Event Calendar

Thanksgiving 09

Mrs. Clark-Yvon announced a decorating contest for classrooms and learning groups. The theme of the contest was “Turkey”. As you can see from the pictures, everyone had a great time designing and showcasing their creations. Certificates and prizes were awarded to all participants. The pictures tell the story of turkeys great and small, edible or not, feathered and plucked, math and science with fun for all.

Math Jamboree

On November 13, over 30 students from Westfield State College joined grades K–5 for Math Morning activities. Christine Von Renesse, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and a faculty liaison for the Westfield Professional Development School Network (WPDS) worked with her college students to develop activities that align with the MA curriculum frameworks. The fun and hands-on activities designed and presented by the college students give the up-and-coming teachers direct contact with children in an apprenticeship format. Franklin Avenue students moved between tables of activities and explored math in new ways. It was a rewarding day for the college students and our students discovered new ways to think about math.

 

Holiday Concert

On December 16, the Franklin Avenue Chorus and Band performed in our auditorium. With the help of some elves, the stage was decorated for the season. Our band features 42 students from 4th and 5th grade playing a variety of instruments. Dr. Burns worked hard with this large number of students usually only one day a week. Mrs. Rogers (who is retiring this year) once again did a beautiful job coaching our 5th grade chorus. What a treat to have one of our students perform a piano solo. We hope that you were able to join us and celebrate the season with music and song.

Obaminoes

Obaminoes was a mural project constructed last Spring by K-5 students. The job of the students was to sort dominoes, organize them in number groups, visualize and glue the individual parts, then use the parts to create a large, pointillist mural containing 2,420 dominoes in the likeness of President Barack Obama. This style of mural was developed by Robert Bosch, Professor of Natural Science at Oberlin College and founder of Domino Artwork.

Dr. Julian Fleron, Professor of Mathematics from Westfield State College as well as students from Westfield State College worked cooperatively with our students to complete this project. We enjoy many opportunities to collaborate with Westfield State College because of the Westfield Professional Development Schools Network (WPDS) which supports working together. Next time you are in our building, look for this grand mural in our gym. For complete information on our project, please visit the http://obaminoes.wsc.ma.edu/General-Information