March 11, 2015 Volume XI, No. 17 Emily Gaberman, Principal – [email protected] Karen Bourn, Assistant Principal – [email protected] Dates To Remember: DATE TIME EVENT LOCATION Wed. Mar 11 6:30pm Introduction to High Rock School High Rock Gym Wed. Mar 11 7:30pm Introduction to METCO Middle School Programming High Rock Media Center Thu. Mar 12 Needham “UNPLUGGED” No Homework Night Thu. Mar 12 6:30-‐8pm Gr. 4 & 5 Spelling Bee Performance Center Sun. Mar 15 3pm NEF Spelling Bee NHS “A” Gym Mon. Mar 16 2-‐2:30pm SPED Coordinator Finalist #1 Parent Forum Media Center Tue. Mar 17 6:30pm Introduction to Special Education at High Rock School High Rock Media Center Wed. Mar 18 2-‐2:30pm SPED Coordinator Finalist #2 Parent Forum Media Center Thu. Mar 19 6-‐8pm Needham Science Center’s STEAM Night Newman Elementary Tue. Mar 31 12:15pm Early Release Day -‐ NO AM KINDERGARTEN DUE TO KINDERGARTEN PARENT CONFERENCES REVISED MCAS English Language Arts Testing Dates: Grade 3: April 8, 9 Grade 4: March 24 (Long Comp) March 30, April 1 Grade 5: April 6, 7 MCAS Math & Science, Technology & Engineering Testing Dates: TBA PRINCIPAL’S NOTES FIRST ANNUAL 4TH & 5TH GRADE SPELLING BEE Tomorrow night @ 6:30, Broadmeadow will hold our first Spelling Bee (hopefully more to come in future years) to coincide with the Needham Education Foundation event happening this weekend. We expect 78 fourth and fifth graders to participate! I want to thank Tina McHugh , Sara Berney and Katie Chiappinelli (parents) and Karen Hwang and Jen Collings (teachers) who have been instrumental in organizing tomorrow’s event along with teachers Beth Dow, Amy Flax, Cathy Lunetta, Stephanie Hamel, and Heather McCarthy who have agreed to be judges or MCs. I am looking forward to an exciting and challenging evening! Also, Please join Ms. Camhi, Ms. Flax and me as we compete 1
against other grown-‐ups in the NEF Spelling Bee on Sunday @ 3:00 at the High School. I am praktising my speling as we speke. ALL SCHOOL MEETING “BLURBS” Each month at our All School Meetings, we get to hear what is going on at each grade level so we can celebrate each other’s accomplishments. I share our March “blurbs” with you in the same vein. Kindergarten: The kindergartners are becoming meteorologists, and will keep track of the weather each day on their March weather graphs. They are learning about number lines and practicing simple equations. They have also been reading Rainbow Fish books and discussing the positive social messages contained in them. First Grade First graders are learning about place value and telling time. They are learning how to compose and decompose numbers by using unifix cubes and base ten blocks. First graders have become character experts. They have created special projects sharing all the information they’ve learned about these exciting characters. Many of them are displayed in the first grade hallway. Feel free to check them out! Second Grade Second graders are learning about continents with the help of the travels of our Flat Characters. Students made Flat Characters based on the book Flat Stanley and have been sending them around the world, some traveling as far as Hong Kong in China! Second graders are also working on paragraph writing, learning how to organize ideas with lots of details! Third Grade Third graders are excited to begin a math unit on Fractions. They have begun creating fraction strips in math and are looking forward to using them. Third graders also were excited to do live animal observations and observational sketches with doves and geckos from the Science Center. They also have just participated in fossil switches this week. Fourth Grade Fourth graders are becoming experts in elaborating their writing, both through their personal and persuasive essays, and also as they respond to a variety of prompts as readers. Last week they enjoyed their trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where they explored the art of the Silk Route and some other fantastic collections including mummies, artwork and furniture from colonial times, and contemporary art. Fifth Grade It is a busy time of year in 5th grade. The students have started studying fractions in math. In science, students are working with concepts in weather. Fifth grade traveled to Lowell to learn about factories and mills in the mid 1800s. The students are looking forward to spring events and weather, which we hope will be here before we know it! 2
SHOUT OUT TO A MYSTERY FAMILY Many thanks to the family (who shall remain nameless) for clearing the area around the maple trees in front of the school last weekend. Every year the second grade taps the trees to collect sap and make maple syrup as part of their yearlong unit on trees. We were concerned about the quantity of snow inhibiting this tradition and -‐ lo and behold! -‐ it’s all cleared away so the students can work with Ranger Jean next week. Thank you! DROP OFF ROUTINES Please remember that students should be dropped off at school at 8:05 – not before. We do not have adequate supervision for students who are dropped off before then. If you bring a student before then, please wait with them in the lobby until 8:05. I know this can be challenging for some families. Please feel free to reach out to NEDP who runs a before school program, or enlist a neighbor to help. MCAS DATE CHANGES Due to the snow this winter, the DESE has extended the administration window for the MCAS tests. We were not able to change the date for the Long Composition (Gr. 4) but we have adjusted the Reading tests as follows: Gr 3: April 8, 9
Gr 4: March 30, April 1 (Long Composition, March 24)
Gr 5: April 6, 7
We will have the same opportunity with the May tests. Look for those dates in an upcoming
Bulletin.
I hope to see you at the Spelling Bee tomorrow night and the NEF Bee on Sunday.
Best-‐ Emily Gaberman SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL COMMITTEE OPEN HOUSE The Needham School Committee will host an Open House on Saturday, March 21, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. in the Pollard Middle School Library. The open house will provide an informal opportunity for parents and members of the community to interact with members of the School Committee. In addition, middle school students will be present to share how they are using iPads in the classroom as part of the School Committee’s Personalized Learning Initiative. TO FAMILIES WHO ARE MOVING OR TRANSFERRING TO PRIVATE SCHOOL Please notify the office as soon as possible if your child (ren) will not be returning to Broadmeadow or the district in the fall. SCIENCE CENTER STEAM NIGHT! Needham Science Center's STEAM Night -‐ Thursday, March 19th, 2015 6-‐8pm. Please see the attached flyer, and share this event! Thank you! Elise K. Morgan, Elementary Curriculum Specialist -‐Science Center Manager -‐ 781-‐455-‐0475 3
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR FIFTH GRADE PARENTS Introduction to High Rock School March 11, 2015 6:30 pm High Rock School Gymnasium Hosted by Jessica Downey, Principal of High Rock School This parent/guardian orientation meeting is for any 5th grade parent/guardian whose child will be attending High Rock School in the fall of 2015. This program will give a broad overview of the High Rock School program including: • the cluster model th
• a typical day in 6 grade • methods of communication • course selection process • transition process Introduction to METCO Middle School Programming March 11, 2015 7:30 pm following larger presentation High Rock School Library Hosted by Joanne Allen-‐Willoughby, Director of METCO and Leslie Smart, METCO Coordinator at High Rock and Pollard This parent/guardian orientation meeting is for any 5th grade METCO parent/guardian whose child will be attending High Rock School in the fall of 2015. Introduction to Special Education at High Rock School March 17, 2015 6:30 pm High Rock School Media Center Hosted by Judith Murphy, Grade 6 Special Education Coordinator This informational session is for parents/guardians of students who receive special education services and will be attending High Rock in the fall of 2015. This program will be in the High Rock Library/Media Center and will give a broad overview of the special education program including: • what is a learning center • how services are delivered • a typical day for a special education student • support services and personnel • method of communication *All parents/guardians of current 5th grade special education students are strongly encouraged to attend both the March 12 and March 17 introductory sessions. COMMUNITY NEWS Celebrate 25 Years with NEF on March 14-‐15! Did you know that the Needham Education Foundation (NEF) funded the first classroom SmartBoard in the Needham Public Schools? The Graphic Arts Center at Needham High School? Learning gardens at every elementary school? NEF is celebrating 25 years of "making learning come alive" in Needham Public Schools and wants you to join in the fun! 4
Eat pancakes, check out the 3D printer at the new DaVinci innovation lab, or cheer on our youngest spellers at the Bee -‐ there are lots of ways to celebrate and support the NEF! • Family Pancake Breakfast, Saturday, March 14, 8am-‐12pm, Needham High School Cafeteria. Mini spelling bees with prizes every half hour, balloon artist, face painting, FREE giveaways and raffle prizes from Fuji Steakhouse and Learning Express! $5/person, $20/family.
• Reception at the Da Vinci Workshop, Sunday, March 15, 1:30-‐2:30pm, Needham High School, Room 101. Short program and Robotics, 3D printer and Let's Build Engineering demonstrations.
• 24th Annual NEF Spelling Bee, Sunday, March 15, 3pm, Needham High School "A" Gym. NEW elementary school round with Superintendent Dan Gutekanst as pronouncer, FREE admission and refreshments, and raffle prizes after every round (King's Bowling, HYP, Kids Place, to name only a few!). Raffle $5/ticket, $20/5 tickets.
Cheer on Your Teams at the 24th Annual NEF Spelling Bee! Join friends, neighbors, local businesses and civic leaders at the NEF 24th Annual Spelling Bee at 3pm on Sunday, March 15th in the Needham High School “A” gym. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to cheer on your school’s teams competing in this year’s spell-‐off, particularly the students participating in our NEW elementary school round! (Ask your child about the NEF Word of the Day Challenge!) • Admission and refreshments are free, thanks to the generous support of many sponsors including Needham Bank, Roche Brothers and Veryst Engineering.
• Support the NEF at the Bee by purchasing tickets for one of our many raffle items donated by local businesses or by purchasing a custom "Bee" cupcake donated by Treat Cupcake Bar.
• Can’t make it to the Bee, but would like to support our mission? “Eat for Education” by dining or ordering takeout at Not Your Average Joe’s on Tuesdays in March and the restaurant will donate 15% of your purchase to the NEF. Download a certificate at www.nefneedham.org to show at the time of purchase.
The star-‐studded roster of celebrity word pronouncers features Gary Gillis, Partner at Last Minute Productions and WHDH-‐TV Alumnus; Kathy Curran, WCVB Investigative Reporter for 5 Investigates; and State Representative Denise Garlick. Superintendent Dan Gutekanst will be the pronouncer for the NEW elementary school round. For more event information, go to www.nefneed SATURDAY, MARCH 28TH -‐-‐ NEEDHAM GIVES BACK VOLUNTEER AND COLLECTION DAY FOR CRADLES TO CRAYONS! Gently used or new clothing, toys, equipment, coats and books can be left in the box in the Broadmeadow lobby or on the front porches of Jen Robins (781) 400-‐5442 at 25 Bradford St, or Donna Trabucco (617) 828-‐7259 at 45 Coulton Park. See link for more details or to volunteer. https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston/CCSVolunteer OR [email protected]. 5
SPRING INTO SPRING WITH KIDS’ FUN NIGHT! Games, dancing and crafts for boys and girls ages 4 and up on Friday, March 13th,6:00-‐9:00 PM (registration starts at 5:30 PM), $20 per child, at the Needham High School B Gym. Sponsored by and under the fun supervision of the Needham High School Varsity Cheerleaders, this season’s Division 1 Regional Champs! To pre-‐register and for more information, email the NHS cheer coaches at [email protected]. LIBRARY EVENTS Children's Supervisor, Paula Dugan, will tell tales of Ireland on Monday, March 16th at 4:00 p.m. Children ages 6 and up are invited to listen to tales of Banshees, Pucas and other creatures magical and mortal. This participatory program will get children on their feet with the opportunity to play a traditional Irish game. Just drop-‐in. Jan Drake will explore aspects of the natural world through stories, science and craft activities for children 5-‐8 on March 17th at 4:00 p.m. Sign up at the library or call 781-‐455-‐7559 to register starting March 10th. Saturday Seedlings for children 3-‐7 is a story-‐time with read alouds, crafts and other activities with a nature theme on Saturday, March 21 at 10:30 a.m. Just drop-‐in. NEEDHAM UNPLUGGED -‐ NO HOMEWORK AND NO MEETING NIGHT -‐ THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 On Thursday, March 12th, the Needham community will honor the no-‐homework, no-‐sports, and no-‐
activities night for all Needham Public School students. In addition, there will be no town-‐related meetings and virtually no community, school, or religious meetings held on that night. Learn more about Needham Unplugged at: www.needhamma.gov/youth/unplugged OPEN GYM Free Open Gym time resumes in March on Friday, March 13th and 20th and then Thursday, March 26th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Pollard Gym. Practice your free throws or join a pick-‐up game. Community Center of Needham is sponsoring free open gym time for all ages; bring a ball, friends or parents and come down and share the space. Learn more at www.CCNopenGym.org. 6