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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The music for our Kindergarten classes has been songs of animals that are our familiar favorites.Songs like " Old John the Rabbit" sing about the antics of the rabbits that are found eating our garden vegetables. Barnyard animals are also the subject of the sounds we imitate in the song " Morning on the Farm".The music for our First Grade classes has been centered around our concert theme: The Musical Heritage of the United States:  Songs of the Old WestPlease join us for our First Grade...

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2-4-6-8 – Who Do WE Appreciate?ap·pre·ci·a·tion    (uh-pree-shee-ey-shuhn) n. 1. Recognition of the quality, value, significance, or magnitude of people and things.2. A judgment or opinion, especially a favorable one.3. An expression of gratitude.The dictionary definition of the word ‘appreciation’ is pretty simple and succinct. We all know, however, that the feelings behind the word are much more intense and complex! A feeling of appreciation...

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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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It was so nice to see everyone on Family Fitness Nights. Thank-you for coming and participating in the PE and Art stations.  I would like to extend a warm and sincere thank-you to Mr. Reilly, our awesome art teacher, the Grade 2 teachers, Mrs. Balfour, Mrs. Dressler, Mrs. O’Connell, Mrs. Haley, and Mrs. Merritt for supporting the PE program at H.O.D.Here are some fun fitness facts about hula hooping, cup stacking, and brain gym activities.Hula hooping is such a low impact exercise that...

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As mentioned in the April newsletter, 2nd grade students had the opportunity to show off more than just their outstanding agility and coordination during last month's Family Fitness Nights. Their artistic talents were also on display as part of their 2nd Grade Art Show. Taking a break from the cup stacking, students and parents joined me in a most enjoyable walk down the hallways as we appreciated the large-scale murals that paid homage to several famous masterpieces taken from art history. The...

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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. Xaverian Brothers High School students and HOD alum, Mike Hagerty and Nick Ahearn, for completing their Senior Service at HOD. Our students and teachers have thoroughly enjoyed having Nick and Mike at our school. Their assistance, flexibility and...

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In the computer lab, our H.O.D. students will be working on their math assessments through the use of our Acuity program.  This year we incorporated technology through a web based program of teacher generated assessments, designed to provide data on our students’ performance toward grade level math benchmarks. In addition, the Acuity program has been used to provide opportunities for ongoing math practice, reinforcement of concepts, and cumulative review.  I look forward to continuing...

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In addition to the strategy of predicting that was introduced last month, making connections also helps children improve their understanding.  Students connect their background knowledge to the text they are reading. They may have a text-to-text, text-to-self, or text-to-world connection. Purpose of the strategy: Readers comprehend better when they actively think about and apply their knowledge of the book's topic, their own experiences, and the world around them.   How to help...

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At the most basic level, students need to be able to use guide words, subheadings and indexes to locate specific facts to answer who, what, when, why and where type questions such as "What is a community?" or "Who founded your town and when?" It is important that all students be exposed to more challenging questions, which require greater skill in locating and interpreting information, such as "What factors cause towns/cities to develop where they do?" or "What features do most capitol cities...

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