Transcript of May 2017 THE GOLDEN EAGLE
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Draft.docxMay 2017
Stapleton Elementary School’s Newsletter
Published by the Stapleton PTO
A Letter from the Principals Although April was a short month for
us here at Stapleton, it was packed with activity both in and out
of the classroom. First, we would like to congratulate the 3rd,
4th, and 5th graders for successfully completing the ELA portion of
the computer-based MCAS 2.0. On Tuesday, May 2nd, Math MCAS began
for grades 3 and 4, followed by 5th grade on Tuesday, May 9th. We
wrap up MCAS with 5th grade Science Technology and Engineering
beginning on Tuesday, 5/16. Students have demonstrated a high level
of focus, stamina, and commitment to doing their best during each
test session. This past month, Stapleton participated in this
year’s Kindergarten Video Tour. We hope that potential incoming
Kindergarten families find this new district-wide initiative
helpful as they make their decisions regarding next year. Auditions
for the end of year Talent Show for 4th and 5th graders resulted in
a list of exciting and entertaining acts. The Talent Show will be
presented on June 2nd from 6-7:30 pm on Stapleton’s stage. During
the month of April, staff members visited classrooms to read
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters and discussed how the book connected
to our Student Character Trait - HONESTY. May’s book selection,
Amazing Grace, will support the character trait, SELF-CONTROL. On
April 26th, Stapleton hosted its biggest event of the season. The
first annual STEAMathon was a tremendous success. Attendance to
this
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 2
spectacular event far surpassed expectations. From Sub Zero Ice
Cream & Yogurt to iRobot, every letter of STEAM was represented
with hands-on activity stations. A huge THANK YOU to all the
parents, family members, and staff who volunteered with a special
shout-out to Michelle Rosenberg and Heather Allen for spear-heading
the event. Coming up on May 21st, Stapleton will host its annual
Color Run. We hope to see you there. Finally, we would like to
remind families to please participate in the Panorama Education
Family Survey. Please check our website under District News to
easily access the letter from our new Superintendent, Dr. Robert
Tremblay, regarding this unique opportunity to help the District
prioritize and plan our district-wide and school-based initiatives.
Sincerely, Amy Bright & Allison Benabdallah Principal Assistant
Principal
View and bookmark Stapleton’s Web Page:
http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Domain/21
Every Friday is “Spirit Day” at Stapleton. Show your school spirit
by wearing
Stapleton gear or blue and white to be part of the fun.
Go Stapleton!
Mark Your Calendars MAY
7 Earth Day - 12pm-2pm
8 Framingham Historical Society Field Trip - grade 3, rooms 310
& 305
9 Framingham Historical Society Field Trip - grade 3, room
203
9 Talent Show Practice - 3:30pm-5:30pm
10 Stapleton PTO Meeting - 7pm-8pm
11 Principals Party - 9:30am (for Student of the Week recipients in
April)
15 Spring Picture Day
17 Talent Show Practice - 3:30pm-5:30pm
18 Early Release - 1pm dismissal
21 Color Run - heats leaving every 5 minutes from 10am-12pm
22 Box Tops Raffle form due
23 Talent Show Practice - 3:30pm-5:30pm
24 Nature Walk - grade 3
29 NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
30 Nature Trail - grade 2
30 Ecotarium Field Trip - grade 5
30 Talent Show Practice - 3:30pm-5:30pm
31 Field Day - grades K-2
31 Book Swap - during school lunches
31 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal - 3:15pm-6:00pm
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 4
JUNE
1 Cameron Middle School Concert - 10am (grades 3-5)
2 3rd Grade Recorder Concert - 1:45pm-2:45pm
2 4th & 5th Grade Talent Show - 6pm-7:30pm
5 Kindergarten Orientation - no school for current
Kindergarteners
6 Drumlin Farm Field Trip - Kindergarten
7 Field Day - grades 3-5
8 Principals Party - 9:30am (for Student of the Week recipients in
May and June)
8 5th Grade Band Concert @ Cameron Middle School
9 Kindergarten Show - 9:30am-10:45am
15 Franklin Park Zoo Field Trip - grade 2
16 5th Grade Graduation - 9:30am
19 5th Grade Yearbook Breakfast - 9:15am-10:15am (students
only)
19 Move Along Day - 2pm
20 Last Day of School - 12pm dismissal, no lunch served
CONGRATULATIONS To Mrs. Johnson
On April 28th, Kindergarten teacher Miss O’Brien was married. Best
wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Johnson!
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 5
At Stapleton Elementary School, We LOVE Our Staff of
Superheroes!
We notice and appreciate: cars in the parking lot before and long
after school hours emails sent in the evenings and on weekends
money spent out of pocket to foster learning and smiles adults
smiling no matter what their day has entailed extra moments taken
to encourage those who need it time spent at school events outside
of contractual hours praise and recognition of student perseverance
celebrations of successes large and small clean school and cleared
sidewalks enthusiasm for children and teaching organized and
creatively decorated classrooms, offices, and library
flowers, grass, and a beautifully maintained exterior of our
building
friendly greetings and helpful responses so many more amazing
things you do
T H A K N
U O Y
Coach’s Corner: Literacy
Students have been growing stronger as readers and writers each day
here at Stapleton. As we move into the last two months of school,
classrooms have been launching their final literacy units of the
year.
In Kindergarten, students will be using pretend play and
performance to get to know the characters in their fables and fairy
tales. In writing, they will be learning how write persuasive
pieces.
First graders are ending their exploration of folktales and fairy
tales and moving into their unit on reading about science topics.
They will be writing their own fiction stories during writing
workshop.
In second grade, students will become experts on science topics
during their informational reading unit. They will also begin a
brand new writing unit on writing science lab reports.
Third graders are exploring the lives of famous people of the past
and present during their biography reading unit. In writing, they
will be learning how to study the structure of fairly tales and
write their own.
In fourth grade, students are gathering in book clubs to read and
discuss books that focus on social issues. They are focusing on
crafting literary essays during writing workshop.
Fifth graders are expanding their knowledge of informational
reading and research during reading workshop and will transition
into the historical fiction unit at the end of the month. During
May and June, they will be learning how to craft a research-based
argument essay.
Please be sure to ask your children about the books they are
reading in class and topics they are writing about. They have
plenty of learning and hard work to be proud of and to share with
you!
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 7
If you have any questions about curriculum, assessments, or
strategies on how to help your reader and writer at home, please
feel free to contact me. You can find resources on my website:
https://sites.google.com/a/framingham.k12.ma.us/mrs-biasella/
Sincerely, Mrs. Michelle Biasella, Literacy Coach
mbiasella@framingham.k12.ma.us
Book Picks of the Month for May from Mrs. Biasella, K-5 Literacy
Coach
The Runaway Tortilla by Eric Kimmel Ages 5-8
A sassy tortilla, so light she jumps off the griddle, leads an
elaborate game of chase through the desert while taunting a passel
of critterstwo horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five
rattlesnakes, and six buckaroos. But has she met her match in Señor
Coyote? (Amazon)
Little Red Riding Hood: An Interactive Fairy Tale Adventure (You
Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales) by Eric Braun Ages 8-12
In a battle of wits, who will win? Little Red or the Wolf? The epic
struggle between the two takes some unexpected twists in this
fractured retelling of the beloved fairy tale.
Who do you trust? What do you do? When You Choose the path through
three new versions of this fairy tale, the consequences can be
chilling, surprising, or disastrous. (Amazon)
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 8
Coach’s Corner: Math
Our students had a great time at the STEAMathon in April. In the
math room they were able to play several card and dice games. Your
students were given a deck of cards and a ten-sided dice in dice to
take home. We hope that your student will continue to enjoy playing
math games with you at home using these materials.
For directions for math games, please visit
https://sites.google.com/a/framingham.k12.ma.us/math-minds/math-games
This site is also accessible through my website on the Stapleton
School webpage.
To access my website visit:
https://sites.google.com/a/framingham.k12.ma.us/math-minds
Sincerely, Ms.Heather Allen, Math Coach
hallen@framingham.k12.ma.us
Earth Day Tips
1. Use a reusable water bottle at school. 2. Bring lunch items in
re-usable plastic containers instead of plastic bags. 3. Bring your
lunch in a reusable lunch bag or lunch box instead of a paper bag.
4. Use reusable grocery bags at stores instead of paper or plastic.
5. Put recyclable materials in the paper bin and in our recyclable
bins in school. 6. Download the iRecycle app from
http://earth911.com/irecycle to know
what you can recycle and where.
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 9
STAPLETON EARTH DAY! Sunday, May 7th 12pm-2pm
Please join us at this family event for: • School clean up (bring
gardening tools, rakes, and leaf bags) • Carol Getchell Nature
Trail hikes at 12pm and 1pm • Recycling! Bring your old crayons,
soda can tabs (for the Ronald
McDonald House), and old clothes. • Crafts! Make an egg shaker or a
birdseed feeder out of recyclable
materials. • Planting! Plant a seed and make-and-take a seed ball
with Mass
Horticulture’s Plantmobile • Drumlin Farm with animals and
education • Open Spirit with Rabbi Katy • Framingham Compost Crew
(vendor) • Robin Plitt from PUREhaven Essentials all natural
products (vendor) -
All proceeds will be donated to the fundraiser for the Suau family.
• Jessica from Tic Tac Toe Rocks (vendor) • Pizza will be available
for purchase.
Please note: Drinks will not be sold at this event. J We will have
a water cooler available to reduce plastic waste in the
environment.
Please bring a reusable water bottle if you will need a
drink.
We are still in need of volunteers for this event. If you can help,
please use this sign up genius link:
https://tinyurl.com/StapletonEarthDay2017
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 10
STAPLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S 2nd ANNUAL COLOR RUN
Sunday, May 21st
10am-12pm (groups of 20 leaving every 5 minutes)
Look for Color Run Registration and Volunteer Flyers in Friday
Folders
or
Volunteer to help at
http://tinyurl.com/StapletonColorRunVolunteer2017
Book Swap
Wednesday, May 31st during lunch periods
Please have your student bring in up to three gently used books on
Wednesday morning.
1 Book = 1 Ticket Each student may trade up to 3 books. Every
student may select a book.
We need volunteers! Book Swap runs from 9:30am – 1:30pm once every
other month.
Please contact Rebecca Reiner rareiner@gmail.com if you are
interested in helping and let us know if you want to help for all
or part of the time.
Thank you for your support. The “Book Swap Crew”
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Support One of Stapleton’s On-Going Community Service Efforts
YOUR SPARE CHANGE MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
4th graders Timmy Beverly and Casey Swain will be collecting CHANGE
FOR CHARITY again in May.
In March, the boys collected nearly $200 for the Dana Farber Cancer
Institute thanks to many generous contributions. In April, money
they collected was sent to the Buddy Dog Humane Society. In May
contributions will support the homeless.
Please send your spare coins and dollar bills to the Stapleton main
office and look for the change jar!
STAPLETON SUPPORTS LOCAL VETERANS! YOU CAN HELP!
Donate your recyclable CANS and PLASTIC BOTTLES.
Drop off bags of recylables at the collection area across from the
school’s main office.
To date, Stapleton has collected $250 for local veterans! That’s
5,000 bottles and cans! One veteran who has personally benefitted
from our efforts is Ms. Kinsella’s friend, Jose!
Thank you! *This effort will continue throughout the school
year.
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 12
Non-Perishable Food & Supplies Collection A Place to Turn is a
food pantry in Natick whose mission is to provide emergency food
and clothing to our MetroWest neighbors. They assist over 225
families each month and almost 70% of those assisted are Framingham
residents.
The Stapleton Community Service program collects one non-perishable
food or supply for A Place to Turn (per their wishes) monthly from
September through June.
For the month of MAY, they have asked for CEREAL.
For the month of JUNE, they have asked for JUICE BOXES.
Students will find a box with the food pantry’s logo on it in the
hallway near the office. Donations are accepted throughout the
entire month and taken to the pantry weekly.
Thank you for your support!
Please contact Rachel Wein rachelwein@gmail.com if you are
interested in helping to pick up items from Stapleton and drop them
off at the pantry, even if just one time.
If your family could benefit from the assistance of A Place to
Turn, there are referral forms in the Stapleton Office that can be
filled out and brought to the pantry for immediate assistance.
Please don’t hesitate to ask!
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 13
Support One of Stapleton’s On-Going Fundraisers
Amazon Smile Support the Stapleton PTO every time you shop at
Amazon.
When you shop at Amazon via smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates money
to the Mary E. Stapleton Elementary PTO. Designate Stapleton as
your charity just ONE TIME and then bookmark smile.amazon.com and
shop as you always do. Easy!
To get started, go to smile.amazon.com and type in 04-2578507 or
use the search option to find “Mary E Stapleton Elementary
PTO.”
Mabel’s Labels Keep all of your good stuff out of the Lost &
Found! Your favorite hoodies, water bottles, and jackets can come
home again!
Label all of your favorite items with personalized labels from
Mabel’s Labels.
Click on our special link to shop and browse:
http://tinyurl.com/StapletonMabelsLabels
20% of all sales go to Stapleton and all orders get free shipping
Please share the link with friends and family!
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 14
Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Stapleton (SCHOOL ID #06822)
earns money from Stop & Shop’s A+ School Rewards fundraising
program.
You can help by signing up with the program and then using your
STOP & SHOP CARD each time you shop there. Our school will
receive one cash award check at the end of the program each year.
This money is used to support Stapleton PTO programs and
events.
To sign up, visit www.stopandshop.com/aplus and scroll down to the
center of the page to REGISTER YOUR CARD in the red box marked “For
Customers.” If you have already registered your card in previous
years, you do not need to register it, but do check to confirm that
Stapleton is your designated school for rewards.
You can also call the A+ School Rewards hotline at 1-877-275-2758
for assistance or you can email your information to the A+ School
Rewards email. Please include the last name associated with your
STOP & SHOP CARD, your 13-digit STOP & SHOP CARD number,
and Stapleton’s School ID #06822 in your email to
askaplus@cranecommunications.com.
Please encourage your family and friends to support our
school.
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 15
Stapleton is a “Box Tops for Education” School! Please clip and
send Box Tops into school with your child. Each Box Top is worth 10
cents and they add up quickly!
Did you know that with your help, the Stapleton PTO received almost
$900 from the Box Tops program during the 2016-2017 school year?
That’s a lot of Box Tops!
Check out Box Tops for Education online to read about the program
and to find printable collection sheets.
https://www.boxtops4education.com
Get the kids involved in supporting their school. Ask grandparents,
friends, and neighbors to save them for us, too.
Thank you and keep on clipping! We accept Box Tops all year
long.
To:
Stapleton Math Coach Heather Allen, Parent Volunteer Michelle
Rosenberg, and the many parents and teachers who made our first
STEAM night at Stapleton a success!
To:
Parent Volunteers Michele McLaughlin and Megan Blanchard, and the
many parents who put together a full week of appreciation for our
Stapleton Staff.
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 16
What’s happening at Stapleton? To find out…
Join us at PTO meetings.
Our next PTO meeting is at 7pm on Wednesday, May 10th. Babysitting
is provided for Stapleton students K-5, and younger siblings are
invited to be with their parents/guardians in the cafeteria for the
meeting.
Sign up for the Stapleton email loop.
Join the “the loop” to receive PTO announcements, event reminders,
community flyers, and the newsletter in your inbox. To sign up,
email one of the PTO Secretaries, Jenny Landsiedel
jennytut@hotmail.com or Monica Swain monicaswain@gmail.com, and
provide your full name, your email address, and tell us if you are
a Stapleton parent/guardian or staff member.
Like us on Facebook.
The PTO’s Facebook page is a GREAT place to see announcements and
event information, discover volunteering opportunities, and ask
questions. Join in! https://www.facebook.com/marystapletonPTO
Visit the Stapleton web site.
Stapleton has a new web site this year. View announcements and
school information from our Principal and Vice Principal, see the
calendar of up- coming school events, and access information shared
by the Framingham Public School District.
http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Domain/21
VOLUNTEER!
Join us at PTO events. Meet other parents, encourage another friend
to join you, let your child see you helping out, and know you are
making a difference! Our events are 100% volunteer-run by busy
parents! Join in!
The Golden Eagle Newsletter - May 2017 17
Stapleton PTO Board
rlamonicajr@gmail.com
Co-Treasurer Position is OPEN Please email any of the board members
if you are interested in joining us.
For your copy to appear in the next newsletter, please email
submissions to:
Jenny Landsiedel jennytut@hotmail.com or
Stapleton Safety Rules
• Do not make U-turns on Elm Street during drop off or pick
up.
• Do not enter the parking lot or bus zone between 8:45am- 9:05am
and 3:00pm-3:20pm.