Summer Reading

When kids read just 20 minutes each day, it adds up to over 25 hours of reading practice during the summer. A fun way to build reading skills is to sign up for the Patten Free Library’s Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is Plant a Seed, Read. Play summer reading bingo, complete reading tickets, and attend fun events and activities all summer long. Be sure to take advantage of all the other wonderful things the Patten Free Library has to offer such as free passes and a Library of Things. The Patten Free also offers digital resources that can be enjoyed at home. Visit their website and select “Digital Resources” to find out more.

RSU 1 subscribes to PebbleGo, a great nonfiction resource which allows students to read online. To login:

https://app.pebblego.com/login

Username: dikenewell

Password: school

Epic offers fiction and nonfiction books and is free during hours that school would normally be in session. To login:

https://kids.getepic.com/e2c-classcode-login

Class Code: csr7922

Select "Guest" and then "School" for the free account.

Have a wonderful summer! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Hardman at lhardman@rsu1.org

Author Lynn Plourde Visiting DNS on May 7th

On Thursday, May 7th, author Lynn Plourde will be visiting Dike Newell. She is willing to sign one book per student, and if you would like to have her sign a book for your student, please purchase it ahead of time and have it to your child’s classroom teacher by Wednesday May 6.

The Mockingbird Book Shop is selling How to Talk Monster for $16.13. Orders need to be placed by April 20th and can be done by email, terri@mockingbirdbookshop.com or phone, 207-389-4084. If you mention the book is for the DNS Author Visit, you will receive a 15% discount. Amazon and other book vendors may have additional titles available as well. For a complete list of Lynn’s books, please visit: https://lynnplourde.com/book/

Please include this information if you choose to send in a book:

Child’s Name:

Classroom Teacher:

Message you would like in the book:

Lynn Plourde's Website

Author Lynn Plourde Visiting DNS on May 7th

Please include this information if you choose to send in a book:

Child’s Name:

Classroom Teacher:

Message you would like in the book:

Lynn Plourde's Website

Screen-Free Week

May 4-May 10

Alternative Activity Ideas

Visit the Patten Free Library to check out some books! Don’t have a library card? Click here The Patten Free Library also offers after school clubs. Check out one of the science kits, look for bugs and insects! See if you can stay up a little later on a weekend and borrow the telescope to look at the moon and stars! Borrow a ukulele and learn a new hobby. Check out a lawn game for some family fun! They offer a library of things!

Visit the Maine Maritime Museum to learn about local history. They are open 9:30-5:00 daily and children under 17 have free admission. Grownups can get free passes at the Patten Free Library.

Take a walk around Bath and admire the historic buildings. Click here for information on how to get a map.

Visit the Chocolate Church Art Lab to get creative! They are open Mondays & Thursdays, 2-5 PM

Play board games and card games!

Help your grown ups with the lawn and garden.

Go to one of the RSU 1 schools and use the playground for some outdoor fun!

Visit on of the area’s many trails.

DNS Digs Cool Rocks!

Dike Newell School students have been diving into earth science in this month's library club, where they learned about rocks, fossils and gems. In addition to discovering where resources on these topics can be located within the school library, the Patten Free Library, and using PebbleGo and Epic, students had the opportunity for some hands-on investigation. Thanks to a generous donation from Donors Choose, the Dike Newell School Library now has four rock and gem kits, samples of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks as well as four fossil kits. Second grade teacher Ms. Michaud also donated rock, fossil and gem samples for this project.

Information on this Donor's Choose Project

To use PebbleGo:

https://app.pebblego.com/login

Username: dikenewell

Password: school

To use Epic (only free during hours school would be in session):https://kids.getepic.com/e2c-classcode-login

Class Code: csr7922

Select Guest and then School for the free account.

Within the Whale Visits Dike Newell

On Thursday, March 5th, Dike Newell School students were treated to an exciting, educational visit from Chunk, the life-size, inflatable humpback whale. Award-winning, nationally-recognized wildlife educator Jessica Woodend and her Within the Whale program brought the ocean to life with hands-on learning and inspiration about marine mammals and environmental conservation, all while aligning with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Students prepared for the visit by reading about whales on Epic and PebbleGo.

For more information on Within the Whale

https://www.withinthewhale.com/grades-k5-programs

To read about whales on PebbleGo:

https://app.pebblego.com/login

Username: dikenewell

Password: school

To read whale books on Epic (only free during hours school would be in session):https://kids.getepic.com/e2c-classcode-login

Class Code: csr7922

Select Guest and then School for the free account.

Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year

Dike Newell students have been learning about Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year this week. In addition to several read alouds, classes explored resources on Epic and PebbleGo, and visited Duolingo. Our lesson concluded with Mrs.Raedel reading "Tricky Chopsticks," one of this year's Chickadee Award nominated books.

Chickadee Award

Duolingo

News

Craft Books in High Demand!

Craft books are in constant circulation here at the Dike Newell School Library. According to Scholastic, "crafting helps develop fine motor skills, boosts counting and pattern recognition, teaches shapes and colors, encourages critical thinking and builds resilience." Crafting also provides a creative outlet to help to relieve stress, enriches classroom learning and is just plain fun!

Dike Newell School Students Eligible For Patten Free Library Cards

Dike Newell students are eligible for a library card at the Patten Free Library. In addition to the library's wonderful collection of books, dvds, magazines and unusual things to borrow, there are many clubs and other special events and even free passes to area attractions. The library has some great online resources available too.

How to Get a Library Card

Search the Library's Catalog

Calendar of Events

Museum and Park Passes

Unusual Things to Borrow

Digital resources are listed under the "Digital Resources" heading at the library's website at: https://pattenfreelibrary.org/

The Cloud Library has books and audio books available to download, Comic Plus has comic books, Flipster offers magazines and Kanopy offers movie streaming.

Dike Newell School Library Receives Donors Choose Grant

Thanks to the generosity of donors at Donors Choose, the Dike Newell School Library has some wonderful new resources. Included are alphabet flash cards, a memory game and shape puzzles, animal and dinosaur counting critters, three interactive sound books and a book and puppet of the "Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." Many thanks for these wonderful resources.

Current Donors Choose projects for the DNS Library

Library Critter Club

Dike Newell Students will be participating in Library Critter Club over the next few weeks.In addition to learning where resources on amphibians, birds, pets, reptiles, sea creatures and wild animals are located within the school library, they will also learn how to find information at the Patten Free Library as well as on the Epic website and in the PebbleGo database. Students will have time to research the critter of their choice, and will be bringing home a form to complete. Students who return the completed form will be entered into a raffle, and one student per grade will win a book about their favorite critter. All forms are due back to the library by Monday, February 9th.

Hour of AI at Dike Newell School

Second grade students have been learning about coding and AI in library this past week. In addition to seeing what books are available on Epic and in the school library, they visited the Hour of AI website and designed a dancer as well as music for their routine using coding and AI. Students also learned how to access the Hour of AI website via Clever and the school library's website. Ms. Michaud's class was fortunate enough to have Harper Steenstra, a student at Morse High School, be our guest speaker and share her coding expertise. Harper is the creator of Code For Me, a free Python Coding Camp for students.

View the Class Activity

Hour of AI Activities

Library Acting Club

Second grade students from Ms. Oswald's class have been participating in Library Acting Club and are currently staging their readers theater production of "The Fisherman and His Wife." This Brothers Grimm fairy tale carries a strong message of greed versus contentment and first and second grade students have been studying several different versions of the story as well as the related tale, "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle." Many thanks to the actors for making this fairytale come alive!

Guest Readers at Dike Newell School

On Friday, December 5th, kindergarten students were fortunate enough to have two special guest readers during their library classes. Retired Wiscasset Elementary School teachers Sandra Pye and Donna Footer shared some of their favorite holiday read alouds, students enjoyed their visit so much that they have begged them to come back for Valentine's Day. Sandra's grandson attends Dike Newell and Donna's granddaughter will be joining us next year.

Learning Through the Seasons: Winter in the Library

Dike Newell students have been learning about winter during their weekly library classes. In addition to looking at nonfiction resources on Epic and PebbleGo, students learned how the Earth's rotation around the sun influences the seasons, studied how animals, plants, weather and people respond to the winter season, and read nonfiction as well as fiction books with a winter theme.

STEAM Activities in the Library

Second grade students have been learning about Bath's ship building history as well as taking a look at the Virginia and the Mayflower II. Local resources with information on shipbuilding, including the Maine Maritime Museum and the Patten Free Library, were discussed and then students had the chance to design and build their own ships using Design & Play STEAM Boat Kits from Lakeshore Learning.

The Virginia

The Mayflower II

Design & Play STEAM Boat Kits

The Maine Maritime Museum

The Patten Free Library

Design & Play STEAM Boat Kits

What's Cooking at Dike Newell

Several new cookbooks have been added to the Dike Newell School Library's collection. This one has science facts and offers the opportunity to experiment with recipes, providing excellent STEAM learning while building confidence.

Chicken Little Play

Second grade Library Acting Club students from Ms. Michaud's class recently performed their readers theater play Chicken Little for first grade classes. This story, with European origins, has been told to generations of American children and sometimes goes by the title Henny Penny. First grade classes have been comparing and contrasting various versions of this tale. Many thanks to the actors for their hard work!

Dinosaur Club

Kindergarten students are getting the opportunity to participate in Dinosaur Club. We have been using the PebbleGo database to discover facts about our favorite dinosaurs. Lots of fun was had with Danny Go's Dinosaur Dance. Club concluded with students getting to play with the dinosaur figurines donors at Donors Choose kindly gifted the school library.

Danny Go Dinosaur Dance

DNS Library's Donors Choose Page

Please contact Ms. Hardman for information on using PebbleGo at home.

Cooking for Creative Learning

Cookbooks are flying on the shelves at Dike Newell! Cooking encourages creativity and problem solving as well as fine motor skills. Cooking builds basic math skills, plus reading recipes helps to build vocabulary. Students become more self directed and self confident. It's also a great way to get picky eaters to try something new, not to mention a fun family activity!

Students are encouraged to check out a cookbook and try a recipe at home. Anyone who would like to take a picture with their culinary creation is encouraged to send the picture in to Ms. Hardman, who will share it with classes to encourage other aspiring chefs.

Library STEAM Club

First and second grade students will be participating in Library STEAM Club this year. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. For the first session we are using Bee-Bot robots to work on technology and math skills as well as Legos for engineering. Science and art activities will be included in future sessions.

For ideas for STEAM projects at home, please click here.

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