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John Eliot School
MAY 1, 2015
135 Wellesley Avenue, Needham, MA 02494
Phone #- 781-455-0452 & FAX #781-455-0852
Principal, Roderick MacNeal, Jr.
Assistant Principal, Mona Maas
2014-2015
School Bulletin #15- 2014-15 - web page:http://eliot.needham.k12.ma.us/main - Editor, Susan Rains
MAY 2015 - MCAS - Schedule on page: 4
Tuesday
May 5
3rd Grade Bike Rodeo
Wednesday
May 6
National Walk to School Day - meet at Temple Beth Shalom parking lot at 7:45 a.m.
Thursday
May 7
Early Release Day - dismissal at 12:15 p.m.
Friday
May 8
Jump Rope for Heart - Gym - 6:30-8 p.m.
Saturday
May 16
Lip Sync and Dance - Performance Center - 6:00-8 p.m.
Tuesday
May 19
PTC Meeting - Performance Center @ 8:45 a.m.
Wednesday
May 20
Principal’s Coffee @ 8 a.m. - Principal’s Conference Room
Monday
May 25
Schools Closed - Memorial Day
Tuesday
May 26
5th Grade High Rock School Visit
Tuesday
May 26
Honors Chorus @ NEWMAN School - 7-8 p.m.
Wednesday
May 27
4th & 5th Grade Spelling Bee - Performance Center
Friday
May 29
Field Day & 5th Grade Barbecue
JUNE 2015
Wednesday
June 3
Spring Concert for Parents - 9-10 a.m.
Thursday
June 4
Early Release Day - dismissal at 12:15 p.m.
Thursday
June 4
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Wednesday
June 10
School Picnic
Tuesday
June 16
PTC Meeting - Performance Center @7 p.m.
Wednesday
June 24
Last Day of School (Includes 4 snow days) dismissal at 12:15 p.m.
From our Principal, Mr. MacNeal
Dear Parent/Guardian,
I hope this message finds you and your family well and in good spirits. Welcome back from Spring Break!
We are now in the home stretch with our last school day scheduled for Wednesday, June 24. Please note
that June 24 will be an early release day.
As many of you know, during Spring Break I traveled to China to set up sister schools for Eliot. I
established one sister school in Beijing and a second in Ningbo, which is a city located south of Beijing.
By having these sister schools, we will be able to pursue exchange programs for both students and
teachers! The goal for our students is to have them travel with me to China, stay with Chinese families,
and attend one of our sister schools. This arrangement will mirror our current exchange program where
students from China stay with Needham families and attend Needham Public Schools. We will pursue
opportunities for our teachers to travel to China, too, so they have the opportunity to teach Chinese
students. In addition, we will invite teachers from China to come and teach classes at Eliot. It is my belief
that this exchange program will benefit all those involved as we experience another culture and truly
participate in a global initiative.
During the visit, I toured many primary, middle and high schools. I observed the similarities and
differences between the schools in China and our own. The primary schools (which we call elementary
schools) consisted of grades 1-6 with kindergarten students housed in a separate building. Their schools
were significantly different in terms of physical size, the student population, the length of the school day,
and the teaching style. The size of the schools rivaled any professional office building. The average
student population of each school exceeded 1,000 students, with about 37 students per class.
Consequently, the teaching style consisted of students sitting in rows with teachers delivering lessons as
lectures. The average school day ran from 8:00am to 4:00pm, and this longer day permitted students to
participate in such after school activities as art, dance, band, and various athletic programs. Students chose
their after school activities and rotated these activities throughout the year. In terms of similarities with our
western teaching style, students were actively engaged and allowed to work together in cooperative groups
during their art, music, and athletic classes.
Other highlights of my trip included taking the Bullet Train from Ningbo to Shanghai and visiting the
Great Wall. Overall, this trip was very informative and exposed me to the rich and proud culture of the
Chinese people. The food was delicious and the people were extremely friendly and generous with their
time. I can’t wait to return and continue to learn about Chinese culture. Attached are pictures from the trip.
I will be hosting another coffee talk on Wednesday May 20, 8:00-10:00 AM. Please come out and
have a conversation with me!
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Roderick MacNeal, Jr.
Principal
PHOTOS FROM CHINA
Mr. MacNeal with an Eliot bag at the
GREAT WALL. (left)
Photos below show Mr. MacNeal and
Ms. Maas with students from our
“sister” school.
At bottom of the page, students
playing on their school’s field.
More photos from China, will be
published in our next bulletin.
Eliot News
May 2015 MCAS Schedule
Mon May 11
9:00-11:00 AM
9:00-11:00 AM
9:00-11:00 AM
Tues May 12
5th Grade Math
(Session 1)
Weds May 13
5th Grade Math 3rd Grade Math
(Session 2)
(Session 1)
Thurs May 14
Fri May 15
3rd Grade
Math
(Session 2)
4th Grade Math
(Session 1)
Mon May 18
Tues May 19
Weds May 20
Thurs May 21
Friday May 22
4th Grade Math
(Session 2)
5th Grade
Science/Tech
(Session 1)
5th Grade
Science/Tech
(Session 2)
3rd-5th Grade
Math/Science
Make-ups
3rd-5th Grade
Math/Science
Make-ups
Mon May 25
Tues May 26
Weds May 27
Thurs May 28
No School
Memorial Day
3rd-5th Grade
Math/Science
Make-ups
Schedule UPS
Pick-up
Ups Pick-up
WANTED: USED BOOKS
Former Eliot student, Emma Patz, and big sister to Eliot’s Abby and
Hannah, is part of a team collecting used books for Brownies for
Books! Please consider donating books for this worthy cause.
A donation box will be in our school lobby until the beginning of June.
Join us Wednesday, May 6th for
National Walk to School Day!
Grab your friends and family and meet at the
Temple Beth Shalom parking lot at 7:45 a.m.
We will continue walking down Webster Street.
When you get to Eliot, be sure to meet in the playground for a special prize!
Choose To Be Nice Bingo
Help High Rock students Maddie Gerber and Jack Gordon, both recent Eliot
Graduates spread niceness among our children by participating in their new
Choose To Be Nice Bingo game.
Bingo players will choose from 20 suggested acts of niceness and have 5 options to
come up with their own ideas to be nice.
Bingo boards can be downloaded from
http://choosetobenice.com/bingojm.
Completed Bingo boards can be scanned and emailed
to [email protected] or dropped off at the bingo box at the office.
All winners will have their first name announced on the CTBN website and be
entered each week to win a T-Shirt.
The game will run from May 1-June 15.
Please let your children know about the game and encourage them to play. AND
PARENTS CAN PLAY TOO!
Questions? email us at [email protected]
Student Council News
Student Council’s May project will benefit the Needham Community Council Food Pantry.
The pantry is in need of the following items:
•
Canned Fruit! Fruit! Fruit! – All kinds [peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin
oranges, etc.] •
Canned seafood •
Canned meats – chicken, beef stew, chili, etc. •
Chowder •
Jelly, Jam
You may put items into the Donation Box in the lobby! A Message from Eliot’s GREEN KIDS coordinator, Mrs. Dowling
The Earthweek Assembly was an AWESOME success!!!! Thanks to the contributions of those listed below:
Thank you Mrs. Wankowicz for co-producing the Earthweek assembly
and your advice all year long.
Thank you Mr. Valentini for teaching the children the Vaquita song.
Thank you Mrs. Mullin for the earthweek books for each class!!!
Thank you Mrs. Claus for all of your support!!!
Thank you Wegmans for your contribution of 450 apples to all of the Eliot kids and staff !
Thank you Roche Bros. for your contributions for Earthweek supplies!
Thank you Green Kids for a wonderful Earthday Assembly!!!
Jasmin Dowling -Maeve Hymovitz
-Madison Mathias - Ellie Streeper
-Ari Shniderson -Eve Melychev
-Victoria Zolotar -Kristina Pisano
-Nicholas Pisano -Demetra Zymans
-Tom Hartley -Abbie Witham
-Brendan Szeto -Katrina Bond
- Aprilia G. Welsh – Nicole Tversky
Ashley Reyes -Kayla Diamond
I really enjoyed myself this year!!!!
ELIOT GREEN KIDS AT WORK
Photos by Mrs. Dowling
Needham First Lego League:
New Teams Night! 2015
Date/Time: May 20, 6:30 to 8pm
(Best for one parent and child attend. FLL is best for students entering 5th through
8th grade.) The location in Needham will be mailed to you prior to May 20.
Please sign up at this website:
http://tinyurl.com/NeedhamFLLNight2015
Goal of evening: to learn more about the FLL program, and to help parents/students
form FLL teams of their own.
Teams of about 6 kids are ideal, but can be as few as 3 and as many as 10. Most teams
are coached by two or more parent volunteer coaches. Parents/mentors/coaches do
not need to have any background in programming or engineering.
Questions:
email Hans Batra ([email protected])
or, Laura Miller: ([email protected])
Before coming to the meeting, be sure the check out:
http://firstlegoleague.org/parents
Check out the Google Group: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/needhamfll where
parents can find other members for their team, or find a team for their child.
SAVE THE DATE
May 16, 2015
FOR
SYNC
AND
DANCE!
Performance Center
6:00-8 p.m.
Entrance fee:
$3 per person
$10 family cap
Refreshments will be available for sale at intermission.
Needham School Bus Transportation Applications
Needham Public Schools Transportation Department reminds residents that
all bus transportation forms were sent home the first week in April.
Kindergarten forms will be mailed with am/pm notifications in May.
Completed forms should be returned by May 15, 2015, to be guaranteed a
seat Be sure to read the conduct rules and sign on the appropriate lines. All
students are required to register and agree to the bus conduct rules to be
eligible for transportation.
The transportation fee for the school year 2015-2016 is $395 per student with
an $800 family cap for families with 3 or more students. The fee after May
15, 2015, increases to $445 per student. The family cap increases to $900
after May 15, 2015. Registrations received after May 15, 2015, will be
processed provided there is available space on the bus. Please register early
to avoid being placed on a wait list, as many buses reach their full capacity
before September.
For more information please call the Transportation Department Office at
781-455-0400 x 242 or check our website at www.needham.k12.ma.us to
check your school and street for eligibility or to download an application.
Needham News
Pack 8 Needham Cub Scouts Rocket Day
Pack 8 Needham Cub Scouts invites boys entering 1st to 5th grade in September to Rocket Day
on Saturday, May 2nd, 9am to noon at Olin College, off Great Plain Ave, parking lot C. Try launching
one of our rockets or bring along your own rocket to launch. For questions about scouts or Rocket
Day contact us at [email protected] or visithttp://www.pack8needham.com .
Registration for the 10th Annual Needham Pitch Hit and Run. Softball and baseball
players, ages 7-14 compete in pitching, hitting and running skillsSunday, May 3 at 12 noon at
DeFazio Field. Registration and information at www.Smileboston.com/PHR. There is NO FEE
to participate in this event.
Needham Open Studios
Artists all around Needham will be displaying and demonstrating their work during the
annual Needham Open Studios tour on May 2 from 10-4 and May 3 from noon-4. This is a
great opportunity for students to meet working artists, see demonstrations, and learn about
their inspirations and methods. Throughout the weekend there will be special
demonstrations and hands-on activities at some locations. For more information, to see all
the participating artists, and to view a map of the locations, please
visit www.needhamopenstudios.com, or look for brochures at the library, Town Hall, and
NEEDHAM DOG PARK RIBBON CUTTING MAY 16TH AT 1PM
While you can go enjoy the park any time you like now, the Needham Off Leash Dog Park committee
will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at the dog park on May 16th at 1pm. Bring your dog and
help us celebrate the achievement. Short speeches will be made and the dogs will play. We hope to
see you there. Any questions, contact Bill Paulson at 781-929-2453.
The Center, located at the Congregational Church of Needham,
is an after school program for 6th graders.
The Center is a safe place where youth can develop independence and with staff supervision we hope that
youth grow in confidence and respect for themselves and others, develop lasting friendships, learn to make
positive choices, and pursue new interests. For more information, go to myyouthcenter.org or
[email protected]. The last day of school for 2014-15 is Wednesday, June 24th, dismissal at 12:15 p.m.
Eliot School
Loves
NEEDHAM
The next school bulletin will be
published on Friday, May 15th!