April 2008 Newsletter

New York State Assessments
During the week of March 3, all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students completed The New York State Mathematics Assessments and we feel confident that the students did well and were well prepared! We are now gearing up for the New York State Science Assessment, which will be given to all 4th grade students during the week of April 28, 2008.

Preparing for 2008-2009 school year!
At this time of year parents begin to wonder how class re-organization is handled for the coming school year.

Our goals are: To create heterogeneous classes (academic, social and emotional); to maintain gender and class size balance; to provide for the unique needs of all children.

Unless parents have worked with a specific teacher in the past, they only know teachers by reputation; therefore, requests for specific teachers cannot be honored. In each year, there are likely to be staff changes on one or more grade levels. While the child’s current teacher and school staff have a good understanding of each child’s needs, if parents feel additional information would be useful, they should send it in writing to Mr. Norman.

Reminder! Appropriate Dress for Spring Weather
The weather is always tricky this time of year. We can often continue to have cooler mornings, so please make sure that your child wears a jacket, a sweater, or something that will keep him or her comfortable during the chilly mornings. At the same time, the days are warming up as we move closer to May and June.

          · Shorts are permitted, however, parents please help out by asking your children to save spaghetti strapped tops, blousy tank tops, mid-riff tops, and other “extremely casual clothes” for the weekends or after-school.
          · In addition, backless sandals, flip-flops and platform shoes could be dangerous when your child is playing outside during recess; we highly discourage wearing these types of shoes to school.
          · We appreciate your help.

Mark your Calendar:
April
Friday 4                      Carnival                      5:00 –8:00 p.m.
Monday 7                   PTA Meeting              7:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8                  ½ day dismissal       11:30 a.m.  Parent Conference
                                                                    Parent Conference  6:30 –8:30 p.m.
Wednesday 9            Open House               7:00-8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9            End of third quarter
Wednesday 16          Professional Development Extended Day
Friday 18                    Report Cards go home
Mon - Fri  21- 25        Spring Recess
Tuesday 29 - May 1 Grade 4 NYS Science Assessment