Dear Sprague Community,
Geography Bee
We had our 15th annual Geography Bee in the Sprague library on Monday. All 4th and 5th grade students took a qualifying test and 2 finalists from each class participated in the Bee. Special thanks go to Ms. Henzel for organizing and hosting the Geography Bee and the finals and to Ms. Heckman for being the judge and scorekeeper. Congratulations to Anya Weeapana for winning the Sprague School Bee this year. Her name will be engraved on the plaque in the front lobby. As Ms. Henzel says, “Without geography, you’re nowhere.”
Lost and Found
Unclaimed Lost and Found items will be donated this week. We are moving the Lost and Found out of the Cafeteria and into the front alcove. Please label items so that we can get them back to students if they are misplaced. Thank you.
Reminders
Students should unpack belongings at their lockers and be in class by 8:30 each day. They are marked late at 8:35. Students should be responsible and independent with this task and parents can say good-bye outside or in the lobby.
Friday, January 27 is an all school Pajama Day/Comfy/Cozy Day to celebrate exceeding our goal of reading over 80,000 minutes over the Winter Break! We actually read for over 130,000 minutes!
Digital Citizenship Talks
We use technology in many ways both at home and in our work at school. Students increasingly need to be responsible consumers of technology.
Just this week I received a flyer inviting our school community to a talk by author and child psychologist Dr. Anthony Rao titled “Raising Boys in the Digital Age.” This will be on Wed., Feb. 1 from 7-9 pm at the Fessenden School. Registration is required for this free event at www.fessenden.org/rao17 or by calling 617-964-5350.
Additionally, the Wellesley Public Schools will sponsor a parent talk by Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, also a well recognized clinical psychologist, school consultant, and author of “The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age.” Dr. Steiner Adair examines ways in which the wonders of technology also change how children learn and grow. She speaks about how parents and teachers can reap the benefits of technology while reducing risks so that our children will grow into responsible, resilient, and capable young adults.
Dr. Steiner-Adair will give her talk in Wellesley in March. Look for the date and time to be announced soon.
Dates to remember:
Jan. 27: All school Pajama/Comfy/Cozy Day (for reaching Winter Break reading goal!!!!)
Feb. 3: Progress Reports sent home
Feb. 7: Walk to School Day
Feb. 8: Kindergarten Roundup (for 17-18) from 3-6 PM in Sprague library
Feb. 9: PTO meeting at 8:45 a.m.
March 3: A-Catemy Awards
March 7: Grade 5 vs. Faculty Basketball Game
March 4: Kindergarten Roundup (for 17-18) from 9AM-12 PM in Sprague library
March 17: Open House 8:00-9:30 a.m.
March 30: Tentative date for Sprague School Multi-cultural Night
From the Nurse: January is “Wash Your Hands Month” at Sprague School
The most simple and effective way to prevent illness is to wash hands often, with soap and water and friction. Rub hands together vigorously and scrub all surfaces for 10 to 20 seconds. (Ask your first graders to sing the “Wash, wash, wash your hands” song.) The wet soap combined with the scrubbing action helps dislodge and remove germs that can cause infection. Regular soap is fine; antibacterial soap is not necessary.
When soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based sanitizers. Rub hands until they are dry. The alcohol kills germs that cause colds and the flu, but does not remove dirt or many food residues. (This is an important consideration when maintaining precautions for food allergies.) Also, sanitizers are proven most effective in those individuals who already practice frequent proper hand washing.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread when people touch something that is contaminated and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth. Eating, nail biting, thumb sucking, handling food, and touching objects are all ways that germs may be spread. Many germs can live for a long time on doorknobs, telephones, and other surfaces.
Now that we are in the midst of the cold and flu season, it’s an important time to emphasize good hand washing with our children. Proper hand washing is the single most effective way to stop the spread of germs that cause infection. Scientists estimate that 80% of infections are transmitted by hands. According to the Centers For Disease Control, researchers in London estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented. (Wow!)
This month I have been visiting classrooms to review effective hand washing and germ etiquette with the students.
One of the best ways for children to develop good hand washing behaviors is for adults to set an example with proper, frequent hand washing. Remembering these steps will help to stop the spread of germs in your household and throughout the Sprague community:
- Use warm water and plenty of soap.
- Rub your hands together vigorously for at least 10 seconds to make a good lather.
- Scrub all surfaces – don’t forget fingernails and the backs of your hands.
- Rinse well.
- Dry thoroughly.
Be mindful to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Bacteria and viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs cause illnesses such as colds, flu and strep throat and spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes as the droplets move through the air. (Ask your children to demonstrate proper cough and sneeze etiquette as learned here at Sprague.) So cover your cough or sneeze, using your elbow or sleeve; if you use a tissue wash your hands immediately after.
Eat a well balanced diet and get regular exercise and plenty of sleep to boost your immune system so you will be less likely to get sick. Drink plenty of water to keep well hydrated. Proper hydration is essential to a strong immune system and will help you feel better as well.
It is especially important for us to follow these measures now to prevent the spread of infection during the winter when we all share such close quarters. Remember to avoid close contact with people who are sick, and when you are ill, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick.
If you feel ill stay home from work, errands, and social gatherings and keep sick kids home from school or daycare. In this way, we all will help prevent spread of illness.
Please keep in mind that our current guideline for school attendance is that students should be fever-free for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medicine, before returning to school.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sharon
Please see updated MCAS schedule:
2016 MCAS UPDATED SCHEDULE:
Grade 3 ELA: May 1, 2, 4
Grade 4 ELA: April 24, 25, 28
Grade 5 ELA: April 7, 10, 13
Make up for Gr. 4 CBT and Gr. 3, 5: TBD
Grade 3 Math: May 11, 12
Grade 4 Math: May 22, 23
Grade 5 Math: May 8, 9
Grade 5 Science: May 15, 16
Make ups for Math/Science: May 18, 19