May 31, 2013

Greetings Delaney Families,

Where did May go? It seems impossible that there are only 13 1/2 school days left in the year! 

This week was filled with activities from the Advanced Band Concert, to VIP Museums, to the Principals' Coffee...and the last few weeks are going to be just as busy! I'm including some dates for you to add to your calendars as well as some fun pictures of this week's happenings. Enjoy!



                                                            

Thank you to Stop & Shop's A+ program and to everyone who purchased groceries and linked their accounts to the Delaney School. On Friday, we received a check for $2081.48!

Spirit Day!

Our final Spirit Day of the school year will culminate on June 7th.  The PTO will be holding a Red Bag collection to generate canned and dry good donations for the Wrentham Food Pantry.  Red collection bags will be sent home on Tuesday, June 4^th.  Donations will be collected each morning in the classrooms starting on Wednesday, June 5th and ending on Friday, June 7th (Field Day).   

Did you know that almost 6 million households visit food pantries each year?  Community food drives like ours help make sure those children and their families can get emergency food assistance when they need it.  This time of year is when many pantries are running low on the food brought in over the holidays so our aim is to fill up the empty shelves before summer.  One grocery bag of food can provide as many as 11 meals. Every single donation helps, and together we hope our combined donations will make a real difference for those in need. The food pantry is asking for nutritious canned and dry goods. Here are some suggestions:

Most Needed Items in Wrentham

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Canned Soups and Stews

Cereals

Canned Pasta

Jarred Spaghetti Sauce

Pasta

Mac N Cheese

Tuna

Canned Fruit

Mayonnaise

Ketchup

Juice/Juice Boxes

Kleenex

Diapers/wipes

Jello/Pudding

Last year your donations kept the shelves stocked for nearly two months! 

Participation in Spirit Day is completely voluntary.  We thank you in advance for any donation you may make.

Principals' Coffee

On Friday, May 31st, Dr. Marsden presented the budget for the upcoming school year at the Principals' Coffee.  We would like to thank him and all those who were able to attend this important discussion.

Preschool Drummers!

Mark Your Calendars!!!

                                                             

June 5th - Teachers vs. Police SWISH charity basketball game

June 6th - Term 4 closes

June 7th - Spirit Day

June 7th - Field Day

June 11th - Third Grade Lunch in the Roderick

June 14th - Kindergarten Screening 

June 14th - No School for current Kindergarten students

June 19th - 6th Grade Promotion

June 20th - Move Up Day

June 20th - Noon Dismissal - Last Day of School

Have a great weekend.

Stay cool! Go Bruins!

Sincerely,

Melissa D. Peterson

May 24th

Hello Delaney Families,

With only three weeks left until summer vacation, things are VERY busy at the Delaney.  I hope you enjoy hearing about a few of the many things that happened this week.

Positive Referrals

Congratulations to the following students who received Positive Referrals this week.  Both boys were recognized for being kind to other students. One joined another student who was sitting alone in the cafeteria and the other comforted a friend who was having a difficult day.  Great job boys!  We're very proud of you and thank you for making the Delaney School a better place!

Delaney School Art Show

The Delaney School Art Show was held in the cafeteria on Wednesday evening and featured art work from students in Kindergarten through Grade 3.  Thank you to everyone who was able to attend this great event.  I would also like to extend a special thank you to Mrs. Lovely for all of her hard work and all of the PTO volunteers who assisted in setting up and breaking down the show.

VIP Museum

The children in Ms. Shaw and Mrs. Danielson's classes were part of a VIP Museum this week. Students researched a famous individual, dressed in character and shared information about that person's life with parents, special guests, and staff members.  They all did an amazing job!

 Abigail Adams

 Elias Howe

 Norman Rockwell

 George H.W. Bush

Daniel Webster


Memorial Day Program
The annual Memorial Day program was relocated inside due to inclement weather and was a huge success.  Students in Kindergarten led the entire student body, staff, and special guests in the Pledge of Allegiance and also performed "Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue."  First graders sang "This Land is Your Land." Grade two students shared a flag filled rendition of "Your a Grand Old Flag" and our third grade children performed "Freedom" (a song written by Mrs. Danielson and her 2002 class).  
Well done everyone! 

 Preschool Musicians

Thank you to Mrs. Testa who came into the preschools this week and taught our students how to play the cello! 

Thank you to the PTO and all of the volunteers who treated the Wrentham Public Schools' staff to a delicious Mexican Fiesta on Friday, May 24th.  It was absolutely delicious and we can't thank you enough for your generosity.

Dr. Chris Martes was appointed the Interim Superintendent earlier this week. Dr. Martes has been a superintendent in Medfield, Framingham, and Foxboro until his retirement a couple of years ago. He is currently the Interim Superintendent in Norton. In addition, he has a strong elementary background as a former elementary teacher and principal. Dr. Martes is one of the most respected superintendents in Massachusetts and will bring a wealth of experience to Wrentham.

Please come and join us for our final Principals' Coffee on Friday, May 31st in the Vogel Auditorium.  Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey J. Marsden will be presenting the budget forecast for the 2013 -2014 school year.  The meeting will begin at 8:30 AM.  Please feel free to bring younger children if you are stuck for daycare.  

Thank you for visiting.  See you next week!

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Sincerely,

Melissa D. Peterson

Memorial Day Program

The Memorial Day Program will be moved indoors to the Gibbons Gym this morning due to the weather. 

Memorial Day Program Update

Memorial Day Program Update

In the event of rain, the Memorial Day program will be moved indoors to the Gibbons Gym.  A decision regarding the location will be determined on Friday (May 24th) morning.

May 17th

Greetings Delaney Families,

This week's blog is chock-full of information including upcoming events and happenings.  It also highlights many of the great achievements of our students.  Please enjoy!

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration, Open Circle sponsored a contest for students in grades K-5 to submit poetry, art or a video that answers the question "What is Open Circle?".  The Delaney School submitted both individual and class submissions and I'm so excited and proud to share with you that we had two winners!

Congratulations to third grader Hannah S. who received a 1st place award for her entry!

Congratulations to Mrs. D'Egidio's first grade class who received Honorable Mention for their video entry!

                                             

Open Circle is a universal Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program focused on two goals:

• Strengthening students' SEL skills related to recognizing and managing emotions, developing care and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and handling challenging situations constructively
  
• Fostering safe, caring and highly-engaging classroom and school communities

At the heart of Open Circle are 15-to-20 minute classroom meetings led by teachers twice per week throughout the school year. These interactive meetings include group discussions, role-playing, literature, and community-building activities. Students learn and practice important SEL skills such as listening, cooperating, speaking up, calming down, expressing anger appropriately, recognizing dangerous and destructive behavior, and problem solving.

    Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations to the following students who received Positive Referrals this week.  Students were recognized for being caring, kind, considerate, and helpful.  Super job!

Third grade students participated in the Mathematics MCAS on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Each and every one of them should be commended for the hard work and determination they demonstrated while answering multiple choice, short answer, and open response questions.  Great job boys and girls!


                                        Bruins Spirit Day!

The Delaney School Art Show will be held on Wednesday, May 22nd from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the Delaney Cafeteria.  Student artwork for kids in Kindergarten through Grade 3 will be on display.  Please stop by and enjoy their fabulous creations!

• Order forms for the Wrentham Staff vs. Wrentham Police Department Charity Basketball Game that will be held on June 5th are being sent home today (Friday, May 17th).  Forms are due back by Friday, May 31st.  For more information regarding the game, check out the fantastic commercial created by Mrs. Moon's sixth grade students (and featuring some familiar faces) by clicking here.

• On Wednesday, May 22nd, afternoon dismissal (normally located in the Delaney Cafeteria) will be held in the Gibbons Gym.  The YMCA After School Program will be relocated to the Roderick School Cafeteria.

• There will be No School on Monday, May 27th in recognition of Memorial Day.

• Due to Kindergarten Screening for our 2013-2014 students entering K in the fall, there will be No School, for current Kindergarten students ONLY, on Friday, June 14th.  

The annual Memorial Day program for the Delaney and Roderick Schools will be held on Friday, May 24th at 9:00 a.m. in the Delaney School courtyard (located behind the Delaney School).  Parents and guests are invited to attend the program which is anticipated to last about 30 minutes.  Each grade level will present a song or poem, the Advanced Band will play The Star Spangled Banner, and one of our sixth grade students will recite Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

The following teachers submitted grants to WEST and were approved for funding.  Many of these grants were written on behalf of the entire grade level. Thank you to WEST for supporting these initiatives and programs and continuing to work to enhance the education of the children of the Delaney School.  We are greatly appreciative!

Interactive Read Alouds      Courtney Tufts               $750.00

Helen Keller                        Sarah Shaw                 $1030.00

Wampanoag                       Lori DeTrolio                 $1030.00

Author/Illustrator Study       Lu McNeal                    $1600.25

Preschool Technology        Mary Elizabeth  Clark    $1674.38

Thank you for visiting.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Melissa D. Peterson