December 21, 2012

Hello Roderick Families,

I want to commend your children and the staff here at the Roderick School for their resiliency after last week's horrible tragedy.  Our community continues to keep the people of Newtown in our thoughts and prayers. 

It was certainly a busy week here at the Roderick.  I wanted to share with you some of the great things that had happened.

On Monday, our sixth grade students headed out to the Hanover Theatre in Worcester to attend the play A Christmas Carol.  Students in Grade 6 had the opportunity to compare and contrast the play after reading the play in class and viewing the play at the theatre.  The students looked great heading out to see the play!

Students in Mrs. Coleman's class did a masterful job presenting the play Everywhere Holidays by Alice Very.  The students worked really hard preparing for Tuesday's show.  Thank you to all the family members who attended the play.

The entire fourth grade celebrated Polar Express day on Thursday.  Students listened to the Caldecott Medal book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and participated in many integrated activities throughout the day.  I am thankful I was able to take part in this wonderful experience.

 

As a reminder, winter break will begin on Monday, December 24th.  Students will return to school on Wednesday, January 2nd.   

I want to wish all Roderick families every happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year!

Warm regards,
Stephen S. Grenham, Principal

December 17, 2012

December 17, 2012

Dear Roderick Families,

In the wake of Friday's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, I know you join me in a huge sense of grief for the innocent victims of this terrible tragedy.  As a follow-up to Dr. Marsden’s e-mail and Connect Ed message, I wanted to communicate how things are being handled at the Roderick School today.

This morning, I met with the Roderick staff prior to the children's arrival. At this meeting, the school psychologists and I shared that our job as a staff is to maintain as much normalcy as possible for the students in grades four through six. We also discussed ways to handle student conversations should they arise. Our school observed a moment of silence this morning in respect of all who were affected by this tragedy.  I did communicate with students that the adults here at school will continue to do everything we can to ensure they will remain safe.

In coming days, our staff will be working as hard as possible to assist any child who may be having difficulty dealing with this tragedy. Open home-school communication is vital during situations like this. Please let us know by e-mail, phone call, or letter of anything which you believe we should know/do as we educate your children this week.

Respectfully,

Stephen S. Grenham

Additional Resources:

• A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
• Coping with Violence and Traumatic Events: Tips for Talking with Children (by age group)
• Coping with Crisis--Helping Children With Special Needs
• Tips for School Administrators for Reinforcing School Safety

December 14, 2012

Greetings Roderick Community,

I once worked with a man who said, "Time waits for no man."  His words certainly seem to be ringing true as we incredibly only have one school week left before the winter break begins.  Here are some of the happenings at the Roderick School this week:

Dianne Mahoney (pictured above) retired from the Wrentham Public Schools on Wednesday, December 12th (her birthday).  Dianne worked at the Wrentham Public Schools for 32 years.  During that time, Mrs. Mahoney worked as a fifth grade teacher, a sixth grade teacher, and a Title I teacher.  In each capacity, she was a true professional.  May the blessing and joy you have brought to so many, along with the contentment of a job well done, fill your life with happiness.     

This week, all Grade 6 classrooms participated in a holiday math activity.  Students in each classroom created a set of holiday lights to model ordering fractions.  Each student was given a light bulb on which they had to write a fraction and order it correctly on a string of lights (representing a number line).  Students had the opportunity to collaborate to accurately order their light bulbs. 

Congratulations to this week's Positive Referrals.  These two students exhibited caring and kind attitudes in and around our school.  Way to go! Thank you for showing such great character! 

In preparation for their trip to see the Christmas Carol, Ms. Maloney's students were busy researching and making connections.  Students collaboratively worked to locate characteristics of fashion, history, etiquette, and entertainment during the Victorian era.  

 

Students in Mrs. Curtin's class are shown using math manipulatives to add and subtract mixed numbers.  Students were charged with the task to add and subtract mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators.  

As always thanks for reading!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal 

December 7, 2012

Dear Roderick Community,

Please take a minute to see the great things that took place at the Roderick School this past week. 

Students in Mrs. Moon's sixth grade classroom recently visited King Philip High School.  Students interviewed members of the K.P. Boys' Varsity Basketball team.  Mrs. Moon's students will take information gathered at the interviews and create the 2012-2013 team program.

Congratulations to this week's Positive Referrals! The students shown below demonstrated great character in a variety of ways.  Assisting other students, assisting Roderick staff members, and displaying respect and responsibility were all demonstrated by these individuals.  Congratulations and keep up the great work!

  

Today, Mrs. Kane's fifth grade class hosted a Culinary Tasting Expo.  This was a culminating activity for students' recipe writing using steps in a process.  The students brought in samples of their recipe and shared them with special visitors and classmates. 

As I mentioned in my November 16th posting, many of our classes at the Roderick School became involved in a community service project initiated by students from the King Philip DECA program.  Students at the Roderick wrote letters of thanks to individuals serving in our military.  These letters were included in care packages assembled by DECA students.  I wanted to share a note that I received from the students who organized this project:

Dear Mr. Grenham and faculty of the Roderick Elementary School,

Megan and I received the letters the students created Thursday afternoon and we would just like to say how awe-struck we are by the effort, time and creativity put into what must be hundreds of letters! Megan and I are emotionally moved by the support we received from your school through these letters. The letters and illustrations are incredible pieces of art that we are honored and proud to send to soldiers overseas and for that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please give a tremendous thank you to your students and faculty for us!

Sincerely,

Rachel Palumbo

Students in Grade 4 celebrated Grinch Day today.  Teachers and students dressed "Grinchy", but were reminded that their hearts should be two sizes too big during during this season, rather than two sizes too small!  Students integrated Grinch characters into problem solving, measuring, comparing, and contrasting.  It was a great day for all!

 

I recently received a letter of thanks from the Wrentham Food Pantry.  They informed us that through our generous contribution 1,036 pounds of food was donated!  Thank you to all who donated items for our Term I Spirit Day.

The Wrentham Public Schools will host a SEPAC meeting on Wednesday, December 12th at 7:00 PM.  Director of Student Services, Mrs. Karen McNamara will present an overview of the Massachusetts Special Education Program Review.

A special thanks to our extraordinary PTO and all the volunteers for providing a delicious staff appreciation breakfast this morning.  The staff and I are very grateful and appreciative for your amazing efforts!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal

November 30, 2012

Hello Roderick Families:

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  I don't know about you, but I cannot believe that we enter the month of December tomorrow.  The students and staff at the Roderick had another busy week this week.  Here are some of the highlights:

On Wednesday, Roderick teachers used their weekly common planning time to work with math specialist John Ribeiro to go deeper with the conceptual understanding of the mathematics.  Teachers in grades 4 - 6 worked with the "Ten Principles of Thinking Mathematics" as well as flexible strategies for division of whole numbers and concepts regarding mean, median, mode, and range.  

    

Today in Ms. Frizzell's fifth grade class students crated a model of an Ancient pyramid, similar to what the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas built.  Students used sugar cubes to create the pyramid with specifications as to the area and perimeter of certain levels.  You may notice that the students dressed up in attire as was the culture during Ancient Civilization. 



Congratulations to the students who were recently nominated as Positive Referrals.  Both of these individuals were recognized for their kind and caring demeanor towards others.  We are very proud of them!  

Earlier this month, Mrs. Haughey's sixth grade students wrote letters to family members and friends who served or are currently serving in the military.  They have received several responses and they continue to come in.  The veterans wrote that they are extremely appreciative for the thoughtful letters. 

Some members of the Roderick staff recently participated in an after school conference call with the Department of Education.  During the conference call, teachers had the opportunity to have a discussion about the expectations of the state with this year's MCAS testing.  The phone conference was very beneficial and very informative. 

On Thursday, students from Mrs. Hall's fourth grade classroom had the opportunity to work with curriculum coach, Mrs. Hanewich.  The students in Mrs. Hall's class worked hard and persevered to find information about the largest chocolate bar.  The problem: On October 7, 2011, the largest candy bar ever was made by Thorntons in Alfreton, Derbyshire, UK. It weighed 12,770 pounds 4.48 ounces and measured 13'1" wide and 13'1" tall. If it was made into 16 squares of equal size, how long and how wide was each square?

Thanks for reading and be sure to check in next Friday.

Sincerely,
Stephen S. Grenham, Principal 

November 21, 2012

Dear Roderick Families,

Thank you to all of the Roderick School families who were able to attend this week's parent/teacher conferences. The lines of communication between home and school must always remain open and strong. If at any point in the school year you feel that there is an area in your child's education that needs to be addressed, please to not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. We strive to do our best to support the academic, social, and emotional development of your child.

 

Grade 4 - Thanksgiving Feast

Members of our fourth grade held their annual Thanksgiving assembly and Thanksgiving feast.  Each of the eight classes presented either a song or poem.  Following their presentations, the students enjoyed all the fixings of a traditional Thanksgiving day meal.  A special thanks to all of the families who supplied food for the feast and to the parents who helped serve food.

  



On Monday, members of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation stopped by our school to pick up the donated items collected to date.  In the pictures below, members of Mr. Cederbaum's grade 4 classroom and Ms. O'Connell's grade 5 classroom are shown separating coats before they are sent over to Gillette Stadium.  The Cradles to Crayons drive at our school will continue until Friday, December 21st.  Thank you to all who have donated items.  The individual from the Patriots said that there were 17,000 boys and girls in need of winter coats this year.  

Members from the King Philip DECA program, Kristen Aucoin and McKenna May have invited all Grade 4 students to the Fiske Public Library on Tuesday, November 27th for a financial literacy presentation in support of Financial Literacy Week.  These two students will be at the library from 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM hosting presentations, playing games, and teaching important skills.  

 

   On behalf of all of us here at the Roderick School, best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Have a beautiful day with your family and friends! 

Enjoy the time off,

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal