Special Visitors

Look who stopped by to visit our kindergarten classes today! Check back later for more pictures of Dean Kosch's Curious Creatures!

Window Renovations

We are entering into the last phase of  building renovations!  Window replacements are scheduled to begin this week.  I have been told to anticipate they will take until the end of the school year to complete.  I'll try to keep parents informed with updates on this blog.  However, please keep in mind I am not supervising the project, so postings are based just on my observations or the information I am given. (The building is owned by the Town of Merrimac so the construction projects are under the jurisdiction of Merrimac Town Officials. The Building Inspector, Health Inspector and other experts come on-site to review the work). 


The plan is to begin construction on the side of the building near the dumpsters, and then proceed toward the first grade wing on the playground side. The first few rooms to be done are storage areas and teacher work rooms, so it will take awhile before reaching classrooms. Workers have said they will give notice, so teachers have time to prepare students before it is their turn. Custodians will help relocate essential teaching materials so classes can move to other spaces while the work is completed. To keep children out of workers way, recess will be held either indoors or near the front entrance while the windows facing the playground are replaced.**


Please be assured, the staff and I have spent considerable time planning out details to minimize any impact on learning.  For example, we have easels, calendars and new area rugs ready for designated 'swing rooms' so students can continue with daily routines such as Morning Meeting and Reader's Workshop.  Unlike the roof and heating/ventilation projects, which impacted the entire building all at once, this project should be localized to one area of the school at a time. I like to remind folks, we did managed to successfully house an additional 110 students without notice when the Donaghue School unexpectedly closed for repairs last year.  Staff members rose to the occasion and children responded really well.  We have a great team here at Sweetsir and our top priority is always children's safety.  I feel confident this project will go smoothly and am looking forward to a draft free, drip free school next year :)


**  I normally encourage families to use the play equipment and grounds when school is not in session, but advise against it during construction.  During the last project, I witness children playing in Jervey Loop after school as unsuspecting delivery trucks came around the corner.  It makes it very difficult for workers, if children are skateboarding or playing ball nearby.

5-2-1-0 Puppet Show & Snack Graph

 On Wednesday, March 28th,  Leslie Smith and the Theatre of Life Puppets, will be performing a show about nutrition for Sweetsir students.  Parents and younger siblings are welcome to join us for the 1:30 show!

We are grateful to Anna Jacques Hospital for securing a grant from the Mosely Foundation.  As a result, they will provide the funding for the puppet show along with $1,500 worth of library books and materials to promote healthy eating and exercise!  Teachers will facilitate class discussions to help students decide if the snacks they bring to school are healthy choices.  Results will be graphed and displayed in the classroom for an ongoing period of time.  (Don't worry parents, we will send home hints and ideas for healthy snacks).    

Leslie Smith incorporates the 5-2-1-0 program, daily guidelines to fight childhood obesity, in her show: EVERYDAY eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, engage in 2 hours or less of screen time, exercise at least 1 hour, and, consume 0 sugary drinks.  For more information about the program visit: 5-2-1-0 Healthy or Let's Go.

Spinning for a Sweetheart

Have you heard of the little girl affectionately being referred to as "Mrs. Beiber"?  You may have seen her on the news around Valentine's Day.  This little sweetheart made national headlines when Justin Beiber flew her to New York to play Candyland.  The trip was a media sensation and the world fell in love with her.  Those of us who know her as Avalanna, a Sweetsir kindergartner, were not surprised.  She has that effect on people- her infectious laugh and beautiful personality fills others with joy.

The trip to NY was an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the need to raise money to cure AT/RT.  This form of pediatric cancer is so rare that there is no cure and virtually no funding for research.  April 27th-29th, Avalanna's family and friends are putting together a 24 hour Spin-a-thon and a Spa Night to benefit 'Cure AT/RT Now', which they formed to support research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  The Sweetsir School is pleased to announce we are putting together a team to participate in this fundraiser.  Details will be sent home via backpack to explain how you can  form your own team or sponsor the 'Sweetsir Spinners'.   Monetary donations and checks made out to 'Cure AT/RT Now' will be collected at the Sweetsir School Office until April 27th.  Let's join together to prevent other children from experiencing this devastating illness.

Talented Teens

Brooke Snow, Jonathan Acorn, Olivia Dunn and Melissa Bowden

 Wow, Merrimac sure does have talent! The Pentucket High School Theatre group toured all four elementary schools on March 9th.  They entertained students with several song and dance routines from their upcoming performance of the Wizard of Oz. Many of the students, including these main characters, are graduates of Sweetsir School.  Their voices were amazing!

Pajama Day Celebration

Students loved wearing pajamas to school to celebrate their amazing efforts to learn math facts. Here are some of the moments I captured on Pajama Day...  

Pointing to their class on the 'Math Fact Power Hour' graph.

Thinking & collaborating in small groups.

Vision & hearing screenings with Nurse Lozier.

Playing "Guess the Verb".



Check out the PJs on these two Lucky Charms.



Dr. Mulqueen shaking hands with second graders.

Dr. Mulqueen, our future Superintendent, stopped by Sweetsir for a visit.  Although he does not officially begin working for Pentucket until July, he spent two days meeting with staff members across the district.  It was impressive that he took this time out of his busy schedule to ask our input about things that will help facilitate a smooth leadership transition.  

Dr. Seuss's Birthday

  More photos of 'Book Character Day' on March 2nd...

Kindergartners had tons of fun making Seuss hats.

Many were inspired by the best known author of childrens' books.

We adore Thing One & Thing Two!

Title One Teachers are characters!

Fairy Books are a favorite among gr. 2 girls.

Book Characters

Many interesting book characters greeted students on Dr. Seuss's birthday. Among them were Viola Swamp (Ms. Caproni), Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Thing One (Ms. Vienneau) from The Cat and the Hat and the Conductor (Ms. LeGrow) from The Polar Express. This special day was earned by our first and second graders amazing efforts to master math facts.  On Thursday, March 8th, we will also be celebrating with a school-wide "Pajama Day".


I had a blast seeing students react to my costume from  Have You Filled A Bucket today?.  Many responded with giggles and surprised looks upon recognizing the character from the book our school-wide theme is based upon.

Real Life Science

This week interns from the Massachusetts General Hospital Health Institute will be
at Sweetsir School conducting research on language development.  Selected students will have an opportunity to experience "real life science" by spending about 15 minutes answering questions on a computer. Helping with this research is extremely important since the data collected may be used to help future teachers and health professionals understand more about autism and other communication disorders. This is the third year the Sweetsir School has helped MGH speech and language pathology students with their graduate studies.  To view the article printed in the Daily News about their first visit go to:  http://bit.ly/wTyH32

Participation in this research project is completely voluntary and requires parental permission.  If your child is in one of the selected classrooms (Belmont, Rowley, Hitchcock and Caproni), consent forms need to be returned by this Monday, March 5th. 

May 12th PTO Auction

These items will be up for bid at the PTO's upcoming auction. Staff Members on the second grade team donated this movie theme basket, which includes gift certificates.  Each classroom will be donating unique items created by students. Ms. Rowley's second graders decorated this bag of goodies using their thumbprints to make a garden design (picture to right).

For more information about donating items or obtaining tickets contact Jen Marden, PTO President, at Jen.shane@verizon.net.