Hall School

Dear Hall School Families & Friends:

Dear Hall School Families & Friends:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FRED P. HALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Well, it’s almost here, the day we’ve all been waiting for! Hall Elementary School will celebrate 50 SPECTACULAR YEARS of great teaching, learning, playing, partnering, and so much more this Saturday, May 17 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. So much work has been done by parents, staff, students, school facilities folks and generous community members for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. This Saturday’s grand event will have something for everyone – musical performances by our own students and the Blueberry Pancakes, a 50-year timeline and iMovie history of the school (take a walk back in time through your own childhood decade!), Fred P. Hall Memorial (he was one cool dude!) multicultural storytelling and dancing, craft-making, ethnic food vendors, bouncy houses for kids and agile adults, and so much more! Bring your family and friends – everyone is welcome! Please see the PTO page in this issue for more information.

The Hall School Mural Project also is moving along thanks to Sarah Herboldsheimer and Michele Arcand, as well as a plethora of volunteer painters. If you can lend a hand, give Michele a call at 899-6894 or show up at her house at 31 Ludlow Terrace where you’ll find a painting marathon on most days. Please note the photo of one of the completed murals on this page. Just imagine how much these collaborative works of art will transform the exterior of our school!

TUESDAY, MAY 13 SCHOOL BUDGET REFERENDUM – PLEASE VOTE!
As you know from literature that has come home, Portland Public Schools will have its first school budget referendum TODAY May 13, as required by State law. We strongly encourage all of you to vote and also ask that you bring along two or three neighbors with you! May 13th is not a usual voting day so getting the word out to vote is essential. The national economy currently faces many challenges and it is the rare family or public program that has not felt its effects. More than ever, our students have the potential to feel the economy’s direct impact and we all are working hard – from PPS’s Central Office to the classroom -- to develop and maintain efficiencies without sacrificing high quality programming. We ask that you read through the Portland School Budget information page that follows this letter if you have not already read the one that was sent home last week. PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE ON TODAY MAY 13!

WALK-A-THON: HALL STUDENTS GET FIT AND EARN BIG BUCKS!
Last Friday’s Hall School Walk-a-thon was a big success – for both physical and fiscal fitness! In honor of our 50th Anniversary, all K-5 Hall students ran or walked laps around the school, joined Mr. Aspinall for our new Dance Revolution video program, and participated in parachute games. Our students far exceeded PTO fundraising expectations and earned over $5,600!! Many, many thanks to Kristin Uhlig for spearheading and organizing this great event. Thanks also to our many parent and staff volunteers who helped throughout the morning!

DISABILITY AWARENESS PROGRAM COMES TO HALL
Instructors from the Cromwell Center of Disabilities Awareness, a nonprofit organization in Portland, will be coming to Hall on May 19, 20, 29 and 30 to conduct disability awareness sessions with all students in grades three, four and five. The Cromwell Center offers their services for free and “promotes positive attitudes, understanding and acceptance of peers and all people with all types of disabilities – learning, behavioral and emotional, developmental and physical.” Class sessions range from 75 to 90 minutes and involve students in experiential learning to build awareness and respect differences. Aligning with our Peaceful Schools work, we’re excited to offer this opportunity to our students as we work to promote and nurture a more inclusive school environment for everyone.

NEW SECURE ONLINE ACCESS FOR PARENTS & GUARDIANS TO VIEW YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL INFORMATION
Hall School, along with all other Portland Public Schools, is pleased to announce the opening of the Parent Portal of Powerschool, a K-12 web-based student information system that will allow you online access to for school information about your child. Throughout the remainder of the school year, you will be able to log in and view secure information about your child regarding attendance, learning standards and assessment information. A special parent information night about this new web-based student access program is scheduled on Wednesday, May 21 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the computer lab. Teacher Peter Blackstone and PPS tech guru and assessment specialist Robin Walden will present information on this new program. Parents and guardians will receive their logins and passwords in a letter that will be sent home following the information session.

Secure online parent access to individual student information is becoming more and more prevalent across the country. There was an interesting article in the 5/04/08 New York Times recently about online school information programs.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you have done to support our many learning initiatives and school community events. I look forward to celebrating 50 GREAT YEARS OF HALL SCHOOL with all of you this Saturday, May 17th!

Sincerely,
Kelly Hasson

PTO Corner

50th Anniversary Bash This Saturday

The big day is almost here! Don’t miss our big birthday party for Hall School this Saturday, May 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free, and the variety of activities should provide something for everyone. Let’s toast our school and all the effort we’ve put into this celebration!

• The students (and teachers!) have worked hard on their timeline and iMovie projects, time capsule contributions, anniversary quilt, and learning to count in a new language.
• Dozens of tireless parents and teachers have been painting the beautiful anniversary murals.
• The student “passports” and international storytelling and book sale are ready to go in the library.
• The chorus and Blueberry Pancakes are primed for their performances under the big tent, as are Mrs. Beal’s and Mrs. Nordstrom’s classes with their musical tribute to Fred P. Hall.
• A terrific collection of memorabilia around the school and its namesake are ready for your enjoyment in the “Hall of Time” in the gym, and out back the food vendors, craft tent, and carnival games will be an exciting place to be.

Many thanks to those who’ve signed up to help staff the event, make signs, or bake cupcakes! If you haven’t signed up yet but can help with one of these areas, especially setup Friday at 5:00 p.m. or cleanup Saturday at 4:00 p.m., please contact Marc Lesperance at marc.lesperance@anthem.com.

Be sure to check those backpacks on Thursday—every student will bring home additional schedule information for the event along with four complimentary ride/game tickets.

‘Fit for Fifty’ a Runaway Success
The gym and schoolyard took a joyful pounding May 2 at our “Fit for Fifty” event! Students played parachute games, danced, walked, ran, and even skipped for 50 minutes on a beautiful Friday morning with the help of many staff and parent volunteers. Not only did everyone get some great exercise, but the fund-raising brought in through individual sponsorships was amazing: over $5,600 was raised for the school. Thanks to everyone, especially event organizer Ms. Uhlig, for making this event a success!

Greening Committee Taking Root
The PTO’s newest committee is off to a solid start after a “visioning” meeting held in April. Now that we have a working vision and mission statement, the next meeting will focus on planning for next year. Please bring your ideas on May 27, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the library, or contact committee chair Krista Haapala at kristahaapala@yahoo.com.

Shape Next Year’s PTO
The organization’s last meeting of the school year will be held Tuesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Join us to share your thoughts about enrichment, fund-raising, and other areas, or leave a note in the PTO Suggestion Box by the volunteer sign-in notebook in the lobby.

PTO Leadership for 2008-2009
Some of next year’s PTO officers have been named, with others to be determined later. Kristin McCabe will serve a second year as president, Jeff Brinck is the new vice president, and Amy Abbott will repeat as treasurer. The secretary position is still open, and the faculty officer will be named shortly. Please contact Kristin McCabe at kristinkmccabe@hotmail.com or 899-1309 if you are interested in joining the executive team—it is an amazing experience!

Many thanks to this year’s out-going officers, Marc Lesperance, Michele Arcand, Amy Eubanks, and Kristin Uhlig.

Mark Your Calendars
Besides the 50th anniversary bash May 17, the Greening Committee meeting May 27, and the PTO meeting June 3, there are still a couple of items remaining on this year’s PTO calendar:

•June 4, 6:00 p.m. – Hall School Night at the Sea Dogs (the PTO’s supply of tickets is sold out, so please contact Hadlock Field directly if you need to purchase tickets
• June 6, 8:00-9:00 a.m. – Parent-Teacher Coffee before school in the library

The Recess Runners Program Has Begun!

This was our first week of recess runners! Recess runners is a new alternative recess choice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Many many children at both recesses took part in the fun walking OR running around the school. Thanks to all of the parent volunteers at both recess times who cheered the groups along and punched the cards.
Parents, if your child is interested in joining in the fun, please remember to send them with sturdy shoes and a water bottle on RR (recess runners) days. Also, if you are interested in helping out at either recess please contact Sandy Sherry at sherrs@portlandschools.org or Kerrie Dowdy at dowdyk@portlandschools.org.

MUSCIAL NEWS

Hall School’s student musicians will be holding a number of exciting concerts this spring. Please join us at 12:30 on May 17th as the chorus sings for the anniversary celebration. The Blueberry PANcakes and Short Stack (fresh from their tour of Blue Hill, ME) will also be performing at 11:30 that day. Band and strings students will have a concert with Lyseth, Peaks Island, and Presumpscot students at Lyseth School on June 10th at 6:30pm. Hall School’s spring concert is June 9th at 6:30, and will feature rock bands, student steel drum ensembles, recorders, and the chorus. Chorus will rehearse briefly on Friday morning (8:30-8:45) June 13th and will sing at the fifth grade farewell assembly. Weather permitting, rock bands may also be performing outside during the last full week of school, dates and times TBA.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, several members of the fifth grade steel drum band traveled to Blue Hill, ME, with the Blueberry PANcakes for the 18th annual PanNewEngland Steel Drum Festival. We performed in front of hundreds of people, and heard fifteen other great bands from all around Maine and as far away as New York City! There were workshops and dances, too, and even mango pops! It rained most of the weekend, but we still had a great time.

Notes from the Partnership Developer

Now that spring has sprung and we can count the days until school is over, our thoughts turn to fun and frolic.

On May 15th once again Hall will be participating in the United Way’s annual
Day of Caring. This year we have volunteers from Macpage, Maine Medical Center, and Unum signed up to spruce up the Hall School grounds. This clean –up will be especially important, as our 50th celebration is this Saturday.

As mentioned in last newsletter our Annual Volunteer Celebration will be May 22nd. Once again this event weather permitting will be held outdoors in front of the building. Come and enjoy a delicious bagel or pastry donated by Panera Bread and cup of coffee or juice.

There will be a mini concert performed by our students at the same time. We will be outside until 9:30 am and then be indoors in the front hall by the office.

Lastly, we are collecting Hood milk Soxtops as a fundraiser. For every 2000 caps we Collect Hood will donate $100.00 to Hall school. If we collect the most tops in New England we could win a visit from a Red Sox player next Spring of 2009. A box will be in the front hall for the tops. Please collect them all summer and drop them off at the school as the contest ends Oct.31st.

“No man or woman can become rich without enriching others” - -Andrew Carnegie

Tina Mikkelsen
Partnership Developer

Movin’ on up !!!!!
All 5th Graders & 5th Grade Parents

Listed below you will find the following important dates and times for parent informational nights and student step up days.

KING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Parents Night: Thursday, May 15. 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Media Center
Students Step-Up Day: Thursday, May 22, 12:30 to 2:30 PM

LINCOLN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Parents Night: Monday, May 19, 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Gym
Students Step-Up Day: Friday, May 23, 12:30 to 2:30 PM

LYMAN MOORE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Parents Night: Wednesday, May 21, 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the Cafeteria
Students Step-Up Day: Thursday, June 12, 9:30 AM to 2:15 PM


	HALL SCHOOL NEWS AND EVENTS May, 2008 Principal's Pen Dear Hall School Families & Friends: Dear Hall School Families & Friends: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FRED P. HALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! Well, it’s almost here, the day we’ve all been waiting for! Hall Elementary School will celebrate 50 SPECTACULAR YEARS of great teaching, learning, playing, partnering, and so much more this Saturday, May 17 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. So much work has been done by parents, staff, students, school facilities folks and generous community members for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. This Saturday’s grand event will have something for everyone – musical performances by our own students and the Blueberry Pancakes, a 50-year timeline and iMovie history of the school (take a walk back in time through your own childhood decade!), Fred P. Hall Memorial (he was one cool dude!) multicultural storytelling and dancing, craft-making, ethnic food vendors, bouncy houses for kids and agile adults, and so much more! Bring your family and friends – everyone is welcome! Please see the PTO page in this issue for more information. The Hall School Mural Project also is moving along thanks to Sarah Herboldsheimer and Michele Arcand, as well as a plethora of volunteer painters. If you can lend a hand, give Michele a call at 899-6894 or show up at her house at 31 Ludlow Terrace where you’ll find a painting marathon on most days. Please note the photo of one of the completed murals on this page. Just imagine how much these collaborative works of art will transform the exterior of our school! TUESDAY, MAY 13 SCHOOL BUDGET REFERENDUM – PLEASE VOTE! As you know from literature that has come home, Portland Public Schools will have its first school budget referendum TODAY May 13, as required by State law. We strongly encourage all of you to vote and also ask that you bring along two or three neighbors with you! May 13th is not a usual voting day so getting the word out to vote is essential. The national economy currently faces many challenges and it is the rare family or public program that has not felt its effects. More than ever, our students have the potential to feel the economy’s direct impact and we all are working hard – from PPS’s Central Office to the classroom -- to develop and maintain efficiencies without sacrificing high quality programming. We ask that you read through the Portland School Budget information page that follows this letter if you have not already read the one that was sent home last week. PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE ON TODAY MAY 13! WALK-A-THON: HALL STUDENTS GET FIT AND EARN BIG BUCKS! Last Friday’s Hall School Walk-a-thon was a big success – for both physical and fiscal fitness! In honor of our 50th Anniversary, all K-5 Hall students ran or walked laps around the school, joined Mr. Aspinall for our new Dance Revolution video program, and participated in parachute games. Our students far exceeded PTO fundraising expectations and earned over $5,600!! Many, many thanks to Kristin Uhlig for spearheading and organizing this great event. Thanks also to our many parent and staff volunteers who helped throughout the morning! DISABILITY AWARENESS PROGRAM COMES TO HALL Instructors from the Cromwell Center of Disabilities Awareness, a nonprofit organization in Portland, will be coming to Hall on May 19, 20, 29 and 30 to conduct disability awareness sessions with all students in grades three, four and five. The Cromwell Center offers their services for free and “promotes positive attitudes, understanding and acceptance of peers and all people with all types of disabilities – learning, behavioral and emotional, developmental and physical.” Class sessions range from 75 to 90 minutes and involve students in experiential learning to build awareness and respect differences. Aligning with our Peaceful Schools work, we’re excited to offer this opportunity to our students as we work to promote and nurture a more inclusive school environment for everyone. NEW SECURE ONLINE ACCESS FOR PARENTS & GUARDIANS TO VIEW YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL INFORMATION Hall School, along with all other Portland Public Schools, is pleased to announce the opening of the Parent Portal of Powerschool, a K-12 web-based student information system that will allow you online access to for school information about your child. Throughout the remainder of the school year, you will be able to log in and view secure information about your child regarding attendance, learning standards and assessment information. A special parent information night about this new web-based student access program is scheduled on Wednesday, May 21 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the computer lab. Teacher Peter Blackstone and PPS tech guru and assessment specialist Robin Walden will present information on this new program. Parents and guardians will receive their logins and passwords in a letter that will be sent home following the information session. Secure online parent access to individual student information is becoming more and more prevalent across the country. There was an interesting article in the 5/04/08 New York Times recently about online school information programs. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you have done to support our many learning initiatives and school community events. I look forward to celebrating 50 GREAT YEARS OF HALL SCHOOL with all of you this Saturday, May 17th! Sincerely, Kelly Hasson PTO Corner 50th Anniversary Bash This Saturday The big day is almost here! Don’t miss our big birthday party for Hall School this Saturday, May 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free, and the variety of activities should provide something for everyone. Let’s toast our school and all the effort we’ve put into this celebration! • The students (and teachers!) have worked hard on their timeline and iMovie projects, time capsule contributions, anniversary quilt, and learning to count in a new language. • Dozens of tireless parents and teachers have been painting the beautiful anniversary murals. • The student “passports” and international storytelling and book sale are ready to go in the library. • The chorus and Blueberry Pancakes are primed for their performances under the big tent, as are Mrs. Beal’s and Mrs. Nordstrom’s classes with their musical tribute to Fred P. Hall. • A terrific collection of memorabilia around the school and its namesake are ready for your enjoyment in the “Hall of Time” in the gym, and out back the food vendors, craft tent, and carnival games will be an exciting place to be. Many thanks to those who’ve signed up to help staff the event, make signs, or bake cupcakes! If you haven’t signed up yet but can help with one of these areas, especially setup Friday at 5:00 p.m. or cleanup Saturday at 4:00 p.m., please contact Marc Lesperance at marc.lesperance@anthem.com. Be sure to check those backpacks on Thursday—every student will bring home additional schedule information for the event along with four complimentary ride/game tickets. ‘Fit for Fifty’ a Runaway Success The gym and schoolyard took a joyful pounding May 2 at our “Fit for Fifty” event! Students played parachute games, danced, walked, ran, and even skipped for 50 minutes on a beautiful Friday morning with the help of many staff and parent volunteers. Not only did everyone get some great exercise, but the fund-raising brought in through individual sponsorships was amazing: over $5,600 was raised for the school. Thanks to everyone, especially event organizer Ms. Uhlig, for making this event a success! Greening Committee Taking Root The PTO’s newest committee is off to a solid start after a “visioning” meeting held in April. Now that we have a working vision and mission statement, the next meeting will focus on planning for next year. Please bring your ideas on May 27, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the library, or contact committee chair Krista Haapala at kristahaapala@yahoo.com. Shape Next Year’s PTO The organization’s last meeting of the school year will be held Tuesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Join us to share your thoughts about enrichment, fund-raising, and other areas, or leave a note in the PTO Suggestion Box by the volunteer sign-in notebook in the lobby. PTO Leadership for 2008-2009 Some of next year’s PTO officers have been named, with others to be determined later. Kristin McCabe will serve a second year as president, Jeff Brinck is the new vice president, and Amy Abbott will repeat as treasurer. The secretary position is still open, and the faculty officer will be named shortly. Please contact Kristin McCabe at kristinkmccabe@hotmail.com or 899-1309 if you are interested in joining the executive team—it is an amazing experience! Many thanks to this year’s out-going officers, Marc Lesperance, Michele Arcand, Amy Eubanks, and Kristin Uhlig. Mark Your Calendars Besides the 50th anniversary bash May 17, the Greening Committee meeting May 27, and the PTO meeting June 3, there are still a couple of items remaining on this year’s PTO calendar: •June 4, 6:00 p.m. – Hall School Night at the Sea Dogs (the PTO’s supply of tickets is sold out, so please contact Hadlock Field directly if you need to purchase tickets • June 6, 8:00-9:00 a.m. – Parent-Teacher Coffee before school in the library The Recess Runners Program Has Begun! This was our first week of recess runners! Recess runners is a new alternative recess choice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Many many children at both recesses took part in the fun walking OR running around the school. Thanks to all of the parent volunteers at both recess times who cheered the groups along and punched the cards. Parents, if your child is interested in joining in the fun, please remember to send them with sturdy shoes and a water bottle on RR (recess runners) days. Also, if you are interested in helping out at either recess please contact Sandy Sherry at sherrs@portlandschools.org or Kerrie Dowdy at dowdyk@portlandschools.org. MUSCIAL NEWS Hall School’s student musicians will be holding a number of exciting concerts this spring. Please join us at 12:30 on May 17th as the chorus sings for the anniversary celebration. The Blueberry PANcakes and Short Stack (fresh from their tour of Blue Hill, ME) will also be performing at 11:30 that day. Band and strings students will have a concert with Lyseth, Peaks Island, and Presumpscot students at Lyseth School on June 10th at 6:30pm. Hall School’s spring concert is June 9th at 6:30, and will feature rock bands, student steel drum ensembles, recorders, and the chorus. Chorus will rehearse briefly on Friday morning (8:30-8:45) June 13th and will sing at the fifth grade farewell assembly. Weather permitting, rock bands may also be performing outside during the last full week of school, dates and times TBA. On Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, several members of the fifth grade steel drum band traveled to Blue Hill, ME, with the Blueberry PANcakes for the 18th annual PanNewEngland Steel Drum Festival. We performed in front of hundreds of people, and heard fifteen other great bands from all around Maine and as far away as New York City! There were workshops and dances, too, and even mango pops! It rained most of the weekend, but we still had a great time. Notes from the Partnership Developer Now that spring has sprung and we can count the days until school is over, our thoughts turn to fun and frolic. On May 15th once again Hall will be participating in the United Way’s annual Day of Caring. This year we have volunteers from Macpage, Maine Medical Center, and Unum signed up to spruce up the Hall School grounds. This clean –up will be especially important, as our 50th celebration is this Saturday. As mentioned in last newsletter our Annual Volunteer Celebration will be May 22nd. Once again this event weather permitting will be held outdoors in front of the building. Come and enjoy a delicious bagel or pastry donated by Panera Bread and cup of coffee or juice. There will be a mini concert performed by our students at the same time. We will be outside until 9:30 am and then be indoors in the front hall by the office. Lastly, we are collecting Hood milk Soxtops as a fundraiser. For every 2000 caps we Collect Hood will donate $100.00 to Hall school. If we collect the most tops in New England we could win a visit from a Red Sox player next Spring of 2009. A box will be in the front hall for the tops. Please collect them all summer and drop them off at the school as the contest ends Oct.31st. “No man or woman can become rich without enriching others” - -Andrew Carnegie Tina Mikkelsen Partnership Developer Movin’ on up !!!!! All 5th Graders & 5th Grade Parents Listed below you will find the following important dates and times for parent informational nights and student step up days. KING MIDDLE SCHOOL Parents Night: Thursday, May 15. 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Media Center Students Step-Up Day: Thursday, May 22, 12:30 to 2:30 PM LINCOLN MIDDLE SCHOOL Parents Night: Monday, May 19, 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Gym Students Step-Up Day: Friday, May 23, 12:30 to 2:30 PM LYMAN MOORE MIDDLE SCHOOL Parents Night: Wednesday, May 21, 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the Cafeteria Students Step-Up Day: Thursday, June 12, 9:30 AM to 2:15 PM