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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Weekly News from the Weathersfield School

weathersfieldschool.org

Fire and Lock Down Drills
At the start of the year, we promised to let families know when the first few fire drills and lock down drills would occur, especially since we are required to report eleven drills a year now.  On September 4th, we conducted a fire drill at 10:00 am. Students were told of the drill at 7:45 am in the all purpose room and again at 8:00 am during morning announcements. This allowed teachers adequate time to talk with their students about safety, alternate routes, and procedures during morning meeting. After the fire drill, the teachers were asked to debrief with their classes to talk about what happened, how to improve the process, and for the youngsters, to talk about our students' feelings and concerns, in an effort to make it less scary and more routine. This same procedure will be followed when we do our first lock down drill of the year, which is scheduled for Friday, September 13th in the morning. Don’t hesitate to ask your children how things went on September 4th and again on 13th.
 
Looking for Feedback
There are many changes at our school this year from starting the new school year on a Monday, to keeping the building locked 100% of the school day, to our K-4 classical music lunchroom, to the way we now do parent pick-up and more.  By next week, we will have lived with the changes for nearly three weeks, enough time to know how well things are going and if we need to tweak the process.  Look for a survey called Changes in the New School Year FY 14.  I will send it out electronically on September 12th and in hard copy to every family on September 13th, with Friday Notices.  I need the survey returned to me by Monday, September 16th as the School Board and I will review the data at our monthly meeting that very night.  Please be honest and tell us how you feel about these changes, as we promise to review ALL input carefully!
Don't hesitate to ask your children their thoughts about the changes because their opinions matter greatly to this school, too!
 
No School on September 27th
There will be no school on Friday, September 27th as it is a WSSU Inservice Day for teachers.

Next School Board Meeting
The next WS School Board Meeting will be held on September 16th at 6:30 pm in the all purpose room. All meetings are open to the public unless otherwise planned and announced as an executive session.
  
Volunteer Opportunity: We need you!
Parent and community volunteers will bring an exciting nature education program to all K-4 students, monthly during the school year! NO EXPERIENCE is required to volunteer! Each month, adults will meet on a Wednesday morning from 8:45-10:45 am to learn about the topic of the month. They will do the activities, games, and explorations under the leadership of a professional naturalist educator. Then, they will pair up and bring the program to students in a K-4 class. This will happen monthly through the school year (except in Dec and June). Time commitment is about 4-5 hours total each month (2 to attend the training, 1-1.5 to prepare your lesson with your teammate, and 1.5 in class with the kids. This is a FUN way to volunteer and make a meaningful difference in your child's education. The first training workshop is WED, SEPT. 11, 8:45-10:45 am. If you are interested or have questions about the program, please call or email Susan Hindinger, nature program volunteer coordinator, at 263-5924 or shindinger@tds.net.

Welcome To New Faculty and Staff
Dr. David Baker, Superintendent of the WSSU, (our interim from last year)
Dr. Nicole Saginor, Curriculum Coordinator for the WSSU, (part time)
Joseph Jones, Library Media Teacher, part time, (.6 FTE)
Brenda Sheere, Art Teacher, part time, (.4 FTE)
Stacey Knight, Special Education Paraprofessional
Kelly Harriman, Athletic Director
We are still looking for a bus driver and an assistant AD. Call the school for more information.

Lunch Routine to Reduce Noise and Enjoy for Grades K-4
When students in grades K-4 enter the cafeteria now soft, classical music is playing. For the first 5-10 minutes, students are in lunch line, finding a seat and start eating as they listen to the calming, sweet music. When everyone is seated and their meal has begun, each table is praised by an adult on duty and told they may now whisper talk to tablemates for 5-10 minutes. If whisper talk is a success, then each table can go on to restaurant voices (regular talking voice - no shouting or loud noises). If a reminder is needed, then only that table needs to all go back to a whisper talk. Each table is responsible for dining and talking politely in a restaurant voice. Clear expectations and consistency are key in making this change work for all involved. We want this new system to be relaxing and enjoyable. Every moment of the school day can be a great learning opportunity to help students think about themselves and about others. Loud voices and noises can be overwhelming and bothersome to many students. Lunch is a time to learn the necessary social skills and expected behaviors that allow everyone relax and enjoy their lunch! So far, this is working very well and we are even considering putting in some fun rewards for our model citizens, like a game table for students who finish lunch early or a VIP table with tablecloth and a centerpiece, inviting family members in to dine with us, and asking adult supervisors to be waiters. We’ll keep you posted as this new idea progresses!

 
Special Thanks to Special People
**If you come to WS, you will see that a garden fairy or two has visited us!  The flower beds are trimmed and weeded and they look fabulous!  We have THREE community volunteers who quietly came to school and did this work as a service to our wonderful school:

Thank you, Diana Day and Jim and Ginger Wimberg, for this back-breaking work that you happily did for us..... because you care.  It means so much to us!

**Mr. Peter Berger has volunteered to work countless hours this summer to rewrite the FY 14 Student/Parent Handbook.  This is no easy feat, as the pagination alone is enough to drive a person crazy:

Thank you, Mr. Berger, for your hard work and commitment to this school!!

Open House
Open House will be from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 24, 2013

October 5th Car Show
The WS PTA is sponsoring a car show to benefit the 8th grade trip to Boston this spring.  The car show will be held at the school from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 5, 2013.  There is no admission fee but donations are welcome.  Beautiful antique cars, hot rods, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, music, raffles, grilled foods, baked goods, awards and door prizes will make this a wonderful event for the entire family.  Hope to see you there!

Fire Drill
We held the first fire drill of the school year on September 4th. We have 229 students enrolled in our school and we were able to evacuate this building in 1 minute and 27 seconds.  The students left the school quickly and orderly, in single file, facing forward, and not a peep could be heard.  They evacuated to the area near the soccer field. Before we reached two minutes into the drill, teachers had taken attendance and all students were accounted for. Everyone was so impressed by the students’ calm demeanor and their expert demonstration of preparedness.  Congratulations, WS!  

Walk to School Day
Walk to School Day is October 9, 2013. We will be meeting at the former Café De Sol parking lot, now the closed Ascutney Diner, (and for oldies, The Top Hat), at 7:35 am.







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