Over the past year, I have been working on transitioning the art class to a choice based curriculum, also known as Teaching Artistic Behavior! Lessons will be structured around units such as Drawing, Collage, Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics and Fiber Arts.

So what is choice?

• Choice Based Art allows students opportunities to take ownership of their art experiences from conception to completion with a teacher acting as classroom manager, environmental designer, art expert, facilitator, and student mentor. Students lead the artistic process while I am there to support and give feedback.

Here are several other benefits that have been found through having choice in art class:

• When students are working independently the teacher has time to observe students, determining needs that can be met in future demonstrations.

• Students can work at their own speed. Some students work on a painting or weaving for four or five weeks while others may use more than one center in a class period. Students have the opportunity to try something over and over again, leading to mastery.

• The teacher can introduce something new every week, even though some art works will take much longer to complete as the students work independently.

• Students see an enormous variety of ideas and techniques at the end of class when amazing discoveries are shared.

• Choice teaching encourages independent thinking, persistence and risk-taking, all qualities valued by practicing artists.

• When students have chosen their work, they can discuss it easily, can describe their working process and false starts and usually evaluate the effectiveness of the finished work.

Hi! I’m Mr. Paul and I am the new Physical Education Teacher at Potter Road. Although this is my first year at Potter Road I have been teaching Physical Education for 19 years in Framingham. I am super excited once again to get another year started, get to know the students and the community here at Potter Road. I have two daughters ages 8 and 6 so I find that I can now see teaching through two sets of eyes.

This year grades Kindergarten through second grade will be working on fundamental locomotor skills, throwing and catching, footskills, basketball fundamentals, hockey fundamentals, striking an object with and without an implement and more. They will have an opportunity to practice these skills in fun games that are designed to engage all students. As the students enter third grade their fundamentals are being reinforced as they begin to transition into more complex games. As the students reach fourth and fifth grade they are building on what they already know, combining skills and strategies in new ways and starting to play some cool games they have not been exposed to yet, such as badminton. Through movement and games I love to see how students progress socially and emotionally as well. They learn about the importance of sportsmanship, cooperation, kindness, self control, honesty, respect, trust and get to practice maintaining these values even when the activity is challenging and at times competitive.

I am Mrs. Karpierz and I am the Library Media Specialist at Potter Road. I have been a teacher in Framingham for 18 years. I have taught 4th, 3rd, and 1st grade, and this is my second year as the Library Media Specialist at Potter Road. I have three children ages 9,7, and 2 so I am deep in the trenches of parenting, and get lots of my book recommendations from my guys at home! I am so excited to share my love of reading, research, and discovery with the students at Potter Road!

This year in library media (depending on their grade level), some of the fun things your children will learn about are digital citizenship, how you use databases for research purposes, how to responsibly share and cite information, how to locate books within a library system, and much more! Each week students will have the opportunity to check out books from our school library. They are usually due the following week on the date of their next class. If a student is still reading a book, they are more than welcome to renew their books until they are finished. I will send out monthly email reminders about books that are checked out to students. This automated email from our library server, Destiny will notify you of any books checked out under your child's name. If you ever have any questions, or good book recommendations, please feel free to contact me at nkarpierz@framingham.k12.ma.us . I look forward to a year full of reading with the Potter Road community!

Hello there! I am Mark Ragusa, teacher of Music & Movement and director of the 5th Grade Band. My class Music & Movement is a little bit Music class and a little bit P.E. class! We do singing, dancing, drumming, and moving our bodies! We also do some essential SEL work. Students will play games and build relationships with each other, and they will bond with the music we make together! In 5th Grade, students have the choice to join the Potter Road Band, where they can learn an instrument and play together as part of an ensemble. Students will learn their music and share what they can do with our community in Band Concerts!

Hi! I'm Ms. Browne and I am the music teacher at Potter Road. This is my first year in Framingham and I am so excited to be part of this amazing community! I absolutely love music and am so excited to share that love and joy with your students.

In Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade, we will focus on a wide range of topics, such as keeping a steady beat using our hands, feet, and instruments. We will practice using our beautiful singing voices and will start to use solfege, a musical vocabulary that will lead students to improvise! We will explore these topics through musical games and hands-on activities.

In 3rd grade, students will play the recorder to learn about reading music notation and to expand on topics they have already learned. Students will continue to learn through games and movement to supplement new information they learn through the recorder.

In 4th grade, students will play the ukulele to accompany themselves while singing or to play in group settings with other instruments. Students will continue to expand their knowledge of rhythmic and melodic notation through hand on activities and movement games.

In 5th grade, students who take general music will play the xylophones, hand drums, boomwhackers, and other instruments to expand on their rhythmic and melodic knowledge. They will learn more complex topics that will assist their musical success in middle school and beyond.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out at ebrowne@framingham.k12.ma.us. I'm really looking forward to this year ahead!