6:00pm

Thanks to the hard work of Sarah Heminway, PCS has received a grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  This funding allows our sixth grade students to attend Project Oceanology at Avery Point in Groton for an overnight field trip on May 19th and 20th.  The sixth graders will be staying overnight in Project O’s dormitory.  Tim Hotchkiss, Eva Hulme and Ben Gagnon have attended training for Project O and will be accompanying the students.  Half of the fifth grade students will also be attending the day program on May 20th and the other half on the 21st.  Project O compliments our science curriculum and will provide our students with a wonderful hands-on experience.

Project Oceanology is based on the UCONN Avery Point campus in Groton, Connecticut.  It is a 35 year old program introducing young people to basic ocean science on real research vessels.  They will spend two full-days out on Long Island Sound, in local estuaries and back indoors for exciting science lab work.  This fits into the curriculum for science, as students study salt water habitats and weather.  Also, Mrs. Lameiro will tie in this experience to the art curriculum and Mrs. Pierce-Fortin to computer technology as the students create a booklet in writing class about individual organisms they will study in their field work.  Additionally, students are writing review questions in their pamphlets for classmates to read and answer.  Teachers have been preparing the students for the experience by studying many organisms that they will encounter on this trip.  In the library, Mrs. Durand helped launch the research projects.  Students are taking notes and citing sources for a formal writing project and bibliography.  Some of the students are using what they’re learning in order to create their science biome projects.  All of this preparation will help students derive the greatest understanding from their “Project O” time.  Teachers are also preparing them with proper lab etiquette and the scientific method.

Besides scientific knowledge, a project like this is beneficial to the students because there are as many learning styles as there are fish in the sea.  Students who don’t learn well in the classroom environment often do their finest work on such a fieldtrip.  These students work best “outside of the box”.  “Project O” will be a joyful learning time for every child.  This is how the teachers would want to teach every day, if they could.

Students will conduct REAL research in and out of the scientific laboratory setting.  Lauren Radar, one of the “Project O” scientists, was actually a student in the same program years ago and she walked away from her first field-trip there saying “No doubt about it, I’m going to be an oceangrapher!”  And she is.  Students will be inspired to examine careers in this field.  PCS has had five students go to Ocean Camp at the same facility.  They always come back with wide-eyed enthusiasm about their knowledge of the Long Island Sound.

All costs are paid by the Sea Grant, including the excellent meals prepared in the brand new “Project O” building.  Sarah Heminway, a PCS parent, applied for the Sea Grant.  Sarah had her ear to the ground for this grant. The grant only provides for one school from each state in New England.

“Project O” has a long history of accommodating students and making them comfortable.  Also, parents are very supportive of this effort.

Have a great trip!

Nature’s Art…
Here We Come!!!

The Trip
On Friday, May 21, the 2nd Grade classes will be going to Nature’s Art in Montville, CT.  We will be leaving the school at 8:45am and returning by 2:45pm.  The children will explore the nature trails and participate in a classroom program called Dinosaur Detectives.  There is an outdoor picnic area for snack and lunch.  The is also a gift shop and a small ice cream stand.  The rain date is scheduled for Monday, June 8.

Food & Clothes
Children should bring a snack and a bag lunch.  Please dress appropriately for the weather.  Remember that half of our day will be spent outside on the trails.

Chaperones
Parent chaperones are welcome.  Because there is limited space on the bus, parents will need to drive separately.  Feel free to carpool.  Please do not bring siblings.

Cost
Admission is $9.00 per child and $4.50 per adult.  Please send the money in with the permission slip.

This is a trip the students always enjoy.