Message to Families and Friends
Dear Walker Families and Friends:
The months of January and February have been positive and productive here at The Walker School!
Highlights of the winter include:
- Our wonderful Girl Scout Troop, led by parent Linnette Murphy, has met regularly, with eight of our day and residential girls actively participating. The girls have sold more than 400 boxes of cookies, raising more than $300 for their troop. This year, in addition to selling cookies on campus, the girls practiced their social skills while earning money for the Girl Scouts by selling cookies in the community! The girls also are working hard to earn badges for animal awareness and jewelry making.
- The Walker Basketball Team, under the direction of Brian McCarthy, has played several games against other MAAPS schools. Although we’ve yet to win a game, the players have maintained excellent team spirit and sportsmanship, improving their skills and celebrating their personal accomplishments. Kudos to coaches, players, and enthusiastic fans!
- The entire school celebrated Dr. Seuss during the week of February 27. Staff members visited classrooms to read a wide range of Dr. Seuss books, and students are tabulating the results of a school-wide vote for the most favorite book!
- Parents and teachers beamed with pride as students showed off their projects to our volunteer guest scientists during our annual Science Fair on February 16. The rainforest exhibit, created by classrooms 201 and 202, was a favorite! Scientists also enjoyed seeing student experiments and projects on a range of topics such as electric circuits, basic physics, and chemical reactions. It was wonderful to see our students sharing their knowledge with the scientists, and receiving their ribbons and awards.
- We have been extremely fortunate to get to know Jenna Alderton of TRACK: Traveling Art Cards for Kids. Jenna has conducted several art card workshops with our students, guiding them through the process of designing trading card-size works of art, which they can keep, share, or trade. The children have responded extremely positively to this activity, and we are working with Jenna to arrange for this collaboration to continue into the spring. Check out the TRACK website at www.travelingartcards.com.
- In addition to ongoing participation in music, martial arts, and swimming lessons, several of our residential children attended Celtics games last month, thanks to generous donations! Apparently, our students and staff were so enthusiastic that they were prominently featured singing, dancing, and cheering on the Jumbotron!
As warmer weather approaches, we are all looking forward to a wonderful spring! The first shipment of materials for our new playground has arrived–stay tuned for more information in April as we prepare to install this wonderful addition to our campus!
Fran Rosenberg
Associate Executive Director