November Principal's Page
Dear Loring Families,
I cannot believe we are already into November. The time does go by quickly.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
When I arrived for my daughter's parent-teacher conference, the teacher seemed a bit flustered, especially when she started telling me that my little girl didn't always pay attention in class and was sometimes a little flighty. "For example, she'll do the wrong page in the workbook," the teacher explained, "and I've even found her sitting in the wrong desk."
"I don't understand that," I replied defensively. "Where could she have gotten that?"
The teacher went on to reassure me that my daughter was still doing fine in school and was sweet and likeable. Finally, after a pause, she added, "By the way, Mr. Dees, our appointment was for tomorrow."
I am sure your conferences are going much better. Those of you have not had a conference...let's hope for the best.
PTO...THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who came out for the Spaghetti Supper, Spooky House and Book Fair. It was great to see the kids having fun with their friends and families! A lot of people spent a great deal of time to make sure the night was a success. Special thanks to Tricia McCabe & Anne Childs for running the Spaghetti Supper, Mimi Cahill for heading up the Book Fair, Ronnie Schejtman for organizing the Spooky House, and Patty Kenney & Jane Murphy for always being at events with the Loring attire.
Along with the event organizers, the night would have never happened without the help of many, many volunteers. Thank you very much! You make a difference in the lives of our students.
CHAIN REACTION
November 13th is World Kindness day and to celebrate the day the staff and students will be given slips of paper to make a chain describing random acts of kindness. Each grade level has been given a specific colored slip of paper to use. When someone observes an act of kindness they write down the act, make a chain link and add it to the chain. This is not a competition, but a chance to champion the goodness that we all possess. There is not a time frame or ending to this project. We will keep adding to the chain for the remainder of the year. Please be available for your children when they ask about the kindness and compassion we are putting into their education. Talk to them about tolerance and understanding. Our diverse school community can only get stronger through compassion and kindness.
PARENTS' NIGHT OUT
The Loring PTO is giving you a night out on the town. The PTO is organizing an evening of babysitting on Friday, November 20th from 6-9PM at Loring. We will have a movie, games and snacks to entertain the kids. No personal items or food, please! This is open to current Loring students only. The cost is $5 per child (This is not a fundraiser. The money covers the snacks).
HE'S REALLY GOING TO EAT REAL LIVE WORMS?
Well, the deal was, if the students bought all of the books in the principal's bag (Book Fair) Mr. Ieong and I would eat worms. My initial thought was to get gummy worms and drop them into crushed Oreo cookies. Yeah Right! The students are much too quick. We are now compelled to eat REAL LIVE WORMS! We will be pulling off this amazingly stupid idea of mine during the Dec. 2nd community celebration. "Fun, fun, fun, 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away!"
CONJUNCTION JUNCTION, WHAT"S YOUR FUNCTION?
Annalee Dippel(5th grade Special Education Teacher Extraordinaire) and I had an idea last year of providing our school community with a chance for students to perform on stage. We will be having the 1st Annual Loring play performed in March. Tryouts will commence in December. We will offer it to only 5th grade this year and open it to others in the future. The performance this year will be a production of School House Rock. There will be more information coming, as we get closer to performance time. If you have any questions please contact me or Annalee Dippel.
ILAP
As a reminder, ILAP stands for Improved Learning for All and it relates to the professional development teachers/administrators/assistants receive during many of the early release Wednesdays. The next 3 ILAP days (not including the day before Thanksgiving, which is also an early release day) are scheduled for parent conferences; however, I would like to share with you some of what we have been working on this year.
Our district-wide goal this year is Response to Intervention, a school-wide approach for ensuring that every child makes progress. Kindergarten teachers have continued their work with Tufts University on creating a literacy rich learning environment. First and second grade teachers have learned to administer and use the results of the DIBELS assessment to monitor student progress throughout the year and make modifications to children's instruction to improve their learning. Third through fifth grade teachers continue to review the most current research-based practices for reading instruction. Psychologists and guidance counselors attended a seminar on Positive Behavior Systems. Specialists will work collaboratively across the district to develop their curriculum. Secretaries participated in an Empowering Multicultural Differences workshop. Though staff members learn in many ways throughout the year, these professional days and the ILAP days provide a critical vehicle for our ongoing growth as educators.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO KIDS
When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire. An appendix is something found in the back of a book. Sometimes they get in people and have to be taken out.
There are some things about electricity we still are not sure of. These things are called whats.
THANK YOU
Thank you Loring parents for your commitment, love and involvement. Without it...we fail, With it... we reach higher and higher.
Dare To Dream,
Mr. Dees