NewsNotes 1/22/17

Peek Week: Thanks to all of the parents who attended Mr. Tynes’ annual PE gymnastics event this past week. Students were thrilled to demonstrate their balancing prowess on the beam, their flips on the rings and horizontal bars, and their high flying vaults. The 30/45 minute demonstration culminated in a coordinated class routine designed to showcase students’ flexibility and core strength all within a framework that encourages personal growth and risk taking. Thanks to Mr. Tynes and to the students for all their hard work.


Winter Concert: 4th and 5th grade members of the band and orchestra ensembles, along with members of the 5th grade chorus all came out to perform a selection of songs at two performances this week. Thanks to Megan Lotz and Geoff Wadsworth for their efforts to prepare the students. From Elvis Presley to Harry Potter, students showed their dedication to their instrument as well as an ability to collaborate on a wide range of musical selections. Thanks to all of the parents who came out to view the performance.

Winter Reminders for Parents: Every so often, I try to provide tips for parents as they navigate challenges that come with the ups and downs of the school year. I hope they are helpful.

• Focus on strengths: When your child brings home a test, talk first about what he or she did well. Then talk about what can be improved. Praise specific strengths. Don’t just criticize things that were done wrong. 

• Follow up with consequences for misbehavior: Sometimes parents say things in anger that don’t curb the behavior in the long run. You might say, “Because of what you did, no television for a month.” Both you and your child know that after one or two days the TV will go back on. Decide on consequences that are fair, and then carry them out. 

• Ask children how they feel: When you ask your child about his or her feelings, the message is that feelings matter and you care (this doesn't mean that our kids always get what they want).

• Find ways to stay calm when angry: It’s normal to get angry or irritated sometimes. Learn to recognize “trigger situations” and do something about them before you lose control. Try taking deep breaths for a few moments. Consider having a “quiet area” where people can go when they are upset. Or you can just stop talking and leave the room for a while. Sit down as a family and talk about what everyone can do to stay calm. 

• Avoid humiliating or mocking your child: This can make children feel bad about themselves. It can lead to a lack of self-confidence and, in turn, problems with schoolwork, illness, and trouble getting along with friends. Unfair criticism and sarcasm also hurts the bond of trust between children and parents. Be mindful of how you speak to your children. Give them the room to make mistakes as they learn new skills. 

• Be willing to apologize: Parents need to be able to apologize to their children if what they said was not what they meant. Calmly explain what you really wanted to say. By doing this you’re being a good role model. You’re showing how important it is to apologize after hurting someone. You’re teaching that it’s possible to work through problems with respect for the other person. 

• Give children choices and respect their wishes: When children have a chance to make choices, they learn how to solve problems. If you make all their choices for them, they’ll never learn this key skill. Giving children ways to express preferences and make decisions shows that their ideas and feelings matter. 

• Ask questions that help children solve problems on their own: When parents hear their child has a problem, it’s tempting to step in and take over. But this can harm a child’s ability to find solutions on his or her own. A helpful approach is to ask good questions. Examples include, “What do you think you can do in this situation?” and “If you choose a particular solution, what will be the consequences of that choice?” 

• Read books and stories together: Reading stories aloud is a way to share something enjoyable and learn together about other people. For example, stories can be a way to explore how people deal with common issues like making or losing friends or handling conflicts. Ask your child’s teacher or a librarian to recommend stories on themes that interest you and your children. 

Progress Reports: Progress Reports will be available online for all families on Monday, February 6th. Access information will be emailed from the district shortly before that date. This report is designed to describe your child’s performance in relation to Newton’s mid-year expectations for each grade level. Specific skills, strategies, and knowledge in each of the major content areas are listed on the report. Teachers then assess whether your child has made the expected progress in that area. Each student’s achievement is rated according to his or her individual performance as compared to the expected standard. If a student is meeting grade level expectations for this time of year, a student will receive a rating of 3 on that standard. If a student is not at grade level in that particular area, the rating will be 1 or 2, depending upon the student’s level of performance. There is also a possible rating of 4, for achievement that is significantly above grade level for that area. Since the use of 4 is reserved for students whose achievement is well above grade level, 4’s will be very rare. Progress reports will also include a teacher written narrative coming at the end of the report, and will include comments about social development and work habits as well as the general academic performance of each child.


Progress reports are intended to be just one of the ways that we communicate with you about your child’s academic and social progress in school. Conferences with your child’s teacher are scheduled for March and April, so that you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s continued progress at that time. There will then be a final progress report for the year sent home in June. Please contact your teacher (or me) if you have any questions or concerns about the progress report.


Next Generation MCAS Schedule: Students in Newton will be taking yet another new standardized assessment this spring in grades 3-5. This year’s test will be a combination of MCAS and PARCC. 3rd and 5th grade students will take a paper version of the test, while 4th grade students are mandated to take the computer based version. We will provide students with some exposure to the test content and formatting, but our hope is to minimize stress. We ask that parents join us in this effort by not placing any particular emphasis on the outcome of this test…Please review the schedule of testing below:

ELA (Reading/Writing)
Grade 3 - April 25th, April 26th, and April 28th
Grade 4 - April 3rd, April 5th, and April 6th
Grade 5 - April 7th, April 10th, and April 13th

MATH
Grade 3 - May 4th and May 5th
Grade 4 - May 15th and May 16th
Grade 5 - May 1st and May 3rd

January Assembly and MLK Holiday

As part of our ongoing efforts to communicate with families about our school values, I wanted to share what we talked about at our all school assembly this morning and also provide some resources and links for anyone who is interested in continuing the conversation at home.

First, we talked about Martin Luther King Jr, who he was, and some of the big picture ideals that he stood for: love, inclusion and equity for all, regardless of race, religion, ethnic background, etc. We also acknowledged the fact that while we are having a holiday on Monday to celebrate Dr. King's life and achievements, we are ALWAYS working to build a school climate that is accepting of everyone...this means being kind and empathetic and looking out for the needs of others on a daily basis.

Here are two links to short video clips that we watched:

• Man in the Mirror video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyjtZ_OLLs 

• Kid President video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xXZhXTFWnE 

In addition, we are building on the ideals of Dr. King as we engage students in a new school-wide project called "Take a Walk in My Shoes". Over the next couple of weeks, students will be creating a poster that asks them to share ideas about the following:

1. What am I good at?
2. What am I working on?
3. What is something important that I want others to know about me? 

Below are some samples that students in our 5th grade leadership group created and shared with the school:





After we create the posters, we will pair students in one class with students in another class (older children with younger children) to share their posters.  Our hope is that by sharing personal details about who we are, we will give students a chance to walk in someone else's shoes.  If we can better understand the experiences, beliefs and traditions of others who may or may not be like us, perhaps we can be better equipped to engage in dialogue and support one another through successes and challenges.

Finally, below are some links to other resources that you might use to further engage in a conversation with your children about these ideas.

• The 49th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Newton Community Celebration 

• 9 Ideas for Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Kids

• Children's Books to read

Enjoy the weekend!

Mark Nardelli
Principal

NewsNotes January 8th, 2016

Happy 2017 from the Nardelli family!



Welcome Back - 2017 has officially arrived...I hope the end of 2016 was happy and restful for each of you...

The Nardelli kept busy over the break...we spent time with family and friends, took the girls to the Urban Nutcracker (while I rode the subway with Vincent), went ice skating, roller skating, mall walking, beach walking and anything else we could do to keep the kids busy. Much of our daily entertainment came from watching Vincent as he explores his environment: at 14 months, he is saying words like banana or "nana", and his favorite activity is to walk around the house with the Dustbuster cleaning the floor while dancing to a Japanese band call BabyMetal. Eliana continues with gymnastics and is also painting sets for the school play. Julia is keeping busy with indoor soccer and guitar, and Alora will be trying basketball for the first time.

Returning from a school break is always accompanied by a series of challenges that we need to be mindful about, both as teachers and as parents. The challenges include disruptions to our daily schedules, less structure, later bedtimes, holiday stress, travel, etc. As such, teachers spent much of last week setting aside time to re-teach expectations (such as how to calmly line up for lunch, or how to use/put away materials/equipment in classrooms). Also, teachers built in time to reconnect as a classroom community through morning meeting activities, setting goals for the new year, team building activities, etc. Students are far more willing and able to learn when they feel safe and connected. At home there are also things we can do to be mindful of the transition back to school. I’ve included some resources here...`

• Common Sense Media: If you haven’t had a chance to check out this site, there are a wealth of resources for parents around media and technology. You can get movie and book reviews, tips about using social media, screen time advice, and more. I’ve included a link here to some helpful articles for parents with children of all ages... ages. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent-concerns

• Healthy Holiday Habits: The following link provides some reminders about ways we can reduce stress at home around the holidays and the long winter months. https://www.unitypoint.org/blankchildrens/article.aspx?id=899c0e33-0fa5-4754-9e95-18a049e9d2fd

• Tips for using Family Meetings to organize life at home: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-fitness/201209/10-tips-holding-family-meeting

Progress Reports: During the month of January, we will be reassessing students in reading, writing, and math as part of our efforts to regularly track student progress. Primarily, we use this information to inform daily teaching and to determine which students need additional support in a given area. We also use this information to inform families about how their children are performing relative to our benchmarks. In early February, parents will be provided with online access to the January progress report which will include scores and comments in a number of areas. Be on the lookout for more information later this month.

K Registration: We are beginning to prepare for the incoming kindergarten students for September 2017. If your child will turn five years old on or before August 31, 2017, please contact Mrs. Mariano in the school office at 617-559-9510.


Drumlin Farm CAS Program: 4th graders had a chance to take part in a series of activities this week that were presented by the staff at Drumlin Farm. Students were able to learn about the living and non-living components of soil by observing a myriad of tiny creatures who help to recycle nutrients in the soil. In addition, students also were able to observe live animals and talk about their winter survival habits. Thanks again to our PTO for providing these opportunities

Illness Update: We are writing to inform you that several students in our school have been sick with a vomiting/gastrointestinal illness. In order to reduce the spread of this type of illness, please take the following precautions:

1. Wash hands carefully with soap and water

• After using the toilet or changing diapers 
• Before eating or preparing food
• After sneezing or coughing into hands or a tissue

2. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing but not as a substitute
3. Watch your child and members of your family to see if they develop nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
4. Do not send your child to school if they develop any of these symptoms.
5. Keep your child home until 24 hours have passed without symptoms.

The environment, clothing or sheets should be thoroughly washed after becoming contaminated with vomit or diarrhea.

The custodian at the Horace Mann School has been cleaning all frequently touched surfaces in classrooms where students have been ill.

Sincerely,
Elissa Matloff

School Nurse

Finally, as we enter a new calendar year, I want to stress the thought that at Horace Mann we will continue our commitment to fostering a school environment that is welcoming and caring, sets high expectations, and provides opportunities for students to showcase their strengths and talents while overcoming challenges. I want to thank families for partnering with us in this work.

Best Wishes,

Mark Nardelli
Principal

From the PTO

Registration for The 9th Annual Horace Mann Science and Engineering Night is now OPEN!!

Join us for a night of science fun in the gym on Friday, January 27, 2017 from 6 PM to 8 PM.

This year we will have an exciting Magic Show provided by the MIT Chemistry Club!

To register and place a pizza order, go to http://goo.gl/dmwiPO

For those new to Science and Engineering Night, here's what it's all about:

Science and Engineering Night is an interactive, kid-propelled, noncompetitive evening of science fun, driven by the notion that every child who has ever asked "why?" is an innate scientist.
Kids (working alone or with siblings or friends - just have at least one adult) can do an experiment (e.g. how does temperature affect how well popcorn pops?) or build a gadget (e.g. a periscope or balloon rocket). The only requirement is that it fit on half a tabletop, and that there be some kind of written explanation of the science behind it - a poster, a drawing, etc. Do not get hung up on complexity or sophistication! We want kid-quality work!On the evening of January 27, participants will set up at tables in the gym. Mr. Nardelli and several teachers will emcee. In past years there has been a wonderful 'buzz' as people milled around each table, asking questions and trying out the hands-on demonstrations.

This is also EASY ON PARENTS! You can design your own project, or choose from our “cookbook” of pre-selected projects, each with step-by-step instructions and an explanation of the science involved. 

QUESTIONS / REGISTRATION: Registration deadline is Friday, January 20, 2017. To register, fill out the GoogleDocs registration form:​​ http://goo.gl/dmwiPO

NEED IDEAS FOR A PROJECT? Look for project ideas on these websites:

Check out our "Cookbook of Experiments" http://goo.gl/c7lHrV
http://www.teacherstryscience.org/kids
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/earlyelem.html
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtmlANY QUESTIONS? Contact Kari Jensen at kari.myriah@gmail.com

We hope you and your child will join in doing a project! See you there!

NewsNotes December 18th, 2016

Metro Jazz Brunch - On Sunday, a collection of Newton and Boston families, several staff and spouses, and former Newton Superintendent Irwing Blumer all gathered for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Metco Program. We got dressed up, had a terrific brunch, and shared a few stories and laughs. There was also a poignant speech from a former Metco graduate who talked about his experiences as a student in Wayland and later as an educator in a profoundly different district, where opportunity is far from guaranteed. My hope is that events like these (and other staff/family events) will help to build connections that support success and promote opportunities for our students.

Staff Appreciation Breakfast - A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all of the families who helped organize and contribute to our breakfast last week. The lovely and plentiful breakfast was a terrific way to start the day, and the gifts and supplies have helped to fuel our spirit as we head into the break. Thank you from all of the staff at HM.

Thank you to Assistants and BTs - This Tuesday, the HM staff will recognize and celebrate the efforts of our support staff, who come to school each day to fulfill a vital role in fostering an inclusive environment. On most days, they facilitate successful social interactions with peers, foster independence, and help students manage the social and academic environment in the classroom. They make countless decisions each day about when to ignore a behavior or intervene, when to use humor or encouragement, or when to deviate from a strategy that isn’t working. They take data, stay late to complete home logs, create and adapt materials, and do their best to support teachers. Thank you for your commitment and dedication.

Great Books to Inspire English Language Learners: Caught this on NPR this weekend…worth checking out. Here’s the link to the story:

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/17/493948875/great-books-to-inspire-english-language-learners?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20161217&utm_campaign=npr_email_a_friend&utm_term=storyshare

Blue Zone Pilot - Please be on the lookout for orange cones this week in the grassy area across from the blue zone. We are piloting an idea and would like to see how this impacts traffic. Please find parking on adjacent streets (Brookside Ave, Albemarle Rd - on the opposite side of Watertown St., Warwick, and Page Rd.)

Hour of Code - With the support of our tech and library team (Lauren Dietz and Patti Karam), all 19 of our classrooms are participating in the Hour of Code initiative, which aims to introduce and promote computer science concepts and programming techniques. Here’s a link to some resources if you want to try these activities at home: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

New LED lighting - The City of Newton has been working to increase efficiency and lower energy costs at all of the district schools. Over the last few weeks, all fluorescent lighting on the first floor has been replaced with new LED lights. Crews will return to retrofit the second floor at some point after the break.

Best Wishes this Holiday Season!

Mark Nardelli
Principal

NewsNotes - December 4th, 2016

Understanding Our Differences - 3rd Graders had the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities and challenges of living with low vision/blindness in a series of activities that took place this past week. Parent volunteers led several small group activities that allowed children to explore the experience of being a sighted guides and communicate/read using braille. We also had a visit from Pam Fernandes, a former paralympic athlete who won a gold medal in cycling. Her story was inspirational and a wonderful experience for our 3rd graders.


Metco Conference - This past Friday, the annual Metco Conference was held in Norwood, with over 50 educators from Newton in attendance. There were almost 500 educators present from all of the participating districts in the greater Boston area. After an inspiring keynote speech by author, activist and professor Cornel West, I had a chance to a variety of workshops. Our very own 5th grade teacher Mike Feldstein presented at the conference alongside Dan Zanes in a session title Constructive White Conversation. Mike will present to the HM staff on the same topic later this month. Other topics included sessions focused on success for black male students, racial identity development, building cultural competence, and closing the achievement gap, among others. I will share more details about how we plan to put our learning into action after our upcoming staff meeting and early release day.

Preparing for Winter - As the first day of winter quickly approaches and our temperatures continue to drop, please be sure to send children with appropriate winter clothing for outdoor recess. This includes boots, snow pants, hat, and gloves. In addition, please label your child’s items as our lost & found box continues to grow. If your child is missing something, please stop by and check out the lost & found box located outside the main office. Our next donation period will be immediately following winter break. Thank you!

Blue Zone Traffic - Spurred by a recent school council conversation as well as the ongoing struggles we’ve had with congestion, I have reached out to other elementary schools to learn more about how they deal with the same issues. I plan to use some of what I’ve learned to modify our approach at Horace Mann. I will share details in the next edition of NewsNotes outlining how we will do things differently to ensure the safety of the students.

Metco Jazz Brunch - On Sunday, December 11th, several staff and families will be attending the Metco Jazz Brunch as part of the 50th Anniversary of the Metco Program. We have a limited number of seats available for any families who might be interested in attending. Details of the event are posted below. If you are interested, please send me an email at mark_nardelli@newton.k12.ma.us with your name and the number of seats you are requesting. Seats are first-come first-served. Thank you to the HM PTO for sponsoring family attendance at this event.

Reminder from the Newton Early Childhood Program:

NECP Open house for prospective parents 17-18 school year
December 6th 10-11 am
January 11th 5:30-6:30 pm

Parking/Entrance from 150 Jackson Road Newton, MA 02458

We still have openings for the 2016-2017 school year. Please call 617-559-6050 or visit the Newton Public Schools/Newton Early Childhood website for more information. Financial assistance is available.

Responsive Home Workshop - Tonight - December 1st

Responsive Home Workshop

Thursday, December 1st 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Room 210 Ed Center, 100 Walnut St

Click Here to See Flyer

The tools of Responsive Classroom can be used to help create a calm, supportive and encouraging environment at home, too! 

Open to the Public – No Registration Required  

Join us to learn useful steps to creating a Responsive Home including: 

• Family Meeting House Rules
• Interactive Modeling 
• Positive Language
• Logical Consequences Choice and Quiet Time

This workshop will be taught by Amy Kelly, District Leader of Social and Emotional Learning, Newton Public Schools

Metco Jazz Brunch

On Sunday, December 11th, several staff and families will be attending the Metco Jazz Brunch as part of the 50th Anniversary of the Metco Program.  We have a limited number of seats available for any families who might be interested in attending.  Details of the event are posted below. If you are interested, please send me an email at mark_nardelli@newton.k12.ma.us with your name and the number of seats you are requesting. Seats are first-come first-served. Thank you to the HM PTO for sponsoring family attendance at this event.