Dear Bates Families,
Brrr…it’s officially cold weather season, but inside the Bates School we’re keeping warm and very busy. Last week, we enjoyed a beautiful winter concert with performances by the band, orchestra and fifth grade chorus. In addition, students are dancing with Mrs. Fyvie, becoming “experts” on a number of topics by reading nonfiction books and writing “teaching books” so others can learn about exciting topics.
January is also a busy month for presentations that enrich our curriculum. We recently hosted authors David Kelly and Mac Barnett. We also had a visit by Greg Tang, who gave a special presentation on math to our fourth and fifth graders. Greg engaged students in identifying patterns in math and emphasized the importance of taking numbers apart to solve problems with larger numbers. If your child enjoyed Greg Tang’s presentation, you may want to visit his
website. Thank you to our generous PTO for providing these and many other exciting opportunities for our students.
This year, the Wellesley Schools will be administering the MCAS test in every third, fourth and fifth grade class. The 2016 MCAS test is being considered a “transitional” version of the MCAS, with test items similar to previous MCAS tests as well the PARRC tests, which are taken by other districts in Massachusetts and the U.S. I will share more information about these tests with all parents of students in grades 3-5 in the coming weeks. The dates we have scheduled to administer the MCAS this year are listed below.
I’d also like to call your attention to a couple of other important upcoming dates:
- Next Friday, January 29, each child will bring home a Progress Report. Please look for your child’s Progress Report in his or her backpack.
- On February 10 and March 5, the Wellesley Public Schools will host Kindergarten Roundup, a special event for families to enroll a child in kindergarten next year. Please see the WPS website for more information about the two Roundup events.
Finally, we appreciate your efforts to arrive on time for school and have your child prepared for outdoor recess each and every day. We all know this is no easy task. Thank you.
Warm regards,Toni Jolley Upcoming dates:
Friday, January 29 Progress Reports sent home
Friday, February 5 Walk to School Day (weather permitting) Bates Spirit Day
Wednesday, February 10 Kindergarten Roundup 3-6 p.m. Sprague School
MCAS Schedule 2016
English Language Arts and Reading Comprehension MCAS
Tuesday, March 29 Grade 3 ELA MCAS Grade 5 ELA MCAS
Thursday, March 31 Grade 3 ELA MCAS Grade 5 ELA MCAS
Thursday, April 7 Grade 4 ELA MCAS
Friday, April 8 Grade 4 ELA MCAS
Math and Science MCASTuesday, May 10 Grade 3 Math MCAS Grade 5 Science MCAS
Thursday, May 12 Grade 3 Math MCAS Grade 5 Science MCAS
Tuesday, May 17 Grade 4 Math MCAS Grade 5 Math MCAS
Thursday, May 19 Grade 4 Math MCAS Grade 5 Math MCAS
