FY 2011 - Town of Uxbridge

instruction plus intensive intervention in
small groups; again, progress is very
closely monitored.
Our focus so far this year has been
on perfecting the differentiation of our
core programs, or our Tier I instruction.
Our teachers have used the Diagnostic
Online Reading Assessment (DORA)
and Mathematics Benchmarks tests to
determine our students’ specific
strengths and weaknesses. In addition,
we conducted a brief workshop reviewing
Wilson Reading and DRA 2
(Developmental Reading Assessment),
and on October 8 our staff attended an
all day workshop on Master Instructional
Strategies and Interventions for
Struggling Learners. RTI in Math on
Progress Monitoring was held for Grades
3 & 4 teachers.
Title I Reading
Title I is a federally funded program
that supports our early readers. Taft
School reading specialists hosted an
informational night on October 14,
explaining how children learn to read and
offering suggestions to parents about
how they may support their children at
home. The Title I program provided at
risk students with opportunities to build
their skills during the school day and
through after school and summer
tutoring. Lisa Hartman, Title 1 Director,
Coordinates this program.
P a r e n t a n d C o m m u n i t y
Involvement
Study Buddies
Grade 2 teachers from Taft School
collaborated with staff and students from
Uxbridge High School to offer Study
Buddies for a second year. “Study
Buddies,” as we are calling this
opportunity, will provide small group
tutoring by UHS students to selected Taft
School second graders. The purpose of
this program is to offer small group extrahelp
instruction in targeted subject areas.
This activity was offered before
school on Tuesday and Friday mornings
from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. in three adjacent
classrooms at Taft School. The program
ran for six weeks. Tutoring sessions will
be planned and supervised by teachers,
parents, and administrators, including Dr.
Boyaj, Ms. Fafard, and Stephanie Davis
from Taft, and Susan Priore and Wendy
Hamelin from UHS.
Walmart Selects Taft School for
Teachers Reward Program
Walmart store representatives
presented Teacher Reward Cards to ten
classroom teachers at Taft School during
the Open House Night ceremony for
parents on Monday, September 13.
Walmart is helping 10 teachers purchase
much-needed classroom supplies this
back-to-school season as part of its
Teacher Rewards program. Nationally,
Walmart and Sam’s Club locations are
awarding more than 45,000 educators
with $100, infusing $4.5 million to schools
across America.
Each Walmart store, Distribution
Center and Sam’s Club location across
the U.S. will select one local kindergarten
through eighth grade public school and
provide $100 reward cards to 10 teachers
from the selected school. All of Walmart’s
4,558 facilities nationwide are eligible to
participate in the Teacher Rewards
program.
In 2009, educators’ top purchases
through the Teacher Rewards program
included 25,000 report folders, 24,000
packs of pens, pencils and crayons,
14,000 packs of paper, 13,000 packs of
markers and 10,000 binders and
clipboards, in addition to other essentials
items – showing teachers need basic
supplies to help support their classrooms.
The ten Taft classroom teachers
who received Reward Cards from
Walmart included Charisa DiGregorio,
Sue DuBois, Lynn Frabotta, Christine
Gallo, Rosemary Harcourt, Michelle Kelly,
Aimee Lamarre, Nancy Michelson, Joan
Remillard, and Patricia Stankevitz.
Walmart store coordinator, Brenda
Mateer, recognized the entire staff at Taft
School for the care and patience that is
given to all students, and especially those
with special needs. Walmart officials were
impressed with the Taft culture, the
attention to student learning, and the
“hands-on” approach from all Taft
teachers and administrators.
Taft PTO
The goals of the Taft School PTO
are to form a closer relationship between
home and school, to be of service to
teachers and students, and to raise funds
for special programs and activities.
PTO officers included:
Coleen Thayer, President
Jamie Fowler, Vice-President
Michelle Fairweather, Co-Treasurer
Heather Makynen, Co-Treasurer
Jason Andolina,Secretary
Ann Caso, Playground
Some of the many events sponsored
by Taft PTO during the 2010 – 2011
school year included the following: Backto-School
Dance, Open-House Night, Fall
Festival, Fall Fundraiser, Giving Trees
Program, Parent-Teacher Conferences,
Family Fun Night, Books and Beyond,
Father-Daughter Dance, Town Loop Run/
Walk Challenge, Holiday Shoppe, Spring
Carnival, and a Mother/Son event.
Taft Students Spell out Donations for
Veterans
Fourth grade students raised a sum of
$1,807.09 for the Uxbridge Support our
Troops and the Disabled American
Veterans by spelling patriotic words and
getting sponsors for the test. This year’s
program was in Memory of Mickey Emery,
Jr., friend and Vietnam Veteran of Taft
School. The winning class who raised the
most monies won a trip to the Brockton
VA Hospital in Brockton, MA. Mrs.
Remillard’s class raised $586.14. They
went on their field trip on February 15,
2011, with transportation donated by
Vendetti Bus. Patriotic songs were sung
under the direction of Mrs. D’Andrea at
the hospital, children ate a boxed lunch,
and socialized with the disabled veterans.
Taft Teachers Make Presentation at the
MetaComet Land Trust
The Metacomet Land Trust has
twice recognized the Environmental
efforts of the Taft School in Uxbridge. The
innovative and successful programs
encompass not only the school system
but the entire community. On November
4, 2010, at 7:00 PM in Sutton MA., at the
Sutton Senior Center, 19 Hough Road,
“How to Connect Kids with Nature in a
Technological World” was presented by
Lori Fafard, Assistant Principal,
accompanied by a panel of four teachers -
continued on Page 46
FY 2011 :: Town of Uxbridge Annual Report Page 45