Roderick School Blog

Thanks for visiting the Roderick Elementary School Blog! Blogging is a great way to share some of the exciting things happening in our school with families and the greater school community. The Blog will be updated weekly with pictures and news from the school. Come back and visit often!

Friday, October 28, 2016

Roderick Review (Week 9) 10/24/16-10/28/16

Roderick Review (Week 9) 10/24/16-10/28/16


GO PINK PENNIES!  Our Student Council members led our first Spirit Day event this week.  Since  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, they decided to spearhead a campaign to have a friendly competition between classrooms.  Students were welcome to drop in pennies (or any other coins) into the decorated mason jars in each classroom to benefit the Ellie Fund.  


On Thursday, October 27, 2016 students and staff wore pink to show their support just like Miss White's class did...



Roderick Writers...

On Thursday, October 27th, Mrs. Bevilacqua's fifth graders were working on revising their writing and were introduced to a few tools to help each student reflect on what they could do to make their writing even better.  Students are encouraged to use a checklist to see what elements they could add to their writing such as dialogue or thoughts of the individual characters.  Other checklists help students go through a final editing phase such as looking for sentence fragments.  What you do not see are the other EIGHT adults in the room!  This lesson was part of the writing professional development where the entire fifth grade team observes the lesson and the conference that happened afterwards and then the team gathers along with our consultant/coach to have a chance to debrief, reflect, and plan ahead.  This is one of the most powerful professional development experiences provided to teachers.

Pumpkin Parade

Grade 4 students poured their creative juices into this project!  How imaginative!






Friday, October 21, 2016

Roderick Review (Week 8) 10/17/16-10/21/16

Roderick Review (Week 8) 10/17/16-10/21/16

TODAY...Friday, October 21st, at 3:00 p.m. we will be gathering for the dedication of the new GODDARD PLAYGROUND at Delaney School!  Thank you to everyone who made this wonderful addition to our school community possible!

4Yelle is enjoying the playground as part of their classroom incentives!


This week in review...

Take a look at the pictures below to see what we have been up to recently!
Using virtual manipulatives to solve math problems.
Each writer is working on developing their own story adding additional thoughts,
dialogue, and even a flash forward.
Finding evidence in the text to prove that the character is caring...



... or determined.  Students then take turns sharing their strongest evidence with one another.

Special Assembly:  The NED Show! October 19, 2016
NED and Meghan came to visit our school on Wednesday and shared positive, encouraging messages about how we can meet the goals we set for ourselves in and out of school.  They also reminded us how we can help others to do the same!
The NED Show performer, "Meghan" got quite a response from the students when she asked, "Who wants to be a champion?"

Meghan also interviewed a few students to ask them what it takes to be a champion.  One response included, "Courage."   


The teachers were all smiles as they got into the action as well!

Paying It Forward...Thanks to everyone who purchased a NED yo-yo today, we are making it possible for another school to benefit from the messages that NED and Meghan shared with us.



Through creative story-telling, with a yo-yo and even some magic, Meghan and NED shared their positive messages encouraging students to set goals in and out of school and to use NED to help them remember to Never give up, Encourage others, and Do their best!  This will help us all to be champions in school and in life!


More adventures through reading and writing...

Students in 4K are caught up in the suspense of Tiger Rising!
Mrs. Kelley and Ms. Sharick share the goals for today's reading lesson.

Students eagerly take a post-it note and a pencil to "stop and jot" as they infer WHY
the characters are acting the way they do in the book.


5B students are rereading their work to see what else they may add to "show" the reader rather
than "telling" the reader what was happening and what their characters are thinking.

Students use post-its to write down thoughts and dialogue they want to add and place them where
they want to insert them in their narrative.


Principals Coffee:  MCAS Presentation
On Friday morning, October 21st...Mrs. Wagstaff and I gathered with parents to review the 2016 MCAS results.  You can view this presentation along with the lengthier presentation shared with the School Committee on Tuesday, October 18th, by visiting the website's homepage.  The links should be posted by Monday, October 24th at the latest.

2017 MCAS Schedule*
Grade 4:  
ELA (4/10-4/13) 
MATH (5/16-5/17)

Grade 5:  
ELA (4/4-4/6) 
MATH (5/8-5/9) 
SCIENCE (5/18-5/19)

Grade 6:  
ELA (4/25-4/26) 
MATH (5/10-5/11)

*Please mark these dates on your calendar now.  Thank you! 
 (If there are any changes to this schedule due to new state requirements, we will notify families via email.)









Thursday, October 13, 2016

Roderick Review (Week 7) 10/11/16-10/14/16

Roderick Review (Week 7) 10/11/16-10/14/16

Tuesday, October 11th
On our professional day, teachers were involved in a number of different sessions focused on different curriculum areas.  For a portion of the day, teachers worked together at each grade level to become acquainted with one of our resources, the Continuum of Literacy Learning.  In the picture you see a chart that is used to help students remember the questions that readers ask themselves as they are reading to think within the text, about the text, and beyond the text.


If you follow us on Twitter @RoderickSchool, you would also see another picture of grade four teachers as they calibrate their scores to increase inter-rater reliability from classroom to classroom.

In addition to focusing on reading and writing instruction, time was also devoted to math instruction and deepening the learning opportunities for students for all of the mathematical standards and other conversations centered around the new ratings for "personal development" on the report card.

COMING SOON - Wednesday, October 19th!  The NED Show!
This coming Wednesday, we are bringing a special assembly to our students in grades 4 through 6.  In conjunction with the focus on the "Three Rs" of respect, responsibility, and ready to learn, this character-building assembly will reinforce our core values by sharing the following messages with students:
Never give up, 
Encourage others, and 
Do your best!  

This FREE assembly usually costs schools $1,200!  We have the ability to have this assembly come to us due to a "Pay it forward" model.  We have been asked to set aside time (7:50 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.) each day for five days after the assembly to allow the NED items to be for sale.  There is no minimum to purchase and there is no obligation to purchase anything.  However, when items are sold, it allows another school to receive the same assembly.


These items will be for sale from Thursday, October 20th through Wednesday, October 26th in the Roderick School lobby only between 7:50 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.

Grade 5 Scientists
In a previous blog entry, students were exploring soil samples from various points in the bus circle.  These same students are now doing a variety of experiments to understand "weathering" and how there can be both physical and chemical weathering.  From shaking up ice cubes to adding water, using sand paper, or adding vinegar, students conduct experiments to observe and learn about weathering and how rocks ended up in the soil samples they had collected.




HALLOWEEN HUSTLE - Sunday, October 23, 2016

Events: Monster Dash for children ages 3 to 7 years old

1 Mile Fun Run for children ages 5 to 12 years old

5K Run/Walk for all ages

Time: 9:00 am – Race Day Check In & Registration begins at the Bus Circle

10:15 am – Monster Dash begins

10:30 am – 1 Mile Fun Run begins

11:00 am – 5K Runners and Walkers Start at the Bus Circle

12:00 pm – Race Awards, Costume Contest and Music

Register: https://racewire.com/register.php?id=7050 

Parking: Parking is available in the Delaney School Parking Lot @ 120 Taunton Street and in the
Sweat Field/Fiske Library parking lots located at the end of Randall Road (behind Roderick School).


Friday, October 7, 2016

Roderick Review (Week 6) 10/3/16-10/7/16

Roderick Review (Week 6) 10/3/16-10/7/16

This week, our sixth graders were at Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, MA to spend time as scientists in the field.  There was also plenty to time to join together with classmates and their teachers to have some fun as well!  In the pictures below you will see a few of the different activities that the students were involved in including rocketry, marine lab, and pond study.  Students on the boat during the pond study were conducting a few water tests and there are also a few photos during recreation time as well as dinner and journal time before the evening activities.

A special thank you to the Camp Bournedale coordinators, Mrs. Moon and Miss White as well as ALL of our many staff and parent chaperones.  I am grateful that so many of the adults within our community come together to make this adventure possible for our students.  Thank you also to the Holly Club, The Lions Club, and the WTA for sponsoring several student scholarships as well!


Basketball at Rec Time!



Pond Study!

Testing the water!

Comparing the acidity of the water and the acidity of the lemon is a "souring" experience!


Notes from first grade buddies were placed in some 6th graders' journals!

The picturesque cabins the students stayed in!

Mrs. Fownes and Mrs. Maloney, two of our fearless leaders!

Family style pasta night!

Waiting for dinner!

Enjoying a meal with the Roderick 6th Grade!

Dr. B one of the final three in an early round of dodge ball. 

Dodge ball champs in action!

Relaxing with the rod and reel during Rec Time!


Time to enjoy the company of one another!

Twelve study groups rotate through the different stations throughout the week!

Time was provided for journaling each day.

The entire 6th grade reflecting on their adventures at the end of each day.

Some even got to serve as the captain!

Horseshoe crabs, clam shells, skulls and skeletons of different animals to observe in the lab.



Students discover how water pollution can eventually impact your health through the food you eat higher on the food chain.

Touch tank with a variety of creatures.

Students gather at the end of the rocketry class to launch their rockets!


Testing the pH off the water.

Soccer...

...and tetherball.

More water tests...



Line dancing and karaoke are among the favorites!

Welcome back everyone!  We can't wait to hear about all you have learned!