Volume 14, Issue 1
November 2012
A Great Start for JLPA!
The Integrated Update
By Susan Johnson, President
I hope that all the families at John Lyman School and their loved ones survived Hurricane Sandy. When I typed my first draft I thought how nice it was to
not have to reference any crazy weather happenings similar to last year. So now I
made a few quick revisions.
The John Lyman Parent Association (JLPA) would like to send out a very
large “Thank you” to all the volunteers who make our group so wonderful. We
have had a terrific start to the school year and our fundraising efforts, kicked off
with the John Lyman Corn Booth at the Durham Fair. The tremendous efforts of
our committee members long before the fair starts and then until the end of the
day Sunday at the fair are amazing. From behind the scenes coordinating the
product delivery, setup and then breakdown of our booth Sunday evening, it is
quite a process. Thanks again to our committee chairs Nicole and Bill Roberts,
Paula and Ray Pietruszka and the numerous volunteers who made it all happen.
The school year is in full swing and I have enjoyed meeting many new parents as well as reconnecting with some familiar faces at some of our activities, like
the Kindergarten Bus Ride, First Day Coffee Hour, and Family Share. We have
had many new faces at our monthly meetings and encourage you to attend one.
JLPA meetings take place on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in
the Library at John Lyman School. Some months we have guest speakers to discuss pertinent information in our district and we also have time to discuss new
ideas.
This has been a year of change at John Lyman. We welcomed our wonderful new Principal, Tom Ford, and introduced all-day Kindergarten in the district. With that in mind JLPA has been mixing things up a bit as well regarding
our fundraising efforts. In October we rolled out a large “Holiday” packet which
included many new gift opportunities instead of our wrapping paper fundraiser.
There will be movie nights to look forward to, a Silent Auction and a Walk-athon, so stay tuned.
As always we encourage you to get involved with JLPA, since every parent
is automatically a member and we value your input. We thrive due to the efforts
and talents of our members; without you we cannot succeed. There are a variety
of ways for you to participate, whether it be as a volunteer in your child’s classroom, as a field trip chaperone or as a member of a committee.
Please join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, December 4, 2012, at 7
p.m. JLPA meeting dates and agenda information can also be found
on our school’s website. If you are unable to attend a meeting but
wish to express an idea or concern, please do not hesitate to contact
me at 860-349-9517 or at [email protected] .
I hope to see you at our next meeting!
COMMON CORE M@TH
Wh[t ^o_s it m_[n for th_ first [n^ s_]on^ gr[^_ stu^_nts?
By C[rol_ Si\iski_, Room 17, First & S_]on^ Gr[^_ T_[]h_r
In Regional School District 13
there has been a tremendous focus to
prepare for the national Common Core
State Standards. Work has occurred
among staff from all grades and buildings. There has been a great deal of
Professional Development through the
past two years and over the summer as
the Common Core domains and standards
have been explored,
unwrapped, and
adopted into our own
curriculum. A new
math program, EnVision math, has been
acquired to guide us
through this transition
process. Currently the
kindergarten, first and
second grade students
are learning math in
this “new” way.
types of computations. Each morning in
Room 17, students begin the day with
many mathematical tasks. Some of the
new jobs the children perform encourage
flexible thinking in mathematics. The
number of days we have been in school
becomes the number du jour. With one
of the new responsibilities, a child records the number of
days we have been in
school as one part,
the days remaining in
school is filled in as
the other part, and
the whole is always
182 to represent the
total number of days
we will attend school
this year. This task
encourages students
to think about the
way numbers interact
together.
This year is full of transitions as
the children are introduced to new vocabulary and content. The Common
Core has content that is focused, rigorous and coherent. The students have
fewer standards to explore in greater
depth. As we explore the new concepts,
the children have been curious and very
receptive. Students have reported that
they like “figuring things out,” doing
“actual math,” and when asked what
they liked about the new math, several
students replied “everything.”
Another child volunteers to fill in
our paper “ten frames.” A ten frame is a
2 x 5 grid. When the frames are filled in
to a specific number the children can
visually discriminate the number easily,
clearly seeing the relationship of tens
and ones. Using this tool creates a
method of visualizing numbers. Additionally, there is a numeral decomposer
who takes the number and breaks it into
smaller portions (like leaves decompose
into little bits). If the number is 39 a
child may decompose it into 30 and 9.
They could also choose to break it apart
to 20 and 19; 20, 10, and 9; or any
The children in first and second
grade are learning to perform different
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V O LU ME 1 4, I S S U E 1
COMMON CORE M@TH
(]ontinu_^)
Wh[t ^o_s it m_[n for th_ first [n^ s_]on^ gr[^_ stu^_nts?
By C[rol_ Si\iski_, Room 17, First & S_]on^ Gr[^_ T_[]h_r
other reasonable combination. This task
helps the children to perform more complex mental mathematics by teaching
strategies to put together and break
apart numbers using logical methods.
With these techniques, and others
that support the new curriculum, the children are not tied into a traditional algorithm (such as carry the ten ones into the
tens place), but instead find their own
pathway, or pathways, to discover an answer. Much of the time is reflective as
students share and discuss how problems
have been solved in a variety of ways.
The children will engage in many challenges that will involve real world problems. Each individual will use a variety of
manipulatives, artistic expressions, and
multiple intelligence learning styles as
they delve deeply into their math studies.
Don’t be surprised to see us dancing,
drawing, or composing a song to deepen
our understanding of these new concepts!
To support math learning at home,
engage your child in number discussions
when situations arise. How many plates
and pieces of silverware are on the table? How did you figure it out? When at
the grocery store, sort the items in the
cart. Which group has more, which
group has less, what is the difference?
Count the items in your lunch box, and
when you come home in the afternoon
notice how many items are left. What is
the missing part? Create situations that
will encourage children to think about
the numbers in their world!
If you are interested in learning
more about Common Core Math standards, please visit the new RSD13 website ttp://www.rsd13ct.org/Curriculum/
Common-Core/index.html
Keep Clipping those BOX TOPS!!
Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for John Lyman
School without purchasing items you wouldn’t already be buying. Each
Box collected earns 10 cents for our school; thousands of them really
add up!!
T H E I NT E G R A T E D U P DA T E
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Notes from the Principal’s Office
As I recently expressed in the article I wrote for the Town Times about
my first months as principal of John Lyman School, I continue to be amazed at
how quickly time is flying. Election Day has come and gone and Thanksgiving
is just around the corner. Most importantly, your children are entering their
third month of school and I think we are off to a great start. As I have noted on many occasions, I could
not be more pleased to be John Lyman’s principal, and it has been a real privilege getting to know you
and your kids. I am so proud of our staff and all that they do for our students, and I am looking forward
to the days ahead.
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on what is happening at John Lyman School.
Please see below for information about recent initiatives and upcoming events along with some friendly
reminders.
Website
Along with the rest of the district, John Lyman’s website has been completely redesigned. We
went live last month and I am very excited about the change. Our staff is working hard to keep you informed about what is happening at Lyman. I would encourage you to take some time to explore the site,
although I ask for your patience as certain pages are still under construction.
Teachers are working on grade level and individual sites, and many of those are now live. I
would also recommend reading the home page for the most recent “John Lyman School News” and
“Weekly Assembly Highlights.” These sections are updated each week and past editions are transferred
to subpages under the “About Us” button. One of my favorite pages is the “Photo Gallery” (located
under the “About Us” button). You will find some great pictures of students, teachers, and families.
We are continuing to work behind the scenes to update and improve every link, but I think you
will find the present site to be informative and user-friendly. We certainly welcome your feedback.
November Conferences
Conferences will be held the week of November 26th - 30th. Most people have already signed up
for a conference, but if you have not done so, please contact the main office. A reminder will be sent
home on Wednesday, November 14th, and please note that we will have half-days (1:30 p.m. dismissal)
on Wednesday, November 28th and Thursday, November 29th.
As usual, the Book Fair will take place during conference week. More information will be forthcoming, so please check the website as we get closer to the date.
Weekly Assembly
As an important component of the HOT Schools approach, we invite you to attend our Weekly
Assemblies on Friday afternoons starting at 2:20 p.m. The Weekly Assembly is a time when Lyman students, staff, and parents come together to celebrate our kids. A different group of children host the Assembly each week, and individual classes share what they have been learning. We also make time to sing
songs as a community. In addition, student groups such as the Literary Board and the Art Board will
often talk about the work they are doing at this time. The Assembly is a wonderful way to wrap up each
week and parents are always welcome to attend.
Derron Wood – HOT Schools Resident Teaching Artist in Grades 3/4
Mrs. Francis, Mrs. Polansky, and Miss Hillard recently met with teaching artist Derron Wood and
V O LU ME 1 4, I S S U E 1
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Notes from Principal’s Office (continued)
finalized plans for his 10-day HOT Schools artist residency. Beginning on November 8th, Mr. Wood
will work with those classes to assist in the delivery of an arts-integrated unit on colonial America that
will incorporate art and theater. Thanks to the generosity of the JLPA, the other 3/4 classes will also be
able to have Mr. Wood in their classrooms for a shorter residency on colonial America. Please stay
tuned to our website for updates.
Common Core State Standards
John Lyman continues with its efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
As you may already be aware, Connecticut recently adopted the CCSS along with 46 other states and the
District of Columbia. Dr. Linda Berry, Region 13’s Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction, is spearheading the Common Core work at the district level. Our emphasis this year has been on
mathematics, and K-2 teachers are currently implementing the revised, CCSS-aligned curriculum.
Grade 3/4 teachers will implement the revised math curriculum next year. During the current school
year, Dr. Berry is working with Region 13’s English/Language Arts (ELA) committee to plan for the
implementation of the ELA Common Core standards.
Dr. Berry held a Common Core information evening for parents last month and also attended
the November JLPA meeting to share information. She is our resident Common Core expert and is
always available to answer any questions that you may have. If you are interested in reading the standards, please go to the district webpage and look for “Common Core” under the “Curriculum” button
at the top of the homepage.
Lost and Found
For those of you who have been in the building recently, you will notice that our Lost and
Found collection has grown quite large. Please take a moment to look for anything that your child may
have lost during the first two months of the year. We typically donate any remaining articles in the Lost
and Found after the holidays, so be sure to retrieve items that belong to your child.
Lyman Holiday Concert
The John Lyman Holiday Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 11th at 2:15 p.m. and 6:30
p.m. The snow date is Thursday, December 13th. The concert will feature our kindergarten students
and the third and fourth grade chorus. We hope you will be able to join us.
As you can see, there is a great deal going on at John Lyman this fall. Once again, I encourage
you to visit our website on a regular basis for recent news and our calendar of events. Please do not
hesitate to call or e-mail me if you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts to share.
On behalf of the entire John Lyman staff, I hope that you and your families have a safe and
healthy holiday season. We appreciate your continued support.
Thomas Ford
Principal
T H E I NT E G R A T E D U P DA T E
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