The meeting was called to order by Steven John at 6:10pm.

Reorganization of the board
Nominated and elected Chair – Lauren Poster
Nominated and elected Vice Chair – Gussie Bartlett
Nominated and elected Clerk – Jen Carr
Nominated and elected Treasurer for the school district – Linda Peters
Designated WCSU Representatives – Lauren Poster/main representative, Gussie Bartlett/first back-up, Jen Carr/second back-up
Designated WCSU Policy Committee Member – Gussie Bartlett
Designated a Paper of Record – Brattleboro Reformer
Designated Truant Officer – Marlboro Constable

Chose regular meeting date/time – 1st Monday of every month at 6pm.

Francie said she will not be here on the 1st Monday in May as she will be on the Costa Rica trip with the Junior High class.

Please note that the meeting time in the Implementation section of the Guiding Principles needs to be changed to reflect the new time.  It is changed in the copy included below.

Jen will post new time to Select Board, Marlboro Mixer.

Superintendent’s report.

Steven John recommends that Francie’s contract be renewed.

Lauren will be in touch with Steven, contract needs to be offered by April 15.

Steven John left the meeting at 7pm.

Meeting was handed over meeting to Board Chair.

We reviewed the minutes of 2/8/10.  Lauren moved that we approve them as submitted.  Gussie seconded the motion.   The motion passed.

Jen will post these minutes as well as minutes from 2/2/10 that will be sent by Andy.

We adopted Policy E9 Comprehensive HIV Policy.
We also adopted policy F27 Pupil Privacy Rights: Student Surveys.

Andy Reichsman left the meeting at 7:30pm.

Principal’s report.

Upcoming Meetings:
March 31st 7pm at L&G. WCSU Reorganization Meeting
April 5th, 6 pm next MES Board Meeting

Jen will warn the School Board meeting for April 5th at 6pm. Gussie will forward last warning for Jen to modify. Lauren will send wording for the school lunch vote and will note other people to whom the warning should be sent.

Note pay orders 15, 16, 16a at bottom of minutes.

For now Jen will keep box of pay orders. Lauren will ask if we can keep space in Town Office. We will also ask Steven how long these documents need to be held.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.  Jen, Lauren, Gussie stayed on to do the pay order.

Respectfully submitted,

Jen Carr

Pay Orders:         #15        1/15/10        $49,694.06
#16        1/29/10        $47,000.57
#16a        1/29/10        $900.00

Our Guiding Principles:
Students will be at the center of our decision-making.
We will keep to the agenda.
The chair will estimate the amount of time necessary for each item
and act as timekeeper during the meeting.
Every voice is heard as discussion goes back and forth.
Decisions will not be made hastily.
We will ask ourselves, “What other information do we need
in order to make a thoughtful decision?”
Decisions/discussion will be recapped before moving on to a new item.
Items requiring action will be identified and we will note who is responsible for each action item.
Follow through will occur before the next meeting.
We will use e-mail judiciously to communicate between meetings.
Implementation Guidelines:
Meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month with the fourth Monday
kept in reserve, if an additional meeting is needed.
The chair will send out the agenda the Thursday before the meeting.
The meetings will start at 6 pm and go no later than 9 pm.

Superintendent’s Report for the Marlboro School Board
Monday, March 8, 2010
Note: I am obliged to attend the Townshend Board Meeting as soon after 7 P.M. as possible. I hope I can persuade one of you to switch to the second Monday of each month. If so, I could give you my full attention without being compromised by conflicting time commitments to another school board.

Student/Staff Learning
 1.    On Monday, March 1st, all professional staff in the WCSU met at L&G for a day-long
professional development workshop to support professional learning communities in every school to improve teaching effectiveness. The day also included a wellness lunch with aerobic activities.
2.    I enjoyed visiting Marlboro for Friday sing, and especially helping to lead a round of “Three Blind Mice”. I also had fun surviving the Mexican Hat Dance. Immediately following I joined a small group of parents for coffee with Francie. I commend Francie for this weekly opportunity to informally chat with parents.
Policy/Regulation
1.    Marlboro now has a complete set of properly warned and adopted school district policies that meet the state’s requirements. Seven school boards have also completed this task with the remaining four hoping to do so by next month.
2.    On February 18, 2010, the newly appointed WCSU Governance Committee discussed what steps may be taken to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and centralization (not consolidation) of our 11 school districts and 13 boards. Thank you Gussie for representing Marlboro’s views at this meeting.
3.    I have sent the latest news on the legislature to all WCSU Board Members separately via email. A joint Senate and House Education Committees public hearing on at least two bills related to governance reform is scheduled for Wed., March 10 at 5 P.M. in Room 11 at the Statehouse in Montpelier. I plan to attend.
Finance/Accounting/Operations
1.    My compliments to the Board on your presentation of the budget and responses to public questioning at “Town Meeting”. I am pleased to report that all school budgets in the WCSU passed and that most were approved by unanimous voice votes. This is a credit to all the boards and a clear vote of confidence in your leadership as Marlboro’s School Board.
2.    Later this month, Matt will begin overseeing the implementation of the MAC grant to enter emergency and medical information for all students in our school information system (PowerSchool).
WCSU will …place students at the center of our decision-making. …build trust and respect by acting ethically, transparently, and with integrity. …operate as a community of learners, committed to developing the skills and capabilities of all. …collaborate, share and seek creative solutions.

Enrollment/Staffing
resources to ensure a strong education system for all students.
1.    David Patterson, Accounts Clerk, resigned his position effective last Friday. We will fill this position as soon as possible, but for the time being, Dana Ladd will cover David’s accounts. She is familiar with his work.
2.    An article in the weekend Reformer quoted Windham County and state-wide student enrollment figures that are even lower than those I’ve been quoting (91k vs. 93k). These numbers are not good news, but they do reflect the most recent enrollment reports from Vermont’s public schools last October.
Informational Items
1.    I plan to participate in the Education Committees’ Joint Public Hearing on Wed., March 10 in Montpelier.
2.    I will attend the SE VT Superintendents Association Meeting on Wed., March 17th. 3.    I will attend the VSA Orientation Meeting for new superintendents in Montpelier on
March 25th. 4.    The new WCSU Governance Committee will meet at L&G on Wed., March 16th and
25th at 7 P.M. 5.    The annual reorganizational WCSU Board Meeting at L&G on Wed., March 31 at 7
P.M.
sbj-3/7/10

Marlboro School Board
Principal’s Report
Monday, March 8, 2010
Student Learning
Student Led Conferences
Preschool
Mythic Shadow Puppet Plays, 6:30
School Social Climate

Policy or Regulation Implementation
Tuition policy

Buildings and Grounds
Waiting to hear about Energy Efficiency Grant
Kitchen upgrade (summer work)

Finance/Accounting
Requesting restraint for the rest of the year

Enrollment/Staffing
Student enrollment – 84
Two new 5th graders expected in the next week or so

Informational items
Learning Fair – Tuesday, April 13, 6:30-8:30

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 pm.

We had a discussion with the Meetinghouse staff about the future of pre-school in Marlboro.  It is a likelihood that Meetinghouse will not continue next year.  The numbers and research conducted by the Meetinghouse staff seem to suggest that at this time a Marlboro pre-school is not viable, even if housed at MES.

Cathy Pell and Julianne Mills left at 6:50pm.

We discussed the report from the WCSU Governance Committee, which brings up the idea of disbanding local School Boards, creating a unified School Board across the SU’s districts. A number of plusses and minuses were brought up by Steven and Lauren.

We reviewed the minutes of 1/11/09.  Lauren moved that we approve them as updated.  Gussie seconded the motion.   The motion passed.

We reviewed the minutes of 1/28/10.  Lauren moved that we approve them as updated.  Gussie seconded the motion.   The motion passed.

We reviewed the minutes of 2/2/10.  Gussie moved that we approve them as submitted.  Lauren seconded the motion.   The motion passed.

Gussie is going to send out letters to current tuition-paying students, informing them of the increase in tuition as voted on in the January meeting.

Lauren moved that we allow a preschooler to ride the bus with their Junior High sibling to attend Meetinghouse School, contingent on receiving a waver from the parents holding Marlboro harmless from any liability.

We adopted Policy F5 Student Records.

Lauren moved that we approve Policy E9 Comprehensive HIV Policy. Gussie seconded the motion.  The motion passed.  It will be posted and adopted at the next meeting.

Lauren moved that we approve Policy F27 Pupil Privacy Rights: Student Surveys. Gussie seconded the motion.  The motion passed.  It will be posted and adopted at the next meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 9:03 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Andy Reichsman

Pay Orders:                         #15            1/15/19            $  49,694.06

#16            1/29/10            $  47,000.57

Next meetings:

Our Guiding Principles:

Students’ will be at the center of our decision-making

We will keep to the agenda.

The chair will estimate the amount of time necessary for each item

and act as timekeeper during the meeting.

Every voice is heard as discussion goes back and forth.

Decisions will not be made hastily.

We will ask ourselves, “What other information do we need

in order to make a thoughtful decision?”

Decisions/discussion will be recapped before moving on to a new item.

Items requiring action will be identified and we will note who is responsible for each action item.

Follow through will occur before the next meeting.

We will use e-mail judiciously to communicate between meetings.

Implementation Guidelines:

Meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month with the fourth Monday

kept in reserve, if an additional meeting is needed.

The chair will send out the agenda the Thursday before the meeting.

The meetings will start at 6 pm and go no later than 9 pm

Marlboro School Board

Principal’s Report

Monday, February 8, 2010

Student Learning

NECAP scores – see Principal’s Report to Town below

Winter Workshops and Workshop Showcase

Professional Development

School Reform Initiative conference, Jan14-16

Courage and Renewal for School Leaders, Feb 5-6

MES development of continuum re writing expectations

Margaret Maclean here March 15, April 16

Policy or Regulation Implementation

F27, E9  approve

F5 adopt

Preschooler on bus

Buildings and Grounds

Applying for round 2 of Energy Efficiency Grant

Kitchen upgrade (summer work)

Finance/Accounting

Enrollment/Staffing

Student enrollment – 86

New student in Primary (next year’s enrollment will be 24)

Informational items

Articles presented by Steven and Gussie

My report to town

MARLBORO SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S

2009 ANNUAL REPORT

Marlboro School District enrollment as of January 15, 2010:

Kindergarten    9             1^st Grade    12      3^rd Grade    10        5^th Grade     5       7^th Grade    9

2^nd Grade   8                4^th Grade     12        6^th Grade     11     8^th Grade    6

High School students:

9^th Grade   9              10^th Grade   10        11^th Grade   10                   12^th Grade   11       Ungraded   3

Marlboro Realms of Learning

Communication

Problem Solving

Personal Development

Civic and Social Responsibility

Knowledge

The state of MES is good.  In the past year our student numbers have held steady when many schools are experiencing a decline in enrollment.  Despite challenging financial times, we have been able to offer a strong and varied program focused on developing the Realms of Learning listed above.

Because we have a talented and dedicated teaching staff, because we are small, because we have a well-informed and supportive school board, and because we have a community that takes pride in its school and volunteers many hours of help, we are able to meet the needs of students with flexibility and creativity.  Last spring, when it became evident that the 3^rd-4^th grade would be quite large, Emma Hallowell was hired as a co-teacher for one year.  This allows for more small group and individualized instruction as well as the opportunity to expose students to the passion and enthusiasm of this fine young teacher.

Elissa Maclean has joined us as the Spanish teacher and we have been able to expand Spanish instruction to the youngest students.  This makes a great deal of sense based on what we know about young children’s ability to learn languages.  Elissa brings both a great deal of teaching experience and a desire to continually improve her instruction.  She is using an approach know as TPRS, which involves students in generating stories with specific vocabulary and working with these stories in a variety of ways that require listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Our current Junior High will be well prepared for their field research in Costa Rica this spring.

Last year the Hogback Conservation Committee reached out to MES to explore ways to use the Hogback property as an educational resource and to nurture our students’ sense of stewardship for the environment and especially for this special piece of land.  In June, the entire school spent a day exploring Hogback with the generous help of talented community members who led activities such as cellar hole exploration, trail building, kite flying, tracking, and poetry.  As the teachers have become more familiar with the area and the many resources available, they are incorporating Hogback studies in their curriculums.  Many thanks to Bob and Nancy Anderson and Carol Berner for making this happen.

Another focus this year is on creating a culture of kindness through the development of social and civic responsibility.  We have worked with Kim John Payne, a consultant whose “social inclusion” approach has helped us to implement new strategies for positive behavior as well as reviewing and refining what we have found to be successful.  Parents are an integral part of this work as they have expressed concerns about teasing and put-downs and are reinforcing the work being done at school in their homes.

We also know that when children have useful, authentic work and when they have the opportunity to help others in a way that makes a difference for their community, they have a sense of purpose for their schoolwork and they feel better about themselves and treat each other better, too.  Here are some highlights from the classes.

Last Town Meeting the Junior High brought a proposal for writing a grant for photovoltaic panels.  They received the grant and Gary MacArthur installed the panels over the summer.  These same students took their concern for green power to Washington, D.C. in May, speaking with Representative Peter Welch and staging a small demonstration on the Mall.  This year they are working with students from Marlboro College to learn about the ecosystems at Hogback.  They are also visiting area nursing homes where they interview residents, including Marlboro homeowner Fran Nevins, and recognize the rich stories each of these elders has.

The 5^th/6^th grade continues their community history project having now interviewed over forty citizens of Marlboro about work in our town.  These interviews will be archived at the Marlboro Historical Society.  Cape Cod was the destination for this year’s field research and parents, school board members, and teachers were impressed with the high quality of the students’ reports afterwards.  At this writing they are studying light, a unit which engages them in the scientific process as they make hypotheses and design experiments to test them, and creating shadow puppet plays of myths, which our new art teacher, Linda Whelihan, is helping with.

The 3^rd/4^th grade is studying the waste system and surveyed the school to find out where our recycling program was not up to snuff.  They then wrote a proposal to rectify the situation and presented it to me.  They are also visiting Hogback regularly.  Each student has adopted a tree and is learning about it from all angles – painting and writing a poem, as well as learning botanical characteristics.

The Primary class organized a food drive to resupply the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry shelves.  They are also studying about birds and flight and have visited Hogback to take a birding walk with Marlboro resident, Bob Engel.  This time of year is especially exciting for the youngest Primary students as their reading is improving by leaps and bounds.  If you stop by school, we’ll find a student to read a book to you!

The kindergarten provides many opportunities for all of us to help them become happy and contributing members of the school community.  Older students come down as interns and helpers.  Now these youngest students are in the midst of studying the human body.  By creating bodies with all the important systems, playing in the fantasy area set up as a hospital, and reading and discussing books, they are developing quite an in-depth knowledge of the body.  Just ask the Junior High students what they remember from this study!

As we move into the second half of the year, we are pleased to be making progress on our Action Plans goals of 1) improving math learning (see Test Scores) and 2) supporting our learning as educators and 3) improving instruction in writing by participating in a Critical Friends Group where we learn from sharing our collective expertise.

We invite you to stop by and see us in action.  Friday morning All School Sing is a great time to visit.

MARLBORO SCHOOL TEST SCORES

Below are the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 results from the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program), a standardized assessment which measures student learning in reading, writing, and math.  Students in 3^rd-8^th grade take these tests every October.  In October, 2009 fifty-four students participated in the assessment.  Writing scores were not available as of this writing.  The improvement in math scores is notable.

Our second graders take the Developmental Reading Assessment in May.  The number of students taking the test is too small to allow for confidential reporting of school achievement.  Individual student scores are available to parents in the office.

We are required by law to report these scores as a measure of how well our students are doing.  We invite you to attend other demonstrations of student learning that are held throughout the year.

NECAP Reading

NECAP Math

NECAP Writing

Superintendent’s Report for the Marlboro School Board

Monday, February 8, 2010

Note: I am obliged to attend the Townshend Board Meeting as soon after 7 P.M. as possible.

Student/Staff Learning

1. On January 28th, the WCSU Admin. Team met at Dover’s school all day.  We appreciate the welcoming staff and excellent facilities.  I hope Francie will share copies of the article by Dr. Yong Zhao that was the focus of our professional learning community (PLC) practice.
2. Commissioner Vilaseca released student performance results on New England Comprehensive Assessment Program (NECAP) exams taken last fall.  I heard his interview on VPR that day which may be available to download.  You may review these statistical summaries by school on the VT DOE website.
3. Francie may provide the Board with some preliminary findings for Marlboro’s students.  My compliments to you and your principal, staff and parents for supporting your students’ learning and achievement.

Policy/Regulation

1. Please take action on policies F27: Pupil Privacy Rights – Student Surveys, and G13 as you deem appropriate.  These are the only two mandatory policies that remain to be adopted for Marlboro.  (Gussie may have the latest information to correct me on this.)
2. I assume you completed this task, but a reminder just in case: Each school board, administrator, and certified office staff member will complete the WCSU Superintendent Evaluation form.  All evaluations must be returned to Rich Werner by Feb.1, 2010.
3. On January 2^7th, The WCSU Governance Committee recommended a “voluntary” K-12 unified union school district to the WCSU Board.  Please review the committee’s report as previously emailed to all board members.  My compliments to Allison Trowbridge, a member of the Windham School Board, on her summary of the Committee’s work.  Thank your Gussie for your dedicated work on this committee. The Board’s discussion was lively and engaging with Lauren and Gussie ably representing your district’s views.  The Reformer published an article 1/29/10 on the meeting and draft minutes will soon be available.  Rich Werner will appoint a new ad hoc committee including representation of all the WCSU school districts to further consider the issues raised by this proposal.
4. Pertaining to the issue of WCSU governance, the following bill is being considered: S.252 An act relating to creating regional school districts and no more than 16 supervisory unions

Introduced by Senator Hartwell

Statement of purpose: This bill proposes to replace existing supervisory unions with no more than 16 supervisory unions to be established by the commissioner of education and to require the merger of existing school districts into larger regional districts. It would require the commissioner to develop a governance structure for the supervisory unions and regional school districts.

5.   As all WCSU schools now have school-wide Title I programs, each principal must report to parents the percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers (HQT).  I am pleased to report that with the exception of L&G (90+%) all WCSU schools meet 100% HQT status.  L&G’s lower rating is entirely due to offering Chinese classes.  While I have some concerns regarding HQT requirements, my administration will continue to make every effort to see that all our teachers meet the HQT standards.

Finance/Accounting/Operations

Let Frank and me know if you need any additional information as you prepare for your Marlboro School District Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Enrollment/Staffing

1. I am pleased to note that Marlboro students are now listed by name and grade level in PowerSchool.  Thank you Gail.  This will improve my state reporting capability and accuracy.
2. Every school in the WCSU is reducing staff to some degree for FY11.

Informational Items

1. The new governance WCSU ad hoc Committee tentatively meets at the WCSU Office on Wed., Feb. 10 at 7 P.M.
2. The first and historic Brookline-Newfane Joint School District Annual Meeting will vote on the FY11 Budget at the Newbrook Firehouse on Tues., Feb. 16 at 7 P.M.
3. I will attend the Moderators’ Town Meeting Warm-up in Montpelier on Wed., February 17^th.
4. WCSU In-service Day for all teachers at Leland and Gray on March 1^st.
5. WCSU Board Meeting on Wed., March 31 at 7 P.M.

The meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm.

We reviewed and finalized our submissions to the Town Report.

Francie Marbury left at 6:45pm.

Pre-Town meeting is February 23^rd at 7:00pm at the Town Office.

The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Andy Reichsman

Next meetings:    February 8^th at 6:00pm, March 8^th at 6:00pm

Our Guiding Principles:

Students will be at the center of our decision-making

We will keep to the agenda.

The chair will estimate the amount of time necessary for each item

and act as timekeeper during the meeting.

Every voice is heard as discussion goes back and forth.

Decisions will not be made hastily.

We will ask ourselves, “What other information do we need

in order to make a thoughtful decision?”

Decisions/discussion will be recapped before moving on to a new item.

Items requiring action will be identified and we will note who is responsible for each action item.

Follow through will occur before the next meeting.

We will use e-mail judiciously to communicate between meetings.

Implementation Guidelines:

Meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month with the fourth Monday

kept in reserve, if an additional meeting is needed.

The chair will send out the agenda the Thursday before the meeting.

The meetings will start at 6 pm and go no later than 9 pm

Monday night         Vocab
3/8                Monday Night Math

Tuesday night         No classes Tuesday.  Reading of your choosing.
3/9

Wednesday night    math practice
3/10

Thursday Night        Study for vocab quiz
3/11
3 Mythic Shadow Puppet Plays,
parent / community presentations.
In our classroom, 6:30.

I am looking forward to our Student-led conferences on Tuesday. If you cannot make it on that day, please contact me so we can arrange a different time. The students have been gathering their work, choosing books to read, and reflecting on their learning. This is a challenging thing to do! The process is the very beginnings of becoming aware of how they learn, realizing what they are good at, and understanding what they need to work on. I have been impressed with how thoughtful many of the students have been when filling in their reflection sheets. Not only will they be looking at their learning, they will also reflect on their relationships with friends, work habits, and how they do in specials. Ask lots of questions!

Our second group of students has begun poetry classes with Ann. Many thanks to Paula Lavender who continues to help out.

Jeremiah was our most recent V.I.P. What beautiful pictures he shared with the class! We learned lots about him (he loves wolves) and he was very confident sharing his joke at All School Sing. Phoenix is our next V.I.P.!

Progress reports will be going home next week (Tuesday). It will be in your child’s home-school folder.

We are looking forward to a normal full week schedule starting next week. Rhythms class will resume on Mondays and we will have more time to focus on our theme – weather and water.   Weekly spelling words for olders will also resume.

Have a wonderful week. Enjoy the snow while it lasts!

Judy and Liz

Welcome back! What a snowy week! Hopefully you all successfully dug yourselves out of the snow and have entered the world again. The playground is a brand new jungle gym with huge snow banks to slide on and to dig in. One of my favorite sculptures on the playground right now is the picnic table fort! Seeing the picnic table buried gives great perspective on the amount of snow!

Student-Led Conferences: Next Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The conference schedule for next week is filling up! If you have not already signed up, please call Gail at the office to see what spaces are still available.

This (short) Week at a Glance:
We are spending a great deal of time this week preparing for student-led conferences. Each student is completing self-evaluations in core academic areas as well as in the social and emotional arena. We are working hard to prepare work for Tuesday’s conferences. We are looking forward to having you all here!

One aspect of curriculum that we reviewed today is twig identification. In starting our Abenaki of Vermont unit, we are brushing up on our knowledge of trees in order to identify Sugar Maples for tapping. We are tapping trees and will boil the sap in many different ways in the weeks to come.

This is a perfect connection to this Hogback Event!
Saturday March 6, 2010,  9:30  AM  -  TWIG WALK.  Barbara Cole will lead a walk on Hogback exploring trees in winter.  How do we identify a tree without its leaves?  Are all twigs alike? What might be living in the bark, or on the twigs?  What else can we discover on our not too strenuous walk? Snowshoes are recommended and a hand lens might come in handy. Park at the yellow Alpenglo building along the south side of Rte 9.

                                            
The March Reading Challenge begins this Monday! You’ll find the calendar to fill out attached to Friday notes. There are calendars for adults too, not just the children, so make it a family affair.  The Reading Challenge gives us all some inspiration to set aside extra time for reading during March and make an extra effort to keep the screen time to a minimum. Read together quietly or aloud; read to your dog, read to your baby sister;  read books, magazines, newspapers, comics, what ever you enjoy. Just read.

In addition to the schoolwide challenge, in our classroom there is an added challenge. Attached you will find the Reading Superstar. See how many different kinds of books you can read this month!

Have a great weekend,

Erica and Emma

Here is a link to the prize list, there are some great prizes for adults as well!

Here’s the official word from Windham County Reads:
Beginning on Monday, March 8, and concluding on Friday, April 2, this year’s Reading Challenge is comprised of 20 school days. Weekend reading is optional, but strongly encouraged, and students who read on weekend days will be eligible for a special prize.

Students in grades K-12 and adults set a daily reading goal for the four-week Reading Challenge period. All participants who meet their goals are eligible for the April prize drawings.

Completed student and adult contracts must be returned to school on Monday, April 5, for entry in the prize drawings.
March 8-April 2, Reading Challenge, a family affair!

Notes Home

Don’t forget to check your Friday notes for the basketball Jamboree form.

MARCH READING CHALLENGE? JH STUDENTS CAN DO THIS TOO

Below is a letter about our upcoming Costa Rica curriculum and trip.

March 5, 2010

Dear JH Parents,

Our May trip to Costa Rica draws nearer.  We will have a meeting to go over details and answer questions on 18 March.  In the meantime, here is the latest.

Itinerary

After investigating alternatives, we have settled on a trip very similar to previous trips:

• May 4 Þ Fly Boston (6 a.m.) to San Jose, CR then bus/van to Monteverde. The flight from Logan is so early, we are investigating the costs and reasonableness of various options: Thomas Transportation vs. Tim’s School Bus; hotel in Boston vs. middle of night departure.
• Stay in Monteverde, at the La Colina Lodge which is very convenient to the Friend’s School, the town, and the Cloud Forest Preserve.
• Move a few miles down the mountain to San Luis and stay again at the Ecolodge which arranges for homestays, farm and beneficio visits, school visits, ecological studies, and hiking to the waterfall.
• From here we will travel to Playa Hermosa on the Pacific coast, staying two nights at the beach where we can swim and snorkel the coral reef, while experiencing the effects of development for tourism.
• May 11 Þ Return flights, into Logan at 12:20 a.m.   Home late! We will use a phone tree to alert you of our MES arrival time.

Funds

Fundraising has gone well so far with the Marlboro Fair, Cider Sale, Valentine’s Day Dance, as well as on-going coffee sales, Rent-a-Kid, and the rustic bench raffle. This has left us on solid financial footing, but efforts will continue.

Regarding family contributions, we are requesting that the first half be submitted by March 18, and the balance by April 16.

Chaperones

Along with the sixteen students, there will be seven chaperones— Tim, Rachel, Elissa, Christine, Francie, Philip Johansson, and Carol Schroeder. We will review with them expectations and any specific assignments. Each chaperone will be assigned 2-3 students to watch out for throughout the trip, especially at critical transitions. We’ll discuss this further, at the March meeting.

Passports

We understand that everyone has a passport at this time. Please bring a copy to the March meeting, or make one here that night.

Medical

There are no specific immunizations required to travel in CR. We will discuss this further at the meeting.

Curriculum

Social Studies & Science

Central Question:

• How are we connected to people in Central America through the global economy, and how do our lifestyle choices affect our Costa Rican neighbors?

Topics:

• The economics and ecology of the Coffee trade—the second largest international commodity—with a specific look at Fair Trade practices

1. Does the cup of coffee on your table affect the songbirds outside your window?

• Energy use, global climate change, and the ecology of cloud forests

1. Is this causing the cloud forest to lift?
2. How does this affect the biodiversity of tropical rain forests?

• Tourism

1. Is it good for Costa Rica?

The Work:

• There will be teacher-led classes, field trips, readings and debates on each main topic.
• Students will use snail mail, email, & in-person interviews to communicate with Costa Rican students and learn their opinions on the above topics.
• Upon our return there will be a night of public presentations when students will share what they’ve learned using a variety of formats: skits, debates, & multi-media presentations.
• Each student will also choose a related topic about which they may do some independent research. They will report their findings in a news letter when we get back home.

Geography

• We will start with a short unit on geography of the Western hemisphere in which groups will “travel” to CR by car, train, boat or plane, creating a route, learning about different places along the way, & sending back postcards from notable sights.

Writing

• As a way to sell raffle tickets or solicit direct contributions, students will write a persuasive essay in the form of a letter to family and friends, describing and justifying such international travel as part of middle and high school curriculum. In addition, they will write a “perfect paragraph” about themselves to share with students at the Monteverde Friends School.

Spanish

• This essential work continues, including the construction of a phrase book.

See you all on March 18 at 7 p.m.!

Tim & Rachel

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

• It is relaxing
• You can go into your own world
• You can go into a book and forget about the world
• It is educating
• You can learn a lot of things!
• It is like exploring a new world
• It is like a friend telling you information
• It is entertaining
• It is like watching a movie in your head but you can choose what it looks like
• It can help you when you feel sad
• You can choose your own pace

254-3872                                                                                                           254-8448                                                    rachelboyen@gmail.com tjhayes@sover.net

Homework for Week of Mar. 8^th, 2010

Due for Mon. Mar. 8:

Drama: Character Study

Due for Tue. Mar.  9^th :

Parent Conferences: Are you ready? ______________________________________________________________________

Due for Wed. Mar. 10^th :

Literature: Read 7^th assignment in your lit. books (chapters 14, 15, & 16  in To Kill a Mockingbird, or to Act 4 in Witness)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Due for Thur: Mar 11^th :

_____________________________________________________________________

AM

Due for Fri. Mar. 12^th:

Drama: Off Book!

Literature: Read 8^th assignment in your lit. books (chapters 17 & 18 in To Kill a Mockingbird, or through page 106  in Witness). Write or draw a response of your choice.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Julian was hands down the winner of the cow key chain! He worked hard and made four times the amount of money that any other child made last week. We are taking a contest break but will be offering quite possibly a pig key chain soon. I’ll announce it in Friday Notes before the contest starts.

Next Week in the AfterSchool:

• Monday…………Drop-in Basket Ball or board games
• Tuesday…………Student Led Conferences – AfterSchool from 8:30 – 3:30
• Wednesday…….Bop Ball in the gym
• Thursday……….Yoga Dance or Water Color
• Friday……………Gym Games

The AfterSchool will be offering coverage for the whole family

During the Student Led Conferences on Tuesday, March 9th from 8:30-3:30 only.  No AfterSchool that day.

Please fill out the following form and have your child bring it to Gail the sooner the better!

Hope we can help out at AfterSchool! Rose

———————————————————————————————————-

Student’s name______________________________Grade/Class______

Parent/Guardian_______________________E-mail__________________

Home Phone________________Work Phone_________________

Cell Phone________________

The names of children who will be attending:

______________________________       _____________________________ ______________________________     _____________________________

The time of attendance _________________________

Number of kids ______ X  $5/hour  =  $___________

Please make checks payable t Marlboro AfterSchool Program.

X_____________________________________

Signature of parent/guardian date

PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE HERE OVER LUNCH,  BRING A PACKED LUNCH.

On the 11th students will be performing a trio of short myth-based shadow puppet plays for parents and community members. The staging will take place in the classroom beginning at 6:30 and going for about 45 minutes. Hellas !

Dear Parents,

As you know, student-led conference day is coming up on Tuesday, March 9th. You will come with your child who will be prepared to share their work, talk about their learning and school experience. Between now and then, we will be preparing for this very special day.

At the conference, you will have the opportunity to sit with your child as s/he goes through different areas of their learning and share it with you. Your child will have practiced beforehand. This will hopefully be a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to reflect on and celebrate the progress they have made this year.

Each conference will be one hour long. First, I will review the expectations for the hour. Then you and your child will have this precious time to share his/her work. Ask lots of questions! Four or five students will be conferencing at the same time. I will be circulating amongst the families to give feedback, make comments, or answer any questions.

Gail has the sign up sheet in the office. Stop by or give Gail a call (254-2668) to schedule your time.

This is a very new and exciting way of doing conferences where you will get the opportunity to see your child’s work through their eyes as well as mine!

I’m looking forward to seeing you on March 16.

Judy

Dear Parents,

I am enclosing a report for your child for the 2^nd semester with this newsletter.  I’m sending these home before conferences for you to get my information about your child.  If there is anything you would like to discuss, please let me know and we can either talk on Tuesday (I call these kitchen conferences) or we can choose another time to discuss any concerns.  The “specials” teachers will be writing their own reports and I’ll get these to you as they come in.  IF YOU HAVEN’T SIGNED UP FOR A CONFERENCE, PLEASE CALL GAIL TODAY! Each conference will last about an hour.

At the conference, your child will lead you through their work. There will be a game to play, a book or two to read, the bodies to see (these may not be all completely done but you can see what your child has finished), photographs to see and journals to share.  You will have a chance to give your child feedback about all of their work.  I find it’s a special time for parents and children to be together and share and celebrate all of their accomplishments.  Childcare is available for siblings and I highly recommend that you come and give your full attention to your kindergartner if at all possible.

On Friday, Pam will be sending home information about the March Reading Challenge.  This is a great opportunity to spend some time with your child each day either reading to them or having them read to you!  I encourage you all to do it and it’s great if the adults in the family commit to reading as well.  Children do follow their parents’ examples and by your reading, you are helping your child to succeed in reading as well.

Next Wednesday, March 10 (the day after conferences) we will be heading out right at 8:30 to go to the Eric Carle museum in Amherst, Massachusetts.  Linda, our art teacher, and probably a junior high intern will join us.  If you’d like to come, please let me know.  This is not a trip that we can accommodate younger siblings (per the museum’s instructions).  It’s possible that we may be a little late returning that day but I will try to get us here as close to 1 p.m. as I can.  Each child will need to bring a portable lunch and a drink. I will bring healthy snack with us.  I’ll be reading Eric Carle books here, but if you have some at home as well, this is a good time to pull them out!

Another special day is coming up on Monday, March 15.  We will have our joint junior high/kindergarten poetry reading at 11. Please join us, if you can, to hear the kindergarten poems, the junior high poems and the first poems the 8^th graders wrote at this school.

Next week, Jade will be our Wanachi.  Hunter will be the following week (we made a trade earlier).

Ask your child to tell you about the 3 parts of our blood – red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight germs and the platelets that stop the bleeding.  We did a very dramatic portrayal of the platelets at morning meeting.  Ask your child about it!

Looking forward to seeing you all (and your children) at conferences next week.

Thanks,

Ellen

Week of March I,   MMX

Notes:   Welcome back from break.

Thursday, March 11 – Parent / community presentations of Mythic Shadow Puppet Plays.  6:30;  our classroom.

Monday night
3/1

Tuesday night    Town Meeting Day
3/2

Wednesday Night    math practice [handout]
3/3        memorize your lines and cues for your mythic play

Thursday Night     memorize your lines and cues for your mythic play
3/4

And I think that Julian is well on his way to winning the cow key chain…he has been working very hard!

Last week Julian and Paige won the Math Challenge, each winning $50!

Kathy Pell has been cleaning out the closet at the Meeting House School and donating lots of goodies to the AfterSchool (thanks, Kathy!) and she gave us some human sized dinosaur puzzles to put together.  So come on Thursday after vacation if you want to try out your dinosaur building skills.

Also remember the Contra Dance
TONIGHT In the Outback 7pm

The Week we get back from Vacation in the AfterSchool:
Wednesday…….Bop Ball.
Thursday………..Yoga Dance and Putting together dinosaurs.
Friday…………… Fort Building in the gym

Have a great vacation, Rose

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

What a wonderful show of support for the Winter Workshop Showcase on Monday! It was great to have so many families present and it was an impressive display and performance to show the work from the last six weeks.

Student-led conferences are coming right up on Tuesday, March 9th. At the conference your child will share his/her work and talk about their learning and progress. After vacation we will spend time gathering work, organizing, doing self-assessments and deciding what is important to share. This is an opportunity for you and your child to reflect on and celebrate the progress he/she has made.

Each conference will be one hour long. The hour will begin with a general overview of expectations and guidelines for the conference. As you look at your child’s work, ask questions! The hour can go by quickly, so make sure to pace your time. Four or five students will be conferencing at the same time. Emma and I will circulate throughout the class to give feedback or answer any questions. This is an exciting way of doing conferences. You will get the opportunity to see your child’s work through their eyes as well as ours!

Please see the attached conference schedule. This schedule is for your reference. Please call Gail (254-2669) to sign up for a conference time that works for you and your family.

The Week at a Glance:

•    Image-making Story Writing –
o    Everyone is working on revising and editing their stories. Some students will be bringing home image-making work that needs to be finished.
•    Math –
o    Multiplication facts!! Quiz your child and see how they do!
o    Measuring the garden
o    Finding area
•    Literature Circles –
o    Ask your child about their Lit Circle and the book that they are reading.

Calendar of Events:
•    Tuesday, March 9th, Student-Led Conferences
o    Please sign up for a conference with Gail.
•    Week of March 22nd, Report Cards sent home

Have a wonderful vacation!

Erica and Emma

Dear Parents,

Just a quick newsletter to let you know about a few upcoming things:

1^st – Tonight is the Winter Workshop showcase at 6:30.  Please come see your child’s artwork, pottery, and Capoeria as well as the older children’s puppet shows, sculptures and drumming.  We will be in the Outback and all artwork can go home with you at the end of the evening.

2^nd – Tomorrow, Francie and I are planning to go to Wardsboro school to check out their pre-K program which we are discussing doing here at some later time.  If there is a snow day here or there, we obviously won’t go, but if there isn’t, Kelly will be here to sub.

3^rd – On Wednesday, at 9 am we will head down to Rescue (finally!) to visit the ambulance and learn about car seat safety.  Saint is planning on joining us.  I’ll drive the little bus and you are welcome to come also.

4^th – On Tuesday, March 9 we will have student-led conference day.  You should sign up with Gail in the office for one of the 3 conference times (8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. or 11:30).  You and your child both come to this conference and your child will lead you through their work.

Next week is school vacation.  Have a great week with your child.  School will resume for students on Wednesday, March 3.

Thanks,

Ellen

March 11 – Three Mythic Shadow Puppet Plays, parent / community presentations.
In our classroom, 6:30.
Week of March 15 begins Student-Parent-Teacher conferences.  More later.

Monday night         Vocab
2/15                Study for a Light Test

Tuesday night         Study for a Light Test
2/16

Wednesday night    math practice
2/17

Thursday Night        Study for vocab four week test
2/18

Have a great break.  Have fun, be safe.  See you in March.

Primary News   February 15-19

Last week…

The 100^th day of school and Valentine’s Day dominated our week. On Tuesday, our 100^th day, the students kept busy with a variety of math, art, building, and writing activities. Our Valentine celebration went smoothly. One of our class challenges was to read 100 books. They successfully did it! Many thanks to Carol (Forrest), Jess (Leander), Sara (Cyrus), and Gretchen (Eliza) for the treats! It was nice to see so many homemade Valentines this year.

Poetry classes begin on Friday afternoon for the other half of Primary. Students who had poetry will be in the class working on research.

Student-led conferences are coming up on Tuesday, March 9^th. On that day, you will spend time with your child in the class. S/he will share their work with you, read, play a math game, and talk about their learning. The week after vacation, the students will be busy preparing for this day. There will be several other students and parents sharing at this time. I will be in the class checking in and giving feedback at times. Please call Gail to sign up for the most convenient time.

Older spelling words

were    when    how   will    some

look     water   new    after   long

Ask your child these questions…

• What did you do on the 100^th day of school?
• How many tens are in 100?
• Who was our most recent V.I.P.? (Leander)
• What is something new you learned about him?
• What is Julianne reading at Friday lunch?
• What are some words that begin with Sm?
• What kind of stories does Mr. H tell?
• What is something you know about Malachi?

I will not be in school on Friday. Liz will take over with the help of our substitute, Mrs. Cable.

Have a great week and wonderful vacation! No letter will go home the week we get back.

Judy and Liz