Summer math can be a lot of fun.  Here are some great books for you child to read that will help them better understand math concepts: A Gebra Named Al, by Windy Isdell Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka (who has many math books) Sir Cumference and the ragon of PI, by Cindy Neuschwander (This is a series.) Counting on Frank, by Rod Clement Number Devil- A Mathematical Adventure, by Hans Magnus Enzensberger Mathmeticians Are People Too!,  by Luetta Reimer and Wilbert Reimer Guinness Book...

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Dear Parents/Guardians of Grade 6 Students: I’d like to take a moment to remind you that promotion is just a few days away. This event is such an exciting and special time for you and your sixth grader. I hope this letter answers any questions you may have in regards to promotion. The promotion exercises will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 14, 2012 outside in the parking lot near the cafeteria. I would suggest that you arrive between 8:45 and 9:00 a.m. to assure proper seating....

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It was great to see so many of you at our first math night!  I hope you all got to learn more about the new Common Core State Standards, GO Math, and our new summer math initiative, Xtra Math. For those of you who could not attend, the PowerPoint from the evening will soon be online.  For Freeman Centennial parents, look for a reminder letter in the report card.  HOD parents will be receiving information on June 8th.  In the fall, we will be having another math night. ...

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Dear Parents/Guardians and Students, Well, we’re closing in on the last month of school, only 21 more days to go!!  The last day of school is Thursday, June 14. This is a noontime dismissal for all students. I am delighted to announce that the new Freeman-Kennedy School is on schedule.  Substantial completion is targeted for June 18. We will move into the new school the week of June 18. Construction workers will begin to prepare for the demolition of the Centennial portion...

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It’s hard to believe that the end of the school is fast approaching.  All the students will be given the opportunity to create a scene from around town to help support the Norfolk Community Day art contest on May 25, 2012.  Afterwards, the third grade students will create textured paper that will be used to make collage illustrations based on Eric Carle’s and Leo Lionni’s books.  Fourth and fifth grade students will paint a still life based on Vince...

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Grade 3 students are continuing to prepare for their upcoming Recorder Concert on May 23rd. Students should continue to review and practice all of their recorder songs at home. Students in all grade levels are preparing to sing at the annual in-school Memorial Day Program at the end of this month. Additionally, all Grade 6 students are also preparing to sing at Grade 6 Promotion, which will be held on Thursday, June 14th, the last day of school.
Students have had a wonderful musical year!...

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This year nearly $90,000 from all participating schools to help support the patients at Boston Children’s Hospital. Six Flags New England is now providing tickets to all students in the top two schools. We are one of the top two schools receiving Six Flags New England tickets!     The 1st place school, the Pine Grove School in Rowley, MA raised $8,136.93. We were the 2nd  place school having raised a grand total of  $6,651.94.Thank you for an incredible Coins for...

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For the remainder of the school year Physical Education classes will be outside whenever possible. While outside we will be honing our Frisbee skills. In addition to working on our throwing and catching skills we will be playing our own version of KanJam, a flying disc target game, as well as playing Ultimate Frisbee. We will also be breaking out the rackets and shuttlecocks and taking a swing at the good old fashioned sport of badminton. Badminton is a highly aerobic sport which can be played...

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The end of the school year is fast approaching!  All school library books must be returned by Friday, May 18, unless it is a book being used for a class project.  All student school library accounts must be cleared by the end of the year to receive final report cards. Students will soon be filling out summer reading plans in the library. This works out well as all the books are on display around them for ideas.  There are bulletin boards they can reference to see what books are...

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The Norfolk County Teachers Association will honor H. Olive Day Resource Teacher Holli Merritt and Freeman-Centennial Assistant Principal Kelly Whitmore with its Honor and Service Awards respectively at a dinner Tuesday, June 5 at Lombardo's in Randolph. These outstanding individuals were nominated for their tireless dedication to the children of Norfolk. Kelly Whitmore became Assistant Principal this year after serving as a dedicated Classroom Teacher. Holli Merritt has served Norfolk Public...

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Congratulations to the Advanced Band for an outstanding performance at the Stars at Symphony Showcase which took place on Sunday April 22, at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.  The Band performed their gold winning MICCA program which included: Songs of the Sea arranged by John Kinyon, Clouds written by Anne McGinty, and Fighting Falcon March written by Todd Stalter. Both the Beginning and Advanced Bands have been working hard in getting ready for our final performances of the year. The Advanced...

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Each of us, in our own way, tries to make sense of death, particularly the death of a young person.  Children want to understand but are often unsure and awkward in expressing their concern.  The following normal childhood responses are taken from the work of the Good Grief Program’s description of psychological tasks for students when dealing with death.  Sandra Fox, past director for the Good Grief Program at the Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston, developed this...

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As I wrote in an earlier blog, to be successful in math, math fluency is imperative.  Therefore, the Norfolk Public Schools has begun a new math initiative.  XtraMath, a web based math product, will be used by all teachers 1-6 beginning this spring.  Some of you may already have children who have been assigned homework using XtraMath.  This will also be used as our summer math program.  XtraMath is strictly math fluency.  The program times children in basic math...

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  I am very pleased to announce that next year, the entire district will change their math program from Everyday Math to GO Math.  With the changes in the Common Core, the spiraling nature of Everyday Math is no longer a good fit.  After extensive research, the math committee (Anne Pizzi, Jen Pfeiffer, Sharon Griffin, Melissa Carnabuci, Ashley Ledger, Robin McFadden, Amy Binette, Debi O'Toole, Sarah Logan, and Carrie McSweeney)decided that Go Math is the best product for our needs. GO...

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Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,              Happy Spring! We are proud of all the students at Freeman-Centennial School for completing the English Language Arts Reading Comprehension MCAS assessment. Everyone did a fabulous job! At the beginning of May, all students will take the Math MCAS assessment and grade 5 students will also take Science/Technology. It’s hard to believe that June is just around the corner. We only...

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After over six decades of wear and tear, Norfolk needs a new public school. So, Norfolk voters decided that one should be built as soon as possible. Next year, after two years of construction, the new school will finally be finished. So say goodbye to Freeman-Centennial and hello to Freeman-Kennedy. Updated and full of high tech gadgets, learning can be quicker, easier and most importantly, much more fun. Children, if all goes well, will be able to use iPads instead of the somewhat outdated...

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During the month of April the 3rd grade art students will celebrate the arrival of spring by creating a flower using a watercolor crayon resist technique.  Third grade will also produce a chalk piece based on Vincent Van Gogh called silky sunflowers & swirling skies. The fourth grade art students will continue to explore camouflage by creating a natural habitat for a fish print. Next, the 4th grade students will paint a southwestern landscape using watercolors based on Paul Klee’s...

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Grade 3 students are busily practicing and preparing for their recorder concert which will be held on May 23rd in MacBride Auditorium at 1:45 pm.  Parents will be invited to attend this afternoon performance. Students should be reviewing and practicing all of their recorder songs at home. Grade 4 students will be learning to play conga drums this month. They will focus on technique, producing various tones, and playing a variety of rhythmic patterns on the instrument. Grade 5 students...

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Bullying & Cyberbullying Basics (Grades 3-4). At this interactive assembly we will introduce the components of bullying which are further explained using age appropriate examples. Students are introduced to the concepts and roles associated with bullying. The differences between conflict and bullying are illustrated to underscore how hurtful and damaging bullying behaviors can be. Several conflict scenarios and bullying scenarios are presented to students to help them identify future conflict...

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In the month of April physical education classes will be participating in the PACER run.  The PACER (progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run) is used to measure a student’s aerobic capacity.  Aerobic capacity or cardiovascular endurance is one of the components of health related fitness. The students will also continue working on volleyball skills while playing beach volleyball and volleyball games.   The extra sixth grade classes will take a hiatus from their teambuilding...

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