DCS Ravens' Report

April 28th-May 2nd-April Break

May 5-9-Staff Appreciation Week

May 6th-NHSAS Testing begins-Grade 5 Science only this week

May 12th-16th-NHSAS Testing Grades 3-5 Reading and Writing

May 16th-Walk to School

May 17th-Children and the Arts-Parade at 12pm-line up at PES at 11:45am

May19th-May 21st-NHSAS Testing Grades 3-5 Math

May 23rd-Teacher Workshop Day No School

May 26th-Memorial Day No School

Happy Friday before vacation Y'all! It has been such a fun, week at DCS with so many different and wonderful things going on. Sadly, I was home sick Monday and Tuesday, but I was lucky enough to be able to join the Peace Pole presentation. The students were a engaged audience with lots of great questions and ideas! It is going to be amazing to participate in this process and witness it become a reality. Grades 3-5 showcased learning outcomes during the Academic Night on Wednesday. I was so impressed with the quality of the work and the students' ability to present. Our week rounded out with our Community Lunch, and a wicked kickball game which involved Heather Fletcher and Officer Dalterio on opposing sides!

May will bring the NH State Testing to Grades 3-5. Please ensure your student(s) is rested and has had a good breakfast. We will do all we can to support them in the first of the rounds of testing. I hope you all have a restful vacation with lots of fun, friends, and family!

All classes began preparing for our music concert in June!

Kindergarten studied tempo in music. They loved using the scarves to show fast and slow while singing or listening to songs.

The 1st and 2nd graders learned about the music alphabet, Solfege, (think "DO RE MI" from Sound of Music). Mrs. Neilssen taught them a music pattern to play on instruments while singing lyrics to a new song - and they rose to the challenge!

Grades 3, 4, and 5 all continued to improve their recorder and music reading skills. "Eye of the Tiger" is still the top request during music class.

In 3rd, 4th & 5th grade math we have spent this time before April vacation deepening our learning and enjoying some creativity.

3rd grade has moved into your study of fractions. We spent the first day learning the vocabulary around fractions. We pulled out the playdough and discussed the multiplication facts that help partition fractions into equal parts. Then we built and wrote fractions.

4th and 5th graders were fortunate to be visited by our superintendent Dr. Ann Forest who jumped right in and learned one of our math games. Another day we built symmetry sculptures as a way of applying our understanding of bilateral symmetry.

A big thanks to the many families that joined us as we shared our Science topics as Academic Night. I was very proud of the confidence the 4th and 5th graders had while presenting the topics that they had researched.

The terrific third graders are enjoying the sunshine and warm weather! On Monday, we had a special guest speaker, Merek Bennett. He is a local author/illustrator of Graphic Novels. The children learned the process of creating a story using graphics. Then, they each worked the next few days making their own with a bird theme. We also spent time this week learning and practicing to take the SAS tests in May.

Last week, the class made their beautiful poster for Earth Day, thinking about ways to ask people to care for our Earth. What spectacular talent! On Tuesday, we celebrated Earth Day by reading all about the history of the day and the 3 R’s through our Scholastic News issue. Then, I shared one of my favorite children’s books, which I have read to my classes every year, Wartville Wizard. The children cleaned up the trash around our play yard and the edge of the woods’ path to support the wizard. Ask your child about the story!

Lastly, it was wonderful to see the children share their learning and projects with their parents on Wednesday at Academic Night!

4th/5th English Language Arts

The past few weeks, the fourth and fifth graders have been reading Merek Bennett’s graphic novel, Freeman Colby, vol. 1. Daily, we discussed sections of the book as a class, making observations and exploring the content and learning many new vocabulary words. On Monday, we started our week-long workshop with Merek. He visited on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and shared his work and writing process. The children, then, began creating their mini-books, creating narrative stories based on their Science Fair topics. Great learning has occurred throughout the process, including learning to tell your story with illustrations and language, capturing your audience, and most importantly, learning to share your work in the vain of accepting editing suggestions. Please ask your child to share their experience and mini-book. It was fun to hear that so many children went home and created their mini-books at home!

Please remember your child’s April Reading Log is due Monday, May 5, 2025. Everyone needs to read daily over their break

This week, our kindergarteners celebrated Earth Day by learning how to care for our planet! We explored ways to protect the Earth, including recycling, keeping nature clean, and the importance of plants. The class also learned about solar and wind power—and how the sun and wind can help create clean energy!

In the garden, our little helpers worked hard preparing the garden beds—digging, raking, and getting the soil ready for planting. Each student then planted a seed and helped water our class garden. We can’t wait to watch our little sprouts grow, just like our young environmentalists!

This week students in every class at DCS began exploring the world of work. The older students completed some career exploration interest inventories and talked about possible future jobs that might be compatible with their interests. The younger children learned about some of the many jobs people do in our community and beyond and discussed jobs that appeal to them. The focus on jobs will continue after our April break. Students will learn how the expected behavior and academic and social skills necessary in their current job at school (student) are consistent with the behavior and skills they will need to be successful in their future jobs and careers.

Dear parents,

As part of our commitment to providing the best possible support and resources for students receiving special education services, we invite you to participate in the annual Parent Involvement survey conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED).

This brief survey is to gauge the level of parent involvement in our schools and how it contributes to improving services and outcomes for children with special education. The survey window is April 11, 2025 until May 23rd, 2025. All responses are anonymous.

To access the survey, visit this NHDOE website.

Please complete a separate survey for each child receiving special education services in your family. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education.

A message from Pam Murphy, RN DCS School Nurse

Recently, there have been numerous student requests for cough drops. As cough drops are considered medication, I am asking for your help in following the ConVal policy on medication administration at the elementary level. To do this, any medication, including cough drops, must be delivered to the school by a parent/guardian or their designated responsible adult in the original container. A written permission form is also required which is available at DCS.

Please reach out to me at pmurphy@conval.edu if you have any questions.

If you are interested in ordering some DCS swag for your student(s), please use this link. We will be providing new students with a DCS T-in the near future. https://dublinravens.deco-apparel.com/

Email: npease@conval.edu
Website: dcs.conval.edu
Location: 1177 Main Street, Dublin, NH, USA
Phone: 603-563-8332