[CabotCommunity] Cabot E-Jabberwock Issue 1 October 17th 2006

Tue Oct 17 15:11:03 EDT 2006

Please be aware that you can also print this document from the Cabot
website, www.cabotpto.org <http://www.cabotpto.org/> .

Our thanks goes to the editor of this first issue, Liz Lehrer a Cabot
Kindergarten parent.

Text Box: Cabot School e-Jabberwock

Respect for self and others            Lifelong learning
Commitment to school and community

Issue 1 October 17, 2006

Cabot School Contact Information 

• Main Office: 617-559-9400                      • CASP: 617-964-2749

• Gym: 617-559-9407                                   • Food Service:
617-559-9021 or 617-559-6315

• Inclusion Facilitator: 617-559-9409      • Nurse: 617-559-9404

• Library: 617-559-9406                             • Psychologist & Social
Worker: 617-559-9405

• Call Back/Safe Arrival: 617-559-9390 Call by 8:20 a.m. to report tardiness
& absences

Cabot School website        <http://www.newton.mec.edu/cabot/>
www.newton.mec.edu/cabot/

Cabot School PTO              <http://www.cabotpto.org/> www.cabotpto.org

Newton Public Schools      <http://www.newtonpublicschools.com/>
www.newtonpublicschools.com

  Calendar

 Marilynne’s Message

The school year is off to a great start! With an enrollment of 422 students
we are full to the brim! We have reached the full capacity of the building
and this year we are learning how to be even more creative as we share space
during the day and after-school to accommodate the needs of children and
adults. For the first year in a long time, we are not able to meet all the
requests to access space, let me remind the community that our after school
program has held its early afternoon kindergarten program off site. They
continue to do that and in fact have reduced enrollment in the program that
has resulted in as many as 30 students not able to enroll. If you are a
subscriber to the after school program you are very aware of the angst this
reduction has caused. I hope that over the course of the year, we can come
together to “nurture, structure and join” each other to sustain a healthy
community! In addition to the strain the after school families and staff are
experiencing, our day program is scheduled so tight that no rooms exists for
some of the extras we have been able to provide in the past. For example, we
are not offering any world language classes. We continue to provide a room
for chess and the brownies which adds to our challenges but it is important
to preserve some programs that serve our community.

School Hours

I am pleased with the number of children who are eager to arrive at school,
however there is no provision to supervise children before 8:20am so please
discourage your child from arriving at 8am. We have very limited staff at
that hour and as the weather becomes less agreeable it will be more
difficult to safely monitor the early arrivals. Maybe talk to a neighbor who
is coming to school so you know your child is being attended to
appropriately. Thank you for helping us.

Integrated Kindergarten

Despite our challenges we are excited by the introduction of a citywide
program at Kindergarten. This year we have a program for students with
social communication issues. Ms. Bellinger, a Cabot veteran teacher eagerly
volunteered to join with two new teachers, Shannon Carnemolla, Special
Education  teacher and Deb Ardia, behavioral therapist to bring life to a
program designed last spring. We introduced this program last spring to a
small group of parents who were able to attend an informational session. I
will be offering some morning programs called “Ask Marilynne” to explore
more specifically aspects of Special Education including the regulations,
mandates and programs and services available at Cabot School. Often there is
some confusion about the role of special education, the presence of teacher
assistance, and the function of special education assessments. I hope to
round out the community’s understanding of the federal legislation and the
state requirements as well as Newton’s approach to meeting the broad range
of student needs. Please check your email for an announcement.

Building Security

As in all other years, the faculty and staff are given training in crisis
response. This training can include any issues related to environmental,
health or security. We have a school crisis committee and the district has a
citywide committee. Recently the school department received a federal large
grant to help to continue to improve our ability to respond. Go to the
newton.mec.edu website to learn more details about what this grant will do
to help you feel more secure about our schools.

Each of you can do your part by signing in and following all procedures
outlined in the information sent home last month. 

Looking Forward 

Since we have made a tradition of having a Wellness activity on Halloween,
we want to let you know we are in the initial stages of getting that ready.
Children do not wear costumes to school. We can celebrate in seasonal
clothing or just comfortable gear. The school spends time outdoors doing
healthy activities that last year included the Monster mash with special
demonstrations by Ms. Ropi and Ms. Gerson. If you want to take part be in
touch with Ms. Bennett. The more hands and ideas the better the morning will
go! 

  PTO Pen

We are delighted to welcome the launch of the e-Jabberwock & owe a debt of
gratitude to our 3 parent volunteers Ann Duvall, Kim Spencer, our webmaster
Mie-Yun Lee & especially Liz Lehrer the editor of this issue. If you see
them please thank them too! 

Since our return to school there are already many hot topics to consume our
already busy horizons. Like you, we also feel the lack of time we all seem
to have to address life necessities. In such circumstances the reflex to dig
in is understandable BUT some issues are just too big to ignore. One we
believe is the current space issues that Cabot faces. This Fall the School
Committee will vote on what solutions they will use to resolve September
2007 space issues at 5 of Newtons Elementary Schools, including Cabot. There
are a variety of policies they can utilize which WILL have ramifications for
YOUR child. We urge you to attend to our emails addressing this issue,
participate & make your opinion count. Watch out for the wellow flyer coming
home in backpacks this week!

We hope you enjoy the return of our Cabot newsletter!

Tat tar,

Jo Doherty

PTO co-President

Mary Kathryn Fallon

PTO co-President

Upcoming Events at cabot

PROGRAM ENRICHMENT

CAN YOUR HEAR US NOW????

Money is available from the PTO for Program Enrichment grants to enhance our
Cabot students’ experience.  Last year Program Enrichment funds were used
for a variety of projects, including art and library supplies, special
speakers for the children and learning center tools.  Teachers, staff and
parents are invited to apply.  Grants will be awarded in late November.  The
application is a simple, one page form. They are due back Nov. 6, 2006.
Application forms are available in the main office, and on-line at the PTO
web site www.cabotpto.org <http://www.cabotpto.org/>  .  Get your requests
in now!  Email Edye Geringer at hulawitch at comcast.net  or Dorothy Klein at
dgklein1104 at comcast.net  with any questions.

EEEEK! If it's October 31st it must be... WELLNESS DAY!!!

We are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Cabot School Wellness Day, on
Tuesday, October 31. It's a wonderful way to expend some of that "special
day" energy, have a spooky amount of fun, and learn about some wellness
issues too.

Activity/learning stations will be set up around Cabot Field (weather
permitting) and the kids and their buddies will all get a chance to try
everything. Some activities already planned are: a Dance Station, Backpack
Safety, Halloween Safety with Officer Hough, Karate with Steve Giroux from
Giroux Martial Arts, Big Stomper Relay Race, and MORE.

We are looking for approximately 20 volunteers to help that morning. We are
also looking for any dentists/dental professionals, doctors, fitness folks
(e.g.Step aerobics, Pilates, dance professionals, nutrition experts, or
especially interested in wellness education).  Even if you can't help on
that day, your input and ideas would be very valuable.

To help or ask any questions, please contact Daphne Potter  dfpotter at rcn.com
617-795-0540 or Suzanne Sagan suzanne.sagan at ssa.gov  617-965-6417 or Dana
Bennett Wellness-guru extraordinaire and P.E. teacher
Dana_Bennett at newton.k12.ma.us 

  Volunteers Needed

Parent Volunteers Needed for Reading Partners Program 

Would you like to help in a classroom?  Cabot School is recruiting
volunteers to help support readers in the 1st and 2nd grades as they develop
and strengthen literacy skills. If we have enough support, we will extend
the program to the third grade classrooms also.  No prior teaching or
tutoring experience is required.

The Reading Partners Program will begin its 4th year in December 2006. We
are asking for a commitment of 2 days per week for 45 minutes each day.  The
time slots vary but are in the morning for grades 1 and 2.  Grade 3 time
slots are not yet determined.  Each time slot is during the literacy block
in the individual classrooms.  Volunteers pick which 2 days they would like
to work.  

Parent volunteers will work one-on-one with students, listening to them
read.  Cari Nelson, Literacy Specialist, will provide training on how to
support readers.  The training will teach parents how to prompt students to
support the use of reading strategies. Cari will be available to coach and
support parent volunteers throughout the program.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Cari Nelson at
Carolyn_Nelson at newton.k12.ma.us or Liz Haas at   haas.joffe at rcn.com 

 CABOT BROADCAST

Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education Meetings – Thursday,
November 2nd at 7:30 PM

Thursday, November 2nd - “Making Peace with Autism”   Susan Senator, author
and parent of a son with autism, will speak on her family’s experiences and
on her book, “Making Peace with Autism; One Family’s Story of Struggle,
Discovery and Unexpected Gifts”.  Margaret L. Bauman, Pediatric Neurologist,
Mass General Hospital says “I LOVE THIS BOOK!! This is a book that every
parent and professional working with autistic children should own, read and
reread
 These children have such enormous potential in their own way. It is
so refreshing to know that someone else sees it too.”

Sue will discuss her experiences, her book and her ongoing work to build the
best life possible for her son.  She says on her website, “Throw away
expectation and you may be pleasantly surprised.”  You can buy signed books
at the meeting or order on Amazon.  Sue is a Brookline resident and her
website is www.susansenator.com. Meeting is in Room 318.

All meetings are at 7:30 PM at the Education Center, 100 Walnut St, Newton
02460. Please contact Leslie Lockhart if you need additional information:
617-527-5046 or    newtonspedpac at yahoo.com 

Keep those Box Tops coming!!

Shop Online

We have collected over 750 Box Tops since school began.  I know that there
are more in your cabinets just waiting to be clipped and placed in the big
pink box in the front lobby.  This is  a great way to get your children
directly involved in supporting Cabot! 

Twenty-one people have signed up to support Cabot through Box Tops shopping
since 1996.  Now, we all know that many more of us shop on line.  So, please
register at:  https://www.boxtops4education.com
<https://www.boxtops4education.comA/> . And begin your on-line shopping at
https://www.boxtops4education.com <https://www.boxtops4education.com/>  or
http://cabotpto.org/shop.html 

Time is Running out for Gift Wrap

Gift Wrap orders are due in the Gift Wrap Box in the Cabot Office NO LATER
THAN FRIDAY OCTOBER 20TH.   You have just 3 days left to sell a lot of wrap.
Questions? Contact Kate Johnson at kate at textreviews.com 

Cabot Core Values

Bring Cabot’s core values to life! 

Life-long learning. Respect for self and others. Commitment to school and
community. 

These are Cabot School’s core values—the belief statements we want to foster
in all students. They are meant to permeate every aspect of school, home,
and community life. They are also used as broad statements of purpose that
help our school focus its energies in areas of curricula, programs, and
policies.  

To renew our focus on Cabot’s core values this year, Dr. Quarcoo is forming
a Principal’s Committee on Core Values. We need members! Duties will include

    * Meet with principal approximately five times/year to discuss school’s
core values

    * Liaise with PTO committees about enhancing their efforts & events to
reflect core values

    * Design two home/school activities to bring life and meaning to core
values

    * Monitor climate/needs of school to ensure that attention/actions
reflect core values

Please contact Sally Brickell  brickland6 at rcn.com  or 617-527-5438 if you’d
like to join this worthwhile effort.

Community Park

Core team members of the Cabot Community Park Committee are busy planning
and anticipating the completion of the next phase of the Cabot Community
Park implementation plan. This includes the delivery and installation of
granite seating (due in November) and the completion of the installation of
brick pavers, benches, and Chinese lantern, including electrical work.  

Once this work has been completed, the Park will officially become the
responsibility of the Cabot School PTO and community. An event celebrating
the progress of the implementation of the project and hand-over to the PTO
is anticipated in the Spring of 2007. There will be clean-up and planting
opportunities for anyone who would like to be involved. 

Along with the planning, the Cabot Community Park website is currently being
updated and will contain the phased implementation plans, new photos, and
information about the history of the project. More information about the
website will follow in an upcoming Jabberwock. 

The Cabot Community Park plan provides an outdoor classroom and a passive
recreational area that will provide a natural habitat for wild flora and
fauna. Designed collaboratively, the Park will incorporate a wildlife garden
that includes native plants, shrubs and trees. It will greatly strengthen
Cabot School's innovative science and nature study curriculum and it will
also provide a quiet area for community residents to sit, read and admire
the wildlife and birdsong.

Thanks to all the volunteers who stepped forward to help; we will need many
hands in the spring. Additional volunteers are welcome to contact Cabot
Community Park co-chairs Margaret Wazuka Margaret at flyinglyon.com  or Eliza
Reed moneliza.reed at verizon.net 

 CASP

Come and visit the CASP County Fair Scare, Tuesday October 31st from 4pm to
5:15pm. Donations accepted at the door. 

Social Work & School Psychologist  

Student & Family Support at Cabot School 

At Cabot School we focus on the whole child as a learner and member of the
Cabot Community. Dr. LuAnn Keough and Ms. Susan Kass work together to
provide parent and teacher consultation, individual & group counseling
related to issues that impact school functioning, and assessment services to
support the academic, social and emotional development of all our students.

LuAnn Keough, Ph.D.

Cabot School Psychologist

As the school psychologist, I work with teachers and parents to understand
student learning, behavior, social development, and emotional functioning.
We all work together to collect information about areas of concern and to
develop a plan of action that can support students in all domains of
functioning. I am available to students, parents, and teachers in the Cabot
Community to work one-on-one with students around school related issues, and
to consult with parents and teachers. As part of the special education team,
I complete comprehensive evaluations to better understand a child’s learning
style and social-emotional needs. I am at Cabot on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday.  I can be reached by email at  LuAnn_Keough at newton.k12.ma.us or by
telephone at  (617) 559-9405.

Susan Kass, LICSW

Cabot School Social Worker

As the school social worker, I provide a wide range of support, guidance,
and informational services to children, families, and faculty in the Cabot
Community. Services include, but are not limited to: individual short-term
counseling, small group and whole-class groups to facilitate social and
emotional learning, parent consultation regarding family issues and their
potential impact upon learning and general education experiences, assisting
parents with access to community resources, helping children cope with
typical developmental and special life situations, crisis response, and
participation in the special education process.

I am in the building on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as on alternating
Tuesdays.  I can be reached by email at   Susan_Kass at newton.k12.ma.us or at
(617) 559-9405.

>From the Nurse  

I would like to start off this first Jabberwock edition by clarifying the
Newton Health Department exclusion policy.  Please keep your child at home
if he or she shows signs of any of the following:  a fever over 100°F during
the past 24 hours; a cold in the active stages, i.e. coughing, runny nose,
or sneezing; a sore throat and/or swollen neck glands; an undiagnosed rash
or skin eruptions; vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours; or head
lice that have not been treated. 

      Because school health rooms are not equipped to accommodate sick
children and crowded health rooms lead to further spread of disease, it is
imperative that sick children be kept at home.  It is also crucial that
parents make every effort to pick up children as soon as possible when
notified by school personnel.  Changes in emergency phone numbers should be
made known immediately.  Also, please inform me if your child has strep
throat, any contagious illness or rash, head lice or any medical or surgical
conditions that require hospitalization or lengthy duration at home.  

      There have been some cases of lice during the first two weeks of
school. Head lice have been a parasite of humans since recorded time.  Many
people associate lice with unclean people or homes.  This is not true for
head lice; head lice can affect anyone: rich or poor, young or old, male or
female.  Frequent bathing or shampooing will not prevent head lice nor
eliminate them once they have been established.  They cannot jump or fly,
and are mainly transmitted by head-to-head contact with infested persons.
However, head lice can also be transmitted by sharing hats, brushes, and
headrests.  Human lice cannot thrive on household pets.  Itching can be a
primary symptom of infestation, although everyone will not necessarily itch.
Children seen scratching their heads should be examined at once.  Red bite
marks or scratch marks can sometimes be seen on the scalp and neck. For more
information: www.headlice.org <http://www.headlice.org/> 

Karen Kerrigan, RN 

Jo Doherty

Cabot PTO Co-President

11 Leonard Avenue,

West Newton, MA 02465

617-332-1530

jcdoherty11 at comcast.net

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