Text Box: Dear Pierson Parents and Students, It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Abraham Pierson School Open House! I hope your visit to your child’s classroom was the first of many positive experiences at our school this year. The children have made a wonderful transition to a new school year and are already engaged in exciting learning in all curriculum areas. Creative “Sell It” posters decorate our hallways, a tribute to the partnership and hard work of our students, our staff and parents. We are pleased to welcome four new faculty members to our school. Mrs. Allen joined the Special Education department, Mr. Donovan will teach Spanish to all students, Mrs. Pepe is teaching fourth grade this year and will “loop up” to fifth grade next year and Mrs. Skidmore is teaching fourth grade in the traditional program. They quickly settled into routines at Pierson School and are enjoying the Clinton community. I am sure that parents and students will enjoy working with them as much as the staff does! The Pierson staff worked diligently this summer to prepare for the upcoming school year. A new roof and long awaited ventilation system were installed in the gym. An ambitious technology plan was implemented under the direction of Mr. John Crovo, Mrs.Kelsey and Mrs. Walden. Students are using brand new computers in the main and mini labs as well as “COWS, computers on wheels that have been upgraded. A new SMART board has arrived along with a laptop for each teacher and a desktop for each class. The use of technology along with continued professional development will broaden the learning opportunities and support student achievement at Pierson School. The beginning of the school year is a wonderful time for goal setting. The Pierson staff utilized the professional development days at the start of the year to renew their commitment to working as a Professional Learning Community and to identify “SMART” goals at each grade level. SMART goals are data driven goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented and time bound. Staff will closely monitor student progress on an ongoing basis using multiple forms of assessment. The Response to Intervention model will be utilized to provide students with additional support for their learning. As a school community we will continue to celebrate our successes at Community Meetings using the Responsive Classroom model. This is also a good time of year for you to talk with your child about personal educational goals for this school year. Set a goal, establish a time frame, monitor your child’s progress and then celebrate their successes! The staff at Pierson School is genuinely concerned about each and every student and will continue to be a voice for the children entrusted their care. We ask parents to help us make this a successful year for your child by encouraging daily and prompt attendance and assisting with quality homework completion and daily at home reading. The Pierson code is “Respectful, Responsible, Prepared, Safe and Kind.” Please review positive behavior expectations with your child and let us know how we can help make this a memorable year for you and for your child! Text Box: A Note from our Principal Text Box: THE PIERSON TIMES Text Box: PRINCIPAL: ANGELA GUARASCIO Text Box: October November 2008 Text Box: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 Text Box: Inside this issue: Text Box: Check out the Home School Connection News on Pages 9 and 10. Provided by Resources for Educators & Parents!

FOP Cultural

6

Nurses’ Desk

6

Library/Technology

7

Clinton Youth & Family

8

Home & School Connection

9-10

Classroom News

2-3

Physical Education

3

World Language

3

Art Studio

4

Music

5

Literacy

5

Special Education

5