Spofford Times Newsletter 

 Dear Parents,    

I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful vacation week together!  As we move to the end of the month, we will be again preparing for the  May MCAS administration for mathematics and science.  I  have included the dates for you below: 

As we approach the warmer weather, I am publishing the dress recommendations from our Parent/Student Handbook for you: 

From our handbook, page 23:  

Dress Recommendations
It is expected that students will take pride in their personal appearance. Fads in dress, hair and makeup sometimes tempt students to persuade their parents that "all the kids are doing it." Student dress should be within reasonable limits and not be extreme. Personal appearance, dress or grooming must not disrupt the education process or threaten the health or safety of any individual.  

Specifically:   

- No clothing or jewelry may be worn that causes disruption or disorder within the school.
 
- It is not appropriate to wear clothing to school that is designed for beachwear (i.e., halter and tube tops,
bare midriffs, short shorts & skirts, and flip-flops).
 
- No hats or caps may be worn within school buildings.
 
 
- Please label clothing such as jackets, sweaters, raincoats and hats and other belongings; i.e. lunch
boxes, boots, sneakers, etc. Labeled items are more easily returned if lost.
 
- Apparel with "double meanings" is inappropriate for school wear, such as concert T-shirts depicting illegal
or anti-social behavior and buttons or pins with profane or vulgar words.
 
- Parents will be notified by the principal if a student's clothing does not meet school expectations.   

Playground Note:  

Lacrosse sticks, street hockey sticks and other similar sports equipment are not to be brought to school. Please remind your child to keep these items at home.  

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Math MCAS tests are scheduled for May 8th and 9th. It would be most helpful to your child if you could review in real life situations many of the concepts that have been taught. We are presently covering fractions, decimals, probability and geometry. When taking your child shopping they could weigh the produce, estimate the cost of several items, or have them calculate the change they should receive when buying a dozen bagels. They would probably have a great deal of fun figuring out the tip after dining out or realizing how much money is saved when something is 20% off the original price in their favorite store. As teachers, we have always tried to relate what they are learning to real life experiences, but you are the best educators when it comes to this. Fractions in the kitchen are absolutely essential as are careful measurements when buying an area rug. Your help and support in this matter is greatly appreciated as is your help in reviewing the basic multiplication facts. Almost all children can benefit from this nightly, five minute review. Thank you so much for your support.

Congratulations to a very successful Choral Exchange! This weekend chorus students workshopped with the professional Darthmouth Rockapella's and learned how to harmonize, improve their singing techniques and had fun working with peers. The evening concluded with a pizza dinner and fabulous concert with close to 100 students singing together! Look for pictures in the next couple of Tri-Town Transcripts.

This event was Spofford's second exchange concert and we would like to express great thanks to both Ms. Nikas and Ms. Langill for supporting our choirs, as well as the Boxford School Committee and Dr. Bernie Creeden along with the Lebanon District School Committee and Dr. Gail Paludi, Superintendent.

Chorus Events:

1. April 24th--Spring Concert at Masco 7:00 PM, festive spring clothing

2. May 23rd--Wizard of Oz Dinner/Musical

3. May 25th--Memorial Day Assembly, both choruses

4. June 6th--Senior Citizen's Lunch, for 6th grade chorus only

5. June 7th--Recital Night, open to any small choral ensembles

6. June 12th--End of Year School Concert, for both choruses

Thank you,

Mrs. Galardi

Site Council Members Needed!

The Spofford Pond School's Site Council is looking for 2 new parents to join the council. The Site Council, which meets monthly, is comprised of parents, teachers, a community representative and the school principal. Responsibilities include conducting the annual parent survey, developing the school improvement plan and addressing issues specific to Spofford. It is a great opportunity to learn more about what issues the school is facing and to advocate for improvements to our school.  Parent members serve a 3-year term. If you are interested, please contact Joni Stone, PTO President, at joni.stone1@gmail.com by May 4. More information about site councils can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/schoolcouncils. 

Guidance

Increasing Children's Motivation at School: Tips for Parents

• Remember, relationships matter

o   Encourage your child to develop positive relationships with other students at school. If the peer environment is one that is safe, fun, and comfortable, then your child will be more motivated to be at school.

• Your child's relationship with the teacher should be positive

o   Look for ways to speak with your child about what the teacher is doing well, and the positive aspects of the student-teacher relationship. By building a positive perspective on classroom relations, children are likely to be more motivated at school.

• Speak positively about the school

o   When children hear parents openly criticize school, the teachers, or the principal, it undermines their faith and confidence in the people who are influencing and teaching them each day. Look for things that the teacher or school are doing well, and emphasize them publicly. When your children hear you speaking positively about their school, they will experience your enthusiasm as an endorsement and respond accordingly.

• Encourage mastery and mistakes, not performance and perfection

o   Developing competence requires practice, mistakes, and a long-term approach to mastery. If you've ever had a boss watching over your shoulder you will know how your focus on perfect performance can cause you to unravel. It also probably reduced your motivation! When children know they will not be judged on their performance, they feel free to experiment, make mistakes, and try again. By reducing pressure for perfect performance learning becomes an enjoyable process, and motivation goes up.

• Emphasize effort

o   When your child brings home a report card (or when any evaluation is occurring in relation to schoolwork), emphasize the effort that they're making over the results they're achieving. Ask questions such as, "Do you feel like you're working hard?" Point out what a teacher says about your child's effort and ask, "Is your teacher right about this? Are you putting in less effort than you can?" Emphasize that you care more about effort than outcomes.

• Share your child's successes

o   When your child demonstrates competence, let him/her hear you telling other people about what was accomplished.

The incoming 6th Grade parents' night is being held on Thursday, April 26th at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.    This event is for parents only.

Sixth grade parents are invited to an informational evening at Masconomet Middle School.  This is an opportunity to meet the MS Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, and Guidance Counselors. There will also be an opportunity for questions.  Student Council members will be giving a guided tour of the school.   

Please note: There will not be a separate Special Education Open House this year.   

Please Support the Band Raffle

Tickets are due today for the Spofford Band's annual raffle fundraiser.  For $5, or 5 for $20, you can buy a chance at any of 3 packages: 1) 2 Red Sox tickets, a $50 gift certificate to L'Osteria restaurant in the North End, $30 Silpada gift certificate, a Stone Art garden sculpture, and 4 monthly breakfast baked goods for 10-12 people; 2) Moon Bounce at your home for a day, Acoustic guitar, 10 ice cream sundaes from Benson's, 4 tickets to the Topsfield Fair, 1 month of karate lessons; or 3) 4 tickets to the Red Sox game Friday May 4, a $30 Silpada gift certificate, handmade pottery, and a round of golf for 2 at Middleton Golf Course.  Band members are selling these tickets now; if you would like to purchase any, contact Mrs. Monty at amonty@boxfordschools.org.  Tickets are due back to Mrs. Monty  or the Spofford Office TODAY, Monday, April 23, and winners will be drawn at the 5th and 6th Grade Bands' Spring Concert on April 25 at Masconomet.  All proceeds support the cost of buses to band performances, equipment repair, and possibly masterclasses with professional musicians.  Buy your tickets now!

Tri-Town Council News

HORIZONS After (and before) School Enrichment - Spring Registration is underway!  Check out the full course listing at your child's school on-line at www.tritowncouncil.org.  Registrations will remain open through April vacation!!  Questions contact Lisa at lteichner@tritowncouncil.org.

BOY-SENSE - April 25, 7:30pm, Flint Library, Middleton  Come explore the thinking and learning styles of boys and how you can support and celebrate them!   Join Stephanie Meegan for this interactive program intended for parents/guardians and educators of boys in K-6th grade.

Tri-Town Council Invites You to Walk/Run for H.A.W.C. on the TTC TEAM!  Tri-Town Council, through its TTC Youth Leadership Group, invites Tri-Town youth (grades 6 and up as part of the Leadership Group) and families to participate with us on Sunday, May 6th in the Walk for H.A.W.C. the oldest and most comprehensive domestic violence agency on the North Shore. You can participate in the 5 Mile Walk, or in the new 5 Mile Run which begins at Salem Common at 11:00am.  Join TTC for this fun day of service! Participating in the walk is a great way to honor special women in your life and to come together as a family or neighborhood group to support women and children in need of safety. Can't walk with us that day? Consider sponsoring the TTC Youth Team!  Go to http://hawcdv.donorpages.com/WalkforHAWC/LynettePierce/ . For more information please contact Lynette: lpierce@tritowncouncil.org or call TTC, 978-887-6512.