Cole School is a beehive of activity! We kicked the week off with field trips for first grade to the Franklin Park Zoo and kindergarten to Egypt Beach. We ended the day on Monday with the last Connections meeting where students discussed the Habit of Mind Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision. They got to play a good, old fashioned game of Telephone to see how important this Habit of Mind really is. Kindergarten also shared their amazing Habitat Day projects with families and Buddy Classes. 4th grade performed The High Seas organized by Mrs. Gagnon and the 4th grade teachers on Thursday - they did an amazing job! We ended the week with the Safari Adventure Field Day organized by Mr. Thornton and supported by Cole School staff and parents. Thank you, Mr. Thornton! Next week, the fun and excitement of the end of the year continues!
Class placements for the 2025-2026 school year are now finalized. Students will have the exciting opportunity to meet their new teacher and classmates during Move Up Day on Tuesday, June 17th. To ensure a smooth start to the school year, no placement changes will be made after this date. We encourage families to prepare children for the possibility that they may have a different teacher or classroom friends than they expected. Each new school year brings wonderful opportunities to form new friendships, learn from different teaching styles, and grow as learners. This transition is an excellent chance to help your child develop resilience and flexibility—valuable life skills that will serve them well throughout their educational journey.
Running this information for second week - Staffing for the 2025-2026 School Year
I am sharing the staffing plans for the 2025-2026 school year as I know them right now. You will notice that we will no longer have a librarian in the library. Mrs. Rantz will be teaching her technology lessons in the library space. We will also only have one reading specialist rather than two. We will have five sections of 2nd grade but only three sections of 3rd grade.
Please join me in thanking Ms. Ready for her years of service to Cole School and wish her all the best as she moves to Norwell High School's library. Also, please join me in extending gratitude and appreciation to both Ms. Clark, reading specialist, and Mrs. Rinkus, grade 4 teacher, whose positions have been cut or lost due to contractual "bumping."
Please join me in welcoming Ms. Jolie O'Neil to Cole School as the speech and language therapist that will fill Mrs. MacDonald's retirement. Ms. O'Neil currently works at the Norwell Middle School and the Norwell High School as the Speech and Language Therapist.
Also, please join me in welcoming Ms. Elizabeth (Liz) Fitzgerald to Cole School as a grade 4 teacher. Ms. Fitzgerald has many years of K-12 teaching experience and has worked as the French teacher at Norwell High School for the last four years. She holds an elementary teaching license and has taught in Milton and Duxbury.
Many thanks to both Mr. Tarr and Mrs. Fitzpatrick for taking on longer substitute roles this year. They both did excellent work for the Cole School community.
Please join me in wishing Mr. Bob Thayer all the best as he finishes out this school year. He is retiring after working as the Cole School custodian for the last 28 years. Thank you, Mr. Bob, for keeping us shining brightly!
Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
We're going to be learning about Remaining Open to Continuous Learning as the next Habit of Mind. You can see more about the habits on Habits of Mind Institute website and here.
Life is a continuous journey of learning. No matter how much we know, there is always something new to learn. It is helpful to show your child that there is humility in saying “I don’t know,” and that we can open ourselves up to the challenge of moving into a new territory. However, this does not necessarily stop with just acquiring more knowledge about a topic. It might also result in helping them expand their networks of expertise. We also might reflect with them on their process of learning — to what extent are they investigating and constructing with an open mind?
Remaining open to continuous learning develops an intrinsic joy in learning something new or following an arc of inquiry. It can motivate your child and often provides them with intellectual and emotional satisfaction. Here are some strategies that could guide your child’s quest for learning:
- Have humility and pride when admitting you don’t know. Reframe this as a launch for exploration, curiosity, and mystery rather than a limitation.
- Ask questions and seek connections. Deep learning is fueled by an inquisitive mind, developing capabilities for effective and thoughtful action.
- Continue to help your child discover who they are and how they see the world. Ask questions, such as: What motivates you to keep learning? What do you still wonder about? How will you remain open to new ideas? Or new learning?
- Seek feedback to grow your child’s thinking. Consider who your child might consult with to grow their ideas. Perhaps it is someone you trust who can take the time to understand and help you critique your thinking.
- Ask an expert. Brainstorm with your child some possible experts in the field who could provide guidance. In preparation, it would be helpful to review or help develop questions with your child to frame the conversation.
- Be a model for your child. Your child is always watching you. Share some of the new things that you, too, struggle at times. Invite them to join you in pursuing something that you are becoming interested in.
June
June 9 - Screening for incoming kindergarten students in the library
June 9 - Delilah the Whale Kindergarten enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)
June 9 - Grade 4 Biography Fair
June 9 - Grade 5 Band Concert 2:30pm
June 11 - Grade 5 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
June 12 - Grade 4 Tent Day
June 12 - Fifth Grade Celebration 6-8 pm - Grade 5 parents and grade 5 students ONLY
June 13 - PTO Stay and Play (Make a sign with LARGE, BOLD letters of child's last name)
June 16 - Grade 5 Move Up Day to NMS
June 17 - Move Up Day for Grades K-4
June 17 - Last Day of School
