Memorial School News
June 21, 2012
IMPORTANT DATES
JULY 15TH – Lowell
Spinners Baseball Game
SEPTEMBER 4th –
First Day of School for Grades 1-5
SEPTEMBER 6TH –
Kindergarten Orientation
SEPTEMBER 10TH –
First Day of School for Kindergarten
SEPTEMBER 27th –
Back to School Night for Grown-ups
FROM
THE OFFICE/MRS. R.
Dear Memorial
Families,
On the last day
of school last year, we left school
humming, “Make new friends, but keep the o- l - l - d… one is silver and the
other’s gold.” That was certainly a good
predictor of what took place this year!
Boys and girls, staff, and families too blended beautifully into the New
Memorial Family. The partnership between
families and school has always been a strong one at Memorial; at no time
has that been more evident than last year, when we packed up for the Big Move,
or this year, when we welcomed over 200 new students, 140+ new families, and
many new staff members! Thank you for
your support (and patience) as we worked through the snags and tangles of our
growing pains. We look forward to the
second year in our beautiful (no longer new!) school. To those of you who are leaving, we wish you
well. To those of you who are returning,
we look forward to seeing you again in the fall. And to all, on behalf of the entire Memorial
staff, we wish you and your family a relaxing, fun-filled summer!
Before we head
off for that long-awaited summer break, a very quick update --
- 5th graders celebrated moving up to middle school with a special ceremony in the gym and a dance-party with DJ Jack Ferren, and continued the celebration at Cedardale/Groveland the next day. To help them remember their days at Memorial, they also received a memory book filled with photos of their years in elementary school and their own special writings. Special thanks to the many fifth grade parents and staff members who made these events possible! Yet another example of how “teamwork works” in making good things happen for Memorial kids!
- ·Librarian Gayle Field is retiring after a career dedicated to the children and families of Burlington. Mrs. Field has nurtured in our students a love of both learning and literature, and provided staff with the resources needed to broaden their students’ world and deepen their understanding of it. For her inspiration, her love of learning and children, her genuine kindness, and her extraordinary level of collegiality, we thank Mrs. Field and wish her the very best in the years ahead.
- Boys and girls in Kindergarten through Grade 4 participated in “Moving Up” this morning, where they met new teachers and classmates. While your child has been assigned to one of our wonderful ‘home class teachers,’ they are very likely to have reading and/or math with another one, based on their skill needs and strengths. The flexible grouping that is part of our instructional framework, Response to Intervention, allows us to meet the changing needs of our students, and allows them the opportunity to make many friends at their grade level.
- Names of new additions to our staff (both short- and long-term) will be placed on my blog (memorialprincipal.blogspot.com) as soon as they become available. This will include our fourth 5th grade teacher, the new librarian, and teachers covering maternity/family leaves for Mrs. Percoskie (K), Mrs. Panagiotopoulos (Gr. 1), and Mrs. Warford (literacy tutor). Rest assured that whoever is selected for these positions will be of the same high caliber as their colleagues at Memorial School!
The PTO is
hoping to compile a school directory so that we may all remain in touch over
the summer. This is only possible with the cooperation of Memorial
families. To be included in the directory and to receive a copy of
it, you must go to www.memorialschoolpto.org
and register (yellow Get Connected" button). Even if you registered last fall, you must
register on-line again to be included in the new Directory. Our goal is to have all students listed in the directory
so that parents may arrange playmates and parties over the
summer. Please do your part and take just a minute to enter your
family's information. Thank you and have a wonderful, happy and safe
summer!
SUMMER READING As you make your vacation plans, don’t forget to add summer reading to your
list. Summer may mean ‘no homework!’ but
it shouldn’t mean taking a break from learning, especially reading! Studies shows that most students experience a
loss of reading skills over the summer months, but children who continue to
read maintain or actually gain skills.
From “3 Ways to Prevent ‘Summer Slide’ ”
by Francie Alexander (www.readingrockets.org/article/15020)
Six books to summer
success
Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a
struggling reader (or any reader, for that matter!) from regressing.
When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right – not too hard and not
too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books
that match your child's age, interests, and abilities. Libraries often run summer reading programs
that motivate kids to read, so find out what's available in your area. Also
check our booklists (www.readingrockets.org) for recommendations.
Read something every day
Encourage your child to take advantage of every
opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:
- Morning: The newspaper – even if it is just the comics or today's weather.
- Daytime: Schedules, TV guides, magazines, online resources, etc. For example, if your daughter or son likes the food channel, help him or her look for a recipe on the network's Web site – then cook it together for more reading practice.
- Evening: End the day by having your child read to you from the book he or she is currently reading (one of the six books, above). Have your child rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Re-reading will help him or her to be more fluent – able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.
Keep reading aloud
Reading
aloud benefits all children and teens, but especially those who struggle. One
benefit is that you can read books your child can't, so he or she will build
listening comprehension skills with grade-level and above books. This will
increase your child’s knowledge and experience with text, so that he or she
will do better when reading independently.
Wishing
all of YOU – from all of US – a wonderful, safe, relaxing summer!
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