Wingspan

Spring has finally arrived as temperatures reached the 60s this month with rains to hopefully usher in May flowers! The other signs of Spring could be found around Overlook with students energy levels reaching new heights with anticipation of April Vacation and the sub 40 school days remaining until Summer 2024. Staff has been working to reiterate some of the expectations for behavior as we enter May. This is a great time of the year we are entering, one that is enhanced by the excitement of a return to warm weather and sunshine. Our May/June issue will be the final one of the year. We thank you for continuing to take the time to read our monthly publication.

The Education Through the Arts is fast approaching. On the evening of April 30th from 6:30-8:00 pm, Overlook will celebrate the arts in many forms around the school. Please come and enjoy the various examples of art that continues to take Overlook to new heights. See you there!

The Overlook Drama Club presented The Wizard of Oz over the weekend of April 25-27 to a record breaking audience. Students from grades 6-8 performed wonderfully and enchanted those in attendance. Special recognition to Ms. Daigle and Mrs. Normand for all the hard work and time to prepare these young people to perform at such a high level!

The EarthView 20 ft hand painted inflatable globe visited Overlook 7th grade on April 5th. Students were able to "travel inside" the Earth and explore the various land forms and water bodies from the inside looking out. A crew from Bridgewater State University led the students in various activities along with Mrs. Duncan and Mrs. Brewer.

MCAS testing was in full swing this month with all grades testing. More testing will commence in May and June. Be sure to get plenty of rest the night before and CHARGE THOSE CHROMEBOOKS!

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

I asked some teachers questions about their jobs

(These are the questions)

1. Why did you choose to be in this job?

2. How many years of school did you go through to get this job?

3. Were you almost always good at your subject?

4. Do you like to teach kids?

Mr. Duncan

I chose to be a teacher after assisting a student in my sixth grade Social Studies class when I was 12 years old. The teacher asked me to be a tutor and after I had helped the student succeed over several weeks, my teacher told me I should consider becoming a teacher myself someday. I always enjoyed the topics I learned about in class and had some wonderful teachers along the way that helped me become who I am today. Once in college I earned my Bachelor's Degree in History and Education after four years. I then went on to get a Masters Degree in Education and have also taken multitudes of additional graduate courses to stay current with the subject matter and teaching pedagogy.

I was a very strong Social Studies student throughout my K-12 years and then into college. I certainly had times when I messed up and missed a HW assignment or scored lower than I wanted to on a quiz or test. I even got a detention once! Out of all the subjects I learned, Social Studies was my strongest.

I have been doing this for over twenty years so I certainly hope I like teaching kids. It is fun to make positive connections and serve a role model while also sharing the importance of history for the future generations. It is great to be a part of so many journeys and hopefully leave happy memories and some wisdom along the way.

Ms. Daigle

I chose to be a teacher because I always had an interest in working in a school. I really enjoyed English class, and teaching English seemed like a great way to pursue that subject, while also working with kids, which is a fun part of the job.

I have completed six total years of school. I spent four years in college getting a bachelor's degree, and then after I started teaching, I went back to school for two and a half years to get a master's degree.

I have always loved English! When I was younger, I wanted to be an author, so I did a lot of reading and writing. English was one of my best subjects in high school, and I had great English teachers, too.

I do like teaching kids because it creates a different experience every day. Kids can be really fun to interact with, and it is wonderful to see kids improve with their English skills. One of my favorite parts about teaching kids is reading stories together, and getting to see everyone's reactions and predictions to the stories.

Ms. Santiago

I chose to become a math teacher, because I love being a teacher and math is my favorite subject, but I did not originally study to be a teacher in college. I spent fours years in college to earn my Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business with a minor in Accounting. I continued my education and studied for three more years to earn my Master’s of Science Degree in Management, with a concentration in Financial Management. My education is seven years post high school, I studied hard to ensure I kept a high GPA and was able to pay for a majority of my college tuition through academic scholarships.

As a child, math was always my favorite subject. I would consistently study hours after school to achieve mastery of all subjects, I was never naturally talented, so I had to put effort into my academics to excel.

Now that I am a teacher, I continue to hold myself to high standards to ensure my students receive the highest quality of education I can offer. Teaching means that I get a new opportunity everyday to inspire greatness. I love teaching children and in my opinion, it is the most honorable duty one can achieve.

Project 351's Annual Clothing Drive helped to collect 16 bags of clothes to be donated to needy kids in Massachusetts.

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

Did you know?

• April was the second month in an early Roman calendar, but became the fourth when the ancient Romans started using January as the first month.

• April is named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.

• The name for the month of April originally came for "Aprilis" which means to open.

• Small animals that hibernate are usually coming out of their burrows in April. The birds fly back northward and settle down to have their families. The bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season.

• In some parts of the world, it is planting time, while in other parts, it is the harvest season.

• April is Humor Month, so laugh it up!

• The birthstone for April is the diamond.

• The zodiac signs are Aries (March 21 – April 19) and Taurus (April 20-May 20).

• The birth flowers for the month of April are the sweet pea and the daisy.

The Overlook Jazz Band was a huge success and showcased some of Overlook's musical talent. Thank you to Mr. Lordan who continues to lead our bands and chorus programs.

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

• Plant a spring garden (or even just a plant or two).

• See the cherry blossoms.

• Have a picnic at the park.

• Seek out the first crocuses, snowdrops, and other spring flowers.

• Go for a run.

• Take a hike.

• Start some seeds.

• Play softball.

• Ride a bike.

• Enjoy the spring weather at an outdoor café.

• Visit a farm to see the baby animals.

• Walk on an empty beach.

• Play a round of golf (or mini golf!).

• Go horseback riding.

• Hit the pickleball court.

• Go on a nature-themed scavenger hunt.

• Make a bird feeder.

• Take pictures of nature.

By Avery Edgar

There are many more beautiful flowers in the spring so if you ever have time you can start growing them or you can go flower picking! Also, some fun facts are some flowers are carnivorous and trap insects to digest them. Flowers can also hear buzzing bees.

By Katherine Wetherbee

Ingredients

• 2 cups scalded milk

• 2 packets of yeast

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1/3 cup of warm water

• 5 cups of flour

• 1 cup of sugar

• 3 tablespoons of shortening

• 1 beaten egg

• 10 crushed cardamom seeds

Method:

Proof, yeast and warm water and a spoonful of sugar. Make sure yeast rises, scald the milk and add the shortening to the warm milk. Put all dry ingredients in the mixer. Using a dough hook, add yeast and milk.

Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Let rise until the dough doubles in size, spread flour on the counter and dump the dough on the counter. Divide into three sections and then divide those sections into three sections and make about 5 inches long. Please with the shade covered on parchment and braid. Let the bread rise, cover with saran wrap and then brush it with a beaten egg. Then sprinkle with pearl sugar, one at a time 350° for 18 minutes.

*Takes approximately 5 hours

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing over the pastry

• bunch spring onions, sliced into 3cm pieces

• 250g frozen spinach

• 6 ready-cooked chicken thighs (or see tip, below)

• 350ml hot chicken stock

• ½ tbsp wholegrain mustard

• 200g frozen peas

• 200ml half-fat crème fraîche

• ½ small bunch tarragon, leaves finely chopped

• small bunch parsley, finely chopped

• 270g pack filo pastry

STEP 1
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large, shallow casserole dish on a medium heat. Add the spring onions and fry for 3 mins, then stir through the frozen spinach and cook for 2 mins or until it’s starting to wilt. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Shred the chicken off the bone and into the pan, and discard the bones. Stir through the stock and mustard. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 5-10 mins.

STEP 2
Stir in the peas, crème fraîche and herbs, then remove from the heat. Scrunch the filo pastry sheets over the mixture, brush with a little oil and bake for 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

• Tongue twisters for kids

• Funny English words

• Animal jokes for kids

• Examples of funny idioms

• Funny riddles for kids

• Examples of funny anagrams

• Verb quiz questions & answers

• Odd one out quiz for kids

• Finish the sentence quiz

• Printable synonyms quiz for kids

• Classroom scrabble activity

• Who wants to be a millionaire

• Classroom pictionary activity

• Line up according to activity

By Gemma Bergeron-Wigglesworth

Run 3

Run, skate and jump through a brand new galaxy!

Papa's Freezeria

Mix up a frozen concoction!

Chess

Play Chess against the computer or your friends!

Tiny Fishing

Cast your line and reel in a legendary fish!

Suika Watermelon Game

Merge fruits all the way to watermelon!

Clicker Heroes

Defeat monsters and level up your heroes.

Slice Master

It's choppin' time! Slice everything in your way