Roderick Review Week 12 (11/16/15 - 11/20/15)

CONGRATULATIONS STUDENT COUNCIL!


Today, students and staff at Roderick School came adorned in bright hues of pink, orange, and green for the Student Council sponsored Cancer Awareness Color Day!  Grade 4 wore orange for leukemia, Grade 5 wore pink for breast cancer, and Grade 6 wore green for lymphoma.  The Student Council representatives had suggested optional donations and indicated that the funds raised would go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  I am pleased to announce that the school's efforts resulted in over $600.00 in donations!  A very successful outreach effort!  Way to go, Roderick!

Grade 4 Writers at Work!
Earlier this week, fourth graders in Mrs. Farrell's class were rereading through the collection of small moments in their Writer's Notebooks to select one small moment that had the potential to become a fantastic story.  They took their small, ordinary moment that had actually happened to them and used that as the core idea to create four or five fictional story seeds.

Fifth Grade Historians Share!
Fifth graders in Mrs. McGee's class presented what they had learned about the Aztec empire.  After reading about the Aztec civilization, partners presented as "the experts" for particular topics such as religion, agriculture, warfare, and society, just to name a few.  Classmates listened carefully to the presentations and were able to record some of what they were learning from their peers through the use of guided notes.

Grade 6 Hosts Special Guest Teacher!Ms. Gilligan visited Mrs. Cederbaum's class as a guest teacher as part of our Writer's Workshop professional development focus this year.  First, students read a short story as a reader and then read it as a "writer" noticing what the author actually did to create the effects for the reader.  Students then used some independent writing time to apply some of the same devices to enhance their own writing.

Grade 6 helped to raise awareness about lymphoma by wearing green!

Special Entry - Grade 4 Highlight 11-13-15

Grade 4 Highlight - 11/13/15

This year, the entire fourth grade class is involved in a community outreach project entitled, "Thankful Hearts from Caring Kids" where they will be assembling care packages to send to those serving in the military.  On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the fourth graders will be gathering as a community along with parent volunteers to assemble the care packages and will also be sharing some of what they have been learning with the family members present as well.

If you would also like to send in a small donation to assist them in their efforts, the fourth grade classes will gladly accept the following donations:

Ms. Marazzi- Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

Ms. Farrell- Nail clipper and Chapstick/Vaseline

Ms. Coleman- Small packs of tissues and Qtips

Ms. Kelley- Lotions and Foot Powder

Ms. Thornton- Disposable Razors and travel sized shampoo

Ms. Yelle- Travel sized soap/body wash and floss

Ms. Hall- Stationary, Pens/Pencils, Crossword Puzzles/ Word Searches

Thank you to all of those who have already contributed.  The students are very excited about the new twist on "Thanksgiving" and are looking forward to coming together as a grade 4 community to show how thankful they are to those who are serving.

Roderick Review Week 11 (11/9/15 - 11/13/15)

What a great time to FALL into a good book!

Thank you to everyone who visited Barnes & Noble during this fall's PTO fundraiser!  It is not too late!  You can still submit orders online as well!

The festivities began on Tuesday afternoon and led into the Wednesday event at the Barnes & Noble in Walpole.  Dr. Cameron read a favorite book called The Day the Crayons Quit. 

Ms. Wagstaff shared a favorite Jan Brett book while I joined the flute choir. (In case you can't find me, I am the one wearing glasses!)  

I hope that many of you were able to find a new favorite book or two to take home and enjoy!  Thanks, PTO, for arranging this special fall fundraiser for us with a new community partner!


Multiplication and Arrays!
Earlier this week, fourth graders were exploring different strategies with arrays to complete the array relay!  Some chose to fill in the outside first while others tried to start in one corner and add on from there.  



 Scientists at Work!



This year, we received new sets of snap circuits!  With this new equipment, our fourth grade scientists experimented with countless ways to build a circuit, exploring different connections where some students were able to make an object spin and other students were able to light up the bulb.

Grade 5 Writers are "Flash Drafting"  Fifth Graders are writing as "fast and furious" authors to take a small moment idea that they are passionate about and turn it into a published writing piece.

Grade 6 Tile Installation!

SPECIAL EVENT TONIGHT from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. 
Students in grades 4 and 5 are looking forward to the Hoedown tonight!  Thank you to everyone who donated snacks and to all of the volunteers who gave their time and energy to host this community event at Roderick!

November 11, 2015

In Honor of Veterans Day...

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Wrentham men and women who have served our country in times of conflict and in times of peace.  There are also members of Delaney and Roderick families who have served or are currently serving in all branches of the military.  Thank you for all you have done to protect our freedom.

Roderick Review Week 10 (11/2/15 - 11/6/15)

Next week, we have a very special opportunity thanks to the PTO.  This year, the fall book fair will be held at Barnes & Noble in Walpole on November 10th AND November 11th.  As you peruse the collection, there are a few things that you can be thinking about as you and your child(ren) browse for a new favorite read!                                                                There are many ways to select a book.  For some of us, we may, quite literally, judge a book by its cover.  On the other hand, we may enjoy a specific time in history and enjoy both non-fiction and historical fiction where the story is set in a particular time period.  It may be helpful to talk with your child(ren) about the following:

1.  What characters have you enjoyed reading in the past?

2.  If your child likes a particular series, looking for the next book in the series or another title by the same author might be a great place to begin.

3.  What are their friends reading?  

4.  What books would their teacher recommend?  

5.  What are the newest award-winning books?

6.  Is there a new sequel to a book you've read?

7.  What genre have you loved in the past?  Are you a fan of mysteries, fantasies, or sports-related stories?  Are you a fact fanatic who loves science?

Also, be thinking about the times that your children have stopped reading a book.  You can help them to reflect on what got in the way:

1.  Was it boring and moved at a slow pace?  

2.  Was it too hard to read?

3.  Were the characters hard to relate to?

4.  Was it confusing?

5.  Was it just different than expected and s/he lost interest?

Once students think they have found a book, they can assess if a book is "just right" by using the "five finger rule:

Dr. Cameron, Mrs. Wagstaff, and I will be at Barnes & Noble during a portion of the event as well and hope to see you there!

Happy Reading!

Dr. Beauchaine 

A few community announcements: 

Please consider donating non-perishables to the Wrentham Food Pantry. Rolling bins are in the lobbies of each school.

Barnes and Noble Book Fair, Walpole, MA

Tuesday and Wednesday November 10^th and 11^th

Mrs. Wagstaff will be reading a book in the 6:00 hour on Tuesday evening.