Weekly Bulletin November 6. 2017

Upcoming Events

November 6/7 - Camp Bournedale for Grade 5

November 8 - Picture Retake Day

November 9 - No School for Professional Development

November 10 - No School for Veteran's Day

A letter from the Principal...

November 3, 2017

Dear Parents,

We are excited to announce that starting in November, we will have a new member of our Francis Wyman “staff.”  Wilson, a black lab service dog, will be joining our team for a temporary assignment at our school.  Wilson is a NEADS service dog who is in the midst of his training, and we are lucky to be a stop along his way to becoming permanently placed.  Erin Wackell, FW Speech Therapist, will house Wilson and help with his training.  He will be available to all our students at teacher’s discretion.  Therapy dogs, like Wilson, are used to open communication channels with individuals who may be struggling in some way. The dogs also serve as a calming influence for students who may have anxieties.  Wilson will be with us for a few months and then permanently placed sometime in January after he completes his training.

If you have questions about the NEADS program, please visit www.NEADS.org.   If you have questions or concerns regarding Wilson, please feel free to call me.

Sincerely,

Nicole McDonald

Francis Wyman Recognizes "Self-Control" at our 1st schoolwide SOAR Assembly!

A huge THANK YOU to Officer Bernie & Officer Joe, along with his K9 partner Havoc, for joining the Francis Wyman school community today as we celebrated and praised all students for demonstrating our schoolwide SOAR values.  

Havoc demonstrates his amazing self-control as he awaits Officer Joe's command which will allow him to grab his favorite toy!

Do you want to build a scarecrow?

As part of the SOAR assembly festivities, students participated in a relay race to build a scarecrow using their teachers as props.  Thank you to Ms. Hayes, Mr. Rebelo, Mrs. Schultz, Mrs. Remy, and Mr. Poland for volunteering and taking part in the fun!  Students had to demonstrate self-control by balancing a ball on a tennis racket while walking up to their teacher before they could add another piece to the scarecrow's outfit.  Teams raced to build their scarecrow the fastest - and the winning scarecrow team was .  .  .  .  Mr. Rebelo!  Great teamwork, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship were shown by all.

Mr. Rebelo was happy to show off his #1 scarecrow!

Recognizing Anxiety in Children

Burlington Special Education Parent Advisory Council will be hosting a night with Staff Psychologists from McLean Anxiety Mastery Program. This is a unique opportunity to hear from professionals in the field who have been working with the BPS helping to educate staff on recognizing anxiety in students. As we know, anxiety is a normal part of childhood, and every child goes through phases. But, how do you recognize when your child is really struggling or becomes stuck in a negative cycle, impacting their progress in school and their social and emotional well-being? When children are anxious, even the most well-meaning parents can fall into that cycle and, not wanting their child to suffer, actually exacerbate the anxiety. 
Katie Thorpe Blaha, PhD and Julia Martin Burch, PhD will lead a discussion on: 

• Strategies for recognizing anxiety in children, including information about how anxiety can present in school

• Ways to support anxious kids at home that partner well with school-based strategies

• Approaches to communicating with your child’s teachers and school counselors, including what school-based supports might be relevant for children experiencing anxiety

This presentation is geared toward all students not just those students receiving Special Education. 

All are welcome to attend!

November 8th

6:45-8:30pm, doors open at 6:45pm 

(presentation begins at 7:00pm)

Grandview Marion Tavern

55 Center Street, 2nd floor

http://www.mcleanhospital.org/