DAVIS THAYER NEWS
November 6, 2017
Fall Is Here!
Dear Davis Thayer Families,
Welcome to November! It is a wonderful time to give thanks for the many wonderful people, experiences and things we have in our lives. I am certainly thankful for the many things in my life, including working with the amazing children, parents, teachers, and staff at Davis Thayer.
Davis Thayer has been a busy place with teachers and students delving deeper into the curriculum. Our new science curriculum is in full swing with many hands on science experiments/activities to further science knowledge. Our teachers have been working diligently in the area of reading and math to develop units of study that are fully aligned with the MA curriculum frameworks so that our students are challenged to learn to their fullest potential every day. We have also experienced some exciting events this month. Students participated in school spirit days and core value assemblies. We continue our partnerships with Dean College. It is such a privilege that we are neighbors as Dean students are able to frequently be at Davis Thayer sharing their knowledge, reading to classes, working as tutors and supporting our PE classes. Our 5th grade students hosted an assembly on our core value of respect. (See below for more information.) We had a fantastic Walk to School day organized by Mr. Melo where many students who participated danced their final steps into school. Our Bobcat Buddies helped to facilitate the annual Davis Thayer Food Drive. See below for more details. Please check us out on Twitter to see more of the exciting things that are happening at DT.
MCAS 2.0 results are in and we have many things to celebrate! We are celebrating that last year's third grade students on average out performed both the district and the state. On average our 4th and 5th grade students outperformed the state in the area of English Language Arts. Our 5th grade students also outperformed the state in math. This MCAS test is a different test from the MCAS test in previous years known as the Legacy MCAS. The next-generation test is comprised of a different base of questions, expects student mastery of different skills, and it is scored differently as well. We will view this year’s next-generation test results as a baseline year for future data analysis, while working to learn as much as we can from the current results to best serve our the students at Davis Thayer.
Thank you to all of the families who volunteered their time to make the Fall Boogie a huge success! Your work clearly speaks to the value you place on the inclusive community of Davis Thayer.
I wish you a wonderful November filled with time to relax with your families giving thanks for all of the positive things in your lives.
Warmly,
Kathleen Gerber
PrincipalSecond Grade SEL Art
DT Goes Global 4th Grade Art
5th Grade Rock Band Club
Dean Student Athletes in PE
Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day
DT Food Drive
5th Grade Family Fun Friday
Kindergarten Hands On Science
Subtraction Comes Alive in 1st Grade
Star Staff
All of our staff play an important role in the lives of students, families and the community. This year we will recognize an outstanding staff members at Davis Thayer and highlight their achievements.This recognition is being established to recognize outstanding people for their dedication, professionalism and work. Those receiving these awards will be nominated by administrators and colleagues for excellence in their classroom and/or in the school.
We would like to share with you the staff that have been recognized since our last newsletter.
Mrs. Violet - Math Specialist
Mrs. Violet's colleagues shared the following thoughts: "She is an amazing math specialist who is always ready with new ideas and things to try. She is helpful whenever we need it and doesn't blink if she can help you." "If you don't feel comfortable with a lesson, she is always willing with ideas or teaching it for you to observe." "She is an asset to our school."
Ms. Licata - 3rd Grade Teacher
Ms. Licata's colleagues share the following thoughts: "Ms. Licata is always willing to try anything that we ask to best support her students. Her flexibility to change her schedule around to accommodate others is remarkable. No matter what challenge she faces, she perseveres, and comes to school with a smile and a fresh start for everyone!"
Mrs. Diez - 2nd Grade Teacher
Mrs. Diez's colleagues share the following thoughts: "Mrs. Diez greets everyone with a smile and most positive attitude every day. Her devotion to her students shines through, always having their best interests at heart. Her positive attitude lifts others up and add so much to our school."
Ms. Phillips - Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Verdolino - 1st Grade Teacher
Ms. Phillips and Ms. Verdolino's colleagues share the following thoughts: "Ms. Phillips and Ms. Verdolino have raised the bar for working with ELL students to a new high! While it can sometimes be intimidating to work with a new group of students, being mindful of each child’s individual needs, they skillfully and eagerly [translated] materials for families. They have been the best advocates for their families! Already they have translated dozens of documents to ensure that their students have equal access to notices and information as their English-speaking peers. They are the epitome of what it means to be a team player and have gone above and beyond to meet the needs of their students. Their work is representative of excellence in the classroom and dedication to their students. "
Core Values
The DT community works to live our core values by planning monthly whole-school assemblies. We had our second school wide assembly on October 16th where 5th Grade students shared what respect should look like at Davis Thayer as well as within the world. They also taught the school how to dance the samba as a connection to our DT Goes Global country of Brazil. During the year, we will continue to recognize students and staff members who exemplify one or more core values with “scoop tickets,” by reading scoops over the announcements on Fridays, and by partnering with McDonalds to award certificates to randomly-chosen students at our assemblies each month. Our next assembly will be held on November 16th with a focus on the core value of Encourage.
Davis Thayer Food Drive
In the spirit of giving thanks, Davis Thayer has once again shared what we have with the town of Franklin. Due to the continuous support of the Davis Thayer Community, we are were able to donate 334.2 pounds of food/supplies to Franklin community members in need.
Below is the link for the article that appeared online with the Country Gazette.
http://franklin.wickedlocal.com/news/20171106/students-make-annual-trek-to-franklin-pantry
We greatly appreciate the support you give our local community as we celebrate this season of Thanks-GIVING!
Thank you!
Social Emotional Learning
The school year is well under way as is our continued focus on social emotional learning (SEL) here at Davis Thayer and throughout the district. The district is continuing to embrace, implement and deepen our knowledge surrounding SEL . We want to be sure to keep you up to date on what we are doing here at Davis Thayer as well as the what is going on at the district level.
There have been a few changes made that will positively impact our students at the elementary level. After rolling out the elementary SEL curriculum last October we made a few changes. After receiving feedback from teachers and staff we felt that we needed to provide more developmentally appropriate lessons for 4th and 5th grades. Over the summer a group of school psychologists and adjustment counselors met to update and revise the 4th and 5th grade curriculum. These students will continue to use some of the Zones lessons and language however, we will delve deeper and incorporate more of the core competencies of SEL. These include but are not limited to conflict resolution, mindfulness, empathy, joking/teasing/bullying, positive vs. negative thinking, dealing with rumors, social media, etc. The SEL curriculum is a work in progress and our intent is to revise as needed.
The K-3 grade SEL curriculum will stay the same as last year where the focus will be on using the Zones of Regulation lessons. For those of you who are new to Davis Thayer, Zones is a self-regulation program which is designed to teach students to recognize how they are feeling and identify strategies that will help them become calm and ready to learn. Students go through approximately 20 teacher led lessons over the course of the school year. They learn to recognize when they are in each zone and how to utilize strategies that help them become ready to learn. They work to develop an individual toolbox of strategies that are most helpful to them when they are in each zone. If you are new to the district and would like more information about Zones and our SEL curriculum please contact me and I would be happy to provide you with a parent packet.
And lastly, this year the the district has developed a Social Emotional Learning Leadership team. The district is very committed to implementing SEL across the district and has formed a team of teachers, school psychologists, counselors, occupational therapists, BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) as well as administrators to be apart of this team. The goal of this team is to articulate a scope and sequence of skills that students will acquire in the Franklin Public Schools within a developmental framework. They will review the current practices across the district to inform our program decisions and professional development opportunities for teachers. We are lucky to have three member of the Davis Thayer staff apart of this leadership team which includes me, Rebecca Ballinger our school adjustment counselor, and Robin Towle our occupational therapist. We look forward to being apart of this team and keeping everyone updated on where we are headed with SEL.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information.
Chrishelle Leonard, School Psychologist
News from the Nurse
Please review the following information:
Contagious Diseases: Please remember to call the nurse when your child has a contagious disease such as conjunctivitis or strep throat. It is very helpful for other parents when the nurse sends home a letter informing them of a contagious disease in their child’s class. That way other parents can be alert for specific symptoms.
Lice check: Please remember to check your child for lice. This should be part of your routine checking but especially if they have any symptoms (scratching head, neck, etc).
Cough/Use of Cough Drops: Cough drops can be administered as directed, as needed, in the absence of temperature and productive cough. Cough drops must be delivered to the school nurse by a responsible adult (parent or designee). Please do not send cough drops in with the student. **ONLY MEDICATION FREE COUGH DROPS MAY BE ADMINISTERED (i.e.LEMON DROPS). ANY MEDICATED COUGH DROPS CANNOT BE GIVEN WITHOUT A WRITTEN ORDER FROM THE PHYSICIAN. To prevent choking students will be required to stay in the health office until the cough drop dissolves.
Physical Reminders for Grade 4 : Please send in a copy of your child’s physical exam to the school nurse.
Postural Screening Reminders for Grade 5: Please send in documentation of postural screening (scoliosis), if done by your physician, within the 5th grade school year (6/14 or after). If not provided, your student will need to participate in the postural screening, in the school, in the spring.
Travel Tip: Please provide the school nurse with written information about who will be responsible for your child when you are away on a trip. This caretaker may be different from the usual emergency contacts on your child’s nurse information card. Please include the dates you will be away, the name and phone numbers (cell & home) of the person who will be taking care of your child.
Davis Thayer School Calendar
Follow Davis Thayer on Twitter
Davis Thayer continues to be on Twitter! Follow us at https://twitter.com/DT_Bobcats! It is a great way for us to share what is happening at school. In addition, please check out some of the other Davis Thayer Twitter feeds. Links can be found on teacher web pages.
About Davis Thayer.......
Mrs. Gerber's contact information:
508-541-5263 ext 3710
Mrs. Wasik's contact information:
508-541-5263 ext 3719
Website: http://thayerelementary.vt-s.net/Pages/index
Location: 137 West Central Street, Franklin, MA, United States
Phone: 508-541-5263
Twitter: @DT_Bobcats