Friday, December 18, 2020

December 18, 2020 - Week 13

Happy Friday Dale Street!

After having such wonderful weather for the majority of this school year, Mother Nature sure gave us a wallop yesterday.  I hope you are all shoveled out and had a safe and fun day.  We participated in our first-ever 'remote snow day'.  I was able to visit almost every classroom remotely yesterday.  I was again blown away by the efforts of our outstanding staff members to create such engaging, synchronous lessons and the work ethic of our rockstar students.  I wanted to share this student comment that I saw in a chat window yesterday... "ooh, this math lesson looks so fun!"  What is better than that?    


On Wednesday evening the elementary principals held our third Elementary Webinar of the school year.  The webinar focused on Staying Organized on Remote Learning Days. Special thanks to Dale Street Guidance Counselor, Ms. Warner and Memorial & Wheelock Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Bockhorst for sharing their knowledge and strategies about executive functioning.  Also, thank you to the families who attended the webinar.  If you were unable to make Wednesday night's webinar or had to leave early, here is the link:

Webinar Recording

Passcode: $Yre*J&0  (please note that you cannot just copy and paste the passcode in - you have to type it in manually for it to work) 

Additionally, here are some executive function resource slides: 

Executive Function Webinar slide deck

Thank you, Dale Street Custodians! 



Please make a note of the following important change to the schedules for Cohort A & B prior to the Winter break.

On Tuesday, December 22, students in Cohort B will attend school in-person while students in Cohort A will work remotely.  Making this switch allows both of our cohorts to receive in-person instruction during the week of December 21st. 

Teachers will conduct a morning check-in with Cohort B on Monday, December 21st and with Cohort A on Tuesday, December 22nd.

Wednesday, Dec 23 is an early release day.  Dismissal will be at 12:00 p.m.

Please remember to update School Dismissal Manager with your child's plans for dismissal on these days.

On Thursday, students in Mrs. Fluynn's fourth-grade class used the distance learning platform, Mystery Science to work through an engineering problem.  On this day, students brainstormed how they could protect themselves from a possible landslide.  Student ideas were fantastic! 


Enjoy a “Party in a Bag!” Have your child decorate a brown paper lunch bag in a holiday theme. Once decorated, fill it with a few of your child’s favorite food items. Some examples are: juice box or mini water bottle, small salty snack, fun sweet snack (cupcake, cookie), additional items could be a piece of fruit, a small yogurt, or any additional healthy snack.  Adding a little note to your child's bag will definitely make them happy!  Students will be able to enjoy their “Party in a Bag” snacks at a designated time during their classroom celebration on their in-person day next week:  Cohort A - December 21stCohort B - December 22nd.

Cohort B students loved playing around in the snow today at recess.  


Our Student Council initiative to support local restaurants during the pandemic continues!  Each week, 2 restaurants will be sponsored by the Dale Street Student Council and their classmates.  Be sure to help our local restaurants!  Our sponsored restaurants the week we return from winter break are China Sky (Ms. Hayes' class) and Papa Gino's (Ms. Johnson's class). 

Where: 24 North St, Medfield, MA.  

If you want to check out the website before you go or would like to order take out, please click here.

It is delicious - you will love it!   


Come to Papa Gino’s! You might think it is just a pizza place, but it serves much more! Of course, the pizza is great. Each pizza is made by hand when you order it. They use fresh dough and sauce, not from a package. But if you're not in the mood for pizza, Papa Gino’s has sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, pasta, and more! Or you could try Papa Gino’s desserts like their cinnamon sticks! No contact delivery and carry out are available. Papa Gino’s is open 7 days a week. Go to PapaGinos.com for hours and online ordering.

Bravo, Mr. Dexter! 



5th Grade Band Olympics

In October, the 5th-grade band students started participating in their first band Olympic events. The students are divided into musical countries based on their instrument and compete in weekly competitions for bronze, silver, and gold medals. The events are designed to challenge their abilities in instrument technique, performance, and musical knowledge. The events range from video submissions, online quizzes, and SmartMusic assignments. With each event, countries are scored based on the performance average of the section. At the end of the month, participating members of each country that earns the most points (from medal rankings) will get to pick out one prize from the themed treasure box. 

Countries: 
The United Nation of Treble Clef (Flutes & Oboes)
The Chromatic Kingdom of Reeds (Clarinets)
The People’s Republic of Fermata (Saxophones)
The Noted Empire Of Dynamica (Trumpets/Horn)
The Provinces of Forte (Trombones/Percussion)

November Events: 
Week 4: Rhythmic Gymnastics
Week 5: Musical Notation Rugby
Week 6: SmartMusic Softball 
Week 7: Memory Marathon

November Winners:
Gold: The United Nation of Treble Clef (Flutes & Oboes) & The Noted Empire Of Dynamica (Trumpets/Horn)
Participants: David Arnold, Joseph Callender, Christian Costabile, Adam Farne, Eric Gelormini, Dylan Kovacs, Andrew Munz, Steve Rahley, Decker Smith, Chase Sullivan, Phoebe Allenby, Abigail Boxmeyer, Rose Keysor, Vivian McGrory, Paige Polinski, Rebecca Roux, Lucy Shield, Alesia Tabaku, Aine Twohig, Maverick MacPherson, Finn Posner

Silver: The Chromatic Kingdom of Reeds (Clarinets) & The Provinces of Forte
(Trombones/Percussion) 
Participants: Benjamin Cunningham, Parker Kathan, Liam Swartz, Auden Erwin, Joseph Esposito, Allan Han, Owen Rodenhi, Claire Saulnier, Lewis Bormann, Melis Eristiren, Miles Hajj, Emily McKechnie, Benjamin Simonini, Paige Uzzell

Bronze: The People’s Republic of Fermata (Saxophones)
Participants: Nathan Bills, Samantha Brady, Elizabeth Cumming, Reya Edelglass, Brian Ehrenzeller, Owen Goodband, Dylan Poikonen, Grant Sullivan


Check out some of our festive students from Ms. Plympton's fourth-grade classroom.  





Students may bring lunch from home or purchase a meal from the cafeteria. Lunch is prepared by our cafeteria staff and is delivered to the classrooms.  Meals prepared in the cafeteria will be free to all students for the 2020-2021 school year.  Families will still need to complete the free & reduced lunch application



Medfield Outreach has extended their weekly drop-in mental health hours through December.  Please check out this flyer for more information. There are also weekly drop-in times for students.  Click here for details.


On Thursday, grade 5 students worked with their teachers to gain a deeper understanding of equivalent fractions.  Although the snow kept us out of school, it did not stop our awesome students from learning.  



You are invited to join the Medfield Cares About Prevention Community Coalition and help us make change in the Medfield community. Please read our most recent MCAP Newsletter to learn more about how to get involved or email Meri Haas at mhaas@medfield.net.


Just a reminder, Flu Shots are now required for all students in MA by December 31st, 2020 unless your child has a medical or religious exemption. Immunization exemptions need to be updated annually and on file with the school nurse. Please contact your child's health care provider to make arrangements for your child to receive the Flu Vaccine and send evidence of immunization to the school nurse. 

CVS in Medfield and Shaws/Osco Pharmacy in Medfield are also offering flu shots.   

Please feel free to reach out to the school nurse with any questions or concerns. kthompson@email.medfield.net or 508-242-8573

Please read this COVID update from our school nurse, Kathy Thompson.

Also, please see this important letter regarding holiday travel. 

Follow the school nurses on Twitter @MedfieldNurses for all health and COVID updates


A HUGE THANK YOU to the PTO for providing the Dale Street staff with an amazing lunch!  The luncheon (catered by Cutlets here in Medfield) was delicious and very much appreciated!


MCPE is bringing back our popular Trivia Night in a fun virtual way! Join 200 of your closest friends on January 30 at 8:00pmfor a full pub trivia experience without having to leave your couch! 

Register your team of 4-8 people here: https://www.medfieldcoalition.org/trivia-2021

MCPE LAST MINITE GIFT ALERT ðŸš¨ Custom Medfield Vineyard Vines ties delivered to your mailbox the week of December 21. Perfect for coaches, teachers, and grads! Quantities are limited, so order yours today! https://www.medfieldcoalition.org/holiday-tie-sales
#OneMedfield


This week, students in Grade 4 continued to grow their reading strategies using Greek Mythology.  Staff used a variety of myths to help students create a deeper understanding of character traits and citing evidence.   



Winter is here!  Please make sure your children come to school dressed appropriately for the cold weather.  Students will have recess OUTSIDE if the 'feels like' temperature is 20 or above.  Hats, gloves, and coats are strongly encouraged.  Additionally, students need to have snow boots and snow pants if they want to play in the snow.  Students without snow gear will have to remain on the blacktop.   


Medfield Class of 2023 Blanket Order Form


Parks & Recreation will be offering eSports opportunities this winter to students in grades 3-12. The games being offered include FORTNITE, Madden NFL21, FIFA Soccer, NBA 2K1, and Super Smash Bros. League play will begin the second week in January, but the registration deadline is Dec. 29. Players will compete against players from Medway, Norwood, Franklin, Millis, Natick, Ashland, and Dover. Full details are available on their Web site at https://medfieldrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29553

They also are offering holiday break single-day tournaments in Madden (Monday, 12/28), Fortnite (Tuesday, 12/29), and Super Smash Bros (Wednesday 12/30). Each will begin at 3pm and could last up to four hours. Full details are available at https://medfieldrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29556.

Any questions, please contact Kevin Ryder at kryder@medfield.net. 


Monday, December 21 - Cohort A In-Person Day

Tuesday, December 22 - Cohort B In-Person Day

Wednesday, December 23 - 12:00 p.m. Early Release

This will be the last blog before winter break.  All of us at Dale Street would like to wish you and your family the happiest of holidays.  There will be no school for students from Thursday, December 24, 2020, through Sunday, January 3, 2021. Students will return to school (Cohort A and BC in-person and Cohort B remotely) on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Enjoy the well-deserved winter break and we will see you in the New Year!

Warm regards,
Steve

Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth

Friday, December 11, 2020

December 11, 2020 - Week 12

 Dear Dale Street Community,

Another great week here at #beproudbedale!  Please take a minute to scroll through to check out some of the AMAZING things that occurred.

On a visit to Mrs. Fox's fourth-grade class this week, students were working really hard mastering the 'Big 7' division concept.  Strategies like this really help students get a deeper conceptual understanding of math.  


Please make a note of the following important change to the schedules for Cohort A & B prior to the Winter break.

On Tuesday, December 22, students in Cohort B will attend school in-person while students in Cohort A will work remotely.  Making this switch allows both of our cohorts to receive in-person instruction during the week of December 21st. 

Teachers will conduct a morning check-in with Cohort B on Monday, December 21st and with Cohort A on Tuesday, December 22nd.


Check out this awesome nomination for Shannon MacDonnell!


Santa's elf lost a tooth!

We will be holding virtual parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, December 15th from 12:00-3:30 p.m.  This is an early release day and students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m.  Please be sure to update School Dismissal Manager to reflect your child's dismissal plans on this day.  Thanks! 

This week, students in Ms. Slachta's grade 4 classroom investigated character traits and text evidence using Greek Mythology.  These students are very clever!  





Enjoy a “Party in a Bag!” Have your child decorate a brown paper lunch bag in a holiday theme. Once decorated, fill it with a few of your child’s favorite food items. Some examples are: juice box or mini water bottle, small salty snack, fun sweet snack (cupcake, cookie), additional items could be a piece of fruit, a small yogurt, or any additional healthy snack.  Adding a little note to your child's bag will definitely make them happy!  Students will be able to enjoy their “Party in a Bag” snacks at a designated time during their classroom celebration on their in-person day during the week of December 21st.  Cohort A - December 21st, Cohort B - December 22nd)



The next Student Council meeting will be on Wednesday, 12/16, at 2:45 p.m.  Zoom details will be emailed directly to Student Council representatives and alternates next week. 

Our Student Council initiative to support local restaurants during the pandemic continues!  Each week, 2 restaurants will be sponsored by the Dale Street Student Council and their classmates.  Be sure to help our local restaurants!  Next week's sponsored restaurants: CasaBella Pizza (Mrs. Fox's class) and Nosh & Grog (Mrs. Hayes' class).

Looking for someplace to eat? Go to CasaBella pizza to get the most cheesy warm crispy pizza you ever tasted! And if your kids don’t like pizza, well you’re in luck! CasaBella has more than just pizza on their food menu. There are lots of different subs and calzones; you could go with the saucy meatball sub or perhaps a chicken parmesan calzone. There is even a make your own sandwich option! Kids can even choose something from the kid menu like hot dogs, hamburgers, and macaroni and cheese. CasaBella also serves all your favorite sodas ice cold. CasaBella’s opening and closing hours are 10:30 - 9pm on most days except Sundays; Sunday hours are 11:00 - 9pm. Come for lunch and dinner CasaBella won’t let you down.


The Student Council representatives from Mrs. Hayes´ class, Will Baker and Lauren Mullen, ask you to support our local Nosh & Grog restaurant located at 21 North Street during the week of December 14th-18th.  They can prepare holiday dinners or other family dinners, like delicious tacos or mouth-watering lasagna.  You can eat dinner there, have it delivered, pick it up at the restaurant, or buy a gift card.  They have a kids menu, a lot of different tacos and burgers, vegetarian options, and even house-made pretzels – yum! That sounds good to me! What about you? Here is the online menu link! Nosh and Grog menu
You can also pre-order your Christmas dinner!
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Dinner. Serves up to 6 people, and is sure to be a favorite for everyone in your family.
Slow-braised, tender, and juicy short ribs, twice baked potatoes, roasted Brussels, and kabocha squash puree. Plus baby kale salad (pickled red onion, red quinoa, sunchoke chips w/roasted pear vinaigrette), and dinner rolls
We cook - you eat. Fully cooked with easy heating instructions. For pickup or home delivery on December 23rd.
More info and to order: http://noshandgrog.com/family-meals/

Check out this flyer made by students in Mrs. Hayes' class encouraging their classmates to visit Nosh & Grog.  

Please join us on Wednesday, December 16th at 5pm for a Guidance Webinar: Staying Organized on Remote Learning Days led by Dale Street Guidance Counselor, Lindsey Warner, and Wheelock and Memorial Guidance Counselor, Kathy Bockhorst.  Topics will include: "What is executive functioning?", "What should parents expect developmentally at this age?" and "What are some suggestions and strategies to assist students and families?"  

We would appreciate your input prior to the webinar letting us know what is working, what is not working, and any specific questions you may have about remote learning days.  Please complete this form with your comments.  We will close out this form on Monday morning so Ms. Warner and Mrs. Bockhorst can incorporate questions/comments into their presentation.  We hope you will be able to join us! 

Webinar Link

Passcode: 636230  

Dale Street's Cohort D students have been working really hard with Mrs. Dowd.  This week they used the signpost, Words of the Wiser (When an older or wiser character gives the main character advice, ask yourself what the lesson might be or how it will affect the character’s life.) to decipher the meaning of quotations from the one and only, Yoda!  


Our tech integrationist, Mr. Ahern, created a new website to curate information for digital learning. There are currently resources for digital citizenship and coding. The website will continue to grow, so be sure to check it out periodically. It is linked both from the Dale Street School website and the Hybrid Learning page.

This week is Computer Science Education Week. Our tech integrationist, Mr. Ahern, provided coding activities on the virtual notebooks as a way for students to participate.

On a visit to Ms. Isaacson's fourth-grade class, this week students were working with Health teacher, Ms. Laughna and presenting their Google slides highlighting the food groups and appropriate daily food selections.  

 

Students may bring lunch from home or purchase a meal from the cafeteria. Lunch is prepared by our cafeteria staff and is delivered to the classrooms.  Meals prepared in the cafeteria will be free to all students for the 2020-2021 school year.  Families will still need to complete the free & reduced lunch application



Medfield Outreach has extended their weekly drop-in mental health hours through December.  Please check out this flyer for more information. There are also weekly drop-in times for students.  Click here for details.



MCAP's Social Host Law Campaign is coming to an end but our work is not yet finished! You are invited to join the Medfield Cares About Prevention Community Coalition and help us make change in the Medfield community. Please read our MCAP Newsletter to learn more about how to get involved or email Meri Haas at mhaas@medfield.net.

Just a reminder, Flu Shots are now required for all students in MA by December 31st, 2020 unless your child has a medical or religious exemption. Immunization exemptions need to be updated annually and on file with the school nurse. Please contact your child's health care provider to make arrangements for your child to receive the Flu Vaccine and send evidence of immunization to the school nurse. 

CVS in Medfield and Shaws/Osco Pharmacy in Medfield are also offering flu shots.   

Please feel free to reach out to the school nurse with any questions or concerns. kthompson@email.medfield.net or 508-242-8573

Follow the school nurses on Twitter @MedfieldNurses for all health and COVID updates

Mrs. Nee's fifth-grade students took time this week in Writer's Workshop to write an informational or nonfiction story that teaches others interesting and important information about a topic of the student's choice.  So proud of these young authors!  



Winter is here!  Please make sure your children come to school dressed appropriately for the cold weather.  Students will have recess OUTSIDE if the 'feels like' temperature is 20 or above.  Hats, gloves, and coats are strongly encouraged. 


Winter Lights is a new ¾ mile long drive-thru light display and decorations at the former Medfield State Hospital Dec. 17 – 20, 2020 from 5 pm – 9 pm nightly. Tickets are $20 per vehicle and must be purchased in advance, while supplies last. No one will be permitted without a ticket and no tickets will be available for sale on site. The event runs regardless of the weather. Join us for the seasonal festivities from the comfort and safety of your own car.

Decorations include antique sleds and cars, and displays by Boy Scout Troops 89 and 10, Cutlets, Girl Scout Troop 79400, Hurley-Testa, Medfield Together, Medfield After School Program, Medfield Dance Academy, Medfield High School National Art Honor Society, Oak Hill Nurseries, Rockland Trust, and several adventurous families!

Tickets are available on EventBrite (search for Winter Lights Display):

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-lights-display-tickets-128880421811

Proceeds support the non-profit organizations Medfield TV and the Cultural Alliance of Medfield. The Cultural Alliance of Medfield is a 501-c-3 organization established in 2015 to support artists, expand cultural opportunities and nurture the creative community. Medfield TV is a 501-c3 Access Station that supplies local cable programming to its members in Medfield. With its tag line of Community Shows, Medfield TV’s focus is covering and creating captivating content for the town of Medfield.


Medfield Class of 2023 Blanket Order Form


As a spirit activity this week, students filled out snowflakes listing what brings them JOY. It has been so awesome to read what brings the #beproudbedale students and teachers joy. 


As always, thank you for reading.  Have a great weekend!

Steve

Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth