UPCOMING WES EVENTS
Week of Monday May 7-11: Teacher Appreciation Week
Thursday, May 10 - 4th grade history fair at Woodstock History Center, 6pm
Thursday, May 10 - 4th grade history fair at Woodstock History Center, 6pm
Monday, May 14 - WES Board Meeting, WES library, 4:30pm
Monday, May 14 - WCUD Board Meeting, WCUD central office conference room, 6:30pm
Monday, May 14 - WCUD Board Meeting, WCUD central office conference room, 6:30pm
Wednesday, May 16 - Kindergarten Registration for incoming K students. 12-3pm. Please sign up for a time slot with Mr. Miles in the office.
Monday, May 28 - Memorial Day, no school
Wednesday, May 30 - May Day Sports Celebration, WES playground 10am
Thursday, May 31 - 6th grade play, Town Hall Theater, 6:30pm (daytime showing will occur for WES students/staff)
June 4-6 - 6th grade field end-of-year field trip to Sargent Center
Tuesday, June 5 - 5th grade to Shelburne Farms
Tuesday, June 12 - 6th grade promotion ceremony
Wednesday, June 13 - Last Day of School (half day, no after school program)
WES PARENTS INPUT NEEDED!
We want your feedback! How can Woodstock Elementary School better serve our students and families? We are looking for WES parent thoughts and suggestions. Please participate in this anonymous 10 question survey by May 31st. Participants may enter a drawing for a Woodstock Farmer's Market gift card. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY
LOST AND FOUND
Please ask your child to check the lost and found for unclaimed items before this Friday. We will be donating unclaimed items to the Listen Center after Friday.
AUTHOR VISIT at WUMSHS
The 4th, 5th, and 6th graders that attended the presentation by Jo Knowles enjoyed learning about her books and writing practice. Besides becoming inspired to read her books, writers took away many ideas to apply to their work. Thank you to Ms. Piccoli, WUHS librarian, for the invitation!
CONGRATULATIONS FITNESS TEAM COMPETITORS!
Celebrating Greece!
Students and staff celebrated the country of Greece during April World Flavors Day in the cafeteria. Brooke Piana, our adventurous art teacher worked with the 5th and 6th graders to create beautiful Grecian vases based on the students’ studies of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. The vases are displayed all around our cafeteria for anyone to see.
The Greek culture enjoys fresh vegetables much of the year because of the mild climate. They also enjoy a variety of meats and cheeses. Below is the recipe for Pastichio which was a pasta, meat, and cheese dish that our students and staff enjoyed during World Flavors Day!
Pastichio-adapted from Epicurious.com
The Meat Sauce (Serves 8)
- 1 ½ lbs. ground beef
- 1 large or 2 medium-sized yellow onion(s), finely dice
- 1/2 tsp. (5 ml.) dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml.) fresh strained tomato juice (or ¼ cup tomato paste diluted in 1½ cups of water.)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Pasta
- 1 lb. of Ziti
- 2 tbsp. (30ml.) Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 3 egg whites, beaten (the yolks will be used in the béchamel sauce)
- ¼ cup (60 ml.) grated Parmesan
- The Béchamel Sauce
- 4 cups (1 litre) of scalded milk
- 1 cup (250 ml.) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (180 ml.) grated Kefalotyri (or Parmesan cheese if you really cannot find the Greek cheese)
- ½ cup (125 ml.) of salted butter
- 3 egg yolks, well beaten
- ½ - 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Heat olive oil and sauté the diced onion. Add the ground beef to the pan and brown. Add the garlic, fresh tomato juice (or tomato paste diluted in water)with cinnamon,salt, pepper and bay leaves, Reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir the sauce occasionally. When ready, the meat will have absorbed the liquid in the pan. Remove the bay leaves. Cook the pasta until soft but not fully cooked (about 3/4 of the suggested cooking time) Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Slowly add the flour. Add the hot milk while continuing to constantly stir the butter and flour paste to ensure a smooth consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheese, nutmeg, pepper and egg yolks in that order while continuing to rapidly stir the mixture. Drain the water completely from the pasta pot and return pot with pasta to the heat, add the two tablespoons of olive oil to the pasta and mix well to ensure a thorough coating of oil. Remove the pot from the heat, let stand for a few minutes to cool and then add the egg whites along with the ¼ cup of grated Kefalotyri cheese and mix well. Rub a little olive into the sides and bottom of your baking dish, and then add about two-thirds of the pasta to the dish. Spread the meat sauce overtop of the bottom pasta layer. Add the remaining pasta overtop of the meat layer. Pour the béchamel sauce. Place the casserole uncovered at 350°F (180°C) and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove casserole from oven and set aside to cool before serving. This dish is best served on the following day after its baking. However, if you must eat it on the same day, make sure it has a chance to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting it into pieces. Do not make the mistake of cutting it before it has had a chance to cool. Cut it only when it has cooled, (ideally overnight in the refrigerator) and warm the pieces before serving.
