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J. R. Briggs Elementary School Briggs At Large Newsletter The Voice of John R. Briggs Elementary School April 7, 2005 Volume 23, Number 26 |
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Upcoming events…
April 8 Mother/Son Dance April 12 Nature’s Classroom Visit for 5th gr. McGruff Presentation April 14 PTO Meeting – 6:30 p.m. April 18-22 Spring Vacation April 26 Town Elections 10 a.m.-8 p.m. April 28 Math Night—Family workshop May 2 Kindergarten Orientation 9-10:30 a.m. May 2 – 6 Grade 5 Nature’s ClassroomMCAS Update May is a VERY busy MCAS month at JRB. ALL students in Grades 3 – 5 will be involved in testing during the two-week period of May 16th – 25th. Please be sure to have your child arrive to school on time, having had a good night’s sleep and nutritious breakfast. Parents…please help Just a reminder……parents who wish to speak to a staff member are asked to contact the school office. The beginning and end of the school day are NOT appropriate times to discuss your child’s progress or visit the classroom without prior notification. Remember EVERYONE must sign in at the office when visiting our school. From Special Education:
Please remember the importance of communication between educators and parents. Insuring there is consistency between school and home can provide your child with boundaries that are the same in all environments they encounter. Consistency in academic expectations, social expectations and behavioral expectations are critical to the development of every child. Children need to know what is expected of them and this can only be accomplished through communication with the individuals who spend the most time with your children. If expectations are not clear or are different in different environments the children can become very confused and will often “act out”. Please communicate with your teacher if you have any questions or concerns. PTO News Don’t Forget…Mother-Son Square Dance, Friday, April 8th. Tickets available at the door, $12.00 per couple, additional son $6.00. Please wear soft sole shoes.
On Placement Next Year
We will begin the process of constructing classes for the following school year during the next month. We regard the task of student placement as one of the most important things that we do to ensure what we hope to be a quality learning program for every child. In constructing a class, we strive to balance many factors to achieve an ideal classroom for your child. Some of the factors are the following: girl-boy ratio, active students with passive ones, leaders with followers, quiet students with talkers, students who do well in groups, and independent workers with those requiring more direction. We also strive to have all levels of performance and development represented. We recognize that some children contribute to their friend’s learning while others may inhibit it. Hence, some children should be together, while others need to be separated. Your child’s present teacher has a year’s worth of current, rich information and insight that is very important to this process. The teachers at your child’s grade level, the remedial and support service personnel and a grade level, and specialist team, compile all the information we have about each child and make recommendations about placement. While we feel that we are in the position to know your child’s learning needs, we recognize that parents may have additional insights that may help us in this process. If you have information about your child’s learning needs beyond what we’ve described above, please share it personally with your child’s teacher, or in a letter to the grade level placement team, and the office by May 13, 2005. Please understand this is not an invitation to choose your child’s teacher, and therefore, we ask that you do not specify a teacher in your letter. We are interested in comments like: “John needs to establish more self discipline.” “Kathy no longer enjoys reading and we don’t want that to become a pattern.” “Michael really enjoys science and may enjoy a classroom with stronger emphasis on science.” We are continually looking for ways to work with parents as true partners in the education of their children. We want to make parents aware of the depth of thought that goes into planning a sound learning program for every child. Whether you write to us or not, you can be sure that your child will be placed in a classroom in which he/she can grow academically, emotionally and socially. Again, we remind you that the deadline for the placement letter is May 13, 2005. We do not plan to make changes after this date, because moving a single child can cause a ripple effect that could impact many children; this is an issue of both fairness and educational responsibility. If you can be understanding of this deadline, we can be much more able to take your feelings and input into account – in creating optimal classrooms that will ensure maximum feasible benefit to each of our 500 students. Please call if you have any questions.
Kids Workout
Fitness Concepts Health Club located in Gardner is offering an 8 week KidFit Program starting April 24th on Sundays. This program is for students ages 9-14 to introduce students to the benefits of exercise. If interested please contact Miss Cook for a registration brochure. Registration must be completed by April 17th. Ashburnham Westminster PAC Meeting “Executive Function Skills” April 13th, 7:00 pm at Overlook Middle School Babysitting available, call Doreen Francis at 827-1412 Come meet Sarah Ward, speech therapist, who specializes in Executive Function skills and other language based learning disabilities. She has over 15 years experience working with children and has her own private practice in Needham, MA. Learn some new strategies to help your child be organized and what a child might look like that has issues with executive function in their school day and at home. Ø Does your child seem disorganized? Ø Does it take twice as long to complete homework? Ø Do you ask your child to do something and he always forgets? Ø Is your child unaware when assignments are due and need constant reminders to do daily chores or projects? Ø Does your child remember two things and after that you have lost him? These are some areas that children with an Executive Function Learning Disability have trouble with. All children benefit from timelines, schedules, and reminders to completeINDOOR FLEA MARKET First Congregational Church 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA Saturday, April 9, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. There will be a coffee shop, luncheon and bake sale open during the Flea Market. Tables: $15.00 Please call: 978-874-0632. from Bank America. http://www.makingitcount.com/seminar Ashburnham Little League Fair and Car Wash April 23rd Overlook Middle School 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
We are in need of volunteers in various areas. Please spread the word as we are hoping to make this a great day! Contact Corrie Swanson for more information at (978) 827-6953. ANNUAL POSTURAL SCREENING GRADE 5 Parents of grade five students, Please read the attached flyer. Massachusetts’s students in grades 5-9 are screened annually for postural defects. Here at JR Briggs, I screen the students during gym classes in April. The screening takes just a few minutes. The purpose of the screening is to detect early signs of possible posture problems. This is not a diagnostic service but a program to identify young people who should have further medical evaluations. If your child should have any significant findings, you will be notified and asked to take your child to his/her doctor (Physical exams are required for grade 6, so this re-check can be done at this required exam). The majority of the students have no problems. If your child is already under care for, or has already been checked this year for signs of posture problems, please send in a note from your child's doctor stating so and he/she will be excluded from this mandatory screening. Please call me if you have any questions. Rose Lawrence, ph 978-827-5750, fax 978-827-5699 Teen Dating Violence Awareness Project
Overlook Middle School presents: Speaker – Lindsey Baxter From Deana’s Fund to talk about “Peers & Partners: Talking to Your Kids About Healthy Relationships” April 14, 2005 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Call Overlook Guidance to reserve (978) 827-1422 Recommended for 8th grade and above FREE PARENT SEMINAR
The guidance department at Oakmont High School is sponsoring: Making College Financial Planning Count Thursday April 7th –7-8 p.m. Oakmont Auditorium This one hour program will offer an understanding how the college financing process works and will include a look at; How to plan for and manage college cost; The affordability myth of public versus private colleges and universities; Types of financial aid that are available; Options your family has in developing a college funding strategy; How colleges and universities look at a divorced household; How to send your child to college without risking your family’s financial future. By attending the presentation, you will have the opportunity to receive a FREE Paying for Your College Education booklet from Bank America. http://www.makingitcount.com/seminar Last updated 04/14/05 by Tiffany Davis. |
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