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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