MAPLESHADE SCHOOL

 

Mapleshade School is completing its fifth decade of educating the youth of East Longmeadow. The school was designed for a student population of 250 youngsters.  Presently, the school houses over 300 eager young learners in grades three, four and five.  While space is at a premium, the caring, creativity and hard work of the parents and dedicated staff continue to make Mapleshade a successful learning environment. 

 

During the past year, our “We Care” program focused on a yearlong promotion of the nine District Character Traits (respect, honesty, kindness, responsibility, perseverance, inclusive, caring, courage and empathy).  These traits were defined and discussed with the students in grade level assemblies.  Each month, classrooms voted for a “Student of the Month”, selecting the student from each class that best exemplified the designated character trait for that month.  Those students received a certificate and were recognized on a special bulletin board in the school lobby.  Students from our Gifted & Talented program created and performed mid-year skits reinforcing the importance of good character.

 

One of the highlights of this project was the creation of  “character flags” by the Mapleshade staff.  These colorful banners adorn the north and south wings of the school.  They serve as vivid reminders that Mapleshade School holds these character traits in high esteem.  In a related theme, Mrs. Diane Tiago, a paraprofessional, designed and created academic banners for the school lobby. They represent each of the subject areas in our curriculum.

 

In the area of professional development, the Mapleshade staff has been engaged in the practice of “curriculum mapping” in the subjects of mathematics and science.  This intensive process helps us to eliminate gaps or redundancies in the curriculum, as well as to highlight opportunities for cross-curricular integration.  In addition, this process helps to promote both vertical and horizontal articulation of the curriculum. 

 

We were fortunate, this past year, to have Dr. Deb Patterson from Western New England College provide two math-related workshops for all staff on  “ Integrating Math and Children’s Literature” and “Number Sense and Measurement”. These trainings were consistent with our School Improvement Plan’s focus on math.

 

The success of todays’ schools depends upon the involvement of their many stakeholders. Mapleshade is no exception.  The Mapleshade P.T.O. provides strong support to our students and staff by sponsoring field trips, enrichment programs, teacher and classroom gifts and a wonderful teacher appreciation program.   Our business partners provide opportunities that otherwise our students might not have.  We want to give a special thanks to Maybury Materials Handling for their many years of commitment to helping our children. Their volunteers assist in ways too numerous to list. Our school is truly enriched by their efforts. We also want to thank the folks from the Baypath College Bookstore, Rocky’s Hardware, and the U.S. Academy of Martial Arts for their contributions.

 

 Working together with our community we are proud to offer an atmosphere that is conducive to optimum teaching and learning experiences.

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