Spofford Pond Newsletter
Inclusive Practices, Innovation, Social Emotional Learning
May 6, 2020
Tri-Town School Union Vision Statement
Thank you to our teachers and staff for all that they do each and every day!
We especially appreciate the work of our staff during this time of remote learning!
Happy National Nurses' Day to Mrs. Fiore! Thank you for all you do to keep us healthy and safe!
Upcoming Dates
May 4-May 8th Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week!
Parent Conferences: will be rescheduled upon returning to school
June 12th-Last Day of School
Principal Letter
Dear Spofford Pond Families,
This week we celebrate Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week as well as National Nurse Appreciation Day (today)! We are so grateful for our school staff and all that they do. We encourage your children to send email notes to their teachers in honor of this celebratory week. Special messages from students are always cherished and appreciated by our staff!
We thank you for all the work you are also doing alongside our teaching staff! As we move into phase two of the remote learning, we are working with the new guidance as issued by the Department of Education and adjusting our teaching plan for the students. We are also working on our student placement for the upcoming school year. I will send more information about placement and other year end activities to you in the coming weeks.
Have a wonderful week! Don't forget to check out our morning announcements(if you haven't already) and our 'virtual' Spirit Day (links below). Please also encourage your child to participate in our Spofford Pond Literary Magazine (information sent in an email to you).
Sincerely,
Kathryn Castonguay, Principal
Ada Greenberg, Assistant Principal
Virtual Town Meeting for Students & Families!!!
As you may know, throughout the year our Spofford community participates in monthly all-school assemblies we call "Town Meetings". The students and teachers are encouraged to come together to share and connect in an open platform. Now more than ever, it is important that we stay connected.
Here is the link to view our Virtual Town Meeting! Thank you to Ms. Vanessa Boyle for putting this all together!
https://www.wevideo.com/view/1658230416
Our Twin Day is also below for your viewing! It was our first attempt at a virtual spirit day! We hope to do another one and to solicit even greater participation!!
We also encourage your Masco students to participate in their virtual spirit week!
Virtual Parent Coffee Registration -click on link below to sign up!
Where: Zoom video conferencing
Why: A chance to "see" one another and connect! Ask questions about remote learning or share suggestions.
Who: You! & Hosts: Kathryn Castonguay-Principal, Elizabeth Boulanger-Principal, Ada Greenberg-Assistant Principal, Bonnie Thornoborough, Michelle Fallis--PTO Presidents
How: Registration is limited to 30 participants. Participants must sign up on the link provided here and can submit questions on the form or to Bonnie and Michelle directly. They will be the voice for the parents on the session and ask the questions. This way, all voices can be heard in an organized manner! If this is successful, we will offer another parent coffee time for parents again next week. So don't worry if you can't make this one!
The link to our sign up form is right below!
Notes on 4/23 Virtual Coffee Hour with Principals
Here are the notes from our 4/23 meeting:
In our third virtual meeting, co-hosted by Spofford Pond and Cole Principals with the PTO, parents were invited to submit questions which were relayed for Dr. Castonguay and Mrs. Boulanger to respond. We were delighted to see and hear from some teachers and staff there, too! Time and attendance in the zoom meeting allowed for those in attendance to ask additional questions and express their gratitude for all that is being done by the schools.
Here are some key take-aways:
- Teachers are strongly encouraging students to be engaged in remote classes, and are seeing good results.
- A feedback loop is most important right now for students and teachers
- Rather than grades or evaluations, they are focused on a loop of feedback and improvement in student work and remote class delivery
- A feedback loop is most important right now for students and teachers
- Priority is Relationships
- Maintain level of calm and reassurance for students
- Concern for social justice and equity for different students’ situation
- It is important that we – teachers and parents – support students by continuing to “instill the desire to learn.” It is valuable for them (all of us!) to continue to want to learn.
- Remote Learning- feedback so far has been both positive and constructive
- Teachers are working very hard, researching and learning as they go, on how best to present the curriculum
- Teachers are being as flexible as possible to meet students’ needs
- They continue to learn from feedback on the user experience
- School buildings remain closed and a date to pick-up items remains undetermined, based on guidance from the state
- Leadership team (principals, superintendent, central office staff) meets regularly both for Boxford, and also with Topsfield and Middleton, to work on aligning and coordinating curriculum across Tri-Town
- Operating in a “rapid manner” to keep everyone informed and connected
- Universal screening is always done in the fall, so this will help going forward
- DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) is expected to communicate Friday 4/24 (now delayed to early the week of 4/27) about “power standards” – the essential / core understandings that students should master for each grade and subject
- Placement letters (feedback from parents about their child’s class placement for next year) have been received and placement is in progress at Spofford Pond
- Cole letters regarding placement will go out to parents soon
- Parent feedback on Specialist classes was great
- Padlet of dragonfly art is wonderful (a virtual replication of hallway bulletin boards)
- Continuing to brainstorm with teachers and leadership about capstone experiences for 6th (and 2nd) graders
- A lot of enthusiasm and creative ideas being explored
- Yearbooks for both Cole and Spofford Pond school will be for sale soon, with a ship-to-home option for grades PK-5
- For all 6th graders, your hard-cover yearbooks are being purchased for you because of the PTO 6th-Grade-Activities super-successful Wizards game fundraiser
- Those books will be ordered in bulk and distributed safely with your 6th Grade t-shirts by members of the 6th-Grade-Activities Committee team
- Whenever we are back at school physically, will there be an opportunity for kids to go back and visit this year’s teachers and class, for closure?
- Response: All of us – teachers, staff, principals desperately hope to re-connect with this year’s students in person. “We all need it.”
- Please join us for the next Virtual Coffee with the Principals on Thursday, May 7 at 3pm.
- Sign up ahead of time to join us at: https://forms.gle/Xyid51nQABwGz4A66
- If you can not attend but have a question you’d like to ask, you can send it to boxfordpto@gmail.com. Thank you!
Helpful Remote Learning Guidelines for Students
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wph2LMH29NoGSSTtLokY5kGDMDv_FVIHdXFwJ_aGI-E/edit
Acceptable Use Policy for Students
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MHPbADxqThUFEWa4An0rt5s04oNwaajf5StaQ7oKLcc/edit
Tri-Town Behavioral Dos and Dont's