Hi all,

We now have an Instagram account where you can check out the great work of your students. Pictures will be posted weekly (or more:) so please follow us at 

ellatmemorial 

In addition, we'll continue to use the blog as a way of sharing photos and communicating important information or events. 

Any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us!

Thanks to Mrs. Weinberg for preparing
her students to have a wonderful discussion about
Diwali & inviting other 4th grade students to
share their knowledge and traditions!

Finally, we want to wish all families who celebrate the festival of Diwali a very Happy Diwali! It's been exciting to see students dressed up and learn all the different ways that families celebrate the holiday.  We're also grateful to teachers who have invited us to present lessons in their classrooms.

Some Diwali picture books. 

Dr. Conti was one of the many people to participate in the Diwali celebration
hosted by Indian Americans for Burlington at the Town Common.
Some Memorial students even performed! 

2nd graders building their language of math by
explaining odd numbers using examples and visuals. 

K students were ready for their field trip to
see community helpers in Burlington. 

Welcome Back!

** Reminder Open House Tuesday, September 19th at 6:30 pm!  Please note that this is a parent-only event.

Dear ELL families,

Welcome to a new school year at Memorial! We hope you had a fun and relaxing summer. We enjoyed spending time with our families, eating good food, and reading wonderful books.

Now that school is back in session, we have been busy setting up our learning space and helping students get used to new routines and faces.  Regular ESL services will begin once our K students are screened and placed in groups.

We are excited to announce the addition of an ESL volunteer, Mrs. Khrystyna Leslie. She has previous experience working as a first grade instructional assistant in Cambridge and Lexington. Mrs. Leslie is currently working towards her Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Salem State.  She is also fluent in Ukrainian and Russian. She will be working with students on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Welcome Mrs. Leslie! 

In celebration of the growing diversity in Burlington, the school district would like to recognize the  cultural and religious holidays of its students. With this in mind, we'd like to acknowledge families of the Jewish faith who will be observing the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah on Thursday, September 21 and Yom Kippur on Saturday, September 30th. Happy New Year & may you have an easy fast :) 

Also a reminder if your child will be absent from school for any holiday,  please call the school's front office at 781-270-1721.

Check out the Tree of Flags in the Main Hall

Here is the ESL flag we created :) 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us via phone or email.
Here's to a successful and fun 2017-2018 school year! 

Last day of school- first day of summer!

It's finally here- the last day of school and first day of summer vacation! It has been a great school year thanks to the efforts of your students and the amazing support we received from you families. We appreciate all you do to enhance your children's education at home and partner with us at Memorial. 

We hope you enjoy the break and we look forward to next year.  

Here are some links for summer fun in the Burlington area: 

Summer Library Newsletter

Burlington Recreation Department for sports & activities

Information about summer program on Principal Dressler's Blog

* Remember- Even though school is not in session, the summer is the perfect time for students to continue building academic skills in a fun way. Students can always visit the library to find new books or play math games (online or with dice and playing cards).  

Some pictures from end of the year activities: 

Thanks to 2nd grade teachers  Mrs. McLaughlin &
Mrs. Nelson for coming to our Writing Showcase.  

2nd graders performing patriotic songs
for Memorial Day. 

Talles and Ani showing their teacher
the many countries of origin in our ESL program. 

2nd grader Piyush explaining his pen pal letter

4th graders Yali and Harkiran (former student in our program)
showing off their public speaking skills at the 4th & 5th grade concert.

Mrs. Takamatsu teaching students about Japanese culture. 

4th grader David enjoying fun in the sun. 

3rd grader Tarandip happily hopping
for her team. 

4th grader Yali competing in the relay.  

4th grader Jerry warming up his arm in the football toss. 

3rd graders sending photos to their pen pals in San Diego. 

See you on the first day of school, Tuesday September 5th! 

Taking care of the Earth and showcasing our talents!

With Earth Day on April 22nd, 1st through 5th grade students have been learning different ways to take care of the environment.  Soon they'll put their language skills to use by delivering persuasive speeches about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Meanwhile, K students have been busy studying different fruits and vegetables and writing informational sentences. 

2nd graders reading the story of Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Wangari Maathai,
and her successful efforts to rebuild the forests of Kenya.  

High School Science Center Intern, Dhruvesh, helping students draft their persuasive arguments about
why others should reduce, reuse, recycle. 

Ready to take care of the Earth! 

1st grader Olivia feeling inspired :) 

2nd graders putting their words into action by recycling. 

Dhruvesh making even complex climate science easy to understand. 

Congrats to all the students,  including Olivia, Hayato & Julia,
who participated in the  Memorial Talent Show before vacation.
 It was so exciting seeing you perform! 

Students adding details in their words and illustrations! 

K students showcase their super writing progress. 

March Happenings

Check out the photos below to see what students have been learning! Best wishes to our 3rd through 5th grade students who will be taking the state test, MCAS, this week on April 4, 5, & 6th. 

Thank you to Talles' parents, Cesar & Ruylene Barros,  for their wonderful presentation about Brazil. 2nd grade students loved seeing the beautiful pictures and learning about the country's rich history, vibrant culture and unique geography.  

We are planning to study each 2nd grade student's family's country of origin,  so let us know if you would be interested in visiting or sending in items/information. 

Obrigada to the parents of Julia for sending in a beautiful hand-woven basket from Brazil

Students learning to Samba! 

Check out our moves :) 

Students in first through fifth grade continue to
correspond with their pen pals in California.

Ready to write! 

Locating San Diego on the map! 

K students descriptive writing about farm animals. 

Welcoming New Students & Families

Hello! Since our last blog post, we've had 2 new students join our Memorial community.  All of the students in the ESL program have been excited to welcome their new schoolmates. They've also reflected on what it was like when they were new and learning a second language.

 In addition, Kindergarten students from Mrs. Felton's class, collected over 100 welcome notes for refugee families in the United States.  Many students, used their free time on snow days to make adorable cards with sweet messages of kindness. We are so proud of all of our students and look forward to their continued success ! Check out the photos below to see what your students have been doing :) As always, feel free to leave a comment or email us with any questions.

Welcome/Bem Vindo
to Talles
from Brazil

Memorial students and families made over 100 cards to
 welcome new Americans. 

Welcome 歡迎
to Jerry
from China

First graders with their cards for new families 

4th graders making cards to welcome new Americans

2nd graders listening to I'm New Here 

1st graders making their cards :) 

3rd grader making a "sound sandwich" to study pitch

Thanks to all the families who shared the beliefs about luck from their different cultures and religions. We are learning so much from one another! 

Yali matching Valentine's idioms