“Together we can and do

make a difference!”

The Globe Charter Oak International Academy

425 Oakwood Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110 • Telephone: 860-233-8506 • Fax: 860-231-9654

Juan Melián, Principal Issue No. XIV. June 10, 2016

Dear Charter Oak Families,

In this my last communication with you this school year I would like to express my profound appreciation

for your commitment to the education of your children and our school. At Charter Oak we are truly fortunate to

have a beautiful and vibrant community whose involvement and contributions make our school unique. Thank

you for being here at conferences, for communicating with us about your needs and concerns, for helping us

celebrate our diversity, for donating your time as volunteers, for supporting our teachers, for helping us,

ultimately, being a better school.

Like every year, we are celebrating and saying good-bye to our 5th graders. In many cases, they have been

with us for a good part of their lives. What a privilege this is! Each of them will be greatly missed. I am

confident that they are entering the middle school years with the strength that comes with caring and dedicated

families and a strong academic preparation provided by our wonderful staff.

To all of the teachers, support staff, office personnel, custodial team, cafeteria staff, and all the

professionals involved in our before-and-after-school activities, my sincere gratitude and admiration.

Our teachers are already working on next year and our school will continue with the reinvigoration of our

identity as an IB school, in a new state of the art and beautiful building that will allow us to grow and offer our

students the best 21st century education possible. A school that is student-centered and internationally oriented,

where our children truly take action on topics that are relevant and engaging. Please stay tuned to receive

information on updates regarding the completion of the building. In the meantime, and during part of the

summer, our Charter Oak office will be located at Sedgwick Middle School for anything you may need.

It’s also time to say good-bye to an extraordinary teacher who has been part of Charter Oak for many years.

Mrs. Griffin, our wonderful first grade teacher, will enjoy retirement with her grandchildren. We wish Mrs.

Griffin a wonderful retirement and we look forward to seeing her next year helping us out in some capacity.

In the next couple of weeks, I will be communicating with you again, giving you updated information

regarding new teachers and assignments for next year. For now, please make sure that you have a restful,

joyful, and productive summer with your loved ones.

Juan Melián

Principal

2 THE GLOBE

STAR STUDENTS

Congratulations to the following students

who were Charter Oak International Academy

STARS for the month of May/June

FIFTH GRADE

Class of 2016

Lusianna M.

Jarrett M.

Tayquan M.

Jalyn S.

Miya S.

Davih T. M.

Mariana T.

Jaydinh T.

Nickolas Z.

Wyatt B.

Hunter B.

Bryson B.

Ashton B.

Brandy D.

Samaria G.

Lillian H.

Justin H.

Kevin M.

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER

AND REMEMBER…

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Friday, June 10, 2016

2:00 Dismissal

School will open on

August 31, 2016

In our new building!

3 THE GLOBE

Charter Oak Odyssey of the Mind

China, Poland, and South Korea are just few

of the countries that the Charter Oak International

Academy Odyssey of the Mind team competed

against at the 37th Odyssey of the Mind World

Finals hosted by Iowa State University in Ames,

Iowa.

What is Odyssey of the Mind? Odyssey of the

Mind is an international educational program that

provides creative problem-solving opportunities

for students from kindergarten through college.

Team members apply their creativity to solve

problems that range from building mechanical

devices to presenting their own interpretation of

literary classics. This year the Charter Oak team

took on the technical problem, Something Fishy.

After winning 1st place at the state level on April,

2nd the team was invited to attend Worlds in Iowa.

The judges in Iowa were impressed with the

team’s performance, technical features, unique

background scenery, and creative costumes. The

team’s hard work, perseverance, and dedication

paid off. During the award ceremony the team

earned 4th place in the World and 3rd place in the

United States. This is the highest place any team

from West Hartford has ever received. Kudos to

the team, you have made your school, town, and

state proud!

Charter Oak International Academy

Odyssey of the Mind Team Members

Anna Mae C.

Celia G.

Lyra G-C.

Garrison L.

Tyler N.

Andrew P.

Leo W.

Coach: Michele Hadlock

Quest Teacher

Important Announcement

This summer the

Charter Oak International Academy

School Office

will be located temporarily at

Sedgwick Middle School.

If you need to contact the office, you can

use our regular phone number

(860) 233-8506.

Thank you and have a

Wonderful summer!!

Places to Visit While Sharing Experiences with Children

As children enjoy their summer, there are terrific ways to keep them engaged in learning – building

background knowledge that will support their understanding of the world and support their language and

reading comprehension, and opportunities to apply math, reading, science, and social studies skills and

knowledge in real-world settings. These opportunities are important for academic growth, and children

learn best when they are having fun.

Some suggested destinations for nature experiences:

● *CT State and West Hartford parks and forests

● Westmoor Park – West Hartford (farm animals, gardens, hiking trails)

● Spicebush Swamp – West Hartford (pond and river)

● Dinosaur State Park – Rocky Hill (dinosaur tracks, hiking trails, films and exhibits)

● The Dinosarur Place – Montville (life-size dinosaur models set along an outdoor trail, climbing

web, maze, playground and water splash area, opportunities to dig for dino bones, gold and

gems!)

● Talcott Mountain State Park (hiking, Heublein Tower, view of western Connecticut)

● Roaring Brook Nature Center – Canton (live animals, rehabilitation program, displays, trails)

● The Audubon Society – Glastonbury (live animals, hands-on activities, trails and a pond)

● *The Beardsley Zoo – Bridgeport

● Wickham Park – Manchester (playground, bee-keeping exhibit, brand new wetlands trail, aviary)

● CT Audubon Center – Glastonbury (Nature trails, pond-life, exhibits and hands-on experiences)

Other museums that offer to build a deeper understanding through play and hands-on activities with

science and social studies:

● *The Children’s Museum – West Hartford (hands on science with new exhibits)

● *Imagine Nation - Bristol

● *The Lutz Museum – Manchester (live animals, hands on fun for younger children)

● Connecticut Science Museum – Hartford (hands on science)

● Stepping Stones Museum for Children – Norwalk

● Fairy Doors! – Putnam (12 doors hidden along Main Street, representing six different American

cities. Downloadable guide: http://seemysticcountryct.com/wp-

content/uploads/2016/05/FairyDoorGuide-Putnam-CT.pdf

Additional trips will allow your family to explore our history through a museum experience. Some of

these trips are more suitable for children in grades 2 and up.

● *Connecticut Trolley Museum – East Windsor

● CT Historical Society - Hartford (museum and summer adventure programs offered)

● *Mystic Aquarium – Mystic (aquatic animals, titanic exhibit, hands-on and shows)

● Old Mystic Seaport – Mystic (hands-on exhibits, period buildings and staff dress, ships)

● *New Britain Museum of American Art – New Britain (children’s area for hands on experiences)

● *New England Air Museum – Windsor Locks (historical airplanes, “open cockpit” days during

which visitors may enter planes)

● *Noah Webster House – West Hartford (hands on activities about colonial times)

● Laurel Forge – Pomfret (Observe the art of blacksmithing, using modern and colonial-era

techniques)

● Old Sturbridge Village – Sturbridge, MA (Depiction of village life in colonial times – costumed

historians, antique buildings, water-powered mill and working farm)

● *Wadsworth Athenaeum – Hartford (variety of art for viewing)

● *Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

● The Peabody Museum of Natural History – New Haven

● Connecticut River Museum – Essex (Explore the CT River’s heritage, exhibits and self-guided

exploration; river cruises available, park area)

● Nautilus and Submarine museum – Groton

● *Discovery Museum and Planetarium – Bridgeport

● *The Children’s Museum at Holyoke – Holyoke, MA

(* The West Hartford Public Library has a pass to this museum that may be reserved for the day.)

See the following page for tips on enjoying these trips and getting the most from your adventures.

I wish you a restful and joy-filled summer!

Kate Jerram, Curriculum Specialist

More Summer Tips for Sharing Experiences with Children

● Provide your child with books to read. Help him select books on topics he is interested in and on

his reading level. A way to select a book on your child’s reading level is to have him choose a

page in the book (not the first one) and read it. If he struggles with five or more of the words,

then the book is too hard for independent, pleasure reading.

● Read a book that is above your child’s reading level to him, and then discuss the story together.

● Get your child her own library card. Take your child to the library often to browse for books and

enjoy special activities.

● If you are planning a vacation this summer, write to the visitors’ bureau of places you will be

visiting and ask for information on the area and any special attractions, check out books from the

library to get background information.

● Hang a map of Connecticut and mark the places you will be visiting. Mark the route, and talk

about the major roadways that you will travel along the way. This will help your children build

an awareness of direction, distance, and location of geographic landmarks.

● As you visit parks and museums, collect the maps you are given:

o Use these maps to navigate during your visit, and then after the visit to talk about what

you saw.

o Hang the maps on a wall or add them to the summer journal your child is creating.

o Return to the maps for “Remember when …?” conversations.

o Talk about the map design - what symbols are used - how do the symbols help you?

● Play board games and complete picture puzzles (Scrabble Jr., Memory, Sorry!, Apples to Apples

Jr., Checkers, Chess, BINGO, I Spy, Pay Day, Monopoly, Rummy-O, Mancala, Parcheesi,

Mastermind, Blokus, Dominoes, and a new Charter Oak favorite – Clumsy Thief!)

● Spend time with math through: Measuring (Bring out the measuring cups and spoons. Add a

little food coloring to water, and measure away!); Money (Play with coins to help practice

identifying and counting money); Time (Make your schedule for the day, and use the clock to

stay on track. For younger children, schedule activities to start on the hour or half hour. For

older children, schedule activities to start on fifteen minute, ten or five minute intervals.)

● Stay Connected – Visit the Library website at http://www.westhartfordlibrary.org/ and click

“Children” to find out what programs are available. Select “Parent/Family Web Resources” for

great reading opportunities and other activities for kids!

● The West Hartford Public Library has a pass to many museums as well as to Connecticut State

Parks through the Museum Pass Program, sponsored by the Friends of the West Hartford

Library. Visit the West Hartford Public Library website at http://westhartfordlibrary.org and

select the “Children” tab for “Museum Passes” or Call (860) 561-6980 for more information.

Please plan ahead, as passes are limited and may need to be reserved using your library card. (See

museums above, marked with an “*”).