Good morning

To: Parents, Guardians and Stude= nts

From: Dr. G.

Re: Enjoy Th= e Extra Day

Date: February 29, 2008

The month that should= have ended yesterday comes to a close today as is the case every four years.

On Monday morning, March 3^rd, the third administration of the 4^th Generation CMTs wil= l begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Student= s in grades three through six will be engaged in these assessments from Monday, March 3^rd through Thursday, March 13^th. The exception to this will be grad= e five who will be taking the new science section along with students in grade 8.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> They will conclude testing on Frid= ay, March 14^th. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL STUDENTS AR= RIVE ON TIME TO SCHOOL. This w= ill allow students to settle in and get ready for the start of the testing period. Students arriving = after the start of the tests will not be allowed to enter their classroom until t= he testing time is over. Thi= s will necessitate a make-up to be scheduled. Please make every effort to = ensure that your child gets to bed early and has a healthy breakfast so they will = be at their optimum ability for the CMTs. The school’s attempt during t= his testing period is to maintain a calm, “everyday” atmosphere to lessen any test anxiety. Some schools have jump-off assemblies, morning breakfasts, or any of a number of activities. We have found tha= t maintaining a low profile is best for OUR students. At a recent PTA meeting, parent fee= dback was to stay the course that we have followed in the past.

Dr. Seuss’s birthday<= /b> and Re= ad Across America will be celebrated on Monday, March= 3^rdwith an assembly and a planned program. State Representative Pam Sawyer wi= ll be part of this year’s program and will talk about her love of reading.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> She will also share with students = what is being done with the Governor’s incentive, “One Thing”.= This incentive ties in to our theme= for this year, “We Speak for the Earth” with the Lorax as the Dr. Seuss character spokesman for the Earth. We all have our favorite book and character from the good Dr. My favorite happens to be Oh, the Plac= es You’ll Go.&= nbsp; The program begins at 2:00 p.m. Students from morning preschool and= kindergarten are welcome to return with their parents to be part of the assembly. The RAAD Committee again urges stu= dents to look through their home library for gently used books that they might consider passing on to someone else through the Books to Dreams organization. All donated books will be handed in during Monday’s assembly.

Preschool Screening will be administered in April. Parents need to call the school to = make appointments. April 10^th= will be a full day and is designated for four year olds only. April 11^th is also a ful= l day and will be designated for 3 year olds. April 4^th and April 18th are half days and are open to both grade levels. Any parent who has a kindergarten a= ge student (turns 5 by January 1, 2009) is encouraged to call the school for registration materials. It is important to plan ahead to ensure adequate staffing.

Kids enact "Rabbit & Elephant"

This past = Thursday afternoon, the student body attended an assembly dedicated to Black History. The presenter, Mar= y Jo Maichack, spread the message to “share, be fair= , and enjoy this wonderful culture's traditional songs and stories which reveal t= he abiding strength, spirit, and values of this culturally and spiritually rich people.” An engaging si= nger, guitarist, and storyteller, Ms. Maichack has re= ad and researched widely from African and African-American folklore, and culled a range of stories with which young listeners can fully engage. The program was about an hour long = and consisted of singing, guitar accompaniment, lively and reflective folk tell= ing, and varied participation by the audience as a group (singing along, clappin= g, chanting, dancing) as well as voluntary participation by individuals who ca= me to the stage to play rhythm instruments and learn and demonstrate a Gullah dance (from Angola to Gullah). Students thoroughly enjoyed this walk through history. Again, a big thank you goes to the PTA who sponsored this event!

The twenty-second Jump Rope for Heart<= /b> netted a total of seventy plus student participants on Tuesday afternoon. <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Organized by Mrs. Valentini, who was assisted by a number of staff members and parent volunteers, the event went= off without a hitch. Pledges are = still coming in but, as of Thursday, over $2,000 had been collected. Many thanks go to our students in g= rades 2-6 who participated in this annual fundraiser. A gracious thank you also goes to M= r. Moynihan, Head Custodian, for assisting in the set-up and break-down so that the gym = was ready for classes first thing Wednesday morning.

A reminder: Artwork created by Andover Elementary = School students will be shown in a district-wide art show at the Marlborough Art Center. The opening reception will be Friday, March 7^th, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. All are welcome. The Center will be o= pen Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. through March 30^th.

Below are two finished products by the = a.m. and p.m. preschool from a recent lesson. The students were learning about friendship and cooperative work. After spending time investigating the topic, students were assigned a friend and = together they were to create a “Frien= dship” train. Nice job boys and girls!

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Works in progress…

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“Imaginary Transportation” (4^th and 5^th grade work) shown below.

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