Dear Parent/Guardians;
Will all the students fit? Is the school going to be ready? What will we call it?
It’s the end of the first quarter already and the answers are YES, YES, and Judson at Heminway Park School!!! It has only been nine weeks since the doors were opened to 369 students on September 2, 2008 and the walls are already covered with artwork, poems, student council campaign posters, titles of favorite books and bats! Everywhere one looks as they walk through Judson School there are splashes of color and displays of children’s work. The classrooms are alive with small group activities, math problems of the day and reading groups. Forth graders have been investigating habitats, fifth graders are following the flow of electricity and third graders have created their own communities as they explore the world around them! All students are discovering the challenges of the new StoryTown reading and language arts program instituted this school year.
The PTA has been a wonderful partner in education organizing the Open House/Book Fair/Ice Cream Social Extravaganza! This triple play evening hit a true homerun with all attendees. The PTA Fall Fund-raiser generated funds that are bringing several cultural programs to Judson School this year. Additional funds have been set aside to help students on every grade level by cutting the costs of field trips. One of the biggest events of the quarter was the PTA Monster Mash in the HPS gym! Children of all ages enjoyed everything from a pie eating contest to putting their feet into green monster guts to find spiders with their toes! (A very effective use of green spaghetti!) Costumes ranged from traditional sports heroes to a Hannah Montana Goth witch! All participants loved the evening especially the “spider web game” and “eating all the candy”!
A special thank you to Linda Chandler from The Taft School who organized a wonderful student exchange that brought stimulating enrichment experiences to the third graders of Judson School. Taft students volunteered and taught the third graders about everything from huge bugs to writing their names in Chinese. Some of the third graders heard a concert while others experienced improvisational theater. It was a fabulous day that both the children and parents are still talking about! The school also got a treat as additional student volunteers cleaned up the front flower beds and prepared them for spring.
The culminating event of the first term was a Character Education Assembly which discussed citizenship and caring. Mr. Dave Dalton, the registrar of voters for the town of Watertown, was the guest speaker who spoke on the citizen’s right to vote. Judson students will be voting Monday, November 3, 2008, for student council officers as well as President of the United States! The first Judson School service project begins Monday as students collect canned goods as an act of caring for their community. Please feel free to join us as we reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens!