We are ALL-most there! 
100 Percent COVID-19 is the Best Way to Keep Everyone Healthy and Safe

Whether or not your child is vaccinated, please register them to be tested on Monday morning, May 10. Registration will close this evening (Friday) at 6:00 p.m. Click this link to register your child. Our collective commitment to the MPH Social Compact has kept all of us remarkably healthy and safe during the global pandemic emergency. Testing is our most effective way to detect asymptomatic cases and to ensure that teaching and learning continues with minimal disruption for all. Thank you for doing your part to help us safeguard the health and well-being of the whole MPH community.
Save the Date
Our Grade 5 Celebration (marking the conclusion of these students’ Lower School experience) will take place on Wednesday, June 9, at 5 p.m. Location: Outside, under the MPH tent! Details to follow.
 
Our Grade 8 Celebration (marking the conclusion of these students’ Middle School experience) will take place on Thursday, June 10, at 5 p.m. Location: Outside, under the MPH tent! Details to follow.


Important End-of-School-Year Calendar Dates to Keep Handy!
Springtime at MPH unfailingly gives one the sense that passing time has somehow picked up speed, and perhaps that’s because it’s chock-full of deadlines, special events and presentations, culminating performances, and many meaningful moments of closure. To keep yourselves organized and “in the know,” we encourage you to take advantage of this end-of-year calendar.
This Year’s Red and White Day Bestowed with New Name (and Important New Guidelines)
Returning MPH families might remember our yearly event full of fun and friendly competition: “Red and White Day.” This year we have an “Olympic Day” planned for Friday, May 14, with a rain date of Monday, May 17. The day will include activities for students in Grades 1 through 8; they will have the opportunity to participate in outside track & field events.


Please note: Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, we will not be able to host families on campus to spectate/participate, but we’ll be sure to share some great pictures and videos from the day. Parents of students in these grades will be asked to send their child into school with a water bottle and to apply/send in sunscreen to prepare for the greater-than-usual outdoor time on that day.
Cinco de Mayo Recognized at Wednesday’s All-School Meeting 
¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
The MPH Spanish Club wanted to share with you some facts about this Mexican-American celebration in the following fun and informational video.
¡Gracias!
Parmees and Victor
Spanish Club Co-Presidents
“Fiddler” Rehearsals Transition…Prepping for a Brand-New Take on Production Format
The cast and creative team of the Upper School Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, are preparing to move rehearsals into the outdoor tent on the Upper Field, where they will ultimately perform their drive-in, in-the-round show this June! In this short clip, Perchik (played by Jack Sullivan) and Hodel (played by Gracie Montas) discuss the complicated notion of tradition, a central theme in the show. The tension is broken when Perchik interrupts Hodel’s chores with a (physically distanced) dance! This is just one example of how the creative team and cast are adapting to the limitations of this unusual year, while staying true to the energy of the show. Tickets will go on sale to the MPH community soon, so stay tuned! 
Join the MPH School community as we come together on
May 14 for #MPHGD, our first annual spring Giving Day!
Celebrate MPH's history and invest in our future by making a gift to our annual fund, MPH Rising. There will be several opportunities throughout the day to double your gift to MPH thanks to the generosity of several donors who have pledged to match all donations made that day.
 
Your gift to MPH Rising is truly an investment in our deserving students and faculty!
Critter Camp! Creek and Canal Exploits

Last Wednesday, members of Critter Camp walked with Mr. Vural to the end of the feeder canal behind campus, where it meets Butternut Creek. While there, they learned how the gate was used to regulate the water level in the Erie Canal where it once met the canal by Dewitt Town Hall. They used a seine net to catch a few crayfish and minnows, and they also spotted quite a few red-winged blackbirds and a couple of turkey vultures.
Important Message from the Health Office
An ongoing gentle reminder, in case you missed it in last week’s edition of Snapshot: Please schedule your student’s yearly physical and necessary vaccinations now to avoid a mad dash in August and September. New students in all grade levels, and current students who will be entering Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, are required by New York State to have a physical on file in the Health Office two weeks before the start of school. There are also specific vaccinations required for Grades K, 6, 7, and 12. Please communicate with your child’s health care provider or the school nurse if you have any questions about what is due or whether your child will need a physical. Thank you!
STEAM Clean!
These do-gooding Grade 7 students rolled up their sleeves and got to work before the school day had even begun on Monday! What began with picking up the refuse from a tipped-over trash can in the STEAM Park led to table scrubbing and the like, thanks to Ms. Bentley-Hoke’s encouragement, the students’ willingness, and Nurse Christine’s at-the-ready cleaning supplies. The STEAM Park has been well used this year (in good weather) as a safe and attractive space for some classes, as well as for mask breaks, snack breaks, lunch periods, and other special occasions. Thank you to these Middle School volunteers for helping to “STEAM clean”!
“Musical Chairs”? Nope! “Musical Clubs”! 
Our many and varied Wednesday club offerings include several music-related groups, such as the Pop Music Club, the Jazz Club, and the Blue Grass Club. The photos included here show a glimpse of each of those, with the last-mentioned group (Blue Grass) shown playing for the Trivia and Games Club; they were making the rounds on this particular Wednesday to try out their newly learned song for various audiences (i.e., other clubs!) with an old square-dance tune called “Angeline the Baker.”

Grade 5 Science
Grade 5 students were recently invited to share their preferences for their next unit of study in science. Two common themes emerged, and the first one they tackled was space. For this unit, each student self-selected a topic of personal interest. Ms. Concepcion provided books and links for the research on each topic. Students used the Independent Investigative Method to help record facts and resources. To share their work, the fifth graders created "one-pagers”; they communicated their research on a single page with words and graphics. We hope you enjoy what they produced! (Click on the photo to see a gallery of their work.)
In a Pinch: Creative Use of Space
Ms. Mirakian and her students could not be deterred! When it became clear their lesson space was desired for AP test-taking use (as additional space to accommodate physical-distancing protocols), the musicians came up with a nifty Plan B: lessons in the Phoenix! Seems like a win – win to this humble observer; the acoustics are nothing to sneeze at, and passersby get treated to beautiful music on their way from one place to another. Pictured here are Ms. Mirakian’s Grade 8 strings students having a mid-morning lesson — displaced but not disgruntled! Thank you for being so innovative and accommodating in these unusual times, MPH musicians!
Two for Grade 2: From Fractions to Digestive Systems!
Grade 2 students started learning about fractions this week. To help them visualize fractions and their equal parts, they created fraction circles and fraction strips. These manipulatives will be used to help them identify fractions and compare them. “Of course,” adds their teacher, “we had to relate our math activity to food! Students designed their fraction circles with their favorite ‘circular’ meals – Oreos, pancakes, cake, waffles, pizza, and so much more!”
 
And…changing the subject… these same students recently made the digestive system out of Play Doh and wrote their favorite digestive system fact to be displayed in the Bradlee hallway. (Parents of Grade 2 students can see all the photos in Google Classroom!)
Kindergarten “Dreaming Up”!
Our Kindergarten students recently read and discussed “Dreaming Up,” written and illustrated by Cristy Hale. Inspired by this, they then tried building their own structures. (Click on the photo to see a gallery of their work.)
Just for Fun: 
Mr. Ridall takes to the slide in Pre-K PE class!
Taco (Salad) Tuesday!
(Last Tuesday’s colorful lunch simply had to be captured!



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Manlius Pebble Hill School | 315-446-2452mphschool.org