Welcome to the William Vinal School web page. 
The goal is communication – connecting with parents and all other interested parties.  In the hectic world of 2007, the Vinal web site will help keep busy parents informed of the great things that go on here every day.

We  believe that education is the shared responsibility of home, community, and school and that educational excellence and equity for every child must be pursued. Parents, teachers, and the principal continue to share in making important decisions about schooling. Parents are encouraged to become actively involved in their child’s education by volunteering in classrooms, the library, or computer lab; chaperoning field trips; teaching after-school enrichment classes; participating in PTO meetings and activities; and providing interest and support at home.
We continue the important work started by the Education Reform Act of 1993.  District educators have worked diligently to “Norwellize” the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks with curriculum guides developed in the areas of English/Language Arts, Word Study/Spelling, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Technology. Copies of these documents are available to borrow from our Parent Resource Center. Last year duringprofessional development release times, Norwell elementary teachers district wide worked in grade level groups to create benchmarks for the Norwell ELA and Mathematics curriculum.
We welcome your input and are grateful for your support.  If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the Vinal School or this web page, please contact us at bailey@norwellschools.org.

Our School

Serving students in prekindergarten through grade 5, the Vinal School has an enrollment of approximately 560 children who are taught in heterogeneously grouped classes. For the fourth year the guiding principles and practices of the Responsive Classroom approach are utilized to instill our core values of respect, responsibility, and risk taking. The Responsive Classroom is a social competency program that builds self-control, respect, and responsibility in students. Building classroom and whole school communities where children feel safe and respected is an important goal of this program.  An interdisciplinary approach to learning is encouraged and supported by state and district curriculum standards.  The Silver/Burdett Literature Works program and the literacy closets are used to implement the balanced reading model.  The SRA Everyday Mathematics program is in its third year of implementation. The Scott Foresman series is used in science instruction to promote curiosity and open-mindedness, balanced with skepticism and a sense of concern for our environment. The social studies curriculum is based on essential questions at each grade level with topics suggested by the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and is supported by an extensive collection of reference materials. Specialists teach weekly classes in art, music, and physical education. Instrumental music instruction begins in grade four. Individualized or small group instruction is provided when necessary by the reading specialist, instructional tutor, learning disabilities specialists, or the speech therapist.  Vinal School has a very active parent group that works tirelessly to support our goals. Faculty and staff are committed to providing a safe, challenging, and supportive environment for each student.  Children are our future and as educators we agree with Christa McAuliffe when she said, “I touch the future, I teach.”