Notes from Eddy

Hello Eddy Families,

I hope you are having a great weekend! We are looking forward to seeing many of you in the parade today, or on the sidelines as spectators. If your student would like to join in the parade, please plan to meet at Eddy (by the third grade classrooms in the bus lane behind the building) at 12:30pm. Please note, this is not a school-sanctioned event, so please have adult supervision. More information is here! Thank you to Ms. Mason and many staff, families, and students for their help on the parade float, and to our Eddy band, directed by Mrs. Faris, for marching in the parade!

Don't forget Brewster Town Meeting is tomorrow, Monday, May 4 @ 6pm at Stony Brook. See more information below, including about child care.

MCAS occurs this week for fifth grade only, for Science testing, on Wednesday and Thursday this week, May 6 and May 7. Math MCAS testing occurs as follows:

• Grade 3: May 12 and 13
• Grade 4: May 14 and 15
• Grade 5: May 19 and 20
• Science (5th only) 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.

This week, all students are invited to participate in the New England Math League competition. It is free of charge, occurs entirely during the school day, and there is an optional practice on Monday, and the competition occurs on Friday during the school day. If you would like to signup, please scan the QR code below or sign your student up here: https://bit.ly/EddyMathContest2026.

The Great Eddy Reading Contest has kicked off on Friday, May 1! You should have received directions in your student's backpack this week. Each class is encouraged to read as many books as they can from May 1 - June 1. The class which reads the most number of books in this month by returning slips to Mrs. Meyer will earn a prize of their choice, as well as have the golden book award for the remainder of the school year! More details are listed below.

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

Don't forget that we will have our next Ride, Walk, and Roll to School day on Wednesday, May 6. We will meet at 7:15am at the CC Rail Trail parking lot across from Ferretti's on Long Pond Road. Here's to a great week of learning at Eddy Elementary School!

Best,

Steve Guditus

Eddy Elementary Principal and Lead Learner

An important message from Katie Jacobus, Brewster School Committee Chair:

Brewster's annual Town Meeting will be held at Stony Brook on Monday, May 4th, at 6:00. Residents will be voting on school budgets, as well as a number of other items in the Warrant. (The electronic version is available here.)

Nauset Youth Alliance will be offering free childcare until 8:30p. If you know you want childcare, please let NYA know:

• call 508-896-7900
• or email emcbrearty@nausetyouthalliance

New this Town Meeting, pre-registration for childcare is not required. If you didn't pre-register, don't let that be a reason to miss Town Meeting. Please come and bring your kids! Thank you to NYA for this service.

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

All students are welcome to join in the New England Math League Competition. Please scan the QR code above or sign up at https://bit.ly/EddyMathContest2026.

Please encourage your student to participate in the Great Eddy Reading Challenge! See above for details and email Mrs. Meyer with any questions at: meyerd@nausetschools.org.

We are pleased to have partnered with 1st Place Spiritwear to offer Eddy Elementary spirit wear! There is a variety of gear, ranging from beanie caps to flip-flops, t-shirts to sweatshirts, and there are periodic sales as well. Apparel ships direct to you! You can check out their current sales and purchase direct by going to: https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/MA/Brewster/Eddy+Elementary+School

Students were treated this week to a performance by the NRMS jazz band, string quartet, and chorus!

Congratulations to our green card winners this week: Riker in fifth grade, Maisie in fourth grade, and AJ in third grade. One student in each grade is picked each week to be recognized for demonstrating our school's core values of Respect, Empathy, Accountability, Determination, and Your Best. A job well done to all students who earned green cards this week!

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!

• Sunday, May 3: Brewster In Bloom Parade: please join us in the parade!
• Wednesday, May 6: Walk, Roll, and Ride to School Day @ 7:15am
• May 6-7: Fifth Grade Science MCAS
• Friday, May 8: New England Math League Competition
• May 12-13: Third Grade Math MCAS
• May 14-15: Fourth Grade Math MCAS
• May 19-20: Fifth Grade Math MCAS
• Wednesday, May 13: Brewster PTO @ 7pm at Stony Brook
• Saturday, May 16: BikeFest @ Sea Camps Property
• Monday, May 25: No School (Memorial Day)
• Monday, June 1: Great Eddy Reading Challenge Ends