Notes from Eddy

Hello Eddy Families,

I hope that you had a great spring break! Our family took some day trips, and one highlight was seeing the Bluey X Camp at the Burlington Mall. If you're a fan of the TV show Bluey, you will appreciate this: we were able to visit a lifesize replica of Bluey's house, and characters Bluey and Bingo, which brought a lot of smiles!

We had a successful ELA MCAS administration that wrapped up just before spring break. This coming week, we hit the pause button on MCAS, and we will start up next week with fifth graders taking the STE (science, technology, and engineering) MCAS next Wednesday and Thursday. All students will take Math MCAS the following two weeks as follows:

• Grade 3: May 12 and 13
• Grade 4: May 14 and 15
• Grade 5: May 19 and 20
• STE and Math makeups will be May 21 and 22

You can support your student by ensuring that they get a good night's sleep, have breakfast at home and/or at school, and encourage them to do their best. So you know how we approach things here at Eddy, we tell students (1) to do their best; (2) take MCAS seriously; (3) they can do hard things! Thank you for your help as a parent/caregiver with a consistent message at home as well.

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week, May 4-8. Any special note of thanks is a lovely gesture to our hard-working staff members of various roles at Eddy. If you are interested in helping the PTO with their efforts, you can sign up here:

• SignUpGenius HERE
• Amazon Wishlist HERE

Finally, Brewster is Bloom is this coming weekend! Our Eddy band is marching in the parade, and all Eddy and Stony Brook students and families are welcome to march in the parade with our float! If you are interested in joining us at the parade, please RSVP here, so we know to expect you and for more details.

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

Best,

Steve Guditus

Eddy Elementary Principal and Lead Learner

Please join us at the rail trail parking lot @ Underpass and Long Pond Road at 7:15am on Wednesday, May 6. All are welcome!

We have had some instances of cars during morning dropoff and afternoon pickup driving past school buses while students are disembarking or loading the bus. Thank you for your assistance stopping for school buses while the red flashing lights are on and the stop sign is out, as this is both state law to stop, and keeps all our students and staff safe. If you have any questions, please let Mr. Guditus know!

A job well done to all our students who performed in the spring concert before spring break, and thank to Mr. Glancy and Mrs. Faris for their hard work and preparation with students.

There will be an Eddy Music & Arts Night on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 from 6-7pm. All are welcome!

Eddy World Girls are looking to make donations to a school in Western Massachusetts in need of supplies. If you have any of these items that you are able to donate, please drop them off in the lobby or main office:

• Construction paper / paper
• Markers
• Sharpies (thick or thin)
• Pipe cleaners
• String
• Glue sticks
• Craft sticks
• Regular pencils
• Colored pencils
• Dry erase markers
• Folders
• Notebooks
• NO Glitter please!!

Regional Rental Opportunity:

The Cape Cod Ready Renter Program is also accepting applications through May 29, 2026. The program income limit is 80% of Area Median Income. Applications are available here: Ready Renter Application or at Brewster Town Hall and from the Town of Yarmouth, Mary Waygan, at 508-398-2231 X1275 mwaygan@yarmoth.ma.us.

For questions and information about Brewster affordable housing, contact housingoffice@brewster-ma.gov or call Jill Scalise, Housing Coordinator, at 508-896-3701 X 1169 or Jenny Shaw, Housing Program Assistant, X 1172.

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!

• Wednesday, May 6: Walk, Roll, and Ride to School Day @ 7:15am
• Sunday, May 3: Brewster In Bloom Parade: please join us in the parade!
• Wednesday, May 13: Brewster PTO @ 7pm at Stony Brook
• Saturday, May 16: BikeFest @ Sea Camps Property
• Monday, May 25: No School (Memorial Day)