Monday, June 10, 2013
Under the guidance of Dedham School of Music Executive Director, Gabriella Sana, and some very patient instructors, the fifth grade band opened the show with five rousing numbers.
As Oakdale Elementary School Principal, Holli Armstrong, walked to the center of the gymnasium floor, a hush fell over the room. The school's 300 plus students in grades 1-5, had just completed their annual spring concert. The room, full of parents, relatives, friends and neighbors, had just witnessed an hour long performance and was waiting as each class took their place, on and in front of the stage. For the past six months, the students in each grade have practiced very hard together. Under the guidance of Dedham School of Music Executive Director, Gabriella Sana, and some very patient instructors, the fifth grade band opened the show with five rousing numbers. Each member of the school band is a first year music student. The …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Spring tradition at Oakdale is called “A Random Act of Kindness.” The phrase, credited to a professor at Bakersfield College in California, is a perfect fit for the children at Oakdale.
At the Oakdale Elementary School here in Dedham, the students can see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” With less than a month remaining in the school year, students across the district are thinking about moving forward. MCAS testing is now behind the group, the 5th grade students can't wait for Middle School and the 4th grade students are looking forward to becoming the senior class in September. The children in grades 2 and 3 are continuing their climb up the ladder, fingers crossed for a specific teacher or group of friends to be with in the Fall. The students in grade 1 are excited to take their next step, with a fresh group of new kids coming in to take their place. For Principal Holli Armstrong and her staff however, the …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Students at Oakdale, Avery and Riverdale schools celebrated School Lunch Super Hero Day, honoring their cafeteria staff.
School Lunch Super Hero Day, honoring their cafeteria staff, was inspired by the Lunch Lady books, written and illustrated by Jarrett K. Krosoczka. They are graphic novels (comics) about a lunch lady that saves the day with high tech kitchen gadgets when she is not serving meals to students. Dedham students are going bananas over these fun books. Oakdale students celebrated their school lunch workers in a number of different ways. To better understand School Lunch Superhero Day the school lunch workers were presented with a copy of Jarrett Krosoczka’s very first lunch lady graphic novel, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. Class cards as well as personal thank you cards were made for the school lunch workers during library time. …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
As a result, the money raised each year has secured people with IDD rewarding jobs, secure home and school settings, and helped grow lifelong friendships.
Commitment is defined as a personal pledge to help a cause – an obligation to fulfill a promise. As an educator, Holli Armstrong has spent the better part of the past 25 years in our public schools – eight years as Principal of Oakdale Elementary here in Dedham. Early on in her career, Ms. Armstrong was significantly impacted by the relationships that teachers have with their students who have intellectual or cognitive disabilities. Since becoming Principal, Ms. Armstrong has worked hard to ensure the full integration of children with (IDD) intellectual and developmental disabilities in our schools. About 10 years ago, Holli Armstrong met and befriended a then 3rd grader named Allie Iannoni. Allie is a young woman with Down's Syndrome. …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Two years ago, the Blanket Drive gathered dozens of blankets, towels, sheets and small rugs to clean the cages, bathe the animals, and provide warm bedding for the shelter pets, while waiting for their “forever homes.” This year, the Animal Rescue League
Dedham's Chrissy Doyle has always loved animals. When she was younger, Chrissy worked for the Animal Rescue League. Now married (husband Mike) and with a family of her own, she has instilled that same type of compassion in her children. This year, daughter Grace (grade 4) and son Mickey (grade 2) have begun plans for their 3rd Annual – Animal Rescue League of Dedham – Blanket/Towel Drive. The Animal Rescue League has been “helping animals since 1899.” The Dedham facility – The Safford Memorial Animal Care and Adoption Center – is located on a 27-acre site, next to the Pine Ridge Cemetery (the oldest pet cemetery in the US). Along with housing and adopting small animals, this site serves as a livestock rehabilitation center for larger …
By Monika Wilkinson
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Thursday, March 28
Four Oakdale Elementary fourth-grade students participated in the Future Problem Solving Program state bowl held on Saturday, Mar. 23, at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay. FPS is an international program with an affiliate in Massachusetts. The competitive, academic program aims to engage students in working through a problem-solving process using creative and critical thinking skills collaboratively in teams of four. Teams are presented with a futuristic scenario, and they must work to identify key challenges, pose possible solutions, and develop a plan of action to address a major problem of the future. The team joined twenty-four teams from across the state in grades 4-12 to address the problem of ocean pollution. The…
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
It is thanks to the hard work and devotion of people like Maureen Hansen Keohane, Rita O'Shea, and Maureen King Haley that we are able to enjoy this taste of the Irish Culture.
In a tradition that has withstood the years, Oakdale Elementary School Principal Holli Armstrong, recently treated her 300 plus students to a very special St. Patrick's Day assembly. Courtesy of the folks at the Haley – O'Shea Chaplin – Hansen Keohane dance studios, former and current Oakdale Elementary students performed solo, traditional, and team sets of Irish Step Dancing at the school. It is thanks to the hard work and devotion of people like Maureen Hansen Keohane (who opened her school in 1947 at the age of 15) – Rita O'Shea (who began teaching in 1954) – Maureen King Haley (teaching in Boston since the 1970`s) – that we are able to enjoy this taste of the Irish Culture. Many of these “former students” have gone on to become …
Friday, March 22, 2013
When traveling down Cedar Street, make sure you turn on to Julia Haelsen Hill to visit the Oakdale Elementary School.
For the fourth consecutive year, Oakdale Elementary School Principal, Holli Armstrong, has held the most popular “raffle” of the school year. The school's 300 plus students, grades 1-5, are asked to submit a “new name” for the 500ft. half-circle street that leads to Oakdale's front door. It is with much thought and careful consideration, that the students choose just the right name for the Oakdale community's new street. All entries are placed in a large basket and on one fateful day, a winner is chosen. This year's lucky winner is Mrs. Stacey Cawley's 3rd grade student, Julia Haelsen. Julia appropriately named the street – Julia Haelsen Hill. Thanks to the continued hard work and efforts of Joe Flanagan and the Dedham DPW, the new …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
This year at the Oakdale Elementary School in Dedham, nine “school finalists” were chosen for their creative work.
A number of years ago, the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) was formed, to provide education, training, information and assistance to the students, teachers, and librarians of our schools. Their goal was to strengthen the profession of the school librarian, while publicizing the importance of a strong library program and it's impact on student achievement. From the very beginning, the vision of the MSLA has remained focused. “All Massachusetts schools will have inclusive, accessible and supportive library programs, managed by credentialed school librarians, who provide equitable opportunities for every student to learn and succeed.” The MSLA promotes leadership and provides the resources, instruction, and collaboration to…
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The students of Oakdale Elementary School spoke about who their heroes were. One student spoke about how her adoptive parents were her heroes.
Recently, a flier was sent home in the backpacks of the 300 plus students at the Oakdale Elementary School. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Principal Holli Armstrong was holding her annual “Hero Day” at the local school. The students in grades 1-5 were encouraged to choose a person in their life, who they consider to be a hero (no sports stars or celebrities please). The children were asked to research, write about and even dress up as their hero. A hero is defined as a man or a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. An assembly was scheduled for Thurs. Jan. 17, to tell the story of Dr. King and to share the stories of the heroes that the Oakdale children …
MaryAnn Mackin
9:55 am on Thursday, March 28, 2013
What an incredible experience for the kids! I look forward to you heading the program again next year. You are a true leader in our community and we all appreciate your efforts. more ›