December 20, 2013

Roderick Families:

It is with a great deal of pleasure that I announce that the Wrentham School Committee appointed Dr. Allan Cameron, Acting Superintendent of the Westwood Public Schools, as our new Superintendent of Schools. 

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Cameron to the Wrentham Public Schools. 

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!

Our sixth grade students were able to act out the play this week.  I would not be surprised if we have some actors in this group!  

I am pleased to announce that WEST was able to fund all of the grants submitted during this cycle totaling almost $18,000.  They are:

Meeting the Challenges of the Common Core.  $5000 funds nonfiction and informational books and materials for all students.

Interactive Read Alouds: All of grade two for $1,052.

Author David A Kelly and a Tour of Fenway Park.  All of grade two for $2012.26

Rotation and Revolution in our Solar System and The Sound of Science.  All of grade three for $1350.

Revolutionary Wrentham – Wrentham in the 18^th Century.  All of grade three for $737.43

Mission to Mars at Framingham State University.  All of grade six for $3150.

Redcat Amplication systems in the library, health, art, and music.  All students for $3844.

A very big thanks to the WEST Board for their creative and thoughtful approach to making great decisions. Each of these grants will make an important difference.

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.

Congratulations to this week's Positive Referrals!  These students were recognized for going above and beyond, making good decisions, and being super productive.  Well done!  Keep up the great work!

On Thursday, our staff had our annual staff holiday breakfast.  Members of our food service department worked tirelessly to provide a wonderful breakfast - Thank You!  Additionally, special thanks to Miss Salazar and members of the Roderick School band for providing wonderful music.

         

         

As you may know, students begin taking the MCAS starting in Grade 3 in Mathematics and English Language Arts.  Once the tests have been corrected, the state releases individual student scores to the parents and to the school.  In addition, scores are reported in the aggregate, as well as by subgroup, to the public. To assist schools and parents in interpreting MCAS results, we have just received word that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education just released two new applications:

           
                             

First, the school report card overview provides a useful summary of a school’s accountability data and also compares the school to other schools serving similar grades in the district and in the state. The application compares schools using measures such as MCAS achievement and growth, teachers and classrooms, attendance, discipline, and high school completion. The school report card overview (or the complete report card) can be accessed by using the new search tool on the Department’s Profiles homepage: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/.

Second, on the statewide MCAS Achievement/Growth Report, you can now view school-level MCAS results by school type (elementary, elementary–middle, middle, high, and middle–high/K–12) for the years 2010–2013. You can access the report at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/mcas.aspx 

The entire fourth grade recently celebrated Polar Express day.  Students listened to the Caldecott Medal book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and participated in many integrated activities throughout the day.  

As a reminder, winter break will begin on Monday, December 23rd.  Students will return to school on Thursday, 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 13, 2013

Hello Roderick Families,

Living History!

Bianca Rosada visited Mrs. McGee’s classroom on Thursday all the way from Guatemala.  Students learned about today’s Mayan culture and its connection to the Ancient Mayans studied in Grade 5.  Students had the opportunity to prepare questions for Ms. Rosada about Mayan history and life in Guatemala.

 

The Student Council met this week and finished creating holiday ornaments.  Holiday ornaments will be delivered to some of Wrentham's elderly population at sometime next week.  

Congratulations to this week's Positive Referral recipients.  These students were recognized for being responsible, diligent, and respectful.  Thanks for making our school such a great place!  Great job! 

Some fifth graders invited me in to see their math creations.  Students used a variety of methods (a staple of the new Common Core) to create and solve math problems.  Great work! 

The Wrentham School Committee would like to remind all interested parties that the committee will interview its three finalists on Tuesday, December 17th starting at 4:00 pm in the Roderick library.  Teresa Murphy, Principal of the Jordan-Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield will be interviewed at 4:00 pm, Bridget Morisseau, Assistant Superintendent in Smithfield, Rhode Island is scheduled at 5:30 pm, and Allan Cameron, Acting Assistant Superintendent in Westwood will interview at 7:00 pm. Interviews will be approximately seventy-five minutes with a fifteen minute break in between.  We hope that you are able to attend.

From the Art Room

Grade 4 hand sculpted animals.  Next, they glazed their figures.  Finally, they are celebrating their fired sculpted animals.  There is a bond between the artists and their art.

Grade 5 designed cultural masks and animals on paper.  Next, they

sculpted their masks and animals out of paper mache.  At last, they painted and adorned their sculptures.  There is satisfaction in a job well done.

Grade 6 planned the tiles that will represent each student, their Core Values, and their time here at Wrentham Elementary.  They created the tiles out of clay.  Next, they glazed the tiles. They will soon stand proud as their tiles are permanently fixed to the hallways of the Roderick School. 

It feels like winter and brrrr, it’s cold!  Please be sure that your children are wearing appropriate, seasonal clothing (i.e. no shorts) and have coats, hats, mittens, boots, etc… as they will be going outside for recess.  Only students who have winter boots will be allowed to go on the snow.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

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!

As always thanks for reading!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Stephen S. Grenham, Principal