Hello, Howard!

This week I was given the incredible experience of being overwhelmed in gratitude. Students and teachers heaped love on me for Principal's Appreciation Day. (And one nice soul sent me a Dunkin' gift card! Thank you, mysterious giver!) I am so incredibly grateful to have landed in West Bridgewater. I just love these kids and teachers so much. Thank you for welcoming me.

The photo is the result of the prompt, "What's something positive about Ms. G?" I'm gonna frame it and keep it forever. <3

Please review the schedule below and re-schedule any doctor or dentist appointments that may keep a child from attending school on the day of a test.

May 6th and 8th - 5th grade Math

May 12th & 13th - 6th grade Math

May 14th and 15th - 4th grade Math

Cell phones, smart watches, and Bluetooth earbuds are never allowed in the classroom. They are always supposed to be stored in a student's locker. This is more important that ever during MCAS. The MCAS cell phone policy is shared with you below. If a student is found to be in possession of their cell phone AT ANY TIME during testing, whether they are actively testing or not, I have to call the state to report the discrepancy.

Please leave all cell phones, smart watches, and earbuds at home on MCAS testing days.

Teacher Appreciation Week - May 5-9

5th grade Math MCAS - May 6 & 8

6th grade Math MCAS - May 12 & 13

4th grade Math MCAS - May 13 & 15

5th grade Science MCAS - May 20 & 21

School Council Meeting - May 20, 2:45 to 3:45

Memorial Day, No School - May 26th

Principal's Coffee Hour - May 27th, 9am

Field Day - May 28 (rain date May 30)

6th grade visits War Memorial - June 10th

6th grade Moving On celebration - June 12, 11:30-12:30

Last Day - June 13

Spring is in full swing and outdoor play can sometimes get messy, so please send in extra clothes in backpacks just in case it’s needed! If you have any new or gently used clothes (youth sizes 8-16), coats, or shoes - we would love to have extra available in case someone needs a change!

Spring also means tick season in MA, and the best way to prevent tick-borne diseases is through prevention of tick bites. Always check for ticks after outdoor activities to keep everyone safe and healthy!

More specific information can be found on the following websites:

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/

https://www.mass.gov/tick-prevention

We want to keep everyone healthy while at school so please keep them home if they are not feeling well. Please refer to our Sick Child Guidelines and school health policies at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/health-services and reach out to me directly with any concerns. If your child is absent due to illness, it is recommended that they visit the doctor in order to document these as excused absences.

One final note, teachers always love donations of tissues and Clorox wipes to help keep the spread of illness to a minimum in the classrooms.

As always, please feel free to reach Nurse Mando if you have any questions or concerns: smando@wbridgewater.com or 508-894-1250 ext 3115. Thank you!

Click here for the lunch menu for May.

Click here for the breakfast/snack menu for May.

Grade 4 is having a visit from local children's author Anna Staniszewski. They will participate in a workshop on creating characters.

In ELA, we will be moving along in Module 3: The Redcoats are Coming! Students will be writing an explanatory essay about the perspectives of the two main sides of the American Revolution.

During the first few weeks of May, we will continue to practice for Math MCAS. Upon completion of MCAS, we will continue to review skills and complete the step up lessons in the Envisions program to further prepare for 5th grade.

We will be wrapping up our final social studies topics of Explorers and Westward Expansion.

In science, grade 4 students will learn about forms of energy. They will be constructing paper circuits to turn on a colored light bulb.

To demonstrate the PRIDE theme of gratitude, students will be writing letters of appreciation to special people in their lives.

In ELA, the students are enjoying Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. Based on what they have learned about wordplay from him, they will write their own exploded moment. An "exploded moment" takes a single moment from a narrative and adding extensive detail to it as if it's being shown in slow motion. This technique helps the reader understand the importance of the moment and vividly imagine the scene by focusing on sensory details, emotions, and thoughts.

It's MCAS time! It's MCAS time! Students are well prepared for 5th grade MCAS, next Tuesday and Thursday! The test is nothing to stress about, but gives the school good insight into what students have learned.

In Science, students will focus on earth systems, including the Earth's place in the universe such as the sun's role in the daylight cycle.

Students will begin to learn about the causes of the US Civil War.

Students will explore the concept of Gratitude by exploring the things they are thankful for.

On May 15th, the fifth-grade will be visiting the Boston Museum of Science. Please return the field trip form with the payment at the same time to your classroom teacher. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the field trip or payment, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher.

Incoming 6th grade students will attend the Outdoor Classroom Program April 14 - 17, 2026. Move information will be given in late September.

Please save the date!!!! The sixth grade Moving On Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday June 12 at 11:30. More information will be coming.

We are prepping for Math MCAS over the next few weeks. Then at the end of the month, students will be diving into the Scientific Method and participating in a paper airplane challenge!

Students will continue exploring the mono myth by planning for their own hero's journey story. They will create different character archetypes, settings and craft a plot for their mono myth. They will also create presentations in groups exploring the different elements of the mono myth.

It's MCAS time! Students are well prepared for 6th grade MCAS, scheduled for May 12th and 13th. The test is nothing to stress about, but gives the school good insight into what students have learned.

Students completed their unit on Matter. We will begin learning the properties of waves in the upcoming weeks.

We started our LAST UNIT in Social Studies this week: Meso & South America and the Caribbean! We will do lots of fun activities to learn about Ancient cultures and the geography in the Americas. We start with Amazing Race: South America this week and then we will have another Giant Map for South America Next week! We had the Giant Map of Africa for review on Wednesday this week!

Students will explore the theme of gratitude by identifying the things they are thankful for. They will create a presentation explaining these things or write a letter to someone expressing gratitude for what that person has done for them.

The 6th Grade installed their Museum Exhibits in the West Bridgewater Public Library on Tuesday. This exhibition has projects from our Early Man, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Nubia Units and will be on display for 2 weeks! Please check out our Museum with family and friends before we pick up projects after MCAS on May 12th. Thank you for your support!

Students had a great time at their Outdoor Classroom trip! 106 sixth graders spent the week before April Vacation in Groton, MA at the Outdoor Classroom program. Students enjoyed learning about nature, participating in team building activities, finding courage in new challenges and took classes.

ML students students and families across the district are looking forward to the Multi-Lingual Family Cultural Celebration to be held at the Howard School next Tuesday 5/6 from 5 to 7pm. ML students and families will enjoy student demonstrations, pizza, and a performance by Mass Capoeira.

The Unified Cornhole team played their first game on Thursday, May 1st in the MSHS courtyard!

SAVE THE DATE:

1. We have another home game next Thursday (5/8) in the MSHS courtyard at 3:15.

2. We will host our end of season jamboree on Thursday, 5/22 in the gym from 3:15-5:00! This is potentially our biggest unified event of the year as we will be hosting up to 10 schools from nearby towns for a tournament and the kids are very excited.

Hope to see you there!

Friday May 9th will be our Hawaii theme day. Let's celebrate spring by wearing Hawaiian themed clothing. Students are also creating presentations about the grade they are finishing. These presentations will explain important information about that grade - expectations, schedules, field trips, etc. They will present these to the incoming students to help them preview and prepare for the upcoming school year.

Important dates until the end of the year:

5/13 WB Clean up day,

5/19 Senior Center Game day (on a Monday)

5/20 Party Planning Meeting - volunteer to bring one thing.

5/27 End of the year Party until 4PM

We have two major events before our End of the Year Party! WB Clean Up day is 5/13 until 4PM. Little Leo's will clean up across the school grounds and War Memorial Park! We will also distribute our kindness rocks as we go. On May 19th, I will take 20 Little Leo's to the Senior Center to play games and help with lunch! We Serve is the lions club motto and we are ending with a lot of community service!

Hi! We are Caz and Ethan, and we interviewed Mrs.Graf. She went to Boston College for her undergrad degree in psychology and UMass Boston for her master’s degree in teaching. Mrs.Graf’s favorite subject in school was Math. One thing she is looking forward to this year is seeing how much growth her students have made throughout the year. Mrs.Graf has a husband (Mr Graf) she also has 2 boys, one named Ryan he is 10 years old and another named Declan, who is 8 going on to 9 years old They also have a dog named Hank. When she was little, she wanted to be a teacher. She used to make her brother do work (Math Problems) and was excited to correct it. Mrs.Graf’s secret talent is that she is a good dancer. Mrs.Graf’s favorite book(s) is every book by Colleen Hoover. In her spare time likes to read and go to the beach, travel, and hangout with friends and family.

The person we interviewed was Amy Winter. She teaches health class for grades 1 -6. She told us many things about herself, for example about what school she went to and why she chose this job. She went to Silver Lake in Kingston and college at Bridgewater State for school. She had a love for science, which was her favorite subject. She also liked marine biology but ended up becoming a teacher. Focusing back to real time, she's really excited for the many upcoming events happening in school. This shows she's very social yet she also likes reading books and quiet time. Finally, her last hobby is she likes to ride her horse. And this concludes the interview with Amy Winter.

Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.

Click here to register!