Week 24 (February 24-28)

Greetings Delaney Families and welcome back!
The Delaney Staff and students returned from February vacation refreshed, ready to learn and excited for a full week of school.  We hope that you all had a wonderful break!

The 6th Annual Family Literacy Night will be held on Monday, March 3rd from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM in the Roderick School.  Teachers from the Delaney and Roderick Schools have put together a wonderful evening for all students.  Creative and exciting new programs have been added this year as well as some of the most popular activities from previous years. Our PTO will again be organizing a book swap in the cafeteria.  We hope to see you all there! 

In the event of snow, Literacy Night will be held on Tuesday, March 4th.

 
Congratulations to the following Delaney students for receiving Positive Referrals!  Keep up the great work boys and girls!

 

 

From Mrs. Lovely, our art teacher

 

 

The Artists’ Studio

 Our kindergartners are beginning a new project.  They are creating zebras.  They have begun by painting the zebras’ stripes using unusual colors for a zebra.  The students love to paint.

 

First grade students have begun to draw cats.  They establish the basic shape of the cats’ heads by drawing simple shapes.  Every artist is impressed with their beautiful work. 

 

Grade 2 has finished drawing mountainous landscapes with a river and trees.  Next, they will add color.  Each color will have a range of values.  It is exciting watching the projects develop.

 

Grade 3 is glazing their clay figures this week.  Glaze is a unique medium in which to work.  The students have quite a few things to learn before they begin glazing.  Next week, we get to discover what the sculptures will finally look like as they are removed from the kiln for the final time! 

 

 

 Mrs. Mariotti's Music Update

 

 

 

Here is what we learned during February…

 

Kindergarten: Between vacation and a few snow days, this month flew by!! The main focus this month was keeping a steady beat and following musical changes such as tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume). We played many movement games where the children would need to match their movement or singing to the changes in the music. This is a great exercise in following directions, turn taking and utilizing/controlling motor skills. As always, the children rise to the occasion! We reviewed the term “beat” and how it is steady and even like a clock or a heartbeat. We practiced keeping a steady beat while playing instruments, clapping and marching. We learned a new song called, “Heartbeat”. The children had a fun time keeping the beat with this song. Kindergartners learned many Valentine Day songs and games this month, such as “Special Valentine”, “Skinna Marinky Dink”, and “Do you Know My Valentine”. We also played a Valentine version of the classic song “Bingo” by changing the lyrics to “Heart”. We used paper heart cutouts to help us with the spelling.

 

First Grade: This month flew by between vacation and snow days! Many classes had a chance to sing a fun song called “No School Tomorrow” about making a wish for a snow day….for some classes their wish came true! The focus of this month’s music lessons was identifying and maintaining a steady beat. We learned a song called “Heartbeat” and took turns playing a steady beat on the tubano and djembe drums. The children loved those drums!!! We also identified other everyday sounds that have a steady beat such as; rain drops, drums, clock, trains, fan, motors, etc. We also reviewed the term melody. A melody is the part of a song that you would hum or sing to. We learned lots of new melodies this month such as; “Do you Know My Valentine” singing game, “Special Valentine” hand clapping game and “Doe a Deer”. We also made a valentine variation to the song “Bingo” where we changed the song to “Heart”. Many first grade classes noticed how we could re-arrange the letters of the word “heart” to make other words. It was a pretty cool teachable moment for them and their reading. We are ending the month with a story called, “Mortimor”. It is about a little boy who likes to sing very loud and keeps waking up his family. Mortimor’s family has to keep walking up and down the stairs to quiet him down. This story will lead us to learn about the musical scale and will practice singing solfege (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) while reading the story. We also reinforce this topic with a fun musical game called, “Scale Ladders”. The children have really enjoyed playing this musical board game with partners.

 

Second Grade: This month we focused on pitch (the “highness” or “lowness” of a sound). Second graders have learned the song, “Rocky Mountain High” as part of the district determined measures. Every week we build on previously learned singing skills as we perfect this traditional folk song. Ms. Mariotti continues to record the student’s voices using her ipad. Students will be completing self-assessments very soon to track their progress! We have used the song, “Rocky Mountain High” to teach various musical elements such as identifying the beat (steady, even pulse) versus the rhythm (patterns of long and short sounds). We will soon replace the lyrics of the song with the correct solfege pitches(do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do). This will be a new concept for the children, so it may take a few tries. Practice makes progress =) We also learned a Valentine’s Day song called, “Special Valentine”. It’s a fun song that teaches many musical concepts (melody, pitch, rhythm and harmony). First we had to learn the melody and its correct pitches. Then we layered in a rhythmic dance and hand clapping game. Finally, we added harmony by adding an accompaniment using Orff instruments (the big wooden xylophones). The children loved playing them!! The accompaniment was the “Heart and Soul” theme. Some students recognized the tune. It has been a great and very busy month!!

Third Grade: The main focus in third grade is learning how to read musical notation. We have spent a lot of time learning how to play three notes (G, A, and B) on the recorder and identifying these notes on the staff. During the beginning of February, we reviewed the sayings for lines (Every, Good, Boy, Deserves, Fudge) and spaces (F, A, C, E). We use these sayings to identify the notes on the staff. After February vacation, we began our testing to earn our “belts” for the recorder. Each song has a different colored “belt” associated with it. The first belt is white and the song is called “Hot Cross Buns”. The second song is called “Gently Sleep” and students can earn their yellow belt once they have mastered it. Every student has shown great progress in reading musical notation!! I am so proud of them! There are numerous cognitive and motor planning involved with playing the recorder and their hard work has shown!! As a reminder, students must bring their recorder and their music folder in order to test for their belt. Another helpful hint is to leave your recorder and folder in your backpack so you do not forget it on music day.

PTO NEWS 

 

 

Read Across Wrentham

We are in the last week of the 5 week program and everyone is doing great!  Please turn in log sheets by March 7th. 

 

Dancing with the Wrentham Stars, aka "DWTWS"

All fundraising for this event for the PTO is intended to replace the Spring Fundraiser, a product/catalog type of fundraiser.  Your support is greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

St.Patty's "Dancing for Pitman" Dance-a-Thon

Thursday, March 6th from 6-8  p.m. in the Roderick School Cafeteria.  

A pledge sheet is attached to the school website and the PTO classroom email.  

We welcome walk in registrations and pledges, so even if you have a half hour to spare, please stop by and join the fun!  There will be small kid-friendly raffles the night of the event as well.  

We still need a few small $10-$15 kid-friendly items for raffles. If possible, we prefer items that are dance related or St. Patrick's Day themed . 

Volunteers needed too, e-mail us at wrenthampto@gmail.com if you can help or donate a raffle item. 

 Pease visit the Wrentham Community Events website at www.wce02093.org to get more details on the DWTWS event. Tax deductible donations/votes can be made online to benefit Mrs. Pitman and PTO!

 

 

As a reminder, the WEST comedy night will take place on Friday, March 7th from 7-11 at Raffael's restaurant in Walpole.  Please contact WEST for further information. 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Melissa D. Peterson, Principal

 

Week 23 (February 10-14)

Greetings Delaney Families and Happy Valentine's Day!

It's hard to believe that 100 school days have already passed.  The Delaney School celebrated in style on Wednesday with themed projects and centers.

An update from Mrs. Lovely...

 

 

The Artists’ Studio

 

This week,  Grade 3 students created figures of people out of clay.  They pinched and pushed the clay around until they were satisfied with their sculptures “personality.”  They are eager to have their sculptures fired so they may glaze their figures.

 

Grade 2 students are creating mosaics by ripping previously painted paper.  Next, they place and glue the pieces into place carefully shaping their design into a recognizable figure such as a dog.  They are pleased with the outcome.   

 

Grade 1 students are applying their understanding of the seven types of lines in order to design turtles and their shells. Next, they paint with water and finally they cut triangular blades of grass. They glue the grass on with Elmer’s glue themselves.

 

Kindergartners created Dalmatian dogs by following directions.  They cut, glued, and colored to create an appealing piece of art. The process was as satisfying as the product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday, the Wrentham Co-operative Bank Science Lab officially opened.   We would like to thank WEST and the Wrentham Co-operative bank for making this lab a reality.

This interactive room will provide a perfect environment for the children to see the wonders that science has to offer and will engage their interest levels.  This room creates an environment where students, for many years to come, can receive multiple hands-on opportunities to demonstrate what they are learning.

Special thanks to Senator Ross and Representative Dooley for attending the ribbon cutting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students in Grade 3 will participate in the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS on Tuesday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 19th.

 

If at all possible, please do not schedule any medical or dental appointments for your child/children on the MCAS testing dates.  We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation in eliminating any unnecessary absences.  As always, please do not hesitate to call our teaching staff or me if you have any questions or concerns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance-A-Thon for All Students

Help Support the PTO  & our "Dancing Star" Kristin Pitman

Thursday, March 6th from 6-8pm

Roderick Cafeteria

Come out and have a great time dancing while raising money for the PTO and inspiring Mrs. Pitman to get her groove on!

Refreshments available. All students grades 3 and under require a parent present.

Extra forms can be found on the school website.

 

 

 

 

I hope that you and your family enjoy the vacation time next week.  Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 24th!

 

Sincerely,

 

Melissa D. Peterson, Principal

Week 22 (February 3-7)

Hello Delaney Families,

I hope that you all had a wonderful week!  I'm thrilled to report that we were able to go outside for recess for most of the week and that the kids had a fantastic time playing in all the snow.  Thank you to all for sending the kids in their winter attire!

Speaking of clothing...there is a massive pile of clothing items in the lost and found area off of the Delaney Cafeteria.  Hats, mittens, sweatshirts and even some coats are waiting for their owners to come by to claim them.  If you suspect that something may belong to you, please stop by and check it out. 

FYI...Periodically throughout the year, leftover items are spread out for the kids to look through.  Anything that remains unclaimed, is then donated to charity.

PreK information night - SNOW DATE- February 12th

The PreK parent informational night that was previously scheduled for February 5th, has been rescheduled to next week.  Parents are invited to meet in the Vogel Auditorium on Wednesday, February 12th at 6:00 p.m. for a brief presentation followed by a visit to the preschool classrooms.

This week students in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 participated in an online reading assessment.   Upon completion, the children grabbed a book while their classmates were finishing their work.  We are very proud of them for their hard work and outstanding effort!

Mrs. Mariotti's Music Update

 

Here is what we learned during January…

This month’s composer…..Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Kindergarten: We began the month on a unit of bells and shakers. We inspected how they made their sounds and identified what materials they were made of. We compared what was the same and different between the two instruments. We sang lots of songs, “Pretty Ponies”, “Passing around Bells/Shakers”, “Jingle, Jingle” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. We also focused on the beginning sounds of words with two fun songs called, “Round the Circle” and “Oobie, Oobie”. This is a nice transition to phonetic awareness and annunciation in singing. We also read a story called “Mozart Finds a Melody”. It tells a story about Mozart and his quest to find a melody (the part of the song you would hum or sing). He has a very special pet bird who inspired him. This story lead us to many Mozart related listening and activities such as; freeze dance and creative movement. Some highlights in music always include playing the singing game, “Doggie, Doggie Where’s Your Bone”.

This month’s composer…..Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

First Grade: This month in music we focused on the term melody. A melody is the part of a song that you would hum or sing to. We also reviewed the term composer (a person who writes music). We learned about a famous composer called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was born in Austria on January 27, 1756 and was a child prodigy. We also read a story called “Mozart Finds a Melody”. It tells a story about Mozart and his quest to find a melody. He has a very special pet bird that inspired him. We also did many Mozart related listening and activities such as; freeze dance and creative movement. We learned about patterns in music with the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. We learned about the A and B sections in music. In music, we used a yellow circle for the A section and a white circle for the B section. The children had a lot of fun making different patterns of the yellow and white circles and sang the coordinating part to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. It was a lot of fun! We also explored with various instruments such as triangle, castanets, bells and bongos.

This month’s composer…..Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Second Grade: This month we focused on rhythm. We learned about using quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes and quarter rests to make rhythmic compositions. We composed our own rhythms to play with a partner. During various music classes, we alternated using rhythmic flash cards to explore with. We also wrote our own rhythms on the white boards too. We used lots of instruments this month; bongos, shakers, guiros, finger cymbals, claves, boomwhackers, wood blocks and even body percussion! We also focused on pitch (the “highness” or “lowness” of a sound). We began our 6 week unit on solo singing as well. Every week, we will learn more about solo singing (posture, various ranges, pitch and breath support) while singing the song “Rocky Mountain High”. Ms. Mariotti has been audio recording the children’s voices using her ipad to track their progress! The children have loved hearing their voices and have already begun to make progress using their “singing voices” instead of their “speaking voices”. Lastly, we learned about our composer of the month, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We did a lesson from Classics for Kids using Mozart’s song “Turkish Rondo”. We learned that a rondo has a particular pattern of a repeating melodic theme (A section) followed by a contrasting section (B, C, D). The end result is A B A C A D A. We used the analogy of a sandwich with the bread as the A section…it made us very hungry =)

 

This month’s composer…..Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Third Grade: We are in full recorder mode! Every music class begins with a “freebie”. It means that each student gets an opportunity to play whatever they like on their recorder (improvise). This is a great exercise to give each student an opportunity for solo playing in a relaxed, casual environment. We continue to focus on the notes G, A, and B. Every student has made great improvement in learning how to play these notes smoothly and accurately. We also remind ourselves to pick up the recorder using our left hand. We have learned many songs, “Hot Cross Buns”, “Merrily We Roll Along”, “Down By the Station”, “Au Clare de Lune”, and a duet “The Big Bass Drum” and the “Triangle Song”.  We continue to review how to read music in preparation for our Recorder Karate Book. This program requires the students to read musical notation. We also break up into groups to practice ensemble playing. It is a great opportunity for students to practice beginning, playing and performing together as a small group. Cooperation and team work is a big component of any music group. Please encourage your child to practice their recorder. It is better to practice for 5-10 minutes every day instead of a marathon the night before music class. Every child who practices at least four times a week can pick a sticker. I also would like to share a friendly reminder that students keep their recorder and music folder in their backpack. When the whole class remembers their folders and recorders, they will be rewarded that class with a game during the last five minutes of class. Students will be able to test for their first belts after February vacation. 

Vision & hearing screening for all third graders is underway!

 

If you have any questions, please contact the health office at

 

x1050.  Screening for students in Grade 2 will begin next

week.

 

Students in Mrs. Nunes' kindergarten were fortunate to work with several parent volunteers last week for center time. Thank you for coming in and giving your time.  The students were thrilled to have you!

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine Dance-A-Thon for All Students

with DJ Manny Barros.

Help Support the PTO  & our "Dancing Star" Kristin Pitman

Thursday, February 13th from 6-8pm in the Roderick Cafeteria

See the pink flyers in your backpacks and around school for all the details.

The student with the most pledges will receive a special prize.

Also, one student from each grade with the best Valentine-themed outfit will get a prize too.

Come out and have a great time dancing while raising money for the PTO and inspiring Mrs. Pitman to get her groove on!

Refreshments available. All students grades 3 and under require a parent present.

Extra forms can be found on the school website.

See you next week with your dancing shoes!

 

Valentine Candy-Gram 

Send a friend, teacher, or staff member a special "sweet" message this Valentine with a Candy-Gram...only $1!!!

Choose  a Lollipop or Twizzler and select from two sentiments.

Orders will be taken the week of Feb 10th and delivered to the special someone(s) on Friday, February 14th in their classroom.

Parents are welcome to send a message to their own children.

Order forms can be found on the school website and in the school offices all week. Roderick students will be able to buy Candy-Grams during lunch Monday thru Thursday and at the Dance-a-thon.

All proceed go to support Mrs. Pitman and the PTO through The Wrentham Community Events, Inc. Dancing With the Wrentham Stars.

 

Read Across Wrentham

The students at Delaney and Roderick in grades 1-6 have now completed their 2nd week of Read Across Wrentham, a 5-week incentive-based reading enhancement program. Please continue to encourage your student to fill in their reading logs and remember READ, READ, READ!

 

 

 

 

As always, thank you for reading.

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Sincerely,

 

Melissa D. Peterson, Principal