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J. R. Briggs Elementary School Briggs At Large Newsletter The Voice of John R. Briggs Elementary School May 5, 2005 Volume 23, Number 29 |
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Upcoming events…
May 2 – 6 Grade 5 Nature’s Classroom May 12 School Council Meeting, 6:15 p.m. May 16 – May 28 MCAS Testing, Gr. 3 – 5 May 19 PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m. May 25 Fine Arts Night May 30 Memorial Day, No School June 1 Extended Day Summer Registration forms due June 3 Staff Development Day – No School NEWS FROM KINDERGARTEN… Environmental Print—an Integrative Way to Encourage Reading
Parents can help children discover and use print found in their daily lives in a number of ways that do not require a great deal of time. At an early age, children can identify their favorite cereal box by its logo. They are bombarded with a variety of traffic signs, billboards, and logos on fast food restaurants. While walking to the bus or riding in the car, establish the habit of asking your child about print they see. What kind of writing or pictures do you see? What does it mean to you? What color or shape is it? Do you know something else with the same color or shape? What letters, words or numbers do you know? Play guessing games while traveling. On a trip in the car, play a guessing game similar to "I Spy" where children listen to and look for clues. For example, for a stop sign say, "I see a sign that's red and white. It has eight sides. Where is it? What does it mean?" Families who make time each day to share books and other print materials with their children can experience the joy of learning together. Full Day Kindergarten… The Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District has again approved to offer a full day Kindergarten class (5 full days per week) for the September 2005 school year. This class will be in addition to the half-time Kindergarten classes. The program will be available based on a lottery system to occur during the week of May 23, 2005; when 18 names will be chosen. This full-time class will be tuition based at a cost of $2600.00 per student. A limited number of scholarships will be available for families that qualify for financial assistance as established by the Free and Reduced Lunch Program criteria. The deadline for the application (applications are available at the front office): May 20, 2005. Lottery will be conducted during the week of May 23, 2005. Parents will be notified during the last week of May. On Placement Next Year
Again, we remind you that the deadline for the placement letter is May 13, 2005. 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. News from Summer School
There will be a Summer School offered at Briggs for students that are presently in grades 2, 3 and 4. Final decisions about the format of this program are being made now and additional information will be given to those students who qualify for this program within the next couple of weeks. There will be a $40 registration fee for this program. It will begin the last week in June and run through the third week of July. The children will attend the program on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. There will be a small teacher to student ratio and each group will be a mix of regular and special education students. Students’ eligibility will be based on MCAS scores when applicable and teacher recommendation. If your child is eligible you will be notified in writing within the next couple of weeks. The emphasis of this program will be MCAS preparation focusing on Mathematics, Language Arts and test taking strategies. 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. MCAS 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. Parking Reminders… As many of you know, parking at J.R. Briggs is limited. We have designated the Upper Wing playground as a parking area for parents before and after school. Please utilize the second driveway that leads directly to the upper wing playground, drive completely into the area and have your child disembark in the playground area and proceed into the school using the sidewalk. Please do not stop in the area entering the playground, as this blocks traffic and the bus ramp. Borrow a Book! J.R. Briggs is now offering resources for parents to borrow on the topics of ADD, raising children, and creating family connections. Driven to Distraction, Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness, Five Steps to Help Kids Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy These items will be available upon request for two week increments. Please contact Lauren Clark, School Adjustment Counselor, if you are interested in borrowing one of these titles! W.A.V.E. Westminster-Ashburnham Value Education is sponsoring a…….Spaghetti Dinner Wednesday May 11, 2005 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Overlook Middle School This is being held in conjunction with the Evening of the Arts! Bring the whole family; tickets will be available at the door. * Looking for volunteers to help at the supper, perhaps previous W.A.V.E. recipients would consider calling Mary Durkee 978-827-4522 A Parent Information Evening “What parents can do to help their child or teenager who is overweight.” Monday, June 6, 2005 – 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Henry Heywood Hospital Cafeteria Free of Charge HHH is hosting a community series for parents on: · The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and teenagers · How being overweight affects a child’s or teenager’s health · To explain what a BMI means and how this measure is used · To discuss factors that contribute to overweight and obesity · To provide information on ways to develop lifelong eating and exercise habits · To discuss suggestions for losing weight · To discuss how physical activity helps to prevent overweight Call: 978-630-6549 for questions and more information DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR SCHOOL As the warm weather approaches, we suggest consideration regarding student dress. Appropriate clothing choices are appreciated and students are highly discouraged from wearing “short shorts”, tube tops, halter-tops or any clothing items that expose the midriff. We also discourage any type of sandals, platform, roller blade, or cleat shoes at any time. Please refrain from sending your child to school with extra accessories such as chains, as they pose a safety issue on the playground. Remember…SNEAKERS are a must for physical education. Sneakers are a practical shoe for any day in school, as we expect children to participate in recess activities. Extended Day News… The Summer Program planning is well underway. The program will run July 5-August 12. You can pick up registration forms at the Extended Day desk. There will be field trips, swimming, a fishing derby, and loads of fun. Summer registration forms are due, June 1st. Enrichment Class Mrs. Cox is offering an after school scrapbooking class for any students in grades 3-5. The class will meet on Tuesdays after school from 3:15-4:30 for 6 weeks. If interested, please drop a note to Mrs. Cox, or call (978) 827-5750. W.A.V.E. You are invited: 14th Annual Meeting of W.A.V.E. Thursday, May 5, 2005 7:00 p.m. Overlook Middle School Library Agenda: · W.A.V.E. activities during the past year · Election of new board members · Upcoming W.A.V.E. events Project Connect
Project Connect and the Ashburnham/Westminster School District will be sponsoring a free, 3-part, stress -management series put on by the University of Massachusetts Medical School Stress Management clinic. This series will be offered to educators from 3:30-5, and to parents from 7-8:30 on Wednesdays, May 11, 18th and 25th. The first session will be held at Oakmont Regional High School, while the second two sessions will be held at Overlook Middle School, Ashburnham. In this series, participants will learn better ways to handle stress and to communicate more effectively with their children. For more information or register, please call 978-731-9916.
Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a mat/blanket. School Lunch Program Just a reminder…if your financial situation changes any time during the school year and you feel you may be eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, please contact Vic Pulnik, Food Service Director at Meetinghouse Elementary, 978-874-0163. Last updated 05/06/05 by Tiffany Davis. |
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