RAY SCHOOL NEWS FOR PARENTS
www.RaySchool.org

October 19, 2007

A. Bruce Williams, Principal
Sarah Curtis, Assistant Principal

Mini-Recital Schedule
It's time for the minirecitals to begin again - here is some important information for those interested. PLEASE read carefully, and if you have any questions, see Ms. Luce.

PLEASE REMEMBER...
1. All students must audition for Ms. Luce the week BEFORE the minirecital (not the week of). That means auditions for the first minirecital are the week of Nov. 5th. When the students come to play at that point, their selection should be polished and prepared as if that were the day of the performance itself. Good intonation is considered part of being prepared. This also means that all costumes, props, scripts, etc. are in use.

2. All students must sign up for an audition - the sign-up sheet will be on Ms. Luce's office door. Please do not "drop in" for an audition. Auditions take place before or after school by appointment.

3. Sometimes what a student feels is "ready" may not be in agreement with what Ms. Luce feels is ready. Ms. Luce makes the final decision based on what is best for the student performer and the student audience.

4. All levels of ability are welcome - it's not how advanced a student is, it's about how well they perform their chosen selection.

5. Karaoke-style singing and pop music are not acceptable for this type of performance. A capella singing is fine, BUT it's much harder to sing a capella and that may make it more difficult to get your selection approved.

Please see Ms. Luce if you have any questions.

Schedule:
Nov. 16th 1:30 open to all students in grades 1-5
Feb. 15th 1:30 open to students in grades 3-5
March 14th 1:30 open to students in grades 1 & 2
May 23rd 1:30 open to students in grades 1-4
June (next to last day of school - TBA) 5th grade Maxi Recital - open to 5th graders only

Picture Absentee and Retake Day
Picture Absentee and Retake Day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7. Children who were absent on picture day and wish their pictures taken must bring a picture form with complete payment to the camera. (Extra packets are available in the office.) Children wishing retakes must bring complete package to the camera on that day. Refund requests must be mailed by parents directly to the studio.

Parent Volunteers Needed
During the week of October 22-26, all fourth and fifth grade students will participate in the Fitnessgram health-related fitness test during their regular physical education classes. This assessment, developed by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, will consist of the PACER, a test of aerobic endurance, 90 degree push ups and curl ups, tests of muscular strength and endurance, the sit and reach, a flexibility test, and the trunk lift, a test of muscular strength and flexibility.
Parent volunteers are needed during fourth and fifth grade fitness assessments. Parents interested in helping can sign up for specific times and classes on the Volunteer Sheet that we’ll post near the PTO Board inside the front door. Those who would like to help but won’t be in the school next week to sign up may call or email Janice O’Donnell at school at janice.o.donnell@valley.net. or 643-6655. This will be the 20th year that parents have helped make fitness testing a positive experience for our students by providing individual attention and encouragement. We appreciate your help with this effort. Janice O’Donnell and Debby Franzoni

PTO News
Last year, the Ray School collected more than 70 bins of food, and 10 bins of clothing and school supplies for the Upper Valley Haven. The Haven Helpers’ rotating drives will start up again in November! The PTO and fifth grade student leaders are working on a booklet with guidelines for teachers and room parents, coming soon....
In the mean time, the schedule for the food drives will be:
November - 3rd grade
December - ALL SCHOOL at the Holiday Concert
January - K/1
February - 2nd Grade
March - 4th grade
(April, no drive)
May - 5th grade
If you would like to help transport bins from the Ray school to the Haven, please email Caroline Levy with your child(ren)'s name and grade(s) at carodave@valley.net. Thank you!

Local Activities
The Trumbull Hall Troupe, a group of mostly Hanover/Norwich kids presents "Underland," a funny, original children's musical written by novelist Jodi Picoult with songs by Ellen Wilber about Alex's adventures in a microscopic world. Performances are Friday, November 2, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 3, at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m., at the Richmond Middle School. Tickets are free, but donations will be accepted for Zienzele, Children Helping Children and RMS Auditorium. Ticket reservations are highly recommended (call 643-7702).

Children of all ages are invited to a Halloween Crafts Party at the Etna Library on Thursday, October 25, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. To sign up, call 643-3116.

Pilates for Moms! (and Dads too!) I am coordinating a new pilates class that would be lead by Lettie Arnold at the Hanover Recreation Center in Hanover. The classes would meet Monday and/or Wednesday mornings from 9:45-10:45. The sessions would run for 6 weeks, but drop-ins would also be welcome. Please get back to Jen Gantrish at: jgantrish@valley.net. I need at least 6 people/day for the class to run.

Ford Sayre will hold a ski sale of new and used ski equipment, on Sunday, November 4, from 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m., at Richmond Middle School. The sale is to benefit youth skiers. Consignment of equipment will take place on Friday, November 2, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m, and Saturday, November 3, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. If you can volunteer to work at the sale (shop pre-sale) please contact Mary Liscinsky at (802) 296-7247 or mary.liscinsky@dartmouth.edu. For more about the Ford Sayre Program contact http://www.fordsayre.org.

Good Beginnings of the Upper Valley introduces the Dorothy Campion Corcoran Series: A panel discussion with area experts on current parenting practices: co-sleeping, feeding, gadgets and gizmos, family rhythms, immunizations, adoptive parenting and much more. Wednesday, October 17, 7:00 p.m. Filene Auditorium, Dartmouth college. Free and open to the public.

The annual Youth In Action calendars featuring Hanover's own Pig and Wolf are now available to purchase. Youth in Action is based at Hanover High School. The students help out in many areas of the community. The calendar is just $12.00 and is available at The Black Recreation Center, Dan and Whits, Dartmouth Co-op, Hair Affair, Howe Library, Main Street Kitchens, Norwich Bookstore, Rare Essentials, Shear Styling, The Haven and the Town Hall of Hanover. They make a great gift! Questions? email: yia@dresden.us. Thank you for your support!

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