From the Desk of Mrs. McCarthy...March 15, 2010 PDF Print E-mail
Coming Events:       Mar. 19           Spring Social and Auction
                                    Mar. 22           MCAS testing begins
                                    Mar. 22           Grade 4 Museum Day          1:00 – 2:30 Cafeteria
 
 
Dear Franklin Families,
 
I hope you have all managed to stay dry during this wet and wild weekend. Let’s hope that we are getting our April showers over with a month early so that we can soon look forward to getting outdoors to enjoy a warm, sunny spring.
 
Last week the faculty and I met with consultants from Actionball Games for a very active Professional Development day. We are working with this company to design new playground activities for our students. It is our goal to provide opportunities for students to engage in cooperative games suitable for many different styles of play and skill levels. We hope to increase physical activity and improve peer interactions on the playground.
 
Our Physical Education teachers will introduce the first of three new games this week during gym, while Actionball consultants observe and receive feedback from the children. It’s an exciting process because the games are really being tailored to our specific goals. We are pre-teaching the rules and concepts within the structured setting of the P.E. classes so that students will have the necessary skills to dive right into play when we make the materials available on the playground later this spring. We hope that the students have as much fun trying this out as we did!
 
Staffing Update: Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Ellen Reush, our new school librarian. She will be working at Franklin, 3 hours per week for the rest of the school year. We look forward to taking advantage of her expertise.
 
Silly Bandz Banned! :  It has become necessary to ask that students refrain from wearing or bringing these popular stacking bracelets to school. Unfortunately they have become a distraction in the classroom and a problem on the playground. We would greatly appreciate it if parents will help to remind the children to keep them at home for wear outside of school.
 
RAISE A READER Program:      PLEASE SIGN UP NOW AND LET THE READING BEGIN!
Parents, please use this link to enter your child in this motivational reading program, sponsored by Parent’s Magazine in cooperation with the International Reading Association: http://www.parents.com/reading/franklinelementaryschoolnorma. Parents can assist students to log their reading minutes between March 8 and May 31st on the Franklin School’s personalized web page. Parent.com will track which schools have the most minutes logged per student – one winning school will receive a $5, 000 library grant. More importantly, we hope that the fun of logging and tracking minutes as a school will motivate students to increase their time reading for pleasure. Please participate with your child/children!
 
 
 
Franklin School Vocabulary Parade - April 1, 2010 PDF Print E-mail
The Cat in the Hat came to Franklin to say...


Let's have a Vocabulary Parade on a special day!



 
Health Office News PDF Print E-mail
  MCAS TIPS
 
 
Dear Parents,
 
As you know, during the months of March, April and May students in grades three, four and five will be taking the MCAS tests. This also coincides with the start of spring sports, longer daylight hours and most likely an increase in waking hours and physical activity level for our students. There are a few tips we would like to share with you in order to make sure that the students are well prepared for the busy times ahead. Let’s take a good look at nutrition, adequate rest and the importance of coming to school awake, alert and ready to go.
 
Eating right helps children do their best at school and at play. Mornings are a busy time in every household but it is concerning to hear that research shows that 19% of students are coming to school without eating breakfast! For these children, most of their school day is spent with less energy for learning than those children who eat a nutritious breakfast. Not only does the young body need energy and nutrients for learning and concentration, but also to grow and develop properly. Nutritious meals and snacks help children to get through the school day without feeling fatigued, and enable them to concentrate and put forth their best efforts in school. Please consider this while preparing lunches and snacks and avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat. Proper hydration is also important in helping the human machine to run smoothly and to replenish fluids lost during active play.
 
Just as important as our children’s nutrition is their need for peaceful rest and sleep. Studies have shown that if children don’t get enough sleep they will feel irritable and find it difficult to concentrate and do well in school. The best way to facilitate good sleep habits is to establish a realistic bedtime and stick to it as often as possible. Try to have your child complete homework assignments before sports practices or music lessons. Make sure that your child goes to sleep feeling good about himself/herself and knows what to expect the following day. Getting a good nights sleep just one night before testing is not enough! Our goal is for our students to be well rested all of the time!

Please share this information with your children and empower them by letting them know that proper nutrition and rest are things they have control over and have a cumulative effect on their performance. If your family needs to make some changes – do it now. Try to avoid chaos and emotional turmoil in the morning. Be supportive, give them encouragement and send them in to school relaxed, with a positive attitude – not just during MCAS testing, but each and every day!!! Thank you for your support.
 
Mrs. Marshall

 

 
Fall 2009 Franklin Flyer PDF Print E-mail
     Check out the Fall 2009 Franklin Flyer!
 
Franklin School Earns a Donation...Every Time You Search or Shop Online! PDF Print E-mail

Search the web with Yahoo-powered Goodsearch.com and they'll donate about a penny to your cause each time you search!

Shop at more than 600 Goodshop.com merchants including Amazon, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and others, and a percentage of each purchase will go to your cause!

Just use "Franklin School PTO (North Andover, MA)" for the designated school.  It's easy!  For more details, check out the attached flyer.

 
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