Nov. 13, 2019
Dear Hanlon Families,
This week, Hanlon School is celebrating Friendship Week. This is a student-led initiative started by our very own Pragna L. in Mr. Wolfe’s class. Pragna was inspired by the March for Our Lives event in Boston a few years ago. She asked her parents why some people do bad things, and they explained that some kids feel isolated in school and that feeling connected to peers can help reduce school violence.
Pragna decided to begin what she hoped would become a global movement to spread friendship to others. Thus, International Friendship Week was born. Through this initiative, Pragna has reached out to over 150,000 people internationally! At Hanlon, we are celebrating Friendship Week in a variety of ways, both as a whole school and in individual classrooms.
How can families be involved?
- Ask your child about how he or she is celebrating Friendship Week in school.
- Stop and leave a note or a quote on our Wall of Friendship.
- Have a conversation at dinner or in the car about what makes a good friend.
- Check out Pragna’s website FriendshipWeek.org.
- Join the Friendship Week celebration at the Westwood Public Library this Saturday, 11/ 16 between 12 and 2PM for cookies and cocoa compliments of Wegmans and Westwood PD: Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/581632215926028/.
We are proud of Pragna’s leadership around this important cause. It’s remarkable to note that one young person can have such a big impact.
Dear Hanlon Families,
Last June, Ms. Sharpe and Ms. Pickering approached me with an idea. They wanted to broaden the students’ cultural awareness through music, highlight different cultures through music, and help students develop a deeper love for music of all kinds. And thus, the Hanlon Global Grammys was born! Three songs will be selected each month, highlighting a geographic region or cultural area. Songs are chosen with the following in mind:
- Is the song uplifting?
- Does the song have a good message?
- Does the song bring in a voice/style/instrument/perspective that Hanlon students should be exposed to as citizens of the world?
The music will be played over the loudspeaker, in classrooms, and in the cafeteria. Many classrooms will spend time talking about the messages and themes of each song. At the end of the month, students will vote on their favorite song, and the winners will be added to a Hanlon playlist. During the month of October, we celebrated Latinx Heritage Month by featuring the following songs and artists:
- Try Everything by Shakira (Columbia)
- Get on Your Feet by Gloria Estefan (Cuban-Amerian)
- Let’s Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez (Puerto-Rico/The Bronx)
We had a schoolwide vote yesterday and revealed the winner at this morning’s All School Meeting. Ask your child who the winner was!
Throughout November, we will zoom in on the music of Jamaica, featuring three songs by Bob Marley: Three Little Birds, One Love, and Get Up, Stand Up. Marley’s daughter, Cedella, has written picture books to go along with each song.
Picture Retakes: Nov. 14th
PTO Updates
Many thanks to Jackie Keaveney and Kevin Mullen for their work on the Hanlon Halloween Party. We know that it takes a great many volunteers to pull off such an event, and we thank you all!
The Hanlon PTO is now using Paypal. Pay your $60 dues, make a donation, or pay for a course through this link: paypal.me/hanlonpto
The Book Fair is scheduled for Nov. 21 from 8:45-5:30PM. All proceeds from the Fair go directly to buying books for the school. Westwood gear will also be sold. If you are able to volunteer, contact Amanda Drainville at adrainvi@gmail.com.
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