Muraco Happenings 2.12...

Our Hats off to Literacy Day was a great success!  As always, your children's creations exceeded my expectations.  Thank you for your support!

I hope that the February break is filled with good times!

Second and Fourth Grade Students Share their Valentine Poems!

KICK START THE DAY with BOKS!

Registration is now open for the Spring 2016 BOKS session!

BOKS is a before school exercise program that aims to give kids a body and brain boost to set them up for a day of learning. The program is sponsored by Reebok and run by parent volunteers.  

Each class offers students time for free play, group exercise or races, and a choice of sporting games or other physical activities. Classes will meet on Thursday mornings from 7:30am – 8:10am in the Muraco School Gym (or outdoors, weather permitting), beginning on March 3rd and running through April 28th.  **All students in grades K-5 are eligible to participate.

Participation is FREE, but donations are appreciated and support purchasing equipment and other supplies.

Come join in the fun during this session!  PLEASE see details below on how to register:

§         Participants will be chosen based on a lottery, with siblings grouped together.

§         We welcome new volunteers!  Volunteers’ children are guaranteed a spot in the program.  NO prior coaching experience or training is required. Parents/guardians must volunteer at least 4 times per session. Really. YOU can do this!

§         If you have any questions about program participation or becoming a volunteer, please contact Shelley Ayervais at sayervais@yahoo.com.

§         More information is available at bokskids.org, or check out this local NPR story on BOKS.

§         Please note: Nurse is not on duty during BOKS.  If a child may need an Epipen or inhaler, either child must be able to administer himself, or guardian must be present during class.

To participate in the lottery, please visit the BOKS page on the MESPA website by CLICKING HERE and register by February 24^th.   

Parents will be notified whether their child has been enrolled or waitlisted by February 29^th.  Registration link will be emailed to parents at that time. 

Upcoming Events

January 29, 2016

Grades 3-5 Winter Concert

Our concert is this Monday, February 1st, in the Lincoln auditorium! The performance will begin at 6pm, and students should arrive at 5:45. Performers should be wearing their concert attire. Please remind your students that sweats and t-shirts with logos on them should not be worn to the concert. Your young musicians are eager to showcase their hard work. We are looking forward to a fun night!

Hats Off to Literacy Day 

The Student Council is encouraging ALL members of our community to celebrate Literacy by designing a hat that reflects a favorite: book, character, author, genre, scene...  Trophies will be given for the most creative, crazy, and elegant hats. Below please find a link to a trailer that the Student Council made to advertise our special day.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_vBVq1KKsd3VlNSd0NUR2pfMjA/view?usp=sharing

Friendly Reminders

• School begins at 8:30.  Please promote good habits by having your students arrive to school on time.  
• If you are in the car pick up line at the end of day, please remain in the driver's seat and adhere to the idling law, which mandates that 

Thank you for your contributions to MESPA.  As a result of your donations our students have had many enriching experiences that brought the curriculum to life!  

Students Enjoyed a Concert by Ball in the House!

Third Grade Students Learning about Sound!

First Grade Students Loved Learning More about Weather!

Save the Dates...

Good morning,

I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend with your family!  The weather today is bone chilling, so we will be spending the day inside.  Stay warm!

Grades 3-5 Concert

Just a reminder that our grades 3-5 Music Concert is just around the corner! The performance will take place at 6 pm in the Lincoln Elementary Auditorium on Monday, February 1st. Please arrive at 5:45 pm. We sincerely hope you are able to attend. Your children have been rehearsing very diligently and are excited to perform!


Sincerely,Dan Htoo-Levine

MCAS Dates

Reading Comprehension

Grade 3:  March 29 and 30

Grade 4: March 31 and April 1

Grade 5: April 6 and April 8

Math

Grade 3: May 16 and 17

Grade 4:  May 10 and 11

Grade 5:  May 12 and 13

Science and Technology

Grade 5: May 19 and 20

Please schedule appointments for your children around these dates.  

Happy New Year!  I look forward to welcoming your children back to school.  I'm sure that they have many stories to share!

Keeping Kids Safe Online: An Evening With National Internet Safety Expert Katie Greer What apps should I be worried about? Is social networking safe? Is my child being cyberbullied? Did you know there are several apps, such as The Vault, available for keeping texts and photos secret and many of them are free? Please join expert Katie Greer on Monday, January 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Lincoln School Auditorium. This program will cover issues around the latest apps such as SnapChat, Ask.fm, and Kik, as well as discuss other important topics including online privacy, digital responsibility, cyberbullying, texting, sexting and more. Greer helps adults navigate the digital waters covering what's new, what's now, and what's next when it comes to children and technology, and provides parents and caregivers with proactive initiatives to keep kids safe. Former Director of Internet Safety for the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, and Intelligence Analyst with the Massachusetts State Police, Greer has worked closely with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces and schools throughout the country to educate thousands of students, parents and educators on the issues of digital technology safety and cyberbullying. She will be speaking to all third, fourth and fifth gradersat each primary school, as well as all students atMcCall Middle School. This presentation is sponsored by the EnKa Society in partnership with the Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community.

MCAS Update

The results of the 2015 MCAS scores have been released.  Muraco’s official MCAS report card is available on our website and may be found at the following address:

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/accountability/report/school.aspx?linkid=31&orgcode=03440040&orgtypecode=6&

MCAS Schedule for 2016

Grades 3-5:

Reading Comprehension:  March 28 - April 11

Math:  May 9 -May 23

GRADE 5 ONLY:

Science and Technology: May 9-23

Update 12.18...

Good morning,

I hope that this holiday season is filled with memorable moments with family and friends!  Your children continue to bring great joy to us, and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with them each day!

New Elementary Report Cards

Today parents of children in grades 1-5 will be receiving their child’s report card for the fall term. As a reminder, this year we are piloting new report cards in these grade levels. These report cards have been revised so that they are more closely aligned to state standards, as well as giving parents more information about their child’s progress. A report card revision committee was developed with representative teachers from each of the grade levels during the 2014-15 school year. The committee sought input from parents, teachers, administrators and the school committee. In addition, they looked at recently updated models from other communities. After many rounds of revisions, new report cards have been created for this year. For more information about these report cards, please click on the link to see an informational video: https://goo.gl/yTII2c

This school year will serve as a pilot year, to help determine what changes are needed in order to have a finalized report card in place for the 2016-2017 school year. Please take the time to complete the following survey to help inform the report card committee: http://goo.gl/forms/5O7GEAfQg1

Also look for an additional survey, which will be conducted later this year. The report card revision committee looks forward to your feedback!

Lost and Found

We have MANY treasures in our lobby that are unclaimed.  Please be sure to look to see if any belong to your children.  All items left in the bin will be donated after the holidays.  

Dismissal

Many students are being picked up well after the second bell.  For the safety of your children please be sure to be prompt at dismissal time.  We appreciate your support.

Teamwork!

Making the Most of Our Time Together!

Happy Thanksgiving

11/23/15

I am grateful to be part of this dynamic community, and I want to thank you for your many contributions!  I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Week in Review 11.13...

November 13, 2015

The votes have been counted, and I am thrilled to announce that we are now the Muraco Wizards with school colors of red and black.  Students in the fifth grade were invited to design a logo, and all entries were due today.  We will be unveiling the winner next week!  Our Muraco Spirit attire is going to be stunning!

MESPA:  I want to extend a big THANK YOU to the many MESPA volunteers who make our students' experiences at Muraco richer and more memorable.  Tonight the students have the opportunity to attend the Fall Festival, which is sure to be a fun filled night!  Ann Connelly and Andria Bagley have been working tirelessly to make this event one the students won't soon forget!  I also want to thank the room parents for their work in organizing classroom celebrations.  I am always awed, and a bit jealous, of the creativity that is demonstrated!

Student Council:  We had our first meeting on Thursday.  Representatives from grades 3-5 came bursting with pride in our school!  They have many ideas to make our great school greater.  They decided that our first spirit day would celebrate the "Super Powers" in each of us.  On Friday, December 4th, all members of the community are encouraged to wear attire that demonstrates their talent, or they may wear something that features their favorite Superhero.

School Advisory Council:  I am delighted to announce that Lori Stalteri (Library Media Specialist), Melissa Testa (K Teacher), Victoria Kiaer (Parent), Nian Sun (Parent), Manish Bansal (Parent), and Caren Connelly (community rep.) have volunteered to serve on this committee.  We had our first meeting last week, and we began to discuss how to enrich our students experiences in science and math.  You will be receiving more information in January.

Tech Night:  will be held this Thursday, November 19th, from 6-7:30 at the McCall Middle School.  This is a wonderful opportunity to see how students in the district across the grade levels are using technology to enhance their learning experiences.  Muraco will be well represented.  Students in Mrs. Fagner's and Ms. Stalteri's classes will be showcasing their work with blogs and Explain Everything.  

Teamwork at its Best!

Second Grade Students Sharing Their Thinking!