Spofford Pond School
Inclusive Practices, Innovation, Social Emotional Learning
Tri-Town School Union Vision Statement
Upcoming Dates
October 23rd Picture Retake Day
October 31st Early Release 12pm for staff developmentNovember 1st & 8th Project Adventure-grade 6 students
November 5th @ 9am Parent Coffee with the Principal
A Letter from the Principal
Dear Parents,
I want to thank the parents who attend our first monthly Principal Coffee earlier this month. It was a great opportunity to talk about teaching and learning process in our school. I hope that our future coffees provide us the same opportunities for information sharing and relationship building. We will have our next coffee on November 5th at 9am.
As we move further into the first trimester of school, I’d like to take a moment to emphasize the word balance. The pace of the curriculum starts to pick up as we move further into this month and that has brought the word balance to my mind for students and families in our school community. I think that balance in life for children and adults is critical and yet can challenge many people. Schedules can become hectic for families with children engaging in multiple after school activities.
There are so many diverse opportunities for children to take advantage today, whether it is a swim team, football, karate, dance, or art classes, all of which are wonderful and yet with so many choices, children and families are challenged with decision making and balance. Sticking to the one activity or one sport per season rule seems to help some families strike a balance while at the same time keeping children engaged and active. Without balance, anxiety, and stress can enter into the lives of children at very young ages (not to mention parents!). It seems that finding the right pace in our lives can help to promote wellness and alleviate stress.
As children get older, finding their niche outside of school in extracurricular activities is an important part of self-discovery and self-concept. Children can be encouraged to be more selective about how they spend time outside of school and how they expend their energy. Focusing children on an activity that gives them satisfaction, whether it’s the social opportunity or the chance to compete, children can find new ways of growing and stretching themselves. The key to success in all of this is to remember to find a way to teach your child about doing enough to find satisfaction and not over-doing.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Kathryn Castonguay
Halloween Information
The end of this month brings Halloween for the children. Children may have the option of wearing a costume on Halloween, they may also opt to wear black and orange clothing that day or they may choose to not dress up at all. If children wear costumes, masks and weapon-like costume artifacts are prohibited.
Student Council Halloween News:
During this Halloween season, as part of our monthly Spirit Day, we will be collecting money for UNICEF, an organization that provides care for children in need around the world. Your child will come home with a cardboard collection bin. If they would like to participate, they may bring this small box with them as they go trick or treating. Collection boxes can be delivered back to school on November 1st.
For more information visit: trickortreatforunicef.org
Reminder---October 31st is an early release with a 12pm dismissal. Lunch will not be served.
Boxford School Committee Update
The Boxford School Committee discussed current and planned ADA compliance work at both Spofford and Cole school campuses. School leadership continues to work with the Architectural Access Board (AAB) to complete immediate projects as well as developing projects requiring a time variance. The SMAA feasibility study is moving forward with recommendations to follow.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Morrison reported about his trip to the fall conference of the National Superintendents Roundtable. He was excited to meet and talk with Sir Ken Robinson, known for his TED Talk, “Do schools kill creativity?” There was discussion about current work in education, including how technology redefines knowledge and talent, and the “Boundless Program - How to Reinvent School.” Dr. Morrison also updated the BSC about ongoing professional development programs for leadership and staff.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Steven Greenberg reported to the committee that Whitsons Food Service has brought in a new chef for the Tri-Town Union schools. There will be some updates to the menus as the year progresses. Please watch for a parent survey regarding the food service. Community feedback is helpful for making changes to the program, and is done periodically by Whitsons.
The BSC was updated about ongoing Kindness programs at both Spofford Pond and Cole schools. Masconomet students generously performed an Act of Kindness by visiting both campuses during arrival, to greet and cheer for the students as they entered the building. You can visit both Principal Blogs (Spofford and Cole) to view the smiles as a result of this kindness.
The new websites for both the Cole School and Spofford Pond are active, and we encourage you to explore the new layout!
https://www.tritownschoolunion.com/districts/boxford/harry-lee-cole
https://www.tritownschoolunion.com/districts/boxford/spofford-pond
Upcoming Dates:
October 24, Boxford School Committee Meeting 7-9pm, Cole School, Boxford.
November 14, Boxford School Committee Meeting 7-9pm, Cole School, Boxford.
Agendas and Meeting minutes can be found at: www.tritownschoolunion.com/school-committees/boxford-sc.
Boxford School Committee
Carol Hubbard chubbard@boxfordschools.org
Elizabeth Palmer epalmer@boxfordschools.org
Renee Schildkraut rschildkraut@boxfordschools.org
Terri Teleen tteleen@boxfordschools.org
Heather Vaz hvaz@boxfordschools.orgWired for Greatness Grant Recipients!
Congratulations to our student winners of the Wired for Greatness Grants!
-Jacob Downs will be publishing a book to help kids with Autism and other learning disabilities.
-Bella Mahon, Braydan Hirshon, Melanie Bradley and Ravyn Tackett will be making turtle bracelets to help support sea turtle protection.
-Caitlyn Upton and Charlotte Caron will be making kindness bracelets to help spread kindness throughout the school.
-Morgan Jones will be making Kindness bookmarks.
Each of these grant winners will be debuting their ideas at our upcoming school store!
Tri-Town SEPAC Presents...
Tri-Town Council
Help Wanted!
Email: khussey@boxfordschools.org
Phone: 978-352-8616
Tri-Town Environmental Literacy Committee News
The Tri-Town Environmental Literacy Committee, made up of teachers, parents, and administrators from Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield, is working to educate the school community about how we are connected to the well being of our natural environment. Our current goal is to establish programming for our students that supports our mission to promote consistent sustainable practices, environmental literacy, and a proactive, solution-focused mindset among our school communities. We intend to provide opportunities for our students to learn more about the following topics:
- Reducing waste (6 R's: reduce, recycle, reuse, repair, rethink, and refuse)
- Energy conservation
- Protection of animals
- Energy from renewable resources
- Water pollution
- Climate change
Thank you,
The Tri-Town Environmental Literacy Committee
PTO
Click above on "Spofford Pond Principal Blog" for direct access to it.
Spofford Pond Elementary School
Ada Greenberg, Assistant Principal
Email: kcastonguay@boxfordschools.org
Website: boxfordschools.org
Location: 31 Spofford Road, Boxford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-352-8616
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spoffordpondschool/?ref=bookmarks