Mrs. Mari-An Fitzmaurice

Friday, March 30, 2012

The 2012 MCAS tests are packed, boxed, and sealed waiting to be picked up and deliver the excellent work of our third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders to the Massachusetts Department of Education. Our students have put forth their best efforts in the English language arts reading comprehension, open responses and the long composition this week. The hard work of our teachers who implemented the new “Empowering Writers” curriculum, was evident in the confidence and time the students spent preparing their responses. These skills were: entertaining beginnings, figurative language, robust vocabulary, RATE responses, blurbing and the ever popular RATATATE. Both our students and teachers deserve a special treat this weekend!

As we begin to plan for the 2012-2013 school year, our site-based school council will be meeting on Monday, April 2 at 6:00 P.M. Our interim Superintendent, Dr. Kelleher will be joining us.The council will discuss our kindergarten enrollment for the full day and half day programs.The results of a parent survey about the embedded half day kindergarten pilot which we implemented at Hatherly this year, will also be discussed.We hope to determine which program will be best for our kindergarteners who will be coming to Hatherly in the fall.Speaking of kindergarten, we are still awaiting the accreditation visit from NAEYC due by April 9.

You may have seen in The Boston Globe the article on Pi Day at Hanover High.Pi day is celebrated annually on March 14 (3-14) by math aficionados all over the world.Pi is the infinite, never- repeating number that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. For many years Ms. Huntress, our Math Specialist, has led Hatherly School in a Pi Day celebration by challenging our sixth graders to memorize Pi out to as many decimal places as possible.This year’s results were outstanding… for those of us who have trouble remembering phone numbers; the students’ advice was to memorize the numbers in chunks.Our sixth grade winners and the number of digits memorized are truly amazing!

First Place: Casey Boynton at 209!!!!!

Second Place: Cameron Gee at 190

Third Place: Matthew Bray at 155

Fourth Place: Max Bates at 119

Fifth Place: Katie Milligan at 101

Sixth Place: Hannah Wilder at 81

Seventh Place: Shane Comeau at 55

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: 6P.M. School Council
• Wednesday:Grade 5 Science Fair- 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

- 9:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m.Parent Program “The Social Thinking Language of Hatherly” (Reservations recommended)

- 6:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. - Parent Program (repeat of the morning ) -(Reservations recommended)

· Thursday: Grade 5 field trip to Scituate High School to see “Underground Railroad: African American spiritual

- School store

• Friday: No School - Good Friday

Hatherly Happenings

Friday March 23, 2012

Thank you to everyone who came to parent conferences this week!It was wonderful to share all the academic successes your children have achieved so far this year.Despite the summer weather, we are looking forward to fifty-three more school days and lots of learning ahead!I also want to thank our dedicated student government members who gave up an afternoon or evening at the beach to help out at school.They are a dedicated and great group!

We are anxiously awaiting our 24 hour notice phone call from the NAEYC to announce their kindergarten accreditation visit.They should be at Hatherly by April 9at the latest.Our kindergartens are in stellar shape and deliver an exemplar program so we are confident our assessor will approve; however, Mrs. Arruda, Mr. Tarpey and I will breathe a sigh of relief when the visit ends.

Our fourth graders worked diligently on Tuesday to complete the MCAS Long Composition.They were full of smiles with the feeling of accomplishment when the day ended and they had finished a rough draft and final copy of their essay…. I also heard that they all slept well that night too! MCAS testing will continue this week for grades 3-6!

We are collecting materials for Cradles to Crayons in a HUGE purple bin in the lobby.Our Helping Hands committee will be working with thefourth grade Girl Scouts collecting children’s clothing, winter coats, shoes & boots, socks and underwear for low-income and homeless children.Students may bring them in from now to April 6.

Ms. Fine and Mrs. Nathan have created an exciting two session program to teach parents the “social thinking language” of Hatherly School and how to make that work for you at home.Flyers went home with students in kindergarten to grade three today.A morning and evening session will be offered April 4and April 11.Childcare will be provided. Reservations are required.Come learn about expected behaviors!

I have a serious word of caution to all our parents about the access to technology that their children have today.We have had some incidents, outside of school, where students, as young as third grade, have accessed websites that were not blocked by a safety filter. Smartphones are a major problem for unfiltered internet access, as well as the iTouch and iPad. Please be ever vigilant monitoring the devices your children have access to.Technology is wonderful when used correctly and safely.Students’ texting between each other can also be an area of concern that needs to be constantly monitored by adults.

Have a wonderful spring weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

· MONDAY MCAS Grades 3, 5, 6

· TUESDAY MCAS Grades 3, 5, 6

· WEDNESDAY MCAS Grade 4

· THURSDAY MCAS Grade 4

Hatherly Happenings

Friday March 16, 2012

There was a sea of green jerseys, hats, bows, and necklaces at Hatherly School today, and I am sure all of Scituate will be wearing the green all weekend!Students from kindergarten to fourth grade were treated to a half hour of Irish Music performed by Finn and Nora O’Halloran’s father, Peter, and his Irish band.The students really enjoyed clapping along to the beat of the Irish music and the various instruments.

This week I had the pleasure of reading 340 fabulous report cards. I know you will enjoy seeing all the progress your children have made when they bring home their report cards today! Parent conferences will be held Wednesday March 21, and Thursday, March 22 of next week.Remember to sign up for your conference online by 7:00 p.m., Tuesday night.We look forward to continuing our partnership with you in educating your child. Also, a reminder that Ms. Huntress is inviting families to join her in the library to learn New Math Games during the parent conference hours!

Mrs. DeMello, our cafeteria manager, would like to make parents aware that this Tuesday’s lunch selection has changed.We will be serving roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and a hot vegetable….no beef will be served until further notice.

Watch for an email from the PTO about a collection of materials for Cradles to Crayons.Our Helping Hands committee will be working with the sixth grade Girl Scouts to collect children’s clothing, winter coats, shoes & boots, socks and underwear for low-income and homeless children.

Next week begins our English Language Arts MCAS testing. The fourth graders will get the opportunity to show the state of Massachusetts what fantastic writers they have become….I read this week’s final practice essays and they were truly amazing!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: Ms. Shannon and Mr. Meehan from Gates School will visit grade 6
• TUESDAY: Grade 4 MCAS Long Composition
• Wednesday: EARLY RELEASE 12:35 pmparent conferences (math games open house)
• Thursday: early release 12:35 pmparent conferences ( math games open house)
• Friday: practice ELA MCAS grades 3, 5, 6

Hatherly Happenings

Friday March 9, 2012

BOOKS, BOOKS and more BOOKS!Hopefully your child found at least one great read during this week’s Book Fair.Thank you to Kristen Nelson and her committee of volunteers for staffing the Book Fair at school for three days and then again Family Night last night.Mrs. Nelson will be graduating to Gates School next year and has already trained Suzanne Russell and Kim Burns to take over.Last night Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Sturges, Mrs. Berton, Mrs. Sheahan and Mrs. Molla were all checking out some great cookbooks at the Luau themed family night.

The final session of PEP Grant free program went out in a separate email today.Sign ups start on Monday.The Wednesday morning Zumba and Monday afternoon Hip Hop will begin March 26 and end May 25. Online registration is at www.ssymca.org. Watch for our PTO spring Afterschool Program flyer next week.

Speaking of our PTO, I want to join Mr. Mundt in thanking the PTO for funding the construction of risers for our cafeteria.These risers will allow parents to see clearly all the shining faces during our magnificent concerts.Thank you all for the cookie dough, scrip cards purchases and the bottle/can drive collection that helps build our PTO funds to continue to improve our facility and programs.

Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward on Sunday so you will be on time for school on Monday!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: Grade 4 will practice a long composition!
• Thursday: Grade 6 students travel to SHS for Camp Bournedale presentation
• Friday: Irish music by Mr. O’Halloran and friends!

Hatherly Happenings

Friday March 2, 2012

READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY was celebrated today with style at Hatherly School. Our very own Cat in the Hat read Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax to the entire school body.Students left with a Truffula leaf with a special message from the Lorax that UNLESS we care for our environment the same could happen to our world.The students were treated to a guest reader in their homerooms later in the day.Our literacy celebration every year reminds us of the importance of reading with and to our children this day and every day - as noted in the Read Across America poem:

You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild,

To pick up a book and read with a child

You’re never too busy, too cool or too hot,

To pick up a book and share what you’ve got.

In schools and communities

Let’s gather around, Let’s pick up a book

Let’s pass it around!

There are kids all around you,

Kids who will need someone to hug,

Someone to read,

Join us March second,

Your own special way

And make this America’s

Read to Kids Day!

Coincidently, this weekend is the premiere of the new movie, The Lorax. The Mill Wharf Cinema, along with the CORSE Foundation is sponsoring another "Let's Go the Movies" event this Saturday, March 3rd. The scheduled movie is Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax", a family comedy with a PG rating. The theater will provide an inviting setting to watch a movie with modifications made to provide a stress-free experience for kids and families as they watch this feature film. If you would like to bring your own snack you are welcome to do so. Tickets will be $6.00 per person at the door. Families are invited to attend with their children.Young adults or individuals with special needs should be accompanied by a chaperone for the best possible experience. Advance ticket purchases are not required.

Nothing is more exciting than seeing our students enthralled in a book, an author or a genre!Our entire staff, homeroom teachers, librarian, reading specialists, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, work to find the connection that brings reading alive for a student.Having your own book is an important part of that experience and our Book Fair helps support that within reasonable costs.Your child will go to the Book Fair on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday next week and all our families are invited to attend the Family Night at the Book Fair on Thursday, March 8 from 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Report cards will go home on Friday, March 16. Parent conferences are now open for bookings on the online site… go on to the Hatherly School homepage, click on the red button to get to the scheduling site.Ms. Huntress, with the support of the student government, will be offering Math Game activities and instructions for parents and their children during the conference times.Be sure to stop by and learn lots of ways to enjoy math practice at home!

We are preparing for the MCAS testing which will begin on March 20.If you are new to MCAS testing, or have questions, please join me in the cafeteria on Tuesday, March 6 at 9:30 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. for an information session.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Tuesday: Bookfair: Sousa, Gillen, Steele, Sheahan, Moffat, Fitzgerald
• Wednesday:Introduction to MCAS presentation 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
• Book fair: Johnson, Arruda, McGrann, Suddath, Molla, Leet
• PTO meeting 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday: Bookfair: Pescatore, Tarpey, Cramer, McGrath
• Bookfair Family Night 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday February 17, 2012

We have giant Truffula trees growing in the lobby of Hatherly School!The trees are filling out with wonderful, colorful, leaves describing the fantastic environmental books our students are reading.(Extra leaves are in the lobby and students can complete them any time over the next few weeks) Today grade levels shared reading with upper or lower wing buddies.On March secondwe will join schools all over the country to celebrate READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY.The morning assembly will be a reading of Dr. Seuss’s story, The Lorax.Each class will also have a guest reader! Over vacation remember to relax and read a good book.

Our annual grade five Speak-Off coordinated by Mrs. Beaudette with Mrs.Moffat and Mrs. Sturges, will be held on Tuesday, March firstStudents read and memorize the poem “The Voice” and recite it in front of their class.They are then judged reciting a poem of their choice and speaking on an impromptu topic.A lot of teaching, practice and coaching is provided along the way.The following students are finalists this year with highest overall scores:Casey Habeggar,Tristan Smith, Meryl Walling, Eric Christenson, Molly Gould, Derek Mullahy, Nick Disano, Janhvi Trehan, Lizzy Flaherty, Callie Habeggar, Angela Bailey, Maggie O’Donnell,and Julia Gates. We also had excellent performances by the following Honorable Mention students who had high scores in one of the areas: Ainsley Jennings, Olivia Ricard, DaSonte Woodward, Brendan Hannon, Brenna Lambert, Ebha Finlay, Kate Montgomery, Sydney Melanson, Michaela McGrann.All students are winners with this great opportunity to experience public speaking!

The next Parent Conferences dates are Wednesday, March 21 and Thursday, March 22.Our online booking was a huge success in the fall and we will be using it again.You can schedule your spring conference appointments starting on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. Just go on our Hatherly website and click on the red button to get to the booking site.

Have a great vacation everyone!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead is VACATION!

Week of February 27, 2012

· Monday: Welcome Back from vacation

· Tuesday: Parent Conference Bookings begin at 7 PM

· Thursday: Speak off finals

· Friday: Read Across America Day

The MCAS test dates for Hatherly this spring are:

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 - March 26 and 27

Grade 4 - March 20 (Long Composition) 28 & 29

Grade 5 - March 26 and 27

Grade 6 - March 26 and 27

Math:

Grade 3 - May 8 and 9

Grade 4 - May 15 and 16

Grade 5 - May 8 and 9

Grade 6 - May 17 and 18

Science and Technology:

Grade 5 - May 17 & 18

Hatherly Happenings

Friday February 10, 2012

Our first graders performed their “I am Special” concert on Thursday afternoon in front of their parents and siblings. There weren’t many dry eyes! Their presentations and self-portraits were so sincere and heartfelt- go on to Mrs. Berton’s website http://hatherlyart.weebly.com to see this terrific artwork! Thank you to Mr. Mundt, Mrs. Berton and Mrs. Tichnor for their dedication and creativity; it is such an adorable program!

This Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Scituate High School Auditorium, sixty-three (63) Hatherly students will perform their special acts during our Annual Talent Show.There are twenty-four (24) different acts… musical groups, solos, instrumentals, and dancing. Don’t miss our future Emmy award winners!

Over 1,000 candy grams have been sold by our student government during lunches this week…everyone in the school will be treated to one or more candy grams from a friend.We will also be selling the candy gram again on Monday, February 13th for those students who haven’t had a chance to buy one! Students are also making special Valentines for some of our senior citizens in town. Love is in the air!!

The Rainforest Live presentation on Tuesday morning was a real hit for Hatherly students! I want to give special kudos to Mrs. Moffat and Mrs. Buckley who volunteered to hold the snakes on stage! The parrot flying over the students in the cafeteria was an awe inspiring vision too! We even saw a pair of kinkajous.The overall theme was to conserve the animal’s natural habitat by recycling.

We are seeing many great truffula leaves coming in as part of our Literacy Celebration “Learning about the Environment through Literacy”.

Please note: today only Everyday Math has FIVE of their TEN free EM game APPS available.Go to https://www.mheonline.com/apps/to download!

This week, we passed 100 days of school! Our students have grown so much, but we still have a lot to learn.Please stay healthy and well-rested, this mild winter is almost finished!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

• The Week Ahead: Saturday:Talent Show rehearsal @ SHS 12-3:00
• Sunday: TALENT SHOW @ SHS 1:00 p.m.tickets available at the door
• Thursday: Lunch Around the World! (rescheduled from 2/9)
• Friday: Buddy reading throughout the school
• Vacation begins at dismissal!Have a nice week!

The MCAS test dates for Hatherly this spring are:

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 - March 26 and 27

Grade 4 - March 20 (Long Composition) 28 & 29

Grade 5 - March 26 and 27

Grade 6 - March 26 and 27

Math:

Grade 3 - May 8 and 9

Grade 4 - May 15 and 16

Grade 5 - May 8 and 9

Grade 6 - May 17 and 18

Science and Technology:

Grade 5 - May 17 & 18

Hatherly Happenings

Friday, February 3, 2012

The theme for the Hatherly School’s Literacy Celebration this year is “Learning about the Environment through Literacy”.

Our literacy celebration kick-off to “Read Across America Day” will focus on our environment and our responsibility.On March 2^nd, Mrs. Fitzmaurice will read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.This story is about a character, the Lorax, who tries to save the colorful Truffula Trees which makes up the forest that is home to the Lorax and other animals.Unfortunately, the villain chops the trees down for fuel.It draws attention to the effect of destroying habitats around the world. Students will receive a template of a leaf from the Truffula Tree.Please share and read a book that you have read which made you more aware of your environment and the animals that live in it.You could read a book about animals, oceans, or rainforests…maybe a character in your book rides their bike to school instead of driving in a car…have your child write the title of the book on the leaf along with a sentence about what you learned about the environment from this book.Please use a bright color to shade in the leaf - cut it out and return it to school so that it can be displayed on the bulletin board in the main lobby. There will be extra Truffula tree leaf templates in the lobby if you want to do more than one.We look forward to seeing our Truffula tree grow in our healthy environment of reading!

Next Tuesday morning, the entire school will be treated to Understanding Wildlife's "Live on Stage, The Rain Forest" program. Understanding Wildlife is a non-profit organization that travels from California to Massachusetts with this incredible rain forest program. Animal trainers will explain how energy conservation and recycling will help save the beautiful animals the children are seeing, and other ways we can all help save our rain forests will be covered. If your child was excited about the program you can view it again on Tuesday, February 7^th as a family at Jenkins school at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.. Flying macaws, talking amazons, and very mischievous monkeys will keep you entertained all night long. The cost of the evening program is $5.00 per person. Children under three years old are admitted free. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Tuesday will be an exotic day in Scituate!

Valentine’s Day is approaching and teachers will be sending home class lists for those who want to write out Valentine’s for their child’s classmates.We know that there are some valentines that come with candy attached (i.e. lollipops, Hershey kisses).Mrs. O’Reilly would like to discourage parents on buying these since she has no idea where they are made, or the ingredients contained in them, this is for safety’s sake. Thank you!

The Student Government will be helping us get in the Valentine spirit next week with a candy gram sale.Students will be able to purchase and send a candy gram of “conversation hearts” to a friend or two at school.The cost will be 50 cents each and will be sold during lunches on Wednesday, February 8 thru Friday, February 10.We will limit each student to two the first two days, then IF we have enough supply we’ll open it to more candy grams on Friday.They will also be selling Hatherly zipper pulls, erasers and pencils for 50 cents each.

Hatherly School was overflowing with Patriot’s Day Pride today! The student government assembled a Patriot’s Fan Basket and every student put their name in it for a drawing.The following six names were drawn and they got to divide up the basket items: Olivia M., Sean H., Andrew M, Frankie F., Jessica D., Ambrose O., and Nick M.Hopefully the energy from Hatherly will help Tom Brady and friends beat the Giants on Sunday night!Go Pats!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Tuesday: P.E. PEP Grant Fitness Monitoring starts
• Rainforest LIVE program grades K-6
• EARLY RELEASE @ 12:35 p.m.
• Wednesday: Student Government Candy Gram sale starts (ends Friday)
• Thursday: Lunch Around the World
• First Grade “I AM Special” Program
• Mrs. Gillen’s class @ 3:15 p.m.
• Ms. Steele’s class @ 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday:Talent Show rehearsal @ SHS 12-3:00
• Sunday: TALENT SHOW @ SHS 1:00 p.m.tickets available at the door

The MCAS test dates for Hatherly this spring are:

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 - March 26 and 27

Grade 4 - March 20 (Long Composition) 28 & 29

Grade 5 - March 26 and 27

Grade 6 - March 26 and 27

Math:

Grade 3 - May 8 and 9

Grade 4 - May 15 and 16

Grade 5 - May 8 and 9

Grade 6 - May 17 and 18

Science and Technology:

Grade 5 - May 17 & 18

Hatherly Happenings

Friday January 27, 2012

On Wednesday, the grade four enjoyed an informative and inspiring visit to the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset.Our students participated in a session with Gallery Artist Katherine Morrison. She shared many examples of her unique handmade books. During their studio time students had a brief overview of how the printed word has changed from the simplest book on rough paper to the advancement of the printing press and finally to our current day electronic books.Additionally, students created their own hand-sewn decorated books. We would like to thank HSBC Bank for generously sponsoring the program as well as the Scituate Cultural Council for providing the transportation.

We are lucky to have Ms.Taryn Lordi, a Master’s level student from Bridgewater State University interning with Mrs. Linda Nathan, our school social worker. She is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in mental health counseling and school adjustment counseling; therefore, we are adding lunch groups for children in grades one through six facilitated by Ms. Lordi. The purpose of these groups is to help all children get to know each other and develop friendships. These groups are a great way to foster the development and mastery of a variety of social skills that can be utilized in the classroom, playground, and home environment. The children learn how to work cooperatively together, handle difficult situations (i.e., teasing), and treat each other respectfully. These lunch groups will be available to all children in grades one through six. If you have any questions or would prefer your child not participate in a lunch group, please email Linda Nathan at lnathan@scit.org.

Ms. Lordi will also be working with groups of students who need to learn the skills to advocate for themselves in the classroom when they do not understand something.Often times some students do not raise their hand to ask a question and miss opportunities to get clarification.Ms. Lordi will encourage students to use different strategies to help let teachers know they need some help without being embarrassed or self conscious.Some students also get anxious taking tests and need strategies to calm themselves to perform at their best.If you would like your child to participate in any of these lunch discussions please email Mrs. Nathan as she will be coordinating Ms. Lori’s schedule and groups.

The PTO Helping Hands Committee would like to thank all the families who donated their gently used coats.We collected 275 coats that will be cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners and given to families in need.What a great way to recycle!

Just a reminder to parents in grades five and six, Progress Reports were mailed last Friday, January 20th. If your child received one, it needs to be signed and returned to their homeroom teacher by Monday, January 30th or you can send an email to the teacher to acknowledge that you received it. We will contact anyone who hasn’t returned or acknowledged receiving their child’s progress reports starting Tuesday.

Hatherly School will get in the Super Bowl Spirit on Friday, February 3rd by wearing Patriot gear or colors.We know Super Bowl Sunday will be a very exciting day!GO PATS!!!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Friday:Patriots Super Bowl Day! Wear your patriot colors
• School Store Day

The MCAS test dates for Hatherly this spring are:

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 - March 26 and 27

Grade 4 - March 20 (Long Composition) 28 & 29

Grade 5 - March 26 and 27

Grade 6 - March 26 and 27

Math:

Grade 3 - May 8 and 9

Grade 4 - May 15 and 16

Grade 5 - May 8 and 9

Grade 6 - May 17 and 18

Science and Technology:

Grade 5 - May 17 & 18

Hatherly Happenings

Friday, January 20, 2012

Our PTO’s Lunch Around the World Committee transported our students to South America on Thursday. The students entered a colorful cafeteria with blue, yellow and red table cloths and small Venezuelan flags adorning the tables and a large flag hanging on the stage curtain.You could have heard a pin drop as Mrs. Terie Seymour told them about the country of her birth with vivid images of the Venezuelan country, food, culture, dress, music and language displayed in our Lunch Around the World Power Point presentation.Students were quizzed at the end of the show and many won prizes for correct answers.All students had the much anticipated opportunity to try a food from the featured country… the plantain chips “platanitos” were a definite hit!Mrs. Melissa Boynton is chairing this committee again this year and had a great group of helpers, but she can always use more.We also would love any family to help feature a native country or even one they have traveled to!The US Flag Manufacturing, Inc. Store in Cohasset Village was kind enough to loan us the large Venezuelan flag that was on displayed.

Be sure to drop by Hatherly and see the fantastic front bulletin board display of our second graders’ illustration of the story “Click Clack Moo”.Mrs. Berton collaborates with the classroom teachers to make cross curricular connections whenever possible.Her creative idea of painting the chickens with kooshballs resulted in artwork worthy of the new Gardner Museum!

The Hatherly School’s 2012 MCAS dates for our grade levels are all set – (please see below).Please make every effort to schedule any travel plans or doctor’s appointments after the test dates are complete. Students feel their best, and do their best when they are prepared and take the tests with their classmates.For parents who are new to the MCAS tests, especially those with a third grader or have questions about the tests, I will be having an information session on Wednesday, March 7,at 9:00 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. (before the PTO meeting). The MCAS test dates for Hatherly this spring are:

English Language Arts:

Grade 3 - March 26 and 27

Grade 4 - March 20 (Long Composition) 28 & 29

Grade 5 - March 26 and 27

Grade 6 - March 26 and 27

Math:

Grade 3 - May 8 and 9

Grade 4 - May 15 and 16

Grade 5 - May 8 and 9

Grade 6 - May 17 and 18

Science and Technology:

Grade 5 - May 17 & 18

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Wednesday: Grade fourField Trip to the South Shore Art Center

Hatherly Happenings

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Hatherly School students have been consistent in their focus and hard work despite this inconsistent weather! We are approaching the middle of our second term and all the teachers have been extolling the fabulous reading, writing and calculating their students are doing since the return from vacation.The second through fourth grades have completed their DIBELS benchmarking. The next couple of weeks teachers will be analyzing the data and adjusting their instruction accordingly.

If you have noticed a little extra swing in the step of your children this month, it could be due to the current unit Mr. Puzzangara is teaching in Physical Education. All grades have learned the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.Over the next two weeks kindergarten through sixth grade will learn the Electric Slide and practice all their routines.Students were able to watch their class performance on Mr. P’s new iPad2. Download some dance tunes and have your child show you their new dance steps!

Thank you to all our families for donating your gently used coats.The collection is finished for this year and our Helping Hands committee is most appreciative.We are very excited that Lunch Around the World returns next week.We will be traveling to the southern hemisphere during our lunch periods on Thursday.Students look forward to this enjoyable enrichment activity that our PTO offers. Our lunches start at 11:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m. If anyone is available to assist, please contact Melissa Boynton at boyntonmj@hotmail.com.Be sure to ask your child what country they “traveled” to on Thursday afternoon.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Tuesday: DIBELS Benchmarking grade one
• Wednesday: DIBELS Benchmarking kindergarten
• 6:00 p.m. School Council meeting
• 7:00 p.m. PTO meeting
• Thursday: Lunch around the World returns!
• Friday: Progress Notes mailed to grades 5 & 6
• Saturday: 10:00 a.m. public session on school budget @ Gates School

Hatherly Happenings

Friday January 6, 2012

Happy New Year! Students returned to school on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 rested and ready to begin the New Year with their many resolutions.To start the day, we kicked off our annual literacy celebration with everyone quietly reading 2012 seconds!

(Please see the Reader's Oath poem at the bottom of the page!)

Please remember that we go outside everyday if it is safe and above 25 degrees with wind chill - please send your child prepared to play outside every day! Conditions can improve from the departure from home and students may go out for recess. Please remember to label your child's new winter clothing to be sure that you see that clothing again! There are always hats,coats, one mitten, or one glove that ends up in the black hole of the Lost and Found bin in the lobby. Feel free to check it anytime you are in the building.

Congrats to Matthew Thomas and Rocco Froio who won the estimation contest. They both tied guessing the closes amount of candy in the estimation jar. This contest was run by our student government. The winning number was 323 and the boys both guessed 325! Ask your child how they calculated their estimate; the students all learned several strategies from their student government representative. We try to make math skills as real life as possible, therefore when you are at the mall or anywhere where there is an estimating contest encourage your child to think strategically and do an estimate!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday – Wednesday DIBELS testing – grades 2-4
• WEDNESDAY: EARLY RELEASE 12:35 p.m. dismissal

A reminder from Mrs. O'Reilly:

When to Keep a Child Home from School?

The main symptoms of influenza (flu) include fever or cough/and /or sore throat. Some people also have a runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and feel tire. Some people also have diarrhea and vomiting. The most important thing that you can do to keep flu from spreading in the community is to keep your sick child at home when they are ill.

You should keep your child home from school if he/she has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours, if your child has a cough or sore throat and if you child has an influenza-like illness.

Children must be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT Motrin or Tylenol to return to school! (adapted from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Department of Public Health)

Another reminder when calling your child in sick to school, please leave a message with any symptoms of fever, vomiting or flu like symptoms - it is also very important to let the nurse know if your child tested positive for Strep, as she tracks this by classroom and grade. This information on Strep is also very important for families and staff who may have immune suppressed issues. Thank you in advance for your help.

Reader's Oath

I promise to read

Each day and each night.

I know it's the key

To growing up right.

I'll read to myself,

I'll read to a crowd.

It makes no difference

If silent or loud.

I'll read at my desk,

At home and at school,

On my bean bag or bed,

By the fire or pool.

Each book that I read

Puts smarts in my head,

'Cause brains grow more thoughts

The more they are fed.

So I take this oath

To make reading my way

Of feeding my brain

What it needs every day.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday December 16, 2011

Barnum and Bailey Circus has nothing on the circus performed at Hatherly School today!Forty-two students juggled, balanced, cycled and mimed their way across our own big top.We were fortunate to have our local cable TV film the performance and will be available for your viewing pleasure soon on channel 10.

Thank you to Laura Bissell and Sheila Chaisson for chairing the fantastic Holiday Fair.The school was full of wonderful activities and holiday spirit on a very busy Saturday morning.I know the winners of the Holiday Baskets Raffle were thrilled.Thank you to all the parents and faculty who helped make the day happen.

Barnes and Nobles at the Derby Shoppes was packed on Thursday to hear the Sixth Grade Chorus perform.They sang a full half hour of selections with flute, trumpet, clarinet and keyboard accompaniment.The Wellspring Social Service Agency was very appreciative.Please remember that Barnes and Noble will donate a percentage of any online sales December 15-19, 2011, using the bookfair code 10599231, to a book credit for Hatherly.

I know next week will be busy with Holiday preparations, so I want to take time today to wish you all a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday through Thursday:We will try to keep the excitement in control and have school as usual!

· Friday: School wide sing-along 10:15-10:45 a.m. then dismissal for winter vacation at 11:00 a.m.no lunches served.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday December 9, 2011

Thank you for your participation in parent conferences.The new online appointment scheduling was a huge success and we will definitely continue using it.I know the teachers enjoyed meeting and discussing your children’s progress this week.Thank you for your ongoing support of the school efforts to provide the serious learning your students deserve.We truly appreciate working in partnership with you.

This Saturday, December 10th is the Holiday Fair and time for some fun.The fair opens at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m. with the magnificent Basket Raffle.The baskets have graced our lobby all week and generated a lot of curious eyes and hopeful interest.Be sure to drop by Saturday morning and get in the holiday spirit.

I have had a few questions about the Virtual Backpack email that comes out each week from the Superintendent’s office or why there were no flyers for basketball sign ups, etc. All community information is now sent via the Virtual Backpack ONLY. Flyers are no longer sent home in backpacks, so if you need to know about sports sign-ups, scouts, fairs, etc. remember to scan the virtual backpack each week.

Our sixth grade will be caroling at the Barnes and Noble’s Store at the Derby Street Shoppes at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 15^. This performance is a fundraiser for the Wellspring Social Service Agency in Hull.The Barnes and Noble Store has offered Hatherly School a percentage of any purchases at the store or café as a book credit if you show their coupon- (coupons were sent home today).Any online sales December 15-19, 2011 with the bookfair code 10599231 will also generate a book credit.

The circus is coming to Hatherly School!The PTO Enrichment Committee has brought back Gary the Silent Clown.Gary was here four years ago and was a tremendous success.He will work with every homeroom during their P.E. class teaching juggling, unicycles, gymnastics and performance skills.He will then select a number of students in the upper grades who will practice during recess blocks and present an hour long circus performance on Friday, December 16^th!From past experience I can tell you that the final product is amazing.We will tape the performance and send it to the cable station for the entire town to enjoy.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday DECEMBER 2, 2011

December is here according to the calendar, but not the weather man!Our December calendar is full of joyous seasonal activities beginning with the much awaited Winter Concert this Monday. This weekend is the Holiday House Tour. The Annual Hatherly Holiday Fair is in the morning on Saturday December 10^th.

Wednesday and Thursday are our early release days for parent conferences.School will dismiss both days at 12:35 p.m.Report cards come home today!Your students have been working very hard for the past 59 school days and the fantastic grades and teacher comments attest to their success.If you haven’t already booked your conference there is a link on our homepage or you may go to http://hath.schoolappointments.com.Conference scheduling will close Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m.In fifth and sixth grade many parents found Mr. Fitzgerald’s schedule was full. Parents are still requested to only book three conferences due to our time constraints, however, I have been able to open conferences for Mr. Fitzgerald from 1:00-3:00 on Friday December 9, 2011 if you were unable to book a third conference.

The cold weather should be here eventually so here are just a few recess reminders.We do go outside every day it is safe and the temperature, with wind chill, is 25 degrees or above.When we have snow, children in kindergarten through grade four will need snowpants, boots, hat and mittens, and of course, a coat.Students in grades five and six may go out in the snow if they are wearing boots.Fifth and sixth graders who do not have boots will have to stay on the blacktop!All families are encouraged to LABEL all outerwear.It is a shame to see the volume of clothing in our lost and found every year.Children wearing shorts may not go out to recess if the temperature is below 40 degrees.Please be aware that temperatures and weather conditions often change between morning arrivals and recess time, so come prepared for outdoor recess everyday this winter.

Kindergarten parents were pleased to get some gift ideas from the Handwriting Without Tears program.Teachers thought that upper grade parents may want to consider analog “face” clocks or watches and board games such as Who, Clue, Clue Junior, Scrabble and Boggle to help children with number sense, spelling, inferencing and turn taking.

Be sure to check out our Nutrition Nuggets on our homepage http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/schools-hatherly-elementary.htm.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: Winter concert 9:00 a.m. at Hatherly 6:30 p.m. at Shs
• Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. School council
• Wednesday: 12:35 early releaseparent conferences
• Thursday: 12:35 early releaseparent conferences
• Small book fair
• Friday: fifth and sixth grade parent conferences
• Small book fair
• Saturday: Hatherly holiday fair 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday November 18, 2011

Hatherly School had a great turnout for American Education Week Parents Day on Tuesday morning. I would like to thank you for making time to visit your child's classroom and see what they do every day. The students, and a few parents, were quite surprised when they arrived Tuesday morning to find an empty parking lot. The staff had parked behind the school to ensure we had space for all out visitors. An empty front of the school looked very unusual. It was a very busy morning for all.

Thank you to everyone who registered online for their parent/teacher conferences. If you haven't scheduled your appointments yet, you can now find a button on the Hatherly homepage that will bring you to the site or you can log on to http://hath.schoolappointments.com. So far it has gone very smoothly. You should receive an email reminder the day before your conference. We are piloting this new process and hopefully the other schools will join us during their March parent/teacher conferences.

If you have a fourth, fifth or sixth grader be sure to ask them about yesterday's Geography Game Show. It was fantastic! The presenter had a wealth of knowledge and could draw the United States free hand, from memory, from California to Maine. He also did world geography for the sixth graders. Thank you to the PTO Enrichment for finding this gem of a show!

On Monday night, November 21^st, the school improvement plan for all four elementary schools will be presented to the school committee at 7:00 p.m. at Scituate High School library. I will put a hard copy in the lobby after it has been accepted by the school committee and I will be posted on our webpage, as well.

Kindergarten registration for all children who will be five as of September 1, 2012 will be held from Monday, November 28^th- Friday, December 2^nd from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Scituate High School library. Please bring a birth certificate, proof of residency (2) and an up-to-date physical/immunization record. Please let any neighbors who may have a child of age know about the registration. A Full Day Kindergarten lottery will be in March, if needed.

This week's Project Wisdom encouraged students to stop and think of three things they are grateful for…be sure to ask them on Thanksgiving Day to do the same. As principal of Hatherly I am thankful for all of your support, your fantastic children, and a phenomenal staff. I wish you and yours a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Please note that school will be dismissed on Wednesday, November 23 at 11:00 a.m. and lunches will not be served!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: 7:00 p.m. - School Committee Meeting (School Improvement Plan)
• Wednesday: 11:00 dismissal -no lunches

Upcoming events in December:

• Kindergarten Registration November 28th -December 2nd
• Report Cards go home December 2nd
• Winter Concert - December 5th 9:00 a.m. at Hatherly, 6:30 p.m. at SHS
• Parent/Teacher Conferences - December 7th and 8th (and 9th for grades 5 & 6)
• Grade 6 chorus sings at Barnes & Noble at the Derby Shoppes - December 15th @ 11:30 a.m.
• Fundraiser for Wellspring Social Service Agency
• 20% of all purchases goes to Hatherly School

Hatherly Happenings

THURSDAY November 10, 2011

We are looking forward to next week’s American Education Parents Day.This year we will be welcoming visitors to classrooms on the morning of Tuesday November 15^th.A schedule of classroom demonstration lessons are listed by grade level below.Carpooling is recommended. The NEA, National Education Association, is celebrating its 90^th American Education Week. For Parents Day schools across the nation invite parents into the classroom to experience firsthand what a school day is like for their child. The initiative is designed to spotlight the importance of parental involvement.Ongoing research shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents' confidence in their children's education. Come visit us this Tuesday, November 15^th.If you can’t make it Tuesday we will also have opportunities such as a Healthy School Lunch Week in the spring when you can join us for lunch plus our many weekend and evening concerts and events!

Congratulations to our newly elected Student Government Officers!President: Alex Moon, Vice President: Declan Nelson, Secretary: Abbey Johnston, Treasurer: Peyton Brown.Our Sixth grade Homeroom Representatives are: Dara Dupre, Dawn Miele, Katie Milligan, Olivia McNamara, Finn Cooley and Abby Russell.Fifth Grade Homeroom Representatives are: Olivia Ricard, Hannah Bates, Brendan Hannon, Julia Gates, Charlotte Falvey and Jill Ross.Thank you to the many wonderful candidates who ran for office. The student government has already had their first meeting with Mrs. Sturges and Mr. Kilduff and we are looking forward to a wonderful year.

Parent Conferences will be on the afternoon of December 7^th and the afternoon and evening on December 8^th.Afternoon conferences are from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. and evening conferences are 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Scheduling parent conferences will be on line this year! The Schedule is not open yet, but you can go online now and register your children and put in your email address at http://hath.schoolappointments.com. You want to click onREGISTER in the upper right hand corner. You will receive an email reminder of your appointments.

Conference times will be a little different for the fifth/sixth grade team of teachers. Mrs. Moffat and Ms. Pescatore will be available for fifth and sixth grade parents all day the 7^th and 8^th and on
 
Friday, December 9^th. Every fifth and sixth grade
 
parent should be able to meet with Mrs. Moffat (ELA) and Ms. Pescatore (Math) and one of the other teachers. Mr. Fitzgerald (Social Studies) and Mrs. Suddath (Science) will be available on the afternoons of the 7^th and 8^th and the evening of the

8^th.

Our Wisdom Wednesday this week spoke about Veterans Day and encouraged our students to thank a veteran for their service to our country this Friday.Our third and fourth graders had the opportunity to do that today when they learned flag etiquette from three members of the Scituate American Legion.They also were treated to the history of Captain Lawrence’s “Don’t Give Up the Ship” quote by Scituate’s own Mat Brown.Our fifth graders finished their two day study of colonial America with the Bay Colony Educators this week too.With only three days of school we were very busy at Hatherly!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Tuesday: American education Week parents Day (see schedule below)
• Wednesday: 7:00 PM PTO meeting: would room parents please attend?
• Thursday: PICTURE retake day
• geography game Show grades 4, 5, 6 (PTO FUNDED PROGRAM)

Hatherly Happenings

Friday November 4, 2011

American Education Week is November 14^th through the 18^th.This year we will be welcoming visitors to visit classrooms on the morning of Tuesday November 15^th.A Schedule of classroom demonstration lessons are listed by grade level below.The NEA, National Education Association, is celebrating its 90^th American Education Week. For Parents Day schools across the nation invite parents into the classroom to experience firsthand what a school day is like for their child. The initiative is designed to spotlight the importance of parental involvement.Ongoing research shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents' confidence in their children's education. Come visit us on November 15^th.If you can’t make it Tuesday we will also have a Healthy School Lunch Week in the spring when you can join us for lunch and many weekend and evening concerts and events!

Mrs. O’Reilly wants to remind parents to please return any clothing children wear home after spills or accidents or mud.She is in short supply and may have to ask parents to bring in clean clothes for a child who needs them.

Scheduling parent conferences will be on line this year!We are trying out an online program that looks very promising.The Schedule is not open yet, but you can go online and register your children and put in your email address at http://hath.schoolappointments.com. You want to click onREGISTER in the upper right hand corner. We will open the schedule at a specific, yet to be determined time, and you can sign up for your conferences.You will receive an email reminder of your appointments. I am going to check with our School Council to find the best day and time to open the scheduling window.Stay tuned!

Parents who drop off children in the mornings, please pull up as far as the paper recycle bin.This helps keep the line moving and prevents traffic from backing up down the driveway.Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: Grade 6 camp Bournedale fundraiser pick-up
• 2:00 Kindergarten parent snack & conversation in the art room
• 6:00 PM School council meeting in library
• Tuesday: no school: professional development day
• Wednesday: bay colony educators grade 5
• Thursday: 8:45 grade 3 & 4 “don’t give up the ship” and flag etiquette
• Friday: no school veterans day

The Week After:

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK Visitation

TUESDAY MORNING NOVEMBER 15, 2011

Demonstration Lessons

KINDERGARTEN: 9:00-9:30 am

GRADE ONE: 9:30-10:00 am

GRADE TWO:9:30-10:00 AM

GRADE THREE:9:00-9:30 am

GRADE FOUR:9:00-9:30 am

GRADE FIVE:9:00-9:30 am

GRADE SIX:9:00-9:30 AM

Hatherly Happenings

Friday October 28, 2011

Hatherly School’s cafeteria was full of penguins, Dorothy of Oz, angry birds, and many other characters and creatures during our Halloween party last Friday evening.Everyone enjoyed the dancing and games lead by D.J. Melissa Traynor.Ice cream was provided by the Sheskey family of Harbor Scoops. Thank you to Barbara Lydon for organizing this annual fun event.

I would like to also thank Mark Bissell for coordinating the Bottle and Can Drive for theentire month of October, which included five weekends!It was a very successful fundraiser.

This Monday is Halloween and all the students are invited to wear black and orange clothing, no costumes.Kindergarteners only bring their costumes for the much loved kindergarten parade.Room parents from Mrs. Gillen, Mrs. McGrann, Mrs. Sousa, Mrs. Cramer, Mrs. Leet and Mrs. Sheahan’s classes need to remember that all foods must be in their original packaging and nut free and checked by Mrs. O’Reilly.Homemade treats are not allowed due to cross contamination concerns. Please have fun and be safe on Halloween night!

If anyone is looking for the Nutrition Nuggets, I have been posting these each month on our webpage. Here is the link to Octobers’ Nutrition Nuggets http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/5437e92c-5410-46ce-ab3a-b58f9a03d577/schools-hatherly-elementary-newsannounce-detail.htm.I also wanted to mention that Mrs. O’Reilly, our school nurse, will be starting the BMI (Body Mass Index) screenings in grades 1 and 4 beginning in November.If you have any questions, please call her.

Congrats to Marie James who place first in the sixth grade girls’ race during Wednesday’s MONSTER DASH.Congrats also to Molly Gould who placed fourth in the fifth grade girls’ race.Thank you to all the Hatherly students who participated in this annual event.We can’t wait to see you all in the spring at the Fifth and Sixth Grade Track Meet.

Sixth grade parents please remember to mark your calendars for Thursday December 15^th at 11:30 a.m. when we go to Barnes and Noble Bookstore at Derby Shoppes. They have already called to book our sixth grade chorus to sing as part of a fundraiser for Wellspring Social Service Agency.It is always a holiday highlight and gives our sixth graders a feeling of being “on tour”.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

· MONDAY: Halloween!

ONLY Kindergarteners bring costumes, all other students wear black and orange.

· TUESDAY:

Bay Colony educators grades 2 & 3 (PTO Funded)

7:30 p.m. Camp Bournedale Parents meeting at Jenkins

• Wednesday:

Grade 3 field trip to Plimouth Plantation (PTO Funded)

· THURSDAY:

Bay Colony educators grade 5 (pto funded)

· FRIDAY:

School spirit day and school store

Hatherly Happenings

Friday October 21, 2011

Tonight is the Annual Hatherly Halloween Party, so get out your costumes, put on your make-up and come haunt the halls of Hatherly!The party starts at 6:00 p.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m.There is a small admission charge.

On Monday October 31^st kindergarten through fourth grade will have Halloween celebrations coordinated through the room parents.ONLY kindergarten brings costumes to school to wear on the 31^st for the annual kindergarten parade. Everyone in the school is invited to wear black and orange on Halloween!

Our fantastic school pictures were sent home on Monday.If your child was absent or you want to have your child’s picture retaken, the photographers will return on the morning of November 17^th.Please return any packets with your child on that day and we will know you want another taken.

Our fifth and sixth grade hallway looks like an active campaign headquarters with all the election posters for our student government.Speeches and elections are on Friday the 28^th, permission forms and copies of speeches are due on the 26^th.It is a very exciting election; however, I don’t think we will be televising any primary debates at Hatherly!

Our School Council met on October 6^th and reviewed our current staffing, district technology plan and MCAS performance.The next step is to develop a school improvement plan. Audrey Melanson, Kim Burns, Duncan Routh, and Lisa Buckley are parent representatives to the council. School Council meetings are at 6:00 p.m. onNovember 7^th , December 6^th , January 18^th , March 1^st , April 2^nd , May 8^th .The Elementary School Improvement Plan will be presented to the School Committee on November 21^st.Everyone is welcome to attend all or any School Council meetings.

Don’t forget to check out Wisdom Wednesday podcasts every Wednesday on the Principal page on our school website.You can hear the morning’s reading and continue the character education discussion at home.Put this link in your favorites: http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/schools-hatherly-ourprincipal-podcast.htmand “make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:last week of pto bottle and can drive!!

Monday: grade 3 field trip to the town library

Dan CriPPs shares native American perspectives with grades K, 2, 4

(pto funded by bottle & can, cookie dough & scrip cards and other fundraisers…so thank you for participating!)

Friday:grade 5 & 6 student government speeches and elections

Hatherly Happenings

Friday, OCTOBER 14, 2011

Our past week was short, but very busy and productive.The first grade did a fantastic job on their first field trip to Holly Hill Farm learning about the harvest and many animals.During Wednesday’s early release the teachers shared their many technology skills and success.Again the staff extolled the wonderful educational opportunities afforded by the LCD projectors the PTO helped purchase for our school.We are also working with document cameras, smart board technology and podcasting!Students in grades 2-6 took the GRADE (Group Reading Achievement Diagnostic Evaluation) assessment this week to help inform teachers on areas of emphasis for our instruction.The GRADE results will come home with the first report card.

Unfortunately, we have to speak about a four letter word, Lice.At this time we have no active cases, however we have had 3 in the past weeks.Mrs. O’Reilly, our school nurse, wanted to remind parents and students of some measures to help reduce the risk of contracting head lice. Please remind students to not share hats, headbands, or grooming items, especially with Halloween approaching! We discourage close contact, such as can happen at sleepovers. If your child complains of an itchy head, please check their heads. Although the Fairytales products, currently being offered by the PTO, are a wonderful all natural product, they do not guarantee you will not get lice. Head lice is not a reflection on anyone’s personal hygiene nor the cleanliness of any home. Though we currently have no cases, please keep the lines of communication open with other parents and Mrs. O’Reilly if you have, or suspect you have, head lice.

Please note our PTO meetings have moved to WEDNESDAY nights, and will meet this Wednesday. Friday night is our annual Hatherly Halloween Party with DJ Melissa Traynor!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• TUESDAY: 7:45 Am Healthy school task force meeting
• Kindergarten field trip to police and fire stations
• Wednesday:PTO 7:00 pm
• Friday: Hatherly Halloween party 6:00-8:00 pm

Hatherly Happenings

Friday October 7, 2011

Hatherly has been buzzing with learning!All of our wonderful students are showing exceptional efforts both in the classroom and around the school.Our Helpful Hornet bulletin board is filling up with smiling faces.

The Scituate Fire Department added an additional part to our routine fire drill practice on Wednesday; after we exited the building and everyone was accounted for, we were asked to “Protect in Place” which requires the students to re-enter the building and wait in the cafeteria or gym for further instructions from the fire department.The students did an excellent job following the fire department directions. You could have heard a pin drop in both the gym and cafeteria!This drill prepares us if there was ever an incident in inclement weather!

If you use the lower wing parking lot at dismissal, please be sure to back into the parking spots, this insures that no one is backing out of a space when students are dismissed.Mrs. Snow, the crossing guard, has asked for you to please walk up to the Ryan Flannery sign to meet your child and escort them to the cars.Car Rider parents are reminded that if the main drive through lane is full there is a stacking lane on the right of the driveway for you to wait in.Thank you all for your assistance!

Our first Hatherly School Council meeting was Thursday night. We reviewed our current staffing, our MCAS performance, and discussed technology.Mr. Tarpey shared how well the half-day kindergarten embedded in our full day classes is working. Kindergarten is now having art class for the first time and loving it!Mrs. Moffat and Mrs. Suddath shared their excitement of our fifth/sixth grade model.Mrs. Sousa was able to contrast experiences teaching in a two teacher versus this year’s three teacher grade level team.Our next school council meeting will be Monday November 7^th.

Enjoy this beautiful fall long weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

• Monday: NO SCHOOL
• TUESDAY: Grade 1 has a field trip to Holly Hill Farm
• WEDNESDAY: EARLY RELEASE dismissal is at 12:35 p.m.
• Friday: progress notes will be mailed for 5^th and 6^th grades

Hatherly Happenings

Friday September 29, 2011

We have had some exceptional behaviors throughout our school; these students are being recognized with Helpful Hornets certificates.This means that the students are respecting themselves as well as others while learning is going on at school!What more could I ask for? The front bulletin board has 30 photos of students who have already accumulated five Hatherly Hornet certificates!

Tuesday morning, we met in “Peaceful School Bus” meetings.Teachers and bus drivers met with children on their bus to discuss the SAFETY rules and practiced the annual bus evacuation drill.Each bus has a teacher who will support both the students and their bus driver.All our car riders and walkers met with Officer Art Wood to discuss safety and they also practiced bus evacuation.

Wednesday morning, Hatherly was filled with smiling faces for school picture day.The weather cooperated and all photos were able to be taken outside. Hatherly is full of cute faces…. it was such fun to watch all those smiles.

Mrs. O’Reilly, our school nurse, would like to remind parents that students are not allowed to carry any medication to school.All inhalers, epi-pens, or any other medications must be delivered to school by a parent/adult accompanied with a doctor’s order.Please also remember to return any clothing back to the nurse’s office as soon as possible. We also are awaiting a few insurance forms to be returned.

The Hatherly Sports Hoopla was a resounding success!The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the students, not even the sixth graders in the dunk tank.Thank you to Mrs. Loughlin, Mrs. Dupre and Mrs. Cappadona for all their time organizing such a fun evening! Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

· Sixth Grade Camp Bournedale fundraising packets are due back on Monday!

· Our first School Council Meeting is Thursday night October 4^th at 6:00 p.m. in the school library.We will be discussing MCAS performance and the technology audit.Anyone is welcome to join us.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday September 23, 2011

What a difference a week makes! Thanks to the dedication and community spirit of many the front of the school has been painted and landscaped.Moe and Mark Falvey donated the manpower to paint the front awning, doors, windows and façade of the front of the school last Saturday.A group of neighbors (The Gates, Boyntons, Wilcox, Buckley, Russell, Brindamour, Falvey, Huggins and Cataldo families) pitched in on Sunday to weed and mulch the front flower beds.Melissa Boynton and Sheila Chaisson finished weeding and spreading a second load of mulch in the rain on Thursday.Our sincerest gratitude is extended to this group of “Helpful Hornets”!Mrs. Laurie Withrow also deserves a Helpful Hornet award for welcoming all our new families during a coffee at her house last week. Today, Friday September 23^rd is harbor-wide shopping event with 10% of the days sales being donated to the Scituate Public Schools.Community support of our schools is town-wide!

Students assembled on Wednesday to review expected behaviors on the playground and in the restrooms.(Ask your child about the fun teaching video.)Students are showing exceptional behaviors around the school resulting in many Helpful Hornets being awarded.

As I mentioned at Open House. I have been chosen as a candidate for National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Pilot Principal Certification Program.As part of my National Board Certification for Principals, I am requesting you to complete a survey of your level of engagement in our school. I will use the engagement survey results to improve our school. All responses will be anonymous. The system will ask for some personal information (i.e., name, e-mail address, phone) for the purposes of auditing and quality of data, however; this information will not be used to identify you and you may submit your responses free of this concern. Your link is personal to your feedback group and must not be shared or forwarded. Please access the survey from the following address: http://login.chpd.com/login/pc4ut/99954

Please complete this survey by September 30, 2011. You must complete this survey in one sitting. You will not be able to close the survey and resume later. As your feedback is important to this initiative, please ensure you access the survey at a time and in an environment conducive to completing it.Technical support information is available upon launching the survey. Thank you for your participation in supporting my work in this program.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

The Week Ahead:

· SEE YOU TONIGHT: Friday, September 23^rd from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. is the HATHERLY SPORTS HOOPLA!A fun evening for the whole family!

· MCAS scores will be mailed on Monday!Hatherly students excelled again! Our overall placement in the state is noted below.

o Grade 3 ELA214 of957 (top 22%)Math 164 of 957 (top 17%)

o Grade 4 ELA24 of 944 (top 2.5%)Math 59 of 943 (top 6%)

o Grade 5 ELA80 of 879 (top 9%)Math 20 of 879 (top 2.3%)Science 40 of 879 (top 4.6%)

o Grade 6 ELA67 of 556 (top 12%)Math 62 of 556 (top 11%)

· NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Report Cards for Hatherly will be in the MCAS mailings for grades 4-6, or will be sent home with “Notes Home” for k-3.

· If you chose to have your child take instrumental music lessons instruments may be rented on Monday, September 26^th @ 6:30 p.m. at Cushing School

· FREE EVERYDAY MATH iTunes APPS can be downloaded to your ipad, iphone or itouch this weekend, September 24-26^th. In the iTunes Store search “McGraw-Hill School Education Group”. Be sure to download: Addition Top-It, Monster Squeeze, Equivalent Fractions, Beat the Computer, Divisibility Dash.

Hatherly Happenings

Friday September 16, 2011

Thank you to all for such a great turnout for our Open Houses!I hope you enjoyed meeting the teachers and hearing about the terrific plans for this school year.We are all thrilled to have such a supportive community who continue to work in partnership with us in the education of the fantastic students at Hatherly.

Wednesday morning we held an assembly for upper grade students and a separate one for lower wing students to review expected classroom and hallway behaviors and introduce our Helpful Hornet recognition program.Students showing exceptional behavior around the school will be acknowledged by any staff in the school with a yellow helpful hornet award. Homeroom teachers will continue to acknowledge their own class with their individual recognition systems (marbles, frogs etc.) and will keep tally of the helpful hornets.We are seeing EXCEPTIONAL behaviors every day at Hatherly School!This coming Wednesday our assemblies will review expected behavior on the playground and in the bathrooms.

The Week Ahead:

· TUESDAY IS EARLY RELEASE! We dismiss at 12:35 p.m.

· Grades 4 & 5 will have an Instrumental Music demonstration Monday at 9:30 a.m.(If you chose to have your child take instrumental music lessons instruments may be rented on September 26^th @
 
6:30 p.m. at Cushing School)

· After School Activity flyers will be going home on Monday!Be sure to look for them and return them quickly.

· Friday, September 23^rd from 5:30 p.m.-7:30
 
p.m. is the HATHERLY SPORTS HOOPLA! A fun evening for the whole family!

· LUNCH GROUPS with Ms. Jennifer Fine, School Psychologist, Mrs. Jane Beaudette, Speech Pathologist, Mrs. Linda Nathan, School Social Worker, or Mrs. Abby Tichnor, Inclusion Specialist will be beginning next week. The purpose of these groups is to help all children get to know each other and develop friendships. These groups are a great way to foster the development and mastery of a variety of social skills that can be utilized in the classroom, playground, and home environment. The children learn how to work cooperatively together, handle difficult situations (i.e., teasing), and treat each other respectfully.

In the older grades, lunch groups provide a way for the children to spend their lunch time in a small group talking and playing games.Lunch groups will be available to all children in all grades. If you would prefer your child not to participate in a lunch group, please email Ms. Jennifer Fine at jfine@scit.org.

· The SPS cafeterias are looking for substitute cafeteria workers. If you are interested please call Maureen Zucker @ 781-545-8750 ext. 356 for details.

Hatherly HappeningsFriday September 9, 2011

This year I am going to send a brief email update every Friday and post it on the Principal page of the Hatherly Webpage to keep you informed about the happenings at Hatherly.On Wednesday, you can also check our webpage and listen to the Wisdom Wednesday topics that I read to the school during Wednesday morning announcements. I will post these as a podcast. This will help you to continue our character education discussions at home as well as at school.

The school year began with a soggy start but everyone arrived safely and we are off!On Tuesday morning we had power from both National Grid and 347 smiling students!It was an energetic start to the 2011-2012 school year.

The class of 2025, our kindergarteners, started their school careers on Thursday!We have two full day kindergarten classes this year taught by Mr. Kevin Tarpey and Mrs. Ashley Arruda.We also have two new experienced teachers; Ms. Caitlyn Steele who is teaching first grade and Ms. Melissa Breen who is teaching special education in the lower grades.We are happy to welcome back Mrs. Michelle Gillen and Mrs. Andrea Fullam back from their maternity leaves, and also, Mrs. Kristen McGrann and Mrs. Donna Moffat will be teaching new grade levels this year, second and fifth respectively.

I am enjoying watching our fifth and sixth graders studiously listening to Mr. Fitzgerald in Social Studies, Ms. Pescatore in Math, Mrs. Suddath in Science and Mrs. Moffat in English Language Arts, as we begin our new fifth and sixth grade team. It has been a very busy week!

OPEN HOUSES are next week!The entire Hatherly School staff will be here to meet you and share their vision for this school year. PLEASE come, with your child, and hear about what is ahead in your child’s classroom!

Wednesday, September 14^th:Kindergarten 
                                                will visit their classrooms from 6:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.

                                                 6:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m. Parents are welcome 
                                                                    to a brief presentation in the café

Wednesday September 14^th: First, Second and Third Grade

            6:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m. - Meet in cafeteria for a brief presentation

            7:00 p.m. -7:20 p.m. - Teachers share curriculum information in homerooms

                                (Students stay in cafeteria)

            7:20 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Meet & Greet (students come to the classrooms)

Thursday September 15^th: Fourth Grade

                    6:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m. Meet in cafeteria for a brief presentation

                    7:00 p.m. -7:20 p.m. Teachers share curriculum information in homerooms

                    (Students stay in gym)

                    7:20 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Meet & Greet (students come to the classrooms)

Thursday September 15^th: Fifth and Sixth Grade

                    6:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.Meet in Cafeteria for a brief presentation

                    7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Teachers share curriculum information in cafeteria

                    (Students stay in gym)

                7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Meet & Greet in classrooms

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Mrs. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

August 16, 2011

Dear Hatherly Families,

A sure sign that school is starting soon is that the class placement letters were mailed! I can see that many families have traveled throughout the country from all the interesting postcards we have received. These will be posted on Mrs. Sheahan's fourth grade class United States map in the front lobby.

Hopefully all our Hatherly students have completed their summer required reading (all Scituate students are required to read two books and complete active reader book marks) and are challenging themselves with the additional summer reading activities prepared by Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Sturges. The required summer reading assignment, with downloadable copies of the bookmarks for the different grades, are available on the Scituate Public Schools homepage. http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/2541599b-4bdc-4510-8702-b900bfcd38b2/district-news-archive-detail.htm

Summer math packets can be downloaded from our Hatherly website, there is a link on right side of the Hatherly home page or you can click on here: http://www.scituate.k12.ma.us/2541599b-4bdc-4510-8702-b900bfcd38b2/district-news-archive-detail.htmMath packets are encouraged for grades K-4. Grades 5 and 6 are strongly encouraged to complete both the math packet and the Study Island Assignment. Ms. Huntress has prizes for all students who complete summer math packets and online assignments

Please remember to register directly at the YMCA in Hanover if you are planning to use our Before and After School programs. You can access this information at: http://ssymca.org/after_school.shtml, if needed.

School supply kits will be available for pick-up on Wednesday, August 31^st from 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday September 6^th!

Remember Hatherly is on the early schedule this year, doors OPEN at 8:15 a.m., classes start at 8:30 a.m. and school dismisses at 2:50 p.m.

Enjoy the end of this great summer!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mari-An M. Fitzmaurice

Together We Make Our School A Success

Sincerely,
Mrs. Fitzmaurice
Together We Make Our School A Success