As another school year comes to a close, it is time to reflect on all that we have accomplished at the H. Olive Day School this year. We have successfully implemented GoMath, our new math program that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Our students have read thousands of books checked out of our library and book room. Teachers have spent hundreds of hours differentiating instruction for students. Dozens of newsletters have been written.  Thousands of creative works of art have...

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After much deliberation, I have accepted a principal position at the Memorial School in Burlington Ma. It has been an absolute privilege to serve as assistant principal at the HOD school for the past two years.  What a gift to have such dedicated families who support and actively participate in their child’s education.  What a blessing to work along side one of the most talented group of professionals I have ever met! If I am fortunate enough to positively impact the children of...

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Sharing FriendsFriendship is wonderful but it can be tricky for children to navigate the social world at times.  Sharing friends is challenging for many children and is a topic that comes up a great deal in my groups.  As adults, the first thing we should do is acknowledge and explain to our children that at some point, everyone has jealous feelings whether it is with regard to sharing a friend or wishing we had something someone else has.  In my groups, we talk about how to handle...

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It is important to keep writing activities fun throughout the summer months.  You definitely do not want to make it seem like a school chore.  Remember that your role as a home writing coach is to have fun and honor your child’s imagination.  Research shows us that it is most important to encourage the communication of ideas rather than criticize/correct all spelling errors. Here are a few fun ways you can incorporate writing into child’s play:·     ...

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As many of you are aware, reading and being read to during the summer are important to a child’s continued educational success. Studies show that children who don’t participate in academically stimulating activities over summer vacation actually can have lower reading and math skills when they return to school in September. To avoid the experience of “summer slide,” we’d like to encourage you and your children to read, read, read throughout the months of June, July,...

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It is hard to believe that another school year is about to come to an end. It has been very exciting for me in this combined world of music and technology. I have discovered that our children, K-2, can sing like angels. I think all that attended the second grade concert on May 17, 2013 and the first grade concert on May 24, 2013 will agree that our children not only showed great musical skills but also showed a stage presence beyond their years. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I was...

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At the end of the calendar year it's traditional to sing Auld Lang Syne. I'm not sure what the end of the school year equivalent is, so I'll settle for singing my praise for a wonderful year with so many creative students in the art room at the H. Olive Day School (metaphorically speaking, I wouldn't dare subject you to my singing voice).We start out slowly, learning the basics like the color wheel and how to cut and glue paper. We advance to more challenging tasks that allow students to...

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Jump Rope for Heart This year, the H. Olive Day students donated $2,316.30 to the American Heart Association. Thank-you to our H.O.D. families for generously donating to Jump Rope for Heart. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the TPA for supporting the PE program at H.O.D. For the past 9 years we have had a special guest, “Mark Rothstein”, celebrate our JRFH event. Mark established “The World of Rope Jumping” and was elected into the National Fitness...

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HOD – it’s a great place to be!  That is because all of us at HOD KNOW that it takes a village to raise and educate a child! Here are just a few people who deserve a special HOD High 5!Mrs. Beth O’Connor and Mrs. Farrell Jednak, HOD Reading Specialists - for organizing a very successful and well attended Literacy Night. Many students enjoyed an evening of listening to stories and completing a craft while their parents received information about summer reading resources....

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We have some very exciting news at the H. Olive Day School! At their February meeting, the Community Preservation Commission approved using some of their funds to create a new playground and field at HOD. The use of these funds needs to be approved by Norfolk voters at the Town Meeting that will take place on Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the King Philip Middle School. A new playground will not only provide a safe, accessible and fun place for our children to play and socialize, it will also...

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A great way to connect with the family and get some good family "work" done is to have a family meeting or family meal.  Even children as young as 3 or 4 can be active participants.  With meetings, each family member has a say about the agenda, may participate in a non-judgmental brainstorming session and help in the problem solving process.  It is a chance for everyone to have a role and take on responsibility in the meeting (and in the family).  Decisions are made by consensus....

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2nd Grade NewsIt was so nice to see everyone on Mind, Body, and Spirit Night. Thank-you for coming and participating in the PE, music, and art stations.  I would like to extend a warm and sincere thank-you to Mr. Reilly, our awesome art teacher, Mrs. O’Connell, our fantastic music teacher, the Grade 2 teachers, Mrs. Balfour, Mrs. Dressler, Mrs. O’ Connor, and the nutrition task force for supporting the specialists evening at H.O.D. Here are some fun fitness facts about cup stacking,...

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The highlight of last month in art was undoubtedly the Body, Mind & Spirit Night which featured second grade artists and their "Masterpieces". The fruits of several weeks of collaborative labor paid off with the exhibition of six unique masterpieces that were prominently on display for parents to view. The works of art were created by using a grid technique on a famous painting that was projected on the SmartBoard. Each student was assigned a specific portion of the grid. Initial rough sketches...

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HOD – it’s a great place to be!  That is because all of us at HOD KNOW that it takes a village to raise and educate a child! Here are just a few people who deserve a special HOD High 5! You will see more High 5’s every month. *The Inspiration Performing Troupe, a talented Norfolk based group of performers, who performed at HOD! This performance was a very entertaining ‘dress rehearsal’ for this talented group of girls before they performed at Disney World during...

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This title sounds like what kids yell when they get the right answer! Perhaps that is why PBS chose this as it’s title for the math initiative it is launching to support the development of early math skills for children between the ages of two to eight years old, and their parents. Research has shown that developing number sense in the early elementary grades is a good predictor of later success in higher level mathematics.  We know this about kids.  PBS recently did a survey with...

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Our performances have begun with a great night had by all just before April vacation with our Body, Mind and Spirit night. This Art, Music and Physical Education collaboration proved to be a lot of fun. I will never look at the “Cha, Cha Slide” in the same way again since watching it done with basketballs was such a treat. Our next performances coming up are as follow:Grade 2 concert on Friday, May 17, 2013 at 1:45. It will show the culmination of a year’s worth of work, which...

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Young Children, Technology and Media – a Few ConsiderationsWe all know that the growth of digital devices, smartphones, and social media has been explosive over the past decade. Not long ago, we thought that computers and then laptops had revolutionized the world around us and the way we lead our lives. Little did we know that was only the beginning of the ‘revolution’. The way we communicate, conduct research, do business and learn has been transformed at home, at work and in...

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Any teacher or parent can tell you that our emotions and relationships impact how and what we learn each day.   Here at the HOD, we use the Open Circle social-emotional curriculum to teach our children skills they need to develop healthy relationships and to be good learners.  This curriculum teaches children how to recognize and mange their emotions, learn to communicate effectively and teaches them how to solve problems using sound decision making skills.  By nurturing a...

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Now that each of our first and second grade classes have been using iPads, we are only limited by the schedule which has been filling up each day. It is easy to see that our staff have taken on the use of this new technology with great enthusiasm and it is being well received by our students.

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of March and moving into the end of another school year and the beginning of our performance season. Students will be working towards those performances as well as continuing in their other aspects of music education. We are working on note reading and were introduced to a series of books whose main character, Freddie the Frog, will help us with everything from reading the notes on the staff with a treble clef to scat singing. We will begin...

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