Spring FT to PARCCland...update

At the risk of rushing through the winter celebrations, I know you were all anxiously wondering when we were going to finalize our PARCC assessment dates following the thrilling announcement a few weeks ago that the BESE voted to move towards MCAS 2.0 and that we would continue with PARCC this spring until the new assessment is developed for Spring 2017!  ( I am channeling my most sincere optimistic outlook in the spirit of tonight's opening of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Jr., a story of a young lady full of enthusiasm and hope as she sets out to tackle the modern world of NYC...in 1922) Perhaps the spring will welcome PARCCLand: the musical...or many of you will be singing when you receive the individual student results from last year's assessments which will be mailed home very soon.  At any rate, our assessment schedule will be as follows:

PARCC Language Arts/ Literacy	Grades 6, 7, & 8	Wednesday, May 4 Thursday, May 5 Friday, May 6
PARCC Mathematics	Grades 6, 7, & 8	Monday, May 9 Tuesday, May 10 Wednesday, May 11
MCAS STE (science, technology, and engineering)	Grade 8	Tuesday, May 17 Wednesday, May 18

As referenced earlier, Stony Brook Theater Arts presents THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Jr. tonight @ 7:00 and tomorrow @ 1:30 & 7:00.  Some tickets are still available at the door.  The students involved have been making enthusiastic announcements every morning this week and with the previews they presented before Thanksgiving, tickets have been selling well.  

The activity after school between the start of the basketball season and production week for theater has filled the lobby with energy and enthusiasm all week long.  It is always inspiring to see the students choose to extend their time here in the building!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chris

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress" - Nicholas Murray Butler

Green from leftovers...update

I believe all of the leftovers have finally been consumed in my house and I can look forward to some take-out this weekend.

Speaking of leftovers, I would like to thank the great work some of our students participating on the Westford Innovators team did this fall to help update our recycling efforts in the cafe.  Have no fear...these leftovers are not edible in nature but reusable none the less.  They designed and built a clean system to encourage students to increase recycling bottles rather than throwing them away at lunch.  By merely making the process of draining excess liquid into a funnel and then dropping the empty bottle into a tube that quantifies the amount of recycling participation, we have seen and increase in both the number of bottles recycled and the efficiency in which it is done.  In other words, the whole process is easier and it doesn't leave a big mess for someone else to have to clean-up every day.

Another one of our efforts to be as green as possible will hopefully not make anyone green...@ 2:30 today the Term 1 Report Cards were posted in iParent for families to access.  You can access the PDF of the student's report card in the My Documents section of iParent.  A link to the grading key can be found under the Parent tab on our homepage if you have any questions about the report card in general.  Specific questions about grades or comments would be best addressed by contacting the teachers directly via email.  

Recycling information from last week's email, I present you with this notice of our upcoming Parent Conferences (now that you are able to access the report cards):

Parent Conferences will be held on Wednesday, December 15th from 7:30AM to 9:30AM and Thursday, December 16th from 2:00PM to 8:00PM.  There is a 2 ½ hour delayed opening on December 15th and no school on December 16th.  In an effort to accommodate all families interested in attending a conference, we offer a choice between one of two teacher groups: Math/Social Studies or ELA/Science.  Should you wish to schedule a conference we are asking families to sign up for one conference per student online as we have in the past via Sign Up Genius. The website will be open for families to access starting on December 7 at 9:00AM and closing on December 10 at 8:00PM.  Changes can be made by calling the office after that time.

It is important that you only sign-up for one conference slot for either Math/ Social Studies or ELA/Science and not both.  In the event that one student has both selected, we will defer to the first selection made using the timestamp as an indicator of the initial choice.  So, if you need to change your selection for some reason please be sure to delete the other selection so that you don't in turn lose the timeslot you actual prefer.  It is possible to select additional timeslots to meet with an Integrated Arts or Foreign Language teacher just not to double up on the Math/Social Studies or ELA/ Science grouping.  We appreciate your understanding so that we can accommodate as many families as possible.  

Next week, we also have the Stony Brook Theater Arts production of Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. taking the stage.  I was able to watch a run-through this week and can't wait to see it next weekend.  Tickets are available during the following:

Rehearsals-last hour:  (Auditorium Lobby)

Tues  12/1    3:30-4:30pm

Thur  12/3    3:30-4:30pm

Fri     12/4    3:30-4:30pm

Sat     12/5    3-4pm

Production Week-Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs  12/7-12/10    7-8pm

During lunch:   (Stony Book Main Lobby)

Thu   12/3    10:15-12:00pm

Fri     12/4    10:15-12:00pm

Mon  12/7    10:15-12:00pm

Tues  12/8    10:15-12:00pm 

Wed  12/9    10:15-12:00pm

Fri     12/11  10:15-12:00pm 

At Performances:   (Auditorium Lobby)

Fri  12/11      6:15-7:00pm

Sat  12/12    12:45-1:30pm

Sat  12/12      6:15-7:00pm

If waiting until next weekend for the thrill of live theater is too much for you, or you are in a #showhole from enjoying WATA's production of Young Frankenstein.  I encourage you to support Blanchard Middle School's production of Seussical the Musical Jr. taking place tonight and tomorrow across town @ 7:00 both nights and 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Ms. Watson and all of the students involved in this week's Winter Choral Concert.  The students sounded great and it was very well attended.  I was impressed by their ability to tackle challenging multi-part harmonies and an intricate four-part canon with limited rehearsals in the first few months of the year. The feedback has been wonderful and I am looking forward to hearing more from them later in the year.

That is a lot to digest.

Have a great weekend!

Chris

Good to be grateful...double update

Last year at this time, I was able to reflect on my gratitude for being welcomed so warmly into such a wonderful community as I started my first year at Stony Brook.  I am happy to say how good it is to still feel welcomed and appreciated as part of this dynamic school.  Our students are wonderful and they exhibit their positive traits regularly.  Sometimes we have to look a little harder to see as they might be masking their exemplary qualities under more questionable choices, but we know they are still there and for that I continue to be grateful!.  Yesterday, I was fortunate to have two opportunities outside of our building that reminded me how well our students are doing here.  A number of middle school principals from surrounding districts met to discuss issues and concerns facing our students and it was encouraging to be able to provide feedback from our successes here in Westford that could help students elsewhere navigate through these middle years as well as our students do.  In talking with others, it was clear to me once again how fortunate we are that our students have such tremendous support both in the classrooms and at home.  Additionally, I had the chance to visit Westford Academy and see many of the students with whom I was able to meet last year as 8th graders and appreciate how involved they are in life at the Academy and how successful their transitions have been.  The feedback I hear regularly from folks at WA is very encouraging as to how well our students are prepared.  With all of the recent acts of violence throughout the world, it is good to be grateful for all of the positive things here close to home which help keep us hopeful for our children's futures.

In the immediate future...first term grades will be available soon after the Thanksgiving break.  Grades closed on Friday and after they are completed and verified, they will be made viewable in iParent on Friday, December 4th at 2:30PM.

Parent Conferences will be held on Wednesday, December 15th from 7:30AM to 9:30AM and Thursday, December 16th from 2:00PM to 8:00PM.  There is a 2 ½ hour delayed opening on December 15th and no school on December 16th.  In an effort to accommodate all families interested in attending a conference, we offer a choice between one of two teacher groups: Math/Social Studies or ELA/Science.  Should you wish to schedule a conference we are asking families to sign up for one conference per student online as we have in the past via Sign Up Genius. The website will be open for families to access starting on December 7 at 9:00AM and closing on December 10 at 8:00PM.  Changes can be made by calling the office after that time.

These ten-minute check-ins with two of your child's team teachers provide an opportunity for you to share important information, stay informed of your child's progress, and discuss the first trimester report card. Parent conferences are not required, and many parents find a phone call, email or one of our available weekly team conferences meet their needs.  As I shared earlier, our students are well supported both here and at home and these conferences are only one of the many processes that we have in place that help foster the home/school communication which we know to be one the most critical elements for overall student success.  When the adults are all on the same page, the children are more likely to thrive.

Recently, one of our guidance counselors shared a valuable resource that is always a good reminder.  The cell phone companies created a parent's guide to adolescent cell phone use and while it is a bit lengthy...of course, who am I to talk...or better yet, wow, he thinks it's lengthy...watch out...at any rate, it is an excellent resource with which we should all have access.  Many of our families choose to provide their children with cell phones and while they are remarkable pieces of technology that many of us could never imagine as a reality when we were adolescents, they are tools that create a false sense of security for students in relation to what they perceive to be their privacy. We have a responsibility to help students learn how to use these technologies responsibly and safely.  As adults, we should actively know with whom our children are communicating and the manner in which it is being done.  Growing up it was not uncommon for our parents to hear at least our half of the conversations we had with friends on our land lines in the house.  Notes that were created and passed between friends could be intercepted and most people thought twice before putting something down in writing and sharing it with anyone else.  We saw it with email a while ago and how many adults struggled with communicating effectively even in the business world as the ease of communication also lead to an ease in misunderstanding.  Many adults are not aware of the text conversations their children are engaged in or the discussions that they are having online.  Our efforts to help model positive online communication with class discussions taking place in teacher facilitated and monitored online environments is a step in the right direction.  We encourage all of you to be actively involved in monitoring your children's virtual discussions outside the school environment, as well.  When students know that the are not operating in a private little world, they are more likely to develop and exhibit consistent skills of appropriate communication and keep themselves from getting into trouble for saying something they would not otherwise say in the company of others.  While children will claim they do not want parents snooping into their privacy, the majority of them do not own the devices or pay the bills associated with them and this is an excellent age for them to start understanding the relationship of their decision making authority and their financial independence.  If you wish to read it or save the link for future reference, I will share it with you here:  

http://www.connectsafely.org/wp-content/uploads/mobile_english.pdf    (if you have trouble opening the link here, simply copy and paste the address into your web browser)

Moving away from virtual reality and back to something requiring live human interaction, I was able to enjoy the WA performance of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN last night and saw a number of our former Stony Brook students among the incredibly talented students involved in every aspect of the production!  Congratulations to everyone involved!  That being said, save the dates for the Stony Brook Theater Arts upcoming production ofTHOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, JR. on Dec 11 & 12.  I was asked to share the following information regarding when tickets are available for purchase:

Rehearsals-last hour:  (Auditorium Lobby)

Tues  12/1    3:30-4:30pm

Thur  12/3    3:30-4:30pm

Fri     12/4    3:30-4:30pm

Sat     12/5    3-4pm

Production Week-Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs  12/7-12/10    7-8pm

During lunch:   (Stony Book Main Lobby)

Thu   12/3    10:15-12:00pm

Fri     12/4    10:15-12:00pm

Mon  12/7    10:15-12:00pm

Tues  12/8    10:15-12:00pm 

Wed  12/9    10:15-12:00pm

Fri     12/11  10:15-12:00pm 

At Performances:   (Auditorium Lobby)

Fri  12/11      6:15-7:00pm

Sat  12/12    12:45-1:30pm

Sat  12/12      6:15-7:00pm

As I will more than likely not send out an email next week over the Thanksgiving break, I also want to let you know that the Stony Brook Winter Choral Concert will be Dec 2 @ 7:00 in the auditorium.

Finally, I was going to update everyone on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's decision to adopt a hybrid assessment system that in essence combines PARCC and MCAS into a new yet to be developed MCAS 2.0 and administered in Spring 2017.  However, I had more important things to share :?)  In short, we will continue to use PARCC this spring and I will share the dates with you in the future, instead of two rounds of testing like we did last year it will only be one round of each content area similar to MCAS in the past so it will be a shorter overall assessment than last year for whichWE ARE THANKFUL!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Chris

A Paraskevidekatriaphobic Update

Honestly, I had forgotten that it was Friday the 13th for the better part of the day.  I can't say that I actually fear the day, but just like a full moon, this day seems to have an adverse effect on teenagers ability to control themselves.  Some of the choices made as the day progressed seemed to be abnormally strange which quickly reminded me of this special day on the calendar.  All of which was complicated by the fact that our phone system seemed to develop a ghost in the machine and calls were being dropped left and right and we still use land-lines!  To that end, I apologize for any frustration that might have been created for you if you had to make multiple attempts to get a call through today.  Thankfully, the phone company did not simply chalk it up to Friday the 13th and attempted to address the issues.  We shall see...

The rest of the week was relatively normal on the ever shifting scale of middle school dynamics.  

I was able to visit a number of math classes and was happy to hear students in each grade communicating with each other about the problems they were trying to solve and often testing multiple strategies to determine which was most efficient.  Some of our social studies students in 8th grade were actively investigating the spread of the Bubonic plaque...well, they were participating in an activity that simulated how the epidemic impacted families all over Europe...which doesn't sound much better when you type it out...but it was safe and no one actually got sick.  But rather than simply reading about it, they were physically traveling from multiple locations carrying pieces of paper that determined whether or not they were infected. Many of our 7th grade students were exploring the sea floor and collaborating on the development of models that exhibited how the sea floor spreads.  

As always...have a great weekend,

Chris

A Commercial Break Update

This week seemed to be filled with moments that interrupted our regularly scheduled programming...

Starting on a positive note, I would like to congratulate one of our 8th graders, Emily B., who has been selected to represent the Town of Westford in a special state-wide program called Project 351.  This program brings one 8th grader from each of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 351 communities together for a  year of service and leadership training through the Governor's office and various service organizations.  It is a tremendous opportunity and we are very proud to have Emily represent Westford as she continues to develop her leadership skills and collaborate with other 8th graders throughout the state.

A representative from the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) located at Bridgewater State University joined us again this year as we have done successfully in previous years for presentations to both the 6th and 7th grades.  The entire 6th grade participated in a presentation focused on Internet safety, cyber-bullying, and digital footprints.  She reminded the students of the importance of keeping their passwords protected and communicating respectfully as the lack of facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language can often lead to misunderstandings with electronic communication.  Additionally, she met with the 7th grade girls about the unique behaviors adolescent girls can exhibit in their peer relationships and the importance of fostering healthy positive relationships exhibiting mutual respect and empowering them to avoid negative dynamics that seek to undermine their self-worth and confidence.   At the same time, Mr. McElhinney and I met with the 7th grade boys and had similar discussions along with some of their teachers about what respect in action looks like and the importance of consistently exhibiting respect for everyone in our community.  The focus of our conversation centered on the little things that we do on a daily basis and how they can culminate to create a wonderful environment grounded in respect that supports everyone or a collective apathy if we don't hold each other accountable and expect respect for everyone.  Towards the end of the conversation, without it becoming a political debate a few students expressed concern in how some of the current Presidential Candidates seem to struggle with modeling respect as they interact with each other.

We had these same conversations last year and knew that they would be beneficial to have with this year's group, as well.  Ironically, another struggle was identified this week in the unique challenge that the additional set of stairs seems to be creating for the majority of the 7th grade students traversing to the third floor multiple times during the day.  The biggest issue seemed to consistently arise returning from lunch.  So, the 7th grade teachers decided it would be prudent to meet the students outside after the students' daily opportunity to soak in some vitamin D and fresh air and have them return to the third floor together and calmly as a team helping to monitor the students choices while climbing the three flights of stairs. Hopefully, the escort will not be needed long and the grade will soak in the importance of being safe on the stairs.  The optimist in me is glad they are in a hurry to get back to class, but 253 students of varying levels of grace and dexterity climbing three flights of stairs can create issues if they are not paying attention and or looking out for each other.

Not to leave them out, I took the opportunity to remind the 8th graders that while 245 of them sitting in the cafeteria is bound to create an expected amount of noise, they can always afford to do a better job quieting themselves when someone is trying to make an announcement or simply get their attention to let them go outside after eating...they seemed to appreciate that.

With all of that, you might be surprised to hear that I was able to visit a number of classes this week which is by far the best part of the job!  Great things were going on throughout the building, as usual.  7th graders were all diving into the Epic tale of Gilgamesh while studying ancient communication and storytelling. Imagine the horror when they learned how difficult it would be to create 140 characters of text on a stone tablet.  6th graders were accessing modern technology and using laptops to compete against themselves and others on Kahoot as they practiced their emerging language skills.  They were also doing some cross-team collaboration in some of their social studies classes identifying the traits of developed and developing countries.  Some 8th graders were participating in virtual debates in ELA using poll everywhere to anonymously express their opinions before discussing the relationship between education and happiness.  Additionally, they were studying relative dating in science which was thankfully focused on identifying the ages of fossils based on supporting data rather than dating a relative.

As I said about an hour ago, there are a number of things included for your perusal at the end of this weeks message!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chris

Oh, what a beautiful...update!

So, this could indeed be a first, but this update is coming to you from the Great Plains of Oklahoma!  Thus, the nod to Rodgers & Hammerstein not to mention the time difference which is making it morning back in Westford by the time this is indeed sent.  After wrapping up a great week at Stony Brook, I joined my family as we jumped on an evening flight out west to attend a family wedding on Saturday.  Although it was dark when we landed, I already miss the foliage as the trees are few and far between out here.  The clean energy seems to have taken hold well as many of the oil rigs I have seen in the past have now been replaced by wind turbines...the wind sure is sweepin' down the plains!

It is easy to forget how diverse the landscape of our country is or how we really live in an area carved out of the wilderness until you venture out of New England.  While it is not all the way out in big sky country, the trip to Washington DC for our 8th graders in the spring is often the first opportunity some of our students have to visit a different region of the US.  They are always surprised by the difference in architecture and overall design of the city and how the city seems to be full of 8th graders from all over the country making the same trip to explore our nation's capital.  Some of our students are only able to participate in the trip due to the generosity of donated support from other families.  At the parent information session for the trip, the chaperones mentioned to the parents that they could include donations to help defray the cost for others if that is something that they would like to do.

Speaking of something full of 8th graders, Dee Bus has asked us to remind everyone that due to the fact that the busses are running near full capacity this year, they can't allow students to ride on different buses in the afternoon to visit other students houses.  So, we will not be able to provide students with bus passes to ride on different busses other than their own.  

Something we would like to fill beyond capacity is our Room to Read book collection box in the lobby.  A Westford Academy student reached out to us for help in collecting used books that could be sold at the WA Bazaar to raise money for a very worthwhile organization called the Room to Read Foundation which is focused on helping to build schools in third world countries and empower young women through education in these countries.  Books of any genre are appreciated and can be placed in the collection  box in the lobby.

Spreading the word about other good things, I have included more specific information below about the SEPAC schedule for this year, but wanted to include information about the organization in the main body of the update:

About the Westford Special Education Parent Advisory Council

The Westford Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a government-mandated volunteer organization made up of parents.  The SEPAC serves as a resource for families of children with special needs from preschool through high school, serving all Westford schools.  The mission of the Westford SEPAC is to work for understanding of, respect for, and support of all children with special needs in the community.  Each academic year, the SEPAC hosts a workshop on the rights of parents and students in special education. In addition, the SEPAC hosts informational workshops on a wide variety of topics of interest to our members.  All workshops are free and open to the public.

SEPAC membership is free and open to parents and guardians of children with special needs and anyone interested in special education in Westford.  Send an email to WestfordSEPAC@yahoo.com for additional information or to request to join our distribution list.

Visit us on the web at www.westford.org/sepac to see our current schedule.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and that the weather out west here does not preclude me from returning east on Sunday.  My son wore his Patriots sweatshirt tonight and until I stepped off the plane I had forgotten that outside of New England people tend to exhibit disdain rather than praise for the current World Champions...there's no place like home.

Chris

Surprise...it's an update!

So, that was a very short week and you may have been hoping that I would have nothing to say...surprise!  

Students anxiously rushed out of here at dismissal as they knew Progress Reports would be available this afternoon through the iParent Portal.  Gone are the days of hoping to intercept the mail delivery...in order to hand deliver the good news in person!  On the PDF of the Progress Report you should notice students were given grade ranges and comments in the 4 or 5 academic courses that they have everyday based on their individual schedules.   We did not include grades from the Integrated Arts classes that rotate on our 6-day cycle as they have still only been able to meet a few times so far in our year.

We have successfully completed a few fire drills this year already with one taking place yesterday.  We decided to have the drill while the 6th graders were outside after lunch to give them an opportunity to experience the drill when they are not already sitting in one of their classes and assess whether or not they would be able transition to their advisory locations without direct instruction.  Everyone did very well and it gave us all a few extra minutes of sunshine in the afternoon on a beautiful fall day...no one seemed upset.  Sometime in the next month before the weather gets too uncomfortable, we will hold an A.L.i.C.E. drill as another important aspect of our regular WPS safety procedures.  I will inform the students prior to holding the drill so that questions can be addressed by me or their teachers.  By now, all three grades currently in our building have been able to participate in one of these drills in one of our district schools with great success.  Any student new to our district will have an opportunity to discuss the protocols of the drill ahead of time, as well. One of the important parts of the drill is to respectfully and maturely discuss problem solving strategies to potentially harmful scenarios in an effort to minimize anxiety that can understandably be associated with an activity of this kind. Through discussion, evacuation scenarios, and sheltering in place options, students and staff are empowered to make informed decisions based on the information provided.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Continuing the thread of communication and safety, I have been asked by central office to include the following as a reminder in my next parent message:

If you know of any child attending public or private school, or who is homeless or has left school, and could benefit from a special education evaluation under Chapter 766 or educational services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, please contact the Special Education Department in Westford

(978-692-5560).

Every effort will be made to contact the parents to advise them of their rights under these laws.

Thank you for assisting us in this important matter.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Chris

Blustery Update

The way in which the weather can affect a building with over 682 students is indeed a natural phenomenon. The humidity earlier in the week combined with odd temperature shifts created very interesting condensation in some parts of the building and not being able to step outside for a few minutes after lunch to commune with nature created some rather grumpy rooms.  While the temperature was less than ideal,  we managed to fire up the grill and cook outside today.  So, we still had our cook-out only we ate-in...basically, in effort to keep from chasing plates and napkins all over the property.  The lunch staff did a great job still trying to create a cook-out atmosphere and everyone went outside for an extended amount of time following each lunch which helped to salvage the event and remind everyone why eating inside was a good idea :?)

The 6th grade Curriculum Night was very well attended this past Tuesday and there was a great response in terms of parents signing up to help some of our volunteer organizations.  The Westford Troubadours provided glorious music as parents entered the building and although a few parents did get lost during the night, I did not see anyone in tears!  

Next Tuesday, October 6th, we will be hosting the 7th & 8th grade Curriculum Night.  We will follow a very similar schedule as last year in which I will meet with the 8th grade parents at one time and the 7th grade parents at a different time to help stagger the evening and the traffic in the building.  This year, 8th grade parents will meet with me in the Auditorium at 6:30 and then proceed to meet with teachers.  The 7th grade parents will travel all the way up to the third floor at the beginning to meet with teachers starting at 6:30 and then make their way eventually to meet with me in the auditorium towards the end of the evening.  The event should conclude just before 8:00 PM.  Students will be bringing home copies of their specific evening schedule with them on Tuesday.  The Troubadours have graciously offered to provide music again from 6:15-6:30 as parents arrive and there will be tables set-up in the lobby with information from the WMSPTO, SEPAC, & WASA.  If a schedule of the evening does not make its way home to you, do not fear, we will have additional copies available, as well.

Also on October 6th, our School Advisory Council will be holding its first meeting of the year from 2:30-3:30 in the Stony Brook conference room.  Following this first meeting, the regularly scheduled meetings will continue to take place on the first Tuesday of each month from 2:30-3:30 and will be posted with the Town Clerk according to open meeting regulations. It is a public meeting and anyone is welcome to attend.  The agenda for the October 6, 2015 meeting will include electing one of the parent members to serve as co-chair for the 2015-2016 school year, reviewing the 2014-2015 School Improvement Plan, and discussing potential goal items for the 2015-2016 School Improvement Plan.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chris

And we're off...update!

First full week is behind us!  Students were still smiling as they headed to the busses this afternoon...I could interpret that in a couple of ways, but I will choose to think they were happy even before the bell rang and not only in response to the bell ringing :?)

For those of you following us on Twitter @SBSPanthers or have liked our FaceBook page (StonyBrookSchool), you would have seen the posting that thanked Arun Saigal for talking to a group of students about his journey to become the Lead Android Developer at Quizlet which is an educational start-up based in San Francisco that many of our students use on their mobile devices to more effectively study and or to simply enjoy the process more.  He shared with students the tremendous benefits of becoming a software engineer and the scope of influence it can have on society.  He ended his talk by showing the students how they could build a simple app in just two minutes using a free software program he helped develop while at MIT.  He also shared with them a way to access one of the newest Quizlet games which has not yet been released to the public.  Needless to say, the students were pretty excited about his visit.

This week I had the opportunity to watch my self-esteem initially plummet only to slowly rise back in time to end the week feeling more confident again.  I was visited by a number of students conducting research this week.  The biggest shot to my ego, came from a group of eighth graders asking to see how much of a Rubik's cube I could solve in 60 secs.  In fact, they only asked me to try and solve one side so I felt pretty good about my chances having grown-up in the 80s and had my fair share of both tricks and legitimate strategies to solving some of these 3D kinesthetic puzzles.  As I took the cube to begin my initial assessment, panic set in as they updated me on the amount of time I had left.  I simply couldn't for the life of me remember how the heck I used to do solve it.  I quickly started moving the sides and shifting the pieces left and right and up and down only to keep making the same formations on different sides.  I was talking out loud saying that I know when I see certain patterns it is possible to make specific moves that bring them all together to one side.  Then, it was done, they said time and my heart sank.  I couldn't even solve the one-side never mind the whole thing.  But worse than that, I mad the mistake of asking one of the students how long it took him to do it.  So, he apparently had enough time to try for himself...16 seconds that was all he needed.  Needless to say, I was impressed.  Deflated, but impressed.  

But the optimist in me couldn't end the week there, more research was taking place and I was able to end the week performing well on a Skittles taste test in which I was asked to identify by taste only five different types of Skittles.  While my dexterity may have failed me a bit, my taste buds have yet to disappoint.  That success will carry me confidently into the weekend!

Beyond my humiliation, other things are actually happening that I can also share with you.

Ms. Smith, our school librarian, asked me to include the following:

Author, Elizabeth Atkinson, is coming to speak to our 6th graders on October 14. Elizabeth Atkinson is the author of The Sugar Mountain Snow Ball, coming in October from Islandport Press. She is also the author of the award-winning middle-grade novel, I, Emma Freke, which Booklist called a “rich story of self-acceptance” and Kirkus Reviews described as “a poignant journey of self-discovery.” While she loves living on the North Shore of Massachusetts, her real home is in the woods of western Maine.

At the very end of this email, I will include information as to how you can order a copy of her book if you would like to do so.

Not that we want to rush through the year at all, but the 8th graders are already getting excited about the spring trip to Washington DC.  To that end, we will be having an informational session on Weds Oct 14 @ 6:00 pm regarding the trip please mark the date on your calendars.  

The first meeting of our 2015-2016 School Advisory Council will take place on Tuesday October 6, 2015 from 2:30-3:30 here at Stony Brook.  Our returning parent members include Patrick McGinn, Denise Seyffert, Marci Barnes and Gary Cutbill.  Our faculty members are Julie Ewing and Al Duffet.  I thank them all in advance for their willingness to participate in this important role.  All of the SAC meetings are open to the public.

Enjoy this first weekend of autumn; hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the Super Blood Moon eclipse on Sunday.

Chris

Dr. Christopher Chew

Principal

Stony Brook School

Westford, MA 01886

(978) 692-2708

First Update: 2015-2016 Edition

It certainly feels like summer still!

Over the first few days, I have been able to meet with all of the students in assemblies and welcome them to the new school year.  Many of them seemed disappointed that I was not sporting fancy mutton chops again this year.  Ah, well...something to consider for next year, I guess.

They did seem happy to be in school or at least in the air conditioned auditorium in which we were meeting. 

They also seemed to enjoy being outside this morning after we practiced our fire drill during Advisory.  

There is a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm in the building that we will keep nurturing as we go throughout the year.

I was able to successfully visit a number of classes which allowed me to see all of the students in action at some point during our first few days together.  Again, there were a lot of smiling faces and students seemed to be handling the hot weather without too much difficulty.  

I hope you are all able to enjoy some rest and relaxation!

Chris

Pacing Ourselves

So, the students did a full 4.5 days this week working our way up to the

big 5 day next week. Some of you might prefer to load up on carbs on

Sunday, some have been front loading the vitamins, others might simply get

a lot of sleep, I will try all three and add plenty of hydration to the

mix so as not to wither away by Friday.

This week science classes were all prepping for upcoming labs either by

reviewing safety procedures or breaking down the scientific method. It

always enjoyable to go through classes of one specific content area

throughout all of the grades to see the similarity in expectations and yet

the differences in how students are exhibiting their knowledge as they

become more and more thoughtful and articulate as they progress each year.

I was also able to enjoy a fantastic presentation by one of our Stony

Brook parents who shared with students her work as an engineer and the

work her company is doing in the world of 3D printing. I honestly had no

idea that we were already able to print food using this technology. It was

great to have her visit some classes and we appreciate the time she was

able to donate to come in

and speak with our students. Many of us have jobs that we either didn't

consider, didn't know about, or didn't even exist when we were 12-14 years

old. Part of preparing out students for their futures means to expose them

both to professional worlds outside of their daily sphere of understanding

as well as encouraging them that we also had no reference point for many

of our careers when we were their ages.

In a few weeks we will have our curriculum nights (6th grade on 9/27 w/

7th & 8th grades on 10/6) which will provide you all an opportunity to

get a small sense of the students typical day here at Stony Brook. They

are not designed as conferences and do not afford opportunities to have

individual conversations about students like the meetings we will have in

December, but remember that you can contact teachers via email at any

point throughout the year if you have specific questions about student

work or concerns about progress.

Speaking of contact, many of you have heard me say already that the 50%

rule is very helpful in maintaining strong home to school communication (

for those of you who don't know...I'll explain it at curriculum night!).

If you hear something that simply doesn't sound right or conflicts with

what we express as our priorities as educators, please reach out to us

ask. Clarity can easily get lost in translation.

Next week, the construction taking place on Farmers' Way will include

excavating into the road to establish water lines connections near the

entrances to our parking lots.

A police detail will be present and it should not have a major impact on

our traffic, but they wanted to inform us ahead of time.  I appreciate

your patience in advance and if there are any concerns please contact me

and I will relay the information to the contractors.

Please take time to read the announcements I have included below for

resources and activities for our families.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chris

Dr. Christopher Chew

Principal

Stony Brook School

_______________________________

Midsummer Update

Well, sort of...

If I had more energy at this point, I would try to conjure my best Shakespeare and present this missive in the spirit of Robin Goodfellow, affectionately remembered as Puck...but alas my iambic pentameter is rusty and you are all probably more anxious for information than humor at this point seeing as how we have been experiencing more typical summer like weather as we approach the end of July.

Although a glitch at iPass made earlier drafts of schedules available a week or two ago, they have finally been completed and tomorrow morning around 9:00 am the parent portal will be open for families to see the official schedules for 2015-2016.

Two noticeable changes for next year:

• Our General Music classes are being replaced with a Theater Arts class which will be focused on providing additional opportunities for our students to work collaboratively and develop stronger communication and problem solving strategies as they explore the active world of an additional art element included in our integrated arts rotation.  For students less comfortable with public speaking and presentation, this class is designed to provide a stress-free environment full of theatrical games and activities that empower students to think outside of the box while developing their observation skills.  Fear not, it is not simply an acting class requiring students to constantly perform for each other.  It is a comprehensive program exploring all aspects of theatrical collaboration and the skills required to successfully communicate students' ideas and develop their unique voices.  Middle school theater programs have been instrumental in helping to instill a greater confidence in adolescents and providing opportunities for them to develop a stronger empathy in others which can often be lacking in these middle years.  It is an excellent addition to our already vibrant arts programming.

• 8th grade students might realize that they are all organized into two teams rather than three.  In an effort to help begin the process of transitioning from middle school to high school, we will have only two teams: Victory and Valor.  Six teachers are part of the Victory team working with approximately 60% of the 8th grade and four teachers are on Valor working with...(you guessed it) approximately 40% of the students.  While research clearly indicates the benefits of two person teams at the middle level, there have been concerns about whether it was ideal for our 8th grade students to experience only transitioning between two teachers for the majority of their classes just prior to heading off to high school.  Our 8th grade teachers are excited about the change as they all collaborate regularly with each other and enjoy the increased ability to share more of the students while still maintaining the benefits of the middle school team model.

New Lockers assignments will be established when students report to their advisories for the first day of school.  As we have done in the past, 6th graders have the whole school to themselves on September 1 (well, they still have to share it with all of the adults) while the 7th and 8th graders join us on September 2.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Chris