141 Davis Street
Greenfield, MA 01301
413.772.1300
413.774.7940 (fax)
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Newton School
70 Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413)772-1370
Principal: Joan Schell, Ed.D.
Principal's Welcome Message (pdf)
August 19, 2010
Dear Newton School Families,
Welcome to the 2010 – 2011 school year. We have been busy all summer preparing for school opening. Our teachers are excited about meeting your children and starting their classes.
We have mailed you a letter letting you know the name of your child’s teacher. Please call 772-1370 if you have not received it.
Here are important dates and times to remember:
Thursday, September 2, 2010
First day of school for Grades 1, 2, and 3Wednesday, September 8, 2010
First day of school for Kindergarten, half dayThursday, Friday, and Tuesday, September 2, 3, and 7
Kindergarten screening sessions, by appointment
(Letters were sent earlier with your screening time)Morning start time
Children arrive between 7:30 and 7:45
Free breakfast is served to all children
Recess (outdoors, weather permitting) until 8:00
Classes begin at 8:05Afternoon dismissal time 3:45 p.m.
We will mail every parent the bus routes and schedules very soon. We will also post the bus routes on our website (gpsk12.org). Some changes may occur during the first two or three weeks of school as we learn about new parents registering or changes in children’s schedules. Look for the Greenfield Public Schools school calendar in the latest Town Crier.
At Newton School, we have wonderful enrichment planned for the year—for example, music, art, dance, sign language, physical education, technology, science discovery, math games, field trips, special events, and much more. Even the youngest children adapt to the extended school day. Please do not worry—within a few weeks children of all ages eagerly participate in all our activities.
We welcome back our entire faculty and staff, especially the new teachers who are joining us at Newton School: Molly Alvin, Grade 1, Megan Queen, Grade 2. Ruth Odom, Title I teacher (returning from GMS), and Lucy Reinhold, Special Education teacher (returning from Federal School).
As the senior elementary principal, I will be based at Newton School this year, working with you and all the staff and students. Associate Principal Tracy Crowe is working with Superintendent Hollins on Greenfield’s new virtual school for students K-8. Any Greenfield parent who is interested in the virtual school can contact Dr. Crowe (772-1311) for more information. In addition to K – 8 openings we have 5 virtual school ½-day kindergarten slots available.
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact our office at 772-1370.
Sincerely,
B. Joan Schell, Ed.D., Elementary Principal
Newton’s Instructional Focus:
A coordinated school-wide effort to have all Newton School students demonstrate growth in their ability to read, comprehend, and respond to open response questions in all academic areas using relevant information and supporting details from the text for support.
Newton School…
Where Readers Lead
and
Mathletes Count!
Have FUN this summer!!
READ…everyday!
Parents….please don’t forget to read to- and read with- your children everyday!
A book is something great to share
at home, in a tree or anywhere.
Read to each other and when you’re done
head back to the shelf for another one!PTO REMINDERS:
Our last fundraiser of the year will be the showing of Toy Story 3 at the Garden Theater on Saturday, June 26th at 10am. Tickets are $5 each. An order form has gone home. Ticket orders can be sent to school and tickets will be sent home with your child.PTO will be running Field Day on Monday, June 21st. Please contact Lynn if you can help out (lfacey@verizon.net or (413) 219-4625).
Don't forget to save BoxTops over the summer! Every little bit counts. You can also earn money for our school by shopping online at stores such as Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, or Snapfish by shopping through the BoxTops Marketplace. Visit www.btfe.com/marketplace to learn more!
PTO officers for 2010-201
Lynn Facey & Angela Morrissey - Co-Chairs
Erica Burns – Secretary
Chris DeRose - Treasurer
DATES TO REMEMBER
Parents are invited to attend the following presentations. Hope to see you here!
June 15th Taekwondo Testing/Graduation
2nd and 3rd Grades 2:30 p.m.June 17th Taekwondo Testing
K and 1st Grades 2:30 p.m.June 21st Field Day 9:00a.m.-11:00a.m.
June 22nd All School Meeting 8:45a.m.And don’t forget…
June 26th PTO Fundraiser-“Toy Story 3”
Garden Theater 10:00a.mLost & Found
Items in lost and found which have not been claimed by the end of the school year will be donated.Grade 2 Mrs. Iacuessa
I can't believe this school year is coming to an end so quickly!!! Second grade students have made so much progress this year with reading comprehension and fluency. Many students have doubled or more than doubled their fluency rate since September!!Parents often ask what their child can do during the summer to keep practicing their skills... always have your child read, read, read! It might be a good picture book or chapter book. It might be a magazine or a book on tape or the newspaper....we know that good readers always read!
We have a classroom full of books..all kinds of books and I am allowing my students to borrow books for summer reading. If parents or students are interested, let me know and I will make arrangements to send home with students a book bag full of summer reading at his or her level. I will also make arrangements to have students come in and return books and check out another bag full of books during the summer....nothing would please me more than to have students borrow books for their summer reading! If you are interested, write me a note or stop in before the end of the school year and we can begin with a book bag filled with some of their favorite books!!! What could be better than grabbing a good book on those lazy hazy days of summer!!!!!
Have a wonderful and safe summer… Happy Reading!
Kindergarten Ms. Brown
It is hard to believe the school year is coming to an end. It has been a wonderful experience watching your children grow and learn! We have made so much progress in kindergarten, and the children continue to work very hard – even on some of these hot, hot days!During June, we will be learning about insects, and will follow that with a fun Ocean animals unit. Check the Newton News for dates of some exciting events that are coming up such as Field Day. And keep an eye out for the end of the year packet of ‘keepsakes’ that your children have worked so hard on all year. Have a safe and happy summer and continue to read, read, read with your child!
Grade 2 Ms.Weissman
Ms. Weissman’s class had a very fun, full of learning and busy year. We started our year studying about plants. After plants we moved to world maps. We had fun rediscovering the world! Then it was on to matter. Solids, liquids and gases were the basis for lots of fun experiments. Our final unit has been on birds. We even created our own imaginary bird complete with feathers! Our unit ended with an awesome trip to the Ecotarium in Worchester.In English Language Arts we read many stories, honed our phonics skills along with our comprehension and strategy skills. All areas of study included lots of writing. In math we went from addition and subtraction of single digit numbers to addition and subtraction of double digit numbers. We also covered telling time, measurement, graphing, fractions and some students have mastered multiplication! In order to maintain these new skills it is very important for children to keep reading over the summer. Please continue to engage your child with creative projects that challenge their imagination and expand their minds. Give your children jobs around the house that will help them grow up to be responsible and accountable. Above all, enjoy your children and have a great summer!!
Grade 3 Ms. Herlihy and Mr. Stone
The 2009-2010 school year has whizzed by and we have learned a lot! Our third graders have a better understanding of math and reading that prepares them for their trip to the Middle School next year. With MCAS over, we are now completing our end of the year benchmark assessments to see all the growth we’ve made! Our third grade families will receive a more detailed farewell letter next week! We wish you all a great summer with lots of adventures and happy memories of third grade! Remember to read a little, play outside a little, write a letter or keep a journal, play a card game, and share good times with family and friends.Grade 1 Ms.Warren
Happy June Everyone! These last few days of school we’ll work hard to complete all our Scott-Foresman reading and math work to prepare children for entering second grade in the fall. In math we are concluding our chapter on measurement and will begin learning about addition and subtraction facts to 18 before stopping to take the end-of-year math benchmark assessment. In social studies class, we'll be completing our study of owls and will return to complete as much as we can our study of Massachusetts! The children will take home their Massachusetts activity booklets unfinished, and can complete these during the summer! Thank you to all of you for your help and support in making this school year a wonderful year for us all! I am truly amazed at how much your children have learned this year and so proud of them for all their hard work! You should be very proud too!! I wish you all a wonderful, happy, and healthy summer! Please visit the library as often as possible and keep your children reading every day this summer! Thanks again for a great year!Grade 1 Ms.Zwolski
As the school year comes to an end room 103 will be reviewing the information learned throughout the school year. We can expect to be doing some fun activities the last week of school. During the summer remember to read. We had a great year in first grade. Thank you for all of your help.Kindergarten Ms. Swist
Can you believe it is June already! Looking back, September seemed just a few months ago. Mrs. Pease and I are proud of how far each child has come academically and LOVE to see how each child has grown and changed! They are all very ready for FIRST GRADE!All can read and do addition problems and write a lot! It has certainly been a busy year!
This month is no different! It is packed with many special events such as Field Day on June 21st (I have each child’s T-shirt cleaned and ready to wear!) We still have some end of year tests to give in Reading and Math, so please make sure your child makes it to school! Hopefully it will not be as hot as it has been at the end of May! Be on the lookout for my end of year letter and your child’s portfolio. Thanks for sharing your child with us and best wishes for a fabulous, fun, and safe summer!
Kindergarten Ms. Encarnacao
As June and the end of the school year approaches, kindergartners eagerly choose to practice reading in their "Poetry Books". This is a collection of poems, songs and fingerplays which we have learned since September. We vocalize each piece as a group, study it on a chart and illustrate it individually when it becomes a poetry book page. The children love to return to "I Am Special", "Acorn Brown" and "Peppermint Stick". Our choral readings in these books are a fun trip down Memory Lane! Please enjoy and encourage a daily reading time with your child this summer. Visit the library often, read TO your child and let your child read to YOU! Maintaining your student's literacy skills during the vacation will bring great benefits in September!!
MAY ATTENDANCE
(present and on time)Strides-Mrs. Bouthillette 92 %
Grade 3-Mrs. Herlihy 94 %
Grade 3-Mr. Stone ** 96 %**
Grade 2-Mrs. Iacuessa 90 %
Grade 2-Mrs. Weissman 95 %
Grade 1-Ms. Warren 90 %
Grade 1-Zwolski 93 %
K-Mrs. Brown 88 %
K-Mrs. Encarnacao 88 %
K-Ms. Swist 94 %Congratulations to Mr. Stone’s class!!
Attendance Leaders two months in a row
Greenfield Summer Meals Program
FREE meals to children and youth 18 and under
“EAT 4 FREE”
Site Greenfield Middle School Camp Allen @ YMCA
451 Main StreetGreenfield Gardens
Pray DriveGfld. Swimming Pool
Nash’s Mill RoadLeyden Woods Oak Courts Federal Street School For more info call the Greenfield Public Schools at 772-1334
Ms. Zwolski's Grade 1
Fractions, Part 1
Ms. Zwolski's Grade 1
Fractions, Part 2
Newton DATA WALL
Track our progress!Newton’s Instructional Focus:
A coordinated school-wide effort to have all Newton School students demonstrate growth in their ability to read, comprehend, and respond to open response questions in all academic areas using relevant information and supporting details from the text for support.
NOV
DEC
JAN
FEB
% mastery
% mastery
2-Mrs. Iacuessa
Skill Set 1
5.00%
60.00%
75%
90%
Skill Set 2
5.00%
10.00%
15%
25%
Skill Set 3
0
5.00%
15%
15%
2-Ms. Weissman
Skill Set 1
0
9.52%
48%
48%
Skill Set 2
0
0
0
10%
Skill Set 3
0
0
0
5%
3- Mrs. Herlihy
Skill Set 1
11.76%
17.65%
18%
53%
Skill Set 2
11.76%
11.76%
12%
12%
Skill Set 3
11.76%
11.76%
12%
12%
Skill Set 4
0
0
0
0
3-Mr. Stone
Skill Set 1
15.00%
20%
25%
70%
Skill Set 2
15.00%
15%
15%
20%
Skill Set 3
10.00%
15%
15%
15%
Skill Set 4
0
0
0
0
Teacher Sites:
Ms. Rachel Cronen-Townsend's Web site:
http://msct.crotown.com/
 To view the art slideshow, click here! "Art is essential to learning--not just an educational frill. Learning about the visual arts gives students a window onto the rich and interesting world around them, teaching them about their own history and culture, as well as those of other people. It cultivates self-expression, imagination and creativity as well as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students who learn about art develop their capacities to weigh meanings and make evaluations and judgments. Understanding and making art can teach students how to work cooperatively in groups and how to work hard to achieve a goal." The Value of Art Education: |
Page last updated: August 23, 2010
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