Dear Pawsome Loring Parents,

I would like to start out with A BIG PAWESOME Shout Out to Cara Maxwell and her unbelievable work on the Loring Auction. Each year seems to get better and better. The planning, the commitment, and the time taken to make sure that each detail is meticulously dealt with is nothing short of spectacular. What an event! Cara would never take credit for the enormous hard work it takes to put the event together. So I am taking advantage of this venue and saying, "Thank You!" I am sure that Cara would also want to include her wonderful team members—Tanya Broadbent, Susan Smith, Lisa Armour, Michelle Titus, Michelle Lombardi, Marisa Lutz, Janet Rapaport, Linda Roth, Kathy Kinzfogl, Kathie Stayton, Anna Lee, Lori Arthur, Lotte Diomede, Caty Kessler, Rick Morris, Betsy Whipple, Maura Carty, Amy Adolfsson, Christina Granahan, Danielle Agabedis, Robin Cavanaugh, Eva Bilodeau, Colleen Madden. I would also like to thank you Pawsome Loring parents for attending. Approximately 220 people attended the Auction, which raised more than $55,000! The proceeds will go directly to our children's classrooms, providing Loring students with opportunities that they wouldn't ordinarily be given. We will be able to provide technology, enrichment, and reading programs to all the Loring students. I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to Loring. Next year I plan on staying later and catching some of the dance moves on camera! Thank You Pawsome Loring parents for your heart, your love, and your commitment toward our learning community.

Assistant Principal

We have found that special person to become the next Loring Assistant Principal. We have decided to bring Stephen Whiltshire on board as our new assistant. Stephen is presently the 5th grade lead teacher at the Hemenway School in Framingham. For the past six years he has been a member of the leadership team that gained the Hemenway School the International Reading Association's Exemplary Reading Program Award for the state of Massachusetts. He currently holds a preK-6 principal certification earned through the Commonwealth Leadership Academy and has a Master's Degree in Elementary Education through Western New England College. We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Stephen. You can meet Stephen on June 1st at 7:00PM in the dining room. He will be attending the presentation on our bullying data and new behavior rubric.

Librarian

Our new librarian is Susan Harari (rhymes with Atari, but don't tell her). I actually made the mistake of calling her Mrs. Atari. She lives in Lexington and works in the Wellesley school district. Susan has a Master's of Library Science from Simmons College and a Master of Arts from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. One of Susan's biggest assets is her technology know-how. We are very fortunate and excited about having Susan join the Loring Community.

Loring Music

We are going to have a change in our music program for the 2011-2012 School Year. Ms. Freidman will be moving on and we will be welcoming Mala Gillin. Some of you may know Mala from her time at Curtis Middle School. She is returning from a maternity leave. We are very excited to have Mala become part of the Loring learning community.

Placement for 2011-2012

During our next two ILAP sessions we will be working on placing your child with the appropriate teacher. The process takes into account almost every aspect of teaching and learning. One of the biggest things that I have found that impact our classrooms is relational connection. What does that mean? A child or student needs to have a connection in order to feel comfortable. If they feel comfortable then learning will occur. The teacher-student connection is the key and next to that is the student-student match. Each student needs a friend or connection in order to feel that comfort. We will be working diligently to make sure we begin the year with strong connections and improve on those throughout the year.

I am sure that many of you are wondering what the teaching line-up will be for next year. So here goes the batting line-up for the 2011-2012 School Year.

K- Laurie Triba, Janet Hammonds, Melissa Schwendemann

1st- Paul Berardi, Dawn McNair, Julie Ward, Adrianne Orlandi

2nd- Barbara Durant, Joe Dinmore, Diane Irvine, Paul Orr

3rd- Rebecca Howard, Kathy Brown, Mary Taylor, Marcie Howard

4th- Ryann Hart, Sara Zawadzkas, Laura Burney/Linda Goldner, David Williams

5th- Brad Jones, Audrey Swennes, Christine Grigsby, Sara Fischer

If you have concerns or questions centered on these assignments please contact me. If you have any complaints please contact Mr. Ieong at Bates Elementary in Wellesley.

Anti-Bullying/Behavior Rubric

We have completed our behavior rubric and would like to share it and the results of our anti-bullying survey with you. The genesis of the rubric came from a group of teachers/assistants/administrators who read and studied the work of Stan Davis. The Stan Davis book, Schools Where Everyone Belongs, was the impetus to building language and a set of expectations common to everyone. It is our intention to communicate the language and expectations to you. Once we have given you the chance to comment we will then set a course for implementation. We have always worked toward transparency in everything we do and sharing this rubric with you follows that trend. Your comments are critical to our implementation. We will be presenting the information on June 1st at 7:00PM in the dining room.

Loring Parent Survey

Our parent survey will be available to you on May 18th. We would like you to complete the survey in order for us to make positive changes in the various aspects of providing your expert service. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete but gives so much information. It allows us the opportunity to look at everything from our arrival and dismissal procedures to curriculum and attitudinal changes. Please take the time to complete it.

The Best

One of my hidden duties is spending time with prospective families. I probably show Loring to about 10 to 15 families throughout the year. It really is a pleasure for me. Many people have criticized me for taking time out of the day and taking time from families who have already moved to Loring's district. I am always excited to "show" Loring to new people. Now, I have had to only go through the house buying "thing" one time. I do not plan on doing it again. I had so, so much fun the first time I cannot imagine our family repeating the fun factor. It only took one year for my young men to stop being mad about moving from friends. I guess I feel a little sympathy for these people and want to give them a break. The real reason for giving tours through the building at odd times of the day is to show off. I am very proud of every aspect of Loring. When we have a family walk through the building they are always impressed. When I first walked through the halls I was impressed. We have the best school in Massachusetts! It is due to your love, commitment, and participation. Thank you for all you do for our students and your children. You are the best!

Dare To Dream,

Mr. Dees

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