Principal’s Note…

It’s hard to believe we are already entering the second month of the 2010 year! It is quite something special to see the students getting taller as they walk the halls, the staff getting stronger as we continue to work together in providing the students the rich and fun education that they deserve and the days getting longer, as the spring season slowly creeps its’ way in!

The staff at the Intermediate School is continuing to keep hard at work! With MCAS just around the corner, one of the things that the staff encourages is the use of the Study Island Program. Study Island allows students to work on questions similar to the ones that they will see this March and May on the MCAS. I encourage you to make this program part of your evening and/or weekend routine with your child, just 10 minutes a day will allow students to practice several questions. If you don’t have internet access at home, you can also access the program from any public library. A great feature of this program is that you can log on with your child to examine some of the report options available to parents. Please note that Study Island is not meant to replace instruction. It is a means for students to practice, as well as a tool that our teachers use to gather data about student progress.

Another great resource parents can utilize is the use of the Massachusetts Department of Education website. If you go to the following link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testadmin/practice/ you will find several practice tests that you can print out and go over with your children. The answers are provided and it will provide students with a sense of what types of questions they will see on the Science MCAS test; which is new to them this year. Let’s work together in ensuring success for all!

Thank you for your continued support!
Bethany Pineault, Principal

**MCAS DATES --- Spring 2010**
ELA – March 29, 30, 31
Math – May 10, 11
Science and Technology – May 17, 18

Family Vacations…

We strongly discourage you from planning and taking vacations while school is in session. It is our policy that work will not be provided for students on vacations and work will need to be made up after school or on the students' time when they return. Our teachers take a great deal of time planning and implementing classroom lessons. The learning that goes on in the classroom cannot be replicated through independent work. Missing time in school negatively impacts students' academic progress and creates gaps in their learning.