June 16, 2017
Dear Hanlon Families,
At our final All School Meeting of the year, we reflected on the character traits students have focused on this school year. Hanlon students were Friendly, Generous and Inclusive. They Persevered and Showed Empathy. It has been a joy to watch Hanlon students grow this year, both academically and socially. On behalf of our staff, I want to thank all Hanlon students and their families for another great school year! Report cards will be mailed home on Friday, June 23rd. Class lists for students entering grades 1-5 will be enclosed with the report card. Information about the 2017-2018 school year will be mailed home mid-August. Have a fantastic summer!
Last Day of School and 5th Grade Clap Off
The last day of school is Tuesday, June 20th, with dismissal at 12:25. No lunch will be served on Tuesday. One of our favorite traditions is to treat our 5th graders to a very special final walk down our hallways. At 12:15, students and staff will line the hallways and clap as the 5th graders leave the building. 5th Grade parents are invited to wait by the Kindergarten doorway and bike racks at 12:15 to continue the clapping as the students exit the building. Students in K-4 will be dismissed at 12:25.
Dining Fundraiser
The PTO invites all families to celebrate the last day of school with a Dining Fundraiser at Wild Blossom. Click here to see the flyer.
Site Council
At our last PTO meeting, I made a presentation on the work of Hanlon’s Inclusive Schools Committee, a group made up of teachers and staff who are working to make Hanlon a place where all students feel at home. We also heard from Mandy Taft-Pearman, who spoke on behalf of the Hanlon Site Council. Site Council has worked to support the goals on Hanlon’s School Improvement Plan, in particular: Develop and support practices that acknowledge the diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges of students. Click here to read a letter from the parents who sit on Site Council.
Sponsor a Family
When a new family joins the Hanlon community, they often have questions about our traditions, events, and how we do things. We are looking for current Hanlon families to serve as Sponsor Families. A Sponsor would serve as a resource to answer questions, to invite a new family to join them at PTO events, and to make the family feel welcome. If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor Family, click here to answer a few short survey questions. As new families register, we will attempt to match you using a number of characteristics including ages of children, neighborhood, and/or home language (if applicable).
Teacher Assignments for 2017-2018
Report cards and class lists for the 2017-2018 school year will be mailed home on Friday, June 23rd.
Teacher assignments for next year are:
Kindergarten: Ms. Kelly and Ms. Patterson
Grade 1: Ms. Cavanagh and Ms. Sharpe
Grade 2: Ms. Clifford and Ms. Stygles
Grade 3: Ms. O’Neil and Mr. Wolfe
Grade 4: Ms. Rizzi and Ms. Feuer-Beck
Grade 5: Ms. Velluti
Field Day
Thank you to all the volunteers who came to help run Field Day! It was a great day for children and a lot of fun for our community. Special thanks to Christy Cocchi for organizing the event.
Recorder Concert
Congratulations to our third and fourth grade students for putting on a successful recorder concert. The second grade students enjoyed getting a preview of what they’ll be learning next year. I saw many fourth graders bouncing to the beats as they remembered their favorite songs!
Talent Show
Ms. Velluti and Ms. Pickering were proud to present our talented 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at the annual Hanlon School Talent Show on Friday. It was great fun to see the hard work of the student performers!
Visit From the International Colonials
Hanlon students were treated to a visit from the Colonials, an international basketball team made up of players from Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, England, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Portugal and the Netherlands. The players range from 16-18 years old, with the tallest standing at 6'11''! They told a little bit about their countries and showed off their dunking skills. It was a lot of fun! Our students were invited to watch the team play on Tuesday, June 20th from 6-8PM at the WHS gym. Two students from each grade level were invited to be flag bearers. They are hoping for a big Hanlon turnout at the game!
Same and Different
5th grade students got a visit from guest speaker, Giana Hitsos. Giana is a senior at Gordon College majoring in Music with a concentration in Voice with a minor in French and theatre. She is a singer and speaker throughout the Boston area. She is a self-advocate for Autism Awareness, and is trying to change perceptions of autism, one song at a time. Gianna has sung the National Anthem for the a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and for the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, as well as Boston University Men’s Hockey, and the 13.1 Marathon.
Lost n Found- Last Chance
All items left in the Lost and Found will be donated to charity. Please come to take one last look!
Spring Cleaning
Hanlon School welcomes used playground equipment like balls (soccer, basketball, kickball, tennis, etc.), jump ropes, hula hoops, skip-alongs, sidewalk chalk, sand toys, and heavy duty plastic trucks. They can be dropped off in the main office at any time during the school year.
Bus Registration
Bus Registration for the 2017 - 2018 is now open and runs through June 30th. All information is available on the district website
School Committee
Did you know that Tony Mullin is Hanlon’s School Committee Representative? If you have questions about the Superintendent Search, the Proposed Budget, or anything else regarding Westwood Public Schools, contact Tony at tonymmullin@gmail.com.
June 6, 2017
Dear Hanlon Families,
Our Memorial Day Sing-Along was an opportunity to showcase patriotic songs and remembrances. We were treated to a moving speech from Lt. Col. Jon Peck, Jesse’s dad, who reminded us about the solemn nature of the holiday and the importance of honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom. The gathering also served as our May All School Meeting, where we launched our final theme for the year: Empathy. Students learned that Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of another. For the final month of school, children will earn Medals of Empathy when they demonstrate this important character trait.
Fire Safety
Last week, Westwood firefighters Lt. Andy Mahan and Anthony Burke brought their fire safety trailer to Hanlon to teach students about a variety of safety rules. From candles to kitchens to bedrooms, children learned the importance of preventing fire in the home. To read more about this excellent program, click here. Students were also tasked with homework: to speak to their parents and guardians about determining a family meeting place in case of a fire. It’s a good idea to make sure your children know their street address, especially because the 911 operator will ask for an address when fielding a call.
Field Day
We still need a few adult volunteers to help run Field Day on Wednesday, June 7th! This is one of the most memorable days of the year for Hanlon students! Sign up here: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090a49a5ad2ba75-2017/40097424 A paper flyer will be sent home with important reminders. Click here to see an electronic copy.
Reception for Dr. Antonucci
All Hanlon Families are invited to a reception for Dr. John Antonucci, Superintendent of Schools on Thursday, June 8th, from 4-7PM in the high school cafeteria. Click here to see the flyer.
Town Meeting
The DPW would like to invite residents to a meeting regarding results of a survey of Gay street and the potential options that would exist if the Town decided to pursue the installation of a new sidewalk along Gay St. from Deerfield Ave. to Buckboard Ln. The meeting will be held at 50 Carby St. in the Champagne Meeting Room on Monday, June 12 at 7:30PM.
Spirit Day: School-wide Themes
For our final All School Meeting on Tuesday, June 13th, each grade will represent one of our school-wide themes, each connected to the Olympic flag. The children are asked to wear their designated colors so that we can take a group photo during the meeting. We will celebrate the culmination of the school year and their dedication to embodying these themes throughout the year.
K- Blue- Include
1- Yellow- Persevere
2- Black- Show Empathy
3- Green- Be Generous
4- Red- Friendship
5- White- Hanlon United
Our colors were determined by the Olympic Flag theme we used throughout the school year: A white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red is symbolic; it represents the five inhabited continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colors are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.
Talent Show
Ms. Velluti and Ms. Pickering are looking forward to presenting our talented 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at the annual Hanlon School Talent Show on Friday, June 16th at 9:00AM. All Hanlon students will see the Show, and families of performers are also invited.
Stock Market Game
Congratulations once again to our Stock Market Game winners, Caleb and Nick, who were honored at the SIFMA Awards Ceremony in Boston last week. Thank you to Mr. Goguen and Mr. Wolfe for leading Hanlon’s Stock Market Game, and to Dr. Antonucci for supporting Hanlon and Martha Jones at the Awards Ceremony!
5th Grade Fundraiser: Christian’s Walk
Thank you to Hanlon’s 5th Graders for sponsoring Friday’s hike in support of the Kiami Family. It was exciting to see such a great turnout! Special thanks to Jodi Donnellan, Jane O’Donnell, Marge McNutt, Michelle Peck, and the rest of the 5th Grade Events Committee for their help organizing this event. Also, thanks to Roche Bros. for their generous donation of water and refreshments!
A Note from Ms. Silverstein
Library Greetings!
Most students have checked-out their final library materials (except Monday library classes - because of Memorial Day, their final check-out will be on June 5th). PLEASE help your child(ren) return all of their library materials ASAP. I’d like to be environmentally friendly and send out as few overdue notices as possible!
Staff from the Westwood Public Library will be visiting the library classes to promote the summer reading program which begins June 5th! You can find out more by visiting the library or linking to the website.
Many, many thanks to the amazing parent volunteers who helped with check-outs, shelving, processing, and much more this year: Mrs. Beaumont, Mrs. Cocchi, Mrs. Ma, Mrs. Michelmore, Mrs. Parmalee, Mrs. Kenneally, Mrs. Pruitt, Mrs. Beggan, Mrs. Zhong, Mrs. Starsiak, Mr. Hatcher, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Drainville, Mrs. Donahue, Mrs. Kelleher, Mrs. Collins, Mrs. Leary, Mrs. Slocum, Mrs. Gustie, Mrs. Demien, Mrs. Shanshiry, Mrs. Beauregard, Mrs. Sullivan, and Mrs. Bonakdar. This is the biggest volunteer group ever, and hopefully you’ll continue next year! Your help has been invaluable! If you haven’t volunteered in the library, please consider joining the crew next year.
4th and 5th grade students have also volunteered in the library this year as ‘Sponsor-A-Shelf’ helpers. They’ve come in once/week to make sure the books on their assigned shelves are in order and helped with other tasks. Thanks to: 5FB/A: Jake, Sophia X, Abba, Ellie, Meaghan, Anthony, Maggie, Jesse, Mia, Katelyn, Greg, Edgar, DerMarr, Vic, 5V: Elias, Dan, Brendan, Ben, Gregory, Matthew, Abby, Althea, Karen, 4R: Kate, Alexia, Hayden, Amelia.
Keep your children reading over the summer. They’ll tell you that ‘Vacation Reading = Brain Feeding!’
Happy Reading!
Ms. Silverstein
Lost and Found
Hanlon's Lost and Found racks are full of sweatshirts, water bottles, and other items. Please stop by the lobby to take a look before the end of the year. All items left after June 20th will be donated to charity.
Spring Cleaning
Hanlon School welcomes used playground equipment like balls (soccer, basketball, kickball, tennis, etc.), jump ropes, hula hoops, skip-alongs, sidewalk chalk, sand toys, and heavy duty plastic trucks. They can be dropped off in the main office at any time during the school year.
Bus Registration
Bus Registration for the 2017 - 2018 is now open and runs through June 30th. All information is on the WPS district website.
School Committee
Did you know that Tony Mullin is Hanlon’s School Committee Representative? If you have questions about the Superintendent Search, the Proposed Budget, or anything else regarding Westwood Public Schools, contact Tony at tonymmullin@gmail.com.
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