Dear Sprague Community, As you know, when we have snow days, it affects our ending date in June. As of right now, our last day of school will be Tuesday, June 21st. We always have our 5th grade Farewell Assembly on the second to last day of school no matter when we end. Currently, that will fall on Monday, June 20th at 9:00 a.m. Please be sure children have snow clothes for recess each day now that there is snow on the ground. Children are encouraged to play in the snow, but are not allowed to throw snow at or on one another. We adjusted the Walk to School Day given the weather and snow on the ground. The rescheduled date for February will be Wednesday, February 24th. Valentine’s Day is approaching and a great time to think about friendships and how children build those relationships. When children are younger, parents often guide the friendships by arranging the play dates, but as they get a bit older, children find friends with whom they have things in common. This might be a sport, a preference for active play, or just a connection that is formed somehow. In any case, it is important to teach those friendship skills of listening, taking turns, and supporting a peer either through encouragement when things are going well or comfort when there is a problem. Research tells us that all children, (in fact, all people) need to feel connected to others and feel a sense of belonging. Friends are important to children and as the adults in their lives, we can support children as they sometime struggle with these relationships. One saying that always seems to hold true: “To have a friend, you have to be a friend.” In school, we also need to help children be sensitive to the feelings of other children who may not be close friends. While it is natural for children to feel stronger friendships with some children, we hope they won’t be exclusive and hurt another’s feelings. It can be a delicate balance. Empathy is hard thing to teach, but very important so children can learn to ‘see’ another’s perspective. There’s an old Elton John song about friends where he says, “When you’re friends are there, then everything’s all right.” It’s true; every child needs at least one good friend. Once again, Sprague will partner with the Recreation Department to offer after school enrichment classes. Please see the list of offerings below. Registration will open on February 11th at 7 a.m. Parents should use the Webtrac system to register or call the Recreation Department. It is possible that we will have one more offering of an Engineering Club, but we are still working on that possibility with some students from Olin College. Once we have more information about that, I will share it.
| Program | Grade | Day(s) | Times | Dates | Skip days | Instructor | Description | Student Cost $ | Max # students |
| Lego Robotics #122500-02 |
1 | M, W, TH, F | 3:05 – 4 pm | Feb 22 – 26 | Tu | Sara Bartelloni | In the grade 1 LEGO session, students will begin to learn what it means to be an engineer. We will work on identifying problems and solving these problems with the structures that we build. We will use teamwork and compromising to achieve a common goal. We will learn how to create a design, test the design, and make necessary improvements. | 0 | 14 |
| Lego Robotics #122500-03 |
4 | T, W, TH, F | 3:05 – 4 pm | Feb 22 – 26 | Wed. | Mr. McManus | In the grade 4 Lego session, students will begin to learn how to program their LEGO creations. Students will create LEGO designs and learn how to enhance the designs using movement and sensors. | 0 | 14 |
| Photography #122500-01 |
Grades 4 – 5 | Tuesday | 3:05 – 4 pm | Feb 23 – Apr 12 | Dan McNahon | Discover the basic concepts of photography and videography. He will demonstrate how to elevate your iPhone photos to that of a professional quality in addition DSLR. Dan’s class will leave you inspired and ready to create your own compositions! | $110 | Min 6 Max 8 | |
| Yoga #122500-04 |
Grades 1 – 5 | Tuesday | 3:05 – 4 pm | Feb 23 – Mar 29 | Julie Pernokas | Kids yoga is a great way to learn how to build a strong sense of self and body. Students will gain strength and flexibility in a nurturing class and in a mindful way by learning some basic anatomy, breathing techniques, and yoga poses. An age appropriate meditation technique will be taught to help students relax and quiet the mind on and off the mat. Please bring your own yoga mat. | $75 | Min: 10 /Max:20 | |
| Chess #122500-05 |
Grades 1 – 5 | Friday | 3:05 – 4 pm | Feb 26 – March 25 | Jim Della Selva | Chess is a mindful game that is both fun and challenging. This class will give participants the opportunity to both play and learn strategy.Instruction will be given so that the advanced player as well as the beginner will benefit. Don’t miss this exhilarating class. | $75/pp | 14 |
Kindergarten Roundup Don’t forget to tell anyone you know with a child who will be 5 by August 31st that it is time to sign up for kindergarten. The first Roundup is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10th from 3-6 PM in the Sprague library. Parents will need to bring proof of residency, proof of immunization, health record, birth certificate, and the registration forms that are available on the district website. Kindergarten Screening will take place on May 5th by appointment. There will be a Kindergarten Parent Information Night on March 17th. Dates to remember: February 11: Crazy Chemistry for grades 1 and 2 @ 6 PM (registration required) February 12: Grade 1 Play—Community Helpers—First Grade parents invited February 15-19: School Vacation Week February 24: Walk to School day (rescheduled) March 15: Multicultural Night from 6-7:30 PM April 7: Grade 5 Basketball Game at WMS MCAS testing schedule Spring 2016 Updated 2-2-16 ELA Grade 3: March 28, 29, 30 Grade 4: April 7, 8, 11 Grade 5: March31, April 1, 4 Make ups: April 5, 6, 12 Math and Science Grade 3 Math: May 12, 13 Grade 4 Math: May 19, 20 Grade 5 Math: May 9, 10 Grade 5 Science: May 16, 17 Make ups: May 11, 18, 23
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