A Vision Turned Into a Reality...

In 1999, the City was working on its 20-year Master Plan, and decided to engage students in elementary, middle and high school in the process by asking them to do planning projects with their teachers. A group of 3rd grade KT Murphy students came up with the suggestion that the City buy property on Horton Street and use it to expand the school play area, to create an area that would consist of "greenspace," an item which KT Murphy is in high demand of.

In 2006, a property owner next door to the school remembered the project, which was well covered in The Advocate, and asked the City if it wanted to buy it for this purpose. Robin Stein, Land Use Bureau Chief, subsequently invited the KT Murphy students, who are now in West Hill High School, to advocate for the purchase before the City boards. After their presentation, the Planning Board, Board of Finance, and the Board of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of the acquisition.

In June 2008, GE came in as part of their Global Community Days with 50+ GE employees. With the help of Tuccinardi Landscaping they began the transformation of a once bare and overgrown lot into a play area and outside green classroom for years to come. It all didn't stop there. Catie Ramsey, KTM's Art Director, put her imagination and creativity to work to create murals that truly have made the once sparse and barren cement walls come to life as a masterpiece of dreams.

The ribbon cutting will take place Friday, September 5th @ 6:00 p.m. It will provide an opportunity to recognize the work of all involved and of the KT Murphy students and the value of civic involvement of students in participatory planning. The evening will consist of a program by the Arts team and family fun and refreshments to follow. Hope to see you there!

A useful article from KidsHealth.org on creating a reading-rich environment for your children right in your own home.

Creating a Reader-Friendly Home A home filled with reading material is a good way to help kids become enthusiastic (and proficient) readers. What kind of books should you have? Ask your kids about their interests. If they're too young to have a preference, your local librarian can offer suggestions about age-appropriate books. Here are some other tips: Keep a varied selection. Collect board books or books with mirrors and different textures for babies. Older kids will enjoy variety: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry plus dictionaries and other reference books. Kids can understand stories they might not be able to read on their own. If a more challenging book interests your child, make it something to read together. Younger kids can look at illustrations in books and ask questions as they follow along. And don't limit reading material to books. Kids might also enjoy: magazines (for kids) audio books postcards from relatives photo albums or scrapbooks newspapers comic books the Internet Keep reading material handy. Keep sturdy books with other toys for easy exploration. Books near the changing table and high chair can be helpful distractions for younger kids at appropriate moments. Plastic books can even go in the bathtub. Keep books next to comfy chairs and sofas where you cuddle up so you can read after feedings and naps. Create a special reading place. As kids grow, keep age-appropriate books and magazines on shelves they can reach in their favorite hangouts around the house. Make these shelves appealing and keep them organized. Place some of the books with the covers facing out so they're easy to spot. Put a basket full of books and magazines next to their favorite places to sit. Create a cozy reading corner, and encourage kids to use it by setting up "reading corner time" each day. Keep it appealing. Make sure reading areas have good lighting. Change the materials often — add seasonal books, rotate different magazines, and include books that relate to what kids are interested in or studying in school. Decorate the corner with your child's artwork or writing. Place a CD or tape player nearby for audio books. Encourage kids to create the reading. Set up a writing and art center and encourage kids to make books, posters, or collages that they decorate with their own pictures and writing. Kids love to read things they've written themselves or to share their creations with family and friends. Think About Atmosphere Other ways to encourage kids to read: Give your child quiet time every day to read or write. Limit time kids spend in front of a screen (including TV, computer, and video games) to help ensure that they have time for reading. Read together. Offer to read a book aloud, or ask your child to read to you from a favorite magazine. Make a habit of sitting together while you each read your own books, sharing quiet time together. Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD Date reviewed: February 2007

K.T. Murphy School-wide Art Show

The first K.T. Murphy school-wide art show that took place during May and June of 2008 was a big success! Students in grades K-5 worked very hard all year during their art classes. They learned about famous artists, experimented with new art processes and created many amazing works of art. When students learned that their artwork would become part of the "Murphy Museum" they were surprised and full of questions. They wanted to know what an art show would be like, how every students' artwork could fit in the school, where it would be on display, when they could come and look at it and most of all how can a school be transformed into a museum? All these questions were answered as hall by hall the first floor of our school began to come alive with color every step of the way. Teachers, students and their families were invited to "Murphy Museum Night" to celebrate the artwork that had been created. It was wonderful to see so many families come to the school and watch as children lead the way through the halls, stopping to admire artwork created by other students and proudly showing off their own. Students, parents and teachers left comments to the young artists on a poster in the front lobby congratulating them on a great show. Afterwards, during school questions turned from, "What is an art show?" to "Are we going to do this again next year?" The answer? Yes, of course we are! Now it is time to look forward to a new school year full of vibrant and creative works of art by our young artists and another exciting display at the "Murphy Museum". Thanks to everyone who helped to make the art show happen from our 5th grade students who stayed after school to prepare artwork and make posters, the PTO for refreshments during the reception, teachers and staff who volunteered time to help out and to all our artists for bravely sharing their work with the community. I hope you will enjoy the photographs of some of the artwork that was on display during the art show.

Tuning Up for '08: PTO Wrangles New Piano for Murphy

The basic statement is unlikely to be challenged by anyone involved in education. In the sometimes harsh reality of limited time and funding for instruction, however, the inclusion of the arts in every student's education can sometimes be relegated to a distant wish rather than an exciting reality.

It doesn't have to be that way! All that's needed is a clear message sent to all those who must make the hard choices involved in running a school or school system. The basic message is that music programs in the schools help our kids and communities in real and substantial ways. You can use the following facts about the benefits of music education, based on a growing body of convincing research, to move decision-makers to make the right choices.

The benefits conveyed by music education can be grouped in four categories:

* Success in society
* Success in school
* Success in developing intelligence
* Success in life

When presented with the many and manifest benefits of music education, officials at all levels should universally support a full, balanced, sequential course of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. And every student will have an education in the arts.

KTM students for many decades have hosted school events and performances to the tune (or should I say out of tune) of a 1904 Baldwin Piano. Who knows, Katherine T. Murphy could have played it, or it could have been the original to the school. Over the many years and many concerts, the once black beauty had started to show her age. Her piano bench was no longer to be found, the keys now wired together, and her ivory worn down to the wood. Many music instructors and students over the years have graced us with her music. If she could talk the stories she would tell.

This summer the PTO came across a 2003 baby grand piano on Craig's List, located in our neighboring town of Darien, CT. The PTO quickly responding it was too good to be true "could this price be correct?" Once contacting the sellers, we quickly learned it was posted too low and was valued and appraised for 3x's of the amount it was listed for. What next???

Should we go look at it? Should we not? Why bother? . . . those were the questions that went back and forth. The PTO really didn't have the amount originally requested and definitely didn't have the newly communicated appraised amount.

The excitement having already been peaked, it was voted on and agreed: Why not look? It couldn't hurt! With this said and a bit of negotiation, funds from the PTO and a GENEROUS donation for the balance from the Wood family, KTM is the proud owner of a Schultz and Sons 2003 Baby Grand Piano. Stay tuned for our next show. . . and another 100 years . . .

Thank you for every one's support and a special thank you to the Wood Family.

Preparation is Everything!

Following up on my own musings about the first day of Kindergarten, here is an article clipped from the good folks at schoolfamily.com.

Get Ready for Kindergarten!

by Patti Ghezzi

Ease the stress on that momentous first day of kindergarten and prepare your child for success in the year ahead.

The first day of kindergarten is tearful for parents, who can’t believe their child is growing up so fast. For the child, however, it doesn’t have to be a time for tears. We collected tips from veteran principals on preparing for a smooth transition to kindergarten.

1. Allow your child to become familiar with the school by driving past it as often as you can during the summer, advises Eddie Manuszak, principal of Patterson Elementary in Tecumseh, Mich.

2. Tour the school during the summer, even if your child visited on registration day, just to get her more comfortable in the building. Most schools are staffed during the summer by the principal, assistant principals, and other administrators.

3. Bring up school in conversations at home as much as possible. Talk about the fun things your child will get to do. Don’t express regret that he’s starting school. Make sure he views it as a positive step.

4. Make shopping for school supplies a fun experience. Get a list from the school of exactly what is allowed and expected. Some schools forbid rolling backpacks, colored markers, or other familiar supplies. Let your child make some choices about the color of her backpack or the type of pencil case.

5. Start the school bedtime routine a month before school starts. Parents can scale back gradually, having the child go to bed just five or 10 minutes earlier each night. “It takes 30 days to establish a routine,” Manuszak says. “You don’t want your child to be too worn out to make it through the day.”

6. Work with your child during the summer on making healthy food choices. Most kindergartners are given some choices if they buy their lunch at school. For example, some schools sell whole, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and 2 percent milk. Children used to having Mom make all their decisions may be overwhelmed, and most will be tempted to make the tastiest, and often unhealthiest, choice.

7. Check out books from the library that help ease jitters about starting school. Manuszak recommends The Night Before Kindergarten, by Natasha Wing, and The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn.

8. Attend every open house and meet-the-teacher event offered. Stop by the parent involvement table for information on joining the PTO—it’s a great way to meet other parents with children in the same class and to keep up with what’s going on at school.

9. Prepare yourself. “You are going to cry,” Manuszak says. “Be strong and don’t cry in front of your child. Hold the tears until you’re in your car.”

10. Work with your child throughout the summer on academic skills such as writing her name or reading letters—but only if she’s ready. “You know your child best,” Manuszak says. “Follow your child’s lead. Don’t force it. Drilling them before they’re ready creates stress.”

11. Do arts-and-crafts projects with your child during the summer. He’ll get more comfortable using scissors, markers, and other supplies that he’ll see plenty of in kindergarten.

12. Ask your school whether they have a kindergarten handbook for parents. Sandra Watson, director of elementary education in Fayette County, Ga., and a former principal, authored a handbook for parents of kindergartners in her district, and parents often refer to it during the summer when questions and fears arise about their child starting school.

13. Find out whether the kindergarten curriculum is available online and familiarize yourself with what today’s kindergartners are expected to learn. Kindergarten has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Many of the skills your child will learn were once taught in 1st grade.

14. Talk to your school’s principal about their philosophy of kindergarten. Some educators believe in making kindergarten more play-oriented, like preschool, while others believe it’s time for kids to sit at desks like 1st graders. Understanding your school leader’s philosophy will help you understand what your child is learning and why.

15. Make sure your child has the necessary immunizations to start school.

16. Be prepared for a wide range of kids in your child’s class. “Kids come in A to Z,” says Watson. “Some don’t know their last name and others are reading at a 1st grade level and higher.” Don’t make it a competition. Development at this age varies from child to child. By 3rd grade, most kids will be at the same level, but younger kids need to be allowed to grow at their own pace.

17. Over the summer, work with your child on problem-solving. Some kids are whizzes with flash cards but unable to think for themselves when a problem arises. “Give your child a chance to answer who, what, where, and why questions,” Watson says. “Going grocery shopping can be a great learning experience in preparation for school.”

Getting ready for kindergarten doesn’t have to be the main focus of your summer. Your child will be too busy playing to think much about it. But taking time to familiarize your child with school and educate yourself on what modern kindergarten is all about will go a long way toward guaranteeing a smooth transition.

For more help on setting up your children for success at school visit www.schoolfamily.com

The First Day of K is Not for the faint of heart

You remember their first steps, their first word, the first time you fed them solid food. You've got pictures, maybe video even. How about the first time you left them in the Kindergarten classroom? That was a tough one -- it was for me at least.

There we were: myself, Mom, and our five year old. What you notice first about the classroom is the tables that will serve as desks for the students. They are down so low the edge could bark your shin. On this first day of class the tabletops are covered completely in construction paper onto which someone, the teacher or her Educational Assistant, I presume, has carefully written the students' names in crayon. Hundreds of loose Crayolas are strewn about the tabletops, sprinkled around in a multicolored, artfully arranged chaos.

In the room are about 40 of us, counting parents and little ones. The teacher and her EA are just gorgeous -- beaming smiles, nodding reassurances. They are prepared for anything. They've seen this all before and know how it comes out in the end. As for the rest of us, I swear I can hear the sound of hearts fluttering.

Before very long the tables are becoming festooned with elaborate illuminations made of their names by the brand new students, and it is nearly time to go. Some of the parents are already filtering out, drifting toward the door, then bolting once they've cleared the line of sight between themselves and their child. The moment of truth is upon us.

But this was not the Union Memorial Preschool, a large house attached to a church with a bona-fide white picket fence surrounding the playground, where it seemed we were leaving our baby with a slew of his aunties every day. No, this was KINDERGARTEN in a real Elementary School, the official beginning of it all. An institution of learning sanctioned by the town and the state and the federal government. A place where masses of little people were set into motion by ringing bells, forming themselves into single files to proceed through hallways, their ears assailed along the way by the sounds of clanging food trays, basketballs ricocheting off gymnasium walls.

And now it was time for me to walk away and leave my son to fend for himself!

Over there by the cubbies, someone is bawling openly. That's okay little fellow. You are a man after my own heart. I am with you. Some are only sniffling. And who's this guy here? He is wielding his Crayola like Michelangelo, completely absorbed in decorating his name. His mom has already reached the threshold, and he has not deigned to look up. But wait, it is SHE who is openly weeping!

All right, no more putting this off. We don't want to be the very last non-teacher grown ups out of the room. What kind of message would that send? What will it be, bawling, sniffling, or will he wave us off as if we are going to the kitchen to make him a peanut butter sandwich during a Spongebob marathon?

"Mama and me have to go now. I'll be back at 3:30 to collect you." He doesn’t answer. He smiles. But it’s an odd smile -- frozen on his face, too many teeth showing. “Okay,” he says, and nods, and only through an heroic effort manages to hold back the tears. We walk toward the door and against all advice to the contrary I look back one last time. The smile is still frozen in place, the tears still held at bay. “He’s going to be fine,” says his mom. But she's already snapped on sunglasses and I can tell what is going on behind the lenses. “My throat hurts, Rosie,” I tell her.

Three-thirty arrives about five hundred hours later and I am there to receive him as promised. He hasn’t got much to say on the walk home, other than to nod when asked if school was okay and if he had had fun. Once home, though, he surprises me by going directly to a little bin where we keep the construction paper. He grabs a dozen or so sheets and tapes them down on the coffee table, then scrawls along the table's edges all of our names in purple crayon.

We had dinner at those place settings for the whole next week.