Friday, September 26, 2014

Hello Delaney Families!
It is hard to believe that we are finishing our fourth week of school. The students are hard at work solving Math problems, reading with fluency, and writing with stamina. At recess they are enjoying some of the best weather we have ever had in September. Here are some highlights of the week:

Some Kindergarteners worked on an Open Circle Lesson that has the focus of "School Listening Look".




The following information comes from Mrs. Mariotti, our amazing music teacher. You may recognize her as she helps with arrival each morning in Delaney!
 
 


Here is what we learned during September…

Composer of the Month is….Johann Sebastian Back

Kindergarten: Welcome to music with Ms. Mariotti! We have a lot of fun in music class. We sing, play instruments, dance, and act. We are off to a great start learning each other’s names and the routine in music class. We learned that a steady beat is like the ticking of a clock. We discovered the difference between a steady beat and an unsteady beat while clapping, moving, listening and playing instruments. We made our arms into a clock pendulum to feel a steady beat while singing “Hickory, Dickory Dock”. During another class, we kept a steady beat on the gathering drum while singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. We also played a name game where each child played a steady beat on the Djembe drum as they sang their name. (The children love that drum!!) We sang many songs such as, “The Wheels on the Bus”, “If you are happy and you know it”, “ABC”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “Doggie, Doggie Where’s Your Bone”. We loved dancing with scarves during creative movement and practiced our colors while singing the song, “The Parade of Colors”. We also learned an activity called, “Be My Shadow”. It is a very fun song where we take turns following and leading. It can be hard waiting our turns but I was very proud of each of them as they tried their best! Soon we will began a unit called, “Music is Every Where”. We will find music and steady beats in the classroom, at home and in nature. We will also be looking for long and short sounds (rhythm) in our names and in the music.

First Grade: Welcome back to another great year of music at the Delaney School! It has been wonderful to have you back in class! We began the school year playing lots of name games. We learned about pitches and solfege (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) while singing the song, “Doe a Deer”. This month we are focusing on two particular pitches, “so” and “mi”. We learned a singing game called, “Cuckoo” where each child performed the “so-mi” pattern. We also took turns playing a steady beat on the big wooden xylophone to add a nice sounding accompaniment to our song. We played many follow the leader type singing games such as “Spin Around” and “Shake it” and “Be My Shadow”. We sang a lot of songs such as; “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah”, “Wheels on the Bus” and “Doe a Deer”.  We began a unit on rhythm sticks. We learned “waiting position” and “ready position”. We explored all the ways to play the sticks and enjoyed a song called, “This is the Way We Play” and each child took turns showing a new pattern or way to play the rhythm sticks. We also learned how to play an accompaniment to the song “Mr. Sun”. Students also played freeze dance to the music of a famous classical composer named, Johann Sebastian Bach. We listened to his famous song, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor”. It has a scary, eerie sound to it. Did you know Bach had twenty children?? Soon we will learn about rhythm (patterns of long and short sounds) and will compose “Leaf Music” using long (ta) and short (ti-ti) sounds. It was a great start to a new year!

Second Grade: Welcome back to music! I have many wonderful things planned ahead for you! We began music by identifying the difference between our speaking voice and our singing voice. I created a new instrument. I call it my phone. It is really just pcv piping to look like a phone. However, it is a wonderful tool to hearing your voice. The children were amazed to hear their speaking voice and their singing voice using my phone. It was wonderful to watch their little eyes light up when they truly heard their voice for the first time. We practiced matching pitch (particularly “so”, “mi” and “la”) and explored with our voices. We also focused on solfege (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) and began to learn the Kurwen Hand Signs too. We also began to learn the difference between the “beat” and the “rhythm” to a song. The beat is a steady pulse like a clock ticking and does not change. The rhythm is patterns of long and short sounds. We practiced playing the beat on a hand drum while playing a game called, “Circle Game”.  We also explored the difference between a beat and a rhythm while playing a game called, “Concentration”. During this game, we kept a steady beat with our hands while passing the beat on a tambourine. We each needed to say the rhythm of our names one at a time. The rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds. It was really fun discovering the rhythm of each person’s name. We even speed up the tempo (the speed of the beat) as we played. It is trickier than it sounds! We reviewed two basic rhythms, quarter notes (“ta”) and eighth notes (“ti-ti”). We learned a movement game called, “Four in a Boat” and we wrote out the repeating rhythm (ta, ti-ti, ta, ti-ti, ta, ta, ta) of the song together on the board using quarter and eighth notes. We have begun writing our first song by arranging patterns of quarter and eighth notes. Students arranged themselves in small groups to perform these patterns using rhythm sticks, tamborines, sandblocks and tubano drums. Each child performed their rhythm and then was able to perform their classmate’s rhythms. Soon, we will be expanding our knowledge of rhythm to include rests (silence) and half notes (“ta-aa”).  Grade two students learned about a famous classical composer named, Johann Sebastian Bach. We listened to his famous song, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor”. It has a scary, eerie sound to it. Did you know Bach had twenty children??

Third Grade: Welcome to music with Ms. Mariotti!! I am so excited to be teaching you more music this year! In third grade, we learn how to read music and play the recorder. Students are so excited to begin the recorder and many have asked when and how to get their recorder. I will be sending a letter home by the end of September with all of this information. We will have all recorders ordered by mid-late October and will begin playing them in December. We began the year with many name games such as “Soup, Soup, Soap, Soap”, “You Who” and “Who is on Your Right?” We had fun exploring with sounds and rhythms while echoing various patterns/movements. We also played a game called “Musical Detective”. We needed to practice being a good leader and a good follower. Team work was the key! We are beginning to read music. Music is written on a staff. The staff has five lines and four spaces. Notes can be placed on the lines or the spaces of the staff. Each third grader decorated a note and placed it on either a line or space on our staff in the hallway. Soon we will be learning the sayings for the line notes and space notes. These sayings help us identify the notes (letter names) on the staff. Reading music notes will make playing the recorder so much easier!  Grade three students learned about a famous classical composer named, Johann Sebastian Bach. We listened to his famous song, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor”. It has a scary, eerie sound to it. Did you know Bach had twenty children??
 
 
 
 
PTO continues with their fall fundraiser. Orders are due by October 1st.
 
 
 
The staff vs. Wrentham Police charity softball game has been changed to Thursday October 2nd at 6:00 due to pending rain. Please come and cheer on your favorites next week.
 
 
 
 
 
Mr.Gillespie was busy this week keeping everything in working order outside Delaney!
 
 
 
Special Person's Day is Wednesday October 22nd from 9:30-10:30
 
 
Our Students participated in the Closing Ceremony for Summer Reading on Wednesday and Delaney students had great participation in the program!
 
 
Thanks for Reading and Viewing!
Have a great weekend!
Colleen C. Wagstaff, Principal

 
 
 

 

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Hello Delaney Families!
 I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful early fall weather. The students and teachers have been very busy this week. Here are some highlights:





Kindergarten students enjoyed their complimentary pizza lunch that our Food Service staff provided this week!

Safe Arrival to School!




 


Safety for All at Delaney Morning Drop Off!

 

We are working really hard on the morning drop off procedures, and need everyone’s cooperation. The Delaney drop off has been less than ideal for everyone involved and I am continuing to try to solve the many problems it poses. The safety of our students, staff and visitors is of primary importance.  We need to follow several procedures to keep it safe:
 

·        We are working on signs to define the direction of the traffic flow that needs to be followed.
 
 
 
 
 

·        Cones are placed along the sidewalk at both the Delaney and Annex ends of the building. Please pull up to the cones to let your children out and then proceed with caution back into the driving lane. Do not let children out at any other location unless you are parking.



·        Be mindful of students leaving your vehicle on the side away from the sidewalk as cars are coming into the lot to park or go to the Annex end.

·        Leaving your car at the sidewalk holds the line up for others.

 
·        If you are getting out of the vehicle or walking your child to the door, you MUST park in a designated spot and get out.


·        Please adhere to a very cautious and slow speed limit throughout the Delaney parking lot at ALL times of the day.



Congratulations to Will Sanislow upon the completion of his Eagle Scout project on the Delaney Preschool playground. On Monday, Will had a ribbon cutting ceremony with family, friends, and dignitaries present. He was recognized by the School Committee Tuesday evening!



Fall fundraiser is underway and orders are due by October 1st.



Lost and found is located in the storage room next tot he Delaney Cafeteria and accessed from the hallway. The room is marked with a wall sign. As mentioned in the Back to School notes, items will be kept for the month and anything unclaimed will be recycled or disposed of at this time. Due to lack of space and to keep our school healthy and clean, we cannot store items long term. Please accompany your child to retrieve lost items.

Police vs. Staff  Softball Game  Thursday September 25th at 6:00!


This week, several of our classes viewed  "Alexander, The Elephant Who Couldn't Eat Peanuts".  This educational video helps to introduce some basis information regarding food allergies and reinforces the importance of  not sharing food and being mindful of individual differences.  This video is a small part of our ongoing efforts to keep all Delaney students safe and healthy.  For more information, please feel free to contact our school nurses.
 

 
 
The positive referral program was started several years ago as a means to recognize students who are making choices and modeling the schools' Core Values.
The Core Values are:
Respect
Responsibility
Collaboration
Communication
Continuous Growth and Learning
 
Congratulations to the following students for receiving a Positive Referral this week!  These two first graders both helped a friends in need without being prompted!

 



   Special Person's Day is Wednesday October 22nd  9:30-10:30



Thank you for reading and viewing!
Have a great weekend!

Colleen C. Wagstaff
Principal


Friday, September 12, 2014

Week 2

Hello Delaney Families,
I hope the first full week of school was terrific for everyone! We have just finished 9 days of  learning and I am happy to report that the students and teachers are all settling in to the new year.

It was wonderful to see so many parents attending open house on Thursday evening.  This event always shows how vital parents are to the educational success of their children.  I appreciate all who came to hear about the many areas of learning your children will be experiencing. Thank you for coming and being important partners in the learning process.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PTO in the Delaney Lobby at Open House
 
The first fall fundraiser has begun!
 
 


Events of the Week

Dr. Cameron held a convocation for all students in both Delaney and Roderick Schools. He shared a power point of photographs that introduced himself to the students and gave great examples of how our Core Values should look from the student perspective. Ask your child how loud it was when we all yelled "Wrentham"!




Dr. Cameron was also busy reading to all Kindergarten and Grade 1 classes this week! He will be visiting Pre-K, Grade 2, and Grade 3 over the next two weeks.





New Fence

Thank you to Glenn Gillespie for installing a fence near the bus circle that keeps the children safe as they walk!






                                                                                    
 
Drop off Reminder

Children may not be dropped off prior to 8:10 when school personnel appears. There is no supervision for your child prior to that time. Teachers are not in their rooms due to meetings, collaboration, and office chores. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.




Nurses Corner



Welcome back families of the Delaney School! Here are a few topics for this week’s blog:

Please know that your school nurses are monitoring the much publicized Enterovirus.  Please refer to the CDC website @ www.cdc.gov for the latest information regarding this virus.

Simple measures to keep your child healthy include:

·        Encourage proper hand washing after bathroom use and before eating- consider sending in a hand wipe in your child’s lunch box or back pack so hands can be wiped before lunch

·        If your child has asthma, contact your child’s doctor for guidance since children with asthma are at higher risk for respiratory illnesses

·        Have your child get adequate rest and encourage a healthy diet


Food Allergy Awareness:

If your child is in an allergy aware classroom, please help us keep our fellow students safe by sending in only those packaged foods with proper ingredient labels. If the room is a nut safe room, please do not send in foods that are labeled “processed in a facility that processes or manufactures peanut, tree nuts or this food may contain traces of peanuts or tree nuts.” These foods seem harmless but do put our students with food allergies at risk of accidental exposure.

The school staff greatly appreciates your cooperation!
 
 
Thank you for reading and viewing!
Have a great weekend.
Colleen C. Wagstaff
Delaney Principal
 

 

 





Monday, September 8, 2014

September 9, 2014 Back to School

Welcome back Delaney Families!

The students of Delaney have had a terrific week meeting their teachers and new friends and their excitement is infectious!  This will be a great year!

Each Friday I plan to use the blog to update you regarding school events, exciting happenings, and important reminders. You can sign up for automatic update Emails that will tell you when new information has been added. In addition, you will receive an Email blast from the superintendent's office reminding you that there is new information. I hope that you find this means of communication helpful and welcome suggestions and feedback.

Thank you in advance for reading and viewing.

Sincerely,
Colleen C. Wagstaff
Delaney School Principal




Day 1 arrival






  • Please drive carefully and slowly when dropping your children during morning arrival. Students should exit directly onto the sidewalk and not into the parking lot.  School drop off is at 8:10 as there is no supervision until then.
  • Please be sure to send a note to your child's teacher regarding any change in dismissal procedures. Keep in mind that children may not be allowed to ride a different school bus except in emergency situations. Please contact the Delaney Office for permission should such an occasion arise.
  • Open House for Delaney School will be held on Thursday September 11th.

      Grade 1:  5:30-6:30
    Grade 2: 6:00-7:00
    Grade 3:  6:30-7:30
    Kindergarten:  7:00-8:00




Welcome to New Staff Members!

It is my pleasure to welcome and introduce you to the newest members of the Delaney School. Some are new and some have changed roles.

  • Dr. Allan Cameron  -   Superintendent of Schools
  • Miss Christine Walsh- Half Day Kindergarten Teacher
  • Mrs. Judy Maxwell- Half Day Kindergarten Teacher
  • Miss Stephanie Williams- Full day Kindergarten Teacher
  • Miss Erin Blake-  Grade 1 Teacher
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Marineau- Grade 2 Teacher
  • Mrs. Hana McGowan - Math Specialist
  • Ms. Justine Precourt- Occupational Therapist
  • Ms. Catelin Thompson- Special Needs Inclusion Teacher
  • Mrs. Kelly Christy- Special Needs Teacher
  • Mrs. Anna Marcet- Integrated Preschool Teacher
  • Mrs. Suzanne LeBlanc- Preschool Paraprofessional
  • Mrs. Cheryl Spada- Preschool Paraprofessional
  • Mrs. Debbie Webster-  Special Needs Administrative Assistant





Miss Blake is teaching Grade 1 in the very classroom where she spent Kindergarten with Mrs. Nunes!





New Lost and Found Plan- 2014-2015
After cleaning out, and textile recycling over 200 pounds of unclaimed clothing, it seemed prudent to create a new plan.  Storage of Lost and Found items is difficult and at times unsanitary.
Going forward, we will now donate all unclaimed items after the last day of each month.
Lost and Found: Delaney School storage next to cafeteria, accessed through main hallway. 
Please accompany your child to search for items.




Thank you to the PTO for providing teachers with a special first day welcome!

WTA Softball Game Fundraiser 2014 

Wrentham Staff vs. Wrentham Police 


WhenThursday, September 25th @6:00 P.M.
Where: McMorrow Field (behind Roderick School)
Rain Date:  Friday, September 26th @6:00 P.M.
Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Colleen C. Wagstaff
Delaney School Principal