.

Our MCAS Report Card Has Arrived

On Friday, March 26, 2010, parents received a hard copy of our 2009/2010 No Child Left Behind Report Card from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts De-partment of Elementary and Secondary Education. It is a lengthy document that contains detailed and worthwhile information about how Glenwood Elementary School students fared on the 2009 MCAS as compared to students in the district and in Massachusetts. For your convenience, it is also posted on our webpage at

www.wrsd.net/glenwood.

Being a recipient of Title One funding requires that we disclose this information

so you can be assured just how well we are doing with those resources.

As you review the information, you will notice that in 2009, Glenwood Elemen-tary School achieved adequate yearly progress (AYP) in all content areas, sub groups, and grade levels. This was due to the effort put forth by our students, parents, faculty, and staff as they understood the job at hand and rose to the oc-casion to do what had to be done. If you have any questions about this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me at 508-886-0399 or at

Anthony_gasbarro@wrsd.net.

From the Principal, Mr. Gasbarro

From the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Dennis I’m excited to share some wonderful technology news! Glenwood has ac-cess to a fantastic website, www.discoveryeducation.com as part of a pilot program. This site is part of the Discovery Channel and houses thousands of high quality, teacher approved videos, segments, images, games, skill building exercises and audio clips. Students can search by content, grade level or media and have access to the site 24 hours a day. This is a won-derful tool that teachers are using in the classroom to support content in-struction. I encourage you to check out the student version at home.

Username: glenwoodes Password: student

We continue to have access to www.brainpop.com

Monday-Friday, 7:30am – 5:30pm.

Username: glenwoodbp Password: student

Glenwood Elementary School, 65 Glenwood Road, Rutland, MA 01543 Ph. 508-886-0399 Fax. 508-886-0392 www.wrsd.net

April and May

Volume 3, Issue 3

Glenwood News

Important Dates

Tuesday, April 6th

Term End Monday, April 12th-16th

Book fair week

Friday, April 16th

Report Cards

Mon.-Fri. April 19th-23rd

April Vacation

Tuesday, April 27th

Community Reading Day

Wednesday, April 28th

Principal’s Chat 6:00, PTO 7:00

Friday , April 21st Principal’s Chat 9:15 AM

Thursday, May 6th

Spring Pictures

May 10th –19th MCAS

Wednesday, May 12th

1/2 day

Friday, May 14th

Ladies Night 6:30-8:00

Wednesday, May 19th

Principal’s Chat 6:00, PTO 7:00

Friday, May 21st

Principal’s Chat 9:15 AM

Inside this Issue

Partner Classroom and Kindergar-ten

3

Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5 5

Music, Physical Education, and Art 6

Pyschologist, Nurse 7

Library, PTO and SIMCO 8

Car pick-up and Bus Expectations 9

Principal’s Chat and Ask the Principal 10

Spotlight on literacy, Spec. Ed., Title 1 2

Grade 1 and Grade 2 4

2

Special Education

Title OneTitle OneTitle OneTitle One

““““Reading between the lines,” Reading between the lines,” Reading between the lines,” Reading between the lines,” or making an inference, is something that experienced readers do quite

often. This comprehension skill is one that must be modeled and taught to growing readers. When

we infer, combining what we know with what we’ve read, we can determine an awful lot about

what an author left out – what’s between the lines. We can often discover an author’s message, tak-

ing a lesson from our reading. Like many comprehension strategies, inferring demands discussion.

Asking your child to infer, or make a best guess, is great practice for strengthening all of their reading

skills. Ask about a character’s action, about an event, or even about a story’s setting. Older students

are often asked to make inferences in their MCAS written responses. Providing details from the text

combined with our own thinking is a terrific way to demonstrate that we are making inferences while

we read.

This March, HCTV-13, Holden Community Television, will premiere the second part in the series “Spotlight

on Literacy,” a documentary highlighting the components of the WRSD Literacy Initiative in elementary

schools throughout the five towns. This episode will provide viewers with an in-depth look at how the dis-

trict customizes reading instruction in K-5 classrooms. This episode of Spotlight on Literacy examines the

three types of small-group instruction inherent in the district’s Readers’ Workshop approach. Types of small-

group instruction highlighted include guided reading, strategy groups, and literature circles. Additionally, the

program explores conferring, or 1:1 instruction and assessment, provided regularly for each student. Finally,

viewers are introduced to a three-tiered approach to intervention in the schools known as Response to In-

tervention (RTI), for students who need additional support.

HCTV-13 will air “Spotlight on Literacy: Customizing Literacy Instruction” back to back with the first episode on Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 9pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm, Mondays at 9am, and Tuesdays at 1pm. Copies will be forwarded to other Member Town cable stations for viewing in those communities. This pro-gram will also be available for online viewing via the District literacy website (HYPERLINK "__http://

www.wrsd.net/literacy) and at www.HCTV11.com under the “video links” tab.

Most people use a combination of learning styles but have a clear preference for just one. Under-standing your child’s learning style can make it easier for you to communicate with your child and can help reduce frustration at homework time. Educators have long been aware that learning is not one-size-fits-all. In a typical classroom, some kids process information best by hearing the teacher explain it, some learn by seeing what’s on the chalkboard, and others learn through hands-on exercises. Colleges have increasingly begun teach-ing new students about learning styles so they can develop effective study habits. Many primary and

Spotlight on Literacy Volume 3, Issue 3

3

The students in the Partner Classrooms are looking forward to a warm and sunny spring! Over the past couple months the students in the Partner Classrooms have learned a lot of exciting, new skills. We had fun learning about Dr. Seuss, doing spring activities to welcome in the new season and learning about friendship. The students work on a large variety of skills both in their cubbies and in the inclusion setting, including making personal connections with stories, counting with 1:1 cor-

respondence, and turn taking with peers. Have a wonderful spring!!

Fundations

It is amazing to see how much the children have grown throughout this reading program. Most of the children are very comfortable both reading and writing consonant-vowel-consonant words. In the next unit we began to move on to the exploration of sentence structure. The students will read short sentences and begin to write sentences. As you all are aware the children have been exposed to roughly 50 trick words.

They have been working hard on them at school and should continue practicing them at home. The children

are read, read, reading!!!

Literacy Corner

During readers workshop we have been discussing the reading strategy of forming sensory images. This is the process of making a “movie” in our head by listening to the words of the author. The children are using their five senses to create images in their head to better understand the story. The next strategy we will be learning about is retelling stories. This is an important strategy for children to learn in order to show they fully comprehend what they are reading and hearing. This tends to be a strategy we as adults take for

granted while children really need explicit instruction on characters, setting, and important events.

Everyday Mathematics In Math the children have been exploring measuring using non -standard forms of measurement. We will be working with coins and coin exchanges. This is a very difficult concept for children that needs to be reviewed at home as well. We will continue to reinforce addition and subtraction skills through the use of number sentences and number stories. We will continue our exploration with 2- and 3- dimensional shapes. We will continue to explore sorting and patterning and enforce extended counting, estimation, and numera-

tion skills.

Science

This month we will be continuing to talk about the change of seasons and appreciate the new spring arrivals. Through this process we will be talking about living and non-living things. We will also be talking about Earth

Day and how to help our environment.

Partner Classroom

Kindergarten News

Volume 3, Issue 3

Glenwood Elementary School, 65 Glenwood

Road, Rutland, MA 01543 Ph. 508-886-0399 Fax.

508-886-0392 www.wrsd.net 65 Glenwood Road

Rutland, MA 01543

Phone: 508-886-0399

Fax: 508-886-0392

E-mail: anthony_gasbarro@wrsd.net

4

Welcome Spring – Our First Graders are Blooming

First Grade April and May Newsletters

During the months of April and May in Reader’s Workshop our focuses will be Asking Questions followed by a unit on Inferring.

When reading at home together with your child they should practice: activating their schema, using context clues, creating ideas,

and engaging with you in conversation about their texts.

Writer’s Workshop will consist of a unit on Letter Writing and then Revisiting the Personal Narrative. At home, practice writing

friendly letters with your first grader. Ask them to write to family or friends – Have Fun!

In Science, our first graders will be learning about seeds and the planting process. We will be getting our hands dirty as we fill pots with garden soil and flower seeds. In the month of April, we will discuss Earth Day, and the importance of Recycling. Our chick eggs will arrive around April 28th and the children will be learning about the Life Cycle of a Chicken. We are all very excited for

the eggs to get here!

Our person of distinction for the month of April is Benjamin Franklin. In May, we will be learning about important United States symbols, landmarks, and buildings. Also in Social Studies, students will be learning about Cinco de Mayo Day – Ole’ A very special visitor will be coming to Green Pod in May! We welcome the Queen Bee, a local beekeeper who will be presenting

a special program about the importance of bees in our local community.

Sending all our first grade moms a very happy Mother’s Day!

News from Grade One

Grade Three News

News From Grade Two

CULTURAL FAIR

The second grade students recently presented a ‘Cultural Fair’ as a culminating activity of their study of the world,

communities, and cultures. The children focused their presentations on one country from which an ancestor immigrated. The

children worked hard on informational squares and display presentations on the country they chose. They presented their pro-

jects to their classmates and displayed them at our Cultural Fair. The displays included shadow boxes, mobiles, game boards,

posters, and even travel brochures!

The Cultural Fair took place in the second grade pod on Friday, February 17th. This open house was an opportunity for

family members to view the children’s work. The second grade teachers want to thank the families for attending and sending in

wonderful ethnic foods for our cultural fair. As a result of your wonderful contributions, the children were able to learn about

and sample food from around the world! Great job on your projects, second graders!

This project was a wonderful way for the children to learn about the diverse cultural backgrounds of their family

and their peers.

SCIENCE

Why did a crumpled up piece of paper fall to the floor faster than the flat sheet of paper? What is work? How do

pencils help reduce friction when using them to move a book across a desk? All of these questions will be used to engage sec-

ond graders in the scientific process in our studies of work, force, and simple machines. The second grade “scientists” are

often asked to make predictions, or hypothesis, prior to the experiment and record their observations. They are excited to

learn about the six simple machines that are used every day to make work easier!

Thank you for your continued support, The Grade 2 Team.

Volume 3, Issue 3

5

WOW! It’s hard to believe that we are already more than half way done our year. The students continue to work hard and put forth so much effort into their skills. We are proud of all the third graders. They all worked diligently

towards the MCAS exam. The children will be taking the MCAS math exam in May.

The third graders continue to work on their multiplication skills.

It is very important they learn their facts. Please reinforce the facts by visiting some great web sites; www.multiplication.com or www.funbrains.com. You also can use flash cards or just ask them the facts randomly to

build automatically.

The goal for third graders has always been to build their love for reading. We can see this goal being met by the third graders. The children are really engaging in their reading. They are demonstrating their love for books. We hope at

home you also encourage reading. It is the best way to enrich their knowledge.

The third graders had a wonderful presentation called “The Freedom Box.” This program spoke to the students first hand about slavery. Also, the third graders will see the meteorologist sometime in April. Finally, Grade 3 is planning a

field trip to the Ecotarium in May. More details will follow.

Happy Spring to ALL!!!

Spring has finally sprung here in Rutland, and we're keeping busy in the fifth grade.

We are finishing up with our study of nonfiction in both Reader's and Writer's Workshops. In reading, we've learned great strategies to help us understand and enjoy informational texts. We also did a mini genre study on drama; we have a lot of budding actors and actresses in the fifth grade! In writing, we have written our own feature articles. We

are really good at supporting our stances.

We've been having a lot of fun in science class with many experiments and labs as part of our energy unit. We are get-ting to be real experts on magnets, electricity, and sound energy. Light energy is coming up next, and then we will be moving on to a unit on biodiversity. We introduced the Invention Convention project this week; get started on your

brainstorming! We are excited to see what you come up with.

In social studies, we finished up our study of the thirteen original colonies with a great Colonial Fair. We made butter, sewed a quilt, wrote with quill pens, and created our own colonial toys! It was a very fun way to end our unit. Now,

we move into the Revolutionary War, a unit that we have all been looking forward to all year!

We want to wish our students luck on the ELA MCAS next week. Best of luck; make sure to get a good night's sleep

and eat a good breakfast. Thank you to all the parents who have donated MCAS day snacks.

Grade Three News

Grade Five News

Grade Four News

Spring is alive in fourth grade! What’s growing on? Our sunflower and tomato seed germination experiments are un-derway. Students are exploring the functions and structures of plants in science. We are beginning our study of the Wachusett Watershed and are looking forward to our field trips (May 4th: 4D & 4G and May 5th: 4B & 4F). More infor-mation to follow soon. Special thanks to parents for donating snacks for the children during MCAS Long Composition. We are working hard to prepare for the upcoming Math MCAS in May and appreciate your support in encouraging

your children to put forth their best effort!

Volume 3, Issue 3

6

Hello from the Music Room!

All students at Glenwood have begun preparing for our upcoming music performances. There will be two spring musical performances, one for grades K-2 and one for grades 3-5. The dates and information for each perform-

ance are stated below.

EIEI…Oops!~ Friday, June 4th @ 10am & 2 pm

Students in grades K-2 are learning songs for our performance of EIEI…Oops! This is a story of a cow who wouldn’t “moo!” and a farm full of other animals that will try and help the cow build up her self confidence by saying nice things about her and treating her like she is very capable and admirable. Their technique eventually works; the

cow “moos!” and everyone is the better for it!

A World of Music~ Wednesday, June 9th @ 10 am & 2 pm

Students in grades 3-5 are learning songs for our performance of A World of Music. Students in each grade

are learning folk songs from around the world as well as a few songs that celebrate the universal language of music.

Students are also learning many different accompaniment parts to be played on instruments as well as special instru-

ment only features

Mrs. Coner, Art

Amanda Arsenault, Music

Mrs. Coner, Art

Mrs. Holland, Physical Education

Kindergarten students are celebrating springtime by painting a vase

containing pussy willows.

Grade one will be learning about the artist Claude Monet. They will visit

Giverny (via dvd) and learn about his special way of painting. Then

they will create a picture in his Impressionistic style.

Grade two will be creating a three-dimensional radial design and the

inspiration will come from Amish quilt designs.

Grade three will be drawing and using collage to create a spring apple

blossom picture.

Grade four creates a bird bowl. This is a clay project that uses the coil

handbuilding technique and is glazed for a shiny surface.

Grade five is finishing a weaving project. Next, they will be learning

about printmaking and creating their own set of animal prints

Volume 3, Issue 3

Students in grades three, four, and five will have an opportunity to create their own original game. I will pro-vide each group with a set of guidelines and a list of equipment they can use. They will be working on hockey

and lacrosse skills.

Students in grades one and two will play noodle hockey. They will continue to practice all ball skills. Some

of the games they will play are: Guard Pin Knockout, Hoop it Up, and Crossfire.

Kindergarten students will continue to play Spider which helps them practice their dodging and fleeing skills. They will revisit some of the games they learned earlier including: Apples and Bananas, Star Wars, and Poke-

mon.

7

Dr. Luibovich

Mrs. Lawton, Nurse

As we are continuing to go through the second wave of the H1N1 Flu, please continue to take the following precautions according to the Department Of Public Health to help prevent getting or spreading any type of Influenza: 1. Always practice proper hand washing techniques: wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after sneezing and coughing. 2. Practice good cough/sneeze etiquette by sneezing into a tissue or your elbow instead of your hands. Discard your tissues in the basket and wash your hands again. 3. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If your child has flu-like symptoms, including a fever- do not medicate them and send them to school. Please keep them home and call your child’s Primary Care Doctor. The current guidelines from the CDC is to keep you child home for at least 24 hours after they are fever free without the use of fever reducing medications. We

are also seeing several cases of Strept throat, Bronchitis and Pneumonia this Spring.

If your child is going to be late, absent, out for a scheduled appointment, or an extended absence, please call Mrs. O’Coin and let her know. It will save some phone calls to you to verify their absence. Please keep the school updated with your current phone

numbers.

The Postural screenings have been completed. Letters went home by mail to those that needed further follow-up with the Doctor.

Again, please be cognizant of the possibility of lice. Please teach your children not to share hates or hair implements.

Looking forward to next year, I will be sending home copies of the medication sheets for you to have this Summer, so they can be filled out over the Summer at their Doctor appointments and returned in time for the new school year. There is also a copy of the medication form in the back of the Glenwood Handbook for your convenience. All medications( including Epi-Pens, Inhalers and Over the counter meds), will need to be picked up at the end of the school year, and the new medication brought in next year, with the signed medication form. All medications need to be picked up or they will be discarded. We cannot keep medications

here over the Summer.

If your child requires any medications during the school day, including cough drops, I need a medication order signed by the parent/guardian and the MD, and the medication brought to the school by the parent/guardian. Your child is not allowed to transport

medication to or from school per District Policy.

Thank you for your calls and notes to keep me informed of health changes. Please continue to forward updated physicals and Im-

munizations to me. Thanks so much and stay healthy!

Mrs. Lawton BSN, RN.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Many children experience test anxiety at some point of their lives. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. In fact, low levels of anxiety actually can help students study and perform well! However, when anxiety interferes with

test-taking and learning, it can limit student’s ability to do their best.

The following are some practical suggestions to parents on how to help children manage test anxiety:

DO DON’T

Teaching kids strategies to manage their test anxiety will help them improve their ability to think clearly and do their

best work.

Make sure your child is well rested, eats a healthy break-

fast, and gets to school on time

Don’t give excessive reassurance (such as “You’ll do great!”) Anxious kids may seek to discredit the parent’s

opinion

Make sure your child has all the needed school supplies Don’t tell your child exactly what to do; instead ask them to come up with their own plan for studying and

taking the test

Reinforce the child’s efforts (such as studying, complet-

ing homework) rather than focusing on a certain grade

Don’t ignore the problem by hoping it will go away by

itself

Teach your child to challenge negative thoughts by look-ing at the evidence against them (“Do you really fail

every test?”)

Don’t be impatient (“Just take the test and get over it!”)

Teach your child simple relaxation techniques such as

deep breathing or meditation. Practice them regularly

Don’t allow the child to avoid the situation (“You can stay home today”)

8

The Library Lady The Latest from the Library

In the library media center we are gearing up for April (also known as Book Fair month!) Please keep an eye out for all the ex-

citing things we have planned to celebrate “All you Can Read”.

Kindergarten has just finished a unit on Fairy Tales and we learned what elements are special to these stories.

First grade has enjoyed a variety of books this month including some fun Irish Folk Tales.

Second grade blasted into space with a unit on non-fiction books. We explored Black Holes on Brain Pop, read a book and did

some experiments. Do photos of black holes exist? Ask your child to find out!

Third grade completed their technology classes and are now enjoying one of my favorite books – Skinnybones by Barbara Park.

Fourth grade students have almost completed their State Quilt Square Research projects. Using encyclopedias, nonfiction

books and safe internet websites we investigated a state of choice. Look for our projects in the hallway soon.

Fifth grade is learning how to independently locate books in the library. Mapping the library, shelving books and an introduc-

tion to the Dewey Decimal system are some of the activities we do to achieve this skill.

Glenwood PTO

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Basket Bonanza a success – the teachers, staff, Glenwood families who donated items, volunteers who organized the night, volunteers who worked at the event, and the Glenwood families who at-

tended!!! Because of your efforts, we raised $2,217 for our kids!

Looking ahead…. Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held the week of April 12th thru 16th. There are family nights scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and Thursday night that week. Davis Bates, a storyteller, will be at family night on Thursday,

April 15th. Come join us to hear some good stories. We hope to see you there!

…. Ladies Night Out will be held on Friday, May 14th, in Glenwood’s gym. This is a first of this kind of event for the PTO. Various vendors such as Silpada, Avon, Mary Kay, Usborne Books and Discovery Toys are just a sampling of the vendors that will be present. We are still looking for vendors to participate, if you or someone you know sells quality products, please contact

Karen Speroni at ksperoni@verizon.net . Come join us for a night of one stop shopping with friends.

Glenwood and Naquag PTOs both have board seats available for next year. If you have served on a committee for either PTO and are interested, nominations need to be submitted by the April 28th meeting. For more information, please contact Lynn

Wiinikka at 508-886-2944.

Glenwood’s PTO meetings are April 28 and May 19 at 7:00PM in the Glenwood Art Room.

Naquag’s PTO meetings are April 28 and May 19 at 4:00PM at Naquag – babysitting is available at Naquag for their meet-

ing.

SIMCO

Glenwood SIMCO Update

The Glenwood School Improvement Council (SIMCO) held its last meeting on March 10, 2010 at 4:00 pm in the office conference room. The agenda included the acceptance of the January meeting minutes, reviewing the results of the 2010 SIMCO School Survey, an update of the Rutland

schools reconfiguration, a discussion of the Glenwood bus community, and a discussion of changes of the lunch seating arrangement.

The next Glenwood SIMCO meeting will be held on Wednesday April 14, 2010 at 4:00 pm in the office conference room. All meetings are public meetings and everyone is welcome to attend. SIMCO meeting minutes are now posted on our webpage at

www.wrsd.net.

School Improvement Plan Goals

One of our goals this year (Theme I: Goal 1) in our School Improvement Plan (SIP) was to review our mission and vision statement. Currently our vision statement is “Improving the citizens of tomorrow by learning and growing today.” Our mission statement is: “The Glen-wood Elementary School encourages children to achieve their highest potential while fostering positive academic, emotional, physical, and social growth. Through a differentiated approach to instruction, children become active, life-lone learners in an

ever-changing, technologically advanced, global society.”

Typically, all school stakeholders would be asked for their input as to whether the statements still reflected the core values of the school or if they need some adjustments to be more relevant to the needs of the population today. This would have occurred however, with the talk of the reconfiguration of the schools in Rutland in high gear right around the time of this activity, I decided to delay it for a year. This would allow us time to utilize our new families and students into the process and therefore create a vision and mission that has a direct correlation to the needs

our new stakeholders. I hope you agree and will be willing to assist us in this endeavor next year.

9

Glenwood Elementary School Car Pick Up

Expectations

Pass the door leaving school and sit on the edge of the sidewalk

Look and listen for your car

Stand behind the cone and wait until the car stops completel

On Friday, March 19th, Glenwood Elementary School had its second school wide Bus Community Meeting. Students on the same bus met with teacher facilitators and bus drivers to sign the newly created Bus Expectations that were devel-oped at last month’s meeting. The bus expectations were discussed and specific positive behaviors were pre-taught

and role played with the students. Students in the parent pick up line also met to discuss ways to improve dismissal.

Glenwood Elementary School

Bus Expectations

Be respectful of myself and others on the bus.

Be honest and take responsibility for my behavior on the bus.

Be calm and ride the bus safely.

10

Dear Mr. Gasbarro:

I would like to know why

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Name:(Optional)__________________________________________________________________________

Principal’s Chats

Ask the Principal

Ask The Principal

Dear Mr. Gasbarro,

I would like to know why parents are not informed about serious contagious diseases that are spreading throughout the school. For instance, February, one class had 6 cases of scarlet fever, two hospitalized. On another day, another

class had 7 students out with a stomach bug! I think parents should have the courtesy of knowing what is going on.

Answer:

For this answer, I asked our school nurse, Christine Lawton, for the regulations that govern these kinds of disclosures. It is impossible for parents to be informed about serious illnesses that other classmates may have for the following rea-

sons.

We are not allowed to disclose information on other students like health situations because we operate under the guidelines of HIPPA and FERPA. HIPPA is the health Information Privacy Protection Act which was started by the fed-

eral government.

We are also bound under the Wachusett Regional Confidentiality Policy that prohibits us from disclosing other stu-

dents’ health information to members of the classroom and their parents.

At different times of the school year, we may have a multitude of illnesses at Glenwood such as strept throat, bronchi-

tis, pneumonia, H1N1, seasonal flu, and stomachaches. As far as students being hospitalized, we are not always in-

formed of the reason a student is not present in school unless the parents allow that information to be shared.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Please join Mr. Gasbarro and Mrs. Dennis for the next principal chat:

Wed. April 28th at 6:00 PM

Friday April 30th at 9:00 AM

Wed. May 19th at 6:00 PM

Friday May 21st at 9:00 AM

Please call Mrs. O’Coin at (508) 886-0399 or email Anthony_gasbarro@wrsd.net to pre-register.

Dear Parents,

Please inform the school’s secretary

of any phone changes (home, cell,

work) at either 508-886-0399 or

by email at veree_ocoin@wrsd.net.

Thank you for your help in keeping

our student’s information current.

Mrs. O’Coin