Cartography

Our third grade students have completed the famous Burlington map-making project.  Although this lesson has been done for many years, this year we have decided to make the maps without the help of the visiting cartographer.  Students rotated between the 5 classrooms to work on small parts of the map.  Once each part is complete, we will put together the final map.
In Mrs. O'Neill's class students were able to design their own Compass Rose.
Mrs. Browne and Mrs. Zani taught students how to create a legend and scale for their map.
Mrs. Boucher helped students to add a title and the bordering town lines into the map.
Mrs. Goguen helped student to place land features on the maps with symbols from the legend.
This week, we will finished placing landmarks on the page after visiting them on our field trip.
Now they are colored, put together, laminated, and ready for the "Wyman Way!" If you are in the building, make sure you check them out!

Proud of our hard work!

Burlington Historical Field Trip

 We had a fabulous first field trip today.  The weather was beautiful for our historic tour of Burlington. 

  Our first stop was the Old Burial Ground.  We learned about the Woburn's Second Parrish, Cuff Trott, the Walker family, and the Jones family.

  Next, we walked through the common to see General John Walker's house and the old Union School (police station.)  We then got to see the beautifully remodeled Grand View Farm.  Students were able to see and learn about this famous stop along the Boston to Lowell line.

  After Grand View Farm, we headed back to the Burlington Historical Museum.  Here we were able to see murals, artifacts, and tools from the past.

 Students stopped for a lunch break at Simonds Park.  Then were able to get to see the inside of the Old West School, which used to be on the land of Simonds park now.

  Our last stop was most kids favorite stop, the Francis Wyman House.  We had Pam, a descendant of the Wyman family, give us a tour of the inside and outside of the house.  She was a wonderful storyteller with lots of enthusiasm.  The students were thrilled to see the house we have read so much about in school.  

  Here are just some of the pictures I took today!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the volunteers from the Burlington Historical Society!  We had a great day!

Our First Field Trip!

Mrs. Covino teaching us about the Old Burial Ground.

Searching for names and people we have studied.

Scavenger hunt at the burial ground.

Mike teaching us about Grand View Farm.

Learning about the beehive oven and fireplace cooking.

Enjoying the murals at the Burlington Museum.

Mrs. Fay showing us some artifacts at the Burlington Museum.

Mr. Copolla showing us tools used in the past.

Tools from the past

Checking out this historical one-room schoolhouse.

Listening nicely to the "teacher."

Sitting in the old desks.

Whole class in front of the Old West School

Francis Wyman House

Pam was a great storyteller.

The many fireplaces in the Francis Wyman House.

Peeking in at the secret staircase.

Checking out the mysterious "cave" at the Francis Wyman House.

What a great day!

Artist in Residence- Mosiac Art

Our class got to visit with the artist in residence during art class today.  Two artists from "The Mosaic Oasis Studio & Supply" are here to help us create a mosaic image of the new mascot, the Francis Wyman Falcon. The entire school is taking part in this fabulous opportunity to create a long-lasting art piece for students and teachers to enjoy for years to come.  Here are some photos of what our class did today.

Learning about Burlington

     During our Social Studies block, we have been exploring the history of Burlington. Students have been researching through text and pictures to find out what Burlington was like over 200 years ago.  In ELA classes, students are reading Shawshin, a text about the Francis Wyman house and the incorporation of the town of Burlington.  Next week, we will start our Burlington map project.  Don't forget to send back the permission slip for our town tour on October 7th!

Finding out about the Wyman House.

Wow! I didn't know that!

The town Common: then and now

Recording our prior knowledge

We have learned a lot already!

Facts that WOWed us!

Differences we noticed

Patriot's Day and Violin Demonstration

The school was decked out in Patriot's pride today.

Go Pats!!

Mrs. Berger talked to third graders today about the opportunity to take violin lessons in school. Please look for the blue notice coming home today and discuss this with your child. 

Mrs. Berger showing the violin

Students guessing songs

3rd Grade audience

How to stay informed at FWS

Communication Options

Principal’s Blog – http://franciswymanschool.blogspot.com/

This is the fastest way to get information directly to your personal device. Sign up for email notifications so you don’t miss any blog posts.  The Principal’s Blog can be accessed directly with the link above.  You’ll find info such as:  school calendar of events, including field trips, picture day, and concerts, fun pics, and notes from the Principal.

Francis Wyman School website – http://www.burlington.org

Use the drop down menu to “find your school.”  The school website contains information such as the Student Handbook, policies, school calendar, staff lists, and lunch menus.

Francis Wyman PTO website -  http://www.franciswymanpto.org

The PTO website is full of information for parents. Sign up for E-News and receive email notifications to stay informed about upcoming events and fundraisers.  There are multiple volunteer opportunities listed here as well.

Burlington Public Schools Website - http://www.burlington.org

Information about all the schools in Burlington can be found on this page. The Superintendent’s Blog and the Asst. Supt.’s Blog can be accessed here. The Technology Department offers many good ideas such as great iPad apps for kids. Information about Special Education can be found here as well.

Here are some recommended telephone numbers for your personal devices.  Francis Wyman School is just a click away!

Office  - 781-270-1701

Absence/Tardy Line – 781-270-1707 (After 8:30am, please call the office)

Nurse’s Line – 781-270-1702

What is respect?

Over the past few days we have been discussing appropriate third grade behavior and the word respect keeps coming up as the most IMPORTANT rule to follow.  We have read some books and decided to create our classroom "rules" around the word RESPECT.  We have read Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller and What if Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick to help us get ideas for our own classroom/school.  Today, the students worked in pairs to illustrate 7 definitions of respect in a school setting.  I will be adding these to our "Respect is..." bulletin board so that we can follow these "rules" throughout the year.

Bulletin board waiting for pictures

Hands to yourself.

Good Manners

Using Quiet Voices

Being Kind

Listening

The "Golden Rule"