The Spofford Times
 
Excellence Starts with You |
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MIDWEEK MAILING
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Wednesday is backpack mail day!
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| Student Drop-off Notes
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It is very important that you do not enter the bus lane during either drop-off or pick-up.
No student should be dropped-off before 8:25 am (unless attending band,
chorus, or a scheduled extra-help session). There is no supervision
available before 8:30 am.
If you arrive at school before 8:25 am, please have your child wait in the car with you until 8:25 am.
Students who enter the building early will have to wait in the lobby, but will not be supervised until 8:25 am.
From Handbook, page 20:
Telephone calls to the school during the day regarding a dismissal change should be reserved for emergencies only and cannot be accommodated after 2:15 p.m.
each day due to difficulty reaching students in a timely manner. |
Boxford Elementary Schools
2008-2009 Calendar (Updated)
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Please download an updated calendar for the 2008-2009 school year. |
| NCLB Report Cards
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Please check out our 2007-2008 NCLB Report Cards:
Boxford
Cole School
Spofford Pond
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| Volume II, Issue: 10
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November 10, 2008
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Dear Spofford Pond Community,
You should have seen it - the election in school was fantastic. Mrs. Salerno's fourth grade class spent most of Monday, November 3, acting as election officials. There was a registration table, hosts, voting booths, a ballot box, and even stickers that read, "I Voted Today!" Well over 500 students and staff voted, and the results foreshadowed the national results. Senator Barack Obama won the Spofford Pond School Presidential Election.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Salerno and her students.
Have a great week.
Sincerely,
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Larry Fliegelman
Principal
lfliegelman@boxfordschools.org |
Some reminders...
Deliveries to School
For lunches that are delivered, we will set up a table next to the main
office. Students who forget their lunch will be taught to check at that
table on their way to the cafeteria. Likewise for other items brought
to the office. We will get a message to the teacher (who can then let
the child know about the delivery). We will only interrupt classes at
the end of the day for items left unclaimed.
Spofford Pond Calendar Online.
Just click here (also in the Quick Links box on the left).
Publication Notes
The
Spofford Times will be published each Monday for the entire school
year. There may be special editions as warranted. If you would like
your school related messages included in future issues of the Spofford
Times, please email me by 5pm on Thursdays. Plain text in the body of
an email is the simplest. I reserved the right to edit or deny
publication of any submissions.
As always, if you need to
unsubscribe from the Spofford Times, please click on the
SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.
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From the Art Room
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News from the Art Room
Calling all photographers, art-appreciators and computer-friendly volunteers!
Hello everyone! I am writing to let you know the exciting news that we have decided this year to participate in Artsonia, an online gallery of student work. For those you with students at Cole, you know how fantastic this program is, as an opportunity for students to share their work with others, purchase products decorated with student artwork, and also as a fundraising opportunity for the school. For those of you who have never heard of it, I encourage you to go online to www.artsonia.com and check it out.
In order to implement this program with a school this size, I am requesting the help of an ARTSONIA CREW. Duties will include taking photographs of student work, uploading images and record keeping. If any of these tasks sound appealing to you, please contact me Tuesday-Friday (Mondays I'm now at Steward School in Topsfield) at extension 114 or via email: ashmoredavis@boxfordschools.org. I look forward to hearing from you!
In other news, we have been very busy in the art room this year making fun and creative projects. Grade 3 is finishing up their Native American Kachina Dolls, Grade 4 has finished their color mixing techniques and applying what they've learned in their warm and cool Starry Night paintings based on Van Gogh's famous work, Grade 5 is finishing up a wonderful set of linoleum block prints of endangered animal portraits based on the work of Andy Warhol and Grade 6 finished their Mexican Day of the Dead skeletons, which was an interdisciplinary project with the Spanish department. They are now working on prehistoric 'cave art.'
WANTED: smocks for the art room. Large old men's shirts and lab coat style jackets work best. Students may prefer to bring in their own smock and store it in their locker to have to use on art day.
Thanks so much,
Bonnie Ashmore-Davis |
From the Spanish Room
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News from the Spanish Room
In October, Mrs. Careri's Spanish classes learned about the Day of the Dead, which is an important celebration observed in Mexico and other South and Central American countries. Skeletons are an important theme during this celebration and we used them to review our Spanish! The third grade classes made jointed skeletons and labeled all their body parts in Spanish. In 4th grade we made skeleton masks and the 5th graders made very creative pictures showing skeletons involved in everything from playing football to disco dancing! The 6th graders made skeletons in art class and then wrote about their creations in Spanish. They had to state their skeleton's name, age, birthday and then describe their physical and personality traits. |
From the Math Office
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Online Math League Reminder
The first Online Math League contest will meet on the following dates. The team will meet from 8:00 to 8:30 am in the art room at Spofford Pond. Email Ms.Yando at byando@boxfordschools.org if you have any questions.
Grade 5 Monday, Nov. 17th
Grade 4 Tuesday, Nov. 25th
Grade 3 Wednesday, Nov. 19th
Grade 6 Friday, Nov. 21st
After the first Online Math League contest has been completed go to www.academicleagues.com . Click on results and then choose the appropriate grade level for your child. You will be able to see how the grade level team performed, as well as your individual child. If you asked me to assign your child an ID number they will be given a sheet with their ID after completing the first contest.
All grade 3-6 students at Cole School are able to use the Online Math League practice area.
o Go to www.academicleagues.com
o Log in to gain access to the practice area which allows you to practice former contests.
o User Name: byando@boxfordschools.org
Password: math
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From the Health Office
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Scoliosis Screening
As part of our ongoing Health Program, and to comply with state Law, all fifth and sixth grade students are screened for scoliosis each year.
The screening takes place during the students' regular physical education class and is conducted by Mr. sparks and the school nurse. Girls are asked to wear a bathing suit or halter-top that will enable us to view the spine as much as possible. Te boys are asked to remove their shirts. Girls and boys are screened separately. The screening will take place the week of November 10th.
All students are expected to participate in this program unless we have a letter from his or her physician prior to the day of screening.
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Cole Preschool
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Cole School Integrated Preschool Open House
On Wednesday, November 19, 2008 the Cole School Integrated Preschool will host an Open House from 12:30pm - 1:30 pm (children welcome) or 6:00-7:00 pm (parents only). Interested parents/guardians may pick up registration materials at the Open House for any Boxford child who will be three years of age by September 1st, 2009. Registration closes at 3 pm on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. The snow date for the Open House is Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Registration would then close on Wednesday, December 10, 2008.
A public lottery will be held on December 5th (or December 12th if snow date is used) at 1:30 pm in the Cole School Cafeteria. The lottery process establishes a fair method of assigning students a number which establishes the order of consideration for placement into our preschool classes.
A preschool screening will be held on Wednesday, February 4th for children between the ages of 3 and 5 (and not entering Kindergarten in the Fall of 2009). If you have concerns about your child's development, please call us to set up an appointment.
Please contact Cole School at 978-887-2856 if you have any questions. |
School Closing Policy
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2008/2009 TOPSFIELD/BOXFORD/MIDDLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSINGS/NO SCHOOL POLICY
It is our practice to have schools remain in session whenever possible. However, bad weather conditions or other emergency situations will occasionally require that schools be closed, be delayed opening or be dismissed early.
Announcements of no school, delayed openings or early dismissal are given to:
WBZ - TV Channel 4
WBZ - Radio 1030 AM
WCVB - TV Channel 5
WHDH - TV Channel 7
WFXT - TV Channel 25
The Superintendent of Schools will use the Connect-Ed Notification System to inform families of school closings or delayed openings no later than 6:00 a.m. A message will also be posted on the school district's website (www.tritownschoolunion.com).
All parents are urged to use their own judgement in sending their children to school during stormy weather. Even though school is in session, a parent may choose to keep his/her child at home because of neighborhood hazards or conditions. Any child who remains at home under these circumstances will be given full opportunity to make up any work and no penalty will be attached to such absences.
In those cases where it is necessary to close school earlier than the regular dismissal time for such reasons as weather conditions, power failure, or heating plant failure, announcements will be made to the same radio/T.V. stations listed above. The Connect-Ed Notification System will also be activated to communicate to all listed contacts.
Whenever a parent cannot be reached, the child will be kept at the school under the supervision of the building principal. No student will be dismissed unless we are confident they will be under the safe supervision of an adult once home.
TRANSPORTATION - SPECIAL WINTER CONDITIONS
The School Department, on a temporary basis, will provide additional bus stops on some existing routes if winter storms impact safety conditions due to excessive snow banks. Parents will be alerted when the additional stops will be activated until conditions improve. |
| Upcoming Events |
Tue. 11/11 - No School, Veteran's Day
Thu. 11/20 - PTO Spaghetti Supper
Thu. & Fri. 11/27&28 - No School, Thanksgiving Holiday
Thu. 12/4 - Winter Band Concert
Mon. 12/8 - Term I Report Cards Distributed
Tue. & Thu. 12/9&11 - Early Release, Parent Conferences
Tue. 12/9 - Chorus Concert
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Check out the complete Online Spofford Calendar - http://tinyurl.com/294h36
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News from Parent-led Organizations |
| PTO |
The Directories Are Here!
By now all those who joined the PTO have received your directories. You can still join the PTO and receive a PTO Directory - just send your form and membership check via post to Cora Wong, 28 Campground Road, Boxford, MA 01921. Once processed, you'll receive your Directory and complimentary bus pad via backpack. We will be printing an addendum to the Directory by the end of the calendar year for those families who would still like to join the PTO and be included in the Directory.
Again, many thanks to Cora Wong, who worked tirelessly to put the directories together and make them even more user-friendly than before. We are also deeply grateful to our advertisers, who covered the cost of publication so that PTO could save our funds for curriculum enrichment. We hope that you will consider these local businesses whenever you have need of the services they provide.
PTO Spaghetti Supper
The PTO's annual Spaghetti Supper will be held Thursday November 20 from 6:00 - 8:30pm in the Spofford Cafeteria. The meal is free and so is the entertainment! Families will be serenaded by members of our beloved Spofford Pond Band, followed by local band the Goodhues, sponsored by the Boxford Cultural Council. We will also be collecting non-perishable items for local food pantries, just in time for the beginning of the holidays. Flyers will come home soon; please let us know if you plan to attend.
Shopping for a Cause
The Simon Evening of Giving will take place Sunday November 23 at any local Simon Mall (North Shore, Burlington, etc). For a $10 ticket, you can enter the mall after it has closed to the public, and get all your holiday shopping done in one night. $7 of every ticket goes to the PTO; the other $3 supports the Simon Youth Foundation, so you can kick off the season feeling good about helping two worthy causes. It makes for a fun ladies' night out at the mall, or a less crowded way to get all of your Christmas shopping done! And you will more than make up your investment in the deals offered by all of the mall stores that night! Tickets will be sold at pickup starting November 3, or contact Susan Dwyer (sdwyer@chairlooms.com) or Virg Baker (virgbaker@verizon.net), or any PTO Board member.
High School Musical 2 Cast Visit!
If you're thinking of buying tickets to High School Musical 2 at the North Shore Music Theatre, now is the time to do so! The school which purchases the most tickets can win a visit from the cast! They'll come to our school and teach us some dance moves! High School Musical 2 is coming to the North Shore Music Theatre Dec. 18 - Jan. 11. Tickets are on sale now, and for every ticket you buy, your PTO can earn $10. All you have to do is use the Boxford PTO code, FBE1, when ordering. You can purchase tickets online at www.nsmt.org, or call 978-232-7200. Don't forget to use our code, FBE1.
Box Tops
We continue to collect BoxTops for Education, Tyson's Project A+ Labels, and Campbell's Labels for Education (which are also on Pepperidge Farm, Swansons, Prego and V8 labels). You can drop any of these box tops or labels in the BoxTops bins at the entrances of both schools; as long as you label them with your child's name and teacher, they will count toward your classroom totals. Remember, every clipping means money for our school - last year we made over $1000 on BoxTops alone!
Genevieve's
It isn't too late to help your school by ordering from Genevieve's on line. Simply go to www.genevieves.com. At checkout, enter our school account number: Cole #10490, Spofford #4470, student's name, teacher and grade. Remember, Boxford PTO gets 50% of everything you spend! Orders should be arriving within the next week! Thank you
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6th Grade Activities Committee
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The 6th Grade Activities Committee is asking families of 6thGraders to help solicit donations for the 6th Grade Calendar Raffle which will take place in February. Each day of February a prizewill be drawn by the students. Please consider soliciting items orgift certificates from local businesses, or donating items or cashto this raffle. Please contact Janet Votze atjanet.votze@alpiusa.com and Wendy Favazza atwendy.favazza@gmail.com. This is a fun fundraising activity that the children will enjoy. The classroom that sells the most raffletickets will have a pizza party in February. A handout with fullinformation was sent out in the 11/5 backpack mail. |
Band Parents
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Our band raffle is officially underway!
All students in the band program were provided information about the raffle last week. If you have not seen anything yet, please check the backpack! Please be sure to get your purchased tickets back to school by Monday, December 1st. Our drawings will take place at the Masco concert on Thursday, December 4th. Please let us know if you do not have the letter and raffle tickets we passed out last week and we will be sure to get them to you. Please do not hesitate to contact Sandy Drohosky (978) 887-7030 with any questions you may have about our raffle. |
Tri-Town SEPAC
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Understanding Special Education Laws and Parent's Rights
Thursday, November 13th, 7:00-9:00pm
Topsfield Public Library
This two hour Basic Rights Workshop created and led by the Federation for Children with Special Needs, provides families from Boxford, Topsfield and Middleton with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The workshop will help parents learn how to be effective partners with the school, advocate for their child, understand eligibility for special education and to plan, make decisions and to monitor the educational progress of their child. Time will be allowed for a question/answer period at the conclusion of the workshop. This seminar is sponsored by the Tri-Town Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Call Linda at 978.887.4119 to register.
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News from Around Town
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Tri-Town Council
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Bradford After School Ski Program
Tri-Town Council is pleased to again offer the After School Ski Program. Registration will be held on, MONDAY, November 10th and THURSDAY, November 13th from 6:30- 8:00 PM in the SPOFFORD POND SCHOOL LOBBY. All sign up forms will be available that night.
The ski program is open to Spofford Pond students in grades 3 through 6. The program will run (6) Wednesday nights from 3 - 6. The program is expected to start on January 7th, weather permitting. A one-way bus will be provided from Spofford directly after school. All students must be picked up at Bradford at 5:45!
For more information please call Debbie Adam at 352-9677. The program is sponsored by the Tri-Town Council on Youth and Family Services.
Self-Esteem in Tweens: How Parents & Educators Can Make a Difference.
Presented by Deb Dunham, Wednesday 11/12/08, 7PM Proctor School, Topsfield
Every child deserves the benefits of high self-esteem including resiliency, emotional well-being and a sense of self-worth. Yet the prevalence of low self-esteem in adolescents and pre-adolescents is unsettling. In this program Boxford resident Deb Dunham will provide practical insights and simple, yet powerful recommendations that parents/guardians & educators of students ages 9-12 can implement at home and in the classroom. Please visit the TTC website for details or contact Lisa Teichner lteichner@tritowncouncil.org.
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Friends of the Boxford Town Libraries
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Sports Equipment Sale
November 15, 9-11:30 am, Proctor School
The and the Topsfield Elementary School PTO host this popular annual fundraising event which enables interested participants to consign goods or purchase items at bargain prices, while helping raise funds in support of educational programs. The consignor receives 70% of the purchase and a tax-deduction for the remaining 30%.
Sale items include ski, hockey, soccer, baseball, tennis and fitness equipment, camping and fishing gear, bikes, sleds, snowshoes, water skis, roller blades, helmets, golf clubs, apparel... and the list goes on! Wenham Sports Stop and Western Cycles will join the sale to sell new and used inventory including skis, snow boards, bikes, helmets, accessories and more.
To consign, simply bring your items in good condition to the Proctor School, 60 Main Street in Topsfield, on Friday, November 14th, the night before the sale, between 4 and 7 pm (pricing assistance will be available and donated goods are welcome). The next day, Saturday, November 15th, arrive between 9am and 11:30am to shop. Items unsold and not retrieved at the end of the sale will be donated to charity.
Contact Martha Roberts (Friends of the Boxford Town Libraries) at 978-887-4227 with any questions or if you are interested in volunteering. Volunteers have the opportunity to shop before the sale opens to the public. |
| Notice of Non-Discrimination
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| All programs, activities, and employment opportunities engaged in by
the Boxford Public Schools are offered without regard to race, color,
sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and disability. |
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