YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND…
Wilmington Public Schools Family STEM Night
Time: 6:00-8:00
Date: April 28, 2016
Place: Wilmington Middle School Cafe
Come join us!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
MCAS THIS WEEK
Dear Shawsheen Third Grade Parents/Guardians:
Our school will soon administer the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Reading Test to all third grade students. The actual test is scheduled to be given on Tuesday, March 29th, Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st. Make-up sessions will be scheduled for April 1st as well as during the following week, if necessary. The students have been preparing not for this test but to meet grade level expectations and working toward the standards. It is our hope that students will carry over the strategies and knowledge that they have gained over the past years in school to work to the best of their ability on the MCAS. Classrooms will participate in a Practice Test if they have not already done so within their classrooms. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all third grade students complete all portions of the test. This year the test sessions estimate one hour the first day, thirty minutes the second day and a timed 60 minutes for the third day. The test is designed to provide data regarding the reading proficiency of each child at the end of third grade. It is our educational goal that all children have learned to read at a grade appropriate level by the end of third grade and the MCAS Third Grade Reading Test is an important tool for assessing this goal.
You will receive a report containing your child’s individual results. Children will be assessed as performing in one of four categories: warning, needs improvement, proficient, or advanced. When you receive the report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), it will include other specific information as well.
In an effort to ease any anxieties and to review strategies, I went around to each classroom today and read the book, Testing Miss Malarkey. It is a very silly story about testing but we related it to what it would really look like here. We do not want them to be overly anxious, but we do wish them to understand that it is important to try their best and demonstrate their highest reading ability. We will be providing them with snacks during testing days. The snacks will be goldfish and a juice. We told the students to bring in snacks as an extra for those days.
You can help at home by making sure your child:
Gets plenty of sleep each night
Eats a nourishing breakfast each morning
Encourage your child to try their best.
Your care and concern are greatly appreciated. We know we can count on your support. Please call us with any questions or concerns. We also wanted to let you know in advance that this year all third grade students will be tested in math on May 17th and 18th. Make ups will be the 19th and a portion
of the following week.
Thank you and have a wonderful long weekend,
Mrs. King
Principal
Our school will soon administer the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Reading Test to all third grade students. The actual test is scheduled to be given on Tuesday, March 29th, Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st. Make-up sessions will be scheduled for April 1st as well as during the following week, if necessary. The students have been preparing not for this test but to meet grade level expectations and working toward the standards. It is our hope that students will carry over the strategies and knowledge that they have gained over the past years in school to work to the best of their ability on the MCAS. Classrooms will participate in a Practice Test if they have not already done so within their classrooms. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all third grade students complete all portions of the test. This year the test sessions estimate one hour the first day, thirty minutes the second day and a timed 60 minutes for the third day. The test is designed to provide data regarding the reading proficiency of each child at the end of third grade. It is our educational goal that all children have learned to read at a grade appropriate level by the end of third grade and the MCAS Third Grade Reading Test is an important tool for assessing this goal.
You will receive a report containing your child’s individual results. Children will be assessed as performing in one of four categories: warning, needs improvement, proficient, or advanced. When you receive the report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), it will include other specific information as well.
In an effort to ease any anxieties and to review strategies, I went around to each classroom today and read the book, Testing Miss Malarkey. It is a very silly story about testing but we related it to what it would really look like here. We do not want them to be overly anxious, but we do wish them to understand that it is important to try their best and demonstrate their highest reading ability. We will be providing them with snacks during testing days. The snacks will be goldfish and a juice. We told the students to bring in snacks as an extra for those days.
You can help at home by making sure your child:
Gets plenty of sleep each night
Eats a nourishing breakfast each morning
Encourage your child to try their best.
Your care and concern are greatly appreciated. We know we can count on your support. Please call us with any questions or concerns. We also wanted to let you know in advance that this year all third grade students will be tested in math on May 17th and 18th. Make ups will be the 19th and a portion
of the following week.
Thank you and have a wonderful long weekend,
Mrs. King
Principal
Friday, March 18, 2016
Shawsheen All School Meeting Was A Hit
Feel free to view the all school meeting slide show on growth mindset and our Shawsheen School Norms.
The students really enjoyed some of the videos on growth mindset!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14-YUOyW066be1yxHJNKHEw6OyyPYP5fN_YzQPqZu2L0/edit?usp=sharing
Thursday, March 17, 2016
SPIRIT DAY TOMORROW!
SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY TOMORROW!
ALL SCHOOL ASSEMBLY AT 2:15 FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF TO DISCUSS SHAWSHEEN SCHOOL NORMS AND GROWTH MINDSET!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Shawsheen Student Norms
Dear Families,
Over the past few weeks the staff have been learning about creating Norms for the students in the building. Norms is another word for expectations. We have also been exploring the idea of a growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. There is a lot of research on this topic and we utilized the idea that children have a growth mindset when creating these norms. For more information on this below is an article on growth mindset. http://edglossary.org/growth-mindset/
The staff gathered together during a faculty meeting and silently listed ideas of what we expected from our students. Then staff grouped those ideas into categories. The result is a mixture of all the most popular responses. These expectations and student norms is just the beginning . We will be having an all school meeting this Friday with staff and students to go over growth mindset and the introduction of the student expectations. The following week students will be creating expectations for each area in the building. Each class and grade level will participate and then we will create a final document. Here are some examples of what this will look like.
* Bathroom expectations
* Hallway expectations
* Bus room expectations
* Lunchroom expectations
* Recess expectations
* Enrichment show expectations
We are really excited about including the students in this creation and we will be sharing information and including parents along the way.
Thank you for your continued support.
Over the past few weeks the staff have been learning about creating Norms for the students in the building. Norms is another word for expectations. We have also been exploring the idea of a growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. There is a lot of research on this topic and we utilized the idea that children have a growth mindset when creating these norms. For more information on this below is an article on growth mindset. http://edglossary.org/growth-mindset/
The staff gathered together during a faculty meeting and silently listed ideas of what we expected from our students. Then staff grouped those ideas into categories. The result is a mixture of all the most popular responses. These expectations and student norms is just the beginning . We will be having an all school meeting this Friday with staff and students to go over growth mindset and the introduction of the student expectations. The following week students will be creating expectations for each area in the building. Each class and grade level will participate and then we will create a final document. Here are some examples of what this will look like.
* Bathroom expectations
* Hallway expectations
* Bus room expectations
* Lunchroom expectations
* Recess expectations
* Enrichment show expectations
We are really excited about including the students in this creation and we will be sharing information and including parents along the way.
SHAWSHEEN SCHOOL
STUDENT
NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS
EST. 2016
Respect/ We will
be RESPECTFUL to others by using our manners,
Manners treating
others with kindness, being considerate, helpful
and
being an active listener.
Best Self We will be our BEST SELF by
remaining positive, being curious, open to new ideas, courageous, honest and
being an individual.
Effort We will give our best
EFFORT by remaining positive, challenging
ourselves, never giving up, leading and learning from our
mistakes.
Inclusive We will
be INCLUSIVE by including and sharing with others,
showing
empathy, being aware of how others are feeling and
embracing new friendships.
Safety We
will be SAFE by having a calm body, remaining in control,
being
mindful of our surroundings and people’s personal space.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mrs. King
Monday, March 14, 2016
Poetry Contest
The theme of your poem should be “Community.”
Poems may be humorous or serious but must not exceed 20 lines in length.
Deadline for submission of poems to the Wilmington Memorial Library is Saturday, April 16.
THEME IDEAS
Community Helpers
Your Neighborhood
Favorite Place in Your Community
Favorite Community Event
WINNERS
A panel of judges will select winners in the following six categories: Adult, High School, Middle School,
and Elementary School Grades 4 & 5, Grades 2 & 3, and Kindergarten & Grade 1.
Winners and honorable mentions will be invited to Poetry Night on Tuesday, May 10, 7 pm. Winners
will receive a book of poetry from the Friends of the Library and honorable mentions will receive a gift
certificate to the Book Store Next Door. The winning poems will be submitted to the local newspaper
and posted on the library’s website.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Parent Teacher Conference Tips
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/tips-parents-parent-teacher-conferences
Before the conference
Before the conference
- Ask your child how she feels about school.
- Ask your child if there is anything that he wants you to talk about with his teacher.
- Tell your child that you and the teacher are meeting to help her.
- Make a list of topics that you want to talk about with the teacher.
- Prepare a list of questions such as:
- 1. What are my child's strongest and weakest subjects?
2. Does my child hand homework in on time?
3. Does my child participate in class?
4. Does my child seem happy at school?
5. What can I do at home to help?
During the conference
- Be on time (or early) for the meeting.
- End the meeting on time. Other parents will probably have a conference after yours.
- Relax and be yourself.
- Stay calm during the conference.
- Ask the most important questions first.
- If your child receives special services such as English classes, ask about your
child's progress in those classes. - Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand
- Ask your child's teacher for ways that you can help your child at home.
- Thank the teacher.
After the conference
- Talk about the conference with your child.
- Talk about the positive points, and be direct about problems.
- Tell your child about any plans you and the teacher created.
- Keep in touch with the teacher during the school year.
Recommended Resources
For more information, take a look at the following articles:
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT AT: HTTPS://GOO.GL/AZUE7T
TITLE I FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT
MELISSA STEWART
CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR
MARCH 31, 2016
6:30-7:30
WILMINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
25 CARTER LANE, WILMINGTON, MA
Wilmington Public Schools, in partnership with the Wilmington Memorial Library, invite PreK-5 students and their families to the March Title I Family Literacy Night. The evening will feature a presentation by award-winning author Melissa Stewart followed by a book signing. She has written more than 150 science books for children. Ms. Stewart has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and wonder with readers of all ages. Please use the link below to register for this event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
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