Thank You!

As we are making preparations for the end of a great school year, I would like to take a moment to thank all of our parent volunteers who helped us make this such a great year!  In particular, I feel compelled to mention the efforts of our PTO board, Bernadette Carr, Ellen Eisle, Dara St. Sauveur, and Meagan Meek.  Without them at the helm of the PTO, many of the great enrichment programs would not be possible.  They have also worked tirelessly to advocate for our students and to raise funds to "make our space a better place."  Thank you!

We are fortunate enough to have two great parents step up to take the helm of the S.S. PTO next year!  Bernadette and Ellen will be passing the baton off to Maria Schmidtt and Mechelle Brown as our new co-chairs.  Thank you to both of them for stepping up to help us out!  Our goal next year will be to increase parent participation in the PTO.  And dads...don't think you are in the clear!  We are kicking around the idea of a "Dad's Club."  This would be an opportunity for fathers to share their talents and resources as they work together on projects such as carpentry, landscaping, etc.  If you have ever thought about getting involved...this is the time!  Contact Mechelle, Maria, or myself if you are willing to join us in making MMES the BEST school possible!

"It's a boy!" I mean..."It's a Sea Turtle!"

MMES has adopted two sea turtles!  Thanks to four of our environmentally conscious students, MMES has adopted two sea turtles that reside at "The Turtle Hospital" in Marathon, Florida!  Anna Coyne, Sarah Adams, Lily Athanas, and Isabella DiPasquale put their heads together earlier this year and decided they wanted to help save sea turtles.  They asked for permission to put a collection jar in the lobby, and to their delight they rasied enough money to sponsor two giant sea turtles.  We are all very impressed with their efforts and proud of them!  Check out the website below...our turtles are the second and last ones on the list (no...we did not name them).  Next time you visit MMES, look for the display in the lobby with pictures and facts about our newest family members!  Way to go girls!

http://www.turtlehospital.org/perm-residents.htm

Family and Community Engagement

Our School Council and Staff Leadership Council have begun discussions regarding ways in which we can increase our connection with families and the greater Manchester community.  This will be a goal area in our school improvement plan for the 2012-2014 school years.  One idea that we will be experimenting with this year was generated by Mrs. Anne Wood.  As our music teacher, Mrs. Wood has a desire to showcase the musical talents of our students.  She has planned a schedule of performances this Spring where parents will be invited in to see their musicians in action.  Below is a photo from our "Celebrating Memorial School Day" that outlines the events.  As always, you can check our school website calendar for upcoming events.

Another idea that has been generated is "Lunchtime Guest Readers."  This would involve parent and community volunteers reading short, picture books to our students while they enjoy their lunch.  We have been experimenting with the logistics of this idea, and the students seem to really like it.  We will shoot for 1-2 times a month next year (depending on volunteer availability, logistics, etc.).  The volunteers read a short picture book to the children (roughly 10 minutes) as a way to contribute to the positive climate in the cafeteria.  Stay tuned for an opportunity for you to volunteer next year!  This is also a great opportunity for us to invite community leaders into our great school to share their love of literacy with our youngsters!

I would like to thank Cape Ann Savings Bank for their generous donation of two custom-made display cases in our lobby.  Ken Davis, Assistant Vice President, recently joined our school council as a community representative.  He was so impressed with our Robin Brickman Community Mural that he wanted to help preserve it forever!  Thank you Cape Ann Savings Bank!

There are many other ideas being generated as I type...stay tuned!  I am looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow at Hit the Street for Little Feet (www.mmpto.org).  My sneakers and bib number are ready!  Hopefully, I can make it to the finish line!

School Improvements

Above and beyond all of the responsibilities that I have as Principal of MMES, the paramount responsibility is the safety and security of our students and staff.  Many parents remember last summer when I sent out a survey to all families to gather data as a part of my Entry Plan.  From that survey, I heard loud and clear that an area that parents would like to see improved is logistics and security.  We have been working as a staff this year to put efficient procedures in place to increase our efficiency including improvements to our arrival/dismissal procedures.

We took a huge step forward today in the area of building security.  Thanks to the support of Superintendent Beaudoin and our school committee, we were able to install a remote lock and camera system for our front door.  We have also repaired all exterior doors in need of repair including the lock mechanisms.  This will allow our school to be a secure building during school hours as all exterior doors will be locked.

When visiting us at MMES, please enter through the main door.  To the left of the entryway, you will see a doorbell/camera that you can use to gain access to the building while school is in session.  Simply push the doorbell button and someone in the office will release the door lock for you to enter and sign in at the podium.  I am sure you will all agree that this is a very important school improvement.

   

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Thank you to Ms. Silag and our staff for coordinating our celebration of Dr. Seuss' Birthday!  See information below...

We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday and Read Across America Day this Friday, March 2nd.  In anticipation of this  all Memorial School students are invited to celebrate...
- TIE DAY on WEDNESDAY, Feb 29th...wear a crazy tie or two, or more.... 

- FOX IN SOX DAY on THURSDAY, March 1st...wear crazy sox and show them off.
- SEUSSAPALOOZA at Memorial School will be FRIDAY, March 2nd...wear RED, WHITE AND BLACK to honor Dr. Seuss's 108th Birthday!

Core Values...School-wide Morning Meeting Number 2

As a part of our Responsive Classroom program, classrooms begin their day with a morning meeting.  This is a time for teachers to check in with their students and to teach children about being a good citizen, student, and friend.  In addition to this, our school has periodic "school-wide morning meetings."  At our first meeting, we presented our school's Core Values to the students highlighted by staff t-shirts, new promotional bulletin boards throughout the building, and skits put on by our very talented staff.  These core values have been established as we are developing a Response to Intervention model in the area of promoting positive behaviors.

Our next school-wide morning meeting will take place at the end of this month.  We will be highlighting two of our core values: RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY.    This will be a time where we can define these two character traits and model them for our students.  You guessed it...the staff is planning some great skits for the children demonstrating how to show respect and how to be responsible.  These values are having a very positive impact on our school culture and climate as we are seeing many examples of the core values on a daily basis in the classrooms, hallways, and playground!

An email was sent home to all families explaining an optional homework assignment from me.  Below is  a worksheet where children can draw pictures and explain what RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY means to them.  These can be turned in to your child's teacher and I will randomly select a few of them to share at our next school-wide meeting.  Forms are due on Monday February 27th.  Thank you for reinforcing our school's core values at home as well!

Patriots Day...The Final Chapter!

Our good luck has rubbed off on the Patriots as they will be competing to be Super Bowl Champions this Sunday against the Giants!  So…

PATRIOTS DAY #3 – Tomorrow (Friday 2.3.11)

We encourage students to wear their New England Patriots colors to wish our home team luck as they take on the NY Football Giants!  GO PATS!

Please…no hair color or face paint, etc.