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January 31st, 2010 | 
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If your child is sick, please call the school before
8:15 a.m. The staff arrives by 7:45 a.m., but you may call
earlier or even the night before, and the school answering machine will
take your message. Teachers can arrange to send homework packages
with your carpool, or they can have homework ready for you to pick up
during school hours. If you plan an extended absence, please
notify the school and your child's teacher ahead of time and make
appropriate arrangements for the work that your child will miss.
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Admissions
HERE FOR ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
Arrival and Dismissal
School starts at 8:15 a.m. Staff arrives at 7:45
a.m. Students may arrive as early as 7:45, or earlier on occasion
if pre-arranged. Most students arrive between 8:00 and 8:15
a.m. There are no penalties for late arrival, but obviously it is
detrimental to the child and disruptive to the class. If your
child is going to be late, please call the school by 8:15 a.m.
Also, inform us if your child is going to be walking or biking to
school regularly. In such cases, we will notify you if your child
has not arrived by 8:30 a.m.
Dismissal time is 3:00 p.m. every day, except
Wednesday, when dismissal time is before lunch at 12:30 p.m.
(Dismissal time for Pre-K is 12:30 every day.) Staff
members stay later, and one will always stay until the last child has
left. It is quite obvious that the afternoon dismissal time is
the most hazardous time of the school day because of the large number
of automobiles arriving and departing from the school parking
lot. Wayland Academy has therefore instituted an organized plan
for our parents who are picking up their children (or carpool) at the
conclusion of the school day. We request that parents line up
their cars parallel to the sidewalk in the front of the school
building, leaving sufficient space for other cars to depart.
After classes are dismissed at the close of the school day, each
teacher will bring their students to the front of the school
building. The children will wait on the front steps and proceed
directly to their parent's (or carpool) vehicle and enter on the
sidewalk side of the car only. Once inside their parent's car,
the students will be advised not to exit without permission of an adult
(and again on the sidewalk side of the car).
We do not encourage parent teacher conversations at
this time because it is quite likely that anxious, unsupervised
children may dart out in front of a moving vehicle. Because we
have had many near accidents, with students running to their parent's
cars in the parking lot, our faculty members strongly urge all parents
to pick up their children only along the sidewalk in front of the
school. In the event that you are forced to park in the parking
lot, please leave your vehicle and take your child by the hand to your
car.
We enjoy celebrating birthdays of both the students and
the staff at Wayland Academy. If you would like, send in cupcakes
or a healthier snack for your child's class. Be sure to let us
know if your child has any food allergies.
of Directors
The Board of Directors consists of the Headmaster,
Assistant Headmistress and alumni parents.
Visits
You are always welcome to visit any class, including the
specialty teachers' classes. However, we request that you make an
appointment ahead of time and keep the visits brief as it does distract
the students, especially your own child. We encourage parents to
share their expertise in any subject area, so please let the classroom
teacher know if you would like to contribute.
Communication
When you have a question or concern, please go to the
appropriate source for a prompt answer or resolution. If your
question relates to a classroom issue, you should discuss it directly
with your child's teacher. If it remains unresolved after two
such discussions, you should bring the matter to the Headmaster for
consideration. In addition, if there is anything that you are
uncertain about that does not pertain to the daily classroom matters,
please ask the Headmaster.
It is important to all of us that you and your child
are comfortable and happy with your experience at Wayland
Academy. Don't let a small problem become a big one before
addressing it. Having questions and concerns addressed promptly
will benefit all involved -- you, your child, and the school as a
whole.
Also, please inform us if your child is going through
a stressful time -- illness or death in the family, moving, divorce,
etc. We can try to make these times a little easier through a
little extra compassion or professional intervention if
necessary. Please keep communication a two-way street.
Conferences
The classroom teacher will schedule conferences twice
during the year -- in October, to get acquainted, and in December,
following the first report card. Of course, you and your child's
teacher may schedule meetings anytime throughout the year. Also,
teachers are always available before school (7:45-8:15 a.m.) and after
school (3:00 to 3:15 p.m. and 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. on Wednesdays) for
casual or scheduled discussions.
Wayland Academy prides itself on its wholesome
atmosphere. There is no dress code (either written or implied)
and the children tend to dress in a very casual manner. Designer
clothes are not an issue, as most students concern themselves only with
the comfort of their attire. Jeans, pants, or sweat outfits are
the most common choices. Students wear shorts on the hot days in
the fall and spring. Sneakers are required on gym day each
Friday, and most children also wear sneakers throughout the year,
except for boots during winter weather. The building tends to be
warm, but the children do go out to recess on most days. A pair
of snow pants can be left at school during the winter. On the
occasion of more "formal" field trips (to museums, plays, etc.), we do
request that students wear dressier clothes. This helps set the tone
for their behavior and the mood for the activity.
Faculty and Staff
Wayland Academy is a small school with a warm, friendly
faculty that prides itself as a home away from home for our
students. There is splendid cooperation and outstanding comradery
among our carefully selected faculty members who can therefore impart a
positive, confident, and cooperative spirit to their students.
The teaching staff has not only been recognized academically, but also
has the reputation of being exceptionally popular, warm, and effective
with children. Our teachers teach in their areas of expertise,
where they have had extensive preparation and experience, and can
therefore communicate their enthusiasm and love of learning.
Three of the Wayland Academy faculty are authors of unique educational
programs.
We believe that elementary school is a crucial time
to lay the foundation for future academic success. Children should be
provided with a structured and intellectually stimulating environment
in which they feel secure and know that their accomplishments are
valued. Our main goal is to provide each youngster with a
superior educational background in a warm supportive environment in
which he or she is motivated to do their utmost.
Trips
One of the many features of Wayland Academy is the
number of field trips the classes can take to supplement their studies,
or occasionally just for the fun of it. The school van easily
fits a whole class and the lack of red tape makes even the spontaneous
trips possible. We do plan most of the trips well in advance,
however. We schedule the vast majority of the field trips in the
fall and spring to avoid the hazardous driving conditions and last
minute cancellations that the winter weather creates. While often
unnecessary, sometimes we arrange for parent volunteer
chaperones. As mentioned above (
Dress Code), we recommend "Sunday" dress for
certain field trips.
Raising
Tuition alone does not cover the costs of private
schools. Like most other private schools, we conduct a variety of
fund raising activities in order to maintain and continue to improve
the quality of our school.
Wayland Academy has always relied upon the loyalty
and generosity of parents, past parents, grandparents, and friends to
advance the institution. Fund-raising events planned for this
year are: the Annual Computer Fund, the Readathon, and the Annual
Spring Scholarship Auction. Wayland Academy limits fund raising
activities to the above major events, in preference to numerous small
fund raisers that accomplish little and may become intrusive. We
invite all parents to participate wholeheartedly and to support these
few but important fund raising activities. Wayland Academy is a
non-profit school and all contributions are tax deductible.
Issues
If your child should become ill or injured during school
hours, we will notify you or your emergency contacts. Please
remember to keep your emergency numbers up to date on your Emergency
Information Card. Notify us of any changes in phone numbers,
schedules, etc. If your child should contract any contagious
diseases, we ask for a letter from a physician in order for your child
to return to school. Wayland Academy students love school and
will plead to attend even when they are quite sick. If your child
has a fever, even a mild one, or definitely appears not to be his or
her usual self, it is more prudent for the child, as well as for
others, for them to remain home for the day.
History of Wayland Academy
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Wayland Academy was organized in 1982 by two educators, Mr. John F. O'Rourke and Mr. Raphael J. McGrath, who felt that there was a real need in the area for a private school with small classes and carefully selected faculty members who would offer a strong academic preparation while at the same time encouraging creative expression and providing close individual attention. |
Homework Assignments
A more detailed notice about homework assignments will
come out at the beginning of the year at Parents' Night. In
general, the students in grades K-1 should read or be read to for
approximately 10 - 15 minutes four nights per week. Students in
grades 2,3, and 4 will receive about 20 to 40 minutes of homework four
times per week. Students in grades 5 and 6 will receive 50 to 60
minutes of homework four times per week. Approximately one half
of the times suggested should be devoted to reading and the other half
devoted to other assignments.
Although assignments are not given on weekends or
holidays, we encourage reading and reading projects during these times.
Do not ever accept the old excuse, "We don't have any
homework tonight!". All our students beyond Kindergarten level
should read and become involved in one of the 51 suggested reading
creative activities each evening, Monday through Thursday.
and Found
We keep a collection of unidentified items in the
office. Students can check the box for lost items and donate to
the collection any items they have found. If you are missing any
children's clothing items, they will usually be found on the hooks in
the hallway.
Lunch and Snack
Lunch break begins at 12:30 p.m., except that Pre-K
students are dismissed daily at 12:30, before lunch. Students
bring their lunch boxes or bags every day except Wednesday. There
is a refrigerator in the kitchen if necessary. Children also
bring a snack for mid-morning recess (10:15 a.m.). Students may
bring milk or juice or purchase milk (8 oz.) for 25 cents per day or
$1.00 per week. If your child should forget his or her lunch, you
need not make a separate trip with the lunch. The school can
always provide peanut butter, crackers and milk at no extra charge, to
get the child through the day.
Friday is a favorite day at Wayland Academy because
it is pizza day. Teachers collect orders and money on Friday
morning for pizza (plain only) to be delivered to the school at lunch
time. Most children partake, but not all. Current prices
are 70 cents per slice; $2.00 for half a pizza (3 slices); $4.00 for
one pizza (6 slices). If Domino's increases their prices, we will let
you know.
School Announcements
In case of inclement weather, the Headmaster evaluates
driving conditions and makes a cancellation decision no later than 6:30
a.m. You may listen for No School Announcements on TV channels 4
and 5, and radio stations WBZ-1030 AM Boston; WKOX-1200 AM Framingham;
WRKO-680 AM Boston; WSRO-1470 AM Marlborough; WSRS-96.1 FM Worcester;
WTAG-580 AM Worcester. In addition, we will begin a phone chain
around 6:45 a.m.
If we need to release school early, we will contact
all parents or emergency contacts. It would be helpful if you
made contingency plans with your carpool or other school families for
this circumstance and notify the office of these arrangements. Wayland
Academy students come from a wide geographic area so please use your
own good judgment if the roads in your area appear hazardous.
It is generally more prudent for a parent or
administrator to err on the side of safety and miss just one school day
rather than take a chance and incur an accident along with the serious
implications involving both physical injury and property damage.
The Wayland Academy does not discriminate on the basis
of race, color, religion, creed, or national and ethnic origin in the
administration of its educational policies, admission policies,
scholarship programs, athletic and other school-administered programs
and activities, or in the equal use of all facilities and privileges.
Notices and Newsletters
Whenever necessary, the teachers will hand out notices
and newsletters to the children. Prior to leaving school, the
children will put these notices in their lunch boxes or school
bags. Generally, we will print them on colored paper to make them
easier to spot. Please emphasize to your child his or her
responsibility for delivering these to you. We suggest you
specifically ask if there are any notices that day and that you
frequently check your child's school bag. We will mail or
personally hand out the most important notices to ensure their
delivery.
We usually send home at least one newsletter each
month to keep parents informed of upcoming events. Classroom
teachers and specialists also send home newsletters and field trip
notices from time to time.
Assistance
Many of our parents have special talents, travel
experience, and expertise in certain areas which will be very helpful
to our classroom teachers. In the early part of the year we will
distribute questionnaires for you to fill out so we are aware of the
areas in which you may ad more depth to our curriculum. Generally
we limit visits to two or three times each year in order to give other
parents an opportunity to share their talents and experiences.
Philosophy of Education at Wayland Academy
The Wayland Academy is dedicated to the total growth and
development of each student. It places strong emphasis on
academic excellence while at the same time fostering qualities of
self-discipline, self-respect and recognition of the rights and
properties of others. Our most important rule or guideline is the
golden rule.
The Wayland Academy can best be described as a
traditional structured school which stresses the basic skills. At
the same time children are encouraged to develop the ability to think
independently and creatively. The academic goal of the teaching
staff is to provide a climate in which persistence, enthusiasm and the
love of learning are encouraged. A strong attempt is made to
encourage intellectual curiousity, to develop critical reasoning and to
promote self-esteem, self-confidence and self motivation. Stress
is laid on the importance and interrelatedness of reading, creative
writing, spelling, penmanship, mathematics, social studies, science and
technology, the fine arts and physical education.
Our grading system is specially designed to emphasize
effort above pure achievement in order to stress with each individual
student the importance of performing at their highest level of
potential.
The proof of our success is that over the years the
majority of our graduates have gone on to distiguish themselves in
their new schools by being elected to class offices and being appointed
to their new school's honor rolls.
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Students go outside twice each day (except Wednesdays only once) in all but the worst weather (raining, sleeting, or windy and below 20 degrees F). There is a short recess (about 15 minutes) at 10:15 a.m. and a longer one (about 30 minutes) after the children have finished their lunch. Lunch and noon recess are from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Recess gives the children a chance to renew themselves with physical activity in the fresh air. The playground is always supervised and usually one or more informally structured games take place. Both sexes and all ages play together and we foster cooperation rather |
Cards
We send report cards home with the children three times
during the year - in December, March and June. The head teachers
and specialty teachers fill out the standard forms with Satisfactory,
Needs Improvement, and Unsatisfactory in the Kindergarten class, and
letter grades in classes 1 - 6.
School Year
The school year for most private schools, including
Wayland Academy, is 160 calendar days. This year, 2003-2004, we
have 164 days scheduled.
Our school day, excluding Wednesday, is 6 hours and
45 minutes, which is one hour and 45 minutes beyond the typical public
school day of 5 hours. On Wednesdays our school day is 4 hours 15
minutes or 45 minutes short of the 5 hour day. (We refer to
Wednesdays as our 63 percent day)
If you multiply our typical school year (160
days) by the number of hours we are in school (6.75 hours), it would
equal 1080 hours; subtracting 27 hours for the short Wednesdays
leaves 1053 hours total. A typical public school meets 180 days
times 5 hours a day, or 900 hours. Therefore, Wayland
Academy students experience a school year that is 17% longer (about 1/6
longer) than that of the typical public school.
needs: Academically Above-Average Children;
Gifted and Talented Children
Wayland Academy initiated a program for the above
average, gifted and academically talented children because our faculty
saw a real need for such a program in the Middlesex County and
Metrowest areas. Our faculty, with many years of experience in
elementary education, felt that the very bright youngsters, the future
leaders of our country, are the most neglected students in nearly all
schools throughout the United States. The programs in most
classrooms are geared toward the middle or average student and there
are many programs for children with educational handicaps or special
needs, but there is a real shortage of programs to meet the needs of
above average children.
It is generally quite easy for parents to recognize
when their youngster is above average and gifted. In general they
are quite mature for their age. Frequently they begin speaking at
an early age and some may teach themselves how to read before attending
school. In conversation, they are quite articulate and can
express themselves in a more sophisticated vocabulary than the typical
child of the same age. They are very interested in what makes
things happen, especially in science, and frequently ask the question
"why?" when they are puzzled. They can entertain themselves for
long periods of time and, when playing with other children, usually
assume leadership roles and want to organize games and
activities. They generally feel very comfortable with adults and
they adapt readily to new situations and surroundings.
It can be pointed out that there have been some very
important American inventors and geniuses who as children differed in
some of the above characteristics, but is general most talented
youngsters have many of the above qualities.
When gifted youngsters are old enough to attend
school, there are seldom any provisions in the curriculum to challenge
their abilities. In most classrooms the curriculum is pitched
toward average, typical children. Classrooms, even for youngsters
in kindergarten and first grade, usually have 25-30 or more youngsters
and the children who tend to receive the most attention are the slow
learners and discipline problems. Most bright youngsters have
good discipline and can entertain themselves for long periods of time,
so the teacher will spend little time getting these youngsters started
on some type of projects or busy work while she is occupied with those
she deems to require the greatest need, the slow learners.
At the Wayland Academy we are very aware of the needs
of academically talented youngsters and provide an advanced academic
curriculum in reading, language arts, math, science and technology,
social studies and Spanish. Our classrooms are small and our
programs are individualized so students are motivated to proceed at an
avanced pace and are not held back in order to adhere to a grade level
curriculum or slower members of the class.
In addition, gifted youngsters at Wayland Academy are
in classes where many of their classmates are of equivalent academic
ability as well as having broad ranges of curiousity and interest and
therefore they are continually motivated and challenged to achieve at a
high level.
Although Wayland Academy is mainly a school for gifted,
academically talented and above average students, we do accept some
bright youngsters with slight learning disabilities. We screen
each applicant in order to determine the extent of the disability and
whether there is a good possibility that our teaching staff might be
able to show positive results with the prospective student. We
also request records on the student from their previous scholl to
determine the extent of special needs that a student might require.
Frequently some children have difficulties in reading
because they attended a school where phonics were either entirely
overlooked or taught occasionally and haphazardly in kindergarten and
the early grades. These students were taught reading using the
sight or whole word method which requires memorization of entire words
and therefore there was little or no training in phonetic word attack
skills. Frequently, students taught in the above method do quite
well until they reach third or fourth grade when there are just simply
too many words to memorize, and then reading becomes a slow, laborious,
word-guessing game. These youngsters will very seldom read a book
on their own for pleasure because it is just too difficult for them to
remember all the words, and they have had no training in attacking the
new strange words that authors of children's literature might use.
Likewise, many children who are experiencing
difficulty in math may not have had sufficient time and the proper
training in the basic math facts: addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division. Students must learn by rote the answers to all
operations with one-digit numbers and they must be able to state the
answers without hesitation. Some children are expected to learn
too many math facts at a time and they feel overwhelmed and unable to
remember them all. In some cases children who have not learned
their basic math facts are permitted to compute on their fingers.
Once children are permitted to do this there is a good chance of the
habit continuing into adulthood. Because of this, many children
become handicapped in math and develop a "math-phobic" complex and a
dislike toward computing, simply because they did not receive the
proper training in the initial basic math facts.
As stated previously, we do accept some bright
students with mild learning disabilities. Although we do have a
highly trained, devoted and capable faculty at Wayland Academy, we do
not claim to have the panacea for all learning problems. We are
aware that a good part of academic achievement and progress depends on
the attitude, initiative and self motivation by the individual
student. Therefore, we do not make any promises or predictions of
success, as we know from experience that much depends on the attitude
and drive of the individual.
Sometimes a child's learning disability may be of a
slight nature and improved by more concentrated individualized
instruction by a warm, caring teacher. Although the class sizes
at Wayland Academy are relatively small (limited to 18) and ideal for
learning, our teachers do not have sufficient time to devote to
children who have serious learning disabilities, such as severe cases
of dyslexia or attention deficit and we recommend that these youngsters
attend schools with exceptionally small classes (4 to 6 students) where
the students can get concentrated individualized attention by teachers
who have had extensive training and experience with learning disabled
students.
For the first day of school on Wednesday, the children
will need only a snack. (Kindergarten youngsters need only a
snack for the first three days, as they will be dismissed each day at
12:30; the same applies to pre-kindergarten throughout the year).
Students in grades 1-6 will need a snack and lunch on the first
Thursday and on Friday they will need a snack and may purchase pizza
for lunch if they choose to do so.
After the first day of school each student will need
a large school bag or backpack, a pencil box (to leave in his or her
desk) with a few pencils, some magic markers or crayons, scissors (no
pointed ends) and a ruler. Each teacher will discuss any
additional supplies that might be needed or send home a brief
newsletter at the beginning of school.
and Scholarships
We intentionally keep tuition low in comparison to other
private schools so that a greater pool of students may afford our
superior educational services. However, the tuition alone does
not cover the costs of operating the school. Therefore, it is
imperative that we have three major fund raisers each year in order to
meet our obligations: the Readathon, the Computer Fund and the Annual
Scholarship Auction. We ask for your wholehearted support in
helping to assure the success of these very important functions.
Tuition costs generally increase 5 percent each year to cover
inflation, costs of salaries, rent, insurance, etc.
Academy Parent Committee
The purpose of the Wayland Academy Parent Committee is
communication and interaction with the school in order to enhance the
experience of the students, staff, and parents of Wayland Academy.
The WAPC has several major functions. It serves
the entire school by assisting in various fund raising events. It
serves the students and parents by sponsoring enrichment activities and
it serves the parents by acting as a source of and channel for
communications. By getting involved in our Parent Committee you
make the most of this important opportunity to meet other parents,
become an active part of the school's life and join the school
family. The WAPC collects dues at the beginning of the year for
presenting programs, refreshments, etc. The dues this year are
$35.00. Please make your check to WAPC in the amount of $35.00
and mail it to the school along with the first tuition payment which is
due on August 15th.
The first Parent Council Organizational meeting will
be held after school has begun in the fall. Please watch for
upcoming notices and make plans to attend. You presence is
welcomed!