4-5 Site

A Letter From the Director

Dear MAP Families,

While I am not a huge moviegoer through the course of a year, my partner and I cram in as many movies as we can see come Awards Season. As soon as the nominations for the Golden Globes are announced, we check our local theater listings and On Demand choices and plan out our movie watching schedule through Academy Award Night, all the while taking note of those movies bringing home hardware from the Golden Globe and SAG Award Shows.

This past weekend we saw The Artist. The movie is set in 1927 Hollywood and centers around the life of George Valentin, a successful movie star of silent films. Without spoiling the movie for anyone who has not yet seen it, Valentin is faced with feelings of becoming washed-up and irrelevant as the advent of the talkies replaces silent films.

While the movie is set nearly ninety years ago, the notion of new innovations changing life as we know it is even more prevalent in modern day society. You buy the newest smart phone, computer or TV today knowing that in a few months something even more powerful, faster, and smarter is going to be released. New innovations have changed our labor needs, changed the way we get the news, and changed the world that our children are being brought up in.

Like George Valentin in The Artist, the staff and I sometimes feel behind the eight ball in terms of keeping up to date with all of the new technology that the younger generation is bringing to our attention. Much of these technological advances are great. For example, teachers are posting assignments and supplemental learning tools on their classroom websites. Students are able to plug their iPods into the radio at MAP and play their favorite songs in the gym. Both of these things are great for the students. However as technology advances faster and faster these days, our rules and policies are changing more often in order to adapt. For example, our former simple rule that "mp3 players are allowed, but cell phones are not" is trickier because nowadays they are often times one in the same. The "no texting or chat rooms" rule is harder to enforce as more and more devices and online games have these capabilities. As we try to navigate our way through modern day society and keep up with the technology, I welcome any insights from you, the parents. Let us know any concerns you have with the new technologies that you have brought into your house, as well as how you have dealt with them. As George Valentin finds out, we cannot simply ignore innovation and hope that society stays back with us. It is our role as teachers and parents to help our youth learn to use it responsibly.

Wishing you and your families a wondeful Super Bowl Weekend, 

Michael

Sent from my iPhone... not really :-)

Pfunn @ the Pfaff

We kicked off our travel theme during the month of January, starting in Canada and the United States.  Our centers and projects were all themed around our wonderful country and our neighbors to the north.  Some of the MAPster's favorite activities included making winter snow globes, drawing Canadian animals, and participating in a floor hockey tournament.

From the cold temps of winter in Canada and the US, we moved to the warmer climate of The Caribbean.  Students enjoyed making colorful tap-tap trucks out of both clay and giant boxes, crafting various projects with shells, and cooking plantains.

Next we traveled to

Australia

where the MAPsters painted aboriginal pictures, designed their own boomerangs & didgeridoos and even sampled vegimite!  They were also very creative when trying to figure out what this type of hat is used for in Australia:

Not sure what it is?  Ask your MAPster!

Thank you to Mrs. Drumm for providing a lot of resources for our Australia week!

During the fourth week of the month we traveled to

Asia.  The MAPsters tried their hand at using both Arabic and Chinese characters to write their names.  They also channeled their inner fashion designer as they created their own Asian inspired clothing.  There were two cooking opportunities this week. Some of the students took a field trip to Zebras where their sushi chef helped them roll their own maki rolls.  We ended the week with Joe leading the kids in a cooking demonstration in which everyone made their own spring roll. 

We will continue our travel theme during February, when our themes will include South America, Africa, Europe, and Back Home in Medfield. 

Pajama Party - RIO STYLE! 

On Friday, January 27, MAP held its annual Parents' Night Out Fundraiser.  At the 4th & 5th Grade Site we brought the fun vibe of Rio De Janeiro's Carnival to the Pfaff Center.  The Main Hall was decked out with bright lights and colorful birds soaring overhead and Samba music blasting. The kids enjoyed playing volleyball, hulahooping, and dancing.  After pizza and salad for dinner, we played our own version of Angry Birds, then tie-dyed t-shirts using the colorful colors that can be seen at Carnival.  After some brownies, sorbet, and fruit for dessert, we played team hide-and-go seek throughout the Pfaff Center with the lights off!  We ended the night by relaxing and watching the movie RIO.  Thank you to all of the families who took part in our fundraiser.  We appreciate your continued support!

Show Your Love for MAP! 

  There is a multitude of hearts cascading from the box with various items printed on them.  If you wish, you can take a heart (or hearts) from the display and donate that item to MAP.  All of the items can be found on your shopping trips to the grocery or craft stores.  Thanks so much for your continued support!

This is a way you can help MAP with items we use regularly.  Go to the oversized box of conversation hearts above the attendance book.

Winter Weather

Even though we have yet to have a major snow fall, in the case that we do, please be sure to send your child with appropriate outside attire.  It would be extremely helpful to make sure all scarves, hats, jackets, etc are labeled.  Every year we end up with a huge mountain of Lost & Found items with no names on them.

On days when there is snow on the ground, MAPsters are allowed to play in the snow only if they have boots and snowpants.  If they do not, they are still allowed to go outside, but are limited to the blacktop.