A Time of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our FWS families! May you make some new memories with family and friends while enjoying some rest and relaxation!  I am most thankful for being principal of Francis Wyman School because of the delightful students, terrific teachers, super support staff, and fabulous families. It takes commitment and collaboration from every member of our school community to provide quality education for our students and I feel most fortunate to experience such a supportive community each and every day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Pilgrims and Native Americans - Gr 3

The Thanksgiving Spirit - Gr 3

Please don't eat turkey... "Disguised Turkeys" Gr.4 

Gr. 3 and Gr. 4 Combined Art Project

Soldiers Visit Classrooms

Soldiers Visiting Mrs. Cook's K Class

Once again this year, students of Francis Wyman School have been very generous supporting our troops overseas. We have collected candy for the soldiers in the Middle East in the “Treats for Troops” campaign and donated items for the “Honor Our Heroes” program. The students contributed to the 1600lbs of leftover Halloween candy, wrote encouraging letters, and drew colorful pictures to raise the soldiers’ spirits.Students were delighted when the soldiers visited their classrooms in honor of Veteran's Day. They were able to learn first hand how much it meant to the soldeirs to be remembered by the students and how much they appreciate receiving the candy, cards, letters, and gifts. The Honor Our Heroes collection is still going on until November 23rd and items may be dropped off at Francis Wyman School or BHS. Examples of needed items are: At&T phone cards, chapstick, granola bars, pens, sugar-free gum, dried fruits, etc.

Francis Wyman Hosts Learning Walks for Burlington Teachers

On Monday, Francis Wyman School was proud to host an afternoon of "Learning Walks" for a team of Burlington teachers. The teachers are being trained by John Antonetti in the the Look 2 Learn program. This program provides a framework for teachers so that they can have an opportunity to visit classrooms and observe students learning right in the moment. Teachers rarely have a chance to visit classrooms, especially those of their colleagues. This approach provides an opportunity much like that of "hospital rounds". Teachers can learn from each other from this practical experience.



Learning Walk Team





The teachers visit the classrooms in teams of two or three and observe students in class. In an effort to gather the student perspective, the teachers briefly talk to one or two students about what they are learning in that particular lesson. After several classroom visits, the team of teachers meet to discuss what they observed and analyze student engagement as it relates to "Engaging Qualities". The purpose of this experience is not to evaluate teachers, but to provide teachers with an authentic experience that will allow teachers to reflect about the craft of teaching, share their knowledge and insight, and ultimately learn from each other.

Engaging Qualities include:

Personal Response

Clear/Modeled Expectations

Emotional/Intellectual Safety

Learning with Others

Sense of Audience

Choice

Novelty/Variety

Authenticity



John Antonetti and teachers discuss observations



The Look 2 Learn team was able to visit classrooms in all grades, including specialist classes. FW teachers welcomed the teams into their classrooms which was most appreciated by the participants. Students were excited about the visitors and enjoyed talking to the teachers. Please visit the Superintendent’s blog for more information about the Learning Walks, including a brief video clip of an interview with John Antonetti regarding his perspective of the day.

Dr. Conti joins the fifth grade students as they participate in a discussion.