January 2008
Dear Nixon Families,
There's snow on the ground and the children are so excited! At this time of year we always talk together about how to play safely together outside. We ask all children bring coats, hats, gloves, and boots in cold weather, as we try to get students outside for exercise whenever possible. Children without coats will come to the office and we will call you to let you know. Students without boots may only play on the blacktop. Please keep in mind that the weather may change during the day, so it is helpful to be prepared for the most severe weather. Snow pants are a must for students in Kindergarten through third grade. Fourth and fifth graders are required to wear snow pants if they will be doing activities where pants will get wet or snowy or if the snow is very deep. We have reviewed our school expectations for snow play at school meeting, as was voted on by the students last year. (No throwing snow, snow belongs to everyone so we can only "save" structures for the current recess, etc.)
School meetings have been full of variety in recent weeks. At Thanksgiving each class had students share what they were thankful for. Recently, Pat Mullen, director of the Food Pantry, showed slides illustrating how the food children brings goes from Nixon to the Food Pantry volunteers to those "shopping" at the Pantry. We learned that the children of Sudbury contributed 13,000 items last year, providing a significant stable source of food for local families. Most weeks the children are mesmerized by a previously recorded Weather Forecast hosted by 5th graders, who also share information related to weather science. Ask your child about the different kinds of clouds and why an airplane "makes" a cloud. Mrs. Dooley continues to teach us new songs and review favorites. We have also enjoyed a number of student performances, including the "Hamster Dance," piano pieces, dramatized original poems, and even an original song. If your child wishes to perform, please encourage him or her to talk to Mrs. Dooley.
All first through fifth graders have contributed ideas to the Student Council regarding problems to be solved, ways we can improve our school, and ideas for Spirit Days. The problems students raised ranged from predictable (e.g. other students not following the rules, the need for more play equipment and better lunches). Students will vote on school spirit days and goals for each grade level in the coming month based on the ideas they have generated.
We have had productive ILAP professional development sessions this month. Third to fifth grade teachers have continued to develop their knowledge of the Writer's Workshop through an all-district presentation followed by planning in grade level teams. Teachers have been identifying picture books which provide models of good writing. (One of these might make an excellent holiday gift to the class.) Kindergarten and first grade teachers delved into the new Investigations Math materials, and second grade teachers learned how colleagues at another school taught Mexican culture. This week all Nixon kindergarten through second grade teachers learned about Fundations, a word study program that provides useful routines and a consistent approach for all students. Special educators learned effective approaches for assisting struggling students through the "response to intervention" approach which focuses on research based practices which can be implemented in regular education. Many specialists had an opportunity to share projects and curriculum and plan for a more consistent program across the district. Since effective and ongoing professional development is one of the factors most associated with high quality schools, we continue to be grateful to the Sudbury community for your support of the ILAP days.
The PTO recently voted to support the installation of alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in each classroom. (The hand sanitizer will NOT be the antibacterial type, which can decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics.) Although we encourage children to wash their hands, research indicates that the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers reduces school related illnesses and absences significantly. (I noticed that Emerson Hospital has deployed such dispensers recently.) The installation of these dispensers will make it quick and easy for students to clean their hands before snack and lunch. If you do not wish your child to use the hand sanitizer, please let your child's teacher once they are installed. We expect the dispensers to be installed within the next month.
Next month I will make my annual presentation on Nixon's MCAS results to parents on January 3rd. I will make a morning presentation at 9:15 and an evening presentation at 7:15. While MCAS is only one way that we assess students at Nixon, many parents have questions about interpretation of the results for our school and for their individual children. On Wednesday, January 23th, the School Committee plans to meet at Nixon to learn about our School Improvement Plan and our school overall. We encourage you to attend, both to learn more about our school's goals and to get to know the School Committee and Nixon's School Advisory Council members.
Your children continue to be a joy to me, and I am grateful to be part of such a wonderful community. I wish for you time with your family, relaxation, smiles, all that you are hoping for over the holidays and winter vacation.
Warmly,
Joni Jay