VCS Student at National Young Leaders Conference!

I received this today from Boston! One of our many great VCS Students is representing us at the National Young Leaders Conference in Boston this week! Read more below! (Here's a direct link to the slideshow from the 1st day activities!)

Dear Mr. Trask,

I am writing to you at the request of Emily Wood and her family, who contacted me before her departure for the National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC) in Boston. Emily asked that I keep you informed regarding her activities at the Conference this weekend. NYLSC is a four-day leadership conference for high-achieving 8th- and 9th-graders. Each of the experiential activities in which Emily will participate over the next several days is designed to enhance and nourish her existing leadership skills while challenging her to acquire new ones.

Throughout the Conference, I will be sending additional e-mail updates, photo slideshows and information about Emily's participation in NYLSC. I hope to convey exactly what your nomination means to Emily. Please look for my e-mails.

Emily has been assigned to a leadership development group under the direction of two faculty advisors. After some "icebreakers" to help Emily feel comfortable with her new friends, she learned that she will be working closely with her group members throughout the duration of the Conference, receiving support and encouragement. Emily then proceeded to the “Feedback for Understanding Emerging Leaders” exercise. This activity provided her with anonymous feedback collected from members of her community before the start of the Conference. This feedback focused on specific areas for development and provided Emily with the baseline information she needs to set personal leadership goals to attain by the completion of NYLSC.

To view a photo slideshow from the first day of the Conference, please visit: www.cylc.org/nylsc/pictures.

Sincerely,

Donna J. Snyder, Ed.D.

Managing Director of Education

Holiday Concert 2007!

It's cold and snowy outside, but the mood was warm and festive at VCS this evening! The VCS band and chorus hosted their annual holiday concert and it was FANTASTIC! The kids did a wonderful job and sounded terrific! People were tapping their toes and singing along to the sounds of the chorus, band, and jazz ensemble. We have lot's of pictures! Take a look...HERE

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Holiday Concert!

The VCS Chorus, Beginner Band, Jazz Ensemble and Concert Band will present their annual Christmas Concert on Wednesday December 12th at 7 pm in the school gymnasium. Students should arrive between 6:15 and 6:30.

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3rd Annual Vassalboro PTO Scrappin' Fever Fest!

Are you a "scrapbooker"? Wanna' learn more? Need some supplies? Join us at the Vassalboro PTO Scrappin' Fever Fest on February 9th at Natanis from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information and registration info here

All proceeds to benefit PTO fundraising efforts for Phase II of the VCS playground! Come help us out!

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Basketball Practice and Game schedule posted!

Well folks! It's time for Hoop season! The VCS Vikings are hard at work preparing for the upcoming season which begins next week! Come and cheer on the boys and girls as they battle it out with their opponents on the basketball court. Go Vikings!

Download the Practice and Game Schedule HERE or click the "Sports Schedules" link to the right of this page. It is a PDF file so you will need the free Adobe Reader to view it.

Student Podcasts!

The kids are now creating podcasts and we've got some posted! They've been working hard a learning a lot! Many more coming soon. Check them out here!

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa
Saturday, December 1st
8:00 to 10:00
Vassalboro Community School Cafe
Cost is $3 for Children and $3 for Adults

Santa will be there so come bring the children and get their picture taken with Santa. There will be crafts to do as well: Reindeer food, Christmas Mouse, Reindeer candy cane ornament, Holiday pin, Gift bag and Story time.

Breakfast includes pancakes and sausage.

Happy Thanksgving!

All of us at VCS would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Episode 3 of the TechTip podcast!

download episode 003 in MP3 format (plays on most common MP3 players and computers)

download episode 003 in OGG format (free and open source format high quality...works very well with Linux)

Ahh the magic of technology. I'm actually sitting in my pickup truck writing these show notes having just recorded the third podcast episode from the comfort of the drivers seat while I wait for my daughter to get out of basketball practice. Pretty cool huh? Know what else is cool? A great little Firefox Extension called Foxmarks. Foxmarks is a bookmark synchronizer. Check out the show notes for this episode to learn much more!

Flamingo raffle winner!

Mrs. Gram, the VCS assistant principal, donated a giant stuffed flamingo to be raffled off to raise money for the Vassalboro Food Pantry. Tickets were sold for 25 cents or 5 for a dollar. "I wanted to find a way for the kids to be able to be involved in donating to the food pantry", said Mrs. Gram. "We raised $55 for the cause!" Check out the image below of Mrs. Gram and the lucky winner!

Thanksgiving Dinner at VCS!

This may not be the case in many schools, but here at VCS the kids and staff simply LOVE the food! Our lunch program is AWESOME and the kitchen staff is incredible! Today we had a fantastic Thanksgiving Dinner with all the fixin's! The little mini pies were made by our wonderful kitchen staff...(no they did not come pre-made). Everyone got a pumpkin pie, lots of turkey....a bunch of cranberry sauce and much more! YUM! Hat's off to the lunch ladies for such a terrific meal...we're very lucky here at VCS! Check out the pics from our dinner.

Thanksgiving at VCS

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TechTip Podcast Episode 002!

download episode 002in MP3 format (plays on most common MP3 players and computers)

download episode 002 in OGG format (free and open source format high quality...works very well with Linux)

Today we're talking about setting up extensions and themes in Firefox. It doesn't matter whether you use Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X. Firefox is cross-platform and so are the extensions and themes! It's really easy...listen to the podcast and then check out the show-notes for links, screenshots, and more!

Click here for the show notes

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The TechTip Podcast!

Here is the first in what we hope will be many episodes of the TechTip Podcast! Episode One is all about "podcasts" and how you can have fun listening and learning! There are podcasts out there for everyone ranging from technology, news, hobbies, entertainment, celebrities, movies, music, comedy, and much more!

Listen to the podcast in MP3 format
Listen to the podcast in OGG format

(MP3 format will play on most computers, iPods, and other MP3 players. OGG is an open source high quality format that plays well on many audio players and computers...especially with Linux-based computers and audio players)

See the show notes for links and more information about this episode!

Typing reports on your home computer (Do's & Don'ts)

View and print original document...click here

Each year we run into many problems with kids typing their book reports and term papers on their home computers and then they are unable to print them here at school. In fact, this is so common I've decided to write this post in an effort to educate folks on what to do and what not to do.

STOP using Microsoft Works...(or at least save the document differently)

Many home computers come with Microsoft Works. This is an old consumer-grade program that ships with many computers as a cheap alternative to Microsoft Office. We do not advocate running out and spending a lot of money on MS Office, instead you have a couple choices. The first one is to use Microsoft Works, but to either print the document at home...or be sure to SAVE the document in MS Word format (.doc) or in plain text format (.rtf or .txt). You do this by selecting "file type" when using "Save As". The second (and preferred) alternative is to use OpenOffice. OpenOffice is free and open source....so you can download it and install it on your computer with absolutley "no worries". We use OpenOffice here at school. Simply go to http://www.openoffice.org....select "download OpenOffice" and then download the version for your version of Windows (XP or Vista). If you do not have a connection to the internet or if you have a very slow connection (dial-up)....simply send in a blank CD or $2 to cover the cost of a CD and I'll be happy to burn a copy for you.

STOP using floppy disks! (pretty please?)

Most new computers do not have floppy disk drives anymore. When your child brings in a report on a floppy disk....we usually have no way to read it as we don't have floppy drives in our computers. Floppy disks are no longer commonly used....they have been replaced with USB flash drives or thumbdrives. These can be purchased from us for $15 or you can buy them at any store like Walmart, Target, Staples...etc. They range in price from as low as $10 to as much as $60-$70 depending on the size you buy. Flash drives hold the equivalent of hundreds of floppy disks and are much easier to use. The images below show what the look like and how they insert into your computer (front or back....or side of laptop)

CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations

to the VCS boys soccer team for winning the league championship! The Vikings were undefeated this season! Excellent job and kudos to the coaches as well! GO VIKINGS!

Good Luck Boys!

We all wish the VCS Boys Soccer team the best of luck in their bid for the championship this afternoon. We're proud of you! Good Luck! :-)

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VCS Vikings to play for the Championship!

The VCS Boys Soccer team will play Friday November 2nd at 3:00 pm at the Capitol Area fields in Augusta. The Vikings will take on Jefferson for the SVAC Championship! Come and cheer the boys to victory! Wow! First the Red Sox and now hopefully the Vikings? Wow! Go Vikings!

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Ubuntu Developers Summit Fall 2007

Hi kids!
Well, here I am at another Ubuntu Developers Summit (UDS) where folks from all over the world come and work together to prepare and develop specs/features for the next release of Ubuntu/Edubuntu (version 8.04). You may recall from previous posts on my own blog "Ramblings of a Digital Educator" that I have been lucky to have been able to attend past UDS's in exotic locales such as Montreal, Google headquarters in California, and Seville Spain. Where am I now? The wonderful exotic locale of BOSTON. Ok, for me it's hardly exotic. In fact, I get down here several times a year for business, pleasure, and most of all...Red Sox games! Don't get me wrong, I'm honored to be here and excited about the work to be done. I'm here representing all of you as an educator, making sure that features we need such as user management, classroom applications, easy configuration...etc. are discussed and included. I'm not a programmer, but I understand "geek-speak" so I'm able to bridge the gap and help out in that manner. I'm happy to report that Ubuntu/Edubuntu has matured to the point where now it's time to focus on creating and implementing tools to make the lives of teachers much easier. Tools to manage classrooms, manage users, manage lessons, and much more are in the pipeline and slated for discussion and development. It's an exciting time. Access to technology will become much more commonplace worldwide...for very little investment. Yes, we've done amazing things at VCS, but looking at the bigger picture...there are so many schools and children all over the world who have nothing. Many have NEVER even seen a computer before. Soon, that will all change. Imagine...kids...showing the world what they can do...regardless of where they are and what their circumstances may be. Very cool. Stay tuned to my blog "Ramblings of a Digital Educator" for more on what's happening here in Boston! (pics and news)

Hey...check out this laptop designed by Intel...for kids! Best of all...it runs Edubuntu!

The Halloween Dance!

This year's Halloween Dance was AWESOME! The kids looked great in their costumes and everyone was having a blast! Thanks to Mr. E and his crew for putting on another great party. Check out the "spooktacular" pictures we have by clicking a link below...

Public Images

VCS only images

Girl Scout Registration Night

Girl Scout Registration Night for all ages is on Thursday , Oct. 25th at 6:00 pm in the VCS cafeteria. Registration is $10.00. Come and find out about the exciting things Girl Scouts co in the community!

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Boys Soccer Game at VCS to start at 3:00 - 3:15

Clearing up some confusion. The semi-final playoff game for VCS Boys Soccer vs. China will begin between 3:00 and 3:15 p.m. today at VCS. This is due to the fact that both the boys and girls are playing back to back and we need to allow time to get in both games prior to darkness setting in. Come and cheer on the Vikings!

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Soccer Playoff Schedule!

Both the boys and girls soccer teams are in the playoffs! The boys finished the regular season undefeated and the girls lost only a couple of close games. Things look very promising for the Vikings! Come cheer on the Vikings as they get ready to drive to the championship! Download the Girls Schedule Here and the Boys Schedule Here.

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Farm to School Project this week at VCS!

There are exciting developments afoot at VCS, beginning with Maine Farms Week from October 9-17 and including our Maine Harvest Luncheon on October 17. Read on to learn about these exciting events and what they mean for VCS students.

These activities are part of a larger Farm to School project that was started this fall at VCS through an Oak Grove Foundation Grant. Farm to School programs create connections between schools and local farms. They aim to increase schools’ purchase and consumption of locally grown foods in order to improve children’s health and support local farming communities. F2S programs also create educational links between students and farms, by facilitating classroom visits by farmers and field trips to farms. Along the way, farms and schools develop a deeper sense of community.

To kickoff our F2S program at VCS, we are planning a week of educational activities followed by a “Grown in Maine” Harvest Luncheon. Many local farmers are coming to the school to share their stories, ranging from Grange members who will talk about life on a Vassalboro farm in the early 1900s to a recent VCS grad who now runs a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in China. Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, will also be visiting with the children, sharing her experiences gardening at the Blaine House. Meanwhile, our Food Service Staff are busy preparing for another exceptional meal, this time using ingredients from local farms, many within 10 miles of the school, and all from Maine! If this is a success, we hope to add more local foods to the menu throughout the year. Please show your support and have your child eat our Maine Harvest Lunch on October 17! This is a great way to teach kids about the resources and opportunities within their local community.

If you would like to learn more about this project or would like to be involved, feel free to contact us: Also, we may need a few volunteers to help serve lunch on October 17: Deb Soifer (soifer@vcsvikings.org)(445-4250) or Kelly Payson-Roopchand (549-3096).

Basket Raffle

For photos, visit

Vassalboro PTO

Winners will be chosen on Friday, November 16th.

Tickets are $1.00 each or
6 for $5.00

Proceeds go toward phase II of the VCS playground project.

Baskets include decorative, seasonal items

VCS Book Fair a big success!

Grandparents breakfast, NWEA testing, and a hallway full of books. It can only mean one thing...it's fall in Maine and the VCS Book Fair is in town. Each day there were lots of kids browsing the books and buying books for their own enjoyment. Grandmothers and grandfathers shared the joy of reading with their grandchildren and treated many of them to a special book or two (not to mention a whole bunch of Tom Brady posters). Mr. Rau reports that the book fair was a success and that numbers are up over last year...thanks for supporting the VCS Library!

Have a great Columbus Day weekend!

Hey kids (and staff) have a great Columbus Day weekend! No school Monday! Have lots of fun with your family and enjoy the fall weather. We've had a great start to the school year and we're looking forward to even more fun and learning as the year progresses. See you all next week...

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Grandparents Breakfast!

The Annual Grandparents breakfast will be held Tuesday October 2 for children in grades K-2 and Wednesday October 3 for children in grades 3-8. Feel free to pick one date if you have grandchildren spanning both groups. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.! Come and join your grandkids! The book fair will be in full force in the Atrium.

STAFF: Just a reminder to park in the lower parking lot for the next 2 days.

First Dance of the School Year!

Firday night marked the first dance of the school year! What a dance it was! The kids had a great time. One of the great things about VCS is the fact that everyone knows how to have fun and really cut loose! Both the boys and girls soccer teams won their games earlier in the day...and to cap it off with a great big dance party? Well that's just part of what VCS is all about. See the pics of great kids having a great time!

Public Pics

Pics for viewing from in school

Parents... "Laptop take-home meeting" tonight at 7 pm!

This meeting is for all 7th grade parents and "new" 8th grade parents (and any 8th grade parents whose child did not have permission to take a laptop home last year, but would like to this year). This meeting is mandatory for any parent who would like their child to be able to take their laptop home during the course of this year. We will be discussing proper care and handling of the laptop...insurance, thumbdrives, and answering ANY questions you may have with regard to use of the laptop, connecting to the internet from home...etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We look forward to seeing you all this evening.

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VCS Soccer continues winning ways...

The boys and girls Viking soccer teams are having a great season! The boys are undefeated at this point and the girls have only one loss. Both teams are shooting for the playoffs and perhaps the chance to play in the league championship! The kids are doing a great job and working hard. Good luck the rest of the way! Here are some images from a recent soccer game at VCS vs. Chelsea. Enjoy!

Soccer vs. Chelsea

VCS Parent-Teacher Organization!

The VCS PTO now has a new web page! You can get to it by clicking the VCS PTO in the list of link on the right. Or you can CLICK HERE!
The VCS PTO partners with VCS staff to financially supplement resources and programs. The PTO has been VERY instrumental in raising funds to construct the new playground! Find out how you can join and help...

NWEA Testing in full swing!

It's that time of year! VCS is now administering the NWEA Test to all grade 2-8 students to assess where they are academically in order to help the teachers know exactly what it is that the children know and don't know. We began the NWEA last year and it has proven to be a VERY valuable tool. The kids actually enjoy the test as well as they get a chance to see how much they've learned over the past year. The test is completely individualized for each child. The NWEA is administered on the computer and therefore each response, depending on whether it is right or wrong, takes the test in a new direction for each child. So essentially the test is constantly being "built" specifically for each child depending upon their responses. If you'd like to learn more about the NWEA test visit their web site by clicking here.

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Soccer Schedule has been posted

The air is cooler, the leaves are beginning to turn, and soccer season is in full-swing at VCS! Get out and support our boys and girls on the field! Check out the VCS Soccer Schedule under "Sports Schedules" on the right side of this page. This year we are using Google Calendar so we can update the calendar when games are postponed or rescheduled due to weather. We hope you like the new format. If you want to print a copy....just select print...and you can print a week, month, or agenda view of the schedule. See you at the games!

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Education and Technology "Another Look"

I stumbled across this video on TeacherTube the other day. I found it to be very similar to the message I've been pushing for a while. I found many things in this video to be quite interesting. They say a picture is worth a thousand words....here's a few billion. Check it out...

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Grandparents Breakfast!

The Annual Grandparents breakfast will be held on October 2 for children in grades K-2 and October 3 for children in grades 3-8. Feel free to pick one date if you have grandchildren spanning both groups.

Doors open at 7:30 am! Get there early and spend some time with your grandkids! See you then!

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Soccer try-outs begin Tuesday!

Soccer try-outs begin Tuesday! This is a friendly reminder...don't forget to bring your physical forms (if we don't have them already) and do not forget your practice gear! Good luck to all!

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Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

Hey kids! We had a great first week! Hope you had fun and learned a lot of new things. We're looking forward to next week, but first we hope you have a terrific Labor Day Weekend with your family and friends. Hope you get a chance to go to the Windsor Fair too! See you on Tuesday...

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230+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Top Web Services

Ok, this is very cool...if you use a lot of Web 2.0 services like I do (I'm a major Google user...PicasaWeb...GoogleDocs...iGoogle...GMail) then you'll love this article. These shortcuts really make things go a lot faster! Enjoy!

230+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Top Web Services

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Wow! What a great first day!

Well...another year is underway at VCS! Lot's of smiling faces, hugs, high fives and "happy to see you's" were the norm today. VCS is an awesome place and you can see that reflected in the eyes of the children. New clothes, bookbags, notebooks, pencils, pens, and so much more. Whew! We're happy to have the kids here again this year and are looking forward to a wonderful year of fun and learning! Special thanks go out to all those who helped to get the building into ship-shape for opening day. A lot of hard work and TLC went into getting things ready for the kids. Thanks! :-)

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Welcome Back!

Open House is Monday, August 27 from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

First student day is Tuesday, August 28

No School Friday, August 31

Our new look!

Another exciting school year is upon us! School will begin on August 28th for all Vassalboro students. The building is almost ready and teachers are working hard to get their classrooms ready for the arrival of the students.

One thing that always hurts a school website is the difficulty maintaining it in a timely manner. Blogging is a fantastic Web 2.0 technology that has basically replaced many traditional web sites. The information is easy to post and easy to keep up with. We have moved (temporarily for now as we're testing it) to this new site. The old site can still be accessed at HERE.

Let us know what you think.

Also, if you are new to town and have not registered your child, please do so as soon as possible. You may call the main office at 923-3100 for more information. Hey kids! We gonna' be happy to see you again! Hope you all had a great summer!

Welcome!

Welcome to the VCS News Blog!

A new Web 2.0 method of posting the news from VCS! This blog style will allow us to keep everything up-to-date and allow you to subscribe to our RSS feed so YOU can stay informed! Let us know what you think...