MELLOW’S MINUTES Dear Parents,
It has been great to see so many of you visiting our school for conferences. I know that for many of you finding the time to come to school is hard, but the benefits are invaluable. Most importantly, your children can see by your actions that you care about them and their education. Almost as importantly, you demonstrate your commitment to the teachers. It is reassuring to the teachers to know that you are working with them. Sometimes the teachers that teach art, music, physical education, and foreign language are overlooked for
conferences. If you would like to have a conference with any of these teachers, please call them at school. They will either respond to your questions over the phone, or set up a time that is convenient for both of you to meet. With the time change, sunlight is fading earlier each day. Be sure that your child is safe after sunset by making sure he or she uses the sidewalk, and walks with a flashlight or has some type of reflective material on his or her clothing. Also, with the time change we have noticed a few students showing up at school before our supervision begins at 7:15 a.m. Please do not drop your child off before we have supervision available. We are continuing to work on the Alertnow notification system. We are trying to confirm day phone numbers for mothers and fathers. These would be used in case we had an emergency during the school day. If your day number has changed since the beginning of the year please let one of our secretaries, Estelle or Ruth, know. Our LEGO teams have begun to compete in regional meets. This year the teams are studying the amount of energy used in buildings. The teams have to do an energy audit of a building that they select. Our teams have
completed audits on the Senior Center, Lebanon Fire Station, and City Hall. The team that looked at the Senior Center has decided to try to assist the center by raising money for weather stripping. This week they raised over two hundred dollars at a bake sale. Congratulations Lebanon Lightning LEGO Team! On behalf of the Hanover Street School staff, have a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving.
Andrew J. Mellow, Principal |
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Music Notes for November 
October and November are such great months for music! Halloween, autumn, and the beginning of the darker time of the year are terrific for introducing some of the darker sounds in melody. We’ve been learning songs and playing patterns (ostinati) in minor keys. The minor scale is like our major scale: Do,Re,Mi,Fa,So,La, and TI, but with three of the notes lowered a half step to produce the characteristically sad and slightly scary tunes that accompany things that go bump in the night. Once we had mastered the minor scale it was natural to begin to study the organ, which has such a huge range of sound and is associated with haunting and thoughtful music. The organ has led us to J.S. Bach and the continued study of musical forms and some lighter sounds. Stay tuned for some snowy songs!
GREAT JOB! HSS 6th grade teacher, Linda Ehrlich, headed up a drive for U.N.I.C.E.F. on Halloween this year. The 6th grade students, along with Amanda Cate and Eli Weitzman, raised $636.06!
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