"CARES" Day - February 15, 2013

It was a CARES Kind of Day! 

On Friday, Francis Wyman Elementary School had school-wide celebrations to recognize the successful demonstration of the CARES values. 

"R for Respect" and "S for Self- Reliance"

It was announced in the morning, that every class had earned some "special activity time" as a result of demonstrating great behavior in the cafeteria. Each class earned at least 100 CARES coupons for  following the behavior expectations. The teachers planned a 10 minute activity for the whole class to enjoy during the day. THe fourth grade earned the most coupons so they had a 15 minute activity.

CARES Assembly

The CARES Assembly is an "All School Assembly" in which all students, teachers, and staff participate. There are three CARES Assemblies each year. The assemblies  begin with  the entire school chanting the CARES cheer that was developed by the Student Council several years ago.

"C for Compassion"  - Student Council

The Student Council   takes a lead role in preparing and leading these assemblies. The Student Council  reminds the school of what each letter means through their special readings. They celebrate the "Compassion" of the school by highlighting the successful community  projects that they have spearheaded. The food drive brought in hundreds of pounds of food that was donated to the Burlington Food Pantry and the Merrimack Valley Food Pantry. The school collected many coats to keep people warm this winter through the "Coats for Kids" drive. Now we are working on collecting items for "Cradle to Crayons" campaign. We have already collected a huge box of clothing, toys, school supplies, and more for kids in need. The next project will be the annual "Pennies for Patients" drive which will support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The class who collects the most money will get a prize.

"A for Accomplishment" - Accelerated Reader Challenge

At the CARES Assembly in November,  Mrs. Astone challenged the school to read 1,000 books through the Accelerated Reader program by the February assembly. The school not only met the goal, but exceeded it with the following results: 

Total Books Read - 1,616

Total Words Read - 31,350,358

Mrs. Astone read each and every student's name who participate the AR program this year to date. The students stood and were recognized by the whole school. All students in the school received an AR bookmark in celebration of our accomplishment.  The students who earned the most points in Accelerated Reader were given a special prize. 

Grade 1  1st Place - Robbie Geswell and 2nd Place - Will McLean

Grade 2  1st Place - Saad Ahmad and 2nd Place - Cassidy Myer

Grade 3  1st Place - Domonick Lamoretti and 2nd Place- Trinolka Basu

Grade 4  1st Place - Finnian Gunther and 2nd Place -  Anika Bharatan

Grade 5  1st Place - Olivia Perry and 2nd Place - Ravi Patel

Mrs. Astone announced the big surprise that the school earned for reading over 1,000 books. The students were treated to a special afternoon  assembly with Odds Bodkin, a well known storyteller. Thanks to the PTO for supporting this enrichment program for our students! They earned it!

The new challenge for the rest of the school year is to have every student in grades 1-5 read at least one book in the Accelerated Reader Program. Mrs. Astone also challenged the school to read another 2000 books by the end of June.

"E for Enthusiasm" - Music and Dance

Mrs. Peabody and Mrs. Potts led the entire school in the singing of the school song. We even did it in a round! All the students and staff members danced the "Move It" dance of the month. It was a wonderful sound and a sight to see!

Storyteller Odds Bodkin entertained the the students for the afternoon! Thank you PTO for all your support! If you would like to hear him tell his stories you can visit his website www.oddsbodkin.net/

Register on the Francis Wyman SHOP.COM to support our school!

From the PTO:

Did you know ,that by registering on the Francis Wyman SHOP.COM website, you not only have access to thousands of  stores to shop at, but you also have access to the world's most advanced health and nutrition supplements?

Visit www.shop.com/franciswymanpto
 

• Drink your vitamins and get maximum absorption! Get 2% cash back while boosting your immune system--very important during this year's flu season-BUY Isotonix vitamins!

• Check out the Health and Nutrition tab on shop.com and get access to anti-aging supplements, antioxidants, children's health, digestive supplements, heart health and more! Read about the science behind each product--you will be amazed!

• Remember that by registering and buying anything viawww.shop.com/franciswymanpto web portal, you are directly helping support the wonderful programs that our Francis Wyman School provides for our students and teachers, and earning CASH BACK FOR YOU!

Getting Started is Easy!
 

  Visit our website at www.shop.com/franciswymanpto
 

• Register as a Preferred Customer
• Click “Sign in” in the upper right hand corner
• Enter your e-mail address
• Select “I’d like to create a new account”
• Follow the prompts and enter info@franciswymanpto.org where it asks for the e-mail address of the person who referred you
• You are now eligible to earn 2- 35% on qualified purchases
• Share this site with friends & family through social media to ask them to shopon our portal!
• Go Shopping! Whether its for special occasion shopping or every day purchases, you earn CASH BACK and the PTO earns points. Use the search box at top of screen to find a specific item or product you are looking for
• Use the search box at the top of the screen to find a specific item or type of product you’re looking for
• Use Shop "Stores" to find a specific partner like Best Buy or Walmart, Game Stop and more
• Use “Shop All Departments” to shop via category
• Use Hot Deals to find special deals and coupons to save even more money!
• Go to "Auctions" to bid on everything from watches to vacations!

From the Burlington PAC - Basic Rights Presentation March 4

The Burlington PAC would like to invite everyone to our annual Basic Rights presentation. Monday March 4 at 7:00 P.M. in the School Committee Room at Burlington High School. The room will open at 6:30 to allow parents to network. Maureen Ryan will present for the Federation for Children with Special Needs. Here is a little more information from the Federation:

Basic Rights in Special Education: This workshop provides families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is designed to help parents learn how to be effective partners with their child’s school to decide the child’s eligibility for special education, and to plan, make decisions and monitor their child’s progress in school.

For more information on this event or the Burlington PAC please contact Dennis McCarron at dandmmccarron@hotmail.com or 781-273-5663 or Lisa DeRosa atlmderosa@yahoo.com or 781-365-0124.

Sincerely,
Dennis McCarron, Chairman Burlington PAC

Weekly Bulletin

FRANCIS WYMAN SCHOOL - WEEKLY BULLETIN

February 15, 2013

Important Dates:

February 18 – 22 – Winter Vacation, No School

March 1  - Dr. Seuss Day, Read Across America

March 7   9am Parent Coffee at True North, all welcome!!

March 9 – 11th Annual Francis Wyman Family Carnival, 10:00am-2:00pm

March 15 – Grade 5 DARE Pizza Party, Fox Hill School, 6pm – 8pm

Recess

We will continue to have recess outdoors any day that the temperature is above 20 degrees.  If students would like to play in the snow, they must bring the proper attire, including snow pants, hat, and mittens/gloves.  Please have students wear a jacket everyday.  Thank you!

Preschool Registration

The Burlington Early Childhood Center (BECC) is currently accepting applications for the the 2013-2014 school year.  The BECC is an integrated public preschool for children ages 3-5 located at Burlington High School.  We support children of all abilities in both general education and special education settings.  We also provide support in the areas of speech and language, fine motor, and gross motor development.  We offer both morning and afternoon programs.  Please visit our website for more information about our programs at
http://www.burlington.org/departments/schools/find_your_school/burlington_early_childhood_center/index.php  or call us at 781-270-1808.

DROP OFF POOL PARTY

Step out of the cold and into a pool.  Sunday, March 3 AAC 2021 has paired up with the Boys & Girls Club of Woburn to host a DROP OFF POOL PARTY(or parent stay) from 12:30 - 3:30pm.  Admission includes pizza, snacks, drinks and POOL time.  $20/first child, $15 second, $5 third or $40/ FAMILY.  Contact Jacki Pazzia for ticket reservation.  domandjacki@verizon.net  RSVP or (781)272-0912  RSVP by February 20

BEF’s annual Trivia Night is sneaking up on us!

Friday, March 1st the Burlington Education Foundation is hosting its annual trivia night at the Sons of Italy in Woburn. This year's theme is Movies, Music, and More. Now that February vacation is upon us and it's the perfect time to study up on your movies and music. Use us as an excuse to curl up on the couch with some popcorn!   
Doors open at 6:30 and trivia starts at 7. The tables cost $150. There can be four to ten people at each table. Prizes are awarded to the winners, best costumes, and best table spread. There will be a cash bar and you may bring whatever food you wish. Don't forget some extra cash to buy some mulligans!

 As always, team “uniforms” or costumes are encouraged!! If you are in need of some inspiration, check out pictures from last year's event on our Facebook page or blog. Prizes are awarded to the winners, best costumes, and best table spread. There will be a cash bar and you may bring whatever food you wish. Don't forget some extra cash to buy some mulligans!

Register your team now! Call 781-572-5002 or email desantis.chelsea@gmail.com.

Check out our NEW Facebook and Twitter pages!

Are You Sure Your Child Isn't Using Social Media?

The following is a post from Patrick Larkins' blog, "Learning in Burlington".


Are You Sure Your Child Isn't Using Social Media?

What Apps Is Your Child Using?

Just because your child does not have a Facebook or Twitter account does not mean they are not using social media resources. I have been hearing rumblings from various communities (including Burlington) about elementary and middle school-aged children making poor choices with social media resources. I am certain that in many cases that the parents of these kids are unaware that their kids are over- sharing personal information, posting and viewing inappropriate pictures and having inappropriate conversations with friends AND STRANGERS. 

The bottom line here is that parents need to check on every app that their children are adding to their iPod, iPad, iPhone or other web enabled device, We have moved so quickly from the days when our biggest web-based concern regarding our children was a desktop computer in a common area of our homes. As we are well aware many of the gadgets that they  carry in their pockets can do so much more that those desktops could ever do. With new social media apps  and websites coming onto the scene at breathraking pace,  it is not surprising that parents can't keep up

A Little Advice For Parents: read on.....

http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/

To read more about this topic, please connect to Assistant Superintendent Patrick Larkin's blog "Learning in Burlington"  for some great advice. 

The Bear Exhibit is Here!

Thanks to the Burlington Science Center, the students will be able to enjoy this display and learn some interesting facts about bears. These life-sized bears are quite a sight!

!

Singing with Mrs. Astone

It has been great fun visiting kindergarten and first grade classrooms over the past few weeks. The visits  give the students a chance to talk to the principal in a comfortable setting and to have some fun together singing. Discussions have focused on encouraging students to follow the behavioral expectations so that everyone can focus on learning. When asked what the students think the principal does,  their answers include "keeping everyone safe"," making sure students behave properly", and "telling the teachers what to do" !

PTO Event - Ladies Night Out

Please join the Francis Wyman PTO for

Ladies Night Out

Monday February 11, 2013

Border Cafe

128 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington

7pm – 10pm

Appetizers will be provided

Come out to see your friends and meet some new moms in the Francis Wyman community.  We hosted this event two years ago and it was really fun and a great turnout. We hope to see you there! 

Please RSVP via the Francis Wyman Facebook page (write a comment or respond to the Event posting), or send an email to info@franciswymanpto.org so that we can get an accurate headcount.

Wee Deliver Addresses

If you would like to send your child a letter using the "Wee" Deliver Mail System in school, please see the list of addresses in the PAGES section of the blog.  This fun, mini postal service will be going on until February 14.  Please do not send food or candy with your letters.  Thanks for participating!

Parent Coffee at True North

This month's Parent Coffee at True North is tomorrow, February 5 at 9:00 am. If you were not able to attend last month, maybe you can make it tomorrow. The agenda is open so please come with your questions or concerns. Hope to see you there!

February 1 Bulletin

FRANCIS WYMAN SCHOOL - WEEKLY BULLETIN

February 1, 2013

Important Dates:

February 4, 5, 6 – Incoming Kindergarten Registration

Feb 5 – 9am Parent Coffee with the Principal at True North, all welcome!

February 4 – 15 – Jump Rope for Heart

February 13 – Used Bookstore Open

February 18 – 22 – Winter Vacation, No School

March 9 – 11th Annual Francis Wyman Family Carnival, 10:00am-2:00pm

Jump Rope for Heart

The Francis Wyman School and Physical Education Department is proud to announce the Jump Rope for Heart event to raise funds for the American Heart Association will take place February 4-15, 2013.  The money our school raises will help fund potentially lifesaving research into heart and blood vessel disease and stroke, which are our nation’s number 1 and 3 killers, according to the American Heart Association. It will also fund the development of materials that teach the importance of heart health and staying fit. Please contact our PE teachers if you have questions:

Neil Rebelo, 781-238-6847 or   Pat Magee 781-238-6837

Francis Wyman Elementary School’s 2013 Family Carnival

Save the Date! The Carnival will be held Saturday, March 9^th from 10am-2pm. Be sure to join us for Francis Wyman Elementary School’s biggest social event of the year! We’ll have games and prizes for the kids, raffles, refreshments and a whole lot more!

The Carnival Committee Needs Your Help. Please Volunteer to Help at the Carnival, Donate a Gift Basket or Prize for the Raffle, Bake or Buy a Cake for the CakeWalk, or Make Some Goodies for the Bake Sale…

Visit http://www.franciswymanpto.org/carnival/ to sign up and find out more about this year’s Carnival!