Thursday, December 21, 2017

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



                                                     

All Aboard the Polar Express!!

 

  

                                     

                            Holiday Stories in Grade 3!

 

Mrs. Barbour's class gives back to the West Greenwich Police.

Character Trait Christmas Trees!  












                   






Christmas Messages For Our Families


                 A Special Story and Holiday Breakfast!
 




Sign Language Performance by the Gaumonds!
               

                            Ugly...Festive Sweater Day! 



 




   
 
 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 
to all our Metcalf Families!

Thursday, December 14, 2017

December News


Hour of Code, Month of Code!
Mrs. Steever, our new Library Media Specialist, made sure that all Metcalf students joined thousands of students from around the world to participate in the Hour of Code during the week of December 4th to celebrate Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. Metcalf students will continue to participate in activities at the Hour of Code website, as well as use other coding apps and websites appropriate to their grade level during their library classes through the month of December.  Thank you, Mrs. Steever, for all the fabulous things you have brought to Metcalf School!

Happy Hanukkah!
I'd like to wish a Happy Hanukkah to those that are observing Hanukkah from 
Tuesday, Dec. 12th to Wednesday, Dec. 20th.

Band Performance
Thank you to Miss Place and the entire grade 6 band for a lovely performance on Wednesday evening. It was very apparent that you've all received expert instruction from Miss Place since September and all practiced quite a bit leading up to your concert! The Metcalf cafeteria was transformed into a musical extravaganza for the evening!

Let's see those Holiday Sweaters!
Let's all break out our favorite Ugly/Festive Sweaters on Monday, December 18th!  I can't wait to see how the sweaters express everyone's true holiday spirit!

Rooster Games
The librarian at the Exeter Public Library is hosting a Rooster Games book club event during the holiday break (with additional events planned for January, February and March as well). The event is free and ties directly to the Rooster Games books we want our students to read. The December event is about Ollie's Odyssey, a favorite with our students! You can find more information at the following link: Rooster Game Book Club

Brrr...it's COLD OUTSIDE!!
Please be sure your child comes to school dressed for the winter weather.  We try to get outside every day if at all possible.  The children are encouraged to bring in hats, mittens, snow pants, and snow boots if they'd like to play in the snow during recess. 

Report Cards
The end of the first trimester has come to a close and report cards are now available through the Parent Portal in Aspen.  This is our second year using a Standards-Based Report Card and we have made some slight changes based on feedback received.  Some of the standards have been combined and/or clarified.  Please remember that students are graded according to the expected progress at this time of year and only on those standards that have been taught thus far. You will also notice we are now using the same Academic Key as the Wawaloam report card:
S for Secure
D for Developing
N for Needs Improvement.  
The report is in PDF format and can be found on the "Pages" top tab, "Published Reports" box on the bottom right side of the page.  You can easily download and print the report card as you would any other document. Please click the following link to submit a help ticket to the EWG IT Department if you are having any problems viewing your child's report card: Helpdesk Ticket

Cafeteria Behavior
The excitement of the season is evident at Metcalf.  Children are happy, full of anticipation, and sometimes forgetful or our rules. ;)  Please speak to your child about following all school rules, especially in the cafeteria during lunchtime.  Grade six in particular has had great difficulty during this time.  We hope the behavior improves so we can avoid silent lunches.  Thank you in advance for your support at this busy time of year!  


Upcoming Events:

Holiday Recess:  Friday, December 22nd to Tuesday, January 2nd.

Friday, December 1, 2017

We Are Very Thankful!

We are very thankful for our Spanish program! 
Mrs. Lawhead is an incredibly dynamic and enthusiastic teacher that is new to Metcalf this year.  She is doing a fantastic job teaching the Spanish language and culture to all our grade 2-6 students.  
Check out the great videos below.


We are also thankful to our Metcalf community! 
You all outdid yourselves during the Food Drive!  
We donated 1424 items to the RI Food Bank this year!  WOW!! 
Thank you to our Grade 6 Leadership Team!
Ava Bicknell, Akira Hall, Bryanah DiLibero, 
Brielle Bamberry, Alicia Zhang , Angela Broccoli

Help raise funds for the Metcalf Art Program!
Go to www.artsonia.com to order custom keepsakes with your child’s art. You can choose from a wide variety if items, such as t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards and much more. These one of a kind items with your child’s artwork printed on them make perfect keepsakes and holiday gifts! A great benefit of this program is that 20% of each purchase from Artsonia is given directly back to Metcalf School. Ordering online is very user friendly and all proceeds go directly to purchasing art supplies and materials for all Metcalf students to use throughout the year.

Upcoming Events:
PTA Holiday Bazaar - Saturday, 12/2 at Metcalf School
Grade 6 Band Concert - 12/13 @ 7:00
Picture Retake Day - 12/14
No School - Friday, 12/22 through Monday, 1/1/18 for the Holiday Recess
Please visit the following links to our Community Announcements:

Monday, November 6, 2017

Metcalf November News

The kickoff to the Metcalf Giving Season was a HUGE success!  
As you can see below...we all had lots of fun dressing up and donating to UNICEF on Friday.  
Thank you to the Grade 6 Leasdership Team for your great ideas to support those in need.
I hope you enjoy the photos below as much as we all enjoyed the day!


 Our Specialists are VERY SPECIAL to us!!

 WOW...she can wrestle anything!


 Grade 6 Team Future Occupations...Retired!  ;)





The Grade 2 Team
1 Fish, 2 Fish, 3 Fish...Red Fish, Blue Fish...Old Fish, New Fish, Black Fish!!

 Where's Waldo?  Dr. Scott and the Grade 3 Book Fairy!



"SLOW DRIVING" NEON Road Character, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Wonder Woman, 
Princess Mary, and Sheriff Fish ran the school for the day!

Professional Development Days at Metcalf School were AWESOME
Rick Wormeli, a nationally renowned education and grading expert visited EWG on October 27th.  He shared his knowledge regarding Standards-Based grading practices and best practices we should focus on in the coming months and years. He also shared that he is impressed with our new report cards, answered questions, and offered ideas and "next steps" to our elementary team!  We were delighted to engage in professional discussions with someone of his caliber, proud of the work we have done over the last several years, and excited to continue our work to support students.   

We also spent time learning from the EWG EXPERTS we work with each and every day! 
Notice the intense collaboration in the photos below taken during the Early Release Professional Development Day and the full day on 10/27!  We explored small group instructional strategies 
with our Math Interventionist, Mrs. Kilday, and Reading Specialists, Mrs. Laboissonniere, Mrs. Bouchard, and Mrs. Labrecque, all the new & exciting Library Resources with Mrs. Steever, 
the amazing iPad Apps that Mrs. Barbour is using so effectively in her classroom, 
the Responsive Classroom philosophy to help develop good character and a strong sense of community at Metcalf School with Mrs. Bucacci and Mrs. Ratigan, and the importance of 
Social Emotional Learning with Mrs. Fish, Ms. Marx, and Mr. Greenberg.  
Thank you to our entire faculty and staff for their active and enthusiastic participation!  
There are great things happening at Metcalf School!!











We enjoyed learning together and really getting to know all our 
new teachers and para-professionals that joined the Metcalf family this year!  
What a fantastic METCALF TEAM we have! 


We have wonderful news! Metcalf's very own Emerson McGrath from Mr. Levett's 6th Grade class will be performing in Trinity Rep's "A Christmas Carol"!   
Emerson will be starring in the Green Cast. Her teachers have noted Emerson's talents in the past, and we are so proud that she is able to shine on the big stage. We wish you all the best, Emerson, and don't be surprised if you see some friendly EWG faces in the audience cheering you on!  If interested in seeing one of Emerson's performances see the link below and be sure to purchase tickets for the Green Cast shows:   Trinity Rep - A Christmas Carol

Cards For A Cause, (CFAC):  As you know, the EWG Elementary Schools took over the CFAC Fundraising Program this year. This is a great way to support ALL three of our Elementary Schools simply by purchasing gift cards to your favorite stores!  Completed forms should be sent to Metcalf School to Mariah Pearson, our Office Clerk.  Right now, payments for gift cards must in in the form of cash or a check, but soon we will be able to accept credit card payments to make it even easier to support your schools! The CFAC Form is available on the Metcalf website under the Parent Tab/ Important Documents and at the following link: CFAC Order Form  Thank you so much for your continued support!

Grade 6 Leadership Team Projects
UNICEF Collection - All students went home with an orange UNICEF Collection box on Friday. Please encourage your child to continue collecting for needy children and bring back the box on or before Tuesday, Nov. 28th.
Food Drive - Students are encouraged to bring in non-perishable food items until Friday, Nov. 17th. Grade level food collection boxes are located in the lobby.

Safety is of utmost important to all of us!  To that end, I ask that you please read the arrival and dismissal procedures below and follow them every day going forward.  Thank you so much for helping us keep everyone safe at Metalf!  :)

Morning Arrival: If you drive your child to school, an activity, or to the YMCA Child Care Program, it is very important that you follow all arrival procedures listed below. 
  • Obey the DO NOT ENTER and ONE WAY signs at all times, this includes when dropping off for an activity or the YMCA Child Care Program early in the morning.
  • Drive Slowly through the parking lot, and when driving around the back of building if you are dropping off your child at the YMCA Child Care Program.
  • Pull all the way forward in the front drop off area before your child exits the vehicle.
  • Make sure your child exits the vehicle on the sidewalk side of the car only.
  • Follow all directions and suggestions from our Metcalf Assistants while on school grounds.
Afternoon Dismissal:  If you are picking your child up at dismissal, from an activity, or from the YMCA Child Care Program, it is very important that you follow the pick-up procedures listed below.
  • Send your child to school with a note that includes the date, your signature, and the name of the person (18 years or older) that is picking him/her up at 3:00.
  • Please do NOT call the school, leave a message, or send an email regarding changes in dismissal routines, as this is when mistakes happen.  
  • If an emergency requires a change in dismissal plans then please call prior to 2:30,  as between 2:30 & 3:00 is a very hectic time in our office. 
  • Obey the DO NOT ENTER and ONE WAY signs at all times, this includes when picking up from an activity or the YMCA Child Care Program later in the day.
  • Drive Slowly through the parking lot, and when driving around the back of building if you are picking up your child from an activity or the YMCA Child Care Program.

Upcoming Events:
Monday, Nov. 6th -  Experts will present on the Dangers of Vaping and ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) tonight @ 6:00 in the JSHS Auditorium.  Please visit the link for further information: Dangers of Vaping
Tuesday, Nov. 7th - Vision Screenings for grades 2-5
Wednesday, Nov. 8th - we will follow a Friday schedule to make up for the Fridays we have missed. This means the children will have their Friday Special on 11/8.
Friday, November 10th -  No school as we observe Veterans' Day.
Wednesday, Nov. 22 - No School on Thanksgiving Eve.

Community Announcements: