Principal's Pen
January 26, 2024
Dear Parents,
We are back in our routine after a full five day week! It was a great week and very productive. The students in grades k-3 finished their Dibels assessments and the 3-5th graders completed the ELA and Math Benchmark assessments in Linkit! The results of all of these assessments will be shared with parents district-wide in the coming weeks. Please review your child's performance and remember we are looking for growth! The goal is to meet benchmark mastery by the end of the school year, so we are looking for expected growth over baseline and towards mastery. Please reach out to your child's teacher or myself if you have any questions about your child's report. Also, please keep in mind each of these assessments represents one piece of data and we always use a variety of data points when grading and assessing our students.
It is hard to believe we are only 2 weeks away from our February recess. We are already in the mode of making plans for the 2024-2025 school year! We held two magnet open school houses this week and we had a very respectable turnout of at least 15 families highly interested in sending their kindergarteners to our school. Based on what I heard I would say 100% of those families will list Julian Curtiss as their first choice in the lottery.
We also have an initial list of students who live in our district that qualify for kindergarten. Those parents have received an invitation to our Kindergarten Parent Orientation on March 5th at 9:15 am. We should have a good idea of how many actual K students we will have for the 2024-2025 school year by that time.
I hope many of you can make the PTA party at the Milbrook Club tonight. I will see you there.
In addition, don't forget to stop by the fifth grade hot chocolate stand in front of the BOE on Greenwich Avenue on Sunday between 12pm and 4pm. Our fifth graders will be out working to fund their own end of year party and they need our support.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Trish McGuire
Attention Grade 5 Parents:
Middle School Counselors, Middle School Principals, and Curriculum Coordinators have created an informational video about what goes on in the spring and summer to help prepare students for middle school. This 25 minute informational video details social, emotional, and academic shifts at the middle level and describes the differences in course offerings and supports available.
Links to the videos, as well as the transcripted slides, are available below:
If you have questions after viewing the video, Middle School Counselors, Middle School Principals, and Curriculum Coordinators will go live to answer your questions on Monday, January 22
A compiled FAQ of questions from all Q&A sessions will be available online by January 26.
Fifth to Sixth Grade Parent Input Request
In order to provide input for your student’s middle school placement in ELA, Math, and Science, parents are given an opportunity to provide the committee with their insights via the Parent Input Form prior to February 9, 2024. Before completing the form, we highly recommend reviewing the video (English, Spanish). Please note: completion of this form does not guarantee placement into the selected courses.
Grade 6 teachers and administrators constantly monitor student progress and achievement to ensure their needs are being met in their courses. Adjustments to course schedules are made on a case-by-case basis and can happen at any time throughout the school year. Parents are a key factor in the decision to make movements in classes. The middle school philosophy for the district ensures that all parents are notified early and often when schedule or course changes are recommended.
Atención padres de quinto grado:
Reunión virtual de preguntas y respuestas para discutir el proceso de transición de quinto a sexto grado que se llevará a cabo el lunes 22 de enero.
Los consejeros, directores y coordinadores de currículo de las escuelas intermedias han creado un video informativo sobre lo que sucede en la primavera y el verano para ayudar a preparar a los estudiantes para la escuela intermedia. Este video informativo de 25 minutos detalla los cambios sociales, emocionales y académicos en el nivel medio y describe las diferencias en las ofertas de cursos y los apoyos disponibles.
Los enlaces a los videos, así como las diapositivas transcritas, están disponibles a continuación:
Vídeo en español
Diapositivas transcritas en inglés
Si tiene preguntas después de ver el video, los consejeros de las escuelas intermedias, los directores de las escuelas intermedias y los coordinadores curriculares se comunicarán en vivo para responder sus preguntas en
Lunes 22 de enero
Una recopilación de preguntas frecuentes de todas las sesiones de preguntas y respuestas estará disponible en línea el 26 de enero.
Solicitud de opinión de los padres de quinto a sexto grado
Con el fin de brindar información para la colocación de su estudiante en la escuela intermedia en ELA, Matemáticas y Ciencias, los padres tienen la oportunidad de brindarle al comité sus ideas a través del Formulario de opinión de los padres antes del 9 de febrero de 2024. Antes de completar el formulario, recomendamos revisar el video (inglés, español). Tenga en cuenta: completar este formulario no garantiza la colocación en los cursos seleccionados.
Los maestros y administradores de sexto grado monitorean constantemente el progreso y los logros de los estudiantes para garantizar que se satisfagan sus necesidades en sus cursos. Los ajustes a los horarios de los cursos se realizan caso por caso y pueden ocurrir en cualquier momento durante el año escolar. Los padres son un factor clave en la decisión de realizar movimientos en las clases. La filosofía de la escuela intermedia del distrito garantiza que todos los padres sean notificados con anticipación y con frecuencia cuando se recomiendan cambios de horario o curso.
PJ DAY FOR A CAUSE FEBRUARY 9TH!
PJ Day is on Friday Feb 9th (the day before February break) and in exchange for wearing PJs to school, participants are asked to donate $1 or more to give to Connecticut Children's Hospital. As an alternative to bringing money to school, the students (and parents) can also donate online via this link give.connecticutchildrens.org/team/550789. Also, even if kids cannot make a financial donation they can still wear their PJs in solidarity and support of other kids with cancer.
Donate using this link!
Magnet School Lottery Applications available online
Magnet School Program
GPS is proud to offer choice to the families of Greenwich that may wish to apply to any of the District’s four elementary schools magnet programs. School choice provides opportunities to attend Hamilton Avenue, International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss, or New Lebanon that offers programs that may be of particular interest to a family and/or an individual student. Magnet school lottery applications for the 2024-25 school year and open house dates are now available online, with an online submission deadline of Thursday, February 1.
If you are a family that moved to another Greenwich district during the school year please remember to apply for the magnet.
Any child who will be age 5 by January 1, 2025 is eligible to enter the magnet school lottery. If you feel your child will be ready for kindergarten in August 2024 and are interested in a magnet school, you are welcome to apply to any of the four schools. Kindergarten enrollment will be subject to district procedures in effect in March 2024 when registration begins.
Mark Your Calendar
January
January 28 - Hot Cocoa Stand Greenwich Avenue 12-4 pm. See flyer
February
February 12-16 Winter Recess /School Closed
February 19 - Presidents Day /School Closed
February 20 - Return to School