DISTRICT UPDATES
•Rasheeda led our first Parent to Para info session. We had 11 parents attend. Martha Valentine, a current para shared her experiences as a para and encouraged folks to apply. We’re off to a great start!
•The District hosted Community Budget Conversations for Teachers and faculty earlier this week. We had over 130 members participate. Last night Dr. Abeyta and Ms. Lamboy presented our 2022 Budget last week. We look forward to: Reopen, Restore and Rebuild our schools!
•During the school vacation, Parent Liaisons Yolanda Valles and Johnny Giraldo hosted a February Vacation Pajama Giveaway for all the schools at the Mary C. Burke Complex. It was a fun and socially distant event where families got a chance to take home some warm pajamas to stay cozy during these cold days. The Pajamas were kindly donated by the residents of Wayland through friends of Principal Meyers.
EARLY LEARNING CENTER UPDATES
•Members of the Chelsea Kiwanis Club read books to celebrate Black History Month to classrooms at the ELC this week. Ms. Veronica read to Ms. Ashley’s and Ms. Portillo’s kindergarten class this week. The students loved learning about Rosa Parks.
•ELC families participated in a fort building challenge over February vacation. Some great forts were built.
BERKOWITZ
SCHOOL
UPDATES
•The 4th graders at the Berkowitz hosted Javier Zamora, a published poet originally from El Salvador. He immigrated to the US unaccompanied at age 9 and met his parents in California where he grew up. Zamora writes poems about his experience coming to this country and what it’s like to live with his American and Salvadoran identities. He recited poems, and was asked questions, and students were able to share 4th grade poems with him. This is the third year in a row the school has hosted Javier, and students were excited to welcome him back again.
•Students in Ms. Cabigting’s class at the Berkowitz School are trying different activities they can do to help themselves keep calm or feel relaxed. This week they tried out painting and coloring with markers and used YouTube to find and listen to relaxing music.
HOOK SCHOOL
UPDATES
•The second graders at the Hooks School have demonstrated their ability to be creative, resourceful and determined. Each week the students are asked to do some off-screen homework where they have to design, think and try a concept out. This past week students learned about bridges. They were asked to think about the length, the strength and how to build a bridge.
KELLY SCHOOL
UPDATES
•The Kelly School’s February Open Mic Night was a resounding success. Dozens of students shared their talents in music, art, and poetry in a unique live Zoom performance.
SOKOLOWSKI
SCHOOL UPDATES
•Members from the Kiwanis Club read books to Sokolowski classrooms this week. In honor of Black History Month, they read books by black authors or about influential black men and women. Students really enjoyed the stories.
•Ms. Yi’s class participated in a Fire Talk to close out their Patricia Polacco author study. A Fire Talk is something that Patricia Polacco used to do with her Babushka. They would sit around a fire while eating apples, popcorn and fudge and listen to their Babushka tell stories. Ms. Yi’s class participated in a “mindful tasting” of apples, popcorn and fudge. The overwhelming favorite was fudge. Then, they listened to each other’s book analysis of their favorite Patricia Polacco text that they studied during the unit while snacking.
•Third grade students at the Sokolowski School have been learning about changing environments in Science class. We learned that when environments change, animals may become endangered or extinct. We wanted to help in some way, so we decided to adopt an endangered animal. We took a vote, but couldn’t decide on just one. We adopted TWO endangered animals: a Koala and an Arctic Fox.
CHELSEA
OPPORTUNITY ACADEMY UPDATES
A big congratulations to Mr. Carlos Godoy! Carlos graduated this morning, February 26, after presenting his senior capstone to a team of COA staff members. Carlos will enroll at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in the fall.