December 15, 2014
Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe but we’re almost at the December winter break. Students and teachers have been working hard this month across all subjects. Last week, we hosted a group of state legislators that toured classrooms and spoke to teachers and coaches about our longer school day. They were impressed at the quality of instruction and how we use our time to implement a more sustained, holistic approach towards combining student skill and practice with explicit content and knowledge. Our belief in crafting an 8-hour school day with longer morning blocks for reading, writing, and math creates the space for targeted cycles of small group or individualized instruction and feedback. Our teachers are skilled at managing this time through routines and work that complement each other while accounting for different levels of learning. Please let us know if you have any questions about our longer school day structure.
- Please remember to wear winter clothes for recess. Unless it is extremely cold, classes will go outside for fresh air and exercise. The season can be very drying and we encourage lip balm or Chapstick for our students (please do not share). If you are in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our liaison Ms. Hicks-Gyewu.
- Thank you to our music teachers Ms. Maxwell and Ms. Gaudette for last Wednesday’s Winter Concert! Students did a fantastic job singing holiday songs and celebrating the season of winter!
- The last day of school before the winter break is Tuesday, December 23rd. School resumes on Monday, January 5th.
We hope that you have a wonderful winter break. Please continue to communicate with us any news or notes over the vacation time so we can best support your child. We look forward to our work together in the New Year!
Yours truly,
Gerald Yung, Principal