Greetings Dale Street Community!
It is hard to believe that we only have one school week before February vacation especially with all the hard work and determination that students and staff continue to display here at #beproudbedale. I am so proud of each and every one of them! Please take a minute to see some photos from this week, as well as stay up-to-date with some important school information.
In Mrs. Hayes' fifth grade class this week, students had fun playing the game Kahoot to better understand simplifying fractions.
Congratulations (and THANK YOU), Mrs. Thompson!
On Thursday, students in Mrs. Chamblin's Grade 5 class had a blast working on a math escape room! What a wonderful combination of hard work, collaboration, and fun!
Beginning this Wednesday, February 10th, Wednesdays will be a half-day of in-person learning for alternating cohorts. These days will be fully synchronous (with minor exceptions) for the cohort not in-person. This will allow for more in-person learning and students at home will still be participating in real-time. February 10th will be a cohort B in-person day. Click here for a list of the alternating cohort Wednesday schedule through March 24th.
- Dale Street Students - 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- In-Person/Zooms will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m. - (This includes a mask/snack break and a 15-minute or 30-minute special subject.)
- Lunch will be from 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Dismissal will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Dale Street families are asked to please pay close attention to the cohort designation each week. It is important that you update your child’s dismissal for Wednesdays in School Dismissal Manager. If you need help setting up recurring entries for Wednesday dismissals, please click here for instructions.
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| This week students in Ms. Johnson's fifth grade class worked with Dale Street reading specialist, Mrs. Bassett during reader's workshop. Students used the Book-Head-Heart strategy as they dove into Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” and shared what they noticed and how they felt. Great work, young learners! |
Students can now check out books from the library! Students can fill out a google form to request a book. The form, a link to the library catalog, and a video tutorial about requesting books are also available on the library website. Books will be checked out and delivered to the student’s classroom on Wednesdays. Students will also be able to return their library books on Wednesdays; books will be taken back to the library and quarantined for 6 days before being checked in and returned to the shelf.
This week all classes had the wonderful opportunity to view virtual storytelling performances created by The Rhode Island Black Storytellers. Messages from these stories included friendship, bridge building, common sense, and having the strength to rise above when someone is unkind to you. On Wednesday, February 10th, students will have the opportunity for a Q&A with the storyteller. In-person students (cohort B on this day) will view it in their classroom and the Zoom link will be sent home to cohort A and D students early next week. The students and staff at Dale Street would like to thank our generous PTO for funding this great program.
Valentine's Day is just over a week away....how exciting! Enjoy a “Party in a Bag!” Have your child decorate a brown paper lunch bag in a Valentine’s 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. We will not be exchanging Valentine’s cards in school this year. Therefore, adding a Valentine's 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:
Cohort A - Tuesday, February 9th
Cohorts B and D - Friday, February 12th.
Throughout the month of February, I will be reading brief stories about bold women in black history. Using this amazing book, I will share stories of trailblazing black women. Students and families can locate these read alouds (and our Daily Dale newscast) in my Bitmoji office in their grade levels virtual notebook.
I am not sure about you, but if you asked me last year about Zoom, I certainly wasn't too educated on this conferencing platform. Our Core Value of Continuous Growth has helped our students and staff to all learn more and get acclimated to Zoom. Recently, Medfield's Director of Instruction and Innovation, Mrs. Christine Power created the MPS Family Zoom Guide. Please take a few minutes to read it through. This important document will also be posted on our district's website.
As part of a Student Council initiative, Dale Street students will be creating cards for residents of the Thomas Upham House for Valentine's Day. What a wonderful community connection!
All cards are due in the office by 12:30 p.m. on Friday, February 12th.
In Ms. MacDonnell's fourth grade class this week, students used the boxes and bullets strategy to identify main idea and important details. These young learners had the chance to collaborate while working with multiple nonfiction texts. Great work, Rockstars!
Dale Street is very lucky to have the BEST custodians in the world. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Bailey continue to work extremely hard to ensure the school (especially the high touch areas) are always clean. Thank you!
Dale Street Math Challenge
The Dale Street Math Challenge is on! Students are free to solve as many problems as they can and will have about a week to turn in their work. Students can hand in a hard copy of the challenge to the office or email it to Mrs. Perachi (bperachi@email.medfield.net) prior to the due date.
More information, including a calendar of important dates and a link to download and print the challenges and solutions, is available here. Questions regarding the math challenge program can be directed to Dale Street math specialist, Mrs. Perachi.
I just love when you can see the smile behind the mask. Today, students in Ms. Hayes' fourth-grade class took time to participate in a hands-on activity that helped them distinguish between series and parallel circuits. So cool!
If you were unable to attend the presentation “Navigating School During Uncertain Times” by Jon Kleiman last Tuesday night, here is the link to the presentation. While this webinar was co-hosted by Medway Public Schools and Medfield Public Schools, Jon Kleiman, the presenter, is associated with Challenge Success. Medfield is a Challenge Success school district. For those of you new to the district or unaware of work done with Challenge Success, here is a brief summary.
Challenge Success is an organization associated with Stanford University, whose main goal is to help families, schools, and communities help students find balance in their personal, social and academic lives. Medfield Public Schools sent a team to Stanford a few years ago to be trained in best practices, as we look for focus not only on the academic development of students, but also the social, emotional, and physical well-being of our kids. While our group meets primarily with a high school focus, the work is geared to trickle down into the younger grades, so that parents and students will develop with the understanding that academic achievement is but one part of the overall developmental cycle. At the high school level, we are seeing concerning numbers of students who are consumed with stress around academic achievement, and while we understand that the academic piece is very important, there must be a healthy balance for kids.
Join us! MCPE is looking for new board members-men and women from the Medfield community with various skill sets and interests who want to have a voice in the improvements that reach our classrooms! Board members do not need to have kids currently in the school system—just a desire to support and enrich the Medfield Schools. Board members will serve a 3-year term and attend meetings one evening a month during the school year. The time commitment required to join the Board can be organized to fit the schedules of both stay-at-home and working parents. Interested? We’d love to hear from you! Apply here by March 8th: https://www.medfieldcoalition.org/volunteer-application-form
Feeling stressed, down or anxious? Need to talk to someone about it? Medfield Outreach is offering drop-in hours. Check out this flyer for details.
You are invited to join the Medfield Cares About Prevention Community Coalition and help us make change in the Medfield community. To learn more about how to get involved, email Meri Haas at mhaas@medfield.net.
Food Available to All Medfield Residents
The Medfield Food Cupboard wants to ensure all Medfield residents are aware that their shelves are well-stocked for the winter months and their doors are open to any resident experiencing food shortage.
The Medfield Food Cupboard is open twice per month on Thursday evenings for curbside pick-up and by appointment for urgent needs. They offer shelf-stable items including pasta, peanut butter, and canned soup. They also offer meat, eggs, cheese, and some fresh produce. Individuals can pre-select their preferences.
Any Medfield resident in need of food may contact the Food Cupboard at 508-359-4958 or email: info@MedfieldFoodCupboard.com. Please note all inquiries are confidential.
Monday, February 8 - Cohort A report cards distributed
Tuesday, February 9 - Pajama Spirit Day & Class Parties (Cohort A)
Wednesday, February 10 - First In-Person Wednesday - Cohort B in-person, Cohort A remote
Friday, February 12 - Pajama Spirit Day & Class Parties (Cohort B)
Friday, February 12 - Thomas Upham House Valentine's Day cards due
February 15 - February 19 - No School (February Break)
Have a great weekend!
Steve
Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth
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