Saturday, September 27, 2014

Picture Day, 2014

One of my favorite days of the year is school picture day!  The bright smiles, the combed hair (especially the boys) - you can feel memories in the making.  The kids all seem to enjoy their moment in front of the camera.
Kindergarten Students coming in for pictures.
These pictures are rarely the pieces of perfection we wish they could be, yet their ability to capture a moment in time makes them a worthy memento, even when they are goofy.  I have some of my son's pictures stored in a safe place so that one day I can share them with his children, just as my sisters have taken no small amount of delight in sharing pictures of me with him.
Getting ready for the big moment.
I will say that I was very pleased with the staff from O'Connors and their attention to detail.  They really spent time making each child feel safe, while chasing down those last minute fly-away hairs.  I am looking forward to seeing how the pictures turned out.
Grade 4 Class Photo
  

Friday, September 19, 2014

Cans for a cause

Grade 3 students with Open House cans
You may remember that we kicked of the "Cans for a Cause" program this year with a special deal - parents who brought in two cans received a homework pass for their child. It was a fun way to start off this fund raiser for the Berlin Food Pantry. I am glad to report that the participation was great, and the kids have an excellent start to the year.

Thanks to Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Donahoe for running this program, and to all of you for participating.  The program is another way in which we try to teach the kids the value of "giving back" and being an active member of their community.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Open House, 2014

Thanks to everyone for turning out tonight for Open House.  It is always a busy evening, teachers have a lot of information to share, and I think that it helps parents when they can sit with each other and understand together what the expectations are for a new year.

I can tell you that teachers spend a good deal of time preparing for your visits, and it means a great deal to them that so many parents turn out.  If you have thoughts about how we can make Open House 2015 even more successful I would love to hear about it.





Monday, September 15, 2014

MAP Testing Begins

Grade 5 students get ready for their first session!

With students and staff settling into the new school year, we've begun beginning of the year testing.  These assessments enable us to make better and more accurate decisions about student strengths and needs, and allow us to focus our efforts more effectively.  This process, which was new to us last year, is an important part of our effort to do a better job of teaching and learning.

Students in this picture are preparing to take a MAP test, a web-based assessment that self-adjusts its questions based on student answers.  Get too many wrong, the test questions get easier, Get several in a row correct, and the test adjusts to see if you are capable of more challenging work.

We will be sharing more information on these tests, and how our students did on them, in the coming weeks.

Friday, September 12, 2014

BMS Garden Update

As many of you know, students have been working hard on our School Garden project.  Led by Grade 3 Teacher Amy Donahoe, staff and students planted seeds last winter in classroom containers, which were transplanted outside in the spring.  All summer long families have volunteered to take turns tending the garden, weeding and watering, and harvesting crops as they were ready.  Our summer produce was often donated to the Berlin Food Pantry.

Fall is here, and our pumpkins and gourds are coming of age.  Today we enjoyed pumpkin cookies made from the pumpkins we started as seeds so long ago.

This has been a great experience for our students, and we are already hard at work planning for the spring planting season.
Mrs. Donahoe and students hard at work.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Gratitude for Teachers and Compassion for Kids | On Being

A wonderful blog by a gifted writer, I found this piece by Parker Palmer particularly appropriate as we start the school year!

Gratitude for Teachers and Compassion for Kids | On Being