West Bridgewater Public Schools Howard School 70 Howard Street West Bridgewater, MA 02379 Tel: 508 894-1250 Fax: 508 894-1253 [email protected]www.wbridgewaterschools.org Peggy Spencer Principal Howard School Newsletter October 6, 2016 Columbus Day Holiday In observance of the Columbus Day Holiday, there will be no school on Monday, October 10. 4th Grade News Literacy Centers: Comprehension skill games are an excellent way to promote targeted skills and strategies during "Power Block". 5th Grade News A reminder to parents that permission slips for the fifth grade field trip to Sturbridge Village on October 20 went home last week. Permission slips and the $28.00 payment are due by October 12. Please note that the buses will not return to the Howard School until after 3:00, therefore parents are responsible for their child's transportation home once we return to the school. 6th Grade News The 6th Grade Gillette Field trip is next Friday, October 14! Students do not need to bring anything, since lunch is provided as part of the field trip. Aspen Update: The 6th Grade Aspen user names and passwords went home with progress reports. Students learned how to log in to check their grades this week during Science class, so now they can check their grades at home. Nature's Classroom: During curriculum night packets were sent out with information regarding Nature's Classroom. For any parent who was unable to attend the packets were sent home with progress reports on Friday, September 30th. On Tuesday, October 11, the registration form and first payment of $115 is due.
Columbus Day Holiday In observance of the Columbus Day Holiday, there will be no school on Monday, October 10.
4th Grade News
Literacy Centers: Comprehension skill games are an excellent way to promote targeted skills and strategies during "Power Block".
5th Grade News A reminder to parents that permission slips for the fifth grade field trip to Sturbridge Village on October 20 went home last week. Permission slips and the $28.00 payment are due by October 12. Please note that the buses will not return to the Howard School until after 3:00, therefore parents are responsible for their child's transportation home once we return to the school.
6th Grade News The 6th Grade Gillette Field trip is next Friday, October 14! Students do not need to bring anything, since lunch is provided as part of the field trip.
Aspen Update: The 6th Grade Aspen user names and passwords went home with progress reports. Students learned how to log in to check their grades this week during Science class, so now they can check their grades at home.
Nature's Classroom: During curriculum night packets were sent out with information regarding Nature's Classroom. For any parent who was unable to attend the packets were sent home with progress reports on Friday, September 30th. On Tuesday, October 11, the registration form and first payment of $115 is due.
If you have any questions regarding Nature's Classroom please contact Mrs. Wenzel at [email protected]. We will also be looking for chaperones for the trip. If you are interested you may also contact Mrs. Wenzel.
Art Room News
Congratulations to Julian Wheeler and Cassidy Lawrence for correctly guessing the Mystery Artist of the Month, Mary Cassatt. Julian and Cassidy got to pick a prize from an assortment of art supplies! Every month I put up two or three pieces of artwork and give the students some clues. The students have the opportunity to try to figure out who is the mystery artist by thinking back to projects we have done in class, looking through books and magazines, asking friends and family or doing a google search.
Nurse’s Desk Along with the changing seasons comes an increase in illness. Here are a few examples of when your child should not attend school. If your child has a temperature of 100.0 F degrees or greater. They can return to school when they are fever free for 24 hours, without the use of medication. If your child has been vomiting or had diarrhea due to illness. They may return to school if 12 hours has passed since the last episode. If you have questions as to whether or not your child should attend school, please call me at 508-894-1250 ext.2406.
Student Council Student council will meet on Monday after school. We will be collecting box tops all year for our homeroom box top challenge. Help raise money for the school and win a prize for your homeroom. We will be collecting canned food to bring to the food pantry in October. Please donate canned foods and perishables to benefit those in need. There will be collection boxes placed in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade hallway.
6th grade students taking a Calm Classroom break as part of a lesson on Stress Management
In September, some of the classes at the Howard School started a collection box of Calm Classroom submissions. Students have been writing down how they use Calm Classroom to help them in various situations at home and in school, and putting their submissions in the class box. Shout out to Mrs. Moore’s class for having the most students submit their Calm Classroom experiences! Here are some ways that our students are using Calm Classroom: I did Calm Classroom when I was testing and after I was testing I closed my eyes, breathed in, held it until 7 seconds, and then breathed out for 10 seconds.
- Juliana Novicki, 4th grade I used Calm Classroom before I went into bed. I did energy hands and other kinds of breathing. I was really calm after.
- Mia Tosches, 4th grade I used Calm Classroom when my sister was bothering me.
- Cam Lawrence, 5th grade I used the butterfly breathing before my student council speech
- Sophia Florio, 4th grade I used Calm Classroom when I was doing a test.
The Little Leos will have community service next week and will not be meeting. During the community service week, Little Leos should try to find community service activities they can do with their parents permission. The recycling teams for next week will be posted on Google Classroom, and they will be the only Little Leos to report to Mrs. Mills room on Tuesday for their community service. Our next meeting is October 18, 2016. Also thank you to all of the parents who requested more information about Little Leos at Howard Curriculum Night. Mrs. Mills will be sending information via email soon. If you have any questions email Mrs. Mills at [email protected].
DARE News West Bridgewater DARE has introduced a new Twitter feed with a goal of providing parents and the community with an overview of what we are talking about in our DARE classes. We hope to encourage our students and their families to share a dialog on the important topics that we discuss. We hope that DARE can be the icebreaker that opens up discussions on a variety of safety and wellness subjects. Our Twitter handle is @wbdare, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Save these Dates! Women’s Self Defense Class is coming back! November 6 and November 13
Once again, in partnership with the West Bridgewater School District, the West Bridgewater Police Department is again offering a Women’s Self Defense Class this fall. Taught by Bridgewater SGT Carl MacDermott, this high energy, hands-on class will be held on Sunday evening from 6:30pm until 9:30pm on November 6th and 13th. Martial Arts experts from MacDermott’s Tang Soo Do will share their wealth of experience to empower women to take an active role in the safety of them and their family. The class is open to women ages 13 and up, with a $35 donation to the West Bridgewater DARE program. Anyone interested is encouraged to email [email protected] Sign up sheets will be available at West Bridgewater Schools and at the police station at 99 West Center Street.
Social Media
Please “Like” our Howard School Facebook page and follow us on Twitter “Howard WB” for current events and photo sharing, along with a glimpse into our school days.
READING IS FUNdamental (RIF) On Tuesday, students in grades 4 & 5 participated in the RIF distribution at the public library. Students were able to choose a free book to keep and then tried a book scramble puzzle. RIF is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Our goal is to make reading fun and exciting for the students. We offer a variety of titles and subjects. RIF would like to recognize and thank our donors who make this program successful; Friends of the Library, Howard Trust, Bridgewater Savings Bank, WBPTO, and Mrs. Genuich who will be running the Halloween Dance. RIF would also like to thank our parent volunteers; Mrs. Brigitte David, Mrs. Tara Florio, and Mrs. Stephanie Genuich. If you are interested in finding out more about our program or wish to volunteer, please contact Laurie Polen at [email protected].
“Reading Roars!” with Mrs. Richmond “Storybook Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest”
The Howard School is hosting its third annual storybook character pumpkin decorating contest! The students in grades 4-6 have the option to participate in this literacy activity, which is meant to celebrate reading and a love of books! Please see the attached notice at the end of this newsletter for a better understanding of the guidelines for this activity. Remember, most of all, HAVE FUN! *Students may bring their pumpkins to school between Monday, October 24, 2015 and Thursday, October 27, 2016. Book Picks: Pie (Sarah Weeks) Aunt Polly’s cat inherited her famous pie-crust recipe, and Alice inherited the cat. Now the cat is missing, and Alice fears that someone in her pie-crazy town has stolen him to get the recipe and win the baking contest. It’s up to Alice and her friend Charlie to solve the mystery and find the cat. Howtoons: Tools of Mass Construction (Saul Griffith, Ingrid Dragotta, Nick Dragotta) While following the fictional adventures of Tucker and Celine, your child can do real projects that combine math, science, engineering, and art. He’ll learn to turn a turkey baster into a flute, create a submarine, and much more. ~From Reading Connection (copyrighted material of Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated) Please follow Brandi Richmond on Twitter @HowardReading “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
PTO Corner
PTO meeting dates for the school year will be: 10/18, 11/15, 12/20, 1/17/17, 2/7, 3/21, 4/25 & 5/23. Meetings are held at 7pm in the Howard School Library. All parents and staff are welcome! The PTO is looking for a chair for Elf Shoppe and Santa's Breakfast and a chair for the Book Fair. Please contact an officer if interested. Our new fall Meadow Farms fundraiser is well underway. The PTO uses the funds generated to help pay for lots of the extras and programs our children receive during their school year. We are excited to
announce that we are extending the due date for both online and paper orders to Tuesday, 10/11/16. Please be sure to get all your orders in by this coming Tuesday so we can tally up our incentive winners and get the orders in time for pre-holiday delivery. The student who sells the highest quantity of products in each grade will win a $25 gift card to Target, the student in grades K-6 who sells the highest quantity of products will win a Kindle Fire! Consider taking a peek at the great products and yummy treats that Meadow Farms has to offer. Please contact Jessica Aldred at [email protected] with any questions. The Vendor Fair has been approved for 11/5. Cindi Vanderstreet will need volunteers for set up the night before from 6-7 and the day of the event 8-3. Also we are looking for baked good items to sell at this event. Please contact an officer or send a note in through your son/daughter's teacher to the PTO with your contact information if you are able to help in some way. Boot camp is back!! It starts on October 17th at the Howard School gym! This is a great way to work out and support the PTO! Recycle all textiles that are clean and dry in the white bins outside of SSS, RLM & Howard. WBPTO receives the funds generated by your donations. Anything that can be reused is donated and the rest is recycled. Items that are accepted are on the website and FB page. All information for programs, logo merchandise, and officer's emails can be found here. https://sites.google.com/site/westbridgewaterpto/home The link is also on the WB Public School website under "quick links". "Like" our Facebook page for updates and notifications…West Bridgewater PTO
This is a fall activity for students and their families that is OPTIONAL and is meant to celebrate reading and a love of books.
1. Pumpkins should be created BY STUDENTS (some help from parents is allowed). 2. Pumpkins should represent a favorite book character. No TV shows or movies, please. Include an
index card with the book and author on the front (child’s name and class on BACK). 3. No carved pumpkins. 4. Be creative: you can use paint, fabric, wire, glitter, etc. to decorate. Foam pumpkins may be used
instead of real ones. 5. HAVE FUN!
Have your child bring his/her decorated storybook pumpkin (book may accompany it) to their classroom between Monday, October 24th and Thursday, October 27th. Several winners will be chosen at each grade level. Awards will be based on originality, creativity, and relevance to the book. Children will take their pumpkins home on Friday, October 28th. Good luck! Mrs. Richmond
