The Globe Charter Oak International Academy

425 Oakwood Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110 • Telephone: 860-233-8506 • Fax: 860-231-9654

“Together we can and

do make a difference!”

Issue IV October 22, 2015 Juan Melián, Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians:

October is in full swing, a month with lots of community spirit and exciting activities both during and

after school. We started the month coming together as a community with our Room Parent Breakfast, a

great opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to those parents who endlessly offer their time and

knowledge to our school. Also this month we have the Suzuki Parent Information Night, Math Night, and

the Farmer’s Market. Our parental involvement is strong and comes in so many different ways! Thank you

all very much and please stay involved and connected as we fast approach our first parent-teacher

conferences of the year. They are scheduled for the third week of November.

The Family Resource Center continues to meet several times a week and last month I started informal

chats with the community. Please consider coming by the Family Resource Center the first Friday of each

month to have a dialogue about anything that is on your mind regarding our school: your ideas, your

concerns, or simply to have a good time talking to each other. We are also a week away from the beginning

of exciting opportunities for learning and support through two very important programs offered after

school: Explorations and Achieve. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about them.

I am sure that you are all admiring the amazing progress of the new building; you can already see some

bricks on the exterior walls. We are pleased to know that everything is on schedule. Our students are

increasingly involved in monitoring the construction process. I hope you are all enjoying the great videos

our students are producing which frequently feature the new building. Our students are doing a great job

making connections with important issues and how the construction site can impact our environment and all

the things that are done to make sure that the site remains safe. I am sure that many of them can explain to

you what sustainability is and why it is so important!

Another example is how our teachers are integrating the construction in our IB units. For instance, our third

graders are embarking on their unit that includes forces and motion. This unit will be supported by

personnel from Fusco who will come to us to talk about practical applications.

A quick October reminder. The weather will be getting cold soon. Make sure that your children are

appropriately dressed to spend time outdoors during recess. Warm clothes, gloves, hats, and boots are

required during winter months. Also, with temperatures going down, it is extremely important that students

are not dropped off at school before the time doors open, at 8:20 for everybody and at 8:05 for students

eating breakfast in the cafeteria. Only students with pre-arranged and supervised activities can enter the

building before those times.

My best wishes to all of you and our sincere appreciation for your constant support and involvement.

Juan Melián

Principal

2 THE GLOBE

Queridos Padres y Guardianes:

Estamos ya de lleno en octubre que es un mes de muchas actividades escolares llenas de espíritu escolar y

comunitario. Comenzamos el mes juntándonos en el desayuno para expresar nuestro sincero agradecimiento a

los padres voluntarios. Ellos nos ofrecen su tiempo y sus conocimientos de una manera desinteresada y

generosa. También este mes tenemos la Sesión de Información para Padres de Suzuki, la Noche de

Matemáticas, y el Mercado de Granjeros. La presencia de nuestros padres en la escuela es muy fuerte y se da

de formas tan variadas. Muchísimas gracias a todos y por favor continúen involucrados conforme nos

acercamos a las primeras conferencias con los profesores, que se celebrarán la tercera semana de noviembre.

El Centro de Recursos Familiares (FRC) continúa reuniéndose varias veces por semana y el pasado mes

comencé con charlas informales con la comunidad que se celebrarán ahí el primer viernes de cada mes. Es un

diálogo abierto, en el que cualquier tema que le preocupe o le importe será tratado. Espero conocer más lo que

está en su mente, sus ideas, sus ilusiones, sus problemas, cómo podemos ayudar mejor…O simplemente venga

a pasar un buen rato agradable entre amigos. También recuerde que estamos a una semana del comienzo de

dos importantes programas en nuestra escuela: Explorations y Achieve, los dos después del día escolar. No

dude en contactar con nosotros para saber más sobre ellos.

Estoy seguro de que están admirando el increíble progreso del nuevo edificio en el que ya se pueden ver

algunos ladrillos en las paredes exteriores. Todo va según lo previsto. Nuestros estudiantes se van

involucrando más y más en el proceso de construcción a través de la producción de videos, que hacen

conexiones con el impacto que ésta tiene en el medio ambiente y todo lo que se está haciendo para asegurarnos

de que todo es seguro. Probablemente muchos de ellos podrán hablarles a ustedes de la noción de

sostenibilidad y la importancia que tiene.

También nuestros profesores integran la construcción en sus unidades de IB. Por ejemplo, en el tercer

grado, personal de Fusco vendrá a hablar con los chicos durante el estudio de la unidad Fuerzas y

Movimientos. Una gran oportunidad de ver aplicaciones prácticas y de la vida real para aquello que

aprendemos.

Un recordatorio final. El tiempo empieza a ponerse frío. Asegúrense que sus hijos vienen con ropa

adecuada para pasar tiempo fuera en el recreo con ropa de abrigo, guantes, gorras y botas. También, con las

temperaturas bajando rápidamente, es importante que los estudiantes no sean traídos a la escuela antes de las

horas establecidas. Las puertas abren para todos a las 8:20 (8:10 para los que desayunan en la cafetería de la

escuela). Sólo aquellos estudiantes con actividades organizadas y supervisadas por la escuela pueden entrar

antes de esas horas.

Mis mejores deseos para todos ustedes y nuestra gratitud por todo su apoyo y presencia.

Afectuosamente,

Juan Melián

Principal

THE GLOBE 3

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our “Be

Homeful” fundraiser which ended last week. As a

result of this collection, we raised $500, which we

donated to the Connecticut Coalition to End

Homelessness (CCEH) last Friday when we had a visit

from Paddington himself. Paddington visited with the

fifth graders who organized the fundraiser and went to

classrooms that either collected the most money or

who had 100% participation.

Information about the “Be Homeful” project was

shared by fifth graders at our September STAR student

assembly. This was after students met with CCEH

staff and were videotaped for a “Mommy Minute”

segment on FOX CT, which aired on Columbus Day.

Throughout the building, many students (and their

families!) were inspired to take action and donate to

the project. Many children shared information with

their families, did extra chores to earn money and one

student even brought in “tooth money!” Another

Charter Oak family made a generous donation to

celebrate a family member’s birthday.

This project was sparked last year when one of our

fifth grade exhibition groups connected with the

CCEH and learned that preventing families from

becoming homeless has much better outcomes for

children than when we wait to intervene after families

become homeless. To share their learning, they created

a Prezi, which was posted on the CCEH website. In

addition, a group of fourth graders chose to study the

issue of homelessness last year as a part of their “What

can one little person do?” IB unit. Now, as fifth

graders, these students responded to a request by

CCEH to enlist students to learn more about the

importance of preventing homelessness and to act as

role models for other children. Students interviewed a

woman who experienced homelessness as a child and

had a chance to ask questions about the impact of this

experience. Students asked great questions and

decided to take action on their learning by collecting

donations to help prevent children from ever becoming

homeless.

As an IB Primary Years Program school, we focus

on inquiry learning about issues that have both global

significance and local connections. When teachers

write units of study, we anticipate ways in which

students might choose to take action. Then, each

time we teach a unit, we reflect on the types of action

students took as a result of their learning about the

content or about themselves as IB learners. This

might be as simple as creating a job chart for the

family fridge; connecting litter in the cafeteria to the

negative impact it has on our school environment; or

inviting a classmate who is standing alone to dance

in gym class. As IB families, we ask that you notice

the actions your children are taking and share them

with us so that we can celebrate the same things at

home and at school. Working together, we can help

nurture students to become “active, compassionate,

and lifelong learners.”

--Kirsten Sanderson

IB Coordinator

Interested in watching the “Mommy Minute

segment? Click here

Interested in learning more about CCEH and the

campaign to prevent homelessness? Click here

THE GLOBE 4

DATE TIME LOCTION

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

MASQUERADE BALL Friday, October 30, 2015

6:30 - 8:00

Gymnasium / Cafeteria

Join us for a fun-filled night of dancing and

yummy treats!

All children must be accompanied by an

adult

Entry fee is $1 per person ( $5 per family)

Baked goods, fruit, pizza & water for sale

Drawings for gift baskets

Photo booth

NO full face masks or toy weapons allowed

Face paint is allowed

NO costume contest

TONIGHT!!

FAMILY MATH NIGHT

Thursday, October 22, 2015

6:00 - 7:30 P.M.

Charter Oak

Come to Charter Oak

for a fantastic evening.

We will have games, healthy snacks, and

even a raffle!

Play games with your family. Challenge your

friends.

Math has never been so much fun!

Bring the whole family!!

3:20 pm

7:45

8:45

2:00 & 2:45

3:20

3:20

1:15

All Day

8:00

8:45

3:20

6:30 pm

7:45

3:20

Election Day

1:15

8:00

8:50

3:20

8:45

Blacktop

Auditorium

Home Depot

Auditorium

Various Rooms

Various Rooms

Auditorium

Music Room

Sturbridge Village

Various Rooms

Gymnasium

Auditorium

Various Rooms

Auditorium

Music Room

Spice Bush Swamp

Various Rooms

Auer Farm

Friday, 10/23 Farmer’s Market

Monday, 10/26

Orchestra - Gr. 5

Field Trip - PK

STAR Assembly

Explorations

Tuesday, 10/27

Achieve

Wednesday, 10/28

Band - Gr. 5

Red Ribbon Day

Thursday, 10/29

Chorus - Gr. 4&5

Field Trip - Gr. 1

Achieve

Friday, 10/30

Masquerade Ball

Monday, 11/2

Orchestra - Gr. 5

Explorations

Tuesday, 11/3

NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, 11/4

Band - Gr. 5

Thursday, 11/5

Chorus - Gr. 4&5

Field Trip - Gr. 4

Achieve

Friday, 11/6

Field Trip - PK

THE GLOBE 5

This may include selecting music to fit the feeling of

the announcement, fun effects, where clips should

be cut and much more!

The video announcements are an excellent way

for students to work on their presentation skills.

They are practicing their writing, reading fluency,

and non-verbal communication skills through this

unique experience.

The fifth graders have helped to kick off our

announcements this year and as the year continues

we will continue to give students in each grade level

and class an opportunity to participate!

You, as a family, can also enjoy these

announcements. You will learn about upcoming

events, be given examples of our IB attitudes and

learner profiles, hear from guest speakers and much

more! It is sure to help spark family conversations!

The video announcements can be found on our

Charter Oak International Academy website page,

under Student Video Announcements. Here is the

link! We hope you enjoy them!

Diana Coyne

Information and Communications Technology

NEWS FROM ICT

Hopefully, by now you’ve been able to see some of

our recent video announcements! This year, the format

of the announcements is slightly different. The video

announcements will be produced for Mondays,

Wednesdays and Fridays. There is a “theme” for each

day: Mondays: "Marvelous IB Mondays"- these

videos will focus on highlighting a particular IB element

(sometimes we can’t resist and we’ll throw in more),

often related to a current event within our

community. Wednesdays: "Wondering Wednesdays"-

these videos will allow students to inquire and share

information about the construction and progress of our

new building. Fridays: "Freelance Fridays"- these

videos will encourage greater student independence and

leadership. Students who exhibit a passion for this type

of presentation of their learning will be encouraged to

inquire and communicate information they feel is

relevant to our community, as well as have a chance to

delve deeper in the editing process of video production.

Student involvement in the production of these

announcements includes: planning, writing, filming and

editing. During our planning time, we brainstorm and

discuss what message we want to send through our

announcement, who our audience is and how to

effectively engage the viewers. We collaboratively write

a script after this brainstorming. The students are given

the script the day before filming so that they then take it

home and practice it overnight. The filming of the video

announcement occurs the next morning. Students will

also have a chance to participate in the editing process.

****Don’t forget, as mentioned in the Mini-

Globe, Charter Oak International Academy now

has a Facebook page! “Like” us to keep up with

school activities, events and learning! Click here

to be taken to our page and then “Like” us to stay

up to date.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Parent Conferences

Tuesday, November 17 1:30 Dismissal

Wednesday, November 18 2:00 Dismissal

Thursday, November 19 1:30 Dismissal

Friday, November 20 1:30 Dismissal

THE GLOBE 6

KIDS IN DIVORCE AND SEPARATION: KIDS GROUP

Kids Group will meet after school on Tuesdays

from 3:20 to 4:15. The Group is for children at

Charter Oak International Academy whose families

are experiencing separation, divorce, death of a loved

one or other circumstances of loss. Children are

often in need of extra caring at a time when parents

are also struggling with difficult issues. KIDS join

together in a safe and positive club-like setting with

other children experiencing family adjustments. The

group is now forming. There is no charge. Parent/

Guardian permission is required. The program is

facilitated by Mrs. Colleen Murphy Hilliard,

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from The

Bridge Family Center. For information, please

contact Mr. Chuck Hummel, School Social Worker

at Charter Oak at 860-233-8506 Ext. 5562.

Veterans Day Ceremony

Please join us on Wednesday, November

11, 2015 at 8:30 am, as we gather around the

flagpole, near the blacktop, to honor local veterans

and military personnel. Students will read their

writing and poetry and will perform musical

tributes. As a school community, we will be

making cards to send to our troops who are

deployed. Veterans will also be visiting

classrooms to share their experiences with

students.

All Veterans Invited:

We would be honored to include any Charter Oak

parents or family members, who are currently

serving or who have served in the armed forces, to

be recognized at our ceremony.

Bakers Needed: After the flagpole ceremony on Veterans Day

we will be hosting a breakfast for our veterans. I

am looking for volunteers to bake or send in

breakfast items (Danish, muffins, fruit, bagels,

cream cheese, doughnuts, breads, juice, etc.) After

breakfast, our guests will visit classrooms to talk

to the students. Donations for the breakfast can be

dropped off in the auditorium before school

on November 11th.

Greetings and Granola: In honor of Veterans Day, the Charter Oak

Community will collect Granola Bars and write

letters and cards to send to our troops. There will

be a box outside the auditorium for your

donations. The collection will run until Friday

November 6th. Families can also drop off cards

or letters in the same box. Students will be

writing letters and making cards in school as part

of our Veterans Day Curriculum.

If you have any questions, please feel free to

call me at (860) 233-8506. Thank you for your

support!

Janet Fournier

Please clip Box Tops, Labels for Education

and

Tyson Project A+

Drop them into the containers in the office.

These earn money for our school.

THE GLOBE 7

Red Ribbon Week

October 23 - 30, 2015

Red Ribbon Week, the oldest and largest drug

prevention campaign in the country, generally takes

place the last full week in October.

Red Ribbon Week will be celebrated

October 23 - 30, 2015.

Red Ribbon Week serves as a vehicle for

communities and individuals to take a stand for the

hopes and dreams of our children through a

commitment to drug prevention and education and a

personal commitment to live drug-free lives with the

ultimate goal being the creation of a drug-free

America.

Perhaps more importantly, Red Ribbon Week

commemorates the ultimate sacrifice made by DEA

Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who died at

the hands of drug traffickers in Mexico while fighting

the battle against illegal drugs to keep our country and

children safe.

Charter Oak will celebrate Red Ribbon Day on

Wednesday, October 28th, and students and staff

are encouraged to wear red.

Our theme for Red Ribbon Week will be:

“Be the change you wish to see

in the world.”

- Gandhi

If you have any questions, please call Janet

Fournier at 860-233-8506. Thank you for your

support!

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, Dec. 5

9:00 to 11:30 am

Family Academy

Hands-on IB workshops, food and fun!

What’s Cooking at the FRC?

The FRC is pleased to announce that once more

we have been awarded grant funding for two parent

leadership programs UConn's People Empowering

People (PEP) and also the Parent Leadership

training Institute (PLTI). Both programs will begin

in January and participation is open at no charge to

all West Hartford residents.

PEP will be facilitated by FRC Parent Educator

Robin Drago and will meet Friday mornings at

Charter Oak with refreshments and child care

provided. PEP meets for 10 weeks with group

discussions focusing on communication skills,

parenting styles, community assets and culminates

with a group community service project.

PLTI will meet on 19 Thursday evenings at

Conard High School with family dinner and

childcare provided. The PLTI curriculum was

designed by the CT Commission on Children and is

facilitated by three different teachers. PLTI focuses

on our community and the needs of families and

children. Sessions are also devoted to local and state

government. Participants graduate from PLTI with a

ceremony at the state capitol and complete an

individual community service project. If you would

like more information please stop in the FRC.

Firefighter CB Billow, parent of two COIA grads, visited

the FRC's Early Learning Playgroup read stories and talked

about fire safety with parents and kids.

8 THE GLOBE

Increasing Your

Child’s Vocabulary

Development of a large vocabulary is an

important part of your child’s growth in reading.

Children learn new words when they are given a

chance to use them over and over in conversations,

reading, and writing. It is a great idea to expose your

children to many new words and help them gain an

appreciation for how we use words in our language.

A large vocabulary will provide a solid foundation

for your child’s reading and writing success. It is not

necessary to memorize lists of words and definitions.

It is more important that your child be given a chance

to use words in their correct context in everyday

situations. Here are some ways to build your child’s

vocabulary:

Have a challenge where each member of your

family tries to learn one new word each day and

share it with each other.

As you talk to your child, try to use new words

frequently. Put them in a context that they can

understand like, “That was an enormous elephant.

Look how big it was.”

Remember that children need to hear a word used

many times before it becomes a natural part of

their vocabulary. Share new words in a variety of

situations.

Read lots of books to your child. The more

opportunities to hear words in context, the more

likely they will be to start using the new words.

Try working together on crossword puzzles.

Inexpensive ones can be found in many

bookstores. You can also work together to make

crossword puzzles and share them with friends.

Working together as a family to learn new words can

be a fun way to learn and share together.

Mrs. Eppinger

Early Intervention Reading Teacher

Applications for 2016-2017

Pre-Kindergarten Programs

Applications for the 2016-2017 Charter Oak

International Academy Pre-Kindergarten program

will be available in the Residency Office at the

Town Hall, in the Charter Oak main office, and on

the West Hartford Public Schools website

(www.whps.org) beginning Mid-November.

From The Nurse’s Nook

Yearly vision and hearing screenings are being

done between now and the new year. Your child

will be screened for any potential issues. If your

child wears glasses, please remember to have

him/her wear them that day. You will be notified

if your student(s) are having difficulty with their

hearing or vision. You will be asked to follow up

with an eye doctor or hearing specialist. If you do

not hear from me by phone or memo, you may

assume that all is well.

Please stop by the lost and found table, located in

the main hallway, during conference week to locate

missing items. You may be surprised what you find!

Lost and found articles will be donated after

conference week.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate

to call me.

Eileen McCormick

School Nurse

THE GLOBE

Grade 4 News

How can science and dance be connected?

This year, Grade 4 received the Frankie & Bob

Goldfarb grant from The Foundation for West

Hartford Public Schools. We believe that a well-

rounded education includes music, art, dance and

drama, and allows kids to express

themselves creatively. Professional dancers from the

Sonia Plumb Dance Company conducted 4 one-hour

long workshops with each of the 4th grade classes to

develop a performance based on their knowledge of

water (the water cycle, water usage, water shortages,

water conservation) AND dance! In our IB unit,

“Eco-Explorers,” students are learning about how

organisms depend on living and non-living features

of the environment for survival. This includes

investigations into how the water cycle works and

our role in using and conserving water. Students

created “water” dance movements to accompany the

information they are learning in science.

On October 9th, during the school day, fourth

graders performed to a packed house, including their

family members, students from other grade levels,

and COIA staff. The professionals from the dance

company performed along with them. The show was

a major success!

The Grade 4 Team:

Mrs. Behlman

Ms. Navarra

9

THE GLOBE

NEWS FROM INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Our instrumental music program is off to a great

start here at Charter Oak! The fourth and fifth grade

band students have a lesson once a week on Tuesday

or Wednesday. The fifth grade band rehearses on

Wednesdays at 1:15. All of our hard work is paying

off as students continue to advance through their

repertoire. The beginning band students are learning

how to play songs such as Hot Cross Buns, Mary

Had a Little Lamb, and Pierrot. Within the next few

weeks we will begin to learn how to read music. The

fifth grade band students have been working on new

songs and exercises in the Yamaha Advantage Book.

All band students are working on scales, arpeggios,

and becoming fluent at reading music. We are using

the CWLP (Count, Write, Letter, Play!) method to

assist with fluency.

The fourth grade orchestra students get lessons

twice a week. They are learning how to play songs

such as Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb and

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. In the next few weeks

we will begin using our bows as well as learning to

read music. The fifth grade orchestra students get

one or two lessons a week, depending on the rotation,

and also rehearse on Mondays at 7:50. We have been

working hard to prepare for our concert in

December! During lessons we use the Essential

Elements book and the Suzuki Method book.

Learning of all of these new songs and

techniques takes a lot of hard work, and we would

like to thank all of the students and parents who help

to make every day practicing a possibility and a

reality. Learning a musical instrument is like

learning a new language- it takes some time and

work to become fluent. If you want to become fluent

in Spanish, you need to speak it every day with

others who are fluent. The same goes for music. If

you want to become fluent in the language of music,

you need to practice your instrument every day!

Students are encouraged to practice 20 minutes per

day and should work on scales, Essential Elements,

Suzuki songs, Yamaha Advantage and for fifth

graders, their orchestra and band music. Please

contact us with any questions and/or concerns. We

are happy to help!

Mrs. DiDomenico, Band Director

Ms. McSweeney, Orchestra Director

Elizabeth_Didomenico@whps.org

Mary_McSweeney@whps.org

10

SAVE THE DATE

STAR Assembly

Monday, October 26, 2015

PK - Grade 2 2:00-2:30

Grades 3-5 2:45-3:15

Auditorium

SAVE THE DATE

Picture Retake Day

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015

TRAIN SHOW

In West Hartford

November 7, 2015

Conard high school cafeteria

110 beechwood Road, West Hartford, CT 06107

(Exit 41 off Route 84)

Featuring

MODEL RAILROADERS

Displays & Demonstrations

Snack & Bake Sale

Saturday Only: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Admission: Adults $ 5.00 Students $ 3.00

Seniors $ 3.00 Children Under10 Free

Sponsored by: West Hartford technology student association