back to top

Thank yous. Thanks to PES parent Ted Jarest for installing our new “funnel ball” piece of playground equipment. It is a new favorite at recess! Also many thanks to the volunteers who helped process the orders from the fall PTO Genevieve sale. Thanks, too, to all the parents and friends of PES who purchased the wrapping paper, fresh baked goods and other items. The funds raised through Genevieve help support field trips, artists in residence, and numerous other enrichment activities.

Additional thanks to all our classroom, library, and FACTS volunteers who support students’ learning each and every day at PES. Active, involved parents are an important feature of highly successful, child-centered schools.

Professional Learning Communities [“PLC’s”]. Our PES teachers meet for an hour each week in grade level PLC’s to discuss various issues relating to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It is exciting to see where these intense conversations are leading in terms of sharing ways to more effectively address the needs of all students.

The district’s elementary principals are now meeting monthly in our own PLC. For me it’s a chance to learn from my colleagues and exchange exciting “best practices.” For instance, I’m always learning more about educational technology from Temple Elementary’s teaching-principal, Niki McGettigan. At today’s PLC meeting, Pam Campbell, teaching-principal at Bennington’s Pierce School, recommended a book she’s reading: Tony Wagner’s The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills—And What We Can Do About It (2008) which I’ve just ordered for myself. Dr. Wagner now teaches at Harvard, but one year he taught at UNH where I took an excellent course from him on educational change.

Survival Skills. In the Nov. 12th issue of Education Week, Tony Wagner summarizes his own extensive research and reiterates the theme of this book, describing seven “survival skills” that he believes all students must master: Critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration, teamwork, and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication; accessing and analyzing information; and curiosity and imagination.

What 21st century “survival skills” do you want for your children, and how can we best teach these skills in our homes and schools? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

I hope to see you at this evening’s PTO Family Movie Night!

back to top

 Tuesday, Nov. 11th – NO SCHOOL (Veterans Day)

Early Dismissal. Thank you for your flexibility in supporting our 12:15 Early Dismissal (actually it’s “late dismissal” for Kind. students) last Thursday. Please refer to the parents’ 08-09 calendar in the PES Student-Parent Handbook sent home the first day of school for other half-days that are scheduled throughout the year. Also thanks for participating in the recent parent-teacher conferences!

We are “on a roll” at school, with a plethora of engaging projects going on at every grade level. Many teachers used the recent election as a focus for social studies activities and some fascinating discussions about presidential powers and priorities. Even our youngest students were interested in “what it’s all about.” We are certainly blessed to live in a community and country where participation in public affairs is valued and celebrated.

PTO News. I would like to thank the PTO officers and energetic parents who work so hard to plan and host PTO events… and to thank all those who support these activities that benefit the school in so many important ways. The recently completed Genevieve catalog sales (organized by Susie Davis) generated about $4,500. that will be used towards enrichment activities, field trips, residencies, and playground enhancement.

The PTO’s October topic night focused on school lunches; the next topic night will be on Nov. 19th with Assistant Superintendent Don Johnson giving an overview of the district’s elementary curriculum and assessment initiatives. A newly formed PTO Wellness Committee will explore how to foster healthier snacks at school parties; please contact Donna Sorbello or Tina Kriebel if interested. PTO President Monica Riffle is organizing more after-school enrichment clubs and would love to hear from parents who might be willing and interested in sharing their interests. Possible topics include woodworking, dance, gardening, magic, jewelry making, astronomy, painting, rocks and fossils, and…?? Please contact Monica with your own ideas!

Other upcoming PTO events:

Nov. 14th: PTO Hot Dog supper & Movie Night (“101 Dalmatians”)

Nov. 21st: Deadline for ordering your 2008 famous PTO Holiday Wreath/s

Dec. 5th: Holiday caroling followed by crafts & cocoa

back to top

Professional Learning Communities. The “organizational pillars” of PLC’s include the school or district’s mission, vision, values, and goals. As you may know, our PES school mission is to “Engage, Support, and Inspire Learning.” Our district has also adopted the following mission statement: The ConVal Regional School District, in partnership with its member communities will inspire all learners to achieve academically, contribute to the global community, and thrive as independent and productive citizens.”

District Vision: As a New Hampshire “Follow the Child” district, the ConVal Regional School District will create and cultivate these conditions in the lives of our students: a sense of belonging; access to heroes and caring role models; a sense of accomplishment; fun and excitement; curiosity and creativity; the spirit of adventure; leadership and responsibility; confidence to set goals and take action to reach those goals.

District Values: As a Professional Learning Community, the ConVal district will implement our mission and support our vision by demonstrating a focus on student learning, collaborative teamwork, personal accountability, trust and respect, and job embedded professional development.

Parents: As parents, what are your goals for this school and the ConVal district? What does “excellence” mean to you? How will we best express our vision and values in concrete “doable” ways that benefit everyone in our schools? As we move through the 2009-2010 budget development process in the coming months, it will be important to share your ideas for how we can make our common vision a reality for next year (and the years to come). Our children deserve everyone’s best thinking, creative problem-solving, and forward-looking commitments. !

Tues, Oct. 28th, 7 pm – Sch. Bd. mtg. at Hancock Elem. School. This is a great opportunity to visit one of our district’s small schools (where a former PES/ SMS teacher, Jeannie West, is now the Teaching Principal!).

Wed., Oct. 29th. 9:30 am Cool Day Assembly

Wed., Oct. 29th. 6:30 pm PTO Topic Night on School Lunch program

Thurs., Oct. 30th 12:15 EARLY RELEASE (no lunch)

Friday, Oct. 31st 1:15 Halloween Parade, all welcome. Participating children need to bring their costumes to school in a bag (not to wear them to school) and can change into them just before the parade; non-participants will be with Mr. Szep. Please remember to encourage home-made fun costumes, such as sports outfits/shirts or other costumes that don’t require a store purchase. Also, if you are sending food in for classroom parties after the parade, the healthier the food & drinks the better. Children love fruit or veggie dips and other low/no sugar treats!

Tues., Nov. 4th NO SCHOOL [Parent-Teacher conferences]

back to top

NECAP Testing. Our 3rd & 4th grade students are working hard to demonstrate their skills in both Reading and Math on the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests. These paper and pencil assessments are developed around the state’s Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s) and are one more way for us to gain information about students’ strengths and specific instructional needs. Results will be returned to schools in mid-winter.

Blue Ribbon Winner! On October 27th the PES PTO will be recognized at a state-wide Award Ceremony in recognition of the school’s volunteer program. Thank you, parents!

Cool Day Assembly this month will be at 9:30 on Wed., October 29th [please note the change of date]. Parents and families are always welcome to attend these celebrations of students’ talents and class projects. For instance, have you seen the unique ”Bat Dance”?

12:15 Early Release will be on Thursday, Oct. 30th. That afternoon teachers will be meeting in district-wide grade level Professional Learning Community meetings to discuss curriculum and assessment issues. For instance, this fall teachers will be looking more carefully at the most essential “power standards” within the overall GLE’s.

What Does “Successful” Mean? Are there differences between success in school and success in life? These key questions are eloquently discussed by principal Thomas R. Hoerr in the October, 2008, issue of Educational Leadership – and it is one well worth considering in every school community. As educators and as parents we want our children to “do well” in school, developing essential skills and knowledge in areas such as literacy and numeracy, science and social studies, music and art. Based on his own extensive research, Hoerr suggests (and I would agree) that school success is a fundamental goal – but it is not enough. Children also need the social and emotional intelligence to work effectively with others, to demonstrate courage and compassion, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic. Hoerr extends the definition of “success” to include the capacity to face the unknown with confidence; having a connection to something larger than yourself; and the skills and motivation to develop a life free from poverty and debt. So in this age of high accountability for students and schools excelling in standardized tests, let us also take to heart Hoerr’s comment, “Multiple-choice tests can’t measure such components of success as caring, tenacity, integrity, and creativity.” What do you think? What are your own definitions of present and future “success” for your children? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

back to top

Our Health classes have started! Many thanks to the co-teachers School Nurse Pamela Murphy and Guidance Counselor Paula Stewart for re-arranging their schedules in order to provide instruction in various health topics for 1st – 4th graders. Also thanks to Admin. Assistant/ Tech. Coordinator Nancy Weil for helping to set up the shared Health/Computer Lab room so that it can be used for classes to access computers during non-Health blocks.

“Meet and Greet” your ConVal School Board representatives. At 6:30 pm on Monday, Oct. 6th, there will be a meeting at South Meadow School for parents from PES, SMS & CVHS to meet their Peterborough and Sharon school board representatives. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your “hopes, dreams, and goals” for our local schools.

Congratulations. Congratulations to Angela Guinto who recently was the invited guest speaker at two Keene State College Education classes. Also congratulations to Lynn Compton who is an invited presenter at this week-end’s NH Environmental Educators’ conference; last week-end Lynn participated in the NH Arts in Education conference in the White Mountains.

What is “RTI?” Response to Intervention or Response to Instruction is a rapidly developing concept that has far reaching implications for students, teachers, and schools. Basically RTI supports the selection of research-based instruction, continuous monitoring of student learning, and supporting instruction that meets the changing needs of all students. This model is being explored by our district, but it has not yet been officially adopted. It does offer promise for identifying students’ difficulties early on (especially in reading), and it is quite similar in its philosophy and strategies as those of the HILL literacy and learning initiative that our district is undertaking. Also, like our professional learning communities (PLC) project, RTI encourages schools to explore what types of additional support might be needed for students who are not meeting grade level expectations – although our PLC’s will also be exploring what students need who have already achieved learning goals and need further challenges. For more infor. go to www.reading.org/resources/issues/focus_rti.html

If you are in volunteering or visiting, please do stop by the cafeteria to see the display of student letters thanking the PTO for their gift of new swings and playground equipment. Throughout the school there are also numerous displays of students’ creative projects. Enjoy!

Oct 10th & 13th --NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

back to top

Open House. Thank you all for coming to Open House Wednesday evening; your children were so excited to show you around school and share some of their projects and samples of what they’ve been studying!

Professional Learning Communities. The district’s “PLC” initiative is off to a great start. Our school’s remarkable PLC Leadership Team’s members are Nicky Fraley (Chair), Betsy Gordon, Lori Groleau, Angela Guinto, Tanya Rousseau, Joan Lavoie, Helena Bates [and Sue Copley]. This team meets regularly to help plan our overall multi-year PLC initiative. For instance, how will we respond to these four key questions?

• What are the most important, “most powerful” skills, concepts, and knowledge that students need to learn?
  
• How will we know if each student is learning what is determined to be these essential grade level expectations?
  
• How will we respond when some students do not learn? What extra supports for learning will we provide?
  
• How will we enrich and extend learning for students who are already proficient?
  

In addition to school-based grade level PLC meetings, our teachers will be meeting with their grade level (or program) colleagues from across the district. Why is this collaboration so important? Researchers such as Michael Fullan and Roland Barth remind us that schools improve only to the extent that teachers meet together to analyze (test) data, share their “craft knowledge” about teaching, and observe and root for the success of one another. Then, and only then, is there an improvement in student success. We are excited about our PLC journey and its potential benefits!

Science Assessments. We have just received the results of the NECAP Science tests that last year’s 4th grade students took in May. While there is always room for improvement, I’m pleased to report that almost 75% of our students scored in the proficient to proficient with distinction levels, outperforming the overall district and state in every category (Physical Science, Earth Space Science, Life Science, and Inquiry).

Wellness Festival. See you down-town tomorrow at the Monadnock Rotary’s Wellness Festival. Come and enjoy the hula hoop contest, free exercise classes, vendor displays, free health screenings, and even free soup tasting -- it will be fun and learning for all ages!

back to top

We did it! Phase I of the playground improvement plan is completed and PES students are having a ball using the new swings and climbing equipment. We are all deeply grateful for the diligent and creative leadership of the PTO Playground Improvement Committee and collaborative support from the Peterborough Rec. Dept., the ConVal School District, the Town of Peterborough, the Goyette Foundation, and donations from so many local businesses and civic organizations. The success of the project was also due to the energetic hard work provided by parents, community, town, and school volunteers. It was so exciting to see a germ of an idea (“Let’s improve the playground options for our kids!”) move through almost two years of cooperative planning and fund-raising to become a reality. Thank you all!

Early Release. Please remember that next Tuesday, Sept. 23rd, will be an Early Release day, with PES students dismissed at 12:15. If you have an alternative plan for student pick up or bus transportation, please be sure to send in a written note. Teachers and staff members will be using the afternoon to learn more about the DIBELS reading assessments. The goal of the school-wide DIBELS model is “to help schools build the capacity, communication, and commitment to support the adoption and sustained use of research-validated practices…” Working with the HILL consultants over the next two+ years, we will be learning about how to more effectively support comprehensive and coordinated reading goals, assessment and instruction for all students. For more infor. go to www.dibels.uoregon.edu

Open House will be next Wed., Sept. 24th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to see samples of your children’s work and some of their early fall projects. It’s amazing what all they’ve accomplished! Also, please come early if you wish to purchase a PTO pizza supper for your family, and stay later to enjoy selecting a book from the PTO Book Fair. Parking is limited; you may want to carpool.

back to top

School Safety. This year we have instituted a number of improvements to our overall safety and emergency management procedures. For instance, new bright orange vests are clearly visible on teachers and staff members when outside with students. These make it much easier for children to find teachers if they need help at recess, and are very useful for fire and police departments during any kind of emergency evacuation.

Parent Pick-Ups. Another new safety procedure that is being instituted district-wide is the requirement for parents to provide schools with a written permission note if you want your child to leave school with someone other than the legal parent/guardian. For instance, unless it’s an emergency, if you want your child to be picked up by a friend or neighbor, we will need a signed note (not just a phone call). Thank you for your support and help with this new procedure.

Hawks-watching season! The Third graders are preparing for their field trips to the summit of Miller State Park’s North Pack Monadnock where they will join staff from the Harris Center and NH Audubon in viewing migrating hawks. As Francie vonMerten e-mailed us earlier this week, broadwing hawks will “burst forth” any day now, and the next two weeks should be full of thrilling sightings. Also, around noon this Sunday a rehabilitated hawk will be released at the summit – a special family treat!

Literacy Initiative. PES has a long tradition of emphasizing the importance of reading, and we are proud that our students generally love books and most have strong decoding and comprehension skills. However, we also know there is always room for improvement! Thus we are fortunate that the district has contracted with the Hanson Initiative for Literacy and Language [HILL] based at Mass. General Hospital. This week HILL staff presented the results of surveys and interviews conducted with elementary teachers last June. Their Phase I report includes recommendations for strengthening the district’s literacy curriculum, resources and materials, instructional practices, assessments, interventions, and professional development. I will keep you posted as we proceed through this worthwhile multi-year project to enhance students’ reading skills.

back to top

British author/illustrator Rob Scotton. We were honored this week by having the well-known British author/illustrator Rob Scotton share two of his delightful books, Splat the Cat and Russell the Sheep with our Kindergarten and First grade students. Students loved the stories and also enjoyed learning how to make their own drawings of the characters in his books. Thanks to our librarian, Nancy Richard, and Willard William at the Toadstool Bookstore for making this wonderful visit possible!

Curriculum Enhancement. Have you noticed different times when your child is totally engaged with whatever he/she is doing? In the July 16th, 2008, Education Week there is a compelling article by Joseph S. Renzulli about the importance of infusing schools with “motivationally rich experiences into the curriculum that will promote engagement, increase enjoyment, and produce a genuine enthusiasm for learning.” I agree -- though I should admit that Joe Renzulli was one of my Ph.D. advisors at U.Conn. Renzulli’s research suggests that creative learning skills are essential for students to achieve at higher levels. His 14 essential skills are similar to the “Big 6” information/ problem solving skills that we will be incorporating into our teaching here at PES. Renzulli’s list includes planning a task, formulating meaningful questions, applying knowledge and problem-solving strategies to real-world problems, communicating effectively, and creatively solving problems and producing new ideas. Renzulli’s guiding principle is “No Child Left Bored. “High engagement,” Renzulli writes, “results in higher achievement, improved self concept and self-efficacy, and more favorable attitudes toward school and learning.” I am proud and continually impressed by how teachers at PES work very hard to provide students with highly engaging, motivating Renzulli-type activities that address the NH Grade Level Expectations (“GLE’s”).

Sept. 12th: School Photo Day

Sept. 13th-14th: Volunteers needed to help with installation of new PES playground swings and equipment – it should be great fun as well as very productive and satisfying work!

Sept. 15th: NWEA/MAP Reading & Math assessments (on the computer) start for 2nd-4th grade students. Thanks to Nancy Weil for serving as our testing coordinator.

back to top

Welcome back! Last week we had a terrific three days with our 1st-4th graders as they settled in with their new teacher and classmates. Students learned about their classmates, classroom routines and expectations, and started various reading, writing, and math activities.

I am happy to report that PES is involved in a number of important new district-wide initiatives to support the growth and learning of all students. In our work as a Professional Learning Community we will be looking at four essential questions: What do we want our students at each grade level to learn in terms of knowledge, skills and dispositions? How will we know if each student has achieved these key learning expectations? How will we respond when some students do not learn these? How can we extend and enrich the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency? Each question sounds simple and straightforward but actually leads into numerous other important questions, reflections, and hard work! Other initiatives, such as the Big6 problem solving model, math pilots, and formative assessment I will discuss in future parent letters.

New Staff. We are delighted that we are now back to three full-time Reading Recovery/ Title I reading teachers: Janet Archer and Pam Cornwell have joined Karen MacQueen to offer individual and small group support for struggling readers in the primary grades. The goal of these interventions is to help students get up to grade level in their reading and writing skills.

Playground News. Thanks to the cooperative effort of the PTO Playground Committee, the school district, the Peterborough Recreation Dept. and the Town of Peterborough, and with funds raised by the PTO, local businesses & civic organizations and a Goyette grant, we have purchased new swings and some climbing equipment. These are to help replace what was removed last June due to safety reasons. The installation will take place Sept. 13th & 14th – and many volunteers will be needed! Please contact Tina Kriebel at 924-6131 if you can help with construction or byproviding food, day care, etc. It will be an exciting and productive week-end, and the kids can’t wait for the results!

PTO meets this Thursday, Sept. 4th, at 6:30 PM. All parents are welcome to attend; free day care is provided.

New PM Bus Dismissal Location. To improve student and parking lot safety, students leaving at 3 PM now exit through the recess doors. The busses line up on the blacktop between the school and the playground. Parents picking up students do so in the gym and then exit back through the Office “front doors.” Thank you for helping us with these new procedures!

NWEA/MAP testing for 2nd-4th graders will take place the weeks of Sept. 8th & 15th. These adaptive assessments in reading, math, and language usage are given on computers (this year in our new computer lab/ Health program room), and the results are very helpful for teachers’ planning.