Wednesday Folder December 16, 2009
Melissa Neely
http://groups.google.com/group/pittsburgh-montessori/files?hl=en
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December 16, 2009
Letter from Cynthia M. Wallace, Principal
Dear Pittsburgh Montessori Families,
We are looking forward to having all of you join us for our Holiday
Concert on Thursday, December 17th at 6:30 p.m. We are looking
forward to a special evening of music and time spent getting to know
one another better. Students are asked to arrive by 6:15 p.m. Mr.
Biskup has asked that students ‘dress up’ for the concert, but there
are no specific colors or guidelines for attire. Parents have been
asked to donate cookies for the reception afterward and to help with
set up and clean up.
As you are aware, we work with our students on grace and courtesy
skills each week. The concert this week is a perfect time for all of
us to practice using these skills. These are the guidelines we are
asking our students to follow:
--If you arrive late or must leave the multipurpose room, please enter
or exit between selections
--Although you may desire to talk or whisper something during the
concert, this may be distracting to those sitting around you; please
wait until the reception after the concert to talk
--Please be sure to turn all cell phones off when entering the
multipurpose room as these may be distracting to our student
performers
--Distractions such as persistent coughing or crying babies can make
it difficult for other audience members to hear. If this occurs
please leave the auditorium between selections
Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we work to help our
students learn appropriate behavior for various social settings.
You will have the opportunity to shop at the Scholastic Book Fair (in
the library) before and after the concert. (All profits from the book
fair are used to support our library program.) We look forward to
seeing you tomorrow!
A summary of our performance on the 2nd 4Sight Assessment is below.
(The percentage shown is of students scoring proficient and advanced.)
The 4Sight is a benchmark assessment that is taken by our 3rd – 8th
grade students in reading and mathematics four times each year. This
is a formative assessment designed to determine student strengths and
weaknesses on skills tested on the Pennsylvania System of School
Assessment (PSSA). Teachers and curriculum coaches have spent
extensive time examining the data and are using the results to guide
instruction and plan any needed intervention. Individual student
reports are also available. Please contact your child’s teacher if
you have not yet received a copy of your child’s report. The next
4Sight will be given in late January.
Reading Test 1 September Test 2 November
3rd Grade 76% 82%
4th Grade 71% 77%
5th Grade 33% 47%
6th Grade 50% 41%
7th Grade 42% 88%
8th Grade 67% 71%
Mathematics Test 1 September Test 2 November
3rd Grade 62% 71%
4th Grade 31% 57%
5th Grade 13% 43%
6th Grade 26% 54%
7th Grade 6% 51%
8th Grade 53% 67%
I’d like to extend a special thank you to the parents who attended the
PTSA and PSCC meetings last week. I know it can be difficult to
squeeze meetings into busy schedules so I appreciate those who make
the extra effort to come. Mark Conner, Director of Family and
Community Engagement, was our presenter for the December meeting. Mr.
Conner provided several suggestions for promoting positive home to
school and school to home communication.
Highlights included:
• Be sure to share any family concerns or changes in family routines
• Make teachers aware of concerns such as bullying
• Be sure teachers and the school office have information on student
allergies or other health concerns
• Schedule a time to meet with your child’s teacher to talk about your
expectations for your child’s academic progress
• Be sure teachers know when and how to contact you (appropriate time
of day, is returning a call to your cell phone okay)
• Let teachers know when you feel they are doing a good job. Kind
words go a long way.
Several parents shared suggestions for ways that teachers can improve
the communication between school and home. I will be sure to share
these at our next staff meeting.
Our next PTSA and PSCC meeting will be on Tuesday, January 12th at 4
p.m. The topic will be ‘Beyond the Winter Blahs: Exciting Learning
Activities to do at Home’. Please plan now to join us.
We continue to ask parents to exercise caution when dropping off and
picking up your students from school. We ask that you do not pull
into the circular drive at any point during school hours as students
are often on the playground or near the garden area. Please use the
Graham Street side of the building as a drop off and pick up area at
times other than regular arrival and dismissal. Thank you in advance
for your cooperation as we work to keep all of our students safe.
If you have not already signed up to participate in the Giant Eagle
Apples for Students program we encourage you to do so. There is no
cost to you, but your purchases go toward credits that the school can
use to purchase instructional supplies. Last year the school got a
projector cart and physical education equipment with our credit.
Currently we have 209 people signed up. Thank you in advance for
taking the time to register to help our school.
Please be sure to check the lost and found while you are in the
building for the holiday concert. Any unclaimed items will be donated
to the Salvation Army next Wednesday.
Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, December 23rd.
Please contact the school after the holiday break if you have any
questions or would like to schedule a time to meet with your child’s
teacher to set goals or to discuss academic concerns.
Wednesday, December 23rd will be our last day before winter break.
School will resume on Monday, January 4th. I wish each of you a very
safe and happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Cynthia M. Wallace, Principal