Earlier in the week 8th graders read their best pieces of writing at Consortium and presented their graduation portfolios to a panel made up of teachers and me. The portfolios consisted of the past two years’ work, chosen by the students as representative of their learning in the different Realms: communication, problem solving, personal development, civic and social responsibility, and knowledge. Artifacts ranged from reflections on drama, to movies made for Costa Rica reports to songs played on the guitar, to labeled drawings of macro invertebrates. For each realm the students wrote a reflective essay on their learning in this area. Over and over again the panel was impressed by how well students know themselves and how clearly they can describe their strengths and challenges as learners.

What do all these events have in common? The students and their learning are at the center – as it should be. And the students painted full pictures of themselves – life outside of school as well as in.

As summer vacation starts, the learning will continue. I look forward to seeing you all in the fall and to the growth and change the next 10 weeks will bring.

Summer Notes, with the school calendar, notes from teachers, and forms for the coming year, will arrive in your mailboxes in early August. If you have any changes in your contact information, please let us know. Gail works through the summer four days a week. I will be here until the end of June and then in and out for the rest of the summer.

Now is also the time to say good-bye to staff members who are off to new adventures. Liz is retiring from her position as Judy’s right hand woman in the Primary Room. She promises to visit often and I know we’ll visit her when the lambs are born next spring. Guilford Elementary is so lucky to have Emma, who has been co-teaching with Erica in 3rd-4th, coming to them as a 2nd-3rd grade teacher. And Janie, who came to MES as an assistant and went on to get her master’s degree and become our special education teacher, is taking a year’s leave to try out life in Portsmouth, NH. Please join me in thanking these extraordinary educators and wishing them well.

Have a great summer – with lots of time for reading, relaxing, and playing with your children.

Francie

A correction from last week’s note: in the fabulous 3rd-4th Cabaret, Zev played Fagan, Gigi was Bill Sykes, and Charly portrayed the Artful Dodger.

Hogback Day is rescheduled for Monday, June 7. The weather forecast looks great. Please join me in advance in thanking Carol Berner, Nancy and Bob Anderson, Hal Himmelstein, Dan MacArthur, Ron LaBrusciano, Rose Watson, Mike Clough, Lynn Levine, Susan Riley, and Carol Hendrickson community members who are leading activities ranging from Trail Work to Nature Journaling. See last week’s notes for more info.

The 2009-2010 edition of Paper Feelings comes home today! Paper Feelings is an anthology of poetry gathered from students’ work with Ann Gengarelly. This would not happen without the dedication of several parents – Pam Burke who sent all the poems to Kevin Kennedy who formatted the booklet for Vanessa Redfield who copied and compiled 100 copies! Thank you so much. Also, thank you to Sequoia in 5th grade for the cover design. And thank you to Ann for pouring herself into this work and finding the poet in each child. Ann has written an eloquent introduction which she concludes with a thank you to the students and a quote from Alice Walker – Finally, many thanks to the students for letting us listen to their “poetry…an intimate trusting gift to the parent or anyone

who (wishes) to read (their) hearts.” Enjoy Paper Feelings.

Last night the 3rd-4th grade Cabaret wowed the audience as they sang and danced in a wonderful program of show tunes directed by Charlene with Erica, and Emma assisting. Aleah, Liam, Mason, Frida, Walker, Adaylia, Izzy, Paige, Sequoyah, Paul Skye, Morgan, Haley, Brite, Wes, and Mercer took the stage with presence and polish. Tears came to my eyes as Delaney, Lindsey, and Charley sang “Tomorrow”. Cooper cowed us all with his commanding presence as Captain Hook. Zev was an appropriately nasty Jim Sykes, Gigi a very Artful Dodger, and Aidan a wonderfully wide-eyed Oliver Twist. And the pianist, Terence Purtell, held it all together with some very fine playing. As individuals the students grew immeasurably in their self-confidence as well their dancing, singing, and presentation skills. As a class they bonded and learned to appreciate each other in new ways. What a perfect way to build our caring community and nurture our school social climate.

Next week will fly by with trips to the Poetry Studio, South Pond, the Retreat Farm, and mini-golf. 8th graders will present their graduation portfolios with the assistance of 7th graders. All classes will participate in Preview Day next Friday in anticipation of next year.

We’re counting on good attendance on Saturday morning. There will be fun activities and ice cream sandwiches for all!

Francie

Now on to our next big event – Hogback Day on Tuesday, June 1. Once again Carol Berner and Bob and Nancy Anderson have helped us to put together a day of activities at Hogback. Your child selected from among nine activities being led by enthusiastic community volunteers: Trail Work, Archaeology Hike, Earth, Sky, Friends, and Fireside, Kite-Making, Making Miniature Forest Dwellings, Animal Signs in the Forest, Vermont Wildlife, The Rap about Scat, and Nature Journaling. They’ll participate in these from 9-11am. Then we’ll divide up into the same groups we had for Fall Fiesta with Junior High students leading each group. From 11am-1pm each group will hike to the fire tower and climb it, go on a scavenger hunt, eat a picnic lunch and practice a group tableau to present when they return to the bottom. We’ll leave for school at 1pm so kindergarten pick up will be about 15 minutes late.

Please send your child with lunch (no pizza from school!), water, good hiking shoes, a hat, and appropriate clothing for being outdoors.

Thanks to Fitness Day participants: Julian, Makenna, Siena, Shane,Sequoyah, Walker, Lindsey, Wes, Delaney, Charly, Bridger, Sequoia, and Sheldon. Parent chaperones were impressed with how the kids supported each other, cheering, encouraging, and pouring water on hot heads! Thanks to Chris for organizing this event!

In the next two weeks there is lots going on! Please help your child have a great end of the school year by eating well and getting plenty of rest – and, of course, turning in library books, finishing projects, and having fun with friends.

Francie

At Tuesday’s staff meeting Mikaela Simms, Ajenai’s aunt and the diversity coordinator in the Brattleboro area schools, led us in a thoughtful and challenging discussion of how we address issues of race on a daily basis.  We divided into groups, each with a short scenario to respond to –such as,  “You’re reading a picture book to students and there’s a picture of an Asian child.  One of your students turns and points to the one Asian child in the class and says, ‘That’s a picture of you’.”  Mikaela asked us what our first reaction was, how we would handle this situation in the moment, and how we could address it through curricula.  As we discussed these scenarios we realized that the one universally “right” response is to address issues as they arise and not ignore them.  We will continue to explore both how we respond and how we teach.

Thank you to Susanne Shapiro for once again beautifying the front of the school with flowers in the window boxes.

The Spring Concert and Art Show will be next Wednesday, 6-8pm.  This year the performance will include an exhibition of the younger students’ work with Kate Morgan in Rhythms, the two Bands, the strings players, a puppet presentation, the Country Dance Band and the Junior High guitarists.  And, of course, student art work from throughout the year will be on display.  See you there!

Francie

Meanwhile back at school they were busy, too!  The 3^rd/4^th grade has their garden ready to plant and is rehearsing for the cabaret on June 3^rd.  The kindergartners are learning about farms and patiently waiting for their chicks to hatch.  Primary visited the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center and, with Ann’s help, held a poetry reading for their parents.  The 5^th/6^th grade has been hard at work on their astronomy research projects and their “off-earth colonies”.

Thanks to students, staff, and parents who kept things running smoothly while we were away.

As you read this week’s notes, be sure to check out the wonderful summer opportunities and stop by school to see even more of what’s available in the notebook on the front hall table.  New this year, -Elissa will offer a Spanish camp for 5-8 year olds the week after school’s out.

Francie

This is the school’s third trip to Costa Rica and, with each trip, our connections to the communities we visit grow stronger.  This year students will work with scientists from the Monteverde Institute on a water-monitoring project.  They hope to apply what they learn to similar work at Hogback.  Each student has chosen a topic to study in depth and, in some cases, they will be able to interview Costa Ricans to learn more firsthand.  This all builds on skills they learned in 5^th/6^th grade with field research at Cape Cod and in NYC.  On Thursday, May 27 they’ll present about the trip.

How often do you go to the MES website, marlboroschool.net?  I have it set as my homepage and often check out class newsletters, photographs, and calendar items.  Pam keeps the website up as a labor of love – yes, that means she does it on her own time.  Thanks, Pam!

The Action Plan committee met yesterday and began considering goals for the coming year.  One goal will be to “continue the integration of new technology in support of teaching and learning; technology supports the acquisition and use of content knowledge”.  Our goal is not just for kids to learn to use the computer and other technology, but to use technology as a tool that helps them to learn.  What about technology use at home?  Pam shared a study about the number of hours children spend using tech outside of school and the amount of time has increased hugely in the past five years.  We hope to host an evening for parents on this topic before the end of the school year.

A reminder – Please contact the school office when your child is absent due to illness or sent in a note prior to a planned absence.  It helps us to know what’s going on with your child and saves Gail from tracking the information down.  Thanks!

Francie

Today at Sing we heard about the Kindergarten trip to the Marlboro Post Office as Ellen read the book about this trip written by her students.  The Kindergarten Post Office closes today.

As you can see the calendar is set for the rest of the school year and there’s lots going on.  Time will fly when we return from Spring vacation.  Some highlights include the Kindergarten trip to the Montshire Museum, the Primary visit to the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, a special cabaret performed by the 3^rd-4^th grade, astronomy projects and reports in 5^th-6^th grade, and the Junior High trip to Costa Rica.

As you begin to plan for summer, remember that the Marlboro Community Club offers camp scholarships.  See the note below.

Please note the date of the next Marlboro Community Visit, April 27, 7:00 pm in the Outback.  All Marlboro residents are encouraged to attend and cast a vote for a project to enrich our community life.

Springtime brings changes to the playground with lots of activity on the soccer field, the wallball court, and in the woods.  Younger students continue to preview and review these valuable social learning times and older students to model the negotiation skills they’re learning.  When a student is struggling with a social issue (as well as academic issues), we may bring that student to the EST (Educational Support Team) and I encourage you to ask for this intervention if you have concerns.  At the EST meeting we try to develop a rich and deep understanding of the child.  We hear about life at home from the parents.  We gather information from as many teachers as possible.  Strengths, challenges, interests, and aversions are all considered.  We then brainstorm possible interventions and decide on which ones to try, what adult will implement them, and how we’ll know if they are helping.  Finally, we decide on a time to check in again and see how it’s going.  Christine, our instructional support teacher, heads up this process and all of us are involved at one time or another.

The Action Plan Committee is meeting on Thursday, April 29, May 6, May 20, and June 3, 11:45-12:45, to review this year’s plan and consider changes for next year.  This plan currently focuses on academic goals in literacy and math and social learning goals.  Ellen, David, Pam, Kathy Pell (3^rd-4^th parent), Gussie Bartlett (school board), Celia Segar (community member), and I are current members and we would love to be joined by another parent or two.  Please let me know if you are interested.

Have a great Spring Vacation!

Francie

Speaking of spirit – it’s been a fun-filled week at school thanks to the Junior High led Spirit Week.  From Cross Dressing Day to Formal Day kids participated at whatever level was comfortable for them.  At Sing we showed off our finery by waltzing around the Outback.

Did you see the Reformer on Thursday?  A photo of the Country Dance Band at Gallery Walk graced the front page of the Town section.  In last week’s Friday Notes I omitted Izzy and Dave Snyder when I recognized the band members.  Congratulations to all for a captivating performance!

As we continue our focus on School Social Climate, there are two levels to this work.  One involves the entire school and what we do to create a positive school climate where students are known well and know and trust others in the community.  Activities such as the Learning Fair, Spirit Week, All School Sing, Family Bingo Night, and parent communication through Friday Notes all promote these goals.  You may have heard

about the tragic episode of bullying in a Massachusetts high school that resulted in a suicide.  Research suggests that a positive school climate greatly decreases the likelihood of this happening.

The other level of Social Climate work addresses individual student needs.  It’s the interventions we put in place when a positive schoolwide climate isn’t enough.  I’ll include more about these in upcoming notes.

So, for those of you who are new to MES, what’s the Learning Fair?  Come next Tuesday at 6:30 to see displays of student work throughout the school.  It’s a great opportunity to visit a new classroom and get a sense of what’s in store for your child as they move through the school.  New this year is a demonstration of fitness activities.  Chris Brown, our PE teacher, will be here, along with student volunteers, to lead this in the Outback.

Ethan, Junior High student, is in Montpelier as a Vermont State Senate page.  While there, he’s keeping up with his studies and keeping us informed via his blog.  Check it out his blog with a description of the latest Senate debate on healthcare at marlboroschool.net.

Francie

March Reading Challenge and Screen Turn-off Week are a good combination and the rainy weather made curling up with a good book all the more inviting.  I’ve started to read a book about Monteverde, Costa Rica where I’ll be going with the Junior High in early May.

And kudos to the Junior High for their excellent performances in Friday’s cabaret.  Once again, Andy Reichsman filmed it and is offering the dvd’s for sale. Cost is $10.00 and $5.00 of each sale will be donated to the Costa Rica Trip.

The Post Office is open!  With great fanfare the kindergartners placed the beautifully decorated mailbox by the office door where it will be very convenient for you to drop your notes to your favorite students.  First, you have to go the kindergarten to buy stamps.  The postal workers are getting quite good at knowing that a nickel means 5 stamps and a dime buys 10.  These same workers practice their literacy skills when they sort the mail for delivery.  They’ve learned the codes for classrooms quickly.  Remember “O” is for office and I love to get mail!

Other classroom news includes this excerpt from Judy’s newsletter:  When problems arise, the students are sometimes at their best when trying to figure out a solution on their own. Last week there were some unhappy kids coming in after a recess time. Some were feeling left out when playing a Frisbee game – they were included but didn’t get much of a chance to play. A group of six boys met before the next recess and came up with a solution on their own. There was a lot of negotiation going on. They headed out and had a much better time! This is just a small example of working out problems.

Led by Charlene, The Contra Dance Band, Sequoyah, Mason, Charley, Delaney, Sequoia, and Wes will play at tonight’s Gallery Walk.  Check them out in front of the Delectable Mountain on Main Street.  And don’t forget to throw some change in the violin case as they raise money to send for relief to Haiti.

In general I want students to be in school every day that they’re healthy, but there are some exceptions.  Ethan in the Junior High leaves shortly to be a page for the Vermont legislature in Montpelier.  It is an honor to be selected for this and we know Ethan will represent MES well.  Max and Calvin Lyons have both qualified for the national snowboarding championships with top 20 rankings.  They left today for competition at Copper Mountain in Colorado.  We’re excited to have these students achieve such excellence and consider them MES ambassadors.  Good luck to all three!

This afternoon, while your children are hopefully outside enjoying this glorious day,  the teachers will be working on developing a continuum of the research and report writing skills to be learned during the nine years at MES.  Thanks for this gift of time for us to work together.  We know these half days can be a challenge for you.

Parents of 3^rd-6^th graders, please note the letter and permission slip from Tobey LaRoche, a Marlboro College student who has helped out in many ways at school and is now hoping to work with a small group of our students as part of his final senior plan.  Please talk with your child.  Tobey connects well with kids and we hope to support him in his project.

Francie

Many thanks to P&F for sending the kindergarten, Primary, and 3/4 to the Meet the Orchestra program at the Latchis on Thursday.  Every year P&F enriches students’ experience culturally by funding concerts sponsored by the Brattleboro Music Center.  The same concert will take place on Sunday afternoon and your child can attend for free.  See the notice below.

Last night many Marlboro residents gathered for conversation and potluck as part of the Marlboro Community Visit.  I attended sessions entitled Town/College Relations,

Marlboro Identity, and Town/Community Center.  They were all well attended by a good cross section of townsfolk who enthusiastically contributed ideas about our strengths (assets), our challenges, and our opportunities.  Quite a few school families participated and contributed ideas about what was important to them as they raise children here.  One interesting opportunity is a community center that offers space and activities for all ages and encourages multigenerational activities, maybe even includes apartments for seniors.  There will be another gathering in a month where townspeople will vote to determine which ideas to pursue.

Tonight at 7pm the Junior High culminates weeks of hard work as they present their cabaret entitled Hair, There, and Every WereWolf. Once again we are lucky to have the Whittemore Theatre at Marlboro College for this performance.

Please let us know what you think of the new specials report card.  Does it provide insight into these parts of your child’s week?  Also, 3^rd/4^th grade parents, please excuse our error in including the text about P.E. twice and omitting the description of music.

Francie

The Junior High continues to sponsor a special Friday recess game.  Every week Mr. H is helping four students plan fun activities.  This offers a special bright spot at this time of the year when the playground is still covered with snow.

Although Tuesday’s Parents and Friends meeting was lightly attended, we had a good conversation about our ongoing work on the school social climate.  It’s become clear to me that many of you did not see my note about the shift from Social Inclusion to School Social Climate in the February 19 Friday Notes, so I encourage you to go on the school website and read this.  In future Friday Notes I will continue to follow up on some of these ideas, such as improved communication between home and school.

One way we’re working on improving communication is to include reports from “specials” teachers with report cards.  Your children spend a good part of their school week in Spanish, Art, Music, Band, Library/Tech, Rhythms, and P.E.  I’ve asked each specials teacher to write a description of the trimester’s activities and, when they deem it appropriate, to include an evaluation of your child’s participation.  Please watch for these to come home in the next week and please let me know if you find them informative.  Once again, contact me by catching me on the playground, calling, e-mailing, fmarbury@wcsu46.org, or sending in a good old-fashioned handwritten note.

Finally, I encourage you to attend next Thursday’s Community Visit which needs the input of the entire community.  As you raise your children in Marlboro, what would you like to see changed/improved/maintained?  This meeting will give you a chance to express your ideas.  It will be followed-up  on by bringing in resource people who are experts in the areas we decide are most important.

For example, if we decide that a speed limit of 50mph with a passing lane that ends right in front of the school is a safety concern, maybe we can do something about it – with the help of the Vermont Department of Transportation and some other heavy hitters!  What are your ideas?

Francie

Tuesday’s Student Led Conferences were a treat to drop in on. On this day, after many days of preparation, the teachers’ role was to get out of the way as the students took charge.  And they did – sharing work and enthralling parents.  We were all enthralled on Thursday by the 5^th-6^th class’s Mythic Shadow Puppet plays.  As with the Student Led Conferences, these plays were the capstone of a great deal of work – reading Greek myths, writing plays, making puppets and backgrounds, memorizing lines, and rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing.  The result was excellent.

Thursday is Charlene’s music day at MES and she has added the Country Dance Band to a very full schedule. Students give up recess to play fiddle, drums, or horns and join their voices in song.  You can look forward to hearing them at the Spring Concert in May.

Today the 5^th-6^th class will enjoy a presentation by the MythMasters and have an opportunity to see how a professional group takes on this topic.  The Junior High will attend, too, looking for ideas to put to use in their upcoming Cabaret.

Tonight we’ll wind up the basketball season with our Jamboree – games of parents vs students are the highlight of this event!  This is also an opportunity to once again thank the wonderful volunteer coaches without whom this program could not take place.  Great appreication to Jen O’Donnell, 3^rd/4^th coach,  Dave Rountree and Alan Datur, 5^th/6^th coaches, and Alex Hunter, Junior High coach.

And I hope to see many of you at the P&F meeting next Tuesday.  I will update parents on our school social climate work and hope to hear from parents, as well.  The full agenda for the meeting is included below.

Despite these busy days I hope you’re all participating in the March Reading Challenge – enjoying some good reads and modeling this important skill for your children.  I’m keeping up with the newspapers, reading online articles and newsletters, and relaxing in the evening with Barbara Kingsolver’s new novel, The Lacuna.

We also returned to the very good news that our school budget passed at Town Meeting – thanks to the efforts of school board members, Lauren Poster, Gussie Bartlett, and Andy Reichsman. Please join me in expressing extra appreciation to Andy as he steps down after two terms of service. And I look forward to working with our new board member, Jen Carr, Keith and Ashley’s mom.

On Monday, the skiers and boarders will enjoy a make-up day of winter sports. Unfortunately the ice rink is closed and so the skaters will go to the Marlboro Park for sledding and snowshoeing fun. Please be sure that all students have appropriate winter gear.

Tuesday is Student Led Conferences – my favorite day of the year! All of the students have been choosing work and reflecting on their learning as they prepare to show you what they’ve been up to. Older students are using the Marlboro Realms of Learning to organize their presentations. My Primary reading group is identifying the strategies they’ve learned in order to read Raptors, a non-fiction book, and they’re choosing passages from the book to show how they use these strategies.

When you come for your child’s conference, please be sure to admire the beautiful mosaic welcoming you to the Marlboro School. Thank you to Junior High students and Linda, the art teacher!

Teachers are also working on report cards and specials teachers will be including comments as well. This is new and somewhat challenging as each teacher comes up with an appropriate way to report student learning and tries to match it with the classroom format for reporting. Please let us know what you think.

The agenda for the P&F meeting on March 16 will include an update on our School Social Climate work. Please come if you would like an in-person update or contact me via phone, e-mail, or note.

Francie

Our work with Kim John Payne hit some bumps as we found that some of his approach was not such a good fit for our small school.  And so we have spent the past weeks reevaluating.  We will no longer be working directly with Kim Payne and we will continue our work on school social climate using many of his strategies and incorporating others as well. The SICG is no longer meeting and the work being done there is now taking place at our weekly Tuesday afternoon staff meetings.  This, however, does not include a parent voice and we want to make sure that your voices are heard.

As part of our work we are revisiting the Hopes and Concerns you shared at Parent Nights at the beginning of the school year.  We are also revisiting the notes from the P&F sponsored meeting last July where parents shared some of their concerns about social issues such as safety, teasing, and bullying.  We need to continue to hear from you.

I will use Friday Notes to let you know what we’re working on here at school.  Teachers will do the same in their letters home.  So, that’s communication from us.  Please take a minute to let us know your thoughts and your questions.  You can send them in with your child, call me, or e-mail at fmarbury@wcsu46.org.

What do you need to know about our work on social climate?  How is your child doing in this arena?  What concerns haven’t been addressed?  What else is on your mind?

Thanks!

Francie

Many of you are aware that Janie Bell has been out for the past two weeks.  After a variety of tests and consultations she had surgery today and is looking forward to recovering over the vacation.  We will be so glad to have her back at school.

The results of the standardized tests (NECAP) taken by your child in October have just been released.  If you would like to see your child’s scores, please let me know.  As a school, our scores have improved with 75% of students scoring at the proficient or above level in reading and 68% in math.

As we get close to the end of Winter Sports, I’d like to recognize the extraordinary commitment of our parent chaperones and express our great appreciation to you.  You make this wonderful program possible.  This year teachers have used Monday afternoons to meet and plan with each other.  We’ve also used them to further our work on social inclusion, which we’re broadening to call School Social Climate.  For example, last week several of us met to discuss the very successful and popular Junior High Friday recess games and to brainstorm ways to make this activity even better.  It was very productive.

Throughout MES the Junior High is presenting I projects (independent studies) with topics from claymation to sewing to Tarot Cards, 5^th/6^th graders are continuing their study of light and optical illusions, 3^rd/4^th grade has been working hard on multiplication and beginning division, the Primary class is studying weather and using a tree map to organized information about the different weather categories, and the Kindergarten visited Rescue where they learned all about taking care of injured people.  All the students are pulling together work for Student Led Conferences – a great opportunity to sit side by side with your child as s/he shares her learning!

Have a wonderful vacation.  See you at Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 2.

Francie

Around the state and the country we are hearing about financial struggles. Those of us who have jobs know we are fortunate. This is a tough year for our school budget and, from what we’re hearing, it may be even tougher next year. Last night the school board approved a budget which will be voted on at Town Meeting. As I worked with them on next year’s budget, I gathered information from the staff and pored over the figures to see where cuts could be made which would have the least impact on students. The staff negotiated directly with the board, as they always do, about next year’s salaries. Everything was on the table. As a result, the overall budget will be down 2.7%.

Cuts were made in many, many areas. Teachers will not receive a cost of living adjustment. Budgets for materials have been reduced greatly. Our poetry program has been reduced by three days and we will not be able to bring in outside artists for Winter Workshops. These were very difficult decisions. Several parents attended the board meeting to express how highly they value Ann’s work with students in poetry. A petition had been circulated and collected many signatures and notes about this program. What a great show of community support and what powerful testimonials. We will work hard to soften the impact of this cut and will use funds outside the budget to provide partial scholarships for students who want to attend Ann’s after school programs.

Thank you for caring and thank you for acting on your convictions.

Francie

Speaking of the concert – Kudos to your children and to David Tasgal, violin teacher, and Michael McKinney, band teacher, for a great program.  The variety of large and small group pieces allowed students to be highlighted and to support each other.  And an appreciative audience always helps.  What a great turnout!  I hope you felt that this was a good payoff for all those hours of practicing.  I’m already looking forward to the Spring Concert in late May.

How does the school support your child in dealing with conflict?  Although it looks differently in each classroom, the principles are the same.  Each child has a voice, telling what happened without interruption from his/her perspective.  It’s important to feel heard and be listened to.  The next step is figuring out what needs to happen to repair the situation.  It might involve talking about feelings or stating personal needs.  The final step includes coming up with some solutions and agreeing on one to try.  This is the process used when conflicts arise on the playground and make it to me or to Mr. H.

In kindergarten Ellen knows that issues must be addressed as they arise (Stop the world!) and that, for younger children, the most important piece is for each child to have a voice – to tell her/his story. By the time they reach David’s class they are able, with his support, to work through a process similar to what Mr. H and I use.  How do you resolve conflict at home?

Congratulations to the following BUHS students from Marlboro who were on the Honor Roll:  Leah Blowers, Irina Sergis, Maddie Hawes, Colby Carpenter, Zoe Chaine, Ferne Johansson, and Lloyd Salasin-Deane.

The weather report for Monday calls for rain.  We may end up canceling Winter Sports and using our make up day on March 8.  Please send your child ready for Winter Sports as we won’t make the decision until Monday morning.

Francie

On Monday we’ll observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr and Tuesday is a professional development day for teachers.  We will visit The Clark Museum of Art to practice our Visual Thinking Skills and to explore some of the rich opportunities in our own backyard.  This also means we won’t see your children until Wednesday – the day of our Winter Strings and Band Concert.  Please encourage them to practice at home and bring their instruments to school on Wednesday!

At last Friday’s parent coffee I was reminded of how valuable it is for you as parents to know how the school is addressing important topics with your children.  So, I’ll share with you our discussion at staff meeting about the different ways in which classes will learn about Martin Luther King.  Tolerance and the power of non-violence were central to his work and to our work with social inclusion.  It makes sense for us to make these connections clear to all.  In both 5^th/6^th grade and the Junior High they will watch videos from the civil rights organization Teaching Tolerance.   The Junior High will focus on the Children’s March in Birmingham and the 5^th/6^th grade will learn about the Voting Rights Act.  Younger students in 3^rd/4^th will hear part of King’s I Have a Dream speech and talk about their dreams for making the world a better place.  Pam will also focus on social justice on a local scale as she shares the book Polly Pastrami Achieves World Peace.  In the Primary they’ll talk about what it means to be tolerant and celebrate differences and why we celebrate King’s birthday.  Ellen will incorporate the concept of ways in which we are all the same as the kindergarten continues work on their bodies and learns about all that’s the same on the inside.  As a school community we’ll sing Walk a Mile, a great song about empathy and understanding – walking in another person’s shoes.

Over the next weeks I will share with you some of the ways in which we are promoting social inclusion throughout the school.  The first is a description of our EST (Educational Support Team) process (see your School Handbook) and its expansion to include both academic and social issues.  As often as once a week, the EST meets to consider the needs of individual students.  A student can be referred to EST by a teacher or a parent.  The team consists of Christine, our instructional support teacher, Ellen, Rachel, Mr. H, our guidance counselor, and me, plus the student’s parents and classroom teacher.  Often the classroom teacher will raise a concern in a conference with a parent or vice versa and together they will decide to refer it to EST.  Recently we’ve used the EST process to address social issues such as feeling excluded or unhappy about friendships as well as academic concerns about reading, writing, or math.  This is a great forum for getting a full picture of a child and developing strategies for appropriate support.  Please feel free to contact me or your child’s teacher if you think this might be useful for your child.

Winter Workshops!  Winter Sports!  The sledding hill is open, thanks to hay bales brought in by Senait and Zinabu’s dad, Brian.

In kindergarten Ellen is tracing the students’ bodies with the help of Junior High intern Erik.  Meanwhile the students are busy in the fantasy area which has been transformed into a hospital – a great place to learn about the human body.

Primary students are delving into geometry and finding that they can learn even more when olders teach youngers a special game with shapes.

You’ll know what the 3^rd-4^th grade class has been up to as soon as you walk in the front hall.  Beautiful Winter Twig Identification posters with real twigs cover the bulletin board.

What does a lens do to light? 5^th/6^th graders Grace, Sequoia, Roshika, and Isobel generated this and other questions as they began their study of light and lasers.  After they’ve explored some light equipment, they’ll decide which of their questions will lead to the most interesting experiments and research.

In the Junior High students are beginning to learn about learning.  They will learn about the brain and different learning styles and reflect on what it means for them.  In social studies they’re working on maps of Africa.  Rose and Ethan completed a map showing religions in Africa and how they’ve changed since the 1500’s.  Fascinating!  Rose pointed out how large areas of solid color have been replaced by a fragmented mishmash.  It’s easy to see why there’s a lot of conflict in some of these places.

Several parents joined me for coffee and tea after Sing this morning.  It was great to hear what children are saying at home about what’s going on at school.  We also talked about the upcoming observance of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and how important it is for children to explore all the ways that we are similar as well as learning about the Civil Rights movement and the life of Dr. King.  Please see the flyer attached to the print Friday Notes for information on a day of “Strengthening Peace in Our Community”.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays and are starting off the new year with as much enthusiasm and positive energy as your children bring to us.

Francie

Many of you appreciated the concert’s early start (6:30) and enjoyed being home by 8:30.  The shorter time is due to moving the Band and Strings Concert to Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 in the Outback.  With this new time, David Tasgal and Michael McKinney are able to better showcase their students’ work with more pieces and smaller groupings.  They (and we) also benefit from a bit more preparation and practice time.  Please put this date on your calendar.

As we head into the vacation I encourage you to use some of the same strategies with your children at home that we’ve been using at school.  We’re finding it very useful to preview situations that we know will be challenging for the students.  Just as we talk with them before recess about what they plan to do and how they’ll handle situations that arise, you can prepare them for the exciting events of the holidays by anticipating with them.  Where are we going?  Who will be there?  What behavior is expected?  These conversations look different at different ages and we can all benefit.

And I will preview with all of you what our first day back to school on Monday, January 4^th will look like.  Winter Workshops and Winter Sports both start.  This year’s workshops include pottery, art lab, and capoeira (Brazilian martial art/movement) for the kindergarten through 3^rd graders and sculpture, drumming, and puppetry for the olders.  The workshops will run from 9 to 11 when they will eat lunch and prepare to head off to the mountain or the rink.  Please be sure that your child has all the gear s/he’ll need to stay warm and have fun.

Best Wishes for a warm and happy holiday!

Francie

Basketball season kicked off Tuesday when the Junior High coed team hosted Compass School.  This very exciting game ended in a tie and overtime gave the victory to Compass.  Fun was had by all!  Alumni Alex Hunter and Eli Pell did an excellent job coaching the kids!  The 5^th/6^th grade team plays its first game a week from Saturday on December 19.  At this point we do not have a coach for the 3^rd/4^th grade team.  I’ll be calling around so please think about whether this is something you can help with.

Welcome to a new Marlboro Family, Mary Greve and her son Juilan in the Primary Room.

In the classrooms, the kindergarten is learning math and science as they plant bulbs and observe them as they grow.  The Primary is rehearsing their play for out Holiday Concert.  The 3^rd-4^th grade has been using clay boats to learn scientific concepts about volume and surface tension and, more importantly, to learn the scientific process of making hypotheses and testing them.  Greek mythology and shadow puppet are exciting topics in the 5^th/6^th class.  As the Junior High prepares to go to Costa Rica in May they are incorporating fundraising into their curriculum.  Selling Equal Exchange coffee, cocoa, chocolate bars, and tea, overseeing Tuesday pizza, and making benches to be raffled are some of the activities that bring in funds and teach real world skills at the same time.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the Holiday Concert – next Wednesday at 6:30pm at Marlboro College’s Whittemore Theater. Please send in non-perishable goods for the food drive for the Deerfield Valley Food Shelf.

Thanks to Alan Dater, David Rountree, and Jen Carr for volunteering to help with the 5^th/6^th grade basketball team!

The food drive for the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry (sponsored by the Primary students), rehearsals for the Primary play and the Holiday Concert, poetry with Ann for kindergarten and Junior High, and High School Night for the Junior High students are some of what’s making the school hum in these weeks leading up to the holiday vacation.  In addition, Aliza a Junior High student, is in the kindergarten this week for her internship, the kindergarten is working with Ellen and Linda to prepare a puppet show, and students in all classes are singing songs and practicing dialogues in Spanish.

Report cards are going home this week.  We are trying to improve communication and develop more consistency in reporting what your children are up to when they are in “specials”.  For kindergarten through 5^th/6^th you will receive a brief description of skills and activities in art, music, PE, and Rhythms (not 5^th/6^th).  At the end of the second trimester, these teachers and Elissa McLean, the new Spanish teacher, will send out reports on each child’s progress and then another general description of activities will come home with end of the year report cards.

Last night parents met as a follow-up to Kim Payne’s presentation last week.  Vanessa Redfield will include an update of this meeting in our Social Inclusion Highlight.  Meanwhile, here at school we continue to implement strategies towards building a socially healthy school.  Each week at Sing there is a time for Appreciations where we recognize students and classes for ways in which they help others and for their accomplishments.  I will try to share some of these with you in my weekly note.  Last week’s Appreciations included David recognizing his class for their hard work in preparation and excellent results in presenting their Cape Cod studies my thanking Josh for helping younger students in Rhythms.  Check with your child.  S/he may remember more!  And, better yet, join us for Sing on Friday, December 4 and meet with me afterwards for coffee and conversation.

Congratulations to Jackson in 5^th/6^th grade for his intellectual and academic achievements!  If you did not see the front page article in the Weekend Reformer, check it out at http://www.reformer.com/ci_13785868?IADID=Search-www.reformer.com-www.reformer.com. Jackson and his mom gave us a nice (and well-deserved!) nod to his teacher, David Holzapfel.

The first trimester ends on November 24.  You will be receiving report cards shortly.

This week we’ve had more absences than ever!  On Monday and Tuesday there were 21  students absent due to illness.  It’s tapering off gradually.  Thank you for staying in close communication with school as to what’s
going on with your child and for making responsible decisions as to when s/he should stay home and when s/he should come to  school.  Please refer to Nurse Susan’s note below, about the Immunization Clinic here this Monday, November 23.

Next Wednesday is an early release day.  Although the students leave at 11:45 this counts as one of our 175 school days.  Teachers are planning important and worthwhile  activities for this morning.  Please make every
effort to have your child at school.

Ready to shoot hoops?  Well, step up to the plate (oops, net!).  Basketball season is almost here and we need your help.  We will have 3^rd-4^th grade and 5^th-6^th teams that play on Saturday mornings in the Deerfield Valley Youth League.  The Junior High hopes to have two teams this year – a co-ed team and a girls team.  JH games take place during the week – half at MES and half at the rival schools.

So far, Patrick Johnson will coach the 3^rd-4^th grade team(s) with help from other parents;  Jen Carr will manage the 5^th-6^th grade team(s) and we still need a 5^th-6^th grade coach;  David Lyons will coach the Junior High co-ed team and we need a coach for the JH girls team.  Please consider whether you or someone you know might be interested and get back to me.  We need to know the number of students who will be playing so fill out the tear-off slip or contact me via e-mail (fmarbury@wcsu46.org).  Practice times will be determined by coaches in consultation with me.

Francie

Kudos to David and Tim for their workshops at the conference!  I attended David’s along with teachers from L.A. and Brooklyn, NY.  It was fascinating to see the connections  made as they thought about how, in their highly urban areas, they could implement David’s ideas of creating “belonging” through community history and local ecology.

Our week back here started off with two evenings of Cape Cod presentations.  The 5th-6th graders presented with poise and assurance.  Their use of technology in their Power Points was impressive – as the School Board noted when they sat in on Monday.

Tuesday afternoon the 3rd-4th grade hosted a very well attended poetry reading of student’s poems written with Ann Gengarelly.  Ann had held one writing session at Hogback where the kids had each adopted a tree and then used their special tree as inspiration for a poem and a watercolor painting.  The poems reflected the students’ strong sense of connection to their trees.

The 3rd-4th grade class has also been using both their investigation and writing skills to compose a very persuasive letter to me on the topic of the school waste system.  Their current science study is about waste and what better place to look at it than right here at school!  They are following a time-honored MES tradition in developing a proposal for improving the school and presenting it to the principal.  When they’re done, we should have compost bins and recycling bins in every room and a class of students who have a sense of real accomplishment.

The past two days the staff and the parents on the Social Inclusion Coordinating Group have been guided by Kim Payne as we continue our work to embed socially healthy behaviors and attitudes into our school culture.  I was thrilled with the turnout for last night’s presentation.  I see it as a sign of our strong partnership with you as we strive together to bring this work alive in our school and homes.  Many thanks to Susan Kunhardt, Vanessa Redfield, and Kelly Salasin for taking care of all the logistics around this event!

Last Wednesday was a quiet hum of activity as parents and students came for conferences.  I hope you found this a valuable time for communicating about your child.  Many thanks to Junior High students Ajenai, Shawna, Taylor, Aliza, and Heather for providing childcare and to you for supporting their fundraising for the Costa Rica trip!

Yesterday we welcomed Julie Diamond, author of Welcome to the Aquarium, an inspiring book about teaching kindergarten.  Julie visited in classrooms and met with teachers after school.  She shared some of her experiences and her approach to teaching writing.  Judy then showed us some books her kids are writing and Ellen shared her students’ journals. Julie complimented them on this work and what she’d seen in their classrooms.  She said it was evidence of our recognition of how essential it is to know children well and then personalize education according to individual needs and interests.  It’s always good to have a set of outside eyes validate what we’re doing!

In addition to visitors coming in, it’s also important for us to see what other educators are doing.  On Tuesday I visited the Westminster

Center School.  They’re working with Kim Payne, too, and had lots to share about how

they’re involving older students in the work.  I told them about the Junior High led playground games.  We were both impressed with the level of interest and support from our respective parent communities!  Several Westminster parents will be attending Kim Payne’s presentation on November 12.

Next week (Wednesday-Sunday) David, Tim, Ellen, and I are attending the Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forum in New Orleans.  David will present a workshop on Belonging:  Connecting Kids to People and Places in the Real World and Tim will share some of the Junior High experience in a workshop titled All Those in Favor: Real Democracy in the Classroom.  We so appreciate the school board’s support in making these important professional development opportunities possible.

And now for some fun!  Rose and the After School parents are putting on the annual Halloween Dance with great music and some soaring surprises.  Hope to see you there!

Francie

Conferences are a bit earlier this year with the idea of establishing strong communication right from the start.  School is underway, routines are established, and teachers have gotten to know students.  Teachers have initial information to share as to how students are doing.  Students can share their work in progress.  And you can let us know how it’s going for your child.  If you haven’t already, please call to schedule a conference for next Wednesday, October 21.

I imagine our little school at the center of a pool with ripples moving out into the community as the students go out and learn about the wider world.  Just this week the Primary class visited Hogback with Marlboro College professor, Bob Engel, to learn about birds.  The next day, the world came into the classroom as Mike Clough brought in the injured birds he cares for at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum.  The 3^rd/4^th grade hosted a speaker from our Triple T Trucking, our refuse and compost hauler.

He told the kids what happens to all the paper and food scraps which we place in the compost dumpster.  The following day the class went to the Windham Solid Waste Management Station to learn more about how waste is handled.  The Junior High also went to Hogback this week to work with Tom Wessels, author of Reading the Forested Landscape, and to apply what they had learned from his book.  And today the 5^th/6^th grade returns from a week on Cape Cod.  The ripples are spreading near and far!

At the P&F meeting (see Vanessa Redfield’s notes) parents committed to supporting our Social Inclusion work by developing a Buddy Family system for welcoming new families to our school community.  What a wonderful way for adults to model the importance of reaching out to others.

The Marlboro School Association is expanding their fundraising efforts to grandparents.  If your child has grandparents who are interested in learning how they can support their grandchild’s education, please contact Sara Coffey at 257-0288 with their mailing address.

Thanks for all you do to support your children’s education.  Enjoy the fall break next Thursday and Friday!

Francie

Part way through the week I became aware of students from the 3^rd-4^th grade moving throughout the school with clipboards – taking notes and interviewing students and staff about our management of trash, recyclables, and compost.  I look forward to hearing what they’ve discovered and what ideas they have for improving our system in ways which are friendly to our planet.

On Sunday morning the 5^th-6^th grade leaves for a week on Cape Cod.  Their week has been filled with preparations, as they research their individual topics, and complete the NECAP’s, our annual standardized assessment.

The Junior High is in full swing with academic classes, working on the NECAP

assessments, and preparing for the Cider and Pie Sale this weekend.  Please stop by the field on the big bend of Route 9 by the turnoff to South Road.  The Junior High and the Meetinghouse School will be pressing cider for sale along with pies and cheddar cheese.  Their share of the proceeds will go towards their trip to Costa Rica.

The Marlboro School Association held their annual meeting on Thursday and committed this year’s contribution of more than $6000 towards our work on Social Inclusion, the Junior High trip to Costa Rica, and projectors and presenters for classrooms.  Many thanks to this group’s dedication to enriching the education of Marlboro students.  Board members include Adrian Segar, Bruce Cole, Kate Purdie, Lauren Poster, Jen Carr, Sara Coffey, and me.

Schedules for Parent Conferences on October 21 are now in the office (except for 5^th-6^th).  Please call Gail for a time to check in with your child’s teacher.

Congratulations to Walker and Belle on the birth of baby sister, Rose!  We will add her to our list of kindergartners for 2015.

David’s class entertained and educated us this morning with a great skit about coughing and sneezing.  Costumes, music, and a well presented script made their message come alive – and stopped the germs dead in their tracks!

In other classes, the kindergarten continues to learn all about insects, the Primary is studying birds and flight, and the 3^rd-4^th grade spent a great day at Hogback combining poetry writing with Ann and painting watercolors of their special trees, (you can see lovely photographs of the day on the school web-site)  and the Junior High is learning to “read the forested landscape” through observation and study in the outdoors.

Please take a moment to respond to the Community Survey on preschool that is attached to this note.  As we see the number of young children in Marlboro decrease, we worry about the future of our school and community.  Please share your thoughts on this important topic.

While the Junior High was away, David’s class took on the raising and lowering of the flag.  Thanks to them and to Josh, in particular.  Belle, from kindergarten, also helped in the mornings.

The school is filled with music on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!  Strings and band are now underway, as well as Chalrene’s Thursday music classes.  I observed David Tasgal today working with Jeremiah, Cyrus, Samantha, Jordan, Senait, and Ben as they learned a song on the very first day with their violins.  The new Rock Band is a great place for older students who take lessons elsewhere to get together and jam with Michael McKinney!

After school soccer is drawing quite a crowd!  Thanks to Forrest Holzapfel, Celena Lundsted, Julianne Mills, and Evan Wyse for helping the kids to learn soccer skills and have fun.

When you stop by school, be sure to go around the Outback to the Down Under to see the beautiful mosaic sign created by Linda, our art teacher.  If you come on Tuesday or Thursday morning, you can see Linda in action with your children.

A reminder for those of you who may need AfterSchool care for your child and find it challenging to afford.  Windham Childcare informs us that a family of two (one parent/one child) with income of less than $29,500 qualifies for the subsidy.  Starting in January, the base income will go up, allowing more families to qualify.  Applications will be available in the office.

This year the state standardized assessment known as the NECAP will be given between Oct 1-20 to 3^rd-8^th graders.  Please see the attached letter.  Your child’s teacher will let you know the schedule for his/her classroom.

I’m starting up First Friday Coffee again next week.  Of course, you are invited to join us for All School Sing every Friday at 8:40 and on the first Friday of the month, please come to my office after Sing for coffee and a chat about whatever’s on your mind.

Next week will be full of more firsts! Rhythms for K-4th starts on Monday. Both Band (4thand up) and Violin (Primary and up) start on Wednesday. If your child will be bringing an instrument from home, that’s the day to do it. The newly forming 4-H club starts Monday afternoon and soccer starts Tuesday. For both of these activities, be sure to send in a note with your child so that we know s/he is participating.
And now for a quick snapshot of classroom activities:
The kindergartners are setting a record by starting their journals in their second week of school. They also know all the body parts of an insect and will share this information with you in song!
The Primary class is buddy reading with each other and with 5th/6th.
3rd/4th went to Hogback on Wednesday and each student found a tree. They will get to know their trees very well over the year.
5th/6th returns today from their Woodford overnight. When I canoed with them on Thursday, I was so impressed to see the teamwork and the ingenuity that went into figuring out how to make their canoes go in a straight line.
The Junior High has learned about different types of government so that they can decide how they will run their class meetings this year. They’re trying out a tyranny or rotating dictatorship.

Next week I will be away from school from Tuesday through the end of the week attending to the very important business of my daughter’s wedding! David will be acting principal in my absence.

As we move ahead with our work on Social Inclusion we will include a special section in each Friday Notes.

Social Inclusion Highlight

With the formation of our Social Inclusion Coordinating Group, parents are wondering what to do when they have a concern regarding their child. This is a good time to review our process for parent concerns. Your child’s teacher is often the place to start. It’s not always easy to catch them at the beginning or end of the day so a phone call or e-mail is the best way to begin the conversation. You are, of course, always welcome to contact me