Principal's May Newsletter
2015
Upcoming Important Dates
May 13,14 - Grade 5 Math MCAS
May 18,19 - Grade 4 Math MCAS
May 18,19 - Grade 5 Science MCAS
May 20,21 - Grade 6,7 Math MCAS
May 26 - School Site Council 3PM
June 4 - School Pride Night! Talent Show!
Exploring Rocks!
Walk for Hunger
Choice Program
Teacher Appreciation
As many of you know, last week was Teacher Appreciation Week nationwide. A big thank you goes out to our PTO for the wonderful lunch that was presented to our teachers. We have incredible, passionate teachers that work extremely hard each and every day. If you know a teacher that you feel goes above and beyond, it means a lot to get an email or call thanking them for their dedication.
Below: Teachers, ESPs and custodians all enjoyed a lunch provided by the PTO from Hong Kong Dragon!
School Pride Night / Talent Show!
On May 28th, our school will be celebrating everything that is good about the ATC. Students will be showcasing all of the amazing things that make our school so special and unique by hosting a school pride night followed by a talent show. Starting at 5 p.m., parents are invited to come to the ATC, get a slice of pizza and see presentations, art work, and other displays of school pride. Parents will receive a ticket when they enter and vote on the most creative exhibits.
Following the event at the ATC, we will be heading down to the high school auditorium for the ATC Talent Show! Over 50 students will be auditioning this Tuesday for the top spots in the show. From Irish step-dancing to musical ensembles, expect an amazing display that will not disappoint!
Math / Science MCAS
Year of Science - Mr. Farnsworth receives North Shore Science Educator's Award!
It is not uncommon for students at Winthrop High School to continue using the notes they generated in Mr. Farnsworth's science class to study for their exams! Rigorous expectations and a focus on pushing all students to achieve at a high level are hallmarks of Mr. Farnsworth's classroom. It is no surprise that he has been nominated to receive the North Shore Science Educator Association's Award of Excellence. We are extremely proud of Mr. Farnsworth and his dedication to student success!
Mr. Farnsworth, affectionately known as "Farnzy" by former students, has been teaching in Winthrop for eighteen years. Taking students to M.I.T. During Spring vacation, chaperoning the Walk for Hunger, training the Quiz Bowl team, and taking Winthrop to a first place finish in the NASA / M.I.T. summer robotics program are just a few examples of how he has gone above and beyond for our students. We are very lucky to have him in Winthrop!
Parent Survey
Thank you for taking the time to complete our online survey. Here is the link if you have not had a chance to complete it yet - click HERE. The Harvard Graduate School of Education created this survey to provide schools with a tool to gain an in-depth understanding of parent engagement and target areas for improvement. Read more about the survey HERE. One of our site council's goals for the 2015-16 school year is to improve overall parent engagement.
Our survey indicates there are several areas in which we are doing very well and other areas in which we need to make significant gains. Student belonging, lesson engagement, and parent perception of teacher quality are all areas of strength. Additionally, parents feel very comfortable with helping students at home with their schoolwork. Getting more parents through the doors and increasing the amount of times parents visit and volunteer at our school will be our areas of focus for next year. Obviously, parents are extremely busy and we understand many of our parents work full time and have limited free time. With that being said, we are far behind other schools in this area and we look forward to creating a committee of parents and teachers to find ways in which parents can become more involved.
If you have ideas on boosting parent engagement or would like to sit on this committee, please contact me at rheraty@winthrop.k12.ma.us
Curriculum Updates
Grade 4
In mathematics, our fourth grade students are looking for and making use of structure as they apply and extend their previous understandings of multiplication to multiply fractions by whole numbers. They are also drawing and identifying lines and angles, and classifying shapes by properties of these lines and angles.
In ELA, we are conducting short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.The students are reading and comprehending informational texts, including social studies and science. Most classes have completed reading the book Shiloh and comparing and contrasting the movie to the book. Students overwhelming agree that the book was better than the movie!
Science classes in grade 4 are focused on the classification of rocks and social studies continues their exploration of various North American states / landforms.
Grade 5
Students are working in ELA on personal narratives and creative writing. Implementing the Writer's Workshop model in many classes is a significant focus for improving student writing and allowing more independent time for students to grow. Additionally, classes have begun reading various novels in each class and exploring the various elements of literature.
In math, students are finishing up review units on fractions, measurements, open responses, mathematical reasoning and graphing.
Science classes are all covering various topics as they share resources and project materials. Reviewing the topics covered this year and integrating the work of the Science from Scientists has been encompassing daily instruction. Social studies units are centered on colonial America.
Grade 6
In grade 6, we are wrapping up our interdisciplinary study of Ancient Egypt with the Social Studies teachers and are looking forward to Ancient Greece. In ELA we will cover significant myths and legends to coincide with the Social Studies unit on Ancient Greece. There is a continued emphasis on writing - branching out to different forms and longer lengths. There is also an emphasis on reading, building upon the habits and interest sparked by our Full Court Frenzy Reading Challenge.
During the month of May, Grade 6 Math will be exploring ways to display and organize data including: Measures of center (mean, median & mode), Stem & Leaf charts, Dot plots, Box plots, and Histograms.
Grade 6 science classes are working on classification and the Kingdoms of Life. Students are currently working on classifying organisms into the currently recognized kingdoms and domains by the characteristics they share.
Grade 7
7th grade geography classes continue to travel the globe learning about geography, people, culture, and relevant current events that tie into the curriculum like the factors surrounding the recent earthquake in Nepal and the world’s response.
Presently in 7th grade Falcon Team ELA classes, students are studying poetry; students are analyzing author's use of literary devices, such as alliteration, imagery, diction and enjambment. Some authors of focus include Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, and William Carlos Williams. Students get to explore their own creative side during the poetry unit by generating original poems. They also must memorize eight lines of a published poem of choice to recite before the class.
In ELA, the Wolves have started new books, with Period 3 reading Lies by Michael Grant (the third book in the Gone series!), and Periods 4&5 reading Ashes by Ilsa Bick. We continue to workshop these books with discussions, think/pair/share activities, group collaborations, and written responses. They are really engaged and there is lively discussion.
In seventh grade math, we are starting a unit on theoretical and experimental probability, while simultaneously reviewing previously taught concepts, which will prepare the students for the math MCAS on May 20th and 21st. We will also continue to review some MCAS material and keep working on strengthening the students' answers to open response and short answer questions, by showing them MCAS grading rubrics and samples of scored student responses.