The News From MGWS

Staff and students celebrated the last day of school with an assembly in the gym.  There we were treated to a slideshow prepared by Mrs. Marro which brought back memories of the great things that happened here at MGWS during the past school year. 

Afterward, teachers entertained the students with:

~a handbell song -

~African drumming -

~a bucket drumming ensemble -

~and “The Cupid Shuffle” line dance.

We finished up with a whole school freeze dance competition!

What a great way to end a really wonderful school year.  

Best of luck to the new 6th graders as they move to the middle school.  

New fifth graders – We’ll see you in the fall!  

Happy summer to all!

3 staff members will be saying goodbye to MGWS this year:

~Mrs. Lawrance has been running our computer lab for a few years now.  She assists students with our PLATO program, typing skills, and activities that integrate with the 4th and 5th grade curriculum.  She will be heading to the Middle School to run the PLATO lab next year.  We’ll miss you, Mrs. Lawrance!

~Mrs. Silver has been a secretary here at MGWS since the 4th and 5th grade came to this building in 1999.  She takes care of attendance, record-keeping, correspondence, and so much more.  She is moving on to work in the field of geriatrics.  We’ll miss you, Mrs. Silver!

~Ms. Turner has worked as an art teacher in MSAD #35 for 28 years, and she has also been here at MGWS since 1999.  She has many signature projects – Aboriginal paintings, weavings, masks, and clowns – that have graced our halls for years.  Ms. Turner is retiring from teaching and plans to travel and spend time with family.  We’ll miss you, Ms. Turner!

The final “Walk to School Day” of the 08-09 school was today.  The weather cooperated and there was definitely a summer-is-coming excitement in the air!

Yesterday, June 4th, the MGWS bands and choruses performed 2 shows for parents, teachers and peers.  The music was lively and fun!

Yesterday the students of MGWS were treated to The NED Show, which was a mix of stories, inspirational messages and yo-yoing entertainment. NED stands for:

N - Never give up!

E - Encourage others!

D - Do your best!

State board members of Maine Educators of the Gifted and Talented (MEGAT) are
delighted to announce they have selected Sophie Towle as the 2009 Maine Distinguished Student.
Sophie, the daughter of Fred and Trish Towle, is a fifth grade student at Marshwood Great Works
School in South Berwick, Maine. Two years ago, when she was a third grader, Sophie began to
worry about the damage humans were doing to our earth. But instead of just worrying, Sophie
decided there were things she could do at least about her school’s impact on the environment. She
began with her school’s milk cartons. First, she tried chipping them and adding them to her own
family’s compost pile. Unfortunately, they failed to break down and shredded milk cartons blew
around their yard. Undaunted, young Sophie emailed the company that manufactures most of the
milk cartons used in the United States. With their help, Sophie was able to find a compost facility
in her area that would take the cartons. For Sophie, though, that was only the beginning! From
there she was able to add the food wastes to the compost stream. Next she presented information
that demonstrated use of reusable silverware rather than plastic was not only more
environmentally conscious but would save the food service money. Finally she convinced her
school to purchase compost able sugar cane bowls to replace the Styrofoam ones used in the salad
bar. She even brought worms into three classrooms so the students could set up worm compost
bins for the snack food waste in their classrooms.
Grace Jacobs, the coordinator of Gifted and Talented services in MSAD #35, describes
says Sophie is “not only an exceptional student, but she is also a spirited and passionate change
agent.” Her principal, Mr. Jerry Burnell, says: “Sophie is a youngster that not only gets passionate
over an issue but looks to find solutions. It is her drive to make a difference that has impressed
me so much.”

Three fifth grade students attended the The Stock Market Game Program Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, at The Portland Club.

The Stock Market Game teams work together to create and manage a virtual online investment portfolio of real stocks.  Each team researches and evaluates companies in which to invest.  The research is easily accessed through the site with investor research and news updates weekly.  The students from Mrs. Girouard’s class met with Mrs. Jacobs on Friday mornings during a math lesson in which they had compacted out of.  The teams shared hints, research and reactions, yet managed separate portfolios. Some of the objectives for this opportunity included–to better understand the stock market,  to accurately estimate the cost of purchasing a share of stock, reaching consensus regarding stock investment decisions , benefits and risks of investing in stocks, calculating gains and losses and a basic understanding of the economy.  We kept it simple and are surprised at our success.  It was a rocky season to be working in the stock market!