A big Pamet Puma hello from the Students and Teachers at Truro Central School! Even though the school year is winding down, we wanted to let everyone know about some of the terrific lessons, activities, and events that are happening at TCS!
There will be another Puma Page next month. After that, we’ll see you again in September!
BEACH PLUM STUDY
contributed by Stacey Klimkosky, Library and Media Teacher
If you have had the chance to visit the TCS upper playground, you may have noticed the large, flourishing beach plum shrub at the bottom of the stairs. I have been observing the shrub for a couple of years, hoping for some treasured plums each September. Curiously, some years yield a bumper crop, while others provide hardly a handful or two. To help fulfill my curiosity, and pique some in the minds of some of our students, I decided to enlist our Third Grade classroom in some observational research with the help of their teacher, Mrs. Rose.
Beginning in mid-September of 2010, we made bi-weekly observations of the shrub; harvested the fruit; and learned about its botany and history. Notations were made of the temperature and weather, and sketches were drawn. The winter months saw little activity, and therefore, our trips to the shrub resumed in early March. The spring months saw weekly observations of a tagged branch and included predictions about what would happen to the buds. Would they turn into leaves, flowers or something else? As of the writing of this article, our branch has produced an abundance of delicate, white flowers. Four or five flowers have “popped” (the students’ description) from each bud.
Next on our list of “Things To Do With The Beach Plum Shrub” will be to make predictions about what will happen to the flowers and to make a batch of beach plum jelly with the fruit that was harvested, cleaned and frozen last fall. In the coming years, I hope to expand the project to include long-term weather observations to see if certain types of weather during certain times of the year yield more or less fruit. Each year, Third Graders can add to the data and compare their findings to previous years. For now, however, the big decision to be made will be whether to try our jelly on toast or crackers.
SPRING CONCERT
contributed by Mary Abt, Music Teacher
Every spring, as the warm weather (and rain) rolls in across the Cape, Truro Central School is abuzz with activity. One of the highlights of the season for the students at TCS is the Spring Concert. This year's "Spring Music Mania" was a crowd pleaser. Students sang, smiled, and swayed heartily. The performances were spectacular.
The TCS gymnasium was transformed into what is fondly referred to as a "gymnatorium". The stage was set to welcome the children on May 19th. "Music Mania" began at 6:30 with the TCS Band playing "Truro Will Shine Tonight", Truro's own rendition of the popular tune "Our Boys Will Shine Tonight". The String Ensemble was stellar. Students from Kindergarten to 6th grade along, with the 3/4 and 5/6 choruses, sang their way to the stage and performed for families and friends. Songs ran the gamut from "Canon" (a round) with music written by the early composer Michael Praetorius to all time Beach Boy favorite "Surfin' USA." Music was ringing from the rafters! The event was free and the students sang to a sold out crowd. Be sure to mark your calendars for the TCS Winter Concert scheduled for Thursday January 19, 2012. Have a great summer!