January 9, 2012

On December 15th The Frisbie band and chorus held their annual winter concert. They performed for the student body in the afternoon, and held an evening performance for family members that were unable to attend in the afternoon. Mrs. Deloy and her students treated the audience to a variety of winter and holiday classics which the audience seemed to genuinely enjoy.

Also on December 15th, Grade 3 students participated on a field trip to the Connecticut trash museum. On this trip students learned what happens to garbage after it is picked up at our houses. This trip aligns with the third grade science unit on recycling and renewable resources.

Also in third grade news, students successfully completed their annual holiday card exchange. They exchanged cards with other third grade students in different areas of the country. As responses were received students participated in a variety of extension activities that incorporated effective teaching strategies such as comparing and contrasting geographical and cultural similarities and differences between Wolcott and other locales.

On December 21st, Grade 2 students chorally performed several winter and holiday poems as well as some holiday songs which required audience participation. The students performed to a packed house, and family members in the audience seemed to enjoy being able to participate in their performance from their seats.

The Frisbie PTO again sponsored several needy families and provided the children of those families with stockings filled with treats as well as giving the parents of those families gift card to Stop and Shop and Target so that they could shop for a holiday meal as well as gifts for their children. I would like to thank the PTO for the many positive initiatives and events that they sponsor throughout the year that time and again benefit our student body and at times the neediest of our Frisbie Families. Your benevolence is genuinely appreciated.

First grade has started a  Science unit on Plants.  First grade classes are planting 4 kinds of seeds and observing them daily and recording the findings.  Accompanying the science unit will also be the reading of a nonfiction book about seeds and a fiction story about seeds and comparing and contrasting the two using a Venn Diagram.

5th Grade students have been keeping a nightly journal of their observations of the moon for the past month. Every night they have filled out a calendar square of what the moon looked like. The moon journals are now being used to introduce the phases of the moon, as well as create hypotheses and predictions as to why the moon changes throughout the month and what may cause these changes. Current learning activities taking place in 5th grade are enabling students to determine whether or not their ideas and predictions were correct.

Welcome Back Letter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 I am pleased to report that the 2011-2012 school year is off to a great start!  Thanks to the dedication of our faculty, staff, and of course you the families, we experienced a very smooth opening to the school year.  

We have many exciting activities and programs planned for the upcoming year.  The school will continue implementing the school-wide PBIS respect program in which students are rewarded for exhibiting respectful behavior.  The “Bee Wars” behavioral incentive program in the cafeteria will be continued this year as well.  We will be introducing a new supplemental component to the aforementioned PBIS programs.  The new program will be called “Frisbie Hivelights” and will consist of a series of student assemblies in which student academic, civic, and social accomplishments are the focus. 

We have modified our schedule this year in an effort to make it more student-centered.  The schedule allows for more student activity throughout the day while simultaneously allowing for more instructional time in the content areas of literacy and science.  The modified schedule affords grade level teachers an increased opportunity for collaboration in an effort to design units, lessons, and learning activities that are tailored to the specific learning needs of their students. 

I am also pleased to report that our Connecticut Mastery Test scores indicate that we are providing our students with both a quality curriculum/instructional core and excellent instructional strategies.  We surpassed our goal of 80% of students scoring in the Mastery or Advanced categories in nine out of ten of the Connecticut Mastery Test areas.  I commend our students, teachers, and parents/guardians for working diligently to make the possibility of reaching our goals a reality! 

Your PTO has been very busy organizing and planning upcoming events that will provide our Frisbie families with plenty of fun and excitement!  The PTO is still seeking new parents to fill vacancies as chairpersons and general volunteers for various activities. They do so much to enrich the student experience at Frisbie. If you have time to spare we hope you will consider our PTO as a worthy recipient of your efforts.  At the very least, please consider becoming member if you are not one already. Frisbie School maintains an emailing list to assure that our parents/guardians get quick announcements for meetings and possible emergencies.  Please be sure to send in your new email address if you have changed providers so that we can reach you in an efficient manner. 

 I am confident that your child(ren) are going to have a wonderful experience at Frisbie School this year!   If you ever encounter any concerns or issues with your child’s educational experience at Frisbie, please feel free to contact me with your concerns.  I can be reached at 203-879-8146 or jnorcross@wolcottps.org  

 Sincerely,
Joseph Norcross

Principal