Friday, April 17, 2015

Weekly Bulletin, April 17, 2015

Wanted:  We are looking for donations of used children's books for our used bookstore.  If you are spring cleaning and clearing out unused books, please send them in to the front office to the attention to Mrs. Murphy.  We would greatly appreciate them. We also take children's magazines, ie. Ranger Rick, Sports Illustrated for Kids, etc.  It is getting hard to replace the current stock at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately, we are unable to use baby board books or adult books. Thanks for your help.
Mrs. Murphy

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Weekly Bulletin, April 15, 2015

Blizzard Bag Announcement - 
The snow is finally behind us, but as a result, Burlington Public Schools missed 5 school days. The Massachusetts Department of Education has granted permission to the Burlington Public Schools to pilot a "Blizzard Bag" program giving our students some at-home work to make up for two days of school.  As a result, the last day of school will be June 23, 2015.  Blizzard Bag homework packets went home in student backpacks this week and are due June 1.  Some grades will be completing a homework packet and others will have access to the entire assignment on-line.  The following is a letter from our Assistant Superintendent, Patrick Larkin, further explaining this pilot program.  Please call the main office or your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Burlington Public Schools

We are excited to have the opportunity to pilot learning projects for school day cancellations. We will be the first district in the state of Massachusetts to try this with the assigned “Blizzard Bag” work that is available on this BPS Blizzard Bag site. As with any pilot, we expect that there will be a lot of questions and that not everything will proceed exactly as planned. However, we are committed to offering multiple methods to support students so that they can complete their work successfully.

Questions will be answered live on our Blizzard Bag phone line at 1 (512) SNOWDAY (1-512-766-9329) on Tuesday, April 28 from 4-7 p.m. Voice messages and texts can also be sent to this number during the duration of the assignment and will be responded to daily. In the meantime, we have also created an e-mail address where you can send questions (blizzardbags@bpsk12.org). We will share all of the questions asked on a “Frequently Asked Questions” section that will be added on this Blizzard Bag site.

Of course, your student’s classroom teachers are also a great resource for questions and we will be adding support opportunities that are available at individual schools in the days ahead as well on the website. Teachers will be checking in with their students during the week of May 4, which is the midpoint of the projects, to make sure that students are making progress. It is our hope that at least half of the assignment will be completed at this time. If students have any questions about expectations or length of assignments, they should ask their teachers.

Our final due date for the assignments is June 1, 2015. If students complete their work prior to that date, they are welcome to turn them in early to their teachers. Since the work is meant to be substituted for two days of school, all students who do not complete the work will be marked absent for two days. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we work through this pilot. We look forward to your feedback along the way.

Please visit this site for information and details about student work that must be completed to ensure learning goals are met. Student assignments are posted by grade levels at the top of the Blizzard Bag Website. High school teachers will be giving students their assignments this week. 




Mrs. McDonald greets Kindergarten students



Calling all children entering kindergarten at Francis Wyman this fall!  Join us on Sunday, April 26th from 4 - 5pm  for a laid-back, friendly play-date at the Francis Wyman school playground as part of monthly Pre-K socials being organized by Burlington Mother-to-Mother.  The socials are free and open to all incoming kindergarteners.  This is a great way for kids (and parents) to get to know each other and the school environment. Please rsvp with both your name and your child's name to Sharleen Davis at sharleendavis@hotmail.com.  Hope you can join us!

Friday, April 10, 2015

Weekly Bulletin, April 10, 2015



Used Sweatpants??
Our nurse's office is currently looking for gently used sweatpants of all sizes, 6 - 14, both girls and boys.  Please check your kids' closets for anything that may be suitable for donating to our school.  Thanks for your help!


Early College Planning Night
Please visit the BHS Guidance Blog for information about this upcoming event:

http://burlingtonhsguidance.blogspot.com/2015/04/early-college-planning-night.html




FW Service Club builds bat houses for our property with the help of a student from Shawsheen Technical High School!


Under the direction of Mrs. Casey & Mrs. Schnee, the Francis Wyman Service Club members selected BAT HOUSES for their project.  They helped design, build, and paint bat houses that will be installed around our school grounds to help minimize the mosquito population and promote greater participation in our Community Garden project located here at Francis Wyman.  Great job!


Benjamin Franklin visits Grade 3

Benjamin Franklin traveled back in time to enlighten our 3rd graders as to what life was like during Colonial times.  Students were able to ask and answer questions regarding Mr. Franklin's life and listened attentively as he shared stories of his childhood.


Francis Wyman Hosts the New England Elementary 1:1 Summit 
"Thank-you" to Mr. Schersten for hosting and coordinating this 1:1 Summit here at Francis Wyman! This morning event allowed teachers from neighboring districts to visit Francis Wyman and witness firsthand the amazing things our students and staff have learned that allows us to integrate technology into our classroom instruction each and every day.

5th grade students set up displays to show off their savvy technology skills!  These students have created a Student Help Desk to assist Mr. Schersten in his support of all teachers and students learning to navigate the IPads that are accessible to all here at school.  Other students show off some projects they have created on their devices using the Notability and Book Creator Apps that are commonly used in many classrooms.  Look out Marshall Simonds MS - we are sending some tech wizards your way!!



Want Ads:
The Burlington Schools are looking for part-time Substitute Cafeteria Workers and Bus Monitors.  If you or someone you know would be interested in learning more, please visit our website at https://bpsk12.tedk12.com/hire.

Parent Advisory Committee

Join Us on April 13th

At the Marion Tavern for a night out with other PAC parents.

For anyone interested in special education in Burlington, the Burlington PAC is holding a networking night. In attendance will be special guest, soon to be School Committee member, Martha Simon. 

Join us at the Marion Tavern (downstairs)
From: 6:30-9:00
Monday, April 13th

Come at 6:30 and meet Martha.
She will give us an introduction, including her background and experience in special education.  Then open it up to questions, concerns, and share ideas for what's working currently and what's not.

After, we will discuss the future of the PAC, how we've been doing, what we can do better and discuss volunteer opportunities for the next school year.

A great night to come out and discuss your experiences both in the school district and with PAC.
 

For more information on the Burlington PAC or this location contact Lisa DeRosa at buringtonspedpac@gmail.com or via phone at 781-365-0124



Friday, April 3, 2015

Weekly Bulletin, April 2, 2015

FRANCIS WYMAN KINDERGARTEN
ARTISTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT!
The Kindergarten classes at Francis Wyman welcomed guests to their annual "Art Museum".  Galleries included
Impressionist art, Egyptian art, self-portraits, clay and ceramic studios, and even a new I-Pad photography display.
The students were very proud of their art work and eager to show off their artistic talents to parents, students,  staff, and other distinguished guests.  Thank-you to the Kindergarten team for all of your efforts in coordinating this art gallery! 



Francis Wyman raises over $1600.00 for
Pennies for Patients!

Student Council members, along with all students and staff of the Francis Wyman community, worked hard to raise over $1600.00 which will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Mrs. Janis' 4th grade class led the way with the most donations throughout the school.  All students were invited to celebrate this accomplishment by wearing pajamas to school on Thursday!  Students, looking comfortable & cozy, happily took part in art and music activities.  Great job Student Council!

Burlington PTO and UNO Pizzeria and Grill - Fundraiser until April 17!

From now until April 17, Pizzzeria Uno, located at the Burlington Mall is hosting the "Get Brighter Burlington" fundraiser for all schools in the Burlington Public School system.  To participate, guests of UNO who present a fundraiser ticket with their order will automatically give 20 percent of their total bill to the school of their choice through UNO's generous donation.  The school that raises the most funds at the end of the program will receive a state-of-the-art Epson Brightlink projector.  Uno tickets were distributed in backpacks last week, but if you need another ticket, just stop in the office or give us a call! See you at UNO's!