September 28, 2012

Hello Roderick Families:

We had another busy and exciting week here at the Roderick School.  I still can't believe that when the students arrive on Monday we will be in the month of October.  Time truly goes quickly! 

Earlier today the students in the Roderick School viewed an assembly on bullying and cyber-bullying .  Members from the Norfolk Advocates for Children visited our school to provide this free presentation.  Patti Snell, former Graduate Assistant at Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) and Jane Biagi, Coordinator of School Programs led this presentation.  Please ask your children if they can tell you what "eggers" and "bystanders" are.   

 
Mrs. Kane’s fifth grade students made connections and saw demonstrations of rock formations (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic rocks) with candy and fudge.  As you can see it was an engaging and popular lesson!



Reflex Math

With a focus on the new Mathematics Common Core Standards, our students are using a brand new piece of software called Reflex Math. Reflex is a revolutionary, game-based system that helps students of all ability levels to develop instant recall of their basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Research shows that students who are not fluent with their basic math facts have major challenges mastering more advanced mathematical skills. When using Reflex, the program will continuously monitor each student's progress and create the optimal experience for every child. Students can use Reflex at any time and anywhere there's an internet connection. Best of all, it's FUN! Students are actively engaged playing games, while simultaneously becoming math fact fluent! Encourage your child to use the program at home by going to www.reflexmath.com and entering their user name and password provided by their classroom teacher.

Congratulations to our Positive Referrals this week.  These students were caught being thoughtful to a classmate and helpful during an event.  What a great way to demonstrate our Core Value of Respect and Responsibility.  We are very proud of them!

In accordance with Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90 Section 7B, our school participated in a bus evacuation as they arrived at school on Tuesday, September 25th.  Students who did not take the bus to school were placed on a bus to go through this important exercise.  Special thanks to bus coordinator, Donna Burt for her assistance with this bus evacuation.   

Destination Imagination

Informational Meeting

for Third through Sixth Grade Students and Parents

Wednesday October 10th

Vogel Auditorium

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Drop in and find more about this exciting after school enrichment program!

Please direct all questions to Linda DeVore, DI Coordinator

email: devorel@wrentham.k12.ma.us

phone: 508-789-4493

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal



September 21, 2012

Dear Roderick Families:

I hope the families of the Roderick School enjoyed themselves as much as our staff did during last night's Open House night.  I would like to thank Mrs. Judy White Orlando and  Mrs. Maura Crowley for providing food for the evening.  I hope everyone had a chance to visit the whole school and had the opportunity to look at the curriculum materials being used at our school.  It was a pleasure to see so many parents.  Thank you for making the effort to attend Open House!

Mr. C. details the life of a fourth grader at the Roderick School.

Mrs.  Crowley provided guests with some delicious treats!

We would like to thank Andrea Lovely, Wrentham Public Schools Art Teacher, for painting the Wrentham Wildcat over the summer. The wildcat looks awesome and really stands out in the main foyer.

Farm To School Week

This week our school celebrated Farm to School Week.  Throughout this week our cafeteria featured fresh farm foods such as apples, cider, squash and tomatoes from local farms.  On Tuesday, Senator Richard Ross stopped in for a visit and let students know that this is good nutrition and good news for our agriculture in Massachusetts.  Senator Ross is pictured below along with some of our sixth grade students.  Also pictured is Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Marsden, School Committee member, Mrs. Rouse, and Food Service Director, Mrs. White-Orlando.

Congratulations to our Positive Referral this week.  This student was caught being thoughtful to a classmate.  What a great way to demonstrate our Core Value of Respect.  We are very proud of him!

Thank you to all who came out to cheer on the Wrentham Public Schools' staff at the softball game last Friday night.  I am happy to report that this fun night raised $1,318.00!  This money will be used to fund Wrentham Teachers' Association scholarships.  A special thanks to all the staff members who participated and to all of the police staff who participated.  Finally, a big thanks to Mrs. Moon and Mrs. Cederbaum for organizing this event, Caroline Watson for beautifully singing the National Anthem, and Mike McGuire for serving as the announcer for the evening.  Here are some of the sights from the game:

Thanks for visiting the blog this week and have a terrific weekend.

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal

September 14, 2012

Hello Roderick Families!

Another busy week here at the Roderick School.  The transition from a three day week, to a four day week, to this five day week seemed to have helped everyone get back into the full swing of things.  You may have noticed the yellow daily agenda that your child/children have been bringing to and from school.  These wonderful agendas were generously purchased by our PTO.  Please take some time each evening to look over your child's/children's agenda.  This will help ensure all assignments can be completed in a timely manner.  Thank you to the PTO for these agendas and for all that you do for our school!

 

Today was Patriot Spirit Day! It was great to see the Roderick students showing their school spirit by wearing their Patriots and football gear to school today.  Let's hope we bring them luck on Sunday!  Here are some of our sixth graders showing their spirit.



The Roderick School Open House will take place on Thursday, September 20th.  Grade 6 will be from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Grade 5 will be from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, and Grade 4 will be from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM.  We hope to see you there! 

Congratulations to our Positive Referrals this week.  These two individuals were caught assisting a classmate who was struggling with a class activity.  What a great way to demonstrate our Core Value of collaboration.  We are very proud of these students!

Wrentham students in grades four, five, and six have the opportunity to play an instrument here at the Roderick School.  Our music instructor, Miss Tracy Salazar does a fabulous job with all of our instrumental students.  On Tuesday, members from the King Philip High School band visited our school for an instrumental demonstration.  Roderick School band information went home this past week.  Please email Miss Salazar with any questions, comments, or concerns.  Please take a minute to enjoy the talented members of the KP band.



I hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Mr. Stephen Grenham



Wrentham Staff vs. Wrentham Police
Charity Softball Game
When:  Friday, Sept. 14th
Where:  McMorrow Field
Time: 6:00 PM
Rain Date: Saturday, Sept. 15th @ 7:00 PM



September 7, 2012

We had a great week at the Roderick School!  The students have truly transitioned well into their new classrooms.

Below is a picture of Miss Frizzell's fifth grade class.  The students are doing an activity investigating the forms of energy.  In this lesson, students learned how to store and release energy, how energy changes, and how energy travels.
    

Congratulations to our first Positive Referral of the year! 

CORI Forms  

We love to have volunteers at the Roderick School.  The first step in being a volunteer is to be CORI checked. 

Wrentham Public School Policy requires all volunteers to be CORI checked.  If you are unsure about your CORI being up to date, please contact Mrs. Chambers at 508.384.5435 to confirm. A CORI can be completed at the Central Office located in the Janelli Annex.  You can complete the CORI during the hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm. Photo identification, such as a driver's license or a passport, is required to complete the process.

Below are some frequently asked questions and answers related to the CORI Form. 

Q. Where do I get the Form?

A. The CORI Form is at the Superintendent's Office. 

Q. What do I bring to the Superintendent's Office to complete the form?

A. You must bring photo identification with you. It can be a driver's license, a passport or a college ID.

Q. How will I know if I have "passed" the CORI?

A. If you do not receive a notice from the Superintendent's Office, you have "passed".

Q. How often do I have a CORI report done?

A. All current or prospective employees, volunteers, and school bus drivers who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children will have a criminal offenders records check conducted periodically, but not less than every three years.

 Wrentham Staff vs. Wrentham Police 

Charity Softball Game

When:  Friday, September 14th

Where: McMorrow Field

Time:  6:00 PM

Rain Date: Saturday, September 15th @ 7:00 PM

 WEST will once again this year be working with the Eagle Brook Saloon to hold monthly fundraisers to support Wrentham Elementary School students.  Individuals (open to anyone) can visit the Eagle Brook any time on the first Wednesday or Thursday of every month and a percentage of your bill will be sent to WEST . Please visit  WEST for more details regarding this fundraiser and to learn more about the great things WEST does for our school.

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Stephen Grenham