Dear Parents & Guardians,
I can't believe we are already 10 years into the new millenium...and what a decade it was! While we experienced unspeakable national losses through 9/11, Katrina, and the wars around the globe, many of us experienced great events, as well. We embraced the birth of children, participated in the drama of national and local elections that introduced new faces to government and we witnessed several historic Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics victories. How fast time flies...
Our school year is zipping along. As always, we are doing our very best to provide your child with the time and attention he/she needs every day in order to promote the highest level of achievement. I have been making special stops into classrooms at all grade levels to promote the "A" in RAISE as it relates to math performance. Quite a few students have earned a "principal's award" for making great progress in class. I'm very proud of all the students for their effort.
A brand new RAISE YOUR SMARTS packet should be arriving home very soon. Our school focus this term is "Countries, Cultures and People." With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, we thought it would be great to connect the children to a particular country that they could root for along with the USA. Classes will adopt a country to study over the month, with important people, places and landmarks highlighted and researched.
On our homepage or in the virtual backpack, you will find our "RYS participation page" on which is a menu of activities that your child can choose to do over the next few weeks. Hopefully the kids (and you) will find these activities meaningful and fun.
If you and your child complete any one of the activities, he/she will receive a “participation point” on his/her classroom star. Over the course of the year, if your child earns five participation points, he/she will be entered in the drawing for the CONVERSE “Design Your Own Sneakers” grand prize.
In March and April, the RAISE YOUR SMARTS theme will be “All-Star Poetry.” Teachers will challenge the students to show their creativity with words. Finally, in May and June, the school will highlight “Innovations in Science” through the years.
Any extra work your child does for RAISE YOUR SMARTS will be proudly displayed in the school or on the website for all to admire. Our All-Star Assemblies will also serve to showcase the students’ efforts and what they’ve learned through the activities at school and at home. We were able to recognize about 70% of the study body for their additional effort on RYS at the last assembly and I am really looking forward to getting the other students involved.
As for RYS participation, please don’t think that you need to do separate projects with each child in your family. Pick one from the list and make it a team effort. Each student will get individual credit for the work done by the entire fun-loving family.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. Together, let's make as much good happen as we can, minimizing the negative while accentuating the positives. Thank you for all your support!
