September 25, 2020 - Week 2

 Dear Dale Street Families, 

What an amazing week!  It was so great to have Cohort A and Cohort B in the building.  We know that everyone is still getting adjusted.  Our goal is to provide students and families with as much support as we can by creating a parent/teacher partnership of open communication, mutual respect, patience, flexibility, and understanding. Therefore, each week classroom teachers will send out a 'Virtual Notebook' which will provide an overview for the week (Wednesday - Wednesday). It is going to take some time for all of us to acclimate to our current situation, but we are very excited to be working with all of you. 

On Monday, we welcomed students from Cohort A.  This is another great group! Check out the students from Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Seaver's Cohort A.  

This week I held my very first Welcome Back assemblies for our Grade 4 and Grade 5 students.  It was great to share some wonderful things about Dale Street, myself, and my goals for the upcoming year.  If your child did not have the opportunity to see the assembly, here is the slideshow that I used for the assemblies.  

On a visit to Mrs. Hayes' fifth-grade class on Monday, students were engaged in art class with Mrs. Delaney.  It was so cool to see the students interact so effortlessly with the teacher who was live streaming with them.  

Late Arrival

If your child is working remotely and misses their morning Zoom meeting it is important that you call the main office so that we can change their attendance from absent to tardy.  This does not apply to our Cohort C students as attendance is taken when students arrive in the morning.  

Dale Street is looking for volunteers (one representative and one alternate from each classroom - Cohort D is included) who would like to talk with their classmates about concerns/initiatives in their classroom or the school.  These concerns/initiatives are discussed and tackled at our meetings in an effort to make our school a better place.  If your child is interested, here is the information they need to know.  This information can also be found in my virtual office in the virtual notebooks.  All completed letters of interest should go to the student's classroom teacher.      

This week fourth-grade students in Mrs. Fox's class created "Boats on a Budget."  For this STEM activity, students were given $250 as a budget to build a boat that was both sturdy and economical.  Students had to budget out each material and build a boat that would carry as many "cookies" (pennies) as possible.  The winning boat was able to carry 275 pennies (cookies) and stay within budget! 

For your planning, pictures will be held as follows:

Thursday, Oct 1 - Cohort B

Tuesday, Oct 6 - Cohort A

Tuesday, Nov 17 - Cohort A retakes

Thursday, Nov 19 - Cohort B retakes

Students in Cohorts A and B will be coming home with picture order forms in their backpacks.   All students may also order pictures online by visiting mylifetouch.com using Picture Day ID: EVTB86TRX

Cohort D pictures will be taken outside on Wednesday, Oct 7.  Please signup for a time for your pictures using the signup sheet that was emailed to you. 

On Wednesday, Ms. Flynn's students used the interactive whiteboard feature on Zoom to display mathematical concepts.  So cool!  

Thank you to all of our current 5th-grade students who participated in last school year's art show.  Here is a link to all of the creative masterpieces! Please note that artwork is organized by last year's grade 4 teacher.  Portfolios will be returned to students beginning next week.

Please read this important COVID information.  Contact the school nurse if you have any questions.

On Thursday, Ms. Plypton's Grade 4 students played $100,000 Pyramid with the vocabulary they had been learning about in class.  Students really enjoyed it and loved working safely together.  

Please click here for the PTO update, including information on room parent signups and fundraisers.

Please join us for the first PTO meeting of the year!

Time: Sep 29, 2020 09:00 AM 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78877633236?pwd=Sm16QmNOUFExT2NHYTRhcUN5ZWJwQT09

Meeting ID: 788 7763 3236

Passcode: b05v0K

Join MCPE for a floral workshop for the first event in our One Medfield Virtual FunRaising Night In series on November 19 at 8pm with Alice’s Table! 

MCPE has partnered with Alice’s Table to bring this private fundraising workshop to your home just in time for the Fall holiday season! Sign up for this exclusive virtual class and create your own stunning holiday centerpiece.

A representative from Alice’s Table will teach you step-by-step how to create a beautiful fall arrangement in a stylish planter, all while sharing her top floral tips and tricks! 

Tickets are $87 a piece and includes all flowers and the planter (shipped to your doorstep) and the Zoom instruction ($20 from each registration will go to supporting Medfield schools). Only 100 tickets are available so signup quickly so you don’t miss out! Registration will close on November 1st to make sure the flowers can be delivered in time for our class. 

Click here for more information

Building Aides Needed

Dale Street is looking for building aides (one year position) to help support our students and staff.  Aides can be hired for a full school week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (not Wednesdays), or for Monday and Tuesday only or for Thursday and Friday only.  Hours are 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. If you are interested, please email me at sgrenham@email.medfield.net. 

This week students in Mrs. Chamblin's fifth-grade class had some fun learning about decimals.  Students played "Brownie Race" to add some excitement and healthy competition into their learning.   

Friday, September 25 - Daily Dale auditions due 

Monday, September 28th - No school in observance of Yom Kippur.

Thursday, October 1st - Cohort B Picture Day

Friday, October 2nd - Student Council Letters of Interest due

I am so proud of the work our students and staff are doing. Thank you again for your continued support and hard work.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Steve

Together We Can! We Got This! #beproudbedale 

Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth

September 18, 2020 - Week 1

Hello Dale Street!  

 We are back!  It was a great feeling to have the students at Dale Street for Open House and over the last two in-person days!  Overall, we had a very good first few days in our current situation.  I know that I have sent out a lot of communications and appreciate you reading all of them and keeping up with the changes that are being made. 

Love this picture - Students in Mrs. Hayes' fifth-grade classroom were really excited on Thursday to start their new school year.  

All classroom teachers have been and will continue to Zoom with their remote students on the days they are learning remotely.  Zooms will start after 8:15 a.m. and will be approximately 15 minutes in length. The purpose of these Zooms is to check in with remote students, preview material for their upcoming day, review materials from the previous day, and take attendance.    

For your planning, pictures will be held as follows:

Thursday, Oct 1 - Cohort B
Tuesday, Oct 6 - Cohort A
Tuesday, Nov 17 - Cohort A retakes
Thursday, Nov 19 - Cohort B retakes

Cohort D pictures will be taken outside on Wednesday, Oct 7. A sign-up will be sent to parents soon.

Students in Ms. Plympton's fourth-grade class took some time to watch Kid President and listen to his words of wisdom.  Students will be thinking about their dreams and goals to make our community a better place.  

 

Daily Dale - Again this year, Grade 5 students will have the opportunity to be our school's newscasters.  This is voluntary and all the information you need to know can be found here.  

ARRIVAL

• (For Cohort A) students with last names A - F should be dropped off at the Dale Street semicircle
• (For Cohort A) students with last names G - Z should be dropped off in the staff parking lot
• Arrive as close to 8:45 a.m. as possible
• Pull all the way up to the drop-off location
• If you are parked in the Dale Street semicircle and it is 8:45 a.m. or later, students can exit the vehicle and head into the building. For safety reasons, this will not be the case in the staff parking lot. 
• Have students seated on and exit from the passenger side of the vehicle 
• Have students with their backpacks ready - not in the trunk of the vehicle
• Please have students exit the vehicle safely (and quickly)
• Do not pull around the car in front of you to exit either drop-off area 
• All exits (from the semicircle or staff parking lot) should be made to the right. This includes either drop-off location.
• If you will arriving after 9:00 a.m. drop-offs should be at the main door (on Adams Street). Do not use the front area unless you are dropping after 9:00 a.m. 

DISMISSAL

• (For Cohort A) First Pick Up at 2:55 p.m. students with last names beginning with A-B in the Dale Street semicircle
• (For Cohort A) First Pick Up at 2:55 p.m. students with last name beginning with C-E in the staff parking lot
• (For Cohort A) Second Pick Up at 3:15 p.m. students with last names beginning with F-H in the Dale Street semicircle
• (For Cohort A) Second Pick Up at 3:15 p.m. students with last names beginning with I-Z in the staff parking lot
• All exits (from the semicircle or staff parking lot) should be made to the right. This includes either drop-off location.
• By now you should have received the email regarding your School Dismissal Manager account.  If you haven't done so already, please check your child(ren) weekly dismissal defaults in SDM to ensure they are set and correct. You will also find a dismissal option titled "Remote" which should be selected for the days your student will not be in the Dale Street building.  
• All exits (from the semicircle or staff parking lot) should be made to the right. This includes either drop-off location. 

Cohort D with Mrs. Dowd

Cohort D has been working with Mrs. Dowd getting to know each other and they have had great class discussions!  They shared which fun place they would rather visit and as a class, they decided we would rather have a banana with ketchup than an onion on an ice cream cone! They also played a fun thinking game, can you guess the words that start with "can" just by reading the clues?

Check this out...Dale Street Rockstars, Audrey, Molly, and Maddie developed this amazing 'Playground Ideas' document.  They collaborated to come up with some very creative ideas.  Thank you, ladies!  

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Masks - All individuals are required to wear masks while at Dale Street. There will be scheduled mask breaks throughout the day and students will not wear masks during lunchtime while eating. We recommend that students have at least one extra mask in their backpack (stored in a plastic Ziploc bag). 

Hand Washing and Sanitizing - Students will use hand sanitizer and wash their hands throughout the day. While we have plenty of hand sanitizer in the building students are allowed and encouraged to bring their own to keep in their backpack. Reviewing good hand-washing procedures at home prior to the start of school would be very helpful!

Physical Distance - Whether seated, standing or walking students will remain at a distance of 6 feet at all times. We know that arrival and dismissal will be our most challenging times and we are staggering both entrance and exit to accommodate the spacing. Please speak to your child about what 6 feet looks and feels like prior to their arrival at school. We will go over this as well, but the more they hear and understand, the easier it will be for everyone.

Visitors - We will be strictly limiting the number of visitors at Dale Street. All special education meetings will be held remotely along with any other meetings with teachers and staff. Visitors will only be allowed in the main office when necessary. If dropping off a student, we ask that you have the student enter on their own to the main office. For dismissals, please call the main office (508-359-5538) upon arrival, and we will sign the student out and have them exit via the main entrance.

Today, Director of Finance and Operations, Mr. LaFrancesca and School Resource Officer, Officer Manganello came by Dale Street to check up on students and staff.  Thank you for visiting and please stop by again soon.  

As you may be aware, September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  Attached please find a Yoga offering from MCSP, Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention in partnership with Medfield Yoga Studio. 

Although recess does not look like it traditionally does, students still very much enjoy being outside and socializing with one another.  

Medfield's Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC) is hosting their next meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7pm via Zoom. SEPAC will welcome the district's Education Team Leaders Meg Nelson, Nancy Giammarco, Mary Salamone, and Karey Curley as well as Meredith Becker our Out of District/Transition Program Coordinator. We will also welcome Ann Buckley, Medfield's new PreK-12 Special Education Leader. 

Parents will have a chance to participate in a Q&A. All are invited and we hope you can join us.

 Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92221341626?pwd=SnlSc0lCQkxna0t3Qzc3WlA1eUZHUT09 

Meeting ID: 922 2134 1626  Passcode: sepac 

Students in Mrs. Chamblin's fifth-grade class showcased a different way to #collaborate.  So great to see students and staff modeling Dale Street's Core Values.  

I am very grateful for your support, patience, and flexibility.  Please know that every single one of us here at Dale Street is working around the clock (and have been all summer) to be ready for this.  However, I know that there will be times when things come up that we did not see coming.  For this, I ask for your continued support, patience, and flexibility with all of our staff members.  Just as this is a major adjustment for our students and families, it is a major adjustment for us.  I am confident that by working together as one team of staff, students, and families, we will continue to see successes like we did this week.   

Best wishes for a great weekend and we are looking forward to welcoming our Cohort A students on Monday.

Steve

Together We Can! We Got This! #beproudbedale

Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth