The latest announcements from the Principal and the PTO...

Teacher Appreciation Week Reminder

Posted on May 3, 2012 by admin in From the PTO

Memorial-Spaulding Parents,

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week & Luncheon!!! Thank you so much to all the parents who have offered to help make it special for our Teachers! They work so hard every day and this is our opportunity to be able to say, Thank You!

If you are interested in helping, we are looking for parents to help with the week’s activities by dropping off food or by volunteering to set up or clean on Tuesday. Specific Items we still would like for Tuesday are Drinks, Appetizers, Salads (Pasta Salad, Green Salad, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw or Fruit Salad). If Tuesday is not a good day for you but you would still like to contribute, below are the weeks themes. Please e-mail me at lsiff@chestnuthillrealty.com if you would like to participate!

Monday: Flowers

Tuesday: Luncheon

Wednesday: Candy

Thursday: Breakfast

Friday: Dessert

Thank you in advance for your support of our Teachers!

Sincerely,

Lauren Siff

Teacher Appreciation Week Chair

CALLING ALL PARENTS!! IMPORTANT! PTO Meeting on Thursday May 17th, 7:00PM

Posted on May 3, 2012 by admin in From the PTO
Calling All Memorial-Spaulding Families,
The end of the school year is approaching quickly and the Memorial Spaulding PTO is looking ahead to next year, What does this mean for you?  Please join us on THURSDAY, MAY 17th @ 7:00PM in the LIBRARY to hear all about it!

This is your opportunity to get involved as a PTO Officer and Board Member!  In addition, there are a wide range of Committees and Programs with varying time commitments such as International Festival or Teacher Appreciation that also need your support.

In order to include as many parents as we can who want to become more involved in their children’s school, the Memorial Spaulding PTO is committed to the following for the 2012-2013 school year:


  • Holding regularly scheduled meetings PTO Board meetings every other month in the evenings. All parents are invited to attend PTO Board meetings, even if you are not a PTO Officer or Board member.
  • Posting the minutes of all PTO Board meetings to the PTO website;
  • Posting the PTO’s budget and fundraising goals to the PTO website;
  • Continuing with grade level (K-2, 3-5) coffees in the morning, every other month;
  • Posting the PTO’s bylaws to the PTO website and using these as a guideline for how our PTO will run; and
  • Having more open and consistent communication about how the PTO is supporting the goals of the principal, teachers and the school.

We can’t do this without your involvement and support, so please consider lending your time and talent to one of the most valuable resources at your child’s school – your PTO! Join us on Thursday, May 17, at 7:00pm in the Library. At this time you can hear more about the ‘new roles’ we wish to fill and you can sign up!

If you are unable to attend this meeting you can contact us at info@memorialspaulding.org and let us know what position you are interested in.  Depending on how many people are interested in the same positions the candidate will be picked using a lottery system.


Thank you from your PTO.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK~ MAY 7-11th

Posted on April 30, 2012 by admin in From the PTO

Memorial-Spaulding Parents,

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week & Luncheon!!! Our teachers work hard every day and this is our opportunity to be able to say, Thank You! As in past years, each day we will have a themed treat set up in the Teacher’s Lounge for them to enjoy.

On Tuesday, May 8th, we will be having a luncheon in the Library for the entire staff. We are looking for parents to help with the week’s activities by dropping off food or by volunteering to set up or clean on Tuesday. We are very lucky to have a budget this year that will cover a main course for the luncheon. To supplement, we will be requesting Appetizers, Salads, Fruit Plates, Desserts, Snacks and Drinks, for that day to create a well rounded meal.

If you would like to help, please contact Lauren Siff at lsiff@chestnuthillrealty.com.

Thank you in advance for your support of our Teachers!

Sincerely,

Lauren Siff

Teacher Appreciation Week Chair

 

Update from Lisa McManus

Posted on April 30, 2012 by admin in From the Principal

Oak Hill News for 5th Grade parents
Eva Thompson and the Oak Hill PTO presidents will have a morning coffee with 5th grade parents at Memorial Spaulding Friday, May 4th from 8:30am-9:15 am in the auditorium.

Newton Food Pantry Drive
The Memorial-Spaulding Student Council is organizing a food drive with all classrooms.  Students have been encouraged to bring in canned food, tooth paste, and cleaning products that will be donated to the Newton Food banks.  Thank you for your support.  The food drive ends May 10th.

Class Placement
The Memorial-Spaulding staff will soon begin the student placement process for the 2012 academic year.  Please know that a tremendous amount of time and thought goes into student placement.  I have great confidence and respect for our faculty, and know that they work tirelessly to meet the needs of all students.

The primary goal of this process is to create balanced classes by placing each child in a learning environment in which we feel that they can thrive and experience academic, social and emotional growth and development.  Balanced classes help us create an optimal learning environment for individual children, as well as for the group as a whole.  We consider the teacher’s suggestions, past school experiences, academic and social/emotional achievement, and input from support staff when making this important decision.

Your input with regard to your child and the kind of learning environment in which he or she works best will also be considered when placing students.  If your child has extenuating circumstances that you feel need to be considered in the placement process, you are welcome to write me a note.

Input should be in the following three areas:
1. Learning style:  How does your child learn?  What environmental factors impact your child’s learning?  Identify areas of strength and/or challenge that your child’s teacher may not be aware of.
2. Social relations that impact student learning:  Which children do they work well with or children they do not work well with.  Placing friends together is not a priority and will only be considered in regards to a child’s social/emotional well being.  We strive to balance every class in as many ways as possible.
3. Extenuating circumstances:  Describe any circumstances which would significantly impact your child’s ability to experience success.
The majority of Memorial-Spaulding parents do not feel the need to give input unless there are extenuating circumstances.  Input is not required or expected.  It is an available option for parents who feel that there is additional information that should be considered in the placement process.  Our placement process aims to benefit all children and specific teacher requests WILL NOT be honoured.

Children are very adaptable, especially when they see their parents remain positive.  The primary goal of the placement process is to create classes and learning environments in which your children will flourish academically, socially and emotionally.  I feel that the Memorial-Spaulding faculty gives all students the opportunity to grow and succeed.

All information MUST be received by Friday, May 4, 2012, if it is to be considered in the placement process.  Please send your input to lisa_mcmanus@newton.k12.ma.us or drop a note off in the office.

Upcoming Events:
Thursday, May 3rd         Early Release
Friday, May 4th         Grade 5 parents meet with Oak Hill Principal     8:30 AM
Monday, May 7th         Art Show 5-7PM

Math/Science/Technology MCAS dates:

Grade 3     Math            Monday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 9
Grade 5     Math            Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11
Grade 4     Math            Monday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 16
Grade 5     Science/Technology    Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18

Meet with the School Committee, this Friday April 27th 8:30-9:30 am, Auditorium

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin in From the PTO

Superintendent and School Committee Visit
Come to the Principal’s Coffee on Friday, April 27th from 8:30-9:30 to meet with Newton School Committee representatives; Geoff Epstein- Ward 1, Matt Hills- Ward 7 (Vice Chair of the School Committee) and Margie Ross Decter- Ward 8.   Superintendent David Fleishman will also be attending.

Update from Lisa McManus

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin in From the Principal

Dear Memorial-Spaulding Families,
Welcome back!!  Hope you had a great vacation.  Please see important updates below.
Lisa

Superintendent and School Committee Visit
Come to the Principal’s Coffee on Friday, April 27th from 8:30-9:30 to meet with Newton School Committee representatives; Geoff Epstein- Ward 1, Matt Hills- Ward 7 (Vice Chair of the School Committee) and Margie Ross Decter- Ward 8.   Superintendent David Fleishman will also be attending.

Oak Hill News for 5th Grade parents
Parents may visit Oak Hill while school is in session on the following dates:
Wednesday, April 25th anytime between 8:00am-9:30am
Friday, April 27th anytime between 8:00am-10:00am

Eva Thompson and Oak Hill PTO presidents will have a morning coffee with 5th grade parents at Memorial Spaulding Friday, May 4th from 8:30am-9:15am in the auditorium.

Newton Food Pantry Drive
The Memorial-Spaulding Student Council is organizing a food drive with all classrooms.  Students have been encouraged to bring in canned food, tooth paste, and cleaning products that will be donated to the Newton Food banks.  Thank you for your support.

Class Placement
The Memorial-Spaulding staff will soon begin the student placement process for the 2012 academic year.  Please know that a tremendous amount of time and thought goes into student placement.  I have great confidence and respect for our faculty, and know that they work tirelessly to meet the needs of all students.

The primary goal of this process is to create balanced classes by placing each child in a learning environment in which we feel that they can thrive and experience academic, social and emotional growth and development.  Balanced classes help us create an optimal learning environment for individual children, as well as for the group as a whole.  We consider the teacher’s suggestions, past school experiences, academic and social/emotional achievement, and input from support staff when making this important decision.

Your input with regard to your child and the kind of learning environment in which he or she works best will also be considered when placing students.  If your child has extenuating circumstances that you feel need to be considered in the placement process, you are welcome to write me a note.

Input should be in the following three areas:
1. Learning style:  How does your child learn?  What environmental factors impact your child’s learning?  Identify areas of strength and/or challenge that your child’s teacher may not be aware of.
2. Social relations that impact student learning:  What children do they work well with or children they do not work well with.  Placing friends together is not a priority and will only be considered in regards to a child’s social/emotional well being.  We strive to balance every class in as many ways as possible.
3. Extenuating circumstances:  Which would significantly impact your child’s ability to experience success.
The majority of Memorial-Spaulding parents do not feel the need to give input unless there are extenuating circumstances.  Input is not required or expected, yet, it is an available option for parents who feel that there is additional information that should be considered in the placement process.  Our placement process aims to benefit all children and specific teacher requests WILL NOT be honoured.

Children are very adaptable; especially when they see their parents remain positive.  The primary goal of the placement process is to create classes and learning environments in which your children will flourish academically, socially and emotionally.  I feel that the Memorial-Spaulding faculty gives all students the opportunity to grow and succeed.

All information MUST be received by Friday, May 4, 2012, if it is to be considered in the placement process.  Please send your input to lisa_mcmanus@newton.k12.ma.us or you can drop a note off in the office.

Upcoming Events:
Monday, April 23        School Council meeting                4:00-5:30 PM
Thursday, April 26        K Screening                    All Day
Friday, April 27th         Principal’s Coffee- School Committee visit       8:30-9:30 AM
Friday, May 4th         Grade 5 parents meet with Oakhill principal     8:30 AM

Math/Science/Technology MCAS dates:

Grade 3     Math            Monday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 9
Grade 5     Math            Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11
Grade 4     Math            Monday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 16
Grade 5     Science/Technology    Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18

Reminder! Tonight! Engaging Minds, a PTO sponsored event, 7PM

Posted on April 11, 2012 by admin in From the PTO

Please join the PTO as we host Engaging Minds on Wednesday April 11, 7 pm in the Library

Creating Successful Students

Every child can be successful in school. Unfortunately, for some success doesn’t come as easily or quickly. Research has shown that many students who struggle academically are not less intelligent than their peers; instead, they often times do not possess the learning tools and strategies they need to effectively organize, prioritize, and manage their learning. Join Dan Levine and Louisa Pitt of Engaging Minds, an after school learning center located in Newton, for a discussion about these “executive functions” and how you can help your child strengthen these important skills and strategies at home.

Thank you!

Reminder! This Wednesday evening, 7pm Engaging Minds, a PTO sponsored event

Posted on April 9, 2012 by admin in From the PTO

Please join the PTO as we host Engaging Minds on Wednesday April 11, 7 pm in the Auditorium

Creating Successful Students

Every child can be successful in school. Unfortunately, for some success doesn’t come as easily or quickly. Research has shown that many students who struggle academically are not less intelligent than their peers; instead, they often times do not possess the learning tools and strategies they need to effectively organize, prioritize, and manage their learning. Join Dan Levine and Louisa Pitt of Engaging Minds, an after school learning center located in Newton, for a discussion about these “executive functions” and how you can help your child strengthen these important skills and strategies at home.

Thank you!

Update from Lisa McManus

Posted on April 9, 2012 by admin in From the Principal

Dear Memorial-Spaulding Families,
It was so exciting to see Literacy came alive at Memorial-Spaulding last week.  We started with our first annual Literacy Morning for grades 3-5 and then K-2.  Both mornings, classroom teachers created opportunities for families to experience some of the strategies and skills teachers use everyday to help their children learn to read and write.  From there, families had the opportunity to go to the book fair to purchase books for their children and donate books to the classrooms.  Under the guiding hands of parent Carrie Altman, Memorial-Spaulding completed one of its most successful book fairs ever. For four days, teachers, students, and families visited the library, looked through the books, and made hundreds of purchases.  It was exciting to see students of all ages so engaged in reading and enjoying the great variety of texts.  Thank you to all involved in this wonderful endeavor!
On Tuesday, I had the privilege of announcing the winners of our March Madness read-a-thon.  All of the children should be congratulated for spending hours reading their favorite books over the last three weeks.  After all the reading logs were tallied, first place and winners of a Pizza Party went to the Jayhawks; Mr. Minichiello’s grade 2 classroom and Ms. Schreiner’s grade 4 classroom.  Second place and the winner of $35 worth of books from the book fair for their classrooms went to the Hoosiers; Ms. Pires’s grade 1 classroom and Mr. Miranda’s grade 3 classroom.  Congratulations to all the winning teams!!!

I hope everyone had a Happy Passover and Happy Easter.

Marquee Sign- Thank you Class of 2011!!!!
If you haven’t already noticed, we now have a new marquee sign hanging on the outside of the building that will help us improve our communication regarding upcoming events.  Please take the time to look at the sign every time you drop off or pick up your children. Thank you to the class of 2011 for funding this school gift and to parent, Janice Lipof for organizing the purchase and delivery of the sign.  I’d also like to send a special thank you to the City and Ed Stella, our custodian for hanging the sign.

Class Placement
We are one week away from April vacation.  Right after vacation we will begin the process of placing students into homeroom classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year.  As usual, our goal is to create balanced classrooms, which reflect the overall diversity of the Memorial-Spaulding community.  I will send a more detailed blast out to all families this week with more specific information about how your input can be included in this process.

Red Sox Day- Friday, April 13th
Opening Day for the Red Sox at Fenway Park is Friday, April 13th.  All children are encouraged to wear the colors of their favorite baseball team.  Go RED SOX!!!

Newton Food Pantry Drive
The student council is organizing a food drive again this year.  Each classroom has a plastic bin to collect their donations.  At the end of the drive the team with the most donations will win a Pizza Party.  More information to come.

Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, April 11            PTO Speaker “Engaging Minds”        7PM
Friday, April 13            Red Sox Day and
Grade 5 meets with Eva Thompson, Oak Hill Principal
April 16-20                April vacation
Monday, April 23            School Council meeting            4:00-5:30
Thursday, April 26            K Screening                All Day
Friday, April 27th             Principal’s Coffee- School Committee visit   8:30-9:30

Math/Science/Technology MCAS dates:

Grade 3     Math            Monday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 9
Grade 5     Math            Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11
Grade 4     Math            Monday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 16
Grade 5     Science/Technology    Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18

Update from Lisa McManus

Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin in From the Principal

Dear Memorial-Spaulding Families,
Congratulations to our students in grades three through five for their hard work and great efforts with MCAS testing!  The students were well-prepared and put their all into the work!  Congratulations to each one of them.
It was a pleasure to see Memorial-Spaulding bustling with activity as many family members were in and out of the building over the past two weeks discussing the progress the students have made during this school year.  These conversations are so important and valuable for all parties.  Thank you for the home/school connection that is crucial to the growth of students.
Lisa

NPS Budget Information:
The School Committee approved the 2012 -2013 school budget at their meeting last Monday night.  At Memorial-Spaulding we will get more support from intervention specialists, more math coach time, and increase in Art instructional time for some grades to be determined. All the elementary principals are keeping a close eye on enrollments for next year.  The schools with the largest class sizes may get additional classroom teachers.  I will let you know how this will impact Memorial-Spaulding as soon as I have the information. All other budget details can be seen on the NPS website.

Book Fair
Please make sure you stop by the book fair in the library when you come in for Literacy Morning.  When you enter the library, please look for the baskets full of books that the teachers have identified they’d love to have in their rooms to support their students and curriculum.

Literacy Morning
This week we sent everyone an invitation to our literacy mornings.
Grades 3-5 will be         Monday        April 2        8:45-9:30
Grades K-2 will be         Tuesday     April 3        8:45-9:30

Dismissal
Please send a note into school with your children if they have a change in their pick up.  All notes should go to the classroom teacher. Please remember to call the office and give Francie your password if you are making changes to your child’s pick up procedure.  Reminder:  Only students who have paid the bus fee are allowed to ride the bus.

Upcoming Events:
Friday, April 6        No School        Good Friday
April 16th – 20th, 2012                April Vacation
Friday, April 27th     Principal’s Coffee    8:30-9:30  Auditorium
School Committee members will be here to discuss NPS budget.