Presenting:
SOAR 2010 Literary and Fine Arts Magazine!
PCA students are blessed with many talents. Some shine in faith and service, some in academics, some on the playing field, some on the stage and some in the arts.
Through SOAR Literary and Fine Arts Magazine, PCA celebrates the literary and artistic talents of students from its junior high and Upper School. We hope you will be impressed with the quality of the many submissions we received this year.
SOAR was produced by Upper School students, who evaluated submissions and produced the publication you will view on the links provided on this page. The entire process took nearly the entire school year. To the SOAR team, we extend sincere thanks and congratulations for a big job well done!
TO VIEW SOAR IN PRINT:
Print copies of SOAR are available for viewing in both school offices, libraries and the main school reception desk, the Head of School's office, the art rooms, the junior high classrooms and the Upper School English teacher classrooms.
TO VIEW SOAR ONLINE:
The entire SOAR file is very large, and so it has been broken into a series of smaller files. Go to http://www.pcaschool.org/student-life/fine-arts.html. (Student Life/Fine Arts section.) To see a particular student's work, go first to the link entitled Soar 2010 Cover&TableofContents.pdf and note which sections include that student's work. (Note that the page numbers hyperlinked in the Table of Contents will not work at this time.)
Then click on the files for each section (which appear in numbered order, e.g. "SOAR 2010 Animals1.pdf", "SOAR 2010 Animals2.pdf."
SOAR is divided into the following sections:
Imagination
Animals
Objects
Nature
Faith
Places
Life
Issues
We are working on a permanent site for the entire SOAR file and will announce when it is available.
Enjoy SOAR 2010!
Re/Max hot air balloon visit April 21 a high flying success
Perfect, God-sent weather … a field full of excited students …and an awesome spectacle as the burner flames roared and the Re/Max “Big Max” balloon rose majestically into the air – what a way to cap off this year’s Read-a-thon!
“Reading Lifts Us Up, Up, and Away!” indeed, as this year’s top class and grade winners from kindergarten to high school, their parents, and some teachers, (including our Head of School, Brian Bell, in full aviator attire!) had a chance to lift off for a short tethered balloon ride and an unparalleled view of our beautiful campus. For some of Mrs. Mynczywor’s great photos of the event, check out this link to our website’s Student Life/Events section. http://www.pcaschool.org/option,com_slideshow/Itemid,95.html. Following the balloon flights, pilots Chris Mooney and Jeff Radcliff visited Lower School classrooms to answer questions about the art and science of ballooning.
A fantastic crew of high school students and volunteer dads literally ‘learned the ropes’ of inflating and deflating a hot air balloon – they were a great ground crew! Thanks so much to them, to the parents who took the time to come to the field to be part of the event, and to the staff who made time to bring their classes!
A special, HUGE thank you goes to parent Marcel Bartley, a Re/Max licensed broker, whose idea to bring the balloon to PCA was the spark for this year’s Read-a-thon hot air balloon theme! Marcel’s energy, enthusiasm and generosity made this whole balloon celebration possible, and we sincerely thank him, Re/Max and the pilots for a truly unique and exciting Read-a-thon celebration.
Thanks to the ENTIRE PCA community for really getting into the “Read-a-thon spirit” – keep on reading, and as they say in the world of ballooning, “Keep looking up!”
Welcome Re/Max Balloon crew!!
April 21will be an especially exciting morning at PCA! The Re/Max hot air balloon and crew is visiting our campus, as the culmination of our school’s Read-a-thon theme “Reading Lifts us Up, Up, and Away!”
Upper school students will help the crew set up and inflate the balloon (between 8:20 and 8:45 a.m. tomorrow.) You’re invited to stay and watch as well – it’s a truly impressive sight, and an exciting practical lesson for our students in wind, weather and air pressure!
The balloon launch site will be the pilot’s choice – the baseball field, the soccer field, or the field next to the Upper School student parking lot. If the latter, please be extra careful to watch for high school students arriving for school.
After inflation, our Read-a-thon winners from each class and grade will experience a short tethered balloon ride, and the pilot will later visit classes. That includes Upper School Read-a-thon winners Abbie Cirasole, Grace Ayer and Emily Scire - congratulations on some great reading, ladies!
Many thanks to parent Marcel Bartley and to Re/Max for this great opportunity for our students!
We’re looking forward to a great day!
What should I read (or re-read) this month?
The Library suggests:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
During March, why not read (or re-read) this classic coming-of-age tale of courage in the face of virulent racism -- it's been voted by American librarians as one of the best books of the 20th century and it is New Hampshire's choice for its 2010 Big Read program, sponsored by the Center for the Book at the NH State Library!
See below for UPDATED
Read-a-thon information and weekly results!
Library staff:
Mrs. Donna Capern, Senior Librarian (603) 742-3617 x130
Mrs. Deborah Harden, Assistant Librarian (603) 742-3617 x129
The Upper School library is your place to find great books and to hone the library and research skills that will serve you well through high school and college! The library serves Upper School students and staff, offering fiction and non-fiction materials, magazines, audio and video materials plus subscriptions to a number of databases which students can search at home and at school.
A Learning Place...
The Library's mission is to help students and staff to be effective users of ideas and information, to foster a life-long love of reading, to support staff and faculty and to provide students with resources to help them fulfill their God-given intellectual and spiritual potential. The library provides print, electronic and audio-visual resources, assistance in their use, and an environment conducive to study and learning.
How can we help?
Let us know how we can help you! We are happy to help students find a great book to read, gather resources for projects, and help in any way possible.
Books to Go...
Books are loaned for two weeks and may be renewed once. We ask students to take care of the books and return them promptly.
Overdue fines for late books are $.10 per school day to a maximum of $2.00 per book. Students will be billed for the replacement of lost or damaged books.
We can also obtain materials from other New Hampshire libraries, so please ask if you need an item. The inter-library loan process may require about two weeks’ advance notice, so let us know in plenty of time.
What's New in the Library?
Read-a-thon 2010:
Reading Lifts Us Up, Up, and Away!
Exciting news!
Thanks to the efforts of PCA parent Marcel Bartley, the Re/Max Hot Air Balloon is going to visit PCA on April 21! Students will see it fill up and take off, and have a visit with the pilot – and not only that, the top Read-a-thon winners will have the chance to take a short ride in the balloon as long as weather permits!!
READ-A-THON Week Three Results
Total minutes Weeks 1-3 Upper/Lower School students, staff and parents = 374,763!
Minutes read in Week 3: 191,241- US/LS Students, Staff and Parents
READ-A-THON Week Two Results!
Total minutes Weeks 1-2 Upper/Lower School students, staff and parents - 183,522minutes!
Total minutes Week 2 Upper/Lower School students, staff and parents = 128,247.
READ-A-THON Week One Results!
Congratulations to all our student, staff, and parent readers, who together clocked 55,275 minutes in the first week!
About Read-a-thon
Read-a-thon began Saturday January 30 and continues till Sunday, February 28! It's a month-long reading incentive program built around a special theme. Students engage in a friendly competition to see how much they can read in just one month!
Mr. Bell's Challenge:
READ A MILLION MINUTES, PCA!
As part of Read-a-thon, students also collectively try to read enough minutes to put Mr. Bell in a really silly costume for a whole day! Last year, it was a Cat in the Hat costume....and this year, he's challenged PCA students, aided by any interested parents and staff, to READ A MILLION MINUTES! If we succeed, he will spend the day in a balloon costume. You'll see pictures of it around the school!
READ-A-THON FAQ
When does Read-a-thon start and end?
Read-a-thon began Saturday Jan.30, and ends Sunday, February 28. Students should not track reading before or after those dates.
Who can participate in Read-a-thon?
K-8 students will participate in Read-a-thon, tracking individual, class and grade-level achievements in reading.
Upper school students: Read-a-thon is coming to you! Points folders and guidelines are available in the Upper School main office and library. Challenge the staff and each other! Your reading minutes will count against Mr. Bell’s challenge and there’s a chance for some great prizes!
Week 1 - Gift certificates to Coldstone Creamery
Week 2 - Gift Certificates to Adele's Coffeehouse
Week 3 - Gift Certificates to La Festa
This year, for the first time, we invite parents/guardians and PCA staff/faculty to join students as we try to meet Mr. Bell's 2010 Read-a-thon challenge! Extra points folders and guidelines are available in the offices, reception desks and libraries for adult family members and PCA faculty/staff if they wish to participate.
Parent/staff tracking forms are available online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GYPYGWD or in print form at the school offices, libraries and at the main reception desk, and may be returned to these places weekly as well.
What kind of reading counts?
Reading minutes can include in-class and out-of-class reading for pleasure or homework, reading groups, reading buddies, audio books, magazines, reading to others and being read to. Reading/playing games on the computer and video games does not count; however, if students print off and read information for pleasure or homework, they may count that as reading time, if they write the title of the article and number of pages read on the back of their folder.
Accountability/Honesty
The library staff expects students to be honest and diligent about accurately recording their reading time and reading materials. Students must record information on what and how much they read on the back of the folder.
Thank you for supporting Read-a-thon! Have FUN!
