Mr. Wallowitz's blog

On Wednesday, May 5, nearly 40 volunteers from BlumShapiro came into Webster Hill School as part of our ongoing partnership with Junior Achievement. They focused on financial literacy in honor of National Financial Literacy Month.   Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.  The children seemed to enjoy the activities and the volunteers seemed to gain a new appreciation for the teaching profession.

When raising my own children, I am sometimes guilty of focusing on the negative.  It’s easy to hear the argument or see the toys left on the floor.  I have to remind myself to focus on what my kids are doing well.  This morning at Webster Hill, it was easy to focus on the positive.  Here is what I observed before 8:50 am:

• One of our parents stayed by the front of the building and held the door while greeting kids.
• $5 found was found on the bus.  A student turned it in and thought it belonged to a first grader.  The first grader was honest and said it wasn’t his.
• A teacher noticed a student was having a sad morning and took her into the building to cheer her up before moving on with her day.
• A student gave up a coveted class job so that the birthday boy could have it instead.
• Out in the hallway, a kindergarten student successfully spelled a word with magnetic letters thanks to the help of her second grade buddy.

All this before 8:50 and that was only what I was able to witness!

Today’s Chinese/Vietnamese New Year parade was a wonderful display of music and culture.  It started with many visitors enjoying traditional Asian foods in the cafeteria.  The display of food was unique to many of us and the pride on the students’ faces was beautifully obvious.  Next, the whole school received an education during morning announcements.  In interview format from our fifth graders, we learned about the New Year and the Year of the Tiger.  We also heard from a second and third grader who wished the whole school a happy New Year in Chinese and in Vietnamese.  Then, it was onto the parade.  Over 60 students marched through the hallways to the sounds of drums and cymbals.  Colorful costumes and masks greeted central office representatives, parents, staff and students as they paraded down each and every hallway.  We are very fortunate to have so many things to help make Webster Hill a special place.  Our Chinese/Vietnamese New Year parade is definitely one of them!

Bristow’s band, orchestra and choir performed for Webster Hill’s third, fourth and fifth grade students (with a surprise last minute entry from pre-k).  I was impressed with the music and equally impressed with our students.  They were so respectful of the performers and the conductors.  I believe you would have been proud of your child as well.  At the end of the concert, we had three minutes remaining before the band had to leave.  When asked if the audience wanted an encore, they enthusiastically accepted.  It was a proud moment for me as a principal to watch our children display such maturity and respect!

Open up to a world of books at, “Precious Picks”!

(Produced by Exploding Book Productions)

The lead in, the title and the production company were all created by Webster Hill students to name an upcoming segment on Channel 5.  Students who get excited about books will have the opportunity to share their enthusiasm with West Hartford.  A logo and theme song are in the works.  Look for our first edition of this ongoing segment this January!

Our annual first grade Thanksgiving Feast was a success.  The first grade children, more than 20 family volunteers and our Webster Hill staff came together to share a meal and give thanks.  We ended the festivities with a Native American chant giving thanks to the Earth.  As one of our teachers put it, “It is nice to share wonderful food together but what’s even more special are the friendships we share.”

Have you noticed that once a month, the teachers are not dressed in typical “school clothes”?  Well, the last Friday of the month is dress down day for the staff at Webster Hill.  For a donation, the staff can dress in comfortable clothes and the funds are used to support Webster Hill families in need.  Last year, we were able to support two families who were affected by fire.   So when you see our teachers in comfy clothes, please know that it’s for a worthy cause.

Webster Hill’s Postmaster was sworn in and our first round of postal employees are off to a great start.  You may have caught the picture and small article in The Hartford Courant on November 20.  I was impressed with our Postmaster’s leadership and the effort and dedication shown by our postal employees.  Remember that parents can drop mail in the mailbox across from Mrs. Howard’s room too!