1. education
2. school

The Duffy Dateline
April 2, 2015
Dear Families,
This month, we begin the placement process for the 2015-2016 school year. Student placement and class
assignment is a thoughtful, collaborative process. We follow these steps to ensure the best outcome for all
students:
1. Parents are invited to write an informational letter about their child.
2. Classroom teachers, in consultation with Pupil Services staff and special area teachers, work to
create balanced classes in terms of gender, number of students, instructional levels, and learning and
behavioral characteristics of students.
3. The Duffy Leadership team (Principal, Curriculum Specialist, and Reading Specialist) read parent
letters and adjust groupings as needed.
4. Classroom teachers and Pupil Services staff review the lists.
5. The Principal assigns a teacher to each class and makes any final adjustments to the lists.
6. Teacher assignments and class lists are mailed to families on August 1st.
Although a parent letter is not required, we value your input. If you choose to write to us, please follow
these guidelines:
 Describe your child as a learner. What are his/her strengths? What are areas for growth?
 Describe your child as a person. What are his/her personality traits? In what type of environment
does he/she learn best?
 Inform us of any special circumstances involving your child and his/her peers.
 Do not request a specific teacher.
Letters are due by Thursday, April 30th. You can drop off your letter in the Main Office or email your
comments to me. Thank you for your partnership in this important work!
Sincerely,
Kristi
Kristi Laverty
[email protected]
Please join us in congratulating….
Ms. Kristi Burton, 2nd grade teacher, who received the 2015 Outstanding Teacher Award at the
CCSU Alumni Celebration of Excellence!
And Mrs. Liz Schott, whose culminating project for her Master’s Degree is her very own art show! You are
all invited to experience Liz’s work at the Stanley Whitman House this month.
Curriculum Corner
From the desk of Cristina Perriello
Grade 5 Spotlight: Bringing the Connecticut Core Standards to Life
Grade Five is wrapping up their fourth English Language Arts unit. This unit beautifully illustrates how the
CT Core Standards can provide challenging, meaningful, and creative opportunities for students to learn
deeply.
The big ideas for this unit were:




The Colonies grew based on their physical geography, the people that moved into them and goods
that they produced.
The Colonies shared many similarities and differences including religion, agricultural practices, the
counties the people came from and the reasons they decided to move to the colonies.
In order to write or speak about a subject knowledgeably, I need to gather information from
multiple sources that answers my research questions by taking notes so that I can accurately share
what I have learned with others.
When working in a small group, I review the key ideas expressed by others and draw my own
conclusions in light of the information and knowledge I gained from the discussions.
Throughout this unit students worked as a whole class and in small groups to review and discuss short film
clips, navigate various texts, take notes, and strengthen reading strategies and skills. Students refined their
understanding and application of:







Identifying and Explaining Main Idea & Key Details
Summarizing
Determining Meaning of Content Vocabulary
Text Features
Text Structure
Finding Supporting Evidence
Locating Key Information
Teachers carried out outstanding instructional planning to integrate social studies content in relation to
colonization, as well as map concepts and skills. Within each class students created smaller colonies as part
of a simulation. Below, you will see the different colonies represented, as well as products of direct map
skills instruction. Students applied their refined map concepts and skills to create their own map of their
colony. Notice the compass rose, map key, and precision of details.
As part of the simulation, grade five students visited The Noah Webster
House. Students enjoyed themselves and were highly engaged in every
activity. Our fifth graders cooked a typical meal, participated in dancing, a
school lesson, and more. The discussion was of high quality, and the energy
was tangible. When returning to school, more instructional lessons built on
students’ new knowledge. Every child created their own new persona as
someone living during colonial times. This included choosing a new name!
Student learning was communicated through journal writing. Please read the following excerpt, and enjoy
the illustration that was done so thoughtfully.
Students also crafted a news report to incorporate different pieces of their
learning in an authentic writing task. Other writing samples included post
cards, written responses, and essays done via Google Classroom. Students
had to read and compare texts, glean the most important parts, and make
connections between resources.
Integrating social studies skills and concepts into a research reading unit
offered multiple, meaningful opportunities for students to relate to the
material, use it, and apply their learning with plenty of choice and voice.
Students were able to develop opinions and engage in collaborative
discussions igniting further inquiry and research.
State Testing
Our state testing started with our grade five students taking the Connecticut Mastery Test for Science on
March 12th. Grades three through five are now working on completing the Smarter Balanced Assessments.
Students are demonstrating positive attitudes and smiles as they sign on to start their sessions. Did you
know that we begin each session with students eating a mint? Research shows that eating mint while
working creates a boost in problem solving and attentive brain performance. Thank you Duffy PTO for
generously donating mints to grades three through five.
Children’s Night
Duffy’s annual Children’s Night will take place on Thursday, April 9, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Invitations to join us for this meaningful event are being shared at the classroom level. Please ask your child
for details, and/or check their homework folders for notices. 
Thank you,
Cristina Perriello
Curriculum Specialist
[email protected]
860.521.0110 x5602
April 2015
Thurs, Apr. 2nd
3:20-4:20pm
Fri, Apr. 3rd
Grades 3-5 After School Sports
Gym
Good Friday – No School
Mon, Apr. 6th
3:20-4:20pm
3:25-4:25pm
Grade K After School Sports
Gym
Mad Science (K-Rm15, 1-2-Rm26, 3-5-Rm20)
Tues, Apr. 7th
3:20-4:20pm
Grades 1-2 After School Sports
Duffy Spirit Day- wear green!
Gym
Wed., Apr. 8th
7:45am
Enrichment Committee Meeting
Conf. Rm.
8:00am
3:20-4:20pm
5:30-6:30pm
Officer Leonard Visits Grade 2
Student Council Reps. Meeting
Grades 3-5 After School Sports
Children’s Night, Grades K-4
Classrooms
Room 15
Gym
Classrooms
All day
9:45am-12:00pm
Jump Rope for Heart
Grade K. Field Trip to Wadsworth
Gym
Thurs, Apr. 9th
Fri, Apr. 10th
Mon-Fri, Apr. 13-17th
Spring Recess – No School
Sun, Apr. 19th
1:00-3:00pm
Trashion Show, Hartford City Hall
Mon. Apr. 20th
3:25-4:25pm
Mad Science (K-Rm15, 1-2-Rm26, 3-5-Rm20)
Wed. Apr. 22nd
11:15am-1:30pm
Special Salad Bar in honor of Earth Day!
Cafe
Thurs, Apr. 23rd
9:30-11:00am
5:00-5:45pm
Grade 3 Symphony Performance
Grade 3 Parent Math Class
Conard High
Classrooms
Fri, Apr. 24th
9:00-11:30am
9:00am-1:45pm
Grade 3 to Trash Museum (Allen/Bedner)
Grade 4 Ecoventure
Hammonassett
Mon, Apr. 27th
9:00-9:45am
10:15-11:00am
3:25-4:25pm
Grades 3-5 Cultural Council
Auditorium
Grades K-2 Cultural Council
Auditorium
Mad Science (K-Rm15, 1-2-Rm26, 3-5-Rm20)
Tues, Apr. 28th
9:00am-1:45pm
Grade 3 to Westmoor Park
Wed, Apr. 29th
9:00am-11:00pm
Bus Evacuation Practice
Bus Loop
Thurs, Apr. 30th
5:45pm-7:00pm
6:00 pm-7:00 pm
Kindergarten Orientation Parents’ Night
Spring Book Club (4th&5th graders)
Auditorium
LMC
Duffy State Testing Calendar
Date
March 9, 2015
March 12, 2015
March 16, 2015
March 23rd, 2015
March 24rd, 2015
March 26th, 2015
March 27th, 2015
March 30th, 2015
March 31st, 2015
April 1st, 2015
April 1st, 2015
April 2nd, 2015
April 6th, 2015
April 6th, 2015
April 7th, 2015
April 8th, 2015
April 8th, 2015
April 9th, 2015
April 20th, 2015
April 22nd, 2015
April 23rd, 2015
April 27th, 2015
April 27th, 2015
April 27th, 2015
April 28th, 2015
April 28th, 2015
April 29th, 2015
April 29th, 2015
April 30th, 2015
May 1st, 2015
May 4th, 2015
May 4th, 2015
May 5th, 2015
May 6th, 2015
Grade Level
5
5
5
5
5
3
3
4
4
5
5
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
4
4
3
3
5
3
5
4
4
4
5
5
5
Time of Assessment
9:15-10:15
10:15-11:30
12:35-1:50
9:15 am-10:15 am
10:30 am-11:30 am
9:15 am-10:15 am
9:15 am-10:15 am
10:00 am-11:00 am
10:30 am-11:30 am
9:15 am-9:45 am
9:50 am-11:15 am
10:30 am-11:30 am
9:30 am-10:00 am
10:05 am-11:00 am
10:00 am-11:00 am
8:45 am-9:15 am
9:20 am-10:45 am
9:45 am-10:45 am
9:20 am-10:45 am
10:00 am-11:00 am
9:45 am-10:45 am
10:15 am-10:45 am
12:00 pm- 1:15 pm
9:15 am - 10:15 pm
9:45-10:45 am
12:45-1:45 pm
10:20-11:00 am
12:15-1:30 pm
9:30-10:30 am
9:15-9:45 am
12:45-2:00 pm
10:30-11:30
Type of Assessment
CMT Science Practice Test
CMT Science Test
Supplemental CMT Science Test
ELA nonPT
ELA nonPT
ELA nonPT
ELA nonPT
ELA nonPT
ELA nonPT
CA ELA
ELA PT
ELA PPT
CA ELA
ELA PT
ELA PT
CA ELA
ELA PT
ELA PT
Math Non PT
Math Non PT
Math nonPT
CA Math
Math PT
Math nonPT
Math PT
Math nonPT
CA Math
Math nonPT
Math PT
Make Up Sessions
CA Math
Math PT
Math PT
Make Up Sessions
PTO NEWs
Dear Duffy families, teachers, and staff,
The snow is almost gone, and hopefully the warmer days will stay with us more consistently soon,
too! Our Duffy community has certainly been busy in the last month!
WE NEED YOU! We are continuing to collect nominations for the open PTO Board positions for
the 2015-2016 school year. In addition to the Vice President position, we are also recruiting for Fundraising
Chair(s), Fund-IT chair(s), Recording Secretary, Board of Ed Chair, Communications Chair and a Volunteer
Coordinator. Please contact [email protected] for any questions or to submit your
nomination.
On Thursday, March 5th, we had a wonderful evening watching “Horton Hears a Who” and partaking
in some great Dr. Seuss themed crafts! Many thanks to our Family Night Committee for planning another
fun family night!
Thanks to all for the support of our district-wide food drive for the West Hartford Food Pantry!
Duffy’s final donation weighed 247.5 pounds! We had some enthusiastic help in weighing all of our
donations from a First and a Fourth grade RISE groups before we took the donations over to the Food
Pantry! It was important to weigh our donations because Shop Rite will be matching our donation pound for
pound! So far, from the schools that have completed their food drives, we have donated almost 2,000
pounds of food to the Food Pantry which Shop Rite has matched! Our thanks go to Corbin Woods and the
Aiken PTO for organizing this wonderful district-wide food drive this year. We hope this will become an
annual event!
We are looking forward to the annual spring Children’s Night on Thursday, April 9th at 5:30pm to
6:30 pm for Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. We hope you enjoy visiting your child’s classroom. The
children love to show all of their work and many fantastic activities they have been working on throughout
the year. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 27th at 5pm to 6pm when the Fifth Grade will be
hosting a school wide International Night!
With spring on its way, it’s time to welcome our incoming Kindergarteners for next year! On
Thursday, April 30th at 5:30pm, there will be an incoming Kindergarten parent meeting, followed by
Kindergarten Registration Week May 11th through 13th. Many thanks to Nancy Barnum and Melissa
Harhay for organizing our volunteer support for these special days at Duffy!
Spring is also the time of year where we start planning for next year! Our PTO Volunteer and Room
Parent forms will come home after April break. Please take a moment to review these forms and consider
volunteering in one or more of the many ways we need volunteer help here at Duffy. A more detailed
description of each volunteer committee can be found on our website under Volunteer Information, or you
can reach our Volunteer Chairs, Melissa Harhay at [email protected] or Joy Russell at
[email protected] if you have any questions. Our volunteer help is so important in making all the
great programs, events and activities we have all year at Duffy happen!
We are grateful to our teachers and staff here at Duffy School, and during the week of May 4th
through 11th, we like to show how much we appreciate all that they do for our children during the year! Stay
tuned for more information about how you and your children can help show our appreciation to Duffy
teachers and staff during this special week at school.
It’s hard to believe we’re already planning for end of the year events, but planning for the annual
Duffy Fair in June has already begun! We are looking for more volunteers to help in the remaining planning
process! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact our Duffy Fair Chair, Kim Grose at
[email protected] or Deb Robertson at [email protected]. As the Fair approaches, we will
be looking for volunteer help from our entire Duffy community to make this a wonderful night for all!
Our next PTO General Meeting will be on Thursday, May 7th at 7pm in the Library. We hope you
will join us to hear more about our Math Curriculum from our District Math Curriculum Specialist, Mary
Lestini. She will discuss how the District is developing students’ math habits of mind and how parents can
help support their students become better mathematical thinkers. Following that discussion, we will have a
presentation from our Principal, Kristi Laverty, Maureen Curran, Heather Ferguson-Hull and Natalie
Washington about Duffy’s progress in becoming a PBIS school (Positive Behavior Interventions and
Systems). We hope you will mark your calendar and join us for this very informative evening!
Finally, we would like to give you a quick Math Infusion update. We raised over $2,600 with this
fundraiser! New iPads for our children’s classrooms are being ordered. Many thanks, again, to our Duffy
parents, teachers and students for their support in this fundraising event this year.
SBAC testing continues this month for our Third through Fifth graders. We give our continued
thanks to the faculty and staff for the effort involved to carry out the testing and give continued support to
our students as they complete the SBAC testing this year.
We hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful and relaxing April break!
Warm Regards,
Amy Sarzen
PTO President
Jesse Archambeault
PTO First Vice President
Spring Concert
The Duffy Spring Concert is Tuesday, May 12th at 9:30am for students and 7:00pm for parents in the Duffy
Auditorium. The students are working incredibly hard to memorize their music. They were given lyrics of
the songs to help in this task.
Concert Dress for the Morning and Evening Performances:
Boys—white or light colored shirt, a tie, black or dark pants and dark shoes
Girls—white or light colored blouse, black or dark skirt or pants, dark shoes with a low heel
Please no sneakers
For the evening concert:
Orchestra students report to the Music Room at 6:30pm
Band students report to the Café at 6:45pm
Choir students report to Gym at 6:50pm
After the concert on May 12th, there will be no before school rehearsals for the rest of the year for the Choir.
Thank you, parents, for all the support you have given to the music program. It shows in the faces and
voices of your children.
Please email or call Mrs. Holcomb or Mr. Thomas if you have questions:
[email protected] or 521-7211 ext 141
[email protected] or 521-7211 ext 160.
Mrs. Holcomb, Vocal Music Teacher and
Mr. Thomas, Instrumental Music Teacher
Literacy Center News
Lynette Roy – Duffy Reading Specialist
Let’s Talk About Close Reading
When the Common Core State Standards were introduced, the term close reading became part of our vocabularies.
So what is close reading and how why is it an important piece of our children’s reading instruction?
Dr. Tim Rasinski, a well-known reading researcher, describes close reading as “an intensive analysis of a text in order to come
to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means.” A close reading lesson involves the use of a high-quality text
which is read several times for different purposes. Texts are usually presented without any prior discussion or
introduction of information. Students are usually given time to look over the text before reading to develop a sense of
what they will be reading about and are given a purpose for reading. We ask students to figure out what is going on in
the text by reading and discussing the text several times over several days.
Is close reading done with every book? No. It depends on what skill we are teaching. Close reading is usually used with
one text a week. Close reading looks very different at each grade level as well. In kindergarten, students may be asked
to listen to a story several times to talk about a character’s traits while in fifth grade, students may reread texts to
evaluate evidence.
The first reading is about figuring out what the text says and is merely a reading comprehension task such as figuring
out the problem in the story and how the character solves his/her problem. The second time students read, they
may only be asked to read a portion of the text while focusing on a specific task. Students might be asked to look at
how the author organized the story or the author’s word choices. Next, students are asked to read for a third time and
go deeper into the text. They may be asked to think about the following questions: What does the text mean? What
was the author’s point? How does this story connect to other stories I know?
So when we think about the purpose of close reading, it is simply a way to increase comprehension through careful and
thoughtful analysis of a text.
Duffy Book Drive
With spring finally here, or at least according to the calendar, it’s time for the Duffy Book Drive. In past years, we
have collected many wonderful books which have been given to students so they have books to read during the
summer. We’ve also given away books throughout the school year as part of the Literacy Center’s See It-Take It book
shelf.
If you have any gently-used children’s books that you would like to donate, we be collecting books April 6th- May 22nd.
A book collection box can be found in the front lobby.
What’s happening in Physical Education?
Dear Parent/Guardian,
On April 10th our school is holding our annual Jump Rope for Heart event to raise funds for the
American Heart Association. We hope you will support your child’s participation in this lifesaving,
educational event and I invite all parents to come and join their children during their jump time.
Grade
Jump rope Time
K
2-2:35
1
9-9:45
2
11:30-12:15
3
10-10:45
4
12:15-1
5
1-1:45
We are thrilled that our school is participating in this very special community service
program. When your child participates in Jump Rope for Heart he/she:
 Learns about the importance of the heart – how it works, and how to take care of it
 Helps kids with special hearts
 Feels good for making a difference in people’s lives!
Every student will participate in this GREAT event! Our students will learn different jump rope
skills while raising money to fund lifesaving research and educational programs.
If you would like to make a pledge, please fill out the attached sheet and return any day during the
week of April 6-10 (Jump Rope for Heart will take place April 10th, 2015). Collections will be
going to the American Heart Association. If we are able to make four $15 donations per
classroom, the Heart Association will donate a kick ball to Duffy school. Our goal is to have at
least 2 new kick balls for each classroom for use at recess. Please give generously because your
donations not only benefit the Heart Association but they benefit Duffy School, as well.
Thank you for your support,
Rob DeVeau
Duffy School, Physical Education Teacher
[email protected]
860-521-0110
- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
Jump Rope For Heart Pledge Sheet
All amounts are appreciated!
Student’s Name: _____________________ Amount Pledging $_____________
Teacher’s Name: ___________________________ Grade _______________
Monochromatic Tree by: Natalie G. - Grade 5
News from the Duffy Art Room
THE ART SHOW IS COMING…THE ART SHOW IS COMING!!!!!
Please come see the wonderful and inspired artwork from all Duffy students hung throughout the first floor
halls of our school!
The Annual Duffy Elementary Art Show
May 12- May 22, 2015
Opening Night: Tuesday, May 12 5:00 – 7:00 (Concert to follow)
th
Volunteering
The annual Duffy Art Show is opening Tuesday, May12th. As always it is a great undertaking and requires
many hands. If you would like to volunteer to help mat student work April 27-May 7 or hang artwork on
Friday, May 8 please contact Mrs. Schott at [email protected].
th
Any help is much appreciated!!!
Green Team News
The Duffy Green Team is very excited to announce that their design, “Milk and Cookies” was chosen to be
shown at the Hartford Trashion Show on April 19th! The team had to submit drawings of a cohesive and
wearable design that would be created using at least 85% recycled trash. The team will be using milk cartons,
straws and cookie wrappers from our Duffy cafeteria lunch waves to make a dress, a bag and a headband. The
creation will be worn by an actual model at City Hall. The kids are thrilled and so proud!!! If you would like to
know more information or would like to attend please go to: http://www.trashionfashionshow.com/hartford/
Informational Fliers located in the Main Office
1- Duffy PTO Volunteer Forms
2- April Lunch Menu (also available on the Duffy Website)
3- After School Sports Information
Duffy Dateline Print and Submission Dates
Submissions are due the Monday before publication dates and can be sent to Kristi Laverty at
[email protected] and/or Ernestine Nobou at [email protected]
Print date
Submission deadline
April
April 2nd
April 23rd - Dateline Schedule
March 30th
No submission
May
May 7th
May 21st- Dateline Schedule
June
June 4th
May 4th
No submission
June 1st
Next Dateline Publication date: May 7th, 2015