practice, each child had a chance to play together and also as a solo with their instrument group as they improvised a creative rhythm. This fun activity ended with all students playing together and joining in our serpentine classroom parade as I led them around the room! Recently, many Kindergarten musicians have had one of their first experiences with writing music on the staff. We reviewed the five lines and the four spaces and they were able to write the tune of the chant “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” using Sol (G) Mi (E) and La (A). They were careful to place Sol and Mi around the line and La between the lines.
With the warmer weather, we look forward to singing about birds and flowers and green grass - and perhaps some more songs about the rain in April! I look forward to bringing more joy through music into the lives of your young children.
Musically Yours,
Mrs. Moran
Health Class News
Mrs. Lewinsky, Ms. Lyons, Mrs. Ryder
During January and February, Kindergarten and First Grade students learned about their amazing body systems: Skeletal, Muscular, Circulatory, and the Respiratory System. In these lessons, students discovered the importance of these parts of our bodies and the many similarities between our body systems and the body systems of animals, even some of our pets! During this unit, students explored these body systems while working in cooperative groups, participating in small and large group discussions, reading books, playing games, and creating art projects. Throughout this unit, students noticed a theme, that regular exercise is very healthy for ALL of our body systems.
Click on this link to see 25 Ways To Get Moving At Home.
Try having a family challenge to see how many of these you can do!
Kindergarten & First Grade Nights
Save the Date!
We can’t wait to see kindergarten and first-graders and their parents/guardians at school! Please do not bring siblings to this event. It is a special time to visit your child’s classroom, meet their teacher, and for them to show you where they have been spending their school days.
Classrooms will be crowded so this is truly an evening for your child and you, not siblings and extended family members. We look forward to seeing you at school!
Kindergarten Nights
Wednesday, May 29, 6:00 - 6:30 pm
B101, Ms. Kirby
B104, Ms. Jensen
B106, Dr. Gadson
B117, Ms. Kern
B118, Ms. Volent
B120, Ms. Robinson
B121, Ms. Dauphin
Wednesday, June 5th, 6:00 - 6:30 pm
B103, Ms. Ferguson
B105, Ms. Murphy
B107, Ms. Homan
B108, Ms. Chagnon
B119, Ms. Caffrey
B128, Ms. Burgess/Ms. Goncalves
B129, Ms. Bennett
First Grade Nights
Thursday, May 30th, 6:00 - 6:30 pm
A204, Ms. Allen
B208, Ms. Wedemeyer
B223, Ms. Hadfield
B2224, Mr. Sanford
B225, Ms. Williamson
B226, Ms. Yazdi/Ms. Stanton
B237, Ms. Beauregard
Tuesday, June 4th, 6:00 - 6:30 pm
A207, Ms. Kane
B201, Ms. Davis
B203, Ms. Farrell
B204, Ms. Aniello
B205, Ms. Kahn
B206, Ms. Avola
B207, Ms. Denault
Looking Ahead: Field Day 2024
First Grade: June 10
Kindergarten: June 11
General raindates: June 12 & 13
Our Wellness Teachers in collaboration with the HPTO coordinate station rotations for Field Day fun each June. This is a student event with parent volunteers facilitating the different station activities. Field Day is not a spectator event.
The HPTO will coordinate volunteers - details to follow.
Volunteers need a CORI on file with the Hopkinton Public Schools. If you plan to volunteer, check to see if your CORI is up-to-date at moffice@hopkinton.k12.ma.us or stop by the Marathon Office to complete the form with a picture ID (driver’s license or passport) between 10:00 am - 2:00 pm to complete your CORI application.
Pumpernickel Puppets visits Kindergarten
Kindergarten students recently enjoyed a performance by Pumpernickel Puppets. Ask your kindergartener about The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, or how the puppets work. Students met “Scraps” a puppet made out of recycled materials. The puppeteer inspired us to create such puppets. Thank you HPTO for sponsoring this enrichment!
Hopkinton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)
April / May 2024 SEPAC Events
Extended School Year 2024 Virtual Seminar
When: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 7pm
Visit our website for the Zoom link: www.hopkinton-sepac.org
Hopkinton SEPAC Parents and Care Partners Coffee Hour
Hopkinton SEPAC is hosting a coffee hour for parents and care partners of special needs students. Come to meet other special needs parents and learn more about Hopkinton SEPAC. We will be serving coffee and donuts.
When: Monday, April 22, 2024 at 10AM
Where: Hopkinton Public Library, Betty Strong Room (Large Event Room)
Mediation Process with Special Education Mediator Steve Lilly-Webber Virtual Seminar
When: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 7pm
Visit our website for the Zoom link: www.hopkinton-sepac.org
Spring Social with SEPAC
Join us for a fun day at the playground with sports and spring themed crafts. We will be serving snacks and refreshments. Come meet other special needs families at our free event. RSVP is preferred, but not required. RSVP here or on our website.
When: Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 10AM – 12PM
Where: Marathon Elementary School playground (behind the school)
The HPTO's 30th birthday bash is continuing with a silent auction! Check out these amazing items, so many of them donated by our schools! The auction will be open to the public until April 6th at 6pm, but will remain open to those attending the birthday fundraiser in person! Tickets are still available - join us for an awesome night of live music, open bar desserts and more!
Contact us at: moffice@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Lauren Dubeau, Principal
Eric Mitchell, Assistant Principal
Mark Campbell, Administrative Assistant
Rosemary Tabakin, Administrative Assistant