Hello Hardy Families:
I recently attended a professional conference in Atlanta, Georgia organized by EdLeaders21. This organization is a national network of school and district leaders focused on integrating the 4Cs – critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity – into education. Ken Kay is the founder of this group and he will be here to speak to parents and to the entire WPS faculty in November. Once I have specific information about time and place I will let you know.
So how did this conference connect to our students at Hardy? Last June, six Hardy teachers and myself participated in a WPS sponsored 3 day class lead by the Buck Institute on Project Based Learning. This was an exciting 3 days filled with new learning for the Hardy group. Project Based Learning is something that we are exploring across the district and grades. Currently six classrooms in grades 3, 4 and 5 will engage in two projects over the course of the year. The goal of project based learning is to incorporate real life questions and problems into cross curricular areas allowing students to take a deep dive and explore learning in a way that incorporates the 4 Cs, academics and social emotional learning skills. There is so much to share, so stay tuned for more information on how Hardy teachers are leading the way to Project Based Learning for WPS.
From time to time I will be posting an article onto the Hardy web page that parents might find interesting. The first article is one that Lisa Goodman shared with me by Dr. Anthony Rao. In the article he makes some recommendations to help parents build independence for their children in a time when we feel like we need to tighten the reins due to the increasing stress of news features.
http://anthonyrao.com/articles/
Math Club: It’s back, or at least we hope it is…. we are looking for some parent volunteers to support our math club. Please contact Tim Baldwin baldwint@wellesleyps.org or Janet Rixon rixonj@wellesleyps.org if you are able to assist in the math club.
DreamBox: Thanks to the generosity of our family community each Hardy student will be set up with a DreamBox account. We are in the process of getting the program up and running so students can access this at school and at home. We will also offer a before school DreamBox session again led by Mrs. Abramson, details out soon.
Mindfulness Assembly: We had a fantastic Mindfulness Assembly last Friday. Mrs. Goodman led the students in a mindfulness practice and you could have heard a pin drop as each child sat quietly, eyes closed, breathing deeply. To continue this practice we will be using the singing bowl to dismiss the students from lunch in a quiet, peaceful, mindfull way.
Fundraising: I know it seems like the fall is filled with many ways to generate funds from families, and it is, but…. all of your support goes into amazing programs and field trips for our students. I want to thank all of our families for supporting Hardy through funds and also through the many ways parents volunteer. We cannot do this work alone – Thank you!
Field trip forms: There has been a lot of discussion on social media about field trip permission forms which leads me to believe that clarification is needed. Over the summer the form was examined and any and all revisions were made, resulting in the final version of the form that Hardy School has been using this year. If you have any questions about the form please direct them to me rather than social media.
Math Night:
Purpose:
During Math Night parents will have an opportunity to interact with their child using math games that support the Investigation Math concepts. Teachers are available if needed to provide additional directions to the game or activity.
Structure of the evening:
This year parents and their children will visit grade level classrooms and join other students from that particular grade level. There will be two 30 minute sessions. Both sessions are the same and the content/activity/game will be repeated.
We will offer babysitting for school aged children in the library. This will be sponsored by the grade 5 students.
No Phone Zone:
We are going to ask that all of the school spaces with the exception of the office be phone free. If you need to use your cell phone during the event to take or make calls please do so in the office. This means that no pictures or checking your phone in the halls and classrooms. Again, the office is the only phone zone.
Date:
November 15, 2017
Time:
Session 1: 6:00 to 6:25 p.m.
Session 2: 6:35 to 7:00 p.m.
Thank you
Charlene Cook, Principal