High Five

Students were thrilled to see snow flakes at dismissal time today! We've had such a mild winter, it was a welcomed sight. Last year, the snowbanks behind the building were so big children could slide down them.  The view from the teacher's lunch room was priceless. It's a beautiful sight to see eighty children climbing on mounds of snow, making snowmen and building forts together.

The "high five recess rule" goes into effect when snow is on the ground.   Please make sure your child brings in the five requirements to play in the snow: 1- coat, 2- hat, 3- snow pants, 4- boots, and 5- mittens/gloves.

Brownies in the Kitchen

Mrs. Linda Vienneau, Kitchen Manager and former girl scout, gave Brownie Troop 63140 a special behind the scenes tour of the Sweetsir kitchen. The girls wore hair nets and gloves while discussing healthy food choices. They said their favorite things to see were the jumbo cooking utensils and funny looking potatoes Mrs. Vienneau had set aside to show them.

I love math!! It is my third favorite subject.

I received this letter from a second grade student.

Students' Fact Power Off the Chart!!

Sweetsir Students exceeded expectations by logging in so much time practicing math facts, they went off the chart!  As you can see from the graph on display in the cafeteria, each first and second grade class had substantial participation.  The second graders in Ms. Hitchcock's class logged in the most time.  Ms. Rowley's students came in second and showed the most overall class participation.  The picture below was take during the final week of  'Math Fact Power Hours', when Ms. Rowley's class earned a special visit from the 'Fact Triangles'.

To celebrate their efforts to master math facts, there will be several school-wide theme days.  On Dr. Seuss's birthday, March 2nd, all students and staff members may come to school dressed as a favorite book character.  The following week there will be a 'Pajama Day'.

Ms. Rowley's class with Fact Triangles (Ms. Joyce and Ms. Grimes)

Thank you to Margaret Grimes, Title One math teacher, for helping organize this initiative to encourage practice of math facts.  Sweetsir teacher have already noticed an improvement in many students 'fact automaticity.'  The ability to quickly add and subtract numbers is essential for later academic success.  It is important students continue to practice facts at both school and home. As they move on to the Donaghue School, this should also include practice of multiplication and division facts.  Students were given passwords earlier in the year for the Everyday Math website which features games that align with our math curriculum.  It does not matter whether students use fact triangles, traditional flashcards, website games or other methods as long as they feel a sense of achievement.  Children will be more motivated to learn if they find it fun and rewarding.

Joy in a Box

A mailbox was placed in the school lobby for 'Kindness Week'.  A few days later it was overflowing with letters of appreciation written by students.  They were addressed to all different staff members including bus drivers, custodians, office staff and previous teachers.  I am not sure which was more heartwarming, seeing the expressions on the faces of children as they mailed them, or the joy they brought when read.                                                                                                          

So many of the letters I received were truly precious, it was impossible to choose a favorite.  I selected these two to share because I loved seeing how they chose to draw me.

A student who transferred to Sweetsir in the middle of last year gave me this picture with a letter stating, 'You filled my bucket since I met you.'  I remember trying to offer him some words of encouragement when he arrived on his first day looking scared and anxious.  It touched my heart to see that he remembered it too.                  

2012-2013 Kindergarten & Preschool Registration

Walk-in registration for kindergarten is held during the month of March.  Please help spread the word!  This early enrollment is essential for planning class sizes.  Packets can be picked up in the school office and should be returned by March 30th.  Preschool enrollment is also underway, call the school for more information or visit the posting on the district webpage:http://www.prsd.org

Internet Safety Lesson

Ms. Sarah Angell, our School Counselor, visits k-2 classrooms every other week to provide guidance related lessons on topics such as friendship skills, conflict resolution, bullying prevention and personal safety.  She uses the Second Step Program, which is the curriculum used throughout the district, along with other resources.  Ms. Angell is currently teaching first and second graders about internet safety using a BrainpopJr video.  Brainpop is a website featuring these characters in short animated videos on a multitude of educational topics.  Many teachers use the clips as an activator to introduce lesson topics.  Although most of the site requires a subscription, there are a number of free videos worth viewing with your children.
BrainpopJr is geared for grades k-2 and the adjoining site, Brainpop, is more for grades 3-5.  I've embedded the 'free movie of the week' on the side bar of this blog.  Below is the link to the BrainpopJr movie on Internet Safety:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/artsandtechnology/technology/internetsafety/

Your child could be Principal

The Merrimac PTO will be hosting a silent auction on Friday, March 16th at Zorino Vineyards.  They are looking for donations to help raise funds to support school programs, field trips, and cultural arts.  If you wish to donate an auction item or volunteer to help, contact the PTO ( jmarden@merrimacpto.org).  This should be a fun night out for parents and friends!

One of the items up for bids will be "Principal for the Day."  This was a very popular item at my previous school.  Students got a kick out of seeing a classmate dress up and help me run the school.  The "Principal" helped greet visitors, supervise the cafeteria, check in on classrooms, and even made a few rules (teachers were forewarned there might be no homework and extra recess time).  I look forward to having just as much fun with a Sweetsir student as Principal.

Creative Math Instruction

Mrs. Grimes, Title One Math Teacher, created this number grid on the floor of her classroom.  

To help students develop number sense, she has them physically move from one number to another as they practice adding and subtracting.  On 'Stuffed Animal Day', students enjoyed having their favorite pals participate in the activity!  

Talented Bucketfiller

Mr. Sam Bruce, Sweetsir custodian, painted this mural in our cafeteria. He decided to spruce up an old bulletin board and surprised the students with this colorful painting. It's a great reminder of our school-wide theme to promote kindness by filling buckets. To learn more about the bucketfilling concept, click on the tab near the top of this blog.

We will be celebrating 'Kindness' with special theme days the week of February 12th. Students will be collecting donations for Pettengill House and jumping rope for the American Heart Association. There will also be a mailbox in the lobby where they can place letters of appreciation for adults in the building. At the end of the week, some of the letters will be shared at a school-wide assembly.

Blogging Challenge

I always love a challenge, especially if it gives me an excuse to avoid housework, LOL.  I met Larry Fliegelman when he worked as a principal in nearby Boxford.  He has since moved to Vermont, but keeps in touch with many colleagues through twitter.  He has posted a challenge to blog 14 times in the month of February (#14inFeb). http://t.co/J4XpUyQL  Larry, you're on!

I started blogging after attending the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals Association conference last May.  I was inspired by meeting other administrators who were enthusiastic about using twitter to develop a PLN (Professional Learning Network).  I jumped on board and began reading tweets from educators across the globe.  Since tweets are limited to 140 characters, I love being able to read many snippets in a short time.  I find it helps me stay abreast of things happening in the education field.  I often stumble upon links to interesting blogs, podcasts and videos.  The past nine months have been not only enlightening, but also very validating.  I've read so many postings about the need for educators to focus on creativity, communication and collaboration, it made me realize how cutting edge we are as a school district with our multi-year focus on embedding 'Habits of Learning' in all k-12 classrooms.

Modern technology has helped educators across the globe connect in ways never before possible. Below is a chart from the traffic page of this blog.  Would you believe it been viewed by people from as far away as Latvia and Malaysia?  How exciting to think that teachers in other countries might borrow our idea to dress up as fact triangles and rack up 'Math Fact Power Hours!'

Pageviews by Countries United States 4,579 Russia 77 Germany 69 Canada 36 France 30 Australia 29 United Kingdom 28 Latvia 27 Ukraine 21 Malaysia 10

Celebrating Math Fact Power

Parents, thank you for encouraging students in grades 1 & 2 to spend time practicing math facts!! On 2/6/12, we achieved our goal of completing 140 'Math Fact Power Hours' and spun the wheel for a school wide celebration!  "Bring a stuffed animal to school day" was a huge hit!  Penguins, teddy bears, puppy dogs and other favorite friends were seen peeking out of backpacks and sitting on desks. Since the incentive program will continue until February vacation we will have an opportunity to achieve our next goal and spin the wheel again.

The hours logged in by each 1st & 2nd grade classroom are represented on a graph displayed in the cafeteria.  This has promoted many in prompt to discussions about how to interpret data.  At the end of each week, we tally up the logs and recognize the class with the most hours.

Power Hour Graph

Ms. Hitchcock's second graders logged in the most hours two weeks in a row.  Ms. Hitchcock noticed an improvement in her students' ability to master math facts once the triangle flashcards went home.  At the beginning and end of every week she does a quick timed test of math facts.  The students in her class who have been practicing with cards at home saw a noticeable improvement in their score! Proof that practicing math facts helps with mastery!

Pettengill House

During the month of February, we will be collecting personal care products for Pettengill House. Items most needed include: toilet paper, soap, shampoo and diapers (especially larger sizes).

I have known the caring staff members at Pettengill House for several years and have seen them help many area families through troubled times. The Pettengill House mission is "to support and empower children and families by providing education, extensive case management, family stabilization and basic needs." For more information visit their website at http://www.pettengillhouse.org/
Our guidance counselor, Ms. Angell, and some students decorated this bulletin board in our front lobby.

Wizards Game Blast!

On January 31st, the H.S. basketball court with filled with laughter as Donaghue and Sweetsir Families watched the Harlem Wizards play against faculty members. 
The Merrimac PTO deserves high praise for arranging this fun filled family evening!!

Check out this video of game highlights and see the amazing trick players taught a preschooler during a pre-game visit to Sweetsir!