The Adams School
P.O. Box 29
27 School Street
Castine, Maine 04421
326-8608
www.adamsschool.com
Morning Recess V.A.M.P.
V.A.M.P.
Season
The
pinewood derby cars are being carved, painted, weighted and tuned by
their pit
crews—at a feverish pace in preparation for the semi-annual VAMP car
extravaganza. Soon Joe Spinazola will bring the laser-computer timing
device
and Emerson Hall will, for a brief span, become an exuberant convention
of the
VAMP car racing elite, rivaling Daytona. As engineers and drivers tweak
their
steering, lubrication, airfoils, and crankcase viscosity—is it true
that Gold
is a faster color than black; that having only three wheels touching
the track
reduces friction, without compromising steering; that weight is a more
significant factor than aerodynamics?—a team of visiting physicists
observed
the concepts of thermodynamics at work in other areas of Adams School
life.
Research notes follow.
Velocity
The velocity of a kindergartner standing still is a
function of breakfast cereal choices multiplied by the depth of the
playground
snow pile, squared (See Everyday Math manual). And their velocity
increases in
a geometric progression as lunch approaches, if pancakes are on the
menu
(Staples Law of Syrup Saturation).
Sleds with
light weight students go faster down the playground snow pile when new
powder
snow has been packed by heavy students; freezing rain has fallen
overnight on
packed snow; or a two-hour school start delay has allowed a crust of
ice
build-up prior to morning recess.
Red sleds
are faster than green; feet-first sledders are not
faster than head-first. Screams of delight and/or terror
increase velocity and, therefore, pleasure.
Origami
paper folding—regardless of
the object or animal species being created—takes place at a velocity of
haiku:
17 syllables per cubic centimeter, per second, per person folding.
Thus, the
fifth-sixth grade art class attempting to fold 1,000 paper cranes has a
velocity past the sound barrier:
As
silent as snow
falling
on
the ice rink;
broken
zamboni.
The
velocity of lunch consumption corresponds to the rate of snowfall, if
any. The
faster the snow accumulation, the faster lunch is consumed to allow for
dressing in snow pants and mittens before the bell rings.
Acceleration
The same
sound can both accelerate and slow
activity. This is Thomas’s Law of the Inverse Effects of Sound Anomaly.
The
bell rung to announce the start of lunch recess accelerates student
motion. The
same bell sounded to announce the end of lunch recess actually retards student motion.
Men with
excavators encircling a deep hole in a main downtown street accelerate
curiosity about what’s at the bottom of the hole.
For
some reason, deep holes dug in
the street at the corner of School and Court Street, slow the
acceleration of
water from the lobby drinking fountain, but speed the rate of questions
about
why the water flow has slowed.
The
school week picks up speed as
it proceeds from Monday to Friday, unless interrupted by a snow day.
Theories
to explain this include the Physical Education Mojo effect on Tuesdays
and
Thursdays, Big Band Bang on Thursday; the Schubeck Hoedown Factor on
Friday.
Vehicular
acceleration on Castine
roads is impossible due to frost heaves; bus fuel economy falls, as
Charlie
finds he cannot exceed third gear without jarring the loose front teeth
right
out of the gums of first graders, and twelve-year molars out of sixth
graders.
The month
of March has an irreversible momentum all its own. It starts with a
glacial
mass of snow and ice and cold that presses down hard on our shoulders.
Then the
sun lingers longer and longer in the evening and starts earlier and
earlier in
the morning, until the run-off starts—a little trickle at first,
running
imperceptibly beneath the ice. Before you know it, the basement is
flooding, a
sure sign that the frost is easing and the hill behind the school is
shedding
the load of January and February snows. Winter is on the run; it’s
downhill
from here.
Project
Cardinals
are back. Somewhere in
—Todd
Chef Tom Gutow Dinner—Last French Trip
fundraiser: We’ve had to shift
our March 13th dinner to Tuesday, March
25th at
MEA Testing—Next Two Weeks. We plan on giving the annual MEA tests to grades
3-8 on the
following days in the next two weeks:
Tuesday, March 11, Friday, March
14, Tuesday March 18, Thursday March 20, Friday, March 21. Make-up
days, if
needed: Monday or Tuesday March 24-25. It is very important for
students to be
well rested and have a good breakfast on testing days.
Thank you!
Term Two reports: Due
to snow days, we will make March 21 the last day of Term two, and we’ll
send
home term reports on Thursday, March 27. Friday, March 28 is a teacher
in-service day…no students.
Smoking Spring Cleaning – Time to get the
Smoke Out!
See message from Sally Christ,
District Tobacco Coordinator for the Downeast District (Hancock and
Cheering Uniforms
should be
washed and returned in their little bags
to
the office. Girls may keep their spankies, hair
bows, and socks for next year. I will get your sneakers
back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for a super
terrific year! See you all at the Winter Sports banquet.
—Coach Jen
The Thousandth Day:
March 31 will be the day when 5th graders reach their 1,000th
career day of school! Will Comma Girl appear again to help Zero
celebrate?
Tennis for 5-8th graders Begins on
Monday….Got
that permission slip in?
Piano Trio—Join us! On
Monday, March 17th, the Double Helix Piano Trio will perform
a
40-minute concert for the whole school and community at
All that Jazz:
To
the
My appreciation and respect to you, the
Adams School jazz band, for your courageous performance on
Friday...With just a
few rehearsals, you played with a strong presence and with almost no
mistakes...Now, if you can increase your performance/ energy level, you
will be
well on your way toward excellence...
Thanks to all the Adams School Family
for your support, particularly Mr. Menninghaus who helped the students
learn
their parts, Mr. Nelson for covering all the logistics and the teachers
and
students and parents who supported the band students....If it takes a
village
to raise a child, then it takes a school/ family to raise a jazz band
and this
school truly supports the creative process...Thank you so much...
Sincerely,
Mr. Schubeck
Note: Our
6-8th
grade jazz band earned a II at the MDI regional middle school jazz
competition,
allowing them to pass on to the state jazz competition in Westbrook on
March
22. Congratulations to Mr. Schubeck and all the players on their
incredible
performance! “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”
Basketball and Cheering awards evening: On Tuesday, March 18th at
Yearbook Reminder: All yearbook ad payments are now due. Prices are $25 for a ¼ page, $50 for a
½
page, and $100 for a full page. Checks
made out to the “Adams School Yearbook” can be dropped off at the
school office
or with Lisa Burton (
Monday – Cheesy Chicken Pasta
Bake, Italian Bread, Green Beans, Applesauce, Milk
Tuesday – Baked Beans, Hot Dogs,
Cole Slaw, Cinnamon Rolls, Milk
Weds. – Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potato,
Cornbread,
Thursday – Pizza, Salad, Graham
Crackers, Apple Crisp, Milk
Friday – Sloppy Joes, Corn, Trail
Mix, Blonde Brownie, Milk
March
10
Tennis
starts at
MMA....Monday, Wednesday, Thursdays from
10 MEA
Testing period begins.
17
Piano Trio at 10:30…school and
community invited.
19 GSA
Registration morning for 8th graders and their parents—here.
21 End of
Term 2 and MEA “Window.”
25 Smorgs II.
25
French
Trip fund
raising dinner: Special menu by Tom Gutow.
27 Term Two
reports go home.
28 Union 93
Teacher in-service day: no school
for students.
31 1,000th
career school day for 5th
graders.
April
5 French
Trip Departs for
10 Tennis
ends.
13 French
Trip returns.
17 Lecture by
Dr. Randall White at CHS,
19 Passover
begins.
21-27 Spring
Vacation