The Penguin Post
Benjamin Phelps School - February 2024 Newsletter
MCAS season is right around the corner. Students in grades three and four are required to take this state test in the areas of English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Each area has two days of testing.
ELA MCAS will take place on April 9 & 11.
Math MCAS will take place on May 15 & 16.
More information will be sent to families of students in grades 3 and 4.
Writing is such an important part of what we do, and we ask that you help bring writing into the home! Feel free to journal along with your child. All students are encouraged to try and type responses if possible.
Some basic age-appropriate guidelines:
K and 1 - draw a picture and write a sentence or two
2nd grade - goal is 3 or 4 sentences.
3rd and 4th - try to write a solid paragraph and give supporting ideasWe would even like to challenge you to try typing your responses at home.
The Stick to Reading program through the Springfield Thunderbirds will conclude on Friday, March 1. Students can bring their completed logs to school the following week. It is important that logs are completed with a parent signature AND email. Once the logs are collected, they will be given to our representative at the Thunderbirds who will issue tickets to students. The Phelps Stick to Reading game will be April 14 at 3:05pm.
An information night will be held on Wednesday March 6 for all incoming Kindergarten parents (fall of 2024). This event will take place at James Clark School from 6-7pm. Come learn about ways to help prepare your little one for Kindergarten.
Phelps will also conduct Kindergarten Screenings for all students entering Phelps at that fall that DO NOT attend the ECC. Teachers at the ECC will complete screenings for their students. Letters are in the mail which have appointment times for those families that have reached out. If you have a child that will be 5 years old before September 1 and have not reached out to the school yet, please call the main office at 413-821-0586 or email our secretary Veronica Solivan at vsolivan@agawamed.org.
Flyers about our Phelps STEAM Fair on March 20th were sent home with students and I am beyond excited to see the projects they come up with. If you have students interested in participating there is still time to sign up! Just send me an email or bring in the flyer slip. If students have not begun their projects, February break is a wonderful time to encourage them to get started. Resources to help spark curiosity for projects can be found on my website: https://sites.google.com/agawamed.org/sciencewithmissc/home
If you have any questions or would like to sign up, email Miss C at rconklin@agawamed.org. Can't wait to see so many amazing projects!
In case you missed the flyer, it can be found here: https://5il.co/2exlk
Phelps teachers are looking for some help! Every Friday, we are looking for one volunteer to come in and help teachers with their photocopying. There is no specific time - come when you can between 9:30am and 2:30pm! Here is a link for you to sign up.
As a reminder, all volunteers must have a CORI check and have completed our volunteer training. CORI checks are done through the APS central office located at the Junior High. Mrs. Domina runs our volunteer training. She can be reached at sdomina@agawamed.org.
Each day at Phelps, we are fortunate enough to offer every student a 30 minute RTI block. During the RTI block, students go to various enrichments, interventionists, and classrooms to receive a lesson in a specific skill that benchmark data identified as a need. Letters will go home with students after February break that share which RTI group your child was placed in as well as a copy of their STAR assessment scores for the winter screening.
Girls on the Run is back for its second season here at Phelps! There are only a few spots left for students to sign up. These spots are on a first-come, first served basis. As a reminder, Girls on the Run is for girls in 3rd and 4th grade only. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Domina at sdomina@agawamed.org.
As part of our school's initiative to improve writing and typing, students in 3rd and 4th grade are going to begin piloting the use of Keyboarding Without Tears. This program will not only help develop typing skills, but will also teach students the use of various tools on the computer that are seen on MCAS assessments. One thing that we have observed over the past few years is that students are able to write great rough drafts to open response questions, but spend a lot of time "hunting and pecking" to get their drafts into the computer. Our hope is that this program will increase typing speed and stamina so that students are able to produce their best work.
