Tough Decisions Ahead

The School Committee has been grappling with some tough decisions around the upcoming budget. More information can be found on the district website at www.prsd.org. Some parents have organized babysitting to be available in the Sweetsir gym during tomorrow's Town Meeting, Monday, April 30th, which will be held in the Sweetsir cafeteria at 7:30 pm. They will have a movie and little ones can wear pajamas.

Community of Bucketfillers

Spin-a-thon Room with 80 bikes

Thank you to all the FNS families and staff members who helped raise funds for Cure AT/RT.  Our team, the Sweetsir Spinners, surpassed our goal by raising $1,675!  By the end of the spin-a-thon, over $60,000 had been collected.  The total for "Avalanna's Weekend" is expected to be even higher once the proceeds from the Spa Night are tallied in with other proceeds.

For those of us who attended the Spin-a-thon, it was a very emotional and inspiring experience.  Walking into the room, you couldn't help but be awestruck by the number of people who gave their time and effort to support this cause.  It's astonishing that a little 6 year old girl could rally such a large community of people.

Some of the Sweetsir Spinners

Mrs. Erica Wentworth, a kindergarten teacher, went above and beyond as our team captain.  To add spirit she designed these shirts and created a sign for the Sweetsir bike.  This photo shows some of the many staff members who wore the shirts to school on Friday and spent part of the weekend pedaling.

Sweetsir Spinners bike sign

Cake Pops by Terceiro

Mrs. Kathy Terceiro, a third grade teacher, made a bazillion of these fancy cake pops for Cure AT/RT.  You may have seen them being sold around town and outside of West Newbury Food Mart by some Merrimac children. The children also showed up at the club to cheer on the spinners.  They were quite irresistible in their bright yellow shirts (featuring a large 'A'), tutus, and bows.

Family Game Night

Game Night was a fun family evening!  Thanks to the PTO, children had a blast playing a variety of board games with their parents, siblings and friends.

I was impressed with the selection of games, most had received parent choice awards for their educational value.  Best of all, when I asked children what their favorite game was, most stated the one they were playing at the time.  As the event wrapped up, I overheard children saying they hoped there will be another game night.  Kudos to Mrs. Daneau, Mrs. Reynold, Mrs. Hadley, the Marden family and other PTO members who helped run this event.


The PTO plans to send home order forms to give families who were not able to attend an opportunity to order the games.  The PTO will receive 50% profit on all games purchased.

Renovations

New entry doors

The building renovations are moving forward.  During vacation these new windows and doors were installed in the front lobby and cafeteria.  Many visitors commented on how attractive the brown and tan colors look. When the trim and caulking are completed they will be much more energy efficient than those they replaced.

Inside cafe

At the beginning of this week, we expect the window crew to be working on the OT/PT motor room and Title One math room.  Mrs. Grimes will relocate her math groups to the room across from the library for the remainder of the year.  Her large classroom will then be available for use as a 'swing room.'  Desks and other materials will be set up there to temporarily house each first grade class when it is their turn for renovations. Special educators and other specialists will work out of the computer room and other spaces when their areas are under construction.  If the weather is good, and everything goes smoothly, the workers expect to begin rooms 11 and 9 later in the week.

Career Day

Judson Firefighters

The following information is from guest blogger Ms. Sarah Angell, who works as a Guidance Counselor for Donaghue and Sweetsir schools:

In classroom guidance lessons, K, 1, and 2 students have been learning about different careers and exploring what they might want to do “when they grow up".  Lessons have focused on how what is being taught in the classroom now is essential for what students will do in the future.  On Wednesday, May 9, 2012, students in K, 1 and 2 are invited to dress up as a career that interests them.  During lunch, students will share their career day choices so we can chart career interests as a school.  Parents, please do not purchase a costume or expensive props/tools. We are encouraging kids to be creative and use things they already have or can create out of household items. We look forward to seeing their creativity at work for what promises to be a fun day! Teachers and staff are also invited to dress up as another career of interest too!

PEF Trailblazer Awards

Ipad bought with PEF funds

The Pentucket Educational Foundation will be granting a $500 'Trailblazer Award' to an outstanding educator from each of the six PRSD schools at the School Committee Meeting in June.  Parents and other community members can help select the recipients by submitting nominations prior to May 11th.  Tracey McCarthy, a Sweetsir Preschool Teacher, used the award money she received last year to purchase an ipad2 for her classroom.  Nomination forms and additional information can be found on the PEF website: http://pentucketedfund.org/

2011 Trailblazer Recipients

Sweetir Spinners for CURE AT/RT

Youtube video about AT/RT posted by Dana Farber Cancer Institute 

One of our students, 6 year old Avalanna, is the inspiration behind an upcoming Spin-a-thon to raise funds for CURE AT/RT NOW.  Her family helped set up this charity to fund research and treatment at Dana Farber for AT/RT, a devastating form of pediatric cancer.  Friends have rallied to organize a weekend fundraiser, April 27-29th, at Latitudes and Spa Ni'Joli in Methuen.  Their goal is to raise $80,000 by having 80 teams raise a $1,000 each.

Sweetsir Staff Members have put together a team, called "The Sweetsir Spinners", to participate in the 24 hour spin-a-thon, which begins at noon on Friday. We would love to have parents and other community members join us!  To help sponsor our bike, donation can be sent in this week to the Sweetsir School office (cash or checks made payable to Cure AT/RT). We are also looking for adults and older teens to spend time riding the stationary bike. To find out which shifts still need to be filled, contact our team captain Mrs. Erica Wentworth at email: ewentworth@prsd.org.  This is a wonderful way to show beautiful Avalanna our support!

Construction Update

Wonderful news regarding the construction!  According to the April 19, 2012 letter from the Merrimac Board of Selectmen, the air and wipe samples taken from the Sweetsir School building came back with no hazardous material found.  Parents were notified via the list serv and a blackboard connect call that school will reopen as planned on Monday, April 23rd.  (It has not been decided yet if FNS students will need to make up the missed day.  The School Committee sets the calendar, so that question will be on the agenda for one of their future meetings.).  


I would like to thank the Merrimac Selectmen and Building Inspector for their efforts in taking the extra precautions to test the building.   They have been expending considerable time and energy to oversee this project.  As someone who has worked in the building, I assure you the window, roof and heating/ventilation renovations were much needed.   The children of Merrimac are fortunate the town has put so much effort in to improving their school!  


Update:  A crew of window workers have been on site during vacation week installing new windows and doors to the front part of the cafeteria.  These windows are very large so it was a complicated, time consuming task.  The cafeteria windows were scheduled for when students were off to avoid interrupting lunchtime.  PRSD custodians have also been working hard to give the overall building a deep cleaning.  This spring cleaning included four custodians vacuuming lights, cleaning vents and burnishing the floors.  

April 13th School Cancellation

Wow, I was just as surprised as parents on Thursday afternoon when I was handed the Merrimac Selectmen's letter informing staff and students the building would be closed the following day due to construction related issues.  Just like everyone else, I am still waiting to hear more information.

When schools and children are involved, there are extra precautions and more guidelines to be followed.  The Merrimac Board of Health and Merrimac Building Inspector are closely monitoring the situation.  I have been told specialists will be doing testing inside the building during vacation week.  They should know more information very soon.  I am optimistic everything will be resolved in time for school to re-open after vacation.  Information will most likely be forwarded to parents via email, so make sure you have signed up for the list serv: Sweetsir Website

Merrimac Town Officials can notify the community of emergency situations using a Code Red alert system.  Some parents received word that school was canceled via this automated phone system because they had signed up in advance.  (Note: Code Red use is authorized by the town, not through the school system).  Anyone can sign up by going to the Merrimac Fire Department website.   Or follow this link and look for Code Red on the left side: CODE RED.

Vertical Articulation

Sweetsir teachers spent the April 11th Early Release Day working together to review our writing curriculum.  Each grade level listed on chart paper the major teaching points and lessons they cover throughout the year (such as poetry, personal narrative, nonfiction and writing about small moments). They then presented the overview to the whole group so we could examined the flow across grade levels. This type of "vertical articulation" helps ensure all areas of the core curriculum are being covered adequately without unnecessary overlap.

Teachers left the meeting with a solid k-2 trajectory for our writing curriculum.  This time was also an effective way to acknowledge and celebrate the work teachers have accomplished this year with Kate Donelin, a consultant from Teaching and Learning Alliance. Our focus for the past four years has been on implementing a balanced literacy program that includes Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop.

Some of the teaching resources we utilize include:  Units of Study for Primary Writing by Calkins & Colleagues; Talking, Drawing, Writing: Lessons for Our Youngest Writers by Horn & Giacobbe; and the Wilson's Fundations Program.

Global Learning

Preparations are underway for the Second Grade International Fair! 

Second graders have been busy researching countries and learning dance routines from around the world.  Their families are invited to see them perform this Thursday, April 12th, at 1:15pm in the Sweetsir Cafeteria. After the show, families can visit classrooms to see students' projects featuring one of the ancestor's countries.

                                               

 

Making 'Wet Noodles'

This new piece of equipment just arrived for the Sweetsir 'Motor Room'.  I watched Temple Grandin's movie with my sister, who works as a COTA for another school, and she told me about this Southpaw Steam Roller.  It is based on Grandin's 'squeeze machine' invention. Children enjoy the sensation of deep pressure as they crawl between soft, padded rollers.  Just as a hug helps comfort the typical child, this machine provides a similar sensation for children on the autism spectrum.  The machine can also be used with other students to build shoulder and arm muscles which are essential for  handwriting.

Thank you to my kindergarten friend and his pal, 'Freckles', who helped with this photo shoot!  After going through the machine he described feeling like "a wet noodle."  

Shine A Light

A little boy gave me a blue light bulb in honor of 'Light It Up Blue', a yearly campaign to raise awareness about autism.  On April 2nd, many national landmarks and buildings across the globe display blue lights.  President Obama has made a proclamation declaring April 2nd of each year "World Autism Awareness Day." He urged all Americans "to learn more about autism and what they can do to support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families."       

"To the CDC he is 1 in 88: to his family he is 1 in a million."               

  -Quote from a mom whose child has autism          

The Center for Disease Control has released startling new figures suggesting the rate of autism has risen to 1 in every 88 children.  Although there are many theories, the cause of autism remains unclear.  Some think the increase may be due to more  health care professionals recognizing and diagnosing it.  One thing experts do agree upon is that sharing information about autism promotes acceptance and understanding.  It is important to realize, although there are common traits, every child with autism is unique.  As with any child, no two are alike.  They each have their own unique strengths and abilities.  Throughout the month of April, the blue bulb will be in our school lobby display case as a reminder to show support and acceptance to children and families affected by autism.  I hope everyone who reads this will take a moment to learn and share something new about autism.  For more resources visit: HHS: Autism

Temple Grandin: The world needs different kinds of minds. 

This video is of a TED Talk with Temple Grandin, a highly successful author and researcher.  She travels around the globe sharing her personal experience with autism

I also recommend the movie about Temple Grandin's life starring Claire Danes.  It beautifully illustrates how the autistic mind tends to "think in pictures" and focus in on fine details.  Temple Grandin used that ability as an asset to make significant contributions to the field of animals.  She makes a great case for why "the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers and all kinds of smart geeky kids."