What is a PLC?
09-08-2010
Please click on the link to learn about Professional Learning Communities at McGovern School.

Oftentimes people use buzzwords in professional settings. One such new buzzword you may have heard in the Medway School District recently was PLC, which stands for Professional Learning Community. Last school year, the Medway Public School District hired four coaches at the K-8 grade levels. These coaches were asked to create Professional Learning Communities, PLC’s, in each building whereby teachers meet to discuss ways to ensure high levels of learning for all children. At McGovern School, the teachers are placed in collaborative teams and meet on a weekly basis to discuss classroom practice. These weekly meetings have become a source of support for all staff members new and old as we encourage trying new techniques to reach all of the children at McGovern School.

Welcome Back to School!
09-01-2010
Welcome Back. Please click on the link for a message from Principal Rocha.

September 1, 2010 Dear Parents: Today we are beginning a new school year. Thanks to Sanitors, our cleaning service, and our excellent lead custodian, the school is shining and ready on this first day of school. Our teachers have worked very hard to prepare the classrooms. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, professional faculty. This year we will be continuing the implementation of Storytown, our language arts program with a focus on increased student writing. We will engage in full implementation of Everyday Math. The Medway Public Schools is committed to healthy schools for our students. The School District Wellness Policy (Policy 69) was revised in 2009 to reflect our goal of promoting and protecting children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn. The revisions reflect a more current and healthier outlook on nutrition, health education and life skills, physical education, social/emotional health, health services, and a healthy and safe environment. Partnership between the schools, families, and the community is crucial for the promotion and enhancement of our children’s health and wellness. In order to provide a safe environment for all students and promote healthy eating habits, we will no longer use food as a reward for academic performance or good behavior. Celebrations in the classroom that involve food during the school day will be limited to curriculum-based activities. The food used for these activities must be in the original store-bought wrapper with the ingredients listed on the label. Alternative means of celebrating not involving food will be promoted. This means that parents are discouraged from sending treats for celebrations to be shared by the entire class. We feel this is in the best interest of all of our students. It is difficult to verify if food brought from home contains non-allergen ingredients, or would be approved by the parents of the other children in the class. Healthy habits are learned, and they should be reinforced both at home and at school. Our School District Wellness Policy will continue to change and develop in order to reflect the most current standards for the health and wellness of the children in our district. Our school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. Walkers and students who are driven to school are welcome to arrive between 8:45 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Please remember to call if your child is going to be late or absent. Parents/guardians who release students early must make sure they sign their children out in the office before leaving. Car drivers who are dropping off or picking up children will enter the school driveway by staying in the right hand lane. The middle lane is reserved for buses. At the top of the driveway bear right into the faculty parking lot. Proceed to the end, and turn left into the student drop-off/pick-up lane. There is a spot designated for your child to exit or enter your car. Then proceed to the exit lane to leave the complex. Vehicles must not be parked or left unattended in the lane where students are disembarking from cars. Please be very careful. We do have some students who walk to school. Any day that you change the routine you use for students going home, please send a note to your child’s teacher stating explicitly what the change involves. Please ask your child to give this note to his/her teacher as soon as he/she arrives at school. Children, parents and staff all begin the school year with a renewed enthusiasm and vigor. I know that we will be able to kindle that flame by providing challenging curriculum for our students. You can help at home by encouraging your children to view school as important, holding family discussions about school activities, reading to and with your children, reviewing school papers, and assisting them to practice skills learned in school. I am looking forward to an exciting school year with your children. Please visit our school at any time. You are welcome partners in meeting our goal to prepare Medway’s children for their future. Sincerely, Wendy Rocha

McGovern School Council
08-13-2010
Please click on the link for information about the 2010 - 2011 McGovern School Council.

School Council meets on a monthly basis for the purpose of adopting eduational goals for the school, identifiying educational needs of the students, reviewing the annual school building budget and formlating a school improvement plan. The McGovern and the Burke/Memorial School Councils will combine for part of this school year to revise the Elementary School Parent/Student Handbook. The McGovern School needs two parent volunteers to participate on the council. If you are interested in volunteering to serve on the McGovern School Council for the 2010 - 2011 school year, please contact Principal Wendy Rocha at 508 533 6626.

McGovern School Arrival and Dismissal Safety News
08-13-2010
Please click on the link for news from McGovern School about arrival and dismissal time safety precautions.

News From McGovern School Dear Parents and Guardians; Here at McGovern School, we have gotten off to a great start. Teachers and students are adjusting well to their new routines and schedules. Busses have arrived each morning on time with happy students who seem enthusiastic about the new year. We are all encouraged to believe that it is going to be a wonderful year of learning new skills. School buses are quite safe and easily the safest means for children to get to school and back. But here are some practical lessons taken from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to maximize their protection: 1. Allow plenty of time to get children to the bus stop. Children who are late may be tempted to run into a busy street. 2. Children need to wait in a safe place at the bus stop away from any traffic. 3. Instruct your children never to walk behind a bus or too close in front of a bus. Before crossing in front of the bus, take five "giant steps" (about 10 feet) away from the bus. 4. Riders should never stick their hands, heads, or any objects out bus windows. 5. When in line to get in or out a bus, children need to walk in an orderly fashion. This may seem obvious but students become so comfortable with the bus that they forget that it is a very large moving vehicle. 6. Students should immediately walk three "giant steps" away from the bus after they arrive at their destination. 7. If a child drops something near the bus, they should not pick it up until they talk to the driver or an adult on duty. Drivers cannot always see children if they are close to the bus. I hope you get a chance to speak to your children about bus safety. Soon your child will tell you that they have practiced bus evacuation here at school. If your child will be walking or driven to school, please keep in mind that even though each morning's instruction begins at 9:00 a.m. for McGovern students, it is very important for the children to arrive at school 10-15 minutes before these start times. Attendance and lunch counts are taken during this time, and students have an opportunity to greet their friends, organize their belongings, begin their work, and otherwise prepare for the new day. If you are driving your children to school please be very careful to follow procedures in the drop-off pick up line. 1. Do not leave your car at any time. Please place your child's car seat on the passenger's side of the vehicle so that the staff on duty can help him/her out if necessary. 2. Please do not leave your car unattended in the lane. If you need to come into the building you must park in the lot and walk in. Please us the marked crosswalks at all times. 3. Please do not pass other vehicles in the lane. 4. Please watch very closely for walking students who are crossing the street at the end of the lane. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Safety is our number one priority. Remember that you can get more news and the schedule of upcoming events by visiting our website at www.medwayschools.org. We're looking forward to great school year.

Please Help Make McGovern Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures Safe
08-13-2010
For the safety of all of our students, parking in the circle at arrival or dismissal time is prohibited. Please ckick on the link for information about procedures for drop-off and pick-up at McGovern.

Parking in the circle at arrival and dismissal time at McGovern School is prohibited. For the safety of all of the students, it is imperative that parents remain in their cars and drive through the drop-off and pick-up lane. Cars parked in the circle require that parents and children walk around and between the busses in order to get to their vehicles. This is creating a hazard for the children walking to and from the cars as well as for the bus drivers. Car drivers who are dropping off or picking up children should enter the school driveway by staying in the right hand lane. The middle lane is reserved for buses. At the top of the driveway bear right into the faculty parking lot. Proceed to the end, and turn left into the student drop-off/pick-up lane. There is a spot designated for your child to exit or enter your car. Then proceed to the exit lane to leave the complex. Vehicles must not be parked or left unattended in the lane where students are disembarking from cars. To insure your child's safety please place your child's car seat on the passenger side of your vehicle. This is the side closest to the side walk where the children walk into school. Cars are allowed to pass on the driver's side making exiting on that side less safe. Please do not exit your car to help your children. If you feel that it is necessary to assist your child out of the car, please park in the lot and walk him/her into the school. The assigned monitors try to assist the students as they exit the vehicles. You must remain in your vehicle at all times when in the drop-off lane. If you need to talk to a teacher or another parent, you must park in the marked parking spaces in the adjacent lot. Please be very careful. We do still have some students who walk to school. Thank you very much for helping to make our procedures safe and expedient for all.

Big Hearted Book Bin
08-13-2010
McGovern School gets cash for unwanted, used books. Please click on the link to read more.

When you come to McGovern School, you may notice a big, white, book bin in the rear of the staff parking lot just before you approach the drop off lane. This is our Big Hearted Books Drop Bin. Big Hearted Books is an organization that takes used books and other visual media and redistributes them to wherever they are most needed. They donate some to local organizations (many of ours will go to the Medway Public Library) They send some to schools and communities that need them, and they sell some for profit. What do we get out of this? The McGovern School will receive .075 cents for every POUND of usable books in the bin! So, if you have books in your classrooms or at home that you no longer want or need, drop them in the bin. If you have friends and/or relatives who are anxious to get rid of old books and make space for new – have them bring them to the bin. If you have students and parents who are asking you what to do with their old books – you know what to tell them! In other words, please pass this info on to everyone you know who wants to re-purpose books. You can put any kind of book in the bin – hardcover and paperback books for all ages, textbooks, media (DVDs, videos and books on tape), etc. Thank you for your support!

Frequently Asked Questions About the English Language Arts Program
10-14-2009
Recently representatives from Harcourt School Publishers met with parents to share information about Storytown, the English language arts program recently adopted for use in kindgergarten through fifth grade. Please click on the link for parents' questions and responses.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the StoryTown Literacy Program 1. What is different about this program from what had been used in the past?  StoryTown is a research-based reading and writing program that is based on a balanced literacy approach that incorporates shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading, as well as focused skills and strategy instruction.  Systematic instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency practice, comprehension strategies, vocabulary and composition are at the core of the program.  This new program ensures that all students in grades K-5 will participate in a more structured approach to reading and writing instruction than had been available in the past. It also provides teachers with up-to-date materials and lessons that are based on what we know to be best practice in reading instruction. 2. What kind of professional development has been/will be given to teachers?  Some teachers at each grade level piloted this program in 2007-2008 and have already been trained in its use. These teachers can serve as a resource to their peers.  A full year of professional development has been planned and implemented beginning last spring, including special sessions on assessment, writing, and the use of technology. 3. What are the strengths/challenges of this program? What can parents do to help?  This program is set up to support differentiated instruction, which will enable teachers to meet individual students’ needs in flexible small-group settings.  The challenge of any new program is managing the implementation. It takes patience and persistence to learn how to best use the program’s components with our students.  Parents can help by keeping in close contact with teachers about their children’s progress and by reading with/to their children at home as much as possible. 4. Can you tell me more about the on-line/technology piece of the program?  The program will enable parents and students to access on-line resources, including stories and games, later in the year. We appreciate your patience while teachers receive training in how to implement this aspect of the program. More information about this will be sent to parents later in the fall. 5. Are the books available on-line or on CD for children who need fluency practice? Yes, many books are available in multiple formats. 6. What are “trade books” or “authentic” literature?  Core reading programs are developed in order to teach students specific sequential skills and may contain components written specifically for the program or that are excerpts from longer works. In contrast, trade books are stand-alone works published by authors that might appear in a library or book store. As students become independent readers they often begin to read trade books, “chapter books” and more “authentic” literature. 7. Is the program scientifically proven for learning disabled students or for students of different learning styles and is it multi-sensory?  Yes, the program has been designed to meet the needs of diverse learners. In addition to the core program, two levels of intervention are included in the program and can be used by classroom teachers, reading specialists, or special education teachers to support the needs of a variety of students. It also contains many hands-on elements that draw on students’ needs to use all their senses to learn well. 8. What spelling program is used with the program?  Spelling strategies and word study are key pieces of the program. Students will have an opportunity to develop rich vocabularies and spelling skills as part of the program, with the words connected to the week’s reading and writing lessons. 9. How does the program handle different ability groups within the classroom?  All students participate in the whole-group on-level reading. In small group settings, students work on texts that are above, on, and below-grade level, depending on individual needs and skills. In addition to these resources, teachers may draw on school-wide bookrooms where texts of a variety of levels can be found, should students need additional practice or challenge. 10. How does the program build fluency?  The program provides several vehicles for supporting fluent readers. First, the leveled texts are designed to match the needs of students and support them in becoming confident, fluent readers. The program provides benchmarks for fluent reading performance at each grade. Teachers are provided multiple resources to model and assess student progress in meeting those performance expectations. Additionally, students have a variety of options to practice reading in paired or shared reading and through the use of Reader’s Theatre, which are texts written in the form of a play. 11. What is the anticipated change in homework routines?  Homework in reading and writing will continue to focus on practice and skill reinforcement. 12. What is the program’s connection to the science and social studies curriculum frameworks?  The program has a strong non-fiction focus, and the science and social studies components have been designed to align with grade-level content skills. As the program becomes more fully implemented, adjustments to current science and social studies content may be needed. 13. What kinds of assessments are used with the program?  A wide variety of reading and writing assessments are provided with the program. These take a variety of forms, from multiple choice to short answer to essay writing, depending on the grade level and time of year. We will also continue to use reading assessments like the DRA/DRP and others to determine student’s progress. 14. Is the vocabulary instruction carried from one grade to the next?  Vocabulary instruction focuses on high-frequency words, which may carry from one grade to the next, and new vocabulary connected to reading. Students are taught rich oral vocabulary through student-friendly explanations, and with the expectation and accountability students understand and use that new vocabulary in meaningful contexts throughout the year. Students are expected to learn both spelling and word study skills rather than memorize a specific list of vocabulary words. 15. How will we know whether the program is working?  We will continue to measure student progress in reading and writing as we implement the new program, and will assess all aspects of its effectiveness as the year progresses through curriculum meetings, professional development sessions, and consultations with the publisher’s representatives. Thank you for taking the time to read this FAQ. If you have additional questions about StoryTown, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or building principal directly.