Dear Families;

Happy Father's Day to all! Thank you to all dads everywhere!
As we close out the 2015/16 school year here at Waters, we have had so many opportunities to be thankful for our school community – including several examples just last week, the last full week of school. 

Waters began the week with an outdoor Pep Rally welcoming home our City Champs! We are so proud of our girls soccer team and Coach Gaytan.  

On Monday afternoon, Boys, Cubs, and Girl Scouts, gathered to lay our tattered American Flag to rest. They sang songs, saluted the flag and removed "Old Glory". Once she was down, she was folded properly to go on to a special ceremony that the Cub Scouts will host later this summer. Thank you, Ms. Herman, Ms. Austen, Ms. Herschel, and Mr. Cooke.

On to our fabulous "Puttin' on the Ritz" variety show 2016: There were a multitude of acts that represented all grades and talents. Guests were treated to music, dance, comedy, magic and song. Thank you to the Arts Team and the Leadership Team for making the show a hit!

Did you know the second graders visited Fairy Tale Land this week? They experienced a Javelin Toss, Jump the Moat, and had story time with family and friends. Students wrote their own tales and shared them with visitors who came to hear them. What an exciting day!  My, oh my! their imaginations were flowing through their pens.  

A special gathering took place on Friday to thank all of our volunteers who have contributed to making Waters the wonderful school it is. Thank you, WatersToday, for hosting the event and providing coffee and snacks.  

We closed the week with a heartwarming graduation ceremony for our 8th graders on Friday morning. What a tremendous group of teens. We will miss them as they move on to high school.   

As I close this week, I would like to recognize and thank, Mrs. Vicki Nissim, who has announced her retirement; her last day will be this Tuesday. Mrs. Nissim has worked for 35 years as an educator. She began her long career as a teacher aide (one year) and spent the other 34 years as a teacher.  She has taught grades 1-6, received her Master's degree in 2002 and became a reading specialist. She worked as a network coach serving many area schools. Mrs. Nissim joined Waters staff in 2011. She served as our Literacy Coach and her last year as a classroom teacher. She provided coaching and professional development for our teachers. She has been a huge support to our school and the success of our students. Mrs. Nissim is fondly quoted as saying  " I will miss the students but I will not miss walking the steps to the third floor." We wish Mrs. Nissim a grand retirement!  Please be sure to thank Mrs. Nissim for her years of service.  

Have a wonderful summer!

 – Principal Crespo

As we draw close to the end of another school year, I wanted to take the time to recognize and share with you the many wonderful activities that have been going on at Waters. I know there has been a lot of negative press about the budget and Springfield.  We still do not have one and it is uncertain as to when it may come.  However, at Waters, we will not let that get us down! The months of May and June have been filled with many wonderful learning opportunities for our students; here are just a few to highlight.

Literacy Night – This annual event took place in late May. It was a wonderful evening filled with activities like Poetry Slam with Mr. King, Poetry Writing with Ms. Soto, Storytelling with Ms. Herman, Crafty Caterpillar with Ms. Welch and Mr. Gil,  Mad Libs and More with Ms. Nissim and Mr. Orlov, Dreaming of Drumming with Ms. Nunez-Johnson, Poetry Flip Books with Ms. Katsoulos and Ms. Paparodopoulos. We were also excited to host author Sean O'Neill and David Hoyt, a local community member, who created Word Winder, a life size interactive spelling game. Thanks go to Ms. Roman, Ms. Booczko and Ms. Garrison for assisting in these breakout sessions. A special thank you to Ms. Herman, for taking the reigns of this important event and making it a continued success!

Field Day – This is an annual event that Mr. Kurz, our Athletic Director/PE instructor, organizes so the entire school can participate in multiple healthy fitness activities. Thank you to Mr. Kurz, the teachers and volunteers who helped make this day a huge success!

Walk-A-Thon – Alongside our Field Day, all students participated in our second walk-a-thon to raise funds to continue supporting our physical education and sports programs. Did you know that the students raised over $10,000? Thank you to our amazing coordinators Ann Avery-Hopkins and Erica Battin.

BioDiversity Day – our amazing outdoor classroom came alive under the guidance of Mr. Leki, our ecology teacher, who challenged our students to discover and document their observations of the school garden and surroundings. They were accompanied by professional biologists to confirm their findings. The goal was to focus our school community on the richness of the biological community of our school grounds.  Please read more here.

Dramatic Interpretations – Our drama teacher, Ms. Garcia, showcased a performance of "Stone Soup" by our 4th graders.  Wow, what a message! Sharing with each other, learning from one another and working together – I think we should take this show to Springfield!
This incredible performance was followed by three groups of 2nd graders belting out notes at the top of their lungs to Broadway tunes. I got goosebumps(and it was HOT in the gym) and teary eyed. Nothing is going to get these students down. Encourage your children to sing, it is so good for the soul.

Spring Art Show: Insider/Outsider Art exhibit – The spring art exhibit opened on Friday. If you did not get to see it, please take some time to see the art work your children have created. It is absolutely breathtaking! Student docents were available to share their learning experiences with you. Thank you, Ms. Vecchioni and Ms. Termini for inspiring our students and encouraging their creativity. Thank you to the many volunteers who helped to hang all the artwork! We appreciate you.

Night at the Museum – Alongside the art exhibit, under the guidance of Ms. Zelle, there were student exhibits of ancient Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. Docents were also available to share their learning experiences with you.

City Champions! – You may have heard by now, our 7th/8th Grade Girls Soccer team along with Coach Gaytan, won the city championship on Saturday! They have been Network 2 champs for four years consecutively. They have practiced and grown together as a team over the past four years. Their hard work and endurance was on display while conquering the city title. We are so proud of our girls and Coach Gaytan! Join us tomorrow morning at drop off around the soccer field , as we recognize their incredible accomplishment with a warm Waters congratulations. Thank you to all the parents who have helped to carpool the girls from game to game. Your love and support are truly appreciated! Thank you to all the fans that came out to support our teams. Your enthusiasm in the stands fueled our girls energy.

Local School Council – With the closing of 2014-2016 term, I would like to say thank you to the following council members for their volunteer time and dedication to our school. It has been a real pleasure working with all of you:  

John Neyer – President
Emily Haite – Secretary
Melissa Rojas – Parent representative
Carla Barta – Teacher representative ( Ms. Barta has served on council for multiple terms).

I would also like to welcome to our LSC effective July 2016:

Julie Artis – Parent representative
Vanessa Herman – Parent representative
Matthew Weinstock – Parent representative
Annette Boozcko – Teacher representative
John Gaytan – Non-teaching Staff representative


Waters Today – Our parent and community organization that has helped make so many things possible at Waters. I want to say THANK YOU to all of you for all your hours of volunteering to make our Big NIght the success it was! Your thoughtfulness during the holidays and Teacher Appreciation Week boosted our spirits and reminded us that we are loved. Your passion and love for our school has been felt by all of us. Thank you for making Waters your priority!  This year there are also members who will retire. I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to:

Amy Szostak –President
Gwen Ihnat – Secretary
Kathleen Matuszewich – Volunteer coordinator

I would also like to thank Katherine Buoscio, for her role as Coffee/Espresso with Crespo coordinator.  

I would also like to welcome to the Waters Today Board effective July 2016 :

Sara Byerly – President
Karen Nevotti – Volunteer coordinator
Laura O'Brien-Earle – Secretary

On Monday after school, at 3:30 p.m., a  local troop of Boy and Girl Scouts will lay to rest the tattered flag that that once flew over Waters school. 

In closing, I am honored to work at a school that continues to grow and learn from each other and emphasizes the whole child.  While there are challenging days ahead, I look forward to working closely together to continue prioritizing what makes Waters such a special place.

Have a wonderful summer!

Principal Crespo