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Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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Report Cards Go Home Today!Report cards are going home in backs today.
Parent Teacher Conferences are next week. Due to conferences, there will be an early release day on Thursday, November 19th. There is NO KINDERGARTEN or PM Pre-K on Thursday. All students will be dismissed at 12:20 pm. !
!Honoring Our Veterans!Recognizing and honoring our veterans is something our students take pride in at Vinal. In honor of Veterans’ Day, many of our classrooms created cards to be given out at the Council on Aging Luncheon last week. Additionally, our kindergarten classrooms were lucky enough to be
visited by some veterans to discuss what it means to be a veteran.!
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Mark Your Calendar
11/18 Parent Teacher Conferences!! Book Fair!!11/19! Early Release Day; Dismissal 12:20!! No Kindergarten!! Parent Teacher Conferences!! Book Fair!!11/20! Parent Teacher Conferences!! Book Fair!! Ice Cream Social, 6:30 - 8:00 pm!!11/25! Early Release Day; Dismissal at 12:20!!11/26! Thanksgiving; No School!!
Vinal Newsletter
Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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NPS Elementary Standards-based Report Cards!Congratulations to all of our students for a hugely successful first quarter of the 2015 - 2016 school year!!! We look forward to having parents in the building throughout conference time. Report cards will be sent home to all students in grades 1 - 5 today.!
A report card is an integral part of a standards-based system. Its main purpose is to allow a teacher to accurately communicate a student’s progress towards meeting content standards at specific points in a school year. At the same time, however, with numerous standards at each grade-level for each subject, it would be overwhelming to list all the standards on the report card. Our K – 5 report card reflects the “big ideas” or end-of-year objectives for each grade level to show a clear distinction from grade-level to grade-level while at the same time not overwhelming parents and/or students with every standard being listed. In addition, the report card has more parent-friendly language than you may find in the standards. !
A standards-based report card: !
• provides a clear message to parents about which skills and concepts students know and are able to demonstrate in relation to established state and national standards !
• helps teachers and students focus on identified end-of-year expectations from the very beginning of the year, giving students a direction for their learning !
• aligns instruction, assessment, and grading with standards !
• creates a higher level of consistency and continuity in assessing among teachers and across grade levels!
It is impossible to teach all standards to mastery at the same time. Teachers and administrators have mapped out standards as to allow for mastery at different times of the year. This is based on readiness, development and backwards planning. If a category is “blacked out” on the report card, it means direct instruction has not yet occurred and so the students have not yet been summatively assessed on that specific standard. !
It is important that parents and teachers have honest conversations with students. Some concepts and skills are more difficult to grasp than others, but given time and motivation, students can continually challenge themselves. Attitudes are contagious and it is important that the adults involved convey to the child that learning is a process that needs to be respected. A score of 2 while learning a new skill or concept is appropriate. A score of 3 demonstrating mastery is to be celebrated. A score of 4 indicates a strength being recognized that is above and beyond the grade level expectation.!
For a more in-depth overview of NPS’ standards-based report cards please click here. !
Vinal’s Responsive Classroom Newsletter , Fall, 2015 !A group of educators has released the first Vinal School Responsive Classroom Newsletter. The link to the newsletter is here. In the Fall, 2015 edition please see highlights of Morning Meeting, RC background, and a section on home-school connections. !
Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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* Standards-based - In education, the term standards-based refers to systems of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting that are based on students demonstrating understanding or mastery of the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn as they progress through their education. In a school that uses standards-based approaches to educating students, learning standards—i.e., concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education—determine the goals of a lesson or course, and teachers then determine how and what to teach students so they achieve the learning expectations described in the standards.!
In the United States, most standards-based approaches to educating students use state learning standards to determine academic expectations and define “proficiency” in a given course, subject area, or grade level. The general goal of standards-based learning is to ensure that students are acquiring the knowledge and skills that are deemed to be essential to success in school, higher education, careers, and adult life. If students fail to meet expected learning standards, they typically receive additional instruction, practice time, and academic support to help them achieve proficiency or meet the learning expectations described in the standards. Standards-based learning is common in American elementary schools, but it is becoming more widely used in middle and secondary schools.
* The Glossary of Education Reform - http://edglossary.org/"
This Week’s Vinal Vernacular
Grade 2 Audubon Adventures!Second grade took advantage of the nice weather on Friday to go outside with the Audubon Society to study the ways birds move around, the importance of habitat protection and migration. They had fun learning all about the different characteristics that makes bird fly and why they are unique. Some of their vocabulary words are:!
Habitat Shelter Migrate Hazard
Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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Hands On Math Fun in Ms. O’Connor’s 3rd Grade!Here’s a sneak peak at subtraction with regrouping being done by Ms. O’Connor’s 3rd grade class.!
Vinal’s Playground Task Force UPDATE!As part of the Vinal School Improvement Plan, we put together a playground task force made up of parents, educators, and students. The goal of the task force is to identify strengths and areas for growth in connection to behaviors and social and emotional wellness at recess. On Thursday, November 12th, a group of educators and parents came together for the task force orientation. At the orientation, the task force discussed confidentiality, set group discussion norms, and set up protocol for before, during and after our observations. Observations will be occurring from 11/16/15 through 12/11/15. The Playground Task Force will come back together before December break and discuss observations and create recommendations. These recommendations will be reviewed by the Vinal School Council as the 2016 - 2017 Improvement Plan is created. In early January, I will be meeting with students to get their feedback and recommendations. These will also be reviewed by the Vinal School Council. Thank you to all the educators and parents for being a part of this task force. I feel as though the recommendations that come out of this group could have a very positive impact on each student's experience at Vinal. !
PTO CORNER!Save the date! The Ice Cream Social will be held on Friday, November 20th in the cafeteria from 6:30-8pm. Watch for the Eventbrite sign up coming soon!
Save the date and grab your friends for Vinal's Holiday Shopping Stroll, Thursday, December 3rd from 6-9pm! In collaboration with Bo Line, Lyn Evans, Persimmons Gifts, and the Boutique at Salon Sorella, the PTO is bringing you a fun night out of shopping and holiday cheer. A portion of the proceeds from each boutique will be donated directly to the Vinal PTO. Please join us!!
Norwell Gear is Back! If you need an order form, please visit the Vinal PTO website at http://www.norwellschools.org/Page/2526 .!
Checks should be made out to Vinal PTO and all orders must be placed by November 16th. All orders will be in before Christmas. If you have any questions, please contact Amy O’Connell at [email protected]
PTO/Vinal School Sponsored Information Nights for Parents!Did you know…!
• that educators in the United States must obey the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)? !
• that Vinal Elementary School uses progressive discipline when it comes to the behaviors of students?!
• that confidentiality laws are in place to protect your child’s right to privacy?!
• that Vinal School’s approach to discipline is both proactive and reactive?!
Vinal School, in partnership with the PTO board, will be running a series of educational nights to answer parents’ questions on the above and much more. The information sessions will focus on progressive discipline, FERPA, confidentiality, bullying, and The Responsive Classroom’s Approach to Discipline. There will be three sessions held over 3 nights for parents of different aged children. The first session is for parents of 4th and 5th grade students and will be held on Tuesday, December 1st at 7:00 pm in the Vinal Library. There will be a future date for parents of 2nd and 3rd grade students and a final night for parents of kindergarten and 1st grade students. Please join Principal Patrick Lenz, Guidance Counselor Tim Lewis, and Vinal School teachers for this series. !
Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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Sign-ups for the Norwell Girls & Boys 2016 spring youth lacrosse programs, will open Friday, November 6th. Both programs start in the elementary grades and run through grade 8. The season is late March through mid-June. For more details about the girls youth program please email Jeannie Burtch ([email protected]) or go to www.norwellgirlslacrosse.com. For more details about the boys youth program please email Paul Abbate ([email protected]), or go to www.norwelllacrosse.com.
Kate Clifford Larson, author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter speaks at Norwell Public Library on Sunday, November 15th at 2pm. Space is limited so please register at www.norwellpubliclibrary.org.
BOOK FAIR IS NEXT WEEK! Book Fair Dates: The Scholastic Book Fair will be open for shopping in the bus lobby on: Wednesday, Nov. 18th, 3:30 - 8:00; Thursday, Nov. 19th, 12:30 - 8:00; and Friday, Nov. 20th, 3:30 - 6:30. For your convenience, these hours include the half day for parent-teacher conferences and the hours prior to the ice cream social. For your convenience, these hours include the half day for parent-teacher conferences, and the hours prior to the Ice Cream Social. If you can't get there in person, please consider shopping online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/vinal starting on Nov 13th. Over 50% of sales goes towards purchasing additional supplies
for our school!!
Save your loose change! Students are encouraged to bring in loose change on library days to fill the jar of their favorite character. Mrs. Howard has put jars in place for Elephant & Piggy, Jack & Annie, Big Nate, and Percy Jackson. All money collected helps fulfill classroom wish lists at the Book Fair, and Scholastic matches the funds with book donations to charities. The winning character will be announced the week of the Book Fair. !
Book Fair volunteers are still needed! To help with a shift at the previews or book sales, please http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a49a4aa2fa57-vinals
Don't forget, the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School book will be available for purchase. If this book is on your child's wish list, please purchase it at our Book Fair and earn money for Vinal!
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Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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Holiday Fun Fest Friday, December 4, 2015
4:00pm - 6:30pm Norwell High School Cafeteria
$4.00 per child
The Norwell High School Volunteer Corps will be hosting a late afternoon event of many fun-filled holiday activities for children ages 3 - 10. There will also be a photo op to capture holiday photos of your children, along with a table of fantastic raffle items to take a chance on. The cost of admission includes one slice of pizza, a drink and goodie bag. Please plan to join us for a great time, as the students of the Norwell Volunteer Corps work together to bring joy to others, at this very special time of year. Come, make a wish, and be part of the fun!
All proceeds will be donated to The Make a Wish Foundation!
If you know ahead of time that you can make it, please email us at [email protected]. Otherwise, we’ll see you there!
Thursday, December 3rd, From 6-9 PM
Spanish Story Time Friday, November 13, at 11AM
Join the teachers from Su Escuela for a Thanksgiving-themed Story Time for 2-to-5-year olds. Register: norwellpubliclibrary.org.!
Family Film: “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” Saturday, November 14, at 3PM
Enjoy this fun family movie (rated PG) on the library’s new 75” Smart TV, with complimentary popcorn courtesy of Patriot Cinemas. Free tickets available at Front Desk, or call to reserve: 781-659-2015 x115.!
“First Chapters” Book Club Mondays: November 16 & 30, at 4PM
First, second, and third graders are invited to join the library’s book club introducing them to great early chapter books! Visit the library’s online Calendar at norwellpubliclibrary.org for full details and registration.!
Lego Free Play, Tuesday, November 17, at 4PM
Build with the library’s huge collection of Lego bricks—bring your friends! Lots of Lego-themed books and movies to check out too! Registration not required.!
Patrick Lenz, Principal November 13, 2015
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