William O. Schaefer

African drummers

 The PTA sponsered a multicultural African Drums program for the kindergarten and first grade classes to enjoy.  Kofi’s program exposed the students to the music and culture of his native Asante village.  His storytelling combined with drumming, chanting, and dancing helped the children learn about another culture in an artistic way.  The students, and many members of the staff, had a great time expressing themselves through the rhythm of the drums and the dance.  This upbeat performance was enjoyed by all participants!

The children were very excited about the arrival of Gym City.  Coach Hudson and Coach Seeney prepared the students by teaching them about "safe driving" on their scooters as they prepare to receive their Gym City driver’s license.  The children learn about community as they "drive" around the many different buildings and landmarks.  There are traffic lights supervised by the "police officers" as well as a surprise car wash at the end…and yes you will get sprayed!  We thank the coaches for their hardwork in preparing for Gym City – a great time was had by all!

The Animal Encounters program is a favorite for students and teachers!   The children enjoy learning about all the different animals, even getting a chance to pet some of them!  Most of the students quickly discover that the creatures are not so scary after all! 

We want to thank our PTA for supporting this assembly program in our school.

Rockland Read-In took place on Friday, February 12th.  The children participated by finding a cozy spot around their classroom and reading some of their favorite stories.  Some classes even invited in "special guests" to read to the class.  The day ended with some delicious Valentine treats! 

 The kindergarten and first graders participated in an assembly today sponsered by the PTA. The assembly was perfomed by a Chinese Dance group called Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. All the students learned about chinese culture and dance and some were even selected to participate in one of their dances.

Dear Families of the William O. Schaefer School,

Tomorrow night, Thursday, January 7th at 7:30 pm, teachers and students from William O. Schaefer will be presenting to the Board of Education a muli-media presentation created by members of our staff and administration entitled, "Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners."

Please join us!

On Friday, December 11th, the SOCES PTA presented the students at WOS with their Box Tops “earnings”.  This included scooters, balls, jumpropes, and various games that the children can enjoy.  Seeing their faces and hearing their excitement when shown the equipment and games was wonderful!

On Friday, October 30th, we had our Annual Halloween Parade.  Children and staff came dressed in their costumes as we marched to music provided by Bob Hudson (who also provided us with some great jokes along the way).  Families lined the front of the school and cheered us on.  It was a beautiful day and a "spook-tacular" time was had by all!

On Thursday, October 29th, we celebrated SOCES School Spirit Day.  many of us showed our "spirit" by wearing our red shirts.  Mrs. Hoffer and Mrs. Cassetta also helped to organize all of the students into the hallway to create one of our longest school banners in history.  We even had a special visit from Charlie CAAPS and Zelda.  It was a great afternoon and the students were happy to celebrate.  Happy School Spirit Day!

Each of the classes have now had an opportunity to listen to the Charlie CAAPS puppet show presented by School Psychologist Heather O’Donnell.  During the show Charlie and Zelda teach the students about character education.  Students are encouraged to act in a kind and caring manner and to be flexible, cooperative and positive.  Students in each of the classes can earn Charlie CAAPS marbles which can lead to a class party that is voted on by the students.  The students are off to a great start and we hope they continue to earn those marbles!