SLIDESHOW: Lemonade War Writer Visits Barbieri Elementary for Author Day

A handful of authors and illustrators talked to students about their craft and creative process during the elementary school's 10th Annual Author Day.

Thanks to a grant from the Framingham Cultural Council, a handful of authors and illustrators talked to Barbieri Elementary School students about their craft and creative process during the school's 10th Annual Author Day. Jacqueline Davies, talked about why her book The Lemonade War sold more books than all her other books combined. She explained to students one of the reasons is that it had a universal theme -- everyone has a brother or sister and everyone has seen a lemonade stand. Davies said as an author she travel a lot and talked to fourth and fifth grade students about her latest adventure to Hawaii too. Illustrator/author Jeannie Brett read to students in the auditorium during author day. Upstairs in the library conference room …

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Exploring Education

Framingham in 2063 Built Brick by LEGO Brick

Students from Barbieri, Dunning and Potter Road elementary were asked to build, using LEGO blocks, what Framingham would look like 50 years from now.

Earlier this week, more than 30 teams of elementary school students from Barbieri, Dunning and Potter Road showed what they think Framingham would look like 50 years from now in 2063 with LEGO blocks. The first, second and third students were participating in the town's annual LEGO League Celebration held at Fuller Middle School on Sunday, April 7. The event was organized by Jacqui Goldberg. *** Parents please add your photos to Framingham Patch's slideshow.

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Exploring Education

Robotics Challenge: Chugging Through The Car Wash En Route To The Finish Line

Sunday, 15 teams from three elementary school participated in the 2013 Robot Maze Challenge, sponsored by the Framingham Education Foundation, at Fuller Middle School.

The challenge is to program a robot through a maze in the fastest time possible. It's not as easy as it seems. But Sunday afternoon, 15 teams from three elementary schools took up the challenge in the 2013 Robot Maze Challenge, sponsored by the Framingham Education Foundation. Working in small groups, students from Barbieri Elementary School, Dunning Elementary School and Potter Road Elementary School had three tries to get their robot through the maze, which includes road blocks, a car wash-like drive-thru and a golf ball quest. The students used a computer program and trial-and-error to complete the maze challenge. Teams earned points by finishing different parts of the maze, but also strived for the fastest time through the maze too. …

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Susan Petroni

10:29 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013

Bryan: Thanks for uploading photos and congrats to your team!   more ›

State: Achievement Gap Between Elementary Schools Widens

The achievement gap at Framingham's eight public elementary schools is widening according to report by the State of Massachusetts. At one elementary school, 79 percent of students were proficient in English, at another school only 33 percent.

There are "wide variations in proficiency rates across the eight elementary schools" in Framingham, according to a Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education District (DESE) Review report. The State's DESE review report looks at data from 2007 to 2011 and made in person visits to 12 of the 13 Framingham Public Schools in May 2012. "The differences in proficiency between the highest- and lowest-performing elementary schools widened during this period for both ELA (English language arts) and mathematics," concluded the report. Framingham does not have neighborhood elementary schools, instead parents have a limited school choice. Parents prioritize from 1-8 which elementary school they would like their child to attend. The District, …

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Sharon Machlis Gartenberg

10:42 am on Thursday, March 14, 2013

The fact that they say "1 year" for all students regardless of age tells me all I need to know about rules for ELL students: They're arbitrary and do not give useful data. I might agree that a child who comes here at age 6 could be ready to test in English after a year (especially if living in a household with well-educated parents). A student who arrives here at age 14? Much less likely.   more ›

SLIDESHOW: Bilingual Jungle Book Staged at Barbieri Elementary

More than 150 students participated in Drama Club this year; each cast performed the show in English and then in Spanish.

This past weekend, more than 150 students staged The Jungle Book Kids at Barbieri Elementary School. This is the fifth year of Barbieri Elementary's Drama Club. Parent Susi Leeming gets major kudos for the production, as she volunteered to run the Drama Club, which this year 160 students participated. The students were divided into two casts and performed four shows. Each cast performed the show in English and then in Spanish. All of the songs were translated into Spanish by one Barbieri family, who recorded themselves singing the Spanish version, so the students would each have a CD to practice with, said Barbieri Elementary parent Lori Greene. Greene, also deserves kudos, for photographing the shows this weekend, and uploading more than …

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Exploring Education

SLIDESHOW: Sounds of Rumba, Bomba and Merengue Heard at Barbieri Elementary

Barbieri Elementary School hosted the musical group Manguito on Thursday, thanks to the PTO.

Barbieri Elementary School hosted the musical group Manguito on Thursday. Manguito is a group of five internationally-known Latin American musicians, who took students on an interactive musical tour of the Caribbean as they played the rhythms of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic on a variety of musical instruments. Barbieri students heard the music of Latin America, such as the rumba, bomba, plena, and Dominican merengue. Students had the opportunity to participate throughout the presentation via sing-alongs, clapping rhythms, playing instruments, and dancing.   Thanks to Framingham Patch reader Gretchen DeMore for the photos! This program provided students with an appreciation of the unique fusion of Spanish, African, and …

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Former Barbieri Teacher Ushered Students to Safety In Newtown, CT

A Sandy Hook Elementary School Teacher, with strong ties to Framingham, ushered fourth graders into a storage closet and then to safety Friday in Newtown, CT.

Last year, Jaclyn Lloyd was working at Barbieri Elementary School in Framingham, as a physical education teacher. Last Friday, Lloyd was one of dozens of teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School who hid and saved students from a gunman who has broken into their school in Newtown, CT. Sadly, not all of the 600 students and staff survived the attack. Twenty students, ages 6 and 7, School Principal Dawn Hochsprung, school pyschologist Mary Sherlach and teachers Victoria Soto and Lauren Rousseau and teacher's aide Rachel Davino died Friday, Dec. 14. Even in the gym, the loudest room in any school on a given day, something sounded very wrong, according to students. “Really loud bangs,” said Brendan Murray, 9, who was there with his fourth-grade…

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Walk Saturday Benefits Mom With Cancer

Members of the community are encouraged to walk to celebrate Kris Burke's birthday and to raise funds for the family as she battles cancer.

Saturday, friends and family are holding a Birthday Friendraiser Walk for Kris Burke and her family. She is a mom of a Barbieri Elementary student and a former Brophy Elementary School teacher. Since 2001, Burke has been battling breast cancer and now metastatic cancer.  Last year she lost her job as a teacher, and with it, her affordable health insurance. She and her husband Ben have tried to keep life normal for their daughter Skyler, a kindergartner, but their financial situation has become more than they can manage. The medical bills continue to pile up because of the high deductible on their current insurance, and they are struggling to stay afloat and avoid losing their home, states the Keeping Kris Strong website. "Our community has…

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Lori Greene

11:11 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Colores Kids (http://www.coloreskids.com/) will be at the walk to do face painting with all proceeds going to the Burkes! $5 for a cheek design, $10 for a full face design. Please pre-register if you're going to walk, so we can ensure that we have enough supplies and volunteers on hand. We hope to see you Saturday!   more ›

Exploring Education

IMAGE GALLERY: Barbieri Elementary 5K

Special thanks to Gretchen DeMore for sending Framingham Patch almost 150 photos for this slide show!

On behalf of the Barbieri Elementary School community, I would like to thank the following sponsors who generously supported our school in the first 5K and Fun Run that took place on Sunday.  Over 200 members of the Barbieri community, along with several out of town participants, joined together on Oct. 14, 2012 for a fun family-fitness afternoon.  The money raised will help support the numerous educational and cultural programs for our children and families.    Thank you to our sponsors:  And special thanks to Gretchen DeMore for sending Framingham Patch almost 150 photos for this slide show!!!

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