This Week's Principal's Award Winner

This week’s winner is Cailyn from 2R. She consistently demonstrates our core values. There are times in the day when Cailyn needs to be out of the classroom. She demonstrates responsibility by always working hard to complete her work even though she has had to miss time in class. Cailyn shows respect to her teacher by being a good listener and she shows respect to her friends by being kind and caring in her interactions with them. Cailyn is a good role model for our Woodville School students.

10 Feet Tall!

In Ms. Martin's Kindergarten class, the students were learning about measurement. They learned that when a polar bear is standing upright, he or she could be up to 10 feet tall! Using rulers and unifix cubes, the students measured 10 feet. Ms. Martin, Ms. Palumbo, and Mrs. Callahan all assisted the students in their quest to see how tall 10 feet is!

Announcing the NEW Principal's Award

The Principal’s Award is designed to recognize one student per week who consistently demonstrates the Woodville Core Values: Respect, Caring, Cooperation, Honesty, and Responsibility. Students will be nominated by their teachers to Mr. Middleton-Cox who will select one winner per week. In the nomination, the teacher will write a short description about why the student is deserving of the award.

The Principal’s Award Winner will receive a certificate signed by the Principal and Teacher(s), two free tickets for lunch, a pencil, sticker, bookmark, and magnet. Students will be recognized during the morning exercises on Friday morning. If it is a PM student, Mr. Middleton-Cox will announce the winner over the intercom at the end of the day and invite the student to the office.

Benchmark Assessments

All Woodville teachers in grades K through 4 have been trained in how to conduct benchmark assessments on their students. This is a way to measure the student's fluency and comprehension and helps to determine the student's reading level. The teachers have been working very hard on completing the mid-year Benchmark Assessments. Here, the Wakefield Curriculum Director - Nancy Santapaola - works with a student to conduct a Benchmark Assessment.

Massachusetts Map

The third grade students study the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mrs. Siafakas created this map to help the students learn about the geography of our great state!!

Spelling

In his spelling lesson, Mr. Verge works with his 3rd grade class on the word "educate." Students were learning about syllables, pronunciation and spelling for their list of words today.

New Phonics Program

The Wakefield Public Schools has adopted a new phonics program from Fountas and Pinnell. In the pictures below, you can see some teacher-directed lessons and student centers. In these pictures, students in Mrs. Burdick's 1st grade class and Mrs. Ryan's 2nd grade class work on their word study.

Making the World a Better Place

Students in Ms. Bedrick's Second Grade class were inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and wrote essays about ways that would like to make the world a better place. Ms. Bedrick had a hard time picking winners of the writing contest becasue so many were so great. She asked me to be a judge and I chose two winning essays from Emily and Cailyn. Great job to all the students!!!

Grateful for Fire Chief Sullivan

The text below is a "Letter to the Editor" that I sent to the Wakefield Daily Item today.

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at the Woodville School, I’d like to personally thank Fire Chief Michael Sullivan for his professionalism and support in helping us to deal with the aftermath of a fire that occurred on January 16th. His communication with Superintendent Landers, myself, and my school psychologist helped to keep us informed and up to date on the events.

In addition, I appreciated the meeting that he called in my office on Tuesday morning when the students and staff were returning to school to ensure that we were addressing needs and concerns of our student body. As I visited the classrooms of the two students involved in the fire with Chief Sullivan, he addressed concerns in an age-appropriate manner and relieved fears that any student had.

Most notably, though, I commend and respect Mike's actions with the affected family – the number of hours that he spent with the family reassuring them, providing them with timely information, developing a re-entry plan back into school for the students – shows his dedication and commitment to helping the citizens of Wakefield.

The Town of Wakefield is very fortunate to have a Fire Chief that not only knows about the nuts and bolts of his job, but is also a compassionate individual that provides such personalized service to families.

With much admiration,
Brian Middleton-Cox, M.M., M.Ed.
Principal - Woodville School

That Woodville School Spirit

At the end of all of our school assemblies, we sing "The Woodville School Spirit Song."

I've got that Woodville School spirit up in my head...

I've got that Woodville School spirit deep in my heart...

I've got that Woodville School spirit down in my toes...

I've got that Woodville School spirit all over me!

Here's a short video clip from our school singing the song.

This Little Light of Mine

During our Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly last week, the whole school sang "The Little Light of Mine." Below is a short clip from our song.

This Little Light of Mine

This Little Light Of Mine....I'm gonna let it shine
This Little Light Of Mine....I'm gonna let it shine
This Little Light Of Mine....I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine...... all the time........ let it shine.

Everywhere I go .............I'm gonna let it shine
Everywhere I go.............. I'm gonna let it shine
Everywhere I go.............. I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine...... all the time........ let it shine.

All around the world.........I'm gonna let it shine
All around the world.........I'm gonna let it shine
All around the world.........I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine...... all the time........ let it shine.

All around the Woodville School....I'm gonna let it shine
All around the Woodville School....I'm gonna let it shine
All around the Woodville School....I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine...... all the time........ let it shine.
Let it shine...... all the time........ let it shine.

We also sang a song called "Sing About Martin"

Sing about Martin........Sing about Martin.
Sing about caring........Sing about caring
Sing about peace........Sing about peace
All around the world.....All around the world
Sing about Martin.........Sing about Martin.
Sing about loving..........Sing about loving.
Sing about peace........Sing about peace
All around the world.....All around the world

Student Artwork for the Principal's Office

These four very talented and creative Woodville students were selected by art teachers Mrs. Beinart and Mrs. Pierri to have their artwork hung in the Principal's Office.

Writer's Workshop

Students in Mrs. Siafakas' Third Grade class work on their Writer's Workshop. Students write about a topic and then have conferences with the teachers to help edit their work.

Letter to the Woodville Community

January 19, 2010

Dear Woodville Community,

Over the weekend, one of our Woodville families experienced a house fire. I am very grateful that all family members (two parents and four children) escaped their house safely. Unfortunately, though, their house suffered significant damage and they lost just about all of their belongings.

I am writing to ask for your support to help this family rebuild their lives with donations. The easiest, most practical way to make a donation to this family is in the form of gift cards or checks. I’m working with the PTO and CBC (Community Benefit Committee) to identify the greatest needs for the family so that our donations will have the maximum benefit to the family. We will use money collected to purchase clothing for the four children and household items to help them rebuild. Ideas for gift cards include:
--Market Basket/Shaws/Stop and Shop
--Major retailers such as: Target, WalMart, Toys ‘R Us, etc.
--Checks made out to the Woodville School PTO and in the Memo Line write “CBC”

Also, on this Thursday, January 21st, we will be having a Woodville Spirit Day in which students can dress up in Celtics-wear or green and white and we will have a coin drive throughout the school. Donations of any amount will be accepted and are voluntary. Donations for this week’s coin drive will go to help this family.

When sending any donations into school, please put them in an envelope with my name on them and I will ensure that the donations are used appropriately. Questions can be directed to either Cathie Murdocca, Chair of the CBC, at 781-246-7906 or me at 781-246-6469 x 0.

I appreciate your anticipated generosity.

Sincerely,

Brian Middleton-Cox
Principal

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Below is a video that I made to share with our student body during our assembly today.

Who Was Martin Luther King Jr. and why do we have a day off of school in honor of his birthday?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929 into a family of pastors--both his father and his grandfather served as pastors for many years. King came of age in a time where blacks and whites were separated in much of the U.S. The two groups were unable to attend the same schools, drink from the same water fountains, or eat in the same restaurants. King himself attended segregated public elementary and high schools. He also went to an all-black college in Atlanta, Morehouse, from which he graduated in 1948.

King saw his calling in the family business, going on to get graduate degrees at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University, where he received a doctorate in Theology in 1955. This schooling set him up to lead a church, but his beliefs and determination--and, certainly, his circumstances--propelled him to do even more.

After marrying a woman named Coretta Scott, whom he met while in graduate school in Boston, King moved to the South, where racial segregation and prejudice was deep-seated and rampant. The situation was especially marked in towns like Montgomery, Alabama, where, in 1955, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King started fighting for change. Spurred on by Rosa Parks’ refusal--and arrest--to sit in the rear, “colored” section of the bus, King advocated a boycott of public buses that lasted more than a year. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court banned segregation on public buses, and a movement fueled by nonviolent protest began.

For more than ten years, King’s inspiring speeches (he gave more than 2,500 in his lifetime) earned him followers across the United States and internationally. He travelled millions of miles; led protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts (which often led to his arrest) everywhere he saw racial disparity; published five books, numerous articles and essays, including the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” now famously known as the call to action for the civil rights movement; and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Yet King is perhaps best remembered for delivering his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a quarter of a million people in the Mall in Washington, DC. His famous line, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," still resonate today.

Five years later, he was killed in Memphis, where he was to lead a protest march--shot by an assassin while standing on the balcony outside his motel room.

Technology Class

Mrs. Thompson, our Technology teacher, designed a lesson for her students in which they were conducting a webquest about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The students learned about Dr. King's life and messages of peace.

Physical Education

On a recent visit to Mr. Feldman's Physical Education class, I found the students "warming up" for class. During warm-ups, Mr. Feldman has his students recite math facts and spell grade-level appropriate words during crunches and push ups. This is a great way to reinforce the curriculum across all subjects.

Drawing in Art

Students in Mrs. Beinart's Art class are preparing to draw self-portraits. In order to do so, they are "warming up" by learning how to draw an eye. I was very impressed with the talent of our 4th grade students in this class.

Checkers Tournament

Since we are in the season when many recess times are indoors due to cold weather, Mr. Bouchard has challenged his class to a "checkers tournament" during indoor recess times. Students have the opportunity to play against Mr. Bouchard and Mr. Terfry and then they tie it to math by graphing the results. This is a nice way to spend an indoor recess and encourage positive social skills.

Plimoth Plantation Visits Woodville School

Members from Plimoth Plantation visited the Woodville School for two days to conduct classroom presentations for our students in grades PreK through Four. Our visitors, in historical dress, taught the students about what life was like when the Pilgrims were settling in America. Students had the opportunity to learn about children's chores, clothing, and games played back in the 1600's. Many thanks to our supportive PTO for making this worthwhile educational event possible!

Grade 4 LAD Program

Today the 4th grade students had the opportunity to participate in the LAD (Learning About Disabilities program sponsored by the Woodville PTO. The 4th graders learned about hearing disabilities, diabetes, and other physical disabilities. Thanks to Mrs. Willoughby and Mrs. Shively for their support in coordinating the program.

Building Robots

Third grade students from Mr. Verge's class at the Woodville School build robots as a science project and used the opportunity to put their creative writing skills to the test to describe their robots and what they can do.
Here the students are pictured with their robots: "The Neat Freak-o-Bot", "RoboNurse", "The Candybot", and "766."

Grade 3 LAD Program

Today, our third grade students experienced what it would be like to be blind in a lesson of compassion and understanding. The PTO sponsored the LAD program (Learning About Disabilities) which was run by Woodville parents. Thank you to all our volunteers for taking the time to help our students learn about disabilities.