As the Peirce staff arrived, some were aware of the incident and arrived in varied states of shock and dismay.  Others accepted the news with disbelief and overwhelming sadness.  However, all were prepared to put their own grief aside and work toward helping the children through this difficult day.

By the time the students were arriving, administrators from all over the Arlington Public Schools were in the building.  Special Education administrators Lori Villani and Chris Carlson were among the first to arrive, as were Superintendent Kathleen Bodie, and Cindy Bouvier, Director of Wellness.  They immediately called in social workers from all schools, and the STARS team, a crisis response system composed of trained individuals from all over the state.

Once this team assembled, they sprang into action.  Social workers went into classrooms in pairs to discuss the tragedy with students. The rest of the team initiated the Alert Now system to get the information out to the community.

After all the classrooms had been visited, several social workers stayed in the building, and the children were informed they had access to them for the rest of the day.  STARS members provided counseling for staff members for the remainder of the day as well.  Plans were made with The Children’s Room of Arlington to come to Peirce later that week to educate teachers and parents on how to help children, and adults, cope with the grief surrounding Alanna’s death.

As this was all happening inside the building, parent support was building all around us.  We were receiving emails and phone calls offering support and sympathy.  Other schools were doing the same, offering assistance in any way possible. 

For the rest of the week, social workers were available to the students and teachers.  Emotional support from parents and the larger community continued.  Parents and other schools sent food, flowers, and condolences.  The level of support from the Arlington community was outstanding.

Weeks later, we are still grappling with that loss.  We are keeping a close eye on our children, watching for lingering signs of stress and anguish.  As always, the children impress us with their resilience, and they are a great source of strength.

We still have people checking in on us, and social workers available to help children if needs arrive.  For today and tomorrow, we continue to depend on each other’s support and kindness, which seems to be an inexhaustible resource in the community.  The loss will always be here, but good memories are replacing hard ones, and we are moving on.

Mrs. Schuette, mother of a student in that class, shared some lovely words from the heart, and all the students helped plant the tree with a scoopful of dirt.  The kids were excited and positive, promising to care for the tree.  One student mentioned that when they graduate, they can ask their younger siblings to care for it.  I thought that was a wonderful idea.

Thank you to Ms. Orrell for taking pictures of this moving event.

 I have let the family know of the tree, and they were in agreement that it was the perfect way to honor Alanna’s memory.

Last Wednesday, an enrichment program called “Simply Circus” came to visit our 3rd and 5th graders, to help them further understand the ideas of simple machines, how they work, and how you can see them everywhere. (These are science and technology curriculum topics in those grades).  At the end of the day, the gentleman running the program asked to speak with me.  He wanted to share how impressed he had been with our children and staff.

He started by expressing how professional and friendly our custodian (Mr. Frank) had been upon arriving here.  He told me this is not always the case, he is often treated as an inconvenience.

He then went on to say how attentive, excited, and enthusiastic our students were.  Above all, he loved the level of cooperation he saw in our kids; their words of encouragement to each other, their cohesiveness, and overall kindness to one another.   He said he visited over 40 schools a year, and Peirce by far exceeds others in that area.

I was very proud to share with him the fact that we are an inclusive school, and in the four separate classes, he could not tell the difference.  I was very happy to hear this, as we know that in a good inclusion class, everyone is included, and everyone belongs.

He went on to praise our teachers, and how well they conducted and participated in the circus.  He said there was a culture here that was “amazing”.  As you can imagine, I was proud and thankful for his feedback, but I wasn’t all that surprised.  I know how hard the teachers and parents in this school work to promote a happy environment where children can thrive.  I am lucky to work with such great people!  Good work everyone!

Many of you will have questions about the test, such as “How do I talk to my child about it?” and “What does it mean?”.  While there are no simple answers to either question, it does bring up a lot of discussion.

As for talking to your child about it, it may be best to ask your child’s teacher, and your child, what the discussion has been in the classroom.  The students have been preparing for this since Kindergarten, they should not feel the test is something they have to start studying for now.

As for “What does it mean?”, the best I can offer is this; it is one way to measure your child’s learning, but it is certainly not the only way.  Many children express their understanding in ways that can not be reflected in a standardized test.

A new piece to MCAS last year was the addition of SGP (Student Growth Percentile).  Many of you have asked what this is, and I’ve found this description from the Department of Education:

“For K-12 education in Massachusetts, the phrase “growth model” describes a method of measuring individual student progress on statewide assessments (the MCAS) by tracking student scores from one year to the next. Each student with at least two consecutive years of MCAS scores will receive a student growth percentile, which measures how much the student changed relative to other students statewide with similar scores in previous years. Student growth percentiles range from 1 to 99, where higher numbers represent higher growth and lower numbers represent lower growth. This method works independently of MCAS performance levels. Therefore, all students, no matter the scores they earned on past MCAS tests, have an equal chance to demonstrate growth at any of the 99 percentiles on the next year’s test. Growth percentiles are calculated in ELA and mathematics for students in grades 4 through 8 and for grade 10.”

If you have further questions, you can visit the Massachusetts Department of Education’s website at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas.

 Their website also contains previous MCAS questions if you want to take a look.  I personally love to take a shot at the question of the day.

I hope you have found this information helpful, and again, don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher for any advice on how to get through it.  We do great as a school, and I have confidence that we will do well again this year!

Q1) Is Peirce going to house all the elementary special education programs for Arlington after redistricting?

The answer is no, Peirce already has two.  We have our co-taught, inclusion program in one classroom at each grade, and we are housing a SLC – A program during the Thompson rebuild.  There are no plans to add another program.

Q2) Does Peirce have the all elementary special education programs housed here?

No, almost every other elementary school in Arlington houses one or more special education programs.  If they do not it is because they do not have any space.

Q3) Are inclusion students sent here because they were a behavior problem at their home school?

No, there is a special program for students with severe behavioral problems housed in another school. 

Q4) Are the majority of students in the inclusion program children with special needs?

No.  Inclusion students who are here from other schools make up 11% of our total population.  And they are all fabulous, contributing members of our school.

I hope this helps to clear up any misinformation you have been hearing.  As always, you can contact your child’s classroom teacher(s) with questions or concerns.  They know what is going on inside the classrooms better than anyone else, and they are eager to share their expertise!

As a public school, we have seen terrible cuts over the last decade, and unfortunately, many cuts come from programs that were intended to challenge our most advanced students.  It has fallen on the classroom teachers to make sure all students are getting what they need, despite having tremendous differences in the abilities of their students.  Additionally, legislation requires that they focus on closing the achievement gap between struggling and on-level students.  So what do they do?

Here at Peirce, they do quite a lot.  From ‘Think Tanks’ to “Challenge of the Week” problems, teachers at every grade level are aiming to meet the needs of their advanced students.  Sometimes, just getting through the broad curriculum they need to cover is challenge enough for even our strongest students.

If you aren’t sure what opportunities your child is receiving for challenge, ask your classroom teacher.  If there isn’t enough time in your child’s busy school day, ask what you can do at home as well.  Our teachers are full of creative ideas!

I recently enjoyed a musical version of Dicken’s ”A Christmas Carol” and I was struck by a line I have heard so many times before, “Mankind should have been my business”.  This is the deceased character Jacob Marley responding to Scrooge’s comment that he had been a good business man in life.  I thought about the staff and families here at Peirce, and I am so glad all of you, every day, make mankind your business.  Great work goes on here.

Have a joyful and peaceful New Year.

Last week, I watched first graders learning about weather, and sharing some great ideas.  I learned that many of them are Shel Silverstein fans!

This week, I observed second graders working on some difficult math concepts, regarding area.  When they were asked about a math game they know, called “Guess My Rule”, many students remarked that it was a game they play to ‘discuss the characteristics of a shape’.  Characteristics???  That’s impressive for second grade!!!

In third grade, I joined a science lesson on comets.  The students were nice enough to explain to me that they are not stars (even though people call them shooting stars) and they are made of dust, ice, and gas. I wish I could have stayed long enough to make one with styrofoam and glitter!

Things here at school are running smoothly.  It is nice to walk into a room and feel so welcome, and to see the teachers and students acting so kindly towards each other.  We are so lucky to have such a great community!!!

I am thankful for a supportive community who puts their children first.

I am thankful for hard-working teachers who work tireless hours meeting the needs of all our children.

I am thankful for my entire staff, who make Peirce a great place to work.

I am thankful for parents who contribute so much positive energy and expect nothing in return (we know who you are!!!).

I am thankful for not having snow days yet.

I am thankful that I work at such a great school.

Have  a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!