Volunteer Science Parents

The PTA is once again responsible for a great initiative at Miller-Driscoll. The Science Volunteer Parent Program is funded by our PTA. Our goal is to continue to deliver Science instruction to ensure our success as a district in Science exploration. The Miller-Driscoll Science PTA representative is Leigh Anne Floyd. Thank you to Leigh Anne who contacted room mothers who recruited about three volunteers for each class. PTA funds provide in-house class trips for our Grades Kindergarten, One and Two. The parents provide enrichment activities directed by each classroom teacher according to the design of the Science Units at each grade level. Jane Giresi our Instructional Leader for Science developed and mapped the Science curriculum according to the Connecticut State Standards. Nancy Peters and Pat Snayd will happily assist the parents with supplies and guidance. The children also have an opportunity to engage in hands-on Science studies with the additional classroom help of the parents. In kindergarten, students have a rigorous curriculum. The students will study the characteristics of several divisions of the animal kingdom: birds, fish, insects and mammals. They will also study the five senses, rocks, seeds and plants, the weather and sea life. The classroom teachers sincerely appreciate the help from the parent volunteers who model a love of science inquiry and enthusiastically engage in all the experiments.

Exciting Open Houses

Our Miller-Driscoll Open Houses this week had a new and innovative dimension. Teachers used Smart Boards and Power Point presentations to add polish to their friendly "Getting To Know You" talks. The teacher collaboration at each grade level was so powerful that all parents received a consistent, integrated message of hope and high expectations for the year ahead--as well as all the essential information about school and classroom operations. One teacher expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to work in close proximity to her colleagues as enabling her to share on a level the teachers had never come close to in the past. All the teachers were very proud of the appearance of their classrooms.

Mrs. Jensen-Gerner, Mrs. Pearson and I loved meeting all the parents. We enjoyed the Open Houses as much as the teachers and parents. Each Open house night was uplifting, happy and cheerful.

I asked the teachers to give me one word to describe their impression of Open House from the faculty perspective. One teacher described the happy hum of excited parents while another thought the evening was calm and lovely. Some teacher comments:
Wonderful
Hopeful
Enthusiastic
Exciting
Interested
Smiles
Cooperative
Smooth
Successful
Energizing
Informative
Enlightening
Curious
Inspiring
Supportive
A couple of additional comments:
The BEST
Supportive parents
Technologically advanced
Parents played with Smart boards
Nodding heads in agreement
A GOOD night
Rare opportunity to meet parents
Parents vested in education
Shared Message

The phrase I thought described Open House most succinctly was written by one teacher, who said that Open House is "The Doorway to our Parent Partnership."
Thank you to the Tecce Family, Deb Bucklan and Jeff Busch, who welcomed all our parents with smiles, distributed our new Handbooks and sold our great Spirit Gear.

Thank you to our Library Volunteers

We like to think of the library as the "heart" of the school. Our educational goal is to teach every student in Miller-Driscoll to love to read and read and read. The library is the perfect place to find great books and to expand that love of reading. The Library is so actively used by our students that our librarians love to have assistance from our parents. Every year we ask for volunteers from our PTA. This year Laurie Eidt and Erica Kurtz, the co-organizers of the Library Volunteer group recruited so many wonderful women. We were so pleased to welcome 42 volunteers to our first Library Planning Meeting. Our volunteers give generously of their time throughout the school year to help check books in and out, shelve books and ensure the cheerful atmosphere of children enjoying reading in our library. They also transfer their own enthusiasm for reading to the children. The volunteers are role models for our students who recognize that reading is important to all of us. The Librarians also try to accommodate every one's preferences to honor each person's schedule. As our "United We Stand" motto indicates, parents working together with teachers can make significant educational change for the future of our students.


Here are the titles of some books selected by our librarians, Barbara Clancy and Joyce Torres to read aloud to your children along the theme of "United We Stand":

Burns -------Spaghetti and Meatballs for All

Choi --------The Name Jar

Cronin -----Click,Clack, Moo Cows That Type

Hoberman-- You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

Jeffers ------The Way Back Home

Keats------- Pet Show

Lionni -----Swimmy


Munsinger -The Wizard the Fairy and the Magic Chicken

Kellogg -----The Island Of The Skog


Rylant -----The Relatives Came

Scanlon ---All the World (my favorite)

Wells----- Yoko Writes Her Name

Thank you to Laurie and Erica and ALL our Library Volunteers

What a Beautiful Week !

The hum in the halls this past week as the children walked to their new classrooms and traveled to their special area teachers is a reflection of the positive sense of belonging imbued by all members of our M-D staff. The children seem to be as comfortable in their school as they are in their own homes. In fact, school is their home for a large part of the day and it is vital that they feel that confident sense of belonging.

The Master Schedule developed so accurately by our Principal, Cheryl Jensen-Gerner, is a tribute to her outstanding ability to fit all the parts into a well-designed school day. Watching all the kindergarten students board buses at noontime is a marvelous thing to see. Students and teachers walking precisely to each designated bus is just a small example of the organization it takes to move the school day along with these very young children. Lunch and recess schedules are adjusted as needs arise and reading blocks are incorporated into the school day. Thirty-five buses are called at the end of each day and students know to fasten their seat belts for a safe ride home.

There is an air of happy accomplishment surrounding the school and the children. Everyone worked hard to ensure this positive new beginning and we are feeling very grateful for all the help we have received from parents, teachers, support staff and administration. Mrs. Jensen-Gerner, Mrs. Pearson and I are especially appreciative of the tireless work of our secretarial staff, Mrs.Marie Jarboe, Mrs. Joyce Healey, Mrs. Sondra Breeland and Mrs. Dianne Thulin. Mrs. Dianne Thulin has multi-tasked all summer with registrations, purchase orders, phone requests and inquiries of all kinds. Dianne has smiled through it all and we are deeply thankful. This week has been the culmination of the efforts of so many people. It is up to all of us to keep the momentum positive and strong to provide a great new school year for our students.