The Duffy Dateline

June 12th, 2014

Dear Duffy Families,

The school year is winding down. But, it is a time of great excitement for

all the children, especially our fifth grade leaders. I have watched them grow

this year physically, academically and socially. They are warm, caring, smart

and fun loving group. I know they will be outstanding leaders, and I look

forward to reading about their accomplishments.

We tried many new things at Duffy School. Fifth grade students

presented a play, Pirates of Grammar Island. In the hallway were art project

and different ways to think about art, thanks to Tiffany Pegolo. Our author,

Bill Thomson helped us create a chalk story on the blacktop. Teachers

implemented our Common Core based curriculums. Children took the SBAC

for the first time, and I had the privilege of seeing why Duffy community is so

special at the Duffy Fair.

I again want to thank every volunteer who helped Duffy to SHINE. It is

because of your commitment to the children that we are a great school. The

PTO members; especially Amy and Amy, have been here for us in countless

ways making sure Duffy is a great place for children to begin their education.

Our room parents/guardians, the fluency literacy volunteers, the Garden Club

members, Media center volunteers, and many others who came in weekly, your

support was astonishing. Below is a poem for each of you which I shared

during our Character Education Assembly.

Saying good-bye after a short year with you is hard. I have come to

respect your dedication to the children and your love of Duffy School. I loved

greeting your children each morning and receiving wonderful warm hugs and

big smiles. Thank you for sharing your children with me. Congratulations to

Kristi Laverty (Duffy’s curriculum specialist), on becoming Duffy Interim

Principal next year. She will enjoy working with such committed parents.

Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and hearts, I will not forget your

generosity. Have a wonderful summer filled with laughter and good health.

Sincerely and fondly,

Karen

Volunteer by: anonymous She comes in every week

Always five minutes early

Just enough time for a

Gracious good morning

And perhaps a few moments

Of polite chatter.

He comes in every week

Checking his watch with

The clock in the office

And offers to do an errand

Because he

Is going that way

Anyhow, but I know he’s not.

They come in every week

Quietly keeping their commitments

Their names are never in the paper

They don’t serve on committees

They don’t contribute large

Sums of money to the fund drive

They come in every week

Every month, every year

Quietly doing what they

Agreed to do

Quietly doing

So much more.

Quietly helping our children

They are our volunteers

The many faces of Duffy’s Parents, Staff & Children Volunteers

The faces of children enjoying Field Day 2014

Duffy the Dragon by B. Thomson and the “Garden Adventure” by Duffy children

Curriculum Corner From the desk of Kristi Laverty

We are ending the year strong in our Duffy classrooms. I hope June’s high quality learning

activities have left your children feeling excited, engaged, and proud to be a Duffy Dragon. The

curricular highlights of the past 2 weeks included:

StarLab for students in grades K-2

Crime Lab for students in grades 3-5

A 30 minute yoga session for all students! Karla Kress-Boyle is a Duffy mom and a kids’

yoga and dance teacher here in town. Last summer, she trained in Yoga 4 Classrooms

(www.yoga4classrooms.com), a program designed to offer students yoga right at their

desks. We are thrilled to be able to offer this experience at Duffy and we are grateful for

Karla’s partnership with us.

Ask your child to share something learned during each of these wonderful experiences!

Parent Volunteer Opportunities Did you know that we have several committees here at Duffy made up of administrators, teachers, and parents?

These committees serve several important purposes; to reflect on the vision, goals, and priorities of our school,

to provide feedback and recommendations to the Duffy Site Council, and to create opportunity for

collaborative partnerships between all stakeholders. We are looking for 2 parent volunteers to serve on each

of the committees below for the 2014-2015 school year. We also have one parent opening on the Duffy Site

Council. Our Site Council is a decision-making body charged with creating, implementing, and evaluating

our School Improvement Plan. This volunteer opportunity is a 3 year commitment. If you are interested in

participating on any of these committees, please fill in your information and send this page back to school with

your child. Or, you can email your preference to kristi_laverty@whps.org.

I am interested in serving on the Enrichment Committee (2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:45 am)

Name:

Phone Number:

I am interested in serving on the Technology Committee (2nd Monday of the month at 3:30 pm)

Name:

Phone Number:

I am interested in serving on the Safe School Committee (1st Monday of the month at 3:30 pm)

Name:

Phone Number:

I am interested in serving on the Duffy Site Council (5x’s a year-10/2, 12/4, 2/5, 4/2, 6/4 at 3:30 pm)

Name:

Phone Number:

Fifth Grade Class Day Ceremony

Monday, June 16th 1:30pm in the Duffy Auditorium

Children should dress as follows:

Girls:

Dresses, skirts or slacks and blouse, and shoes.

Boys: Dress shirts, ties, long pants and shoes. No jackets needed…

Shoes are preferable to sneakers, but if sneakers are worn, they should be clean and in

good condition. Please no jeans, shorts, tee shirts or halter tops. Please have children bring outfits to school on a hanger and PLEASE LABEL ALL CLOTHING

Please join us for refreshments following the ceremony Attention 5th Graders!

Winding Trails Fun Day Today Thursday June 12th, 9:15am-2:00pm

June 2014

10, 12, 13 Grades 3-5 Crime Lab, Quest Room

11 8:30am Enrichment Committee Meeting

10-11am Grade 5 Class Day Rehearsal, Auditorium

12 9:15am-2:00pm Grade 5 Fun Day @ Winding Trail

3:20-4:20pm Farmers Market, Front Yard

13 Character Day

10-11am Grade 5 Class Day Rehearsal, Auditorium

16 1:30pm Grade 5 Class Day, Auditorium

18 12:00-1:00pm Grade K Family Picnic

11:45-12:45pm Grade 3 Bike/Read Celebration (Campbell)

12:00-2:00pm Grade 3 Class Party (Bedner)

19 2:00pm Dismissal – Last Day of School

Last Day of School The last day of school for our students will Thursday, JUNE 19, 2014 with a 2:00pm

closing time.

First Day of School for 2014-2015 is Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Next Dateline Publication date: September 04, 2014

PTO NEWS

Dear Duffy Parents and Staff,

It is hard to believe June has arrived and the countdown until the end of another school year has

begun.

I want to thank my 2013-2014 Executive Board, the Committee Chairs and Committee members,

as well as all our room parents for such a successful year. You are all amazing and I have been

so lucky to have you on my team. You have shined, achieved great things, and made a difference

in the lives of not only the students in our school, but our staff, teachers, families and community

as a whole. You are all exceptionally talented, giving, generous, and dedicated and without you,

this year would not have been the great one it has been.

I feel so tremendously fortunate to be a part of such an amazing school community. I have been

privileged and honored to serve as your PTO President during this past school year. Thank you

for giving me the opportunity to serve our Duffy community. I am constantly astonished by how

eager parents are to seize the chance to help Duffy continue to grow and evolve.

I strongly encourage all of you to volunteer with our PTO in some way next year; the opportunities

are truly endless. Volunteering not only makes such a positive impact on your children’s lives but

on your own lives as well. My daughter’s teacher, Leslie Bates has a different precept that she

shares with her student’s every month. May’s precept was “Do all the good you can, in all the

ways you can, in all the places you can, as long as you ever can.” This particular quote struck me

so profoundly because it is the tenet upon which I believe our Duffy community thrives. As

parents, by volunteering and getting involved at Duffy and continually seeking opportunities to

do more good at Duffy, we help shape our children’s perspectives on the importance of

community involvement, teach them their own worth and show them that they each can make a

difference in the world, whether it is large or small.

A warm welcome to Amy Sarzen as your new PTO President for the 2014-2015 school year; I

can say with all confidence that I leave you in great hands!

Have a relaxing, safe, and wonderful summer!!

Sincerely,

Amy Boultbee MacKinnon

PTO President 2013-2014

I want to personally thank all the parents and family members that came out to watch their children compete

and play during Field Day. I know that your children really enjoy it when they have the support of their family

watching them have fun during physical activity. Thank you for supporting the physical education department

and encouraging your children to be physically active. I also want to thank all of the parents and family

members that took extra time during their day to help assist during my field days.

Grade 5 Town Wide Field Day was held on Tuesday June 3. This is a program that allows students in Grade 5

the opportunity to experience athletic competition in track and field with other Grade 5 students from all the

other elementary schools in West Hartford. Duffy school was well represented and performed very well in the

competition. Students that participated were: Chole S, Tyler R, Will B, Jessie M, Lindsay R, Olivia L, Niki N,

Connor O, Marlena B, Mollie G, Max L, Coco H, Emmett C, Pat H, Andrew R, Column F, Shea Lynn M and

Rosey M.

*A special congratulations to Tyler R who tied the Town Wide Record in the boys mile run with a time of 5:36.

*A special congratulations to Will B who broke the Town Wide Record in the boys 400 meter run with a time

of 1:08.

* A special congratulations to the entire team and a JOB WELL DONE!

Thanks for your continued support and I wish everyone a healthy and active summer!

Rob DeVeau

Physical Education Teacher

Summer Reading Challenge 2014

Lynette Roy, Duffy Reading Specialist

Every summer, students in West Hartford are encouraged to read over the summer. As we

all know, reading is one of the most important skills there is. Reading builds language skills and

better thinking strategies.

Duffy students have always been avid readers. This summer, we are challenging 100% of

our students to read over the summer. We are also challenging 100% of the Duffy staff to read

over the summer! Encourage your children to read every day or read to your children each day.

Visit the local library and consult with the librarians who can help your children find just right

books. Talk to your children about the books they read. Form children’s book clubs. Bring

books or books on a Nook on vacation.

Mrs. Dailey, our Duffy Library Media Specialist, will send home a summer reading record

with your child. Over the summer, you can use this record sheet to list books that your child has

read or you have read to them. We hope that you are able to take your child to the library, but if

that is not possible, please keep a list of books that your child has read. When school begins,

please send in the book record with your child to give to his/her teacher.

Thank you for helping us reach our goal of 100% participation!

Thanks to all our Duffy parents and families who volunteered their time during the Duffy Fair. Special

THANK YOU to the Duffy Fair coordinators, Mandy Drain, Amy Sarzen and Nancy Barnum who did

an outstanding job of putting another wonderful fair on for Duffy families!

Thank you to all the Volunteers! Duffy Staff would like to thank all who have generously volunteered their time and energy to

Duffy this year!!!

Parents, students and staff are invited to stop by the Duffy Farmers' Market on Thursday, June 12th at 3:20pm to purchase fresh, organic produce like kale, bok choy, peas, radishes, raw honey and breads from Hartford Baking Company and La Petite France. Chef Torla will also be there with goodies to sample and purchase.

ARE YOU MOVING?

In order to get the most accurate numbers as possible for next year’s enrollment, we need your help. If

you will be moving out of the Duffy district for the 2014-2015 school year, please call the school office.

If you have a 5th grader not planning to attend Sedgwick Middle School or Bristow Middle School,

let us know; otherwise all 5th grade students records will move on to Sedgwick Middle School. Also

if you know parents who are moving into the Duffy district in the fall, please ask them to call the school

office at 860-521-0110.

Note From the Café

Only cold lunches will be served on the last three days of school. There will be no hot lunches.

Please note that instead of pizza on Friday, tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will be

provided. Please plan accordingly.

INFORMATIONAL FLIERS 1- Duffy PTO volunteers form

2- June lunch Menu (is available on Duffy Website)

3- Vacation Day Camp @ The Children Museum

4- West Hartford YMCA 2014 Summer Camp

Louise Duffy School Directory

2014-2015

Once again we are asking for your help. Parents are always pleased to receive our Duffy

Directory early in the year. In order for us to accomplish this, we ask you to please complete

this form and return it to your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. They are already

due.

Each year Duffy School and the PTO publish and distribute early in the fall, a directory for students,

parents/guardians and teachers. To develop the 2014-2015 School Directory, we ask

parents/guardians to confirm the home address and phone numbers of all students attending Duffy

School. The directory is used by parents/guardians to contact students and their families regarding

various school events and enables students to contact each other for get-togethers and special events.

The directory helps us to maintain communication with our Duffy community.

Please complete this form carefully, indicating whether or not the phone number is unlisted and

whether or not you would like it printed in the directory.

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Student’s Name_________________________________________ Grade_______________

Student’s Name_________________________________________ Grade_______________

Student’s Name_________________________________________ Grade_______________

Address____________________________________________________________________

Phone__________________________ Is this unlisted? Yes ___________ No __________

Do you want this number listed in the Directory? Yes______________ No_____________

Names of Parents/Guardians:

Name___________________Address_______________________Phone_______________

Name___________________Address_______________________Phone________________

Please note only the addresses that are in the computer will be used. If you have moved and have

not gone to Residency, your new address will not be available to us and any mail will go to the

address listed in the computer. The directory will reflect that same address!

Parent/Guardian Signature:________________________________________________

Date:___________________________________________________________________

Fall Placements And Class Lists Letters notifying families of student placements for 2014-2015 will be mailed on Friday, August

1st for grades K-5, and will not be available prior to that time. Please let us know if you do not

receive your placement letter by August 5th. Once again this year, a list of students in your child’s

class as well as a supply list will be included in the August mailing. If you have moved, be sure

to go the residency office so your placement letter will not be returned to school.

From the Health Room

If your child has medication in the health room, please arrange to pick it up by the last day of

school. If I do not hear from you, I will assume that you don’t need it and I will discard it. As per

WHPS policy, an adult must pick up the medication; children are not allowed to transport

medication to and from school.

Thank you.

Duffy School Nurse

Lost and Found Please check the lost and found box located in the hallway next to the cafeteria before the end of

the school year. All items not claimed after the last day of school (June 19, 2014) will be donated

to charity.

A big thank you to

our PTO for

everything they have

done to help us in

the office. We

couldn’t have done it

without your help.

Elona,

Ernestine,

and Halina.

Dress Code Reminder

Following are the school dress guidelines as they appear in the Duffy handbook (page 19). Please talk with your

children about the guidelines and help them to understand the difference between appropriate school dress and

play clothes or beachwear.

School Dress Guidelines Students should come to school ready to learn. Appropriate dress should be considered so that our school is a

safe, comfortable environment for all children. Students are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing.

Shorts should be at least fingertip length.

Shorts and pants should not sag.

Shorts and tops should cover both stomach and back.

Shoes should be comfortable, safe and appropriate for school activities. (Flip-flops, clogs and sandals are

not safe or appropriate for most outdoor recess activities. Students wearing these types of footwear may

be restricted from participating in some activities. Please also note that sneakers with wheels are not

allowed in school).

Outwear should be appropriate for the weather. (It is recommended that students dress in layers so that

each is prepared for the changes in temperature that may occur during any spring day).

Clothes should not contain offensive pictures or words.

Hats and bandanas should not be worn in the building.

In choosing clothing that meets these guidelines, please remember that neither pants nor tops should allow for

undergarments to be revealed. Your assistance in helping your children make the right choices is appreciated.

Safety Reminder

Please remember that students who are walkers must leave the premises at dismissal unless there is an adult

present to supervise them while they play on school grounds.

No tree climbing is allowed, and playing in garden areas and bushes should be avoided. Parents and guardians are reminded that public school grounds technically become public parks once students

are dismissed, and the responsibility for supervision of their children shifts to them.

Medical supplies and treatment are not available outside of regular school hours.

Thank you

A heartfelt thank you goes out to each and every Mentor in our Mentoring program here at Duffy.

Your love of children, commitment and kindness have SUCH a strong influence upon our Student

Mentees. The students ALWAYS look forward to their time with you and clearly benefit from

spending time with you. Thanks so much for giving your time so generously and showing such

genuine concern for our students! Jen Hudner, Coordinator,

Duffy Mentoring Program

West Hartford Schools Summer Program – A Regional Gem for

Skills Building and Get-Ahead High School Credit The 2014 Summer School Program welcomes students to a wide selection of enriching courses and great

activities. The offerings range from four-week preschool & kindergarten activities at Aiken School, to classes

for both middle school and high school students held this year at Sedgwick Middle School while the high school

buildings undergo repairs and updates.

For very young students, we have three programs. Summer Fun for Preschoolers provides many activities for

3 to 5 year olds in small group settings. G.R.A.S.P., or Get Ready at Summer Pre-School, emphasizes early

learning skills for children entering kindergarten this fall. And Moving on Up offers more formal educational

skill development for children “moving up” to first grade this fall. All three of these programs will be held at

Aiken School and are scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 each morning for four weeks, beginning on Monday, June 30

and ending on Friday, July 25 (No class on July 4).

For students entering grades 7 and 8, we are adding Technology classes in photography/graphic design

and animation/web design (which are also open to high school students), as well as our popular Introduction

to Algebra and Study Skills for Middle School courses.

In addition to more than 30 credit classes that can be taken for get-ahead or remedial high school credit at

Sedgwick this summer, such as Modern World History for incoming ninth graders, or Health and American

Government for sophomores, we have added some exciting elective classes in Introductory Chinese and, for

students entering grades 11 and 12, Anatomy & Physiology, which isn’t offered during the school year. Course

descriptions and registration procedures can be found now online at whlifelearn.org, or by phone at 860-561-

6900, or in person at the Continuing Education office at Town Hall. The high school Program of Studies has our

summer information at the back of that guidebook, and our own summer course catalog will be mailed to all

homes in early May. Catalogs will also be available at our schools and libraries.