A C O O P E R AT I V E E D U C AT I O N A L S E R V I C E S S C H O O L

I N T E R D I S T R I C T M A G N E T S C H O O LNews

March 2016

found potatoes that had been black-ened by coal and ate them to survive before being sent to yet another camp.

In May, 1945, SS men, armed with machine guns and accompanied by German shepherd dogs, gathered the camp’s prisoners and told them to get in line and lie down. When everything seemed bleakest, Deutsch recalled, her endeavor came to an end.

“International Red Cross Soldiers came and told us the war was over,” she said. She was saved. The liberated prisoners were taken to Denmark, then Sweden, where she enrolled in school and her sister started working. A few years lat-er, they immigrated to America.

But Deutsch lost many of her family members. Her mother, father, uncle, aunt, and cousins died or were killed in the concentration camps. She, her sis-ter, and her brother survived, but she wouldn’t see him again until years after the war ended. She still misses the fam-ily she lost at the camps and is saddened that she does not have the opportunity to go to their graves and mourn them.

She concluded her presentation by sharing photos of her family and a published book of photos, “The Aus-chwitz Album,” comprised of photos of many families imprisoned at the camp. She also shared a poem she wrote al-most 70 years after she was liberated titled “Wounds That Never Heal.” She believes that she survived so that she could tell her story.

Holocaust survivor Betty Deutsch be-lieves she was liberated mere moments before she was going to be executed. That story was one of the many that she shared with students in Ashley Nechaev’s class at Six to Six Magnet School on Wednesday, Feb 24.

Deutsch, a native of Hungary, was 16 when she entered the infamous Aus-chwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1944. More than 70 years later, she visited the Six to Six class to share her experiences during World War II. As she explained to one student, firsthand personal stories of personal experience can have a far deeper impact than les-sons learned from a textbook.

She told the students of the tension that first began to grow with the rise of Nazi Germany and the lead up to World War II. She noticed changes in her hometown, such as members of the Jewish community being forced

to wear stars on their sleeves. Then, the young men from her family and community were taken away, and soon, soldiers came to take her, her family, and other women in the community.

“You could only bring what you could carry,” she said, of her depor-tation from Hungary to the concentration

camp in Poland. “You can imagine that wasn’t that much.”

The family boarded onto a train filled with Jews, and soon the two girls were separated from their mother. They nev-er saw her again. Upon arrival, their belongings were put into piles, their hair was cut short, and they were giv-en clothing to wear. She recalls that the women in the camp were virtually “un-recognizable” from one another and was marked with the numbers “A6145.”

“We had no more names,” she said. “We were only numbers.”

Things got worse once they were trans-ferred to another camp. Her sister grew ill, leading Deutsch to pull grass from the ground and feed it to herself and her sister in the hope that it would help make her well. They survived that camp and were sent to Braunschweig, a recently bombed German city, to aid in cleaning it up. There, she and her sister

“A6145:” Holocaust Survivor Visits Sixth Graders at Six to Six Magnet School

The Green Team Upcycles Plastic Water Bottles

The Green Team, led by Eva Kibby and comprised of stu-dents from the third through sixth grades, spent the after-noon of Tuesday, March 1, thinking of new ways to reuse plastic water bottles as part of a recycling project. With scissors, markers, paint pens, and hot glue at their disposal, students became engineers and went to work. The team was able to create projects including cups, flowers, jewelry, and even tiny fairy furniture and a space station!

In addition, the students are taking on a project that will make them “citizen scientists.” As “citizen scientists” are wont to do, they will be conducting their own research.

Team members divided birdseed and ten birdfeeders – courtesy of Cornell University. The feeders will be placed outside of students’ windows at their homes and the stu-dents are responsible for monitoring them and seeing what birds come by and how frequently they visit, among other observations.

Next up for The Green Team is the “Cardboard Challenge,” where they will be constructing something entirely out of cardboard pieces. Members were already excitedly discuss-ing ideas for what they could build, so look out for what they create next!

100 Days of Schooland Counting...

Six to Six third graders aged overnight from eight years old to 100 in February as Kelly Montagna’s class celebrated the 100th day of school. In ad-dition to dressing as 100-year-olds, the students took part in a special math workshop. Students took turns at several 100-themed stations, includ-ing stacking and counting cups and tallying 100 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Calling all substitute teachers!

Six to Six is in need of qualified subsititute teachers. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and enjoy working with children. To apply, please visit the C.E.S. website, www.ces.k12.ct.us, and click the “Employment” tab in the drop-down menu “About C.E.S.”

Students Make Splash at Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

On Wednesday, March 9, Six to Six prekindergarten students visited the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk for the final of four science units taught in partnership with the aquarium staff. During the visit, students excitedly observed marine life, including otters, sharks, and jellyfish. The children even got to touch the stingrays! The Six to Six students also spent time in Maritime Aquarium classrooms learning about the differences between land and sea turtles. After the lesson, students were effectively able to recognize and explain the differences for themselves.

WWII Expert Visits Sixth Graders

Two days after meeting Holocaust survivor Betty Deutsch, sixth graders continued their World War II studies with a lesson on the tensions that led to the conflict and the bat-tle tactics used by the Axis and Allies. West Point graduate and Army veteran Daniel Head, who is the father of a Six to Six student, presented on the international politics and military history of World War II, from the Nazi invasion of

The visit marked the end of the unit between the prekin-dergarten and the aquarium. Previously, aquarium staff brought touch tanks to Six to Six for classroom visits, al-lowing the children to gently touch crabs and other sea life. The students also learned about seals and frogs during the classroom experiences.

Poland and the United Kingdom’s stand to the American entry into the war and the African, European, and Pacific theatres. Head led a discussion on the changes in weaponry and technology, shifts in tactics from World War I to World War II, and the major leadership for the militaries involved.

From the Principal’s Desk: Residency Verification Procedures for the 16-17 School Year

Dear Six to Six Families,

As you know, Six to Six students are accepted through a lottery based on town of residence. Each town then pays tuition for children to attend. As school budgets are tightening and state funding levels are uncertain, we are asking for additional verification to ensure our records contain accurate residency information.

For this reason, we will be requiring each family to submit a lease or mortgage statement and two utility bills to verify residency.

The documents can be copies and can be sent to the school in a child’s backpack or submitted via mail, email (nelmesa@ces.k12.ct.us), or fax (203-365-8240).

You will see a formal letter later this month reiterating this information. Please submit the required documents by 5/31/16. Please feel free to reach out to me if there are any questions 203-365-8200.

Sincerely,

Anna Nelmes-StoughtonPrincipal, Six to Six Magnet School

Afterschool students hone their cupcake skillsDuring the Six to Six afterschool program, students follow recipes to learn how to cook different types of food. Recently, cupcakes were on the menu as students learned how to bake the treats with band teacher and baker Mr. Fraleigh. Spanish teacher Mrs. Lombard then taught the students how to dec-orate their cupcakes. Students used decorating tools to create beautiful designs before eating their cupcakes as a reward.

Monday, March 15 - Thursday, March 17• Book Fair

Tuesday, March 15• 4th grade field trip to Eli Whitney

Museum, 9:15 a.m.

Wednesday, March 16 - Thursday, March 17• Early Dismissal - Parent/Teacher

Conference

Thursday, March 17• Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Wear green

Thursday, March 24• No school for students

Friday, March 25• Good Friday - School’s closed

Tuesday, March 29• 4th grade field trip to EESmarts, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wednesday, March 30• 7th grade field trip to Peabody

Museum, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, March 31• SPMT meeting, 7 a.m.• 3rd Grade Math Experience - RM 203, 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.Monday, April 4• Family STEM Night, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 5• 3rd grade field trip to The Institute

for American Indian Studies, 8:40 a.m. to 2 p.m.• 4th grade field trip to EESmarts, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday, April 11 - Friday, April 15• Spring Recess - School Closed

Wednesday, April 20• 2nd grade field trip to Webb

Mountain, 9 a.m.

Friday, April 22• Earth Day• Spring/Sibling Picture Day

Thursday, April 28• 3rd grade field trip to EESmarts, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.• 3rd Grade Math Experience - RM 203, 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Send an email with your newsletter items to Matt Engelhardt, C.E.S. PR/Marketing Specialist, at engelham@ces.k12.ct.us.

Trivia Time!Irish Influence

What NBA team draws its nickname from a culture of people who have deep roots in Ireland and across Europe?

1. New York Knicks2. Boston Celtics3. Los Angeles Lakers4. Cleveland Cavaliers5. Dallas Mavericks

Got News?

Last month:In what Roald Dahl story does a young girl escape the rotten treatment of the Trunchbull, her school’s nasty headmaster?Matilda

On the Calendar