April 28, 2016

Greetings Memorial Families,

Memorial School Literacy Night and Book Fair
Don't forget!  The Memorial School Literacy Night and Book Fair is tonight (April 28th) from 6-8 p.m.  Come hear Read Alouds, do a craft, decorate cookies, and be entered into the raffle to win one of our free book give-aways.  We hope to see you there!

Curious Creatures
Thank you to the PTO for bringing the Curious Creatures program to our first graders.  We loved seeing and touching all the amazing animals.

Spring has sprung!
Mrs. Ravinski's first grade students officially welcomed Spring by breaking ground in the Memorial garden.  Can't wait to see all those delicious and healthy vegetables popping up!

Check out these great photos of Memorial students working hard!

Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough

April 15, 2016

Hello Memorial Families,

Whole School Assembly
Today we had a school-wide assembly on expected and unexpected behavior.  We talked about how expected behaviors are things that people say or do that make other people feel happy, safe and calm and that give us green thoughts.  Unexpected behaviors are things people do or say that make other people feel upset, frustrated or uncomfortable.  Unexpected behaviors give us red thoughts.  Our first grade classes worked very hard to created pictures and video of both types of behaviors and then shared them with the whole school. Here are a rug examples...enjoy!

Expected Rug Time Behavior...

  

Unexpected Partner Work Behavior...

Poetry Break Week

This week was Poetry Break Week at Memorial.  Poems were shared throughout the week in classrooms and over the loud speaker.  We read about turtles, whistling, and the beach to name a few topics.

Whistling by Jack Prelutsky

Oh, I can laugh and I can sing

and I can scream and shout,

but when I try to whistle, 

the whistle won't come out.

I shape my lips the proper way,

I make them small and round,

but when I blow, just air comes out,

there is no whistling sound.

But I'll keep trying very hard

to whistle loud and clear,

and someday soon I'll whistle tunes

for everyone to hear.

A few thank you's

Thank you to all who participated in the Memorial School Site Council survey. The Site Council met last week to review the results and make recommendations regarding the 2016-2017 school year.  In addition, the Memorial staff met yesterday to provide their input in the process.  Next steps include creating the draft and proposing it to the School Committee for final approval.  

Today (Friday, April 15th) is the final day for submitting placement narratives.  Thank you to all who took the time to submit a letter.  We will begin working on creating classes/groupings at the PD day on May 13th.

What's Happening After Vacation?

Curious Creatures (thank you Memorial PTO) will be visiting our first grade classroom on April 27th. We can't wait to see what type of creatures will be joining us this year!

Literacy Night - Book Fair, Cookie Decorating

Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 28th from 6:00-8:00 p.m.  Come join us for a night of read alouds, crafts, book raffles, cookies and our annual Book Fair.  We're so excited and hope to see you there!

On behalf of the Memorial staff, I would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable April vacation. We'll see you on Monday, April 25th.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

April 7, 2016

Greetings Memorial Families,

As a reminder, tomorrow is an early release day due to teacher professional development. Have a wonderful extended weekend.

Input Narratives
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 found on the Memorial page at www.medfield.net.


Melissa Stewart -Visiting Author
Thank you to Melissa Stewart for visiting the Memorial school this week and meeting with all of our students in Prek-1.  Melissa shared many of her books and talked about her writing process and the many steps that go into writing a non-fiction book.  Our amazing PTO allowed for this great opportunity. Thank you to all!

Next week is Poetry Break Week at Memorial School! Throughout the week, short poems will be shared at different times during the school day.  Thanks to Mrs. Groden for organizing the festivities!

Literacy Night - April 28th (6-8 p.m.)
Mark your calendars for Memorial School's Literacy Night, Book Fair and Cookie Decorating. The PTO and teachers are coming together to plan a fun night for all! Children may buy books from the Park Street Books inventory, listen to teachers reading their favorite stories, create a fun craft, and potentially win a book from a free raffle! No entrance fee. We hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough, Principal

March 31, 2016

Greetings Memorial Families,

Site Council Survey Closes Tomorrow (April 1st)
If you have not yet completed the Memorial School Site Council survey, please take a moment to do so by clicking on this link .  Information from the survey will be used to support the development of the 2016-2017 School Improvement Plan.  Thank you in advance.

Principal's Coffee
Thank you to those who were able to attend the Principal's Coffees on Monday.  For those of you who were unable to attend, here is the link to the presentation.  Please reach out should you have any questions.

Placement Narratives
An email will be sent to all families tomorrow (April 1st) explaining the input process and narrative parameters.  Please be on the lookout for the information.

Beach Ball Volleyball
The students in Mr. Grace's PE classes showed their skills at beach ball volleyball.  Summer is coming and these kids are definitely ready!

Stonybrook Visits Grade One

The first grade classrooms welcomed Marla from Stonybrook this week. The kids learned about habitats and worked together to create illustrations of their chosen animal's environment.

Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough

March 24, 2016

Hello Memorial Families,

As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow (3/25) for students. Enjoy the long weekend.

Welcome!

Please join me in welcoming Gigi Lozano to the Memorial School staff.  Mrs. Lozano has accepted the position as ELL teacher and will be starting on Monday, March 28th.

When Should Your Child Stay Home From School?

The school environment can often be a source for the spread of viral and bacterial illnesses. The following guidelines will help you determine when to keep your child home.

FEVER: A Temperature of 100 degrees F or higher is an indication that your child could be contagious. Giving a child Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil) will bring the temperature down and make them more comfortable, but will not prevent them from passing their illness on to others.  Your child may return to school when he/she has been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.

SEVERE SORE THROAT/COUGH: Especially when accompanied by swollen glands in the neck, headache or fever.   

VOMITING: Vomiting within the past 24 hours. Your child may return to school after resuming a normal diet.

DIARRHEA: If your child has had one or more watery stools in the past 12 hours, especially if your child acts or looks ill.

EYE DRAINAGE: Eyes are sometimes swollen and irritated by allergens or viruses. Because of the extremely contagious nature of Bacterial Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) in young children, please consult with your health care provider before sending your child to school with thick mucus or pus draining from eye, or if the eye is red, puffy, extremely itchy or painful. If diagnosed with Bacterial Conjunctivitis, students may return to school after they have begun treatment.

RASHES: A rash on the trunk of the body, especially with fever and/or severe itching. If your child has been diagnosed with a “non-contagious rash”, they may return when they are comfortable enough to focus on school.

HEAD LICE: Please notify the nurse if you suspect that your child has head lice. If your child has been treated for head lice, please have them check in with the nurse before returning to class.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES:  If your child was treated with antibiotics for an illness, he/she may return to school after 24 hours of treatment.  Please notify the nurse of any illness that may have been contagious.

*A note from a student’s health care provider is required whenever a student has had a significant illness (Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Flu, Mononucleosis, Whooping Cough etc.), surgery or injury (fracture, concussion or sprain), where restrictions from physical education/recess/sports is warranted or if they have missed more than 5 days of school.

Please contact the nurse’s office with any questions.

In preparation for the 2016-2017 school year, I would like to welcome you to attend one of the upcoming Principal's Coffees regarding the student placement process.  At the coffee, I will review the process that we use to place students into classrooms.  I will also review the parent input letter including the due date and information that should be included in the letter.

Please join me on Monday, March 28th at 9:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. in the Memorial Library.

Memorial Site Council Survey

If you have not yet filled out the Memorial School Site Council Survey, please take a few minutes to do so.  The information from the survey will be used in the development of the School Improvement Plan for the 2016-2017 school year.

Preschool Nursery Rhymes

On Thursday, the students in Mrs. DeGeorge's class dressed up like a nursery rhyme character and while reciting the nursery rhyme.  Check out a few of the fantastic characters who visited the main office.

Thank you for reading.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Missy Bilsborough

Memorial Principal

March 17, 2016

Greetings Memorial Families,

Winter Carnival

On behalf of the Memorial School, I would like to sincerely thank the PTO for another amazing Winter Carnival! Without the hard work for the many volunteers, the day would not be the phenomenal success that it is.  Thank you!

Kindergarten Homework 

In preparation for the 3rd and final trimester of the school year, please note that Kindergarten homework will not increase to three times per week as originally stated in September.  We will continue with two nights per week of homework through the end of the year.  This decision was a result of conversations with the kindergarten team during which we revisited the purpose of homework in Kindergarten (to begin to instill the importance of routines and developing responsibility). It was noted that two nights of homework for most children and families was working well.

Please be on the lookout for the Memorial School Site Council survey (coming soon) which will include questions about student homework.  We would love to hear your thoughts.

In preparation for the 2016-2017 school year, I would like to welcome you to attend one of the upcoming Principal's Coffees regarding the student placement process.  At the coffee, I will review the process that we use to place students into classrooms.  I will also review the parent input letter including the due date and information that should be included in the letter.

Please join me on Monday, March 21st at 9:30 a.m. in the Memorial Library.
Unable to attend on the 21st?  Come join me at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23rd and stay for the Memorial PTO meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Special Olympics

For the fourth consecutive year, the Medfield Public Schools has partnered with Special Olympics of Massachusetts to develop a 5 town chapter and this year's event will be held at Ashland High School on Friday, April 1. We are thrilled that students from the High School, Blake and Dale street will be participating.  

For those students and/or parents interested in attending the event to support the athletes, independent transportation arrangements must be made in advance and communicated to the front office of your school.  The event is scheduled to begin with the parade of athletes between 9:30 and 10:00 and is expected to conclude around 12:00 p.m., with the athletes staying for lunch.

Please join us in wishing our student-athletes the very best!

Health Advisory Committee Meeting

The MPS Health Advisory Committee will be meeting on Monday March 28th at the Wheelock School Library from 3:15-4:15.  Dawn LaVallee, the Director of Food Services, will be presenting: Food Choices Offered in the School Cafeterias.

All are welcome to attend.

Working hard on our math!

Thank you for reading.
Have a wonderful weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough
Memorial Principal

March 10, 2016

Dear Memorial Families,

It was a pleasure to see so many of you in attendance for parent/teacher conferences.  We looking forward to meeting with those individuals scheduled for conferences on Wednesday, March 16th. The relationship between school and home is one that we greatly value.  Thank you all for your partnership.

In preparation for the 2016-2017 school year, I would like to welcome you to attend one of the upcoming Principal's Coffees regarding the student placement process.  At the coffee, I will review the process that we use to place students into classrooms.  I will also review the parent input letter including the due date and information that should be included in the letter.

Please join me on Monday, March 21st at 9:30 a.m. in the Memorial Library.
Unable to attend on the 21st?  Come join me at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23rd and stay for the Memorial PTO meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Mark Your Calendars...
Parent/Teacher Conferences continue next week.  Please keep in mind that March 16th is a half day. Children will be released early.

Melissa Stewart Visit

We are very excited to announce that Melissa Stewart, an award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children, will be visiting our school April 5 and 6. She has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and wonder with readers of all ages. Melissa will be presenting to all Memorial students during her two day visit. We are grateful to our PTO for sponsoring this literacy event.

If you would like autographed copies of her books, please see the order form. All orders are due, with payment, by March 16.

Order form: https://goo.gl/KcqRE5

Don't Forget! 
The Winter Carnival is this weekend (March 12th).  If you haven't been before, this is an amazing day filled with crafts, games, raffles, yummy treats and so much more! If you have attended in previous years, come and check out the new and exciting rooms and special guests.  The carnival will be open 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Hope to see you there!

Memorial Site Council
The Memorial Site Council will be meeting next Thursday, March 17th to finalize the 2016 Memorial survey. Please be on the look out for the link to the survey (coming soon).  Information gleaned from the survey will help to inform the 2016-2017 Memorial School Improvement Plan.

Thank you for reading.  Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Missy Bilsborough
Memorial Principal