Benjamin Brown School Friday Memo December 13th, 2012 Instructional Focus: Brown School students will become

proficient and advanced readers and writers by developing strong vocabularies and using effective reading and writing strategies. If you show what you know and check as you go, you will know what you show! Reminders HELPING HANDS Our Helping Hands Tree is up and ready to go. For those new to the Brown School, the Helping Hands Tree offers support to families in need of a little extra help with holiday gifts for their children. Numbered Hands, having the gender and age of a child in need, are placed on the tree. We invited all to participate by taking a Hand from the tree, signing it out, purchasing an age appropriate gift for that child, and returning the wrapped gift to the tree with the Hand attached. If you or someone you know would benefit from this, please let Mrs. Olsen know ASAP. All gifts should be returned to the tree by Thursday, Dec. 20th. Thank You in advance for your support and help!

Important Dates and Events Monday, December 17th, Winter Concert for chorus, band, and strings, 3:15-4:30, school library Tuesday, December 18th, Principal Coffee Hour, 8:30-9:30, school library Wednesday, January 2nd, School Resumes From Ms. Seward Dear Brown School Family, There are lots of special activities and celebrations of learning happening around school in the next week before December vacation. Between concerts, presentations, and publishing parties, it is likely that many of you will be in the building in the next week. It is wonderful to see what our students have accomplished at this point in the school year, and it is exciting to think about what the rest of the year will bring. I hope that many of you have already marked your calendars for our January 10th parent/guardian workshop night. We had about 12 people attend our first evening where teachers led workshops about various topics related to helping ones child succeed in school. We added these workshops this school year in an effort to help parents and guardian feel more aware of and connected to what students are learning and doing in school. This time, we are hoping for a larger turnout, and we are considering providing childcare. If having childcare available on the evening of January 10th between 6:00-7:30 would make it easier and more likely for you to attend the workshop night, please let me know.

Enjoy your weekend,

Kathleen Seward Angelas Corner Dear Brown School Community: Happy mid-December! Three things: (1) a blog update; (2) class parents as a group; and (3) an update on volunteer recruitment efforts. First, thank you to all for taking the time to talk with me or email me about the new school blog! Your input has been enthusiastic, constructive, and appreciative, and I feel fortunate! If you have not had the chance to check out the new Brown School blog: The Word Around School: http://thewordaroundschool.blogspot.com/ please try to do so when you have a minute and let me know what you think. It is a work in progress, and the intent is to have it reflect the needs of the Brown School Community, so let me know what you need! I have heard many good ideas and am working to implement them. Please keep them coming! Second, the Brown PTA and I are helping Class Parents learn how they can best support one another. We held the first, official Brown Class Parent meeting this past week, and the group was energized and brimming with ideas! We are working together to find our strength as a group to better serve our classrooms and the Brown School community as a whole. The discussion focused on building community among Class Parents to more easily share ideas and best practices. Please keep your eyes open for more information on how you can reach out to your Class Parent! Third, thank you for thinking about ways in which you can volunteer your time to help students at the Brown School. Volunteer placement is an ongoing process, so please check in with me if you find that you have some time to give. I am sure we could find a way to make your time useful! We will continue to post specific needs as they arise, so please keep your eyes open for volunteer opportunities. Finally, please remember to look for me around school, weather permitting, at drop off and pick up as follows: Tuesdays on the Josephine Avenue side of the building; and Wednesdays on the Willow Avenue side of the building. As always, please feel free to contact me via email: agriswold@k12.somerville.ma.us, and via cell phone: 857-523-9053.

Thats it for now. Thank you for reading!

My best, Angela

News from the specialists. In the art room

There is some great stuff being created in the art room. Kindergarten students are illustrating stories. Grade one students are making 2D drawings and 3D wearable crowns. Grade two is exploring geometric shapes while making math connections. Grade three students are illustrating their classroom books on fictional characters. Grade four is working on torn paper collages and grade five is working on an interdisciplinary Aztec, Mayan, or Incan mask.