Columbus Elementary February 2013 Newsletter
Content
FEBRUARY 2013
VOLUME 6
Columbus News
COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155
Hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already behind us. Please be sure to check out the school website to see Columbus students in all kinds of school event photographs; most recently - our fun Crazy Hair Day. In honor of this most recent Spirit Day our families donated over 200 food items for the Food Pantry. We thank Mrs. Zotter for delivering them on our behalf. Be sure to watch for posters hung up around the school made by Dr. Galluzzo’s second grade class reminding all to keep the Food Pantry donations coming. Speaking of donations, through your generosity, Columbus Elementary School sent a check for $695.34 to the Sandy Hook PTA in Connecticut, along with the beautiful snowflakes our students created. Thanks to ALL who contributed to this effort. Special thanks to Mrs. DeRosa and her husband for helping to count all the donated spare change. Please join me for this month’s Principal Coffee Hour on February 14th in the Columbus Cafeteria from 9:15am-10:15am. Samantha Fonseca-Moreira, Coordinator of the Safe Routes to School organization will be our guest speaker. She will introduce us to an event we will participate in on May 1st, and hopefully with your support, we can continue once a month next year.
Principal’s Corner
any changes to your telephone number.
NutriKids - Point of
implemented by the Medford Food Service Department in all Medford schools. It began at the Columbus on January 25 , 2013. You should have received a POS explanation notice, along with your child’s student ID number the second to last week in January. Please help your child learn his/her ID number, while also teaching him/her NOT to share this number with anyone. This is your child’s number until they leave the Medford Public Schools. This system will make servicing lunch much more efficient each day. Parents can readily add funds to your child’s account by mailing a check to the Medford Food Services. You may continue to send your child with money each day, but adding money directly to the account cuts down on the likelihood that money will be lost. Funds are tracked and once your child enters his/her pin their account registers on a screen and the appropriate amount is deducted from the account. You can send money for one meal, a week, a month or a full year’s worth; the amount is up to you. This system was used in my old school and the children really took to it very quickly...if their number was practiced at home. Thank you for your support in this endeavor.
Sale System is being
WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US
Time again to clean out our When your child is out sick bins. Please be sure to please call 781.393.2177, and check our Lost & Found then dial extension #3503 to spaces before Winter Valeave your message. Please send your cation after which we will be donating all child back to school with a note stating left items to charity. Also, please LABEL the reason for absence and if your child ALL items belonging to your child. This is visits the doctor be sure to return your the only way we can return lost things. child to school with a doctor’s note to verWishing you all a great month. ify that visit. This verification enables us to record the absence as excused. By State Law, over abundant absences must be reported. Also, our School IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS Messenger automated voice messaging system, will be calling your phone * TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 number on record when your child is * FAX : 781.393.2187 absent. This is a safe guard to ensure that both parties are aware of * NURSE : 781.393.2175 this absence. Please be sure to inform the office if there have been * ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.2177, ext #3503
Telephone Changes -
Lost & Found
Kathleen Kay
February 2
Groundhog Day Ben Rudnick & Friends, McGlynn Elementary School, Sponsored by the McGlynn School Council & Medford Family Network, 9:00am-11:00am, $5.00 per person. Super Bowl Sunday Not Your Average Joe’s Fund Raiser. Don’t cook today! Why not dine in or out? Bring PTO flyer and 15% of in-take is donated to Columbus Elementary School
February 3
February 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th
February 6th, 13th, & 27th Early Release Day - Dismissal at 1:30pm February 7 February 13 February 14 Kindergarten Parent/Teacher Conferences, by teacher appointment, 5:30pm-7:30pm School Council Meeting, 6:30pm, Conference Room Valentine’s Day & Spirit Day, Be a Good Friend - Go out of your way to do something kind for a school mate today. We are also accepting donations for the Food Pantry. Principal’s Coffee Hour, 9:15am-10:15am, Columbus Cafeteria February 18-22 February 25 WINTER BREAK-No School School Resumes
Preparing Students for State Assessments Assessment time is coming soon and it is stressful for students. One of the most important things that teachers and parents can do when helping prepare students for state assessments is to help them keep their stress level down and build their confidence up. Dr. Carol N. Brown, Director of Secondary Learning and Accountability with the DeSoto Independent School District in Texas, says in order to prepare students for the tests, it's important to make sure they know and understand the format of the test and the types of questions that will be asked. "Make sure all concepts are taught prior to the assessment, with practice questions covering all of the concepts," Brown says. "And be sure to build the students' confidence so they can and will do well on the assessment." Teachers can help students in the classroom by reviewing and practicing the various types of questions on the assessment and continually encouraging students to do their best. Practice MCAS questions are found on the DESE website at http:// www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/. Fun activities are another way to get the students' minds off the big days. Consider stressrelieving exercises and fun activities to motivate students. "Tell them you have faith in them too," says Brown. "It makes a difference." She suggests parents get involved when it comes to helping their children prepare. They, too, should have faith that their child will do well on the state assessment test and they need to let the child know it. Encourage and reward your child. "One of the biggest problems I have seen students encounter before taking state assessment tests is definitely in the confidence area," concludes Brown. "Sometimes they have taken tests before and they have not done well, and they assume it will be the same this time. Be sure to work on confidence as much as the concepts assessed." See the next of this newsletter for the 2013 MCAS Assessment Schedule. Please do your very best to send your child to school on their assigned testing dates.
FEBRUARY Page 2
MCAS Assessment Dates 2013
ELA Tuesday, March 19th 4th Grade Long Composition Thursday & Friday, March 21st & 22nd Grade 5 ELA, two sessions. Monday & Tuesday, March 25th & 26th Grade 3 ELA, two sessions. Thursday, March 28th & Monday, April 1st (due to holiday 3/29) Grade 4 ELA MATH Monday & Tuesday, May 6th & 7th Grade 5 MATH, two sessions Thursday & Friday, May 9th & 10th Grade 3 MATH, two sessions Monday & Tuesday, May 13th & 14th Grade 4 MATH, two sessions SCIENCE, ENGINERING & TECHNOLOGY Thursday & Friday, May 16th & 17th Grade 5 SCIENCE, two sessions
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 2013-2014
Kindergarten Enrollment is for children who will be five (5) years of age – by August 31, 2013. Where: Parent Information Center located in the main lobby at Medford High School (489 Winthrop Street). When: Weeks of April 1st, April 8th, and April 22nd, 2013 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm or April 9th and 23rd, 2013 from 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
Connect with Your Family
One of the biggest challenges of today's time-pressed parents is having quality time with their children. Fostering a true connection with kids and family doesn't always have to mean scaling back your work hours or stepping off the career fast track. Try these suggestions to stay connected: Hold weekly family meetings. Use these meetings to schedule everyone's activities for the week, from school meetings and athletic events to family outings. Give your kids a say on decisions; it reminds them they are an integral part of the family. Share your child's interests. Yes, that means enduring their rap music on the family-room stereo. Get them subscriptions to magazines associated with their hobbies or activities, and commit to reading at least one kid-related article each month to stay abreast of their world. Share your work with them. Bring them to your workplace. Show them what you do and how your work relates to the entire organization. When you have a particular success at work, celebrate it with your family.
BOOK &
MOVIE REVIEW
Groundhog Weather School, by Joan Holub. Ages 4-8. When the annual Groundhog Day forecast proves inaccurate in Rabbit’s locale, he encourages Professor Groundhog to open a weather school with students from around the continent. Soon they gather to begin their lessons in GeHOGgraphy, Famous Furry HOGnosicators, nature’s weather predictors, burrow construction, seasons, and shadows. Finally, they graduate and head back home to hibernate until the big day. Although a good bit of information about groundhogs is tucked into the text, captions, and speech balloons, the approach is so varied and so often witty that children will absorb the facts effortlessly. One clever double-page spread shows six animals checking off whether they have what it takes to be a weather forecaster (i.e., a groundhog), while another shows four students in panels, month by month, from October to February 2. The amusing illustrations, colorful paintings digitally collaged with found objects and papers, set the tone for this inviting introduction to groundhogs and the holiday named for them. Reviewed by Carolyn Phelan.
The Parent Special Education Advisory Board (SEPAC) shares this information and resources: Produced by Harvard Graduate School of Education (September 2012) a valuable resource: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/ family-engagement-and-children-with-disabilities-a-resource-guide-for-educators-and-parents On February 27th from 7:00pm-9:00pm the Medford SEPAC will be hosting a screening of the documentary "Including Samuel" in the Marsha Caron theatre at MHS. Shot and produced over four years, Dan Habib's award-winning documentary film chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. You can see a trailer for the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfg1pswiOgM. An announcement for the screening is attached. Melanie McLaughlin, Chair and Adrienne Szafranski, Co-Chair, Medford SEPAC, "Where Everyone Belongs"
Nurse’s Corner…. Activities for Teaching Nutrition ~ Mrs. Roberto, RN, BSN, NCSN
The time to start teaching children about good nutrition is when they are small, before unhealthy habits become a way of life. Start preschool and kindergartner children off with games, songs, poems, and fun snacks they can make at home. Look for opportunities to take them to farms, gardens, and orchards to learn where food comes from. For a special occasion, plan some time that allows children to make and eat healthy snacks. For young kids, try to arrange a trip to a dairy farm for a live milking demonstration. Follow up with ice cream making. Have your child pour a half cup of milk, one-fourth teaspoon of vanilla, and one-fourth of a banana into a pint-sized bag that closes securely. Squeeze the banana to mash it. Zip the bag and put this bag inside a gallon-sized one. Fill the larger bag half full of ice; add six tablespoons of salt, and zip shut. Shake those bags (put some music on to add to the fun) for about five minutes to make ice cream. Older elementary students are ready to learn about the food pyramid, calories, and the energy provided by food. Do Internet searches on nutrition to find interactive games they can play. One site with many games, lesson plans, and printable activities and worksheets is www.nourishinteractive.com. This site has free online tools and includes videos with demonstrations on healthy eating plans, exercise, and more. The Dairy Council of California, www.dairycouncilofca.org, also has free resources for teachers, kids, and teens. It has print materials and tools the kids can use on home or school computers. The special dairy section has facts and myths, along with recipes and meal-planning guidelines. Happy, healthy eating!
Page 4
VOLUME 6
Columbus News
COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155
Hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already behind us. Please be sure to check out the school website to see Columbus students in all kinds of school event photographs; most recently - our fun Crazy Hair Day. In honor of this most recent Spirit Day our families donated over 200 food items for the Food Pantry. We thank Mrs. Zotter for delivering them on our behalf. Be sure to watch for posters hung up around the school made by Dr. Galluzzo’s second grade class reminding all to keep the Food Pantry donations coming. Speaking of donations, through your generosity, Columbus Elementary School sent a check for $695.34 to the Sandy Hook PTA in Connecticut, along with the beautiful snowflakes our students created. Thanks to ALL who contributed to this effort. Special thanks to Mrs. DeRosa and her husband for helping to count all the donated spare change. Please join me for this month’s Principal Coffee Hour on February 14th in the Columbus Cafeteria from 9:15am-10:15am. Samantha Fonseca-Moreira, Coordinator of the Safe Routes to School organization will be our guest speaker. She will introduce us to an event we will participate in on May 1st, and hopefully with your support, we can continue once a month next year.
Principal’s Corner
any changes to your telephone number.
NutriKids - Point of
implemented by the Medford Food Service Department in all Medford schools. It began at the Columbus on January 25 , 2013. You should have received a POS explanation notice, along with your child’s student ID number the second to last week in January. Please help your child learn his/her ID number, while also teaching him/her NOT to share this number with anyone. This is your child’s number until they leave the Medford Public Schools. This system will make servicing lunch much more efficient each day. Parents can readily add funds to your child’s account by mailing a check to the Medford Food Services. You may continue to send your child with money each day, but adding money directly to the account cuts down on the likelihood that money will be lost. Funds are tracked and once your child enters his/her pin their account registers on a screen and the appropriate amount is deducted from the account. You can send money for one meal, a week, a month or a full year’s worth; the amount is up to you. This system was used in my old school and the children really took to it very quickly...if their number was practiced at home. Thank you for your support in this endeavor.
Sale System is being
WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US
Time again to clean out our When your child is out sick bins. Please be sure to please call 781.393.2177, and check our Lost & Found then dial extension #3503 to spaces before Winter Valeave your message. Please send your cation after which we will be donating all child back to school with a note stating left items to charity. Also, please LABEL the reason for absence and if your child ALL items belonging to your child. This is visits the doctor be sure to return your the only way we can return lost things. child to school with a doctor’s note to verWishing you all a great month. ify that visit. This verification enables us to record the absence as excused. By State Law, over abundant absences must be reported. Also, our School IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS Messenger automated voice messaging system, will be calling your phone * TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 number on record when your child is * FAX : 781.393.2187 absent. This is a safe guard to ensure that both parties are aware of * NURSE : 781.393.2175 this absence. Please be sure to inform the office if there have been * ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.2177, ext #3503
Telephone Changes -
Lost & Found
Kathleen Kay
February 2
Groundhog Day Ben Rudnick & Friends, McGlynn Elementary School, Sponsored by the McGlynn School Council & Medford Family Network, 9:00am-11:00am, $5.00 per person. Super Bowl Sunday Not Your Average Joe’s Fund Raiser. Don’t cook today! Why not dine in or out? Bring PTO flyer and 15% of in-take is donated to Columbus Elementary School
February 3
February 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th
February 6th, 13th, & 27th Early Release Day - Dismissal at 1:30pm February 7 February 13 February 14 Kindergarten Parent/Teacher Conferences, by teacher appointment, 5:30pm-7:30pm School Council Meeting, 6:30pm, Conference Room Valentine’s Day & Spirit Day, Be a Good Friend - Go out of your way to do something kind for a school mate today. We are also accepting donations for the Food Pantry. Principal’s Coffee Hour, 9:15am-10:15am, Columbus Cafeteria February 18-22 February 25 WINTER BREAK-No School School Resumes
Preparing Students for State Assessments Assessment time is coming soon and it is stressful for students. One of the most important things that teachers and parents can do when helping prepare students for state assessments is to help them keep their stress level down and build their confidence up. Dr. Carol N. Brown, Director of Secondary Learning and Accountability with the DeSoto Independent School District in Texas, says in order to prepare students for the tests, it's important to make sure they know and understand the format of the test and the types of questions that will be asked. "Make sure all concepts are taught prior to the assessment, with practice questions covering all of the concepts," Brown says. "And be sure to build the students' confidence so they can and will do well on the assessment." Teachers can help students in the classroom by reviewing and practicing the various types of questions on the assessment and continually encouraging students to do their best. Practice MCAS questions are found on the DESE website at http:// www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/. Fun activities are another way to get the students' minds off the big days. Consider stressrelieving exercises and fun activities to motivate students. "Tell them you have faith in them too," says Brown. "It makes a difference." She suggests parents get involved when it comes to helping their children prepare. They, too, should have faith that their child will do well on the state assessment test and they need to let the child know it. Encourage and reward your child. "One of the biggest problems I have seen students encounter before taking state assessment tests is definitely in the confidence area," concludes Brown. "Sometimes they have taken tests before and they have not done well, and they assume it will be the same this time. Be sure to work on confidence as much as the concepts assessed." See the next of this newsletter for the 2013 MCAS Assessment Schedule. Please do your very best to send your child to school on their assigned testing dates.
FEBRUARY Page 2
MCAS Assessment Dates 2013
ELA Tuesday, March 19th 4th Grade Long Composition Thursday & Friday, March 21st & 22nd Grade 5 ELA, two sessions. Monday & Tuesday, March 25th & 26th Grade 3 ELA, two sessions. Thursday, March 28th & Monday, April 1st (due to holiday 3/29) Grade 4 ELA MATH Monday & Tuesday, May 6th & 7th Grade 5 MATH, two sessions Thursday & Friday, May 9th & 10th Grade 3 MATH, two sessions Monday & Tuesday, May 13th & 14th Grade 4 MATH, two sessions SCIENCE, ENGINERING & TECHNOLOGY Thursday & Friday, May 16th & 17th Grade 5 SCIENCE, two sessions
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 2013-2014
Kindergarten Enrollment is for children who will be five (5) years of age – by August 31, 2013. Where: Parent Information Center located in the main lobby at Medford High School (489 Winthrop Street). When: Weeks of April 1st, April 8th, and April 22nd, 2013 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm or April 9th and 23rd, 2013 from 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
Connect with Your Family
One of the biggest challenges of today's time-pressed parents is having quality time with their children. Fostering a true connection with kids and family doesn't always have to mean scaling back your work hours or stepping off the career fast track. Try these suggestions to stay connected: Hold weekly family meetings. Use these meetings to schedule everyone's activities for the week, from school meetings and athletic events to family outings. Give your kids a say on decisions; it reminds them they are an integral part of the family. Share your child's interests. Yes, that means enduring their rap music on the family-room stereo. Get them subscriptions to magazines associated with their hobbies or activities, and commit to reading at least one kid-related article each month to stay abreast of their world. Share your work with them. Bring them to your workplace. Show them what you do and how your work relates to the entire organization. When you have a particular success at work, celebrate it with your family.
BOOK &
MOVIE REVIEW
Groundhog Weather School, by Joan Holub. Ages 4-8. When the annual Groundhog Day forecast proves inaccurate in Rabbit’s locale, he encourages Professor Groundhog to open a weather school with students from around the continent. Soon they gather to begin their lessons in GeHOGgraphy, Famous Furry HOGnosicators, nature’s weather predictors, burrow construction, seasons, and shadows. Finally, they graduate and head back home to hibernate until the big day. Although a good bit of information about groundhogs is tucked into the text, captions, and speech balloons, the approach is so varied and so often witty that children will absorb the facts effortlessly. One clever double-page spread shows six animals checking off whether they have what it takes to be a weather forecaster (i.e., a groundhog), while another shows four students in panels, month by month, from October to February 2. The amusing illustrations, colorful paintings digitally collaged with found objects and papers, set the tone for this inviting introduction to groundhogs and the holiday named for them. Reviewed by Carolyn Phelan.
The Parent Special Education Advisory Board (SEPAC) shares this information and resources: Produced by Harvard Graduate School of Education (September 2012) a valuable resource: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/ family-engagement-and-children-with-disabilities-a-resource-guide-for-educators-and-parents On February 27th from 7:00pm-9:00pm the Medford SEPAC will be hosting a screening of the documentary "Including Samuel" in the Marsha Caron theatre at MHS. Shot and produced over four years, Dan Habib's award-winning documentary film chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. You can see a trailer for the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfg1pswiOgM. An announcement for the screening is attached. Melanie McLaughlin, Chair and Adrienne Szafranski, Co-Chair, Medford SEPAC, "Where Everyone Belongs"
Nurse’s Corner…. Activities for Teaching Nutrition ~ Mrs. Roberto, RN, BSN, NCSN
The time to start teaching children about good nutrition is when they are small, before unhealthy habits become a way of life. Start preschool and kindergartner children off with games, songs, poems, and fun snacks they can make at home. Look for opportunities to take them to farms, gardens, and orchards to learn where food comes from. For a special occasion, plan some time that allows children to make and eat healthy snacks. For young kids, try to arrange a trip to a dairy farm for a live milking demonstration. Follow up with ice cream making. Have your child pour a half cup of milk, one-fourth teaspoon of vanilla, and one-fourth of a banana into a pint-sized bag that closes securely. Squeeze the banana to mash it. Zip the bag and put this bag inside a gallon-sized one. Fill the larger bag half full of ice; add six tablespoons of salt, and zip shut. Shake those bags (put some music on to add to the fun) for about five minutes to make ice cream. Older elementary students are ready to learn about the food pyramid, calories, and the energy provided by food. Do Internet searches on nutrition to find interactive games they can play. One site with many games, lesson plans, and printable activities and worksheets is www.nourishinteractive.com. This site has free online tools and includes videos with demonstrations on healthy eating plans, exercise, and more. The Dairy Council of California, www.dairycouncilofca.org, also has free resources for teachers, kids, and teens. It has print materials and tools the kids can use on home or school computers. The special dairy section has facts and myths, along with recipes and meal-planning guidelines. Happy, healthy eating!
Page 4
