Schools
Toys for Tots, NE Percussion, a Poet and Gift Giving Rules
December has been a busy month so far at the schools. Community service and seasonal songs top the list, as well as a visit by a poet and a reminder about gift giving to school employees.
Toys for Tots: The holiday season is in full gear and there are so many ways to donate to those in need. One popular charity is Toys for Tots and third grade classes coordinated its own collection and had a huge response.
On Wednesday, Gunnery Sergeant Alfonso Torres of the United States Marines stopped by to pick up the toys. The Toys for Tots Program is sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the goal is to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them to needy children in the community.
GySgt. Torres spoke to the third graders about his role and responsibilities as a Marine for the last 30 years. An informal question and answer session touched upon boot camp, his uniform and medals, his training, and combat.
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He thanked the students for their efforts and in turn, third grade teacher Ariella Greenspan thanked him and stated how “meaningful it is to be a part of Toys for Tots.”
New England Percussion Ensemble also visited Peaslee recently and ended their program with a fun and lively tribute to the December holidays with a student sing-a-long.
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Musicians Bob Otto (leader), Bill Manley and Abe Finch discussed how anything that strikes something else is percussion, although Otto joked that no one should strike a sibling or anything breakable to create music.
The history of percussion was discussed while the ensemble performed using various methods of percussion such as sticks, rattles, and hollow logs. They also used everyday items such as plastic tubes, newspapers, trash bags, and a little bit of foot stomping to demonstrate that percussion is not just drums.
It was an energetic and unique program that entertained students for 50 minutes. Otto, who started the business 21 years ago and is based in Massachusetts, is a former teacher. His ensemble performs about 135 shows per year.
A Poet’s Visit: Poet Andrew Green, founder of Potato Hill Poetry, visited the fourth and fifth grade students at this week. He worked with individual classes throughout the day and emphasized that “poems come from ordinary places we might not expect.”
“Ideas from our lives, things that are inside us and that interest us create poems,” said Green. “People need to slow down and reflect on the little things in the background in our lives and keep an open mind to catch them. Some poems want to rhyme, and some don’t.”
Students experimented individually within their classes with their own poetry writing.
Green’s goal is to ignite a passion for poetry and for people to realize that writing poetry is connected to everyday life..
Teacher Gift Giving: It’s the time of year when parents would like to thank teachers for their dedicated efforts, but parents are reminded of some of the for the Northborough public schools.
These rules do not apply if a gift is given to the classroom such as books, games, or craft supplies. Parents can also give a gift to the school in honor of a teacher, such as a donation to the PTO, which funds wonderful programs all year long for the students.
If you must give something, and a lot of parents want to, most teachers interviewed agreed that they have more than enough mugs and ornaments stating “Best Teacher”, and gifts such as foam soaps for the classroom or gift cards for a bookstore are always appreciated. Homemade gifts are also special.
This column highlights some of the schools’ many special programs, speakers, events, and community service projects. If you are aware of a program that you would like featured in this column, please email Liz Nolan at lizard211@gmail.com.
