Notes from Eddy

Hello Eddy Families,

What a week it has been! We had Sustainable CAPE's Meet the Farmer program in the school, fifth graders visited the Chatham Shark Center on a field trip, the Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success (thank you to all who participated and volunteered, and especially to Mrs. Lister and Mrs. Meyer), the fourth grade had a visit from the Cape Cod National Seashore for a program called Sedimentary Sleuths, we had parent/caregiver conferences, and the PTO/Boosterthon Fun Run fundraiser! Whew! That was a packed week with lots of fun, learning, and excitement.

We did make our goal of $20,000 for the Brewster PTO, and so I will keep my word and get a mohawk haircut this week! Here is a quick video of some highlights from the Boosterthon week! The PTO is accepting donations through Friday, 3/27/26. If you have not yet donated to the PTO and would like to do so, you may donate here: http://bit.ly/Booster326.

The fifth grade is hosting a Family Bingo Night this Wednesday, March 25 from 6-7pm at Eddy, and all are welcome to attend. Please spread the word with family, friends, and neighbors from Brewster or elsewhere! We hope that attendees will consider a donation at the door to help us raise funds for our fifth grade class trip to Boston, to see the Freedom Trail and Museum of Science this June.

Thank you to all our families who attended conferences, and thank you to our teachers for their thoughtful preparation. Report cards did go home on Wednesday with students, so if you have not yet seen them, please check your student's backpack, and if you need another copy, please call the main office and we can send another home or email it to you.

The MLPAC (Multi-Lingual Parent Advisory Council) will be holding their meeting at the Eastham Public Library, 190 Samoset Road in Eastham, this Thursday, March 26, from 5:00-6:30pm. All are welcome, regardless of being a multi-lingual parent/caregiver!

Finally, we hope that you will consider buying your springtime seeds and bulbs from us! We are holding a seed and bulb fundraiser to help our fifth grade achieve their goal of going to Boston for their class trip in June. You can order bulbs and seeds here, and they ship directly to you: http://bit.ly/EddyFlowers26.

Here's to a great week of learning at Eddy Elementary School!

Best,

Steve Guditus

Eddy Elementary Principal and Lead Learner

The Eddy Elementary School fifth grade class is raising money to visit Boston on their class trip! Flower Power is a flower bulb fundraiser to help Eddy Elementary earn 50% of most orders; orders ship directly to the purchaser. If you are looking to support our class trip and beautify your home this spring and summer, please consider ordering bulbs here: http://bit.ly/EddyFlowers26. Feel free to share with others! Thank you for your generosity and consideration!

The fifth grade is hosting a Family Bingo Night on Wednesday, March 25 from 6-7pm! All are welcome to attend! At the door, we kindly invite you to consider a donation towards our Fifth Grade Class Trip to Boston. All are welcome - please share with others!

Would you like to help out with Teacher Appreciation Week in May? This is a one-time volunteer opportunity, ranging from creating small tokens of appreciation to coordinating snacks for teachers. If you are looking to help out on a small scale or looking for a one-time volunteer opportunity, this is for you! Please email the PTO at BrewsterPTO@gmail.com to let the PTO know your availability and bandwidth to help. Thank you!

Congratulations to our three Eddy R.E.A.D.Y. award winners this past week! Congratulations to Marin, Maggie, and Shiri for demonstrating our school's core values of Respect, Empathy, Accountability, Determination, and Your Best! We are proud of all our students who earned green cards this past week!

From Dr. Brand, Superintendent of Schools:

Current School Year Calendar Update:

Based on the weather events of 2026, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and

Secondary Education (DESE) has indicated it will consider waivers to the 180-day school year

requirement if districts can demonstrate that they have met several criteria, including:

• The district has used all five allotted snow days;
• The district will still meet the required instructional hours for the school year;
• The school calendar has been scheduled through Friday, June 26, 2026, with snow days rescheduled as full school days; and

• Any remaining districtwide professional development days or school closure days (such as Good Friday), outside of April vacation and required holidays, have been repurposed for instructional days.

The district will be exploring the option of requesting a waiver from DESE. At this time, however,

the last scheduled day of school is Monday, June 29. As soon as we have a more specific update, we will be sure to share that information with the School Committee and the community.

Eddy Elementary MCAS dates for this spring (April and May) can be found here: 2026 MCAS Dates. All students take two ELA sessions and two math sessions, and fifth graders also take two STE (science, technology, and engineering) sessions. Sessions are untimed and students have until the end of the day to complete the MCAS session if needed. Students who miss a session of MCAS will make it up on the designated makeup days. Typically, most students finish in about a 2.5 hour time span, during which we break for a stretch break, bathroom break, and snack.

MCAS gives our teachers and school one additional way to understand how students are developing important academic skills. They are just one part of the many ways we learn about student progress, alongside classroom work, projects, and teacher observations. Our goal is for testing to feel like a typical day of school, where students are encouraged to take their time, think carefully, and show what they know. Families can help by keeping routines consistent during testing days, ensuring children get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, and arrive at school feeling calm and ready for the day. As always, our focus is on supporting every student's growth and love of learning.

See below. If you know any Brewster resident whose child will be 5 by August 31, 2026, please pass this flyer along to them and let them know they can register their child for Kindergarten using the directions below. Families may call Stony Brook at 508-896-4545 x0 with any questions about Kindergarten registration. Thank you for your help!

Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod is building two new homes in Brewster- 1 two-bedroom home, and 1 three-bedroom home. Applications are due March 31, 2026, and are available at Town Hall in the Planning Department or at Brewster Ladies Library. The creation of these homes is supported by Brewster Community Preservation Act and Affordable Housing Trust funding.

Online fillable applications can be found here: Habitat for Humanity’s Homeownership Application.

There will also be two local in person workshops on:

• Tuesday, February 24th, 4:45 – 6:30 PM: Brewster Ladies Library, 1882 Main Street
• Saturday, March 14th, 10:30 AM – 12 PM: Brewster Ladies Library, 1882 Main Street

For more information on income eligibility, pricing, and the application process, please see the attached flyers and go to: https://habitatcapecod.org/to-apply-for-a-home/ or contact Habitat for Humanity at 508-362-3559 x121.

If you have any questions about Brewster community housing, feel free to contact me.

Warm regards,

Jenny

Jennifer Shaw

Housing Program Assistant

Town of Brewster

2198 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631

508-896-3701 ext. 1172

• Wednesday, March 25: Eddy Family BINGO Night @ 6-7pm
• Thursday, March 26: MLPAC Meeting @ 5-6:30pm @ Eastham Public Library
• Friday, March 27: Last day to donate to the Boosterthon @ http://bit.ly/Booster326
• Tuesday, April 7: MCAS begins with Grade 3 ELA
• Monday-Friday, April 20-24: Spring Break - no school