Friday, April 29, 2016

April 29, 2016 - Week 32

Hello Dale Street Community!

The students and staff had a very busy week the first week back after vacation.  Please take a minute and see some of the great things that took place this week and please make note of some important upcoming dates.
Our fourth graders and fifth graders showed great effort completing their first units of the PARCC testing this week. Bravo boys and girls!!!!!! Testing in both grades will continue next week.   


Dale Street fourth graders had a wonderful time on their field trip to the Museum of Science this week. Thanks to all of the parents who took time to chaperone.











Please click on the MCPE link for information about the upcoming LCR dice event at the American Legion and the Fall Ball Art Contest.

On Monday afternoon, Grade 5 teachers worked with Math consultant, Mrs. Shephali Fox.  Grade 5 teachers participated in a lesson study observing a math activity in Ms. Bertschmann's class.  Awesome Professional Development!  






Bravo to Art teacher, Mrs. Deveno and Dale Street students who had artwork displayed at the Zullo Gallery this week.  The artwork and the night were fantastic!







Please click the PTO link for updates from our PTO. 

On a visit to Mrs. Lowerre's classroom today, students were using Keva Planks to better understand engineering and spacial skills  Great job! 









* A group of 16 Dale Street staff members have been participating in a professional book group each month since October.  The group is reading, discussing and taking part in activities surrounding the book, Mindset by Carol Dweck.

*There will be a half day of school (11:35 dismissal) on Friday, May 13th.

*Transition Day will take place on Wednesday, June 22nd.  More details will be forthcoming closer to the date.    


*Our last day of school is scheduled for Thursday, June 23rd.  There will be an 11:35 dismissal on this day.  

As always, thank you for taking the time to check in and read the Dale Street Blog.

Enjoy the weekend,

Steve

Friday, April 15, 2016

April 15, 2016 - Week 31

Happy Friday Dale Street Community!

Best wishes to 4th grade teacher, Margot Hayes who will run the Boston Marathon on Monday.  She has trained extremely hard and I know that she is going to do great!



On a visit to 5Mason this week, Dr. Marsden and I had the opportunity to watch students design and construct a Maglev Transportation System.  
Dale Street students are AMAZING!





Students in 5Cowell skyped this week with Mrs. Cowell's sister-in-law's 5/6 grade class from Ridgefield, Washington.  Students in 5Cowell completed and loved the book El Deafo, so they sent her class a copy. They finished last week, so the classes skyped.  They had a back channel going (Today's Meet) so kids could talk virtually while other students were live skyping. It was an incredible hour including book club, book recommendation, geography, and 21st century skills!

Special thanks to Mrs. Fromen and Mrs. Meaney for all their help and support!









The Dale Street School community is excited about assisting the Medfield community and Hunter's Run. A student group at Dale Street (MAD - Make A Difference) and the Student Advisory Council have teamed up to have initiate a run/walk fundraiser to support Hunter's Run and Boston Children's Hospital. Our fundraiser will take place on Thursday, May 12th (rain date May 20th) during students' recesses. Students will have the opportunity to purchase a pledge card for $1 prior to the 12th. In addition, students will have the opportunity to voluntarily secure pledges for each lap they complete. More information will be forthcoming, but we wanted to share this preliminary information.  
Thank you to all who took the time to submit a placement letter.  We will begin working on creating classes/groupings at the PD day on May 13th.

On Thursday, students in 4Keane used the wonderful literature of Jan Brett to examine points of view.  Students used Padlet to create 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person points of view.  Wonderful job, girls and boys! 






As a reminder, the PARCC/MCAS testing dates are posted below:

PARCC/MCAS Test Dates


Grade 4:  

ELA - April 29th, May 4th, May 6th
Math - May 10th, May 16th, May 17th, May 18th

Grade 5:  

ELA - April 28th, May 2nd, May 3rd
STE - May 11th, May 12th
Math - May 19th, May 20th, May 23rd, May 24th

While there may be a medical, excused absence that cannot be avoided, we appreciate your efforts to plan other appointments and events around these dates.  Thank you!


 The Girls Varsity Soccer Team will be holding a youth clinic for 2nd - 5th graders on April 15th, April 29th, May 6th, and May 13th from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM at the Wheelock soccer fields.  The whole varsity team will be in attendance to work with the participants.  There is a $5 cost for each session. 

Please click the PTO link for updates from our PTO. 


Please click the MCPE link for updates on the Spelling Bee, the Fall Ball Art Contest and the LCR Tournament.


Congratulations to these Dale Street students (there are a few absent) who recently won BOTH the boys and girls indoor soccer league championships at Fore Kicks.  What an accomplishment!  We are very proud of you!




Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable April vacation.  Enjoy the time away!

Sincerely,
Steve

Friday, April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016 - Week 30

Greetings Dale Street Families!


I hope that you all had a wonderful week.  We certainly did!

On Tuesday, many of our Dale Street students participated in the MCPE sponsored Spelling Bee at Medfield High School.  The students all worked hard, and from the looks of it, had a fabulous time. Congratulations to everyone who participated and to this year's Dale Street champions - The Sled Dawgz!  







Monday is Red Sox spirit Day at Dale Street!  Please wear your Red Sox attire or red, white, and blue.  If your allegiance is with another team, feel free to come to school with that team's attire. 

Students in 5Cowell took charge of their math lesson on Wednesday to lead the discussion.  These students did an incredible job!    







Congratulations to this week's Positive Referrals!  Thank you for making Dale Street such a great place!






Postural Screening is scheduled for Wednesday April 27th and Friday April 29th for fifth grade students. The purpose of this state mandated screening is to detect any early signs of spinal problems that may require further medical evaluation. If any abnormality is found, you will be notified and asked to make an appointment with your child’s health care provider. The students will be screened individually.  The top of a two-piece bathing suit, a bra, or a halter-top is recommended for the girls.

If your child has had a physical that included a spinal exam within the past year, or has been diagnosed or is under care for a spinal issue and you want him/her excused from the screening, please send a note addressed to the school nurse into school prior to the screening. You can also email me at kthompson@email.medfield.net or fax a note to 508-359-1415.


Parent input narratives are due no later than April 15th.  For further information please refer to the parent email that was sent on April 1st.  Additional information on the placement process can be  viewed here.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.  

On Thursday, students in 4Douglas and 4Foley collaborated on Pro-Bot challenges.  Students used engaging and hands-on experiences to work on programming.  Great work, girls and boys!  





Please click here to see news from the MCPE this week.
Please click here to see news from the PTO this week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best regards,
Steve