Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Happy Holidays to One and All!

The Metcalf family wishes you all a happy, safe 
and relaxing holiday vacation.  

I hope you enjoy the photos of some of the activities that brought us all happiness and excitement here at Metcalf these last few days.

Enjoying Metcalf's First Annual Ugly Sweater Day!
Students, faculty, and staff all enjoyed taking part in Metcalf's Ugly Sweater Contest on Friday.  This added to the fun and excitement of the season as we approached the holiday break.  What fun we had!

  Mrs. Lavoie's class had their very own tree farm!  
Look at these fabulous decorations made from scratch.  The children had so much fun using their creativity to get into the holiday spirit!


Creating center pieces in grade 3!
Mrs. Gaumond's class created beautiful centerpieces with the help of some Metcalf moms!  

They also traveled to Shady Acres Nursing Home to spread some holiday cheer and gave a heartwarming performance incorporating sign language.


Enjoying a holiday breakfast with Mrs. Gross's students and families.  
Mrs. Gross makes delicious waffles! :)

 Mrs. Allen's class worked cooperatively and enjoyed their afternoon together!



Mrs. Packer's sixth grade class...or was it a Wax Museum?!?  Everyone learned so much from these historical figures!


Happy Holidays to you all!


Friday, December 4, 2015

Holiday Bazaar and Much More!

Image result for holiday bazaar clip art
This Saturday, Dec. 5th, don't miss the annual EWG Holiday Bazaar at Metcalf Elementary School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Nearly 70 vendors are on hand to sell their unique gift items, including some of our own EWG teachers, staff and students!  Professional Santa photos are available, as well as a full kitchen cafe, baked goods, children's shopping area (all items $5 or less!), penny social, and a 50/50 raffle, this year to benefit a couple of staff members who are bravely battling cancer.  This is a great community event that supports a lot of small businesses as well as our three elementary schools...please join us!

PARCC FORUM
We will be holding a parent forum on Wednesday, Dec. 9th at 6:00 at Metcalf to review PARCC results and answer questions.  I hope to see you there!

We will be doing a WINTER DRIVE for children in need at McAuley Village.  
Please send in  COATS (can be gently used by clean), SOCKS (new only), and UNDERWEAR (new only).  Sizes 2T to children's 12 please.  
We will be collecting items until Dec. 16th when they will be delivered to McAuley Village.

FOOD, HAT, & MITTEN DRIVE RESULTS!
Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our Metcalf Food, Hat, & Mitten Drive. As you may have heard, after tallying our final count, Metcalf Mustangs collected an outstanding 1,174 items!  Grade 4 did an amazing job collecting 445 items, and on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving this grade level enjoyed an extra recess!  
Thank you again for your generous support for our community.

HOLIDAY GIFTS from Artsonia.com
If you are looking for unique, personalized gifts this holiday season, be sure to check out the student artwork and gifts on Artsonia.com!  As you know, all students at Metcalf have the opportunity to have their artwork posted on this safe, educational website which is the world's largest online student art gallery!  As a bonus, you can order gifts directly from the website with your child's artwork on it.  It serves as a fundraiser with 20% of all proceeds coming back to the Mecalf art room which Mrs. LaFrenaya uses to purchase clay, drawing books, blocks, and other art materials all students can enjoy throughout the year.  You can go to www.artsonia.com and search Metcalf School, or go to http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=65080.  Please contact Mrs. LaFrenaye at sharon_lafrenaye@ewg.k12.ri.us or at (401)397-3375  if you have any questions.  
Thank you for your support!

DUCK STAMP WINNERS ON DISPLAY:  Save the Date!
As you may know, it is great artistic tradition in EWG that all students can enter the Federal Junior Duck Stamp competition if they so choose.  We are excited to announce that the winning entries from last school year have finished their gallery tour throughout the state, and as a "grand finale" all winning entries from K-12 students in EWG will be on display in the Jr./Sr. High School Library on Thursday, 12/17 from 6-7 p.m. before the high school's holiday concert.  All students will receive their winning entries in school on the following Monday, Dec. 21.  If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. LaFrenaye at sharon_lafrenaye@ewg.k12.ri.us or at (401)397-3375.



Friday, November 13, 2015

Veterans Day and MUCH more!

We have been very busy here at Metcalf Elementary School giving back to the community, honoring our nations's veterans, and celebrating the accomplishments of Mrs. Gina Kilday, our EWG District Mathematics Coach.  Take a look...

Our Giving Community


Congratulations to the entire Metcalf community for the overwhelming donations for our food and hat/mitten drive! Together, we collected over 500 items so far!  Thank you to our Student Council for working hard every day organizing and overseeing the food donations, and to Mrs. Blake's class for the hat and mitten collection.  Additional thanks to Mrs. MacLeod and Mrs. Blake's students for helping count, sort, and pack up all the items along with our Student Council friends.  A special congratulations to our sixth grade friends that are presently in first place with a total of 177 of the items donated!  
WOW, you are an awesome group! 
Don't forget that our drive continues through this Friday, November 20th!

Honoring our Veterans


In honor of our country's veterans, Mrs. Barbour's third grade class made beautiful Veterans Day cards and delivered them to the Shady Acres Nursing Home in Exeter.  The third graders are practicing being productive citizens as outlined in our Metcalf Mission Statement.  Thank you to all in our community who have served in the armed forces!!


Thank you to Liam Knott for the moving rendition of our National Anthem on his trombone, 
and to Morgan Beck for reading a beautiful tribute to our nation's veterans to begin the day on Tuesday, November 10th. Absolutely outstanding!

Congratulations to Mrs. Gina Kilday!

Photograph and decorated door by Mrs. Barbour!  :) 

Mrs. Kilday, our very own EWG Mathematics Coach, was recently elected as a national board member to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, NCTM!  We are so proud of you and excited at the opportunities this brings. NCTM is the world's largest professional organization focused on mathematics education and has more than 80,000 members across the United States, Canada, and internationally.  Mrs. Kilday, you are such a valuable member of our EWG community and now the whole world will know it!  

Please join Mrs. Kilday for one of her Math Workshops listed below...

Supporting MASTERY of BASIC FACTS, grades 1-5, at Metcalf, room 204
Wednesday, Nov. 18th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. and/or Thursday, Nov. 19th, 9:00-10:30 a.m. 

Building Basic Number Sense, grades PK-2, at Wawaloam, library
Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. and/or Wednesday, Dec. 9th, 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Common Core Math and Tools to Support Instruction at Home, grades K-6, Metcalf, 
Room 204, What is Common Core Math?  Why is our curriculum based in it? How will Mathletics, i-Ready, & Everyday Math Online help, help our children grow mathematically?
Monday, Jan. 11th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. and/or Tuesday, Jan. 12th, 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Non Traditional Algorithms, grades 2-6, Metcalf, room 204, What are they and why do we use them? Thursday, Jan. 28th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. and/or Friday, Jan. 29th, 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Walk-ins accepted, but please register online if possible at:
http://goo.gl/forms/N1v6b8oMfJ

If you are interested, but cannot make these dates or times, please contact Gina Kilday to make other arrangements to receive this information @ gina_kilday@ewg.k12.ri.us

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

It's Time for Parent-Teacher Conferences!

Why is it important to go to a parent-teacher conference?

Going to the parent-teacher conference provides you and your child's teacher an opportunity to work together as a team in order to help your child.  You each have an important perspective to share - as the parent, you know your child's personality, habits, strengths, and weaknesses.  The teacher, on the other hand, has been trained professionally in the best methods of teaching, meeting individual student's needs, how to control classroom behavior, and how to help your child succeed in school.  Working together you will be able to find ways that each of you can provide the appropriate and necessary support for your child.

The conference is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about your child's progress, to learn more about the class and what the students are studying, and to find out if your child is having difficulty with anything in particular.  In addition, the more you know about your child's school and classes, the more likely your child will be able to talk about daily experiences with you.  Students appreciate your concern and involvement, and will be more likely to approach you when they have problems.

Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand.

Remember that you and your child's teacher both want the same thing: the very best for your child.  Open, honest, and respectful communication will be the most effective way to work together with your child's teacher and build a lasting relationship for a successful school year.  Listen carefully to what the teacher says.  If you don't understand something that the teacher talks about (such as an educational term or an explanation of a school policy), don't be afraid to ask for clarification.  It is important for you to understand what your child's teacher is telling you.

Create an action plan.

Ask your child's teacher for specific suggestions of ways that you can help your child at home with homework, reading, organization, routines, behavioral issues, etc. Make sure you understand the teacher's suggestions, and ask for clarification if you don't.  This list of suggestions will become the action plan.  Establish a way to keep track of the child's progress, as well as the best way to stay in touch with your child's teacher - through phone calls, emails, notes, or meetings. Review the action plan with the teacher as you end the conference to make sure that you both have the same expectations.

YOU are our most important partner in your child's education!
Thank you for working with us to make this a 
happy and successful school year for your child!





Friday, September 25, 2015

Welcome to Metcalf Principal

Happy Fall to all our Metcalf Families!

Welcome to my new blog created to keep you informed of all fantastic happenings at Metcalf Elementary School.  We have so much to be proud of we just have to share!

We have a celebrity in our midst!
Mrs. Sharon Lafrenaye has been named the EWG District Teacher of the Year AND the RI Art Education Association Elementary Art Educator of the Year! Sharon is not only a fabulous art teacher, but a huge contributor to the positive school culture at Metcalf School.  We are so lucky to have her...her enthusiasm is contagious!  Thank you Mrs. Lafrenaye for all you do!

We are ALL scientists at Metcalf Elementary School! 
Hands-on, inquiry based science is exciting our students and peaking their curiosity about the world around them.  Grade three is exploring Weather & Climate, grade four is studying Soil, Rocks, & Landforms, grade five is exploring the Sun, Moon, & Planets.  Grade six is studying eco-systems and has created their very own terrariums that are kept right in the classroom for observation and experimentation.  Your child's teachers have created dynamic science labs in their classrooms to actively engage students and provide them with enriching experiences daily.  Just look at the photos below!




Thank you to our PTA!
What would we do without you!  Thank you for the laminating machine, the walkie talkies, and the fun and fabulous activities you provide our students and families.  You are a devoted and creative group and we appreciate all your efforts.  Check out the photos of our recent walkathon...we had SO much fun!!!