IMPORTANT PTO MEETING Monday, Feb. 23rd 8:20-9:15 AM – Meeting with Superintendent David Fleishman and members of the Newton School Committee for their annual visit to our PTO.
The meeting will include a brief update on district initiatives (e.g. the new PARCC standardized test and new building plans), followed by an interactive session to answer your questions and listen to feedback.
REMINDER: PROGRESS REPORTS WERE POSTED ONLINE LAST WEDNESDAY. We do not send progress reports home as paper copies. According to our report, several families have not yet opened their reports.
You can access your child’s progress report through Parent CONNECT
An email was sent out last week to all parents with you login information. There is a link for ParentCONNECT on our school web site and there is one on the district web site as well. If you need help please contact the Lincoln-Eliot Office.
MORNING DROP OFF
Thank you to everyone for your patience and caution with the narrow roads and snow banks in order to keep our children and families safe entering and exiting the school. It looks like we are going to have a LONG winter!
LIVE DROP OFF ON JACKSON
Please consider taking advantage of the morning drop off on Jackson Road. We will welcome your child with a “Good Morning” and save you the trouble of looking for parking and dredging through the snow.
WALKERS please continue to cross at the PEARL Street with the traffic signal and crossing guard.
PARCC ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
Newton Elementary students will be taking the PARCC Assessment this year instead of the MCAS. For elementary students, this exam replaces the MCAS exams in all areas except Grade 5 Science. For Massachusetts, this is Year 2 of the pilot program for the PARCC assessment. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote whether to fully adopt PARCC as the state’s new testing program in fall 2015.
The PARCC Assessment has two components. The first component (called the Performance Assessment) is administered at the end of March and the second component (called the End of the Year Assessment) is administered in May. Please note the following dates as you are planning family vacations and appointments:
| Grade | Performance Assessment ELA | Performance Assessment Math | End of Year Assessment ELA | End of Year Assessment Math | * MCAS Science (Gr. 5 only) |
| 3 | 3/24, 3/25 & 3/27 | 3/30 & 4/1 | 5/11 | 5/14 & 5/19 | |
| 4 | 3/23, 3/26 & 3/27 | 3/31 & 4/2 | 5/12 | 5/18 & 5/21 | |
| 5 | 3/23, 3/25 & 3/26 | 3/30 & 4/1 | 5/13 | 5/15 & 5/20 | 5/6 & 5/8 |
* Gr. 5 will continue to take the MCAS Science Test this year as the PARCC does not have a science component
Important Recess Reminder
We go outside every day, EVEN IN THE SNOW, unless the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. Please ensure your children dress appropriately with coats, hats, mittens, and snow boots.
Food Lunch Balance
Every Tuesday and Friday e-mail notices are sent out from Whitson’s Food Service notifying families of outstanding balances. If you are not receiving these e-mails, please call the school to let us know. In addition, you can always check your balance and make electronic payments on the “My School Bucks” page on the Newton Public Schools website. (Under Family Resource Tab.)
UNDERSTANDING OUR DIFFERENCES PROGRAM
Understanding our Differences, a disabilities awareness curriculum, is delivered to all Newton students in grades 3-5 by parent volunteers. All Lincoln-Eliot parents, regardless of your child’s grade, are invited to participate in this dynamic program. In Spring, 2015 we will be delivering the following units:
At least six parents are needed on each of the following dates to help lead activities:
Grade 3 (Blindness): Monday, May 4, 2015 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grade 4 (Intellectual Disabilities): Thursday, May 14, 2015 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Grade 5 (Autism Spectrum Disorders): Friday, April 17, 2015 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.
There is a 2 hour time commitment on the day of the unit and 30-60 minutes to train for the unit at your convenience with on-line materials.
This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with our students in the classroom.
If you are interested in participating, please contact the L-E parent coordinators, Debbie Berechman, dberechman@gmail.com and Cathleen Morrison, ccanhc@gmail.com.
DONOR’S CHOOSE:—————————————————————————-
Ms. Goode, Grade 4
PROJECT TITLE: A Space for All Learners.
Project Cost: $481.85
Funded to Date: 5 donors- $340 to go
I hope to empower my students to take risks and share their ideas in a comfortable and safe environment. A classroom carpet for our meeting and learning area is a necessity for establishing a sense of community within our classroom. Students will gather on the carpet many times throughout the day. A comfortable meeting area is essential, as it would provide a space to develop trust and respect among my students.
In our meeting area, we will continue to develop our classroom community by solving classroom issues in a manner in which all students will feel that their voices have been heard. We will frequently use the carpet as a space to begin mini lessons and engage in a read alouds. The carpet will also serve as a learning space for small group work and partner work.
A carpet for our meeting and learning area will provide students with a designated space for both academic and social/emotional learning. Students will gather here to embark on adventures in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, and also to begin the essential process of establishing a classroom community in which each child feels safe and accepted.
You can support this project by clicking on the link below:
http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/2195989?rf=link-siteshare-2015-02-teacher_account-teacher_2195989