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Growing by . . . . . .
Leaps & Bounds
Issue Number 8 | October 29, 2010
Westwood Public Schools does notdiscriminate on the basis of age,
race, color, sex, religion, disability,national origin or sexual orientation
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Message from the principal
Dear Parents:
Effective communication between school and home is an ongoing goal at Martha Jones - for teachers, for parents, for me. The exchange between us takes many forms during the year. This week I want to highlight the conferences that begin next week. I thought it would be helpful to share both the teacher and parent perspectives for a productive conference.
Teacher goals:
- Get in touch with parents in advance of the conference if there are significant concerns - academic or social.
- Provide a snapshot of current strengths and areas in need of attention and focus.
- Describe the child at school; hear from the parent about the child at home
- Respect the 20 minutes scheduled for each family.
Parent goals:
- Share your perspective on your child; listen to how your child presents at school.
- Try to avoid cancellations or last minute changes - scheduling 20-25 conferences is a juggling act.
- Get in touch with the teacher prior to meeting if you have significant concerns. The teacher can then respond thoughtfully at the conference.
- Follow-up with the teacher afterwards if you leave with unanswered questions.
Together:
- Set realistic and achievable goals for the next few months
- Clarify responsibilities for school and for home
- Celebrate and enjoy a conversation about each unique and wonderful child
Conferences offer an ideal opportunity to strengthen the partnership between teachers and parents. Consistently clear communication takes thought to achieve in any relationship. We all do well to spend a little time in preparation - for ultimately it will be the children we share who benefit the most.
Happy Halloween! Hope to see you at the Fair tonight.
Peggy Scott
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November Calendar
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Early Release Days & No School Days
November 3 - 11:50 early release
November 10 - 11:50 early release
November 11 - No school Veterans Day
November 17 - 11:50 early release
November 24 - Noon Dismissal
November 25 & 26 - No School - Thanksgiving
November 29 - No School In service Day for Teachers
In the Classroom
November 1 - Grade 5 - Enrichment - Dan Cripps
November 5 - Grade 3 - Enrichment - David Coffin
Meetings
November 5 - Parent Book Group - 9:00 a.m. Blessing of the Skinned Knee
November 18 - School Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m.
November 19 - PTO Meeting 9:00 a.m. with Nancy Hyde
Deadlines
November 19 - SCRIP Shopping Card Forms Due
Events
November 1 - Anton Coat Drive Begins - Through Jan 5
November 8 - SCRIP shopping card order forms available
November 3 - Walk to School Day
November 18 - MJ Marketplace 5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
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MJ Notes
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Help needed
Please be sure your child does not come to school with toys, computer games, cards, headsets, sports equipment, cell phones etc. In other words - personal belongings are for home, not for school. Belongings from home often become a distraction and interfere with the work and activities taking place.
Bus safety
Every day Mrs. Morrison prepares a bus list for the drivers. Please send a written note to the classroom teacher on any day when there is a change to your child's usual routine. Thanks!
Last call on the Lost & Found for this month
All items left in the lost & found since September will be packed up bright & early Monday morning and given away. The lost & found will be cleaned out regularly on the last Friday of every month. Please, please label your child's clothing and check the lost & found regularly.
Parent Book Discussion Group
The Martha Jones & Sheehan discussion group of Blessing of the Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel begins on Friday, November 5th. There is still room to join. Please be in touch if you are interested in attending or have any questions.
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MJ Halloween Party
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Friday Night, October 29
6:30 pm -8:00 pm
Please note this year's start time is 6:30 PM. The party is free, but feel free to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Food Pantry. Please honor all parking restrictions and remember that children should be monitored by parents at all times. Volunteers for the event, please check your email for your assignment and check in with Peggy Scott at the entrance.
Thank you for your contribution and have a spooktacular time at the event!!
Reminder: Westwood Merchandise will be for sale at the Party.
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Highlighting Our Students
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This week's Assembly was a chance to highlight students' achievement in the Arts. Thanks to Fiona & Deirdre Galvin for their spectacular violin performances and to Emma Curley for her lively and impressive Irish Step Dance. The assembly was also a time to hear updates from the three Student Council committees.
Congratulations also go to the students whose artwork is currently exhibited in the beautiful "Capturing Art in Nature" show at WHS: Evelyn Sanborn, Connor Curtin, Emma Curley, Jed Cappuccino, Anthony Wickett, Lucy Wilson, Leah Ghazali, Matthew Cawley, Elizabeth Bunker, Brian Forde, Devin King, Brendan Zeuthen and Bridgette Goss.
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District Anti-bullying Plan & MACS Analysis
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Please go to the Westwood Public Schools website if you would like to read a draft of the district anti-bullying policy and School Committee presentation. There will be further discussion at the November 18th School Committee meeting. Last week's School Committee meeting also included an analysis of the MCAS results.
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PTO MEETING - November 19th
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Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Friday,November 19th at 9 AM in the school library. Nancy Hyde, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, will be a guest speaker at this meeting. She will provide an update on various town related topics and address any questions. We hope to see many of you there!
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Walk to School Wednesday
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Please join us on Wednesday, November 3rd for our first walk to school of the year (rescheduled from a rainy day in October). Meet other Martha Jones families at the Tamarack Path, Temple parking lot, or Buckmaster Pond. Next month we will be celebrating our 5th annual Rosa Parks walk on December 1st. Save the date, celebrate Rosa Parks and the participants in the Montgomery bus boycott, and listen as the WHS chorus raises our spirits.
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Frosty's Friends
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The Do Something mini-course needs your help! For the next two weeks, we will be collecting money to sponsor the Frosty's Friends [Image]initiative. For each $40.00 that we raise, we will sponsor a Boston-area child with a special holiday wish!
Here is some info. for your children to think about:
What is Frosty's Friends? A program that provides children in need with a hand-picked holiday gift.
How can you help? Each student's goal is to donate $2.00 to the Do Something mini-course. There will be a donation envelope in each classroom, or students can bring donations to Mrs. Kyvelos in Room 203.
Why should you help? Some children in the Boston area are wishing for only one special gift this holiday season. It feels good to work together to make someone's wish come true!
Please be your best self and donate today! Send all donations in by Friday, November 12th. Thank you for making a difference! We can't wait to see how each class works together to sponsor a child in need!
Thank you!
Mrs. Kyvelos and the Do Something team-Meghan McDonough, Caroline McDonough, Jordan Wilson, Riley Murray, Michael Blessing, Declan Burke, Angela Giordano, Sean Lendrum, Kathryn Lendrum, Cristina Trudo, Michael Giordano, Caroline Beattie, and George Ganson
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Food Drive Month at MJ
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November is FOOD DRIVE month at Martha Jones
The goal: Help others & learn math!
Each child is asked to bring in at least 2 non-perishable food items,
i.e. 1 can and 1 boxed good the week of November 1st. Suggested food items
are : Canned fruits, beans, juices and vegetables, cereal, boxed mixes,
rice, pasta, crackers. Bring all donations to the classroom teachers.
There will be math related activities in each grade throughout the month
of November. Before Thanksgiving all food will be sent to the westwood
food pantry.
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity!
Any questions? Please see Janet Schwartz
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Substitute Nurses Needed!
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WestwoodPublic Schools seeks substitute nurses at all levels to cover schoolbuildings and attend field trips. Activities include first aid,medication administration, monitoring and assessing students for illnesses. Interested candidates should apply on line at
/ Please call Leslie Davie, Hanlon School Nurse, at 781-326-7500 x. 7522, if you have any
questions.
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SCRIP Shopping Cards
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We will be selling shopping cards again this year. Look for more information to be sent home in backpacks November 8th. To learn more about this program, check out www.glscrip.com.
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MJ Marketplace
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NOVEMBER 18th 5:30-9 p.m.
Save the date! We are looking forward to our 3rd Annual Martha Jones Marketplace. Volunteers are needed to help with marketing, admissions, setup and cleanup. For more information please contact Jenn Burkart at 781-329-3334 or at burkartfamily@verizon.net |
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WESC Book-Fair Fundraiser
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On Friday, December 3, 2010, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM, the Westwood Elementary School Coalition (WESC) is holding a book-fair fundraiser at Barnes & Noble at the Walpole Mall. Up to 12% of all eligible books purchased either in-store or online at www.bn.com/bookfairs will go to WESC for the benefit of our elementary schools.
Flyers with vouchers for in-store purchases will be sent home on Tuesday, November 30. Please present a voucher at check-out to ensure that we receive credit for your purchase. Download a flyer here.
Online purchases can be made from December 3 to December 8. The following Book Fair ID must be entered at checkout: 10125243.
Martha Jones faculty members are compiling wish lists, so that parents and friends will have the opportunity to purchase books to fill specific needs at Martha Jones.
Thanks for your support!
Any questions can be directed to Michelle Ganson, the Martha Jones WESC representative, at ganson_m@hotmail.com
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