|
|
Spofford Times Newsletter |
Greetings!
As we move further into the first trimester of school, I'd like to take a moment to emphasize the word balance. The pace of the curriculum starts to pick up as we move further into this month and that has brought the word balance to my mind for students and families in our school community. I think that balance in life for children and adults is critical and yet can challenge many people. Schedules can become hectic for families with children engaging in multiple after school activities. There are so many diverse opportunities for children to take advantage today, whether it is swim team, football, karate, dance, or art classes, all of which are wonderful and yet with so many choices, children and families are challenged with decision making and balance. Sticking to the one activity or one sport per season rule seems to help some families strike a balance while at the same time keeping children engaged and active. Without balance, anxiety and stress can enter into the lives of children at very young ages (not to mention parents!). It seems that the finding the right pace in our lives can help to promote wellness and alleviate stress. As children get older, finding their niche outside of school in extra curricular activities is an important part of self-discovery and self-concept. Children can be encouraged to be more selective about how they spend time outside of school and how they expend their energy. Focusing children on an activity that gives them satisfaction, whether it's the social opportunity or the chance to compete, children can find new ways of growing and stretching themselves. The key to success in all of this, is to remember to find a way to teach your child about doing enough to find satisfaction and not over-doing. Halloween Information (second publication of this information): The end of this month brings, Halloween for the children. At Spofford Pond School, for the past few years, I understand that children have had the option of wearing costumes. Children may have the option of wearing a costume on Halloween, they may also opt to wear black and orange clothing that day or they may choose to not dress up at all. If children do dress up or wear orange and black, we ask that children bring in a canned food that we will, as a school, donate to a local food bank. On that day we will also have a student assembly for our anti-bullying program, Olweus. Orange is the color for anti-bullying so this coincides nicely with the festivities. Throughout the year, the student council and I will work together to have a few school spirit days and much like on Halloween this year, I will invite students who participate to bring a canned good that our school can donate to a local food bank. This is an easy and fun way for children to get involved in school events with the spirit of giving to others. We hope that these opportunities bring us together as school community and together as part of the larger community around us. I hope you all enjoy the week! Sincerely, Kathryn Nikas
|
Grade Four News!
|
Our fourth graders are looking forward to their first field trip of the year during the week of October 31st. Classes will be visiting the Lowell Boot Mill for experiential learning that reinforces our current study of immigration. Parents are encouraged to send in their permission slips and payments as soon as possible.
Now that we are approaching the two-month mark of school, writing workshops are well underway. You may have heard the phrase "Show, don't tell" from your child. This refers to the use of strong verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and figurative language to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Students are encouraged to write with this purpose in mind so that the reader can imagine or get a clear image of what the writer is trying to communicate. You can encourage your own budding authors to write with detail by asking questions to help you "see" or clarify when their writing is not clear.
|
Coming Soon! Student Council News!
|
Student Council News!!! Be on the look-out for a monthly column written for students by students! This is student news happening in our school!
|
 Help Wanted! |
Spofford Pond School Recess/Cafeteria Monitor: We are looking for one more person to work with students during lunch and recess. The position is five days per week. This would be Monday through Friday from 11:15 until 1:15pm. Inquiries for this position can be made via email to Kathryn Nikas at knikas@boxfordschools.org Thanks! The Proctor School Food Service Department has 2 openings. These positions are 5 days a week. They are paid positions. Responsibilities will include preparing and serving lunch to students and clean up at the end of lunch. Substitute positions are also available. Food service experience is helpful. Please contact Susan Bodwell at Proctor School at sbodwell@tritownschoolunion.com |
|
Music and Chorus News...
| 
Chorus News:
Our Holiday Choral Concert will be Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM. Students must arrive at Masco at 6:27 PM for warm ups. Concert dress is to be nice holiday clothes and nice shoes. Please be aware that short (mini) skirts will not be allowed. Short skirts and leggings will not suffice, as the students will be on the risers. We want our students to look both professional and appropriate. Holiday accessories are wonderful and encouraged, but please refrain from accessories that sing and play music. Thank you! Mrs. Galardi Third Grade Music Dear Parents, Please help your child remember to take his/her recorder to school on their music day. Students who forget their instrument will not be able to partake in the recorder playing activity during music. They will instead be assigned an alternative assignment which consists of worksheets. A good way for kids to remember their instrument, and this has been reviewed in class many times, is to have them put their recorder in their backpack after every practice session. Remember, they should only practice on the days that they eat! Students who forget their recorder more than 3 times per grading period will receive a lower grade in "Effort" in general music. The school does not supply extra recorders for those who forget to bring their own. It is your child's responsibility to remember their instrument, just like their homework. In this way we can ensure our students are staying on top of their work and are being successful in every music class. Thank you! Mrs. Galardi Mr. Turner Masco Music Programs Event Appliance & Electronic Recycling Event at Masco on October 29 Do you have old computers, electronic toys, televisions, snowblowers and appliances cluttering up your garage, attic or basement? Here is the opportunity to safely, easily and responsibly dispose of them and help support the Music programs and Music Parents scholarship fund at the Masconomet Middle and High School. For a small fee anyone can bring old and broken items ranging from computer monitors and lawnmowers to hot water heaters to the Masco parking lot on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The recycling fees range from $5 for a shoebox up to $25 for wood-cased televisions or those larger than 32 inches. No propane tanks can be accepted and lawnmowers and snowblowers must be emptied of gasoline. Masco parents and students will be available to pick up items prior to the event by calling 978-352-7315 and volunteers will help people unload their car when they come into recycle. All proceeds benefit the music scholarship program. |
Math News!
|
The school year is off and running! Our Math Department has a variety of programs that are starting up in October. I have listed the following schedules for your reference. Morning Math Grade 3 - Wednesdays from 8-8:30 in Room # 3 with Mrs. Regis Grade 4 - Mondays from 8-8:30 in Room # 3 with Mrs. Regis Grade 5 - Wednesdays from 8-8:30 in Room # 30 with Mrs. Eckman Grade 6 - Fridays from 8-8:30 in Room # 30 with Mrs. Eckman Our Online Math Leagues will be starting soon! These programs are open to all 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. It is a great way to get thinking mathematically! During the three practice sessions the children work together to solve challenging problems. During the three contest sessions, they take a 15 question multiple-choice test on paper and then they can go online to check their scores and see how they did. At the next practice we will review these tests and keep on practicing! If your child is interested but has not signed up yet, please email me and I will send you a schedule and permission slip. Please go to www.onlinemathleague.com and check it out. There is an online practice area that students can use from home and there is a section of Frequently Asked Questions that you may find helpful. Our schedule is as follows: Online Math League Grade 3 Thursday Mornings in Room # 3 Time: 8:00 - 8:30 Thursday, October 20th Practice Thursday, November 17th Test Thursday, December 15th Practice Thursday, January 12th Test Thursday, February 9th Practice Thursday, March 8th Test Grade 4 Tuesday Mornings in Room # 3 Time: 8:00 - 8:30 Tuesday, October 18th Practice Tuesday, November 15th Test Tuesday, December 13th Practice Tuesday, January 10th Test Tuesday, February 7th Practice Tuesday, March 6th Test Grade 5 Wednesday Mornings in the Art Room Time: 8:00 - 8:30 Wednesday, October 19th Practice Wednesday, November 16th Test Wednesday, December 14th Practice Wednesday, January 11th Test Wednesday, February 8th Practice Wednesday, March 7th Test Grade 6 Friday Mornings in Room # 3 Time: 8:00 - 8:30 Friday, October 21st Practice Friday, November 18th Test Friday, December 16th Practice Friday, January 13th Test Friday, February 10th Practice Friday, March 9th Test Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Jennifer Sirmaian jsirmaian@boxfordschools.org |
|
Community Giving Tree
|
Give Old Toys New Life at the Toy Fair Please save the date, and clean out those toy bins: Community Giving Tree is collecting gently used toys on Saturday, Oct. 22, 9am - noon at Community Giving Tree headquarters and at Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fairgrounds, and on Sunday, Oct. 23, 1-4 pm at Coolidge Hall only. The Toy Fair itself will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29, 9am - noon at Coolidge Hall. We are looking for bikes, trikes, ride-on toys, preschool toys, Legos, play kitchens/workshops, American girl dolls, Thomas trains, cars, trucks, children's books, movies and more in saleable condition. We recommend wrapping puzzles in Saran Wrap and bagging game pieces. No stuffed animals or happy meal toys, please. We can also use volunteers to help sort toys on Oct. 22 and 23, also Tue. & Thu Oct. 25 & 27, 9am - noon, and Wed Oct. 26 3-6pm, and we always need help at the sale on Oct. 29. Contact susan@communitygivingtree.org for more information or to volunteer. And don't forget to shop for great toy bargains on Oct. 29! Facebook users: you can help by posting information about the Toy Fair on your Facebook page! Encourage your Facebook friends to Shop the Fair! |
|
Masco Youth Sports
|
Masco Youth Wrestling will hold registration for all wrestlers on November 2nd and November 9th at StrikeOne in Danvers from 6pm until 8pm. The program is open to all in Grades K-8. Practices are on Monday & Wednesday (K-2 from 5:30 until 6:45, Grades 3-8 from 7pm until 8:30). In addition, a new Girls clinic will be conducted every Friday evening in December from 6-7:30pm. Please go to www.2myouthwrestling.org for additional information or contact us at m2youthwrestling@ymail.com. |
|
A Community Event Opportunity...
|
Think Differently: A New Approach for Parenting, Teaching, and Treating Children with Behavioral Challenges
Arlington Town Hall, 730 Mass. Ave., Arlington, MA. 02476
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Think:Kids and the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is pleased to offer a one-day training program featuring Dr. Larry Epstein. This one-day introductory training is intended for parents, clinicians and educators interested in learning about the innovative and evidence-based approach to understanding and helping children and adolescents with behavioral challenges described in the acclaimed book, Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach.
The approach provides a new way of understanding and helping kids who struggle with behavioral challenges. Challenging behavior has traditionally been thought of as willful and goal oriented which has led to approaches that focus on motivating better behavior using reward and punishment programs. If you've tried these strategies and they haven't worked, this workshop is for you! At Think:Kids we have some very different ideas about why these kids struggle. Research over the past 30 years demonstrates that for the majority of these kids their challenges result from a lack of crucial thinking skills when it comes to things like problem solving, frustration tolerance and flexibility. Our approach, therefore, focuses on helping adults teach the skills these children lack while resolving the chronic problems that tend to precipitate challenging behavior.
Through lecture, videos, case examples and role plays this one-day training will help you shift your thinking and approach to foster positive relationships with these children and encourage growth in areas of self-regulation, communication and problem solving. The training qualifies towards our Think:Kids Mentor Certification.
|
|
|
|
|
