Mill Road News

Brian Boyd, Principal

What an exciting end to the school year we have in store! June is packed with engaging activities and special events. We kicked things off with a wonderful Jazz Band and Strings Club Concert on Tuesday, June 4th. Our talented young musicians put on an amazing performance.

Students also celebrated Vocabulary Day this week and will participate in the finale of our Reading Roundup Reading Incentive Program with a fun cowboy-themed BBQ lunch, complete with lassoing, scavenger hunts, and other Wild West games. Our avid readers really roped in those reading minutes!

Coming up, we look forward to our annual Field Days and Pool Parties for grades 3-5 to let loose and make a splash before summer. We will also honor our children's accomplishments at the 5th Grade Celebration on June 21st and the Kindergarten Graduation on June 25th.

Thank you, parents, for your continued support and involvement this school year. You make our school community so strong. Wishing all of our Mill Road families an amazing, restful summer!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian Boyd

• June 4 - Jazz Band & String Club Concert 6:00 at Mill Road
• June 5 - Vocabulary Day
• June 6 - 1st grade Lemonade Sale during all lunches
• June 7 - Reading Roundup Celebration
• June 11 - 3rd grade band recruitment at HS
• June 11 - 1st grade Water Day
• June 12 - 4th grade Field Trip NYS Museum
• June 12 - 2nd grade concert rehearsal at HS
• June 13 - 2nd grade Spring Concert 6:00 at HS
• June 14 - 2nd grade Family Celebration 4:30
• June 18 - PK-5 Field Day (rain date 6/20)
• June 19 - No School - Juneteenth
• June 20 - 4th grade Pool Party
• June 21 - 5th grade Celebration Day
• June 21 - PK Celebration
• June 21 - 3rd grade Pool Party
• June 24 - 5th grade Pool Party
• June 25 - Kindergarten Graduation
• June 25 - Last Day for Students 1/2 day - 11:45 dismissal

Class placement input forms were due in May. Please note that a lot of thought, time and energy is put into balancing classes and addressing students' needs. We will not make changes over the summer.

Just when things are heating up in the garden, school starts winding down. We have spent the past month talking about biodiversity, teamwork and companion planting, exploring the life in our new mini-ponds, marveling at the majestic meadow, and most importantly eating fresh produce!

What a jam-packed month! (and I'm not just talking about the strawberry jam I made). We started off by revisiting the concepts of our Ecology Game, but it isn't realistic to have only 3 species in an ecosystem, so we introduced the idea of biodiversity. By breaking down the word parts it became apparent that it meant a bunch of different living things, but what do we call those living things? Whosamawhatsits? Thingamabobs? No, species of course! Biodiversity is just the idea that the more (native) species we have in an ecosystem, the more resilient it is to collapse from natural and unnatural causes!

But how do we model this idea in garden? Well, we can very clearly see the large corn fields juxtaposed with our garden. One grows just one crop (monoculture) with very little biodiversity, and our garden has over 80 unique plants (maybe more) not to mention all the birds, bees, and bugs that call it home! What happens when a pest that LOVES corn finds your field, will just one plant be affected? If you found a free pizza buffet, would you keep it a secret from your friends? Now if a pest comes to eat the potatoes in our garden, it doesn't affect our peach tree, or strawberries, or wildflowers! The more biodiversity you have, the more support your ecosystem has in the face of pests, pollution, and more!

We also took the opportunity to explore the diversity of pond life now living in our garden. Here we used nets, observation tubs, magnifying glasses, and ID guides to find all sorts of critters! Damselfly and mosquito larva, bloodworms, tadpoles and froglets, scuds, diving beetles, backswimmers, and more!

Now that strawberries are in season, each class has been receiving them after a hard days work in the garden. There is nothing more rewarding than enjoying the fruits of your labor, literally! It has been an incredibly rewarding year to see our students grow alongside our plants, and although they may not be around to see the excitement of summer, they will certainly taste it come fall! We have peaches, cherries, and raspberries maturing as well as a whole host of fruits and veggies that will be brought to the kitchen and cafeteria for our students to enjoy next year. Until then, happy growing!

Best,

Doug Keto

Garden Teacher

Mill Road School

dketo@rhcsd.org

On Wednesday June 5th, Mill Road Elementary was overflowing with scientific vocabulary as students celebrated the school's first annual Vocabulary Day. From Pre-K through 5th grade, learners enthusiastically dressed up and shared challenging words related to various science topics and concepts.

The hallways were filled with creative costumes as students transformed into words like "photosynthesis," "metamorphosis," and "camouflage." Older and younger students buddied up, with the upper graders helping teach the more advanced terms to their PreK-2nd grade buddies.

Principal Boyd remarked, "Vocabulary Day is such an engaging, memorable way for our students to expand their word knowledge - a critical literacy skill. The creativity and enthusiasm from our school community was outstanding!"

Pairing up classes across grade levels was a fun way for students to learn from one another. Mrs. Burud, the 3rd grade teacher that shared the idea for a vocabulary day, noted the importance of expanding vocabulary in a creative, multi-sensory and meaningful way for students.

The 5th graders had a wonderful trip to the Liberty Science Museum enjoying a great lunch and a terrific experience. Special thanks to our 5th grade teachers for organizing this trip. It's a great way to wrap up the school year and elementary school experience.

Our end of the year activities are now upon us. Please remember to sign the permission slips and help your child prepare for these exciting activities. There are specific directions and guidelines for the upcoming trips to the Albany State Museum, the pool and more. Students are reminded to dress accordingly, wear sunscreen and prepare for these experiences.

Due to the size of the groups and for safety reasons, siblings and extra guests are not permitted at the pool party. There will be no exceptions so please plan accordingly.

Dear Students,

Wow! Here we are again in June. It's hard to believe that we are wrapping up the school year. It has been another terrific year getting to know all of you better. I have really enjoyed seeing you work hard in the classroom, performing on stage, volunteering, helping others, playing sports and much more. You each possess special talents and skills that will help you throughout your life. Continue to work hard and stay focused on doing your best. Please make every effort to read as much as you can this summer, but certainly make time for hikes, playing and swimming too. I wish all of you a wonderful last few weeks of school and a fabulous summer! 5th graders - make us proud and do your best at LAMS in September.

With best wishes, Dr. Boyd

Email: bboyd@rhcsd.org
Website: https://www.redhookcentralschools.org/millroadis
Phone: (845) 758-2241 35100
Twitter: @RH_MR3_5