March Newsletter
Principal Dangleis
Stony Hill STEPS UP For Assertion
Our CARES trait, assertion, is the focus of this month. Students, shown below, created and presented a slide show on the famous African-American people they studied, who showed assertion by standing up for themselves and others. During the assembly, we watched a video about assertion featuring a great song called, Stand Up, Speak Up. The link is embedded below.
As a way to help students remember the importance of showing assertion, all students and staff will participate in the Step Up for Assertion program by taking steps around the inside and outside of our school. The steps have been measured for each of three path choices. Each class will log the number of steps they took each time they go on one of the walks. Every Friday, we will gather the data and convert the steps into miles to see how far our steps would take us across the state of Massachusetts. We will have a wall map posted in the lobby and will mark on it to show the distance we've traveled. Once we make it to our first milestone destination, students will receive a little sneaker to attach to their shoelace. When we make it to our final destination, they will receive a second sneaker. Our hope is that this collaborative, school-wide effort will not only remind students to step up, but also promote healthy outdoor habits - just in time for spring!
STEAM Ahead Made the News!
Thanks to the creativity and spirit of volunteerism of our parents and community members, our STEAM Ahead program was once again a huge success. I'm sure you all received the Wilbraham - Hampden Times issue featuring our program, but just in case, it is linked below. The parents who presented are amazing because, while most of them do not have experience teaching a whole class lesson, they were brave enough to come into the classroom and lead students in an interactive experiment. The hands-on real-world activities the children experienced help build the foundation of problem solving and innovation that will serve them throughout their lives. If you'd like to know more about cultivating these skills in children, below is a link to a site that, even though designed for educators, gives many ideas that parents can use at home.
Crayola ColorCycle Program
Our 2nd grade teacher, Linda Nichols, kicked off our Crayola ColorCycle program earlier this month. Students are bringing worn out markers, of all brands, to the lobby collection bin. Each time the bin fills up, the markers are packaged and sent off to Crayola to be re-purposed. We are proud to be contributing to the protection of our environment.
Report Cards
Our Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning, Julie Keefe, recently emailed all parents with information and videos to help you understand the new Standards-Based Report Cards. I've linked the site below for your convenience. Using this standards-based system for teaching, learning and reporting allows teachers to provide students and parents with much more detailed information about the level of mastery for each specific skill. Feel free to contact your teacher or me if you'd like more information.
Mark your Calendars
3/12 PTO Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
3/13 School Improvement Council Meeting at 3:00
3/15 No School for Students / Professional Development for Staff
3/20 Presenter: Magic Mike Bent - Readers of the Lost Book
3/26 Presenter: Dan Brown, Meteorologist, from WGGB for third graders
Reminder that the English Language Arts MCAS is being administered April 8 - April 12. Please make every effort to have your third grader attend school this week.
Thanks for Reading!
Email: mdangleis@hwrsd.org
Website: https://sh.hwrsd.org/
Location: 675 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham, MA, USA
Phone: 413-599-1950