May 21, 2015

Greetings Memorial Families,

I hope that you've all had a great week!

Don't forget that tonight (Thursday, May 21st) the CSA Memorial/Wheelock Book Fair and Ice Cream Social will be held at the Wheelock School from 5:00-8:00 pm. It's going to be a great time!  Hope to see you there!

                                                     

Field Day is coming!

Kindergarten Field Day - June 4th (rain date June 5th)

Grade One Field Day - June 11th (rain date June 15th)

Check out the Thursday packet for further information.

The Memorial School welcomes Jean Ensor to the staff. Mrs.Ensor is a certified art teacher and will be substituting in the art room for the remainder of the school year.  Welcome!

Our First Grade students had a great time at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary!  Thank you to them and to all of our volunteers to helped to make the trip a great success.

Have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend!

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

April 30, 2015

Dear Memorial Families,

Welcome back! Hoping you all had a wonderful and relaxing vacation.  Here's what's happening at Memorial...

The Memorial School Art Show will be held tonight, Thursday, April 30th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the gym.  We hope to see you there!

Literacy Night Postponed
**Literacy Night, originally scheduled for May 11th, has been postponed.  Our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.**

Book Fair/Ice Cream Social

Join us for a Book Fair/Ice Cream Social on Thursday, May 21, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Wheelock School.  This is a joint fundraiser between the Memorial and Wheelock CSA's.  Park Street Books will be set-up selling books, gift certificates, education games, and some Medfield clothing.  Storyteller Kurt Jackson will be providing some entertainment starting at 6:15 PM.  The Ice Cream Social will be held in the cafeteria where kids (and adults) can make their own sundaes.  

We are looking for volunteers to help make this a successful event and raise money for our schools. If you have any questions regarding this fundraiser, please contact Jill Fredriksen (508-359-8570 or jillpasini@yahoo.com).

                                       

Many thanks to the Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE) for their recent support of a grant to purchase Apple TV's for each classroom.  This grant is phase 2 of an iPad center pilot and will allow classroom teachers greater flexibility to introduce and explain Apps, model and instruct, as well as highlight student work all while moving freely around the classroom.  The grant provides for over $2,000 worth of Apple TVs.  For more information on MCPE, visit their website at www.medfieldcoalition.org.

Happy (belated) Administrative Professionals Day!
Thank you Mrs. Moores and Mrs. Policella for all that you do!

There will be a CSA meeting on Wednesday, May 6th at 7 p.m. in the Memorial School Teachers' Room.  This will be the final meeting of the school year.  All are welcome!

Mark your calendars...Friday, May 8th is a half-day.  Students will be dismissed early and there is no a.m. kindergarten.

Thank you to all who submitted parental input letters for the 2015-2016 student placement process.  We value your input as we strive to find the best placement for each individual child.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

Memorial School Principal

March 26, 2015

Greetings Memorial Families,

What a great week!  The snow is melting, the temperatures are rising, and there are so many wonderful things happening at Memorial.  Please be sure to look at the Thursday packet for current information and check out the website for a quick peek into upcoming events and classroom activities.

**Please keep in mind that there will be no school next Friday, April 3rd.**

Parent Input Letters

I know that many of you are starting to think about student placement for the 2015-2016 school year. You will be receiving a letter from me in the next several weeks outlining the parental input process. Please hold your letters until that letter arrives as specific dates/deadlines will be included.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

Nursery Rhymes in PreK

Students in Mrs. DeGeorge's have been practicing their nursery rhymes.  Today they did an amazing job preforming for one other  while in character. Great job everyone!

Throughout the school year, Memorial teachers along with their elementary colleagues have been unpacking the mathematics Common Core standards.  This work has facilitated conversations resulting in a deeper understanding of expectations, examination of student work, and lesson/assessment development.  On Wednesday, teachers in Grades K & 1 spent a few hours sharing their learning and discussing next steps.

MCPE's Online Auction of Treasured Experiences opens TODAY, Thursday, March 26th, and runs through April 2nd.

Back by popular demand, MCPE is offering its most popular treasured experiences from auctions and raffles past.  

Kids and parents alike love these one-of-a-kind items, and our teachers and administrators love to give back!

Please bid high on the items and allow MCPE to continue funding future grants that benefit Medfield schools! 

To bid on our great auction items, please visit our website: medfieldcoalition.org/events-programs/online-auction-of-treasured-experiences/.

As always, thank you for reading.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

Memorial Principal

March 12, 2015

Greetings Memorial Families,
Sunshine and melting snow!   Does it get better than that? Well...when you add a Curious Creatures presentation, lots of exciting learning and wrap up the week with the Winter Carnival, it sure does!  

On Wednesday, our first graders got a visit from some very curious creatures.  Thank you to the CSA for providing our students with this great program.  We got to see a rabbit, a chinchilla, a hedgehog, tree frogs, turtles, a dragon lizard, a boa constrictor, and even an alligator!  The kids got to touch a few of the animals and ask some great questions.  We were all very excited!

Messages from the CSA...

Dear Parents- This Saturday, March 14th, the Winter Carnival will be held at Memorial School from 10-3.  Thank you to all the parents and teen volunteers who have signed up to help run a booth for a portion of the day.  Between games, bouncy houses, treats, prizes, raffles and crafts, the day promises to have something fun for everyone. We are still accepting donations for our basket raffles, as well as gently used toys for the treasure hunt game. For those who prefer to skip the ticket line on Saturday, we are offering advanced ticket sales. This and all other important information can be found at our website: www.medfieldwintercarnival.com. Remember, all the money raised at this event goes directly back into our schools to enrich the education of our children. Come be part of this fantastic event!

Wheelock School

There are still LOTS of opportunities to get involved at Wheelock . We are actively looking to fill the 2nd Grade Co-President and the Vice President positions. These positions are two-year commitments and are ideally filled by incoming 2nd grade parents. If you have an incoming 2nd grader please consider volunteering on the CSA board. It is not a huge time commitment and it allows you to be directly be involved in the school CSA decisions for funding to the school, town-wide CSA meetings, meeting other involved parents and getting to know the lovely school principal, Mrs. Olson! Both positions will have a direct hand-off and appropriate training. 

Memorial Security Reminder...
Please remember that all visitors to Memorial must enter and exit through the main door at the front of the building and need to sign in and out in the main office. In addition, please be mindful about letting others in to the building if they have not been buzzed in by a member of the office staff. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Mark Your Calendars!

On Tuesday, March 17th, there will be an early dismissal for students due to staff professional development.  There will be no p.m. kindergarten.

Enjoy the remainder of the week and I hope to see you at the Winter Carnival!

Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough
Memorial Principal

March 5, 2015

Hello Memorial Families!
It has been a very exciting week here at Memorial! Thank you to all who helped plan and execute our daily fun in honor of Read Across America week.  Smiling faces and enthusiastic readers could be found in every classroom!

North Street Parking Lot
Parents dropping off or picking up their children via the North Street parking lot are asked to pull to the right upon entering the lot and circling around to an open parking space.  There have been a couple of close calls lately as cars entering are pulling to the left and directly into a parking space.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Read Across America Fun!

On Tuesday, we kicked-off Read Across America week with two assemblies.  We sang songs, learned some interesting facts about Dr. Seuss, and recited the Reader's Oath as a school. Thank you to the CSA for decorating the Memorial School in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday!

Our kindergarten and first graders have been practicing the "Read Across America" song and performed it along with "Teaching Peace" wonderfully.  Thank you to Mr. Ruggerio for all of his help and guidance!

Thank you to the following first grade students for sharing Dr. Seuss facts at our assemblies.  They all did an outstanding job!

Madeline Schek

Ellie Hennessey

Henry Lutz

Matty Dickson

Lottie Swirbalus

Julia Griffor

Corinne Mula

Eily Disinger

Dr. Seuss’ real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dr. Seuss once said the character of the Grinch is based on himself!

Dr. Seuss has written and illustrated 44 children’s books.

The very first book that Dr. Seuss wrote was And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

Did you know there is a Theodore Seuss Geisel award given each year to an American book written for beginning readers?

On Wednesday, we were so lucky to have special readers from the community take time out of their busy schedules to come and read. Thank you to all of the volunteers. We loved hearing the stories that you read!

Thursday was "Crazy Fox in Socks Day"!!!

                                     

We can't wait for tomorrow's special visitor! Don't forget to wear your red and white!

The Winter Carnival is coming!

Join us Saturday, March 14th for Winter Carnival 2015
Time: 10am – 3pm
Come to the Memorial School for a day of fun filled with games, prizes, raffles, silent auction and lots of sweets and

 treats!

Click here for more information.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your week.

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

Memorial School Principal

February 26, 2015

Greetings Memorial Families!
I would like to officially welcome you all back after what was hopefully a restful and relaxing February break.  We are happy to be back and equally excited to make it through a full week without a snow day! Wahoo! 

Kindergarten Walk-In Registration Reminder

As a reminder, walk-in registration for incoming kindergarten students will be held this Friday, February 27th at the Memorial School from 9:00-10:30 a.m. and from 12:30-2:00 p.m.

Please bring the following documentation with you to registration as we will be unable to register your child until these documents are received. 

• Copy of Student's Birth Certificate - only for students new to Memorial School
• Copy of Purchase & Sale Agreement - If you have moved to Medfield within the last year
• Required for ALL incoming Kindergarten students (click here for the complete printable packet):
• Emergency Health Information Form*
• Current Physical Exam & Immunizations*
• Student Health History Form*
• Home Language Survey*
• Student Development Form*
• Kindergarten Session Preference Form*
• A Deposit in the amount of $350.00 for the Full Day Kindergarten Program
          Please make check payable to the Town of Medfield and include child's name with "FDK" in the memo section. This payment will be applied to the last tuition installment which will be due June 2016.

Please enter the building via the main entrance for the Memorial School.  Parking will be available in the front of the school, in the North Street parking lot, and on Dale Street (please follow public signage).

Congratulations to the 2015 Winter Carnival Poster Winners!

Kindergarten - Kevin Nee

Grade One  - Cecelia Crosby

Memorial School Winner - Sophie Baker

Read Across America Festivities

The Memorial School will be celebrating Read Across America next week with a variety of fun activities.   Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.

Instead of celebrating on one day only, we will be extending the fun throughout the week! 

Tuesday - Read Across America Kick-off Assemblies

Wednesday - Community Readers

Thursday - Crazy (Fox in Socks) Sock Day

Friday - Red & White Day and a special visit from the Cat in the Hat!

World Language Selection Informational Meeting for Grade 1 Parents

When: March 9, 2015 at 12:30 pm

Where: Wheelock School Library Media Center

What: It’s time for grade 1 parents to make a decision about world language for their student entering grade 2. This is an important decision as the language selected will remain their student’s language for grades 2-5. When entering Blake Middle School, students then may opt to change their world language. Come hear about Spanish and Mandarin instruction at Wheelock School from the teachers.

Mark Your Calendars

Parent/Teacher Conferences

March 5 & 10

Children will be released at 11:40 a.m.

As always thank you for reading.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

Memorial Principal

February 12, 2015

Dear Memorial Families,

On Wednesday, all preschool, kindergarten and grade one students attended an assembly on Whole Body Listening. Led by Mrs. DeGeorge's and Mrs. Harrison's preschool students, we talked about what Whole Body Listening looks like, best times to use it (both in and out of school) and how it helps us learn.  A huge thanks to Mrs. Goldstein, Mrs. DeGeorge, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Manuel, and Mr. Traversi for their help in putting this presentation together. 

The Memorial School celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday.  Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make our day special!

Calling all Dr. Seuss Fans!  Memorial School will be celebrating Read Across America week from March 3-6 along with the rest of the nation.  One of the most loved parts of the week is when a parent dresses up in a Cat in the Hat costume (that we provide) and greets the students off the buses and in the lunchroom.  Our previous volunteers' kids have moved on from Memorial, so they would like to give someone new the opportunity!  We are looking for preferably two volunteers for March 6th- one to greet the morning buses and visit the morning preschool classes and then another to visit the lunchroom, greet the afternoon kindergarten bus and visit the afternoon preschool classes.  Please contact Claire Shield at claire.shield@gmail.com if you are interested in being our Cat!  Thank you in advance!

Reminder!!

Pre-registration for children entering kindergarten in the fall is open.  Click here to visit our webpage. Walk-in registration is set for February 27th in the Memorial School gymnasium from 9:00-10:30 and 12:30 -2:00. Please refer to the registration checklist for all needed items.  See you soon!


Have a safe and relaxing vacation!  Here's hoping that when we return we see a little more of this........

and a lot less of this..........

See you on February 23rd!

Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough
Memorial School Principal