Winchendon Weekly News school newsletter - Wednesday, February 1

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Memorial School Celebrates Global School Play Day

by Keith Kent, Special to the Courier
Global School Play Day, which was celebrated by Memorial School Wednesday, February 1, as around the globe, is a day where younger elementary school students around the entire Earth celebrate the power and joy of thought and creativity, allowing students the ability to open their minds in ways in the classrooms not always experienced but yet academically proven to yield productive cognitive results.

GSPD which advertises now having served over "One Million previous participant students from 75 nations" discusses "Raising the awareness of the necessity of unstructured play". Its website, documents GSPD's humble beginnings with 65,000 students now having grown past 1,000,000 previous students and now aiming for 1.5 Million strong in 2023 around the world.

Students in all three grades, Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2, engaged in problem solving, productivity, creative thinking and design, and again pointed out by staff members as the year before, children who may have not previously interacted, found common grounds for new constructive conversation and even work sharing. Doors open, relationships built, friendships made, all the while building on skills by opening ones mind to new possibilities.

From groups in various grades painting hearts for Valentines Day, to drawing designs together.Teaching each other the rules of new games and even showing patience and understanding with others who where slower to learn, while others were promoting the art of sharing among their groups. All grade levels showed a grasp for what the day and concept of what GSPD was all about as their teachers and paraprofessionals watched and observed, only cautiously interjecting themselves only when needed.

In the Kindergarten Class of Mrs. Boucher, young students both brought in toys for the day, ranging from their own favorite stuffed animals to remote controlled cars. However in a large scale joint effort, some of Memorial's youngest students constructed and pieced together a very large scale plastic track of "Their own design" where free cognitive thought and team effort created the blueprints for well over an estimated 50 feet of track and intersections of its roads. When asked about GSPD and her students, Mrs. Boucher simple summed it up with a smile as, "Global Play Day is a very important day for children. It is an important experience for them to learn on their own and explore, and play is hard work".

Moving on to the First Grade, the class of Mrs. Erin Peczka, students where drawing up and sizing and painting within, and also running a separate work station at a "Play-Doh Creation Table" where children made everything from stars to cakes and much more. At the painting station when asked what they were making, answers varied from one group responding with "Hearts for Valentines Day" to "Birthday wishes for Principal Jillson's Birthday"!

Asking the students teacher, Erin Peczka, what the benefits and initiative of GSPD meant to both she and her students, Peczka replied, "I think it's really important for the children to have a reset. These children go all year long where we are teaching them how to read, working on our sight words, our fry words, and we are pushing our kids to learn so so much. So have this day I believe is so important for them to have some free thinking on their own, and to also be able to work on that social emotional piece that we have".

Peczka also added, "They don't really get a lot of other time together other than at specials or talking together at lunch time or recess. When we are in the classroom I remind my students that they are on the job, and they are clocking in as a student, and I am clocking in as a teacher. So today I think is very important for them to have say over what they are doing".

Lastly and observing the Grade 2 Memorial School Students of Mrs. Zalenski, free thought was witnessed taken to the next level. In one small group of young girls, creative drawing was taking place on drawing tablets. However in another group of students, both boys and girls interacting at different times "Taught each other the Game of Chess teaching and learning the rules of the game" at a very young age. When many are playing checkers, these students were clearly aiming high for the "Next level"! If there was any doubt that Global School Play Day promotes thinking and cognitive thought, watching 2nd grade students reading the rules and teaching themselves the game of chess may put those concerns quite possibly to rest.

When one young student was asked how he liked playing Chess the response was given, "I really like playing, but I lost both my King and my Queen"! Fellow Grade 2 classmate Olivia Brown was asked what she liked about GSPD. Brown said, "I am very happy and excited because we get to play all day and we never get to do that. You get to learn different things, like rules of games like Chess. I also learned I should bring more toys, because I don't know what is going to happen. But I also learned that sharing is caring".

Class teacher Mrs. Zalenski when asked for her feelings about GSPD responded with the following statement. "Today means these children are getting a chance to do things they don't normally get a chance to do. Instead of normally using electronics as an example, the are able to play and get creative without the need for electronics. Today is important because they are learning to socialize and learn to get along with everyone".

If you are interesting in learning more about Global School Play Day you can visit its website at www.globalschoolplayday.com or GSPD can also be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globalschoolplayday.

Murdock High School Honor Roll, Second Quarter

Winchendon Student Named to University of New England's Fall 2022 Dean's List

Celine Pelton of Winchendon has been named to the Dean's List for the 2022 fall semester at the University of New England. Dean's List students have attained a grade point average of 3.3 or better out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester.

The University of New England is Maine's largest private university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible online offerings. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. We are the state's top provider of health professionals and home to Maine's only medical and dental colleges, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care programs, and nationally recognized degree paths in the marine sciences, the natural and social sciences, business, the humanities, and the arts. Visit une.edu

The Courier congratulates our Winchendon students on their accomplishments!

MWCC Celebrates Black History Month with Music and Speaker

GARDNER, MA - February 1, 2023 - In honor of Black History Month, the Student Government Association at Mount Wachusett Community College is hosting a day of entertainment featuring singer/songwriter Rocky Peter and speaker Ron Jones.

The event will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 beginning at 4:30 pm. The event will begin with a performance from Rocky Peter and after a break for refreshments, Ron Jones will give his "Hellfighter" presentation and the event will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

Rocky Peter is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer. He was born in the USA and raised in Nigeria. His musical style is highly influenced by folk, pop, reggae, soul, and blues. He has an outstanding vocal range and poetic song writing skills. His message is centered around love, unity, motivation, and empowerment. Rocky sings both original music and cover songs. His life story is nothing short of inspiring. Rocky was born in America but abandoned in West Africa at the age of two. By the time he was eight years old he was a child slave and a subject of physical abuse and extreme labor. Rocky escaped and educated himself. Through his rough upbringing, composing music gave him solace. As a result, Rocky uses his music to entertain, heal, and inspire.

Ron Jones has been an educator, writer, actor and social Activist for over 25 years. As a founding member of the program Urban Improv, he did no less that 250 workshops each year throughout new England for young people using improvisation as a tool for self-expression and violence prevention. He is currently Executive Director of Dialogues on Diversity, a social justice and diversity awareness theater company performing more than 100 performances, lectures, and workshops across North America annually. Learn more about Dialogues on Diversity at dialoguesondiversity.com.

This event is open to the community. All attendees must adhere to all COVID Policies for Visitors. Current students and employees may RSVP on InvolveMOUNT, community members and those without access to InvolveMOUNT are asked to RSVP here no later than Monday, 2/6/23.