Richard J. Murphy School
The Murphy School is located off Morrissey Blvd. in Dorchester. It serves almost 900 students in grades K0-8, including classes for those with autism &/or physical handicaps. All students have access to a gym, pool, and other resources at the adjacent BCYF Community Center.
In morning meeting Jessica Baldi’s fourth graders pass “pinky finger” greetings around the circle. In Katherine Sullivan’s class K1 children are making letter shapes with plasticine, while second graders in Edna Keefe’s students are “chopping” words into syllables.
Third graders are working in groups to read short articles on how people in different countries of the world overcome challenges. A student in one class tells me that camels are used to bring books to some rural Kenyan communities! In Angela Cao’s fourth grade, students are writing “shape poems” after reading Love That Dog.
Students in grades 6-8 have a community circle block every week, using the Circle Forward program to build SEL skills and Restorative Practices to respond to critical incidents. In Rashanah Muhammed’s STEM class, seventh graders are measuring how high a ball bounces when dropped from a certain height, while Kristi Locke’s sixth graders are looking through cardboard boxes to study the refraction of light.
In a class for middle school students with multiple disabilities, Music Therapist Adam Sankowski is encouraging students to play instruments and develop language skills. Seventh grade students in art class with Lisa Villaroel are practicing using a variety of line shapes to create a “patchwork” design.
Visitors to the Murphy are greeted by a HUGE sign with words of welcome in different languages and I felt warmly welcomed by everyone. How does your school create a welcoming environment? Please invite me to visit!
In this picture we were chopping up words with blends into syllables. We’ve been adding big words to our vocabulary and using adjectives to describe people, places and things. We’ve also learned about people with disabilities and how to make things accessible for everyone.
~ Edna Keefe’s Grade 2 Students
We are doing our “pinky finger” routine at the start of morning meeting. Every week we have a different greeting, like shaking hands or passing a talking stick. In math we’ve learned that a numerator can be larger than a denominator! We’re also learning how to respectfully disagree.
~ Students in Jessica Baldi’s 4th grade class
We’re making shape poems with Ms. Cao after reading about a boy who writes poetry in Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. In science we’ve learned what makes soils different. For example, there are decaying plants and animals in humus.
~ Angela Cao’s Grade 4 Students
I am reading an article with Ms. Anurika about some of the challenges people have in Kenya. I learned that camels sometimes bring books to schools in the countryside and that camels only need to drink water once a day.
~ Akeira Blake, Grade 3
In this picture, I am writing in my journal about my ideas for renting our school and Ms. Gaffney is helping me. The most interesting thing I’m learning in math this year is how to solve division problems by making groups.
~ Ramses Zephir, Grade 5
Sanai and I were working on an assignment in STEM class with Ms. Muhammed. We were measuring how high a ball bounces when dropped from a certain height. Now we are building houses out of different materials such as paper, sticks and Legos to learn how to make them stronger.
~ Tristin James-Dunham, Grade 7
Joshua, an 8th grade student in our Multiple Disabilities Strand, was using the keyboard to accompany me on the guitar. He has learned to play really well and has memorized several music pieces, like “This Little Light of Mine”.
~ Adam Sankowski, Music Therapist