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Principally Speaking by Peter Silverman, Principal As we have reached the midpoint of the 2006-2007 school year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who help make programs work for our students in our fine school. I am very proud to be the principal of such a well performing school. It takes more than one person to keep us moving ahead. January marks the beginning of the public budget process for the 2007-2008 school year. Although I have no expectations of a difficult budget season, I want to extend my appreciation for the people who are the backbone of our school. The teachersí industry, both in the classroom and behind the scenes, is as good as you will find. Their expertise and desire to improve themselves in order to improve their practice and our curriculum keeps us moving ahead. Elementary teachers teach many subjects and integrate reading and writing into all subjects. Some people continue to look at the job of a teacher as being part-time, due to the length of the school day and the summer recess. Any parent knows that when you have had to design and run the activities for your own children, and possibly others, for an entire day it is exhausting work. For every lesson taught, it is expected that the planning will take at least twice as long as the length of the lesson itself. Classroom teachers teach math, reading, writing, science and social science daily. Specials teachers see close to 300 students each week. All of the teachers work with students with varied learning styles and needs. The teachers are bound to uphold the standards of the district and state curriculum, which continue to change. They have to assess the outcomes for all student tasks, as well. Our school nurse provides countless services for individuals and larger groups, keeping up-to-date with record keeping and policies while working with parents and teachers to help serve the health needs of our students. Our special education teachers, remediation teachers, school psychologist and guidance counselor help all students in general and work with specific students with specific needs. Other staff members who support the work in the classroom also work very hard on behalf of our students and school. Our assistants toil on behalf of our students as they support the efforts of the teachers and students in their work. We have a school lunch program that is a model for that in other schools. The Brimfield Elementary School building is in such good shape due to the efforts of our custodial staff both in cleaning and maintaining our facility. Our secretaries are often the first contact that people have with the school and they make everyone feel welcomed. They are the hub for information between our school and home, the state department of education and other entities. Last but not least is the town of Brimfield which not only provides us with the children to teach, but whose residents step up on behalf of their own children and in support of all of our students. The students are in school trying to learn and better themselves within our various communities; in classes, grades and the entire school. Those efforts show success and the need to learn more. Parents support the efforts of their children and the teachers. The town has provided us with resources to help us to do our jobs. Our school committee works hard to learn about the school and provide budget and policy guidance. We share the support of the Tantasqua and Union #61 central office staff with the other schools in the district as they work hard to provide leadership and guidance to us. The Advisory Council, PTO and Camp Bournedale committees are tireless in their work. We have begun a new calendar year at the midpoint of the current school year as planning is underway for the next school year. It takes more than a village to educate a child. Thank you to all in our village who play important roles in all of these processes on behalf of our students. Preschool Corner Mrs. Sheldon, Mrs. Winiarski Throughout the year our preschool students learn English/ Language Arts skills through play at each center. At circle time we read stories aloud that have to do with the theme of the week. We go over vocabulary, ask questions, and have discussions about each story. We are currently reading stories by the author Jan Brett and doing activities to go along with them. We have many language arts charts that we go over and make. Students have learned the letters A- K and the sound(s) they make. Students do a lot of rhyme and repetition each day. We have learned a few nursery rhymes and will continue to learn more as the year progresses. Along with learning rhyming words, nursery rhymes teach key concepts such as; below, above, on, beside, over, and under to name a few. For the month of February we will be learning the nursery rhyme, ìThe Queen of Heartsî. Along with reciting and acting out the rhyme we will be making heart shaped tarts. We also learn many new songs each week. We have been studying about migration and hibernation for our AnimalsñIn-Winter theme this past month. One of the songs we learned was: ìFeed the Birdsî (Is sung to Row, Row, Row your Boat)Feed, feed, feed the birdsIn the wintertime.When the days are dark and cold,Food is hard to find. Feed, feed, feed the birdsTill the spring has come.Scatter birdseed on the snow.Feeding birds is fun! The children love to listen to different stories on tape at the listening center. They have lots of fun making up stories in the dramatic play area and pretending to write a shopping list. Each day we do a lot of rhyme and repetition. During small group we make many booklets that the children are able to read by themselves. At the writing center the children are exploring pre-writing and reading-skills each and every day. Kindergarten Mrs. Lindell, Mrs. Timmins Our kindergarten students continue to work hard with their journal writing and Doing Words. Some children have transitioned into Doing Words Level II and are dictating and reading sentences. We are working on hearing sounds in words and blending these sounds together. The children are bringing home books to read to their families! We encourage parents to reinforce good reading habits by picture walking, asking children to point to the words as they read, using letter sounds and picture clues to help them read unfamiliar words, and talking about the stories to increase vocabulary and comprehension skills. This year we implemented the Building Blocks Program, which instructs children in phonemic awareness and learning about concepts of print. We do activities such as shared reading with big books, reading a morning message, activities with predictable charts, journal writing, and writing and illustrating class books, as well as individual stories. Please continue to work on these skills at home and enjoy watching your young readers grow! Grade 1 Mrs. Dufault, Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Paulhus Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking - These are the Language Arts components that your child is immersed in throughout the school day. This year the first grade reading initiative L.E.A.P. insures that every child in grade one receives 45 minutes of direct reading instruction (guided reading). Following this block, the children are involved in Working With Words. They learn to recognize how words are put together, with chunks, vowel sounds, and word endings. They quickly notice similarities in words and how to build on what they know. Self Selected Reading is the next part of our morning, during which the children listen and read a wide variety of literature and authors. They enjoy time to explore and discuss new books and topics while building vocabulary. Ask your child to tell you about a favorite book by Jan Brett, and what makes her illustrations so fun and interesting. Writer's Workshop is a very exciting interactive part of the day. It begins with a mini-lesson modeling a writing skill such as organization, word choice, or punctuation. Next the children work on a piece of writing. This could be journal writing, share the pen activities or responding to open response questions. At the end of the workshop, authors share their writing. All aspects of language Arts are woven through out the day as children learn to solve mathematical number stories and explore their world during Social Science and Science activities. To extend your child's progress and enthusiasm in these areas: Read, read, read Ask your child to talk about their favorite part of the story Let them act out the story Provide pencils, paper and markers for your young author Grade 2 Mrs. Field, Mrs. Lach, Ms. Sullivan Learning about spelling patterns helps us read new words. Acrostic and diamante are types of poems that we will write. Numbers, words, pictures help us with writing during math. Good readers use questioning, predicting, and visualizing when they read. Using a four-square organizes our writing. Adventures with Flat Stanley will continue. Guess the Covered Word is a fun game that helps us apply reading strategies. Editing and revising make our writing more lear and interesting. At guided reading groups, we read books at our ìjust rightî levels. ead, read, read. . at home and at school! Text-to-self and text-to-text connections help us understand what we read. Second graders practice their Language Arts skills all day long! Grade 3 Ms. Holland, Miss Hood, Mr. Thompson Grade Three has been reviewing and developing our knowledge of the parts of speech over the past few months. We have been reading Grammar Tales to introduce each part of speech. These can be quite silly, but tend to stick in each studentís mind. How could you forget The No-Good, Rotten Run-on Sentence? Our Write-on-Track Handbooks help us to practice each part of speech in a more concrete manner. Third graders have also been writing furiously. Many of the stories that the third graders have already written have been in the narrative form; personal stories written from your third grader's prospective. They are currently completing stories in which they explain how to build a snowman. If the directions are followed correctly, the reader should be able to build a snowman from scratch. It might be fun for the family to try and follow your child's step-by-step directions should we ever get some snow! Our next writing assignments will be a Planet Postcard and an Endangered Species Report. The endangered species report will be our first attempt at writing a detailed report. The majority of the data collection and writing will take place in school. We are looking forward to learning more about these endangered creatures! Grade 4 Mrs. McKearney, Mr. Trudeau, Mrs. VanCamp In Language Arts fourth graders are practicing the many aspects of the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing Program. The children have been writing paragraphs focusing on idea development, voice, word choice and organization. In learning to develop their ideas, students must make sure they have narrow and manageable topics, and give relevant and quality details in their paragraphs. Paragraphs were written on the many features of the Northeast region. Voice is developed when the writer recognizes the purpose for writing, has a strong commitment to the topic, and writes with awareness and respect for the audience. The children developed paragraphs about what should really be on Mom's grocery list! Word choice for the fourth grader means using lively instead of passive verbs, specific instead of everyday nouns, and lots of modifiers. The thesaurus provided our students with lots of options. Organization is a key element in any writing, and students are learning to write their paragraphs with inviting introductions, logical sequencing, and satisfying conclusions. Some fourth grade examples of voice... The Mango By Aaron The mango is a delicacy fit for a king. When I eat it, it's like a savory juice bomb exploding in my mouth. This amazing fruit rolls down your throat easily. Once it's in your mouth you crave more. This fruit cuts like butter, but after you've read this, you'll want to eat it whole. The outside has a gentle, smooth skin that will leave you in awe. It is red with a hint of green on the skin. You can also eat the skin, but the inside is far more delicious. Don't eat too much or you'll end up with a terrible cramp. Remember, savor every bite. This fruit is slightly over-priced but it's worth every cent. You can buy them at your local store. PLEASE PURCHASE THE MANGO!! Strawberries By Jaime Hey, look strawberries are on sale! The really red kind, extra juicy! Can you buy the big kind? I love the big kind! Oh, please Mom? 50% off, see, look at the tag. It is very healthy! You can put it in my lunch for school because you always put fruit in my lunch. I will eat the strawberries day and night, night and day. They are a good appetizer! You can dip the strawberries in melted chocolate, put rainbow sprinkles on them, and freeze them. Yum! Mom, you like strawberries, donít you? I like the inside the best! Thank you for buying strawberries, Mom! Gatorade By Josh Mom, would you p-l-e-a-s-e get the red Gatorade?? You know that I don't like the blue.? Otherwise, if you do get the blue it will just go to waste.? I only want red because it is the only good tasting one.? The others just taste like plain water. Brownie Mix By Katie ? Go and get some brownie mix!? Make sure you get the right kind this time.? I am not going to let you lick the spoon anymore, if you get the wrong kind again!? Oh, and make sure the mix comes with a packet of fudge.? Please? ? Cat Food By Sam ? When you go to the super market, can you make sure you get the pack with a lot of cans in it.? That way I can eat more. If you want, you could just get bigger cans and let me eat once a day.? (I think that would last me a whole day...)? One more thing, can you try to get me the seafood flavored ones, please?? I really like those kinds.? It is important that you buy the food in the cans because it is soft and easy to chew.? You know that I'm getting a little old and sometimes I struggle when things are too hard or aren't chopped up for me.? I also don't like to eat directly from the can because it can cut my tongue so could you get me a bowl? ? Thanks, The Cat Grade 5 Mrs. Bencivenni, Mrs. Thompson We are working on the different parts of speech and incorporating them into our writings.? We will be writing stories but also we will be concentrating on answering open response questions?by writing?quality essays.? We hope to become proficient in developing interesting friendly letters. ? Poetry takes center stage this half of the year.? We will be learning how to write a variety of poems as well as learning the many literary terms that apply to poetry.? If you have a favorite poem and would like to share it with us we would be a willing and appreciative audience. In the spring we will be studying the 1830's and will visit Old Sturbridge Village twice in order to have a better understanding of the times.? Each child will take on the role of a real?person who lived during this time period.? Each child will investigate the person and write biographies, journals and stories about their 19th century person.? At the end of this study each child will have a book with information and writings to retain as a keepsake of this special period in our history. We would like to thank all the parents who have helped us with our many activities and projects.? Your participation has made all of them a wonderful success.? Also, we want to remind you that we have a late lunch, 12:45-1:45, and a quality snack around 10:00 is very important to giving your child an energy boost which helps in?his/her concentration.? We try to keep snacks available in the classroom in case a child forgets?his/hers.? We sometimes assist?3-5 students a day.? If you would like to contribute some snacks, just send them in with your child. We are looking forward to a great second half of the year.? We have the talent show coming up soon and we are looking for an act for the fifth grade to participate in as a group.? We are sure we'll come up with something great. Grade 6 Mrs. Gilman, Mrs. Nichols Writing has been an exciting learning experience. The students were asked to keep a writing journal to jot down daily events, favorite words, and phrases. Listening to the comments of Ralph Fletcher and responding to his suggestions has inspired these writers to share their talents with other students in the class. Reading Fletcher's A Writer's Notebook and practicing the activities he suggests has helped students improve their writing. They have been encouraged to take their journals home each day to record anything they think they might be able to use in their writing someday. They may not use all of their entries this year, but they may use them later in life. Great writers keep journals and the seeds in those journals may be cultivated later when they write stories, letters, poetry, newspaper articles or essays. Storyboards were created by groups of students in writing classes. Group members selected a favorite book they had read. The assignment was to make three changes to the story. Possible changes were point of view, plot, setting, characters or resolution. Students wrote a rough draft of their new story. A large sheet of chart paper was divided into eight boxes. The first box contained the cover of the story. Pictures and sentences from the story were placed in boxes two through seven. The resolution was placed in the last box. Each group member had a specific job to do. Some students measured lines for sentences and printed the story on the paper, while others drew pictures and colored them. When students finished the storyboard, they presented their creations to the class. Group members explained the three changes they had made and asked the students in the audience to restate the introduction, paint the setting with words, give a brief synopsis of the plot, retell the resolution, and name the major characters and some of their traits. They were also asked to tell from whose point of view was the story told. Students took their storyboards on the road to other classes in the building. One of the activities the sixth grade will be participating in next month will be writing persuasive business letters to famous directors asking them to make a motion picture from one of the books they have read this year. Mrs. Nichols will introduce the project in reading class and Mrs. Gilman will continue the activity in writing class. Students will also be studying newspaper articles and writing different entries for newspapers. Myths, haikus, and research projects will also be continued this spring. Mini grammar lessons continue to be an important part of the sixth grade curriculum. The students enjoy writing and their work continues to improve each day. Read Across America 2007 Calling all Grandparents, Again!!! By Mrs. Kingston To celebrate Read Across America Day at Brimfield Elementary School this year, we would again like to call upon the grandparents of our students to be our readers. Originally created as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on March 2, Dr. Seussís birthday, Read Across America has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day. Please contact the school if you know of a grandparent who would be willing to be a reader in one of the classrooms. We will be celebrating Read Across America on Friday, March 2nd. Flyers describing this more fully will be sent home during the month of February, but grandparents may call ahead to volunteer their services. Greetings From the Art Room Mrs. Monette All third graders recently visited the Worcester Art Museum to view the ancient Roman mosaics in the museum collection and the Worcester community mosaic, located within the museum courtyard. Students then attended a workshop in the studio area, where they learned how to create individual miniature mosaics. Both activities were well received by students and teachers. The activity was funded by a grant, and a second grant will allow the third graders to work on a large mosaic project that will be permanently installed in the cafetorium when completed. Lots of student art work has been withheld by me due to the upcoming Fine Arts Exhibit. The art show will be on display at the March 14 school committee meeting at TRJHS, and on March 21st at TRHS, as a prelude to the music concert. The public in invited to attend the High School Exhibit only. Hope to see many parents/students there! A series of posters entitled Elements of Art for Elementary Students has been added to our art poster collection. They demonstrate many fine examples of the art elements: line, shape, color, value, form, texture, space. These elements serve as an underlying basis for all art forms, and continue to be emphasized, along with creativity, self expression, and craftsmanship, during art lessons. Happy New Year! Tantasqua Fine Arts presents BACK TO BROADWAY, a cabaret dinner at 7:00 PM at Tantasqua High School Cafeteria on February 16.? Listen to junior high and high school music groups perform while enjoying a delicious dinner of Caesar salad, baked chicken, vegetables, sundae, and beverages.? Advance tickets are suggested.? Adults/$12 and Children under 10/$6.? Call (508) 347-7381 x 28 for tickets. Save the date:? Show Choir Showcase -?March 2 -?7:30. Reading Connection Charlene Hippert Parent Share Days on November 21 and 22 were a great success. Some parents were treated to renditions of the plays Beauty and the Beast and The Pie Thief. Other parents listened to their children read some of their Soar to Success books and then reviewed vocabulary or comprehension games that supplemented the stories. A good time was had by all. For this news letter I would like to share some information that would be helpful in supporting your child's writing. In the following discussion, I will define the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing (Culham, Ruth, 2005) and offer questions that can be used to allow students to take a closer look at the quality of their writing. A trait can be defined as a quality or characteristic critical to successful performance. Just as there are traits for good ice skating, like balance, grace, technical skill, and so on, there are traits for good writing. The traits for good writing include ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. Traits give the writer a clear picture of what to do to revise their writing ñ making it the best it can be. The Ideas are the heart of the message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with the details that enrich and develop that theme. A paper with good ideas is clear, focused, and holds the reader's attention. They are the reason we are writing. Parents can suggest that their children ask the following: Is my message clear? Do I know enough about my topic? Is it interesting? Is my topic small and focused? Did I show what was happening by giving examples? Organization is the internal structure of the piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the logical and sometimes intriguing pattern of the ideas. Organization gives direction to all writing by drawing in the reader. It enhances and showcases the central theme or storyline. Everything fits together like a puzzle, leaving the reader with something to think about. Parents can suggest that their children ask the following: Does my paper have a good opening that captures the reader's attention? Are my ideas in the best order? Does my paper have a strong ending? The Voice is the heart and soul, the magic, the wit, along with the feeling and conviction of the individual writer coming out through the words. Voice gives writing personality, flavor, and style. In a paper with strong voice, the writer speaks directly to the reader and is sensitive to the reader's needs. Parents can suggest that their children ask the following: Does this writing sound like me? Did I say what I think and feel? Does my writing have energy and passion? Is it appropriate for my audience and purpose? Word Choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves and enlightens the reader. Word Choice enriches our writing and makes it almost come alive. Precise words add energy and clarity. Words convey the intended message in a clear, interesting, and natural way. Parents can suggest that their children ask the following: Will my reader understand my words? Were my words accurate, original, and just right? Did I use energetic verbs? Did I use language that painted a picture? Sentence Fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way which writing plays to the ear ñ not just to the eye. Sentence Fluency gives our writing rhythm with an easy flow when read aloud. Sentences are well built with strong and varied structures. Sentences are clear and powerful. As our writing skills grow, we learn new ways to ìsculpt ìour writing. Parent suggestions include: How does my writing sound when read aloud? Do my sentences begin in different ways? Are some sentences long and some short? Conventions are the mechanical correctness of the piece ñ spelling, grammar, and usage, paragraphing, use of capitals and punctuation. Once our writing is revised, we are ready to edit and proofread. It's like wrapping a package ñ we want to prepare our writing so others can read and enjoy it. Conventions deal with fixing our work (e.g. grammar, capitalization, punctuation, usage, spelling, paragraphing) so that our work is as error-free as possible. Parents can ask their children: Did I paragraph correctly? Is my spelling correct? Did I correctly use periods, question marks, commas, quotation marks, and other punctuation marks? Did I use capital letters correctly? The Presentation trait, the ì+1 ìof the 6+ 1 Trait model, relates to the appearance of writing. The presentation trait is strongly connected to the final step of the writing process - publication. Publishing is an important step because it solidifies and provides evidence of the students' position as a writer. Work is put on bulletin boards, made into books, shared with other classes or audiences, or sent home as ì finished. ì Parents can ask their children: Is my finished product neat and legible? Are there margins that frame the writing and pictures? Are there clearly laid out pictures and text? Are the pictures drawn carefully? Do the letters and words stay on the lines? If word processed, are there appropriate and simple use of fonts? It is with great sincerity that we in the reading room wish all of you a happy and healthy new year!!! Happy reading and writing!!! ìHealth Office Updateî Kate Angilly ñ School Nurse Friendly Reminders to the Parents/Guardians: Please have your child/children put an extra pair of PANTS & SOCKS at the bottom of their school bag. With the warmer temperatures comes mudÖ the health office has been unable to fill the need that usually arises daily at recess time. Thank-you! Please be aware that children who have had an elevated temperature, have been vomiting or have had diarrhea should not come to school until symptoms have vanished for a minimum of 24 hours due to contagion to their fellow classmates. Due to flu season healthy hand washing will greatly decrease the chance of bringing unwanted viruses/germs into your home! Parents please send your children with Chap Stick with his/her name on it. The Health Office has run short on socks and sweat pants (all sizes). Donations would be much appreciated! Please call in every morning by 8:30am if your child is to be out sick. It is not required to share why your child is out sick due to the Federal Privacy Act, although it is appreciated and enables the school nurse to track possible epidemics within the school setting. Tantasqua Regional & Union 61 Wellness Policy approved by Brimfield Elementary School The Tantasqua Regional & Union 61 School District promotes healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment for students, staff and citizens. Every school shall provide a safe and healthy environment that nurtures wellness, learning, achievement, and growth of character. Students shall be taught the essential knowledge and skills they need to make safe and health-enhancing choices. Specific actions will be taken into account regarding the health needs and well being of all children without discrimination or isolation of any child. The school and community will collaborate to fulfill the goals of this Wellness Policy. Improved health optimizes student performance potential and ensures that no child is left behind. Some guidelines we would like to encourage are: 1.Students are encouraged to start every day with a nutritious breakfast. 2.Classroom snacks should feature nutritious foods. 3.Food and beverages available after school hours should strive to comply with the current nutritious USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Recently, our school received funding from a federal grant provided by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in collaboration with Sysco Corporation. It is our goal to provide a chef salad to the students and staff starting the fourth week of January, 2007. A recent salad-line survey had a wonderful return, with a projected 386 salads (Student - 267 and Staff -119) ordered for each week! Congratulations! The BES PTO sponsored the 5th & 6th Grade Baby Sitting course in November, 2006 at Saint Christopherís Church. The course was taught by Lisa Meunier/RN, who is the school nurse at Burgess Elementary School in Sturbridge. Lisa has been teaching this course for the past thirteen years in our rural area and beyond. Over forty students attended this wonderful educational opportunity. I have received only positive feedback from the students that attended. ìCongratulationsî to all the students who attended. Below is a list of students who have given the Health Office permission to post an acknowledgment: Congratulations BES 5th & 6th Grade Students who attended the Baby Sitting Course! |
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* 2006-2007 Tantasqua & Union 61 Health Office Voluntary, Anonymous and Confidential Communication and Services Survey Brimfield Elementary School The purpose of this district-wide survey is to gather information that will enable us to improve communication and services regarding your child's health. Question Yes No I would appreciate your suggestions to improve health care delivery for your child at school:_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your participation in this survey. Kate Angilly, RN |
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