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Leaps and Bounds 9/15/06

Department/School: Deerfield

Type: General

Leaps and Bounds

Issue 2 September 15, 2006

72 Deerfield Avenue

Westwood, Massachusetts 02090

781-326-7500 x-1504 (Fax: 781-320-0189)

Calendar:

Thursday, September 21^st: Curriculum Night

6:15-7:00 3-5 in classrooms

7:05 All Staff and parents in the gym

7:30-8:15 K-2 in classrooms

Monday, September 25^th: Kindergarten stays for lunch, dismissal at 1:10PM

Tuesday, September 26: Picture Day at Deerfield

Wednesday, September 27^th: Early Release Day, K-5 dismissal at 11:25AM, No lunch

Friday, September 29^th: PTO Meeting, 9:15AM with Superintendent Antonucci

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Message from the Principal…

School years have a unique ebb and flow: beginning with the daily schedule change from summer to school. Parents and teachers often remark that one day it’s summer, with its lazy, hazy, relaxed feeling, and the next day every activity, every hectic aspect of family life commences~ at the same minute!

For me the summer was a mixture of “down time” and activity. I traveled to Moab Utah with its awesome Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, enjoyed some long bike rides, spent time with family in New Hampshire, helped one son move into an apartment in Boston and the other prepare for a year in Sydney Australia.

My favorite summer memories include the four of us, even if it was hauling furniture up three flights of stairs! Trite as it sounds, it seems like yesterday that our sons were learning to swim or starting first grade or leaving for summer camp… Having two young men around is both a pleasure and a reminder of how quickly time goes by. While Matt is entering graduate school in Boston and has experienced living on his own, Ethan will begin life after college: and doing it on the other side of the world. As he begins a new chapter in his life, I have spent a lot of time thinking about advice to share with him. How can I assure that his first job will support his growth? Should I intervene to help get his travel plans organized? Then as quickly as these questions come into my head, I realize that I need to step back. I can’t and shouldn’t try to prevent him from confronting life’s adventures and mishaps. He will learn much more from making mistakes and persevering in the face of disappointment than from relying on his parents to cushion the road.

I have equally strong feelings about the beginning of school. My mind is flooded with memories of our sons in new sneakers, backpacks at the ready, heading off at the start of the new school year. Even if I wasn’t working in a school myself, my internal clock still changed to “school time” as September began. I remember the same protective instincts: how can I help the boys get off on the “right” foot, make sure that they do their best work, assure that they are respectful towards the adults they meet, remind them of the importance of making and keeping good friends? Again, it was always better to step back and listen to them rather than jump in to try to prevent problems. They are both more independent and capable young men today as a result.

As the school year begins again, I’m excited about the educational journey that lies ahead for each member of the Deerfield community, and that I’m honored to be working with your children and you.

Louise Lipsitz

SCHOOL NEWS…

Curriculum Night

Mark your calendars ~ Thursday, September 21^st is our annual Curriculum Night. Parents are invited to hear about the upcoming year in their children’s classrooms and come together as a parent community for the first PTO Meeting of the year.

6:15-7:00 Grades 3-5 meet in classrooms

7:05 All Staff and parents in the gym

7:30-8:15 Grades K-2 meet in classrooms

Arrival and Dismissal

Remember that the front driveway must be kept clear of parked cars at the beginning and end of each school day. Come into the driveway and stop your car as close to the exit side as possible on the sidewalk side of the drive. Wait with your car. The children will be dismissed through the front doors and can then walk around on the sidewalk to get to the car. They should not cross the traffic to reach you. Once you have your children, pull out slowly into the drive and proceed out of the drive. If you would like to come into the building, please park in the spaces on the far end of the building and enter through the front doors.

Calling Parent Volunteers

We need a group of parents who are able to commit to a weekly 45 minute reading time at Deerfield. Every Wednesday we will have a Drop Everything and Read~DEAR block from 10:15-11:00. The students in Grades 1-5 will participate on alternating weeks when they are not scheduled for a specialist class. Please call the school office or email me if you are interested in bringing in a book and joining our readers each Wednesday morning. We will start on September 13^th.

Deerfield Listserve

Leaps and Bounds will be sent home in paper copy through September, then only to those families who are not signed up for the Listserve. It is also posted on the Deerfield School website each week.

You may register for the Deerfield listserve with a home or work email addresses.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read Leaps and Bounds. It is sent as a pdf file each week. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free download available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

To register for the listserve:

>Go the Deerfield home page on the Westwood Public Schools website

>Select the listserve link or go on-line and type: http://lists.town.westwood.ma.us/mailman/listinfo/deerfield.

>Subscribe by typing your email address, your name (optional) and your password

>Click on subscribe. You will receive an email to confirm your registration.

Notes From the Health Office

Welcome to our new students and Kindergarten students and welcome back to all returning students!  We have had some reported cases of conjunctivitis in the school.  Simply, conjunctivitis is an infection of the eye.  The white part of the eye

becomes pink or red, the eyes hurt or feel scratchy, and they produce lots of tears and pus like discharge.  This discharge is very contagious.  When children rub their eyes, they get the discharge on their hands and then can spread it to other children by contact.  For this reason, you must have your child seen by a doctor if you suspect conjunctivitis.  If your child does have conjunctivitis, they need to use their prescribed eye ointment/drops for a FULL 24 HOURS before they can return to school.

An information letter went home at the start of school reminding you about the identification and treatment of head lice.  There have already been cases of head lice in other Westwood schools and the Extended Day Program, so be on the look out.

If your child took medication at school last year or had an IHP, I need current doctor's orders, parent permission, medication, and signed IHP's for this school year.  If you have not already delivered them to the health office, please do so ASAP.

Please call the Health Office if you have any questions.

PTO NEWS…

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed to help with picture day, during the school day on Tuesday, September 26th. Anyone interested should contact Brenda Wight at 781-329-4914 or email DeerfieldPTO@aol.com.

PTO Meeting

Deerfield's PTO meeting will be held on Friday, September 29th at 9:15am. Our guest will be Mr. Antonucci, superintendent of schools. The Deerfield PTO meetings are fun and informative, welcoming all parents able to attend. We look forward to seeing you!

Sally Foster Fundraiser to Start 9/22/06

The Deerfield PTO has once again chosen Sally Foster as our fall fundraiser – look for sales kits in your child’s backpack on Friday, September 22. This fundraiser has been a tremendous success in past years, allowing the school to earn 50% on every item sold. Check out some of the Sally Foster items at Curriculum Night on 9/21/06 – new products are offered each year, and have always been of great quality. All orders will be delivered to Deerfield well before the holidays, so stock up on some great giftwrap and accessories and support Deerfield School at the same time.

Westwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, disability, nation origin or sexual origin.