BMS In-House Field Trip

On Monday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 6, the Sixth Grade at Bird Middle School  experienced an “In-house Field Trip.”  Since all classes completed a chemistry unit, “The Physical Changes of Matter Outreach Program” from the Acton Discovery Museum gave them a hands-on experience, at the middle school level, right in their own classroom!

Due to the increased expense of buses and fuel charge, it was very cost effective to bring “Traveling Science” to the classrooms.  Aside from saving the cost for the bus, students were able to attend their other academic classes on these days.  The students watched with amazement as the teacher from the Discovery Museum used liquid nitrogen to freeze a banana and then use it to pound a nail into some wood.  Students then performed some experiments with dry ice - totally cool!

WHS Students Win Third Place in VH1 Video Contest

Senior Ali Ajemian pulled a group of talented Walpole High School students to create an awesome music video that won third place in  VH1s "Save the Music Foundation" contest.

Read the full story - Walpole Patch Story.

Watch the winning Blood Brothers video


Photo credit: Walpole Patch

WHS Alums - Where Are They Now?

WHS alumnus Adam Riegel has definitely made the most of his academic and athletic opportunities at Harvard University. 



Read the full story from the Harvard Crimson: Riegel Walks the Line.

Do you have an alumni story to share?  Send it to wpsgoodnews@walpole.k12.ma.us
 

Officers Spread Alcohol Awareness in 8th grade Classes!

The Walpole Police Department spent a week in September coming into 8th grade health classes to help inform students on substance use and abuse and the issues facing students in Walpole. The police department, schools, and Walpole Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Awareness are collaborating together to educate our students of the dangers, myths, and realities of substance use and abuse. The goal of this collaborative movement is create a partnership, provide drug and alcohol education, prevent initiation to substance use, and diminish the age of onset of initiation for the children of Walpole. Pictures Det. Rob Kilroy, Deputy Chief John F. Carmichael, and Officer John Thayer with Johnson Middle School 8th grade health students

JMS Sixth Graders Explore Foreign Languages

Sixth grade students at Johnson Middle School are exploring language a little differently this year. Normally they would spend a term with one foreign language teacher learning both French and Spanish. This year they are being taught French by Madame Hamie and Spanish by Señorita Loughlin. At the end of their first term experiencing foreign language they shared their knowledge with students from the other exploratory class by having a country fair. Their final project was to research a French or Spanish speaking country and make an informational poster. Students who took French were able to get a little preview about the countries they would learn about next term and vice versa. The goal of the sixth grade exploratory language program is to get students excited about and interested in the foreign language they will choose to take in seventh and eighth grade. The fair was a great success and the students had a lot of fun showcasing their hard work.

SIxth Grade Country Fair

Students Perform in Great East Music Festival

Students who participate in the music programs at Bird Middle School and Johnson Middle School traveled to West Springfield, MA to perform in the Great East Music Festival on Friday, June 1st. The festival provides an opportunity for all participating groups to be adjudicated by two judges, receive a formative evaluation, taped comments, a short clinic and presented with an award for level of excellence. The Bird Middle School 7th & 8th Grade band received a gold medal rating as a result of an excellent performance.

The Bird Middle and Johnson Middle schools combined their orchestras to perform and were also awarded a gold award. The select choruses from Bird and Johnson were also combined for this event and they also received a gold medal for their performance.

The Bird Middle School 7th & 8th Grade band is under the direction of Greg Mayer. The Bird Middle Select Chorus and the Johnson Middle School Select Chorus are under the direction of Lynda Maccini Pavloff. The orchestras at Bird Middle School and Johnson Middle School are under the direction of Irina Naryshkova.

This is the eighth time that Walpole schools have participated in this festival. After their performances, the students then went to Six Flags amusement park to celebrate.
Congratulations to all.

Walpole Public Schools Showcase Visual Art Program

The annual District Art Show was on display at the new Walpole Public Library for the month of May.  An Artist Reception was held on May 9th and was well attended by many students and their families.  Throughout the month the public had the opportunity to view an exhibit of Walpole's K-12 Visual Art Curriculum which included a spectacular array of two and three dimensional works.

Throughout the year, artwork was selected from each grade and each assignment to showcase the breadth of studio experience, range of visual expression, and depth of learning in the art room.
With drawings, paintings, collage, prints, weavings, digital images and sculpture, students communicate their ideas about who they are, where they live, and how they feel.

Supporting the exhibit were Sandy Allison, Rich Kim, Willa Mckee ( Walpole High School), Linda Munoz-Bennett (Johnson Middle School), Katherine Richards (Bird Middle School), Joanne Hirschfeld (Fisher School), Marcia Marinelli (Boyden School), Joanne Robbins (Elm Street School), Alice Siegel (Old Post Road School).

 

BMS Student Named Artsonia "Artist of the Week"

Artsonia is the world's largest kids' art museum. Artsonia's dream is that every child will have a special art gallery online, reflecting their masterpieces from pre-school through high-school, preserved for all time!  Several of the schools in the district are using Artsonia to help showcase their student's artwork. The site allows parents and friends to see student work and join their student's fan club. Artsonia nominates various pieces for "Artist of the Week" then allows visitors to the site to vote for their favorite.  This week a student from BMS was selected. Students are identified only with their Artsonia username.

Cassie1654 from Bird Middle School has been selected as Artsonia's 7th-9th "ARTIST OF THE WEEK!" for May 20, 2012 - May 26, 2012. During the contest, Cassie1654 received 1127 votes from website visitors! Be sure to check the Artsonia homepage at www.artsonia.com where you will see Cassie1654's artwork featured for the next few days.

MARC Contest Winners

 

Third, fourth, and fifth grade Fisher students participated in the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) Anti-bullying poem and poster contest this spring.  MARC led by Elizabeth Englander at Bridgewater University has led the state in designing anti-bullying intervention and prevention plans.  Over one thousand students participated in the contest.  Fisher School is proud to congratulate the following students for their participation and recognition.

 

Third Grade

Nicholas Richardson- Second place poster winner

Juliana Cerullo, Sarah Ball, Casey Ball, Sophie McCarthy, Katherine Lanni, Allison Fair- Most Creative poster winners

 

Fourth Grade

Tommy Rodia and Danny Colbert- First Place poem winners

Broden Kelly - Honorable Mention poem winner

Lauren Celardo and Rachel Soule -Honorable Mention poster winners

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Mrs. Clifford's Gr. 6 Class Plants Wildflowers at Bird Park

On April 25^th, Mrs. Clifford’s grade six science class was invited to assist with spring planting at Bird Park.  They were greeted by Josh Hasenfus and several other members of Trustees of Reservations.  The class was given a brief tour and history of the park.  Each student was then given a collection of seeds to plant in an individual pot.  The pots were brought back to the classroom where they will remain until early June. Students will water and monitor the plants for signs of growth.  In June, the plants will be replanted at Bird Park.  A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Julie Elmhurst for taking pictures and Mrs. Christine Campobasso for providing refreshments.

Lucy the R.E.A.D. Dog

The kindergarten students at Fisher School enjoyed a special visit from Lucy the R.E.A.D. Dog and her owner Pat Howes. Pat is a former first grade teacher in Needham and a long time resident here in Walpole. Her beloved dog, Lucy, is a member of the Massachusetts Pet Partners and volunteers as a therapy dog in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Lucy loves to have stories read to her and enjoys “reading” stories with the new friends she meets. Lucy’s presence and gentle nature have helped many children overcome their fear of dogs and become more comfortable with reading. Lucy is a huge Red Sox fan and shared one of her favorite baseball books with us. We enjoyed looking at the pages with her as she flipped them with her nose! She also wore her Red Sox scarf and baseball hat in honor of our beloved home team. To learn more about Lucy and her accomplishments as a R.E.A.D Dog please visit lucythereaddog.com. The website contains photos, articles, and information about Lucy as well as fun pages for kids and upcoming events. Lucy and her owner Pat will be visiting the Walpole Public Library this summer and often makes appearances at Barnes and Nobles for story time.  Click on the video below to see some of our visit with Lucy!

 Fisher School’s Kindergarten Teachers

National Spanish Exam Award Recipient

 

            Freshman Joseph Burke was awarded one of twelve Global Citizen Scholarships given by the National Spanish Examination, a division of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP).  The scholarship offers an opportunity to study in a Spanish immersion program through Concordia Language Villages in Moorhead, Minnesota.

            Joseph became eligible for this scholarship primarily because of his eighth grade score on the National Spanish Exam.  At Johnson Middle School he received a gold medal and ranked in the 95% percentile nationally.  Additionally, Joseph participated in an interview in Spanish during which he discussed his family, hobbies, and interests as well as his intentions of what he would like to do if he were awarded the Global Citizen Scholarship.  He completed an essay in which he explained the importance of studying Spanish and what it means to be a global citizen.

            Joseph participated in Walpole’s Costa Rican exchange program in the summer of 2011 and is a participant in the Global Studies Program at Walpole High School. He will study at the Concordia Language Villages from July 16 through July 28.

 

Lisa Osborne

Foreign Language Chair

 

 

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April Poetry and Art Night

Fisher School celebrated the fourth annual Poetry and Arts Night at Barnes and Noble bookstore Tuesday evening,  April 3. Students and their families enjoyed listening to stories read by Fisher School mystery guest readers; Mrs. Galanis, Mrs. McMillan and Mrs. Johnson. Over 80 student poets read their original poems, and 30 student artists had their original artwork on display in the store. The event raised over $400.00 for the Media Center.

 

Jane Lazzaro

Media Support Technician

Fisher Elementary School

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Kindness and Generosity Begin at a Young Age

 

The Daniel Feeney Preschool Playground fund was presented with a very generous donation by Colin McAndrew, a 2nd grade student at OPR.  In lieu of birthday presents this year, Colin asked his birthday guests, all students of OPR, to make a donation to the Daniel Feeney playground fund.  With this very generous gesture, Colin raised $300.00 and contributed an additional donation from his family.  He proudly presented his gift to the preschool.  What a wonderful and thoughtful young citizen of Walpole.  We are very fortunate to have him think of us!!

 

Jennifer Bernard

Director, Feeney Preschool Center

 

 

 

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Moving for MCAS at JMS

Research has shown that students learn better after physical activity. This research supports recess at the younger grades as well as some type of activity at the higher grades as well. Our physical education teacher, Ms. Madge and our health teacher, Ms. Radaz organized a short running/walking activity for all students before they began MCAS testing. The students enjoyed their time running in the halls for approximately 8 minutes with music playing to keep them moving.  After the running, they returned to homerooms to begin MCAS testing. Teachers reported that most students seemed more alert and ready to work. Watch our students running and/or walking in this video.

Spanish Student Collaboration

Spanish Student Collaboration

 

Spanish students in grades 7-12 take the National Spanish Exam every spring. This exam is an online exam that tests student’s knowledge of vocabulary and grammar as well as their proficiency levels in reading and listening. Señora Stuart and Señorita Loughlin combined their classes so that the seventh and eighth graders could work together to practice and learn from each other before taking the exam. Students really enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate and practice their Spanish with each other. We can’t wait for the results to see how everyone did!

 

This Thursday at JMS there will be 57 7th graders and 55 8th graders taking the exam.

 

BMS had 49 7th graders and 31 8th graders take the exam on March 30, 2012.

 

There were 92 high school students who took their exams on March 2 and March 13.

 

In total: 284 Walpole students

 

 

Emily Loughlin

Spanish Teacher

Eleanor N. Johnson Middle School

 

 

 

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March 14, 2012…. Pi Day Celebration!

The third and fourth grade looping classrooms of Robin Hughes and Sara Barend from Fisher School celebrated Pi Day on March 14.  In any circle big or small, if you take the circumference, and divide it by the diameter, you get an answer of about 3.14. We call that value pi (the Greek letter).  The date of March 14 (3/14) is set aside every year by mathematicians to celebrate this irrational number.

The third and fourth grade students celebrated this math holiday with many different activities.  They made pi bracelets, with each color representing a different digit in the first 24 digits of pi.  They also constructed and decorated circles with various diameters and then computed the circles' circumferences using pi.  A very large paper chain, representing the first 400 numbers of pi was constructed and then displayed in the auditorium, stretching three-fourths of the way around the room.  Everyone enjoyed the story of Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi while eating "circular" snacks brought from home.  Finally, at day's end a math song was sung celebrating pi and its value to our mathematical world.

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Harney Irish Step Dancers perform at Fisher School

On Friday, March 16, local dancers from Liam Harney's dance school performed at Fisher School.  Sponsored by Fisher School's PAC, students watched the dancers perform reels, slip jigs, and hornpipes to traditional Irish music.  To the delight of the students, dancers danced in both their soft shoes and hard shoes.  Students were especially impressed with their classmates that performed that morning.  All Irish eyes were smiling!

 

Fisher School PAC

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Navajo Sand Painting at Fisher School

Two artists from the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset recently came to Fisher School to work with Mrs. Hirschfeld's fourth grade art classes.  A wonderful hands-on art project took place that enhanced their visual art and social studies unit on Southwest American people.  Using authentic materials, the students created sand paintings that followed the age-old Navajo tradition and symbols.  Turtles, bears, snakes and thunderclouds were popular subjects, as was Kokopelli, the flute player and the image of the sun.  The students did a fantastic job creating these works of art, complete with borders that also incorporated Native American traditional designs.  The program was funded by the Parents' Advisory Council, PAC.

 

Joanne Hirschfeld

Fisher School

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Scripps National Spelling Bee sponsored by Comcast

This year there was a buzz around JMS as the students prepared for the annual spelling bee. Prior to the actual classroom spelling bee students were given the opportunity to study all 100 words using the resources provided to them on the school website. During the week of February 6th-10th all ELA teachers held a mini spelling bee in each of their classes. One winner was picked from each ELA class. In total there were 19 classroom winners. All of the winners then had a week, February 13th- February 17th, to study the 350 words using the resources provided to them on the school website.

JMS students also prepared for the spelling bee by watching a clip from the movie Spellbound the day before and by dressing in yellow and black the day of the spelling bee. The spelling bee began at 12:30 and did not end until 2:00! It was a very close race but the final winner was the amazing Miss Abraham, a 6th grade student who edged out the outstanding Miss Luongo, an 8th grade student.  Check out some of the highlights from the bee in the clip below!

Christine Svendsen
7th Grade MSN

Peace Corps Volunteer Visits Spanish Class

Señorita Loughlin’s seventh grade Spanish classes have been connecting as pen pals with a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. Miss Reilly Murphy taught English in two schools during her first year with the Peace Corps and her students exchanged letters with Señorita Loughlin’s classes by mail and by email. The letters discussed many aspects of American and Peruvian culture by communicating in both English and Spanish. Students were surprised to discover many of the similarities and shocked at how different their cultures can be.

She visited with Señorita Loughlin’s and Señora Stuart’s Spanish classes in January to talk about her experiences first hand. Reilly spoke in detail about the Peace Corps, her life in Peru, and her intensive language training. Miss Murphy shared many encouraging words about not being shy in foreign language class because speaking and practicing are the best ways to learn and become fluent. Students were very thrilled to interact with Reilly and gain a better understanding of some of the major differences between our two cultures. Thank you to the Peace Corps and Reilly for making this visit possible!

Emily Loughlin

Spanish Teacher Room 208

Eleanor N. Johnson Middle School

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Posted By Blogger to WPS Good News at 2/17/2012 09:14:00 AM

Scholastic Art Show Winners

The Scholastic Art Awards are an important opportunity for students to be recognized for their creative talents. The Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients, jury submissions. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. They continue to be the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S.  Walpole students were well represented among the winning pieces!  

BMS Scholastic Art Winners

JMS Scholastic Art Show Winners

No Name Calling Week at Fisher School

 

 

 

According to the Anti-bullying law, the purpose of a No Name-Calling Day is to "increase public awareness of the devastating effects of verbal bullying, to encourage students to use positive dialogue and pledge not to use hurtful names on this designated day."  The day "promotes tolerance and respect for differences and to reaffirm the commitment of the citizens of the commonwealth to basic human rights and dignity."  We, at Fisher School, extended this one day into a week full of reminders that encouraged each student to display compassion and respect for others.    One of our messages to students was to have this be the first week of many in which we reduce verbal bullying in our school.

 

On Wednesday, January 25, our students wrote words of encouragement and positive messages to each other and posted them on our bulletin board in the main hallway.  They have been wonderful reminders of how powerful our words can be to help each other. 

 

Colleen Duggan

Principal, Fisher School

 

 

 

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Posted By Blogger to WPS Good News at 1/31/2012 02:34:00 PM

BMS Student Accepted to Music Festival

Congratulations to Andrew W., a grade 8 student at Bird Middle School, who was recently selected to the Junior District Festival Band for trombone. The festival will be held in Attleboro the first weekend in March.

- Mr. Mayer and Mrs. Maccini Pavloff

Junior District Musical Festival

Congratulations to five grade 8 music students from Johnson Middle School who were selected to the Junior District Festival. The Festival will take place in Attleboro, in March. Pictured from left to right, Julia M., flute (Orchestra), Archana A., alto (Treble Choir), Dheekshita K., soprano (Treble Choir), Angela H., alto (Treble Choir). Not pictured is Jeanine B., alto (Treble Choir).

Lynda Maccini Pavlov - Chorus Instructor
Mary Ann - Band Director
Johnson Middle School