Dear Sprague Community—January 27, 2015 Well, it HAD been a milder winter up until Tuesday. I hope you have been able to dig out and that your children enjoyed this winter wonderland over the past two days. I am definitely tired of shoveling! Please be sure to send your child to school with boots and snow pants. We try to get outside as much as is possible. Students love to play in the snow, but need the proper attire so they do not get their clothes wet for the rest of the day. At this point, regular play areas are snow covered, so students really need the boots and snow pants to be able to go outside. This includes all grades K-5. Thanks for your help. Progress Reports: Progress Reports are scheduled to go home on Friday, January 30th. Teachers have been working hard to give you a clear picture of your child’s progress so far this year. Most of you are probably familiar with the written Progress Reports. The first page contains information about your child’s Social/Personal Growth and Work habits. The indicators on this page are: R-Rarely, S-Sometimes, U-Usually, and C-Consistently. If you see and asterisk* before a mark, it means that is an area that your child’s teacher has identified as a personal learning goal. On the second page, you will find information about academics: Literacy, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. There are 2 kinds of indicators on this page: Performance Levels and Effort Levels. The Effort Level indicators are: N-Needs improvement or demonstrates little effort, I-Inconsistent or demonstrates inconsistent effort, and C-Consistent or demonstrates consistent effort. The Performance Level indicators are: 1-Introductory understanding, 2-Developing understanding, 3-Working understanding, and 4-Advanced understanding. An ‘N’ under the Performance level means the topic is not assessed at this time. Since the Progress Report addresses end of grade expectations, it is common to see 2’s on a Progress Report. A ‘2’ means that the child is developing an understanding of the goal, but still needs teacher guidance. A ‘2’ does not mean that your child is below grade level. A ‘3’ signifies an independent worker. As in the past, parents receive a blank comment sheet with the progress report. Please write any questions or comments on this sheet and return it to school. The progress reports stay home and do not get returned to school. The spring conference will review the progress your child has made since the progress report as well as set goals for the rest of the year. Please return the envelope to school in your child’s homework folder. We will use the envelopes again in June. Conferences: Parent conferences will be held in March/April on the following dates: (W) March 25, (T) March 31, (W) April 1, and (W) April 8. Your child’s teacher will contact you when it is time to set up an appointment. Save the Date: Sprague will have an Open House on Friday, March 6th from 8-9:30 a.m. It will be new to have the Open House in the morning, but the format will be the same. Parents are invited to visit their child’s classroom from 8:00-9:00 and there will be an all school assembly in the gym at 9:00 a.m. Your child will be your guide and review work samples that show his or her progress. Teachers felt that evening hours in past years had been challenging for some of our youngest students since they cut into dinner and bedtime routines. Evening obligations also had prevented some families from attending in the past. Upham and Fiske Schools have had success with morning hours. We hope that you will be able to come to this Open House! In the event of a delayed start: If there is a one-hour delay, the Before School Program is canceled. If there is a two-hour delay, Before School Program students may arrive for care one half hour before the opening (10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 start). Please see dates to remember and MCAS testing schedule for grades 3-5 at the end of this message. Thank you. From the Nurse: Flu vs. colds: How to Tell
| FLU | COLD | |
| Onset of illness | Sudden | Gradual |
| Fever | High | Rare, more common in children |
| Fatigue | Severe | Mild |
| Cough | Severe, Dry | Common, Mucus-producing |
| Sore throat | Yes | Sometimes |
| Headache | Yes | Sometimes |
| Sneezing | Sometimes | Yes |
| Stuffy Nose | Sometimes | Common |
| Appetite | Decreased | May be decreased |
| Muscles | Ache | Fine, slight aches |
| Chills | Yes | No |
| Chest Discomfort | Often severe | Mild |
Seasonal flu Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract. Flu is often confused with the common cold, but flu symptoms develop quickly and are more severe than the typical sneezing and stuffy/runny nose of a cold. Learning whether it is a cold or flu is important because the flu may have serious complications such as pneumonia or even death. Treating flu within 48 hours of symptoms is best. Prescription antiviral drugs will shorten the time of the discomforts of the illness. If you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, it’s probably the flu. Flu symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough, and tend to come on suddenly and are more intense than cold symptoms. Colds usually include a runny or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms usually improve over two to five days, but you might feel run-down for a week or longer. Colds come on gradually and last about a week. The quickest and most effective way to know if you have flu or a cold is to get a test at your doctor’s office. By taking a nasal or throat swab, your doctor can often tell if you have the flu virus, usually within 30 minutes or less. If you test positive for flu and your symptoms started within the last 48 hours, your doctor may provide antiviral treatment to help you recover more quickly. My child is experiencing symptoms, when do I call my doctor? Call your child’s doctor now (night or day) if: Your child looks or acts very sick Breathing becomes difficult or fast Dehydration occurs (no urine in 12 hours, dry mouth, no tears) Your child has bluish skin color Your child is not waking up or not interacting Your child is so irritable that he/she does not want to be held Flu-like symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough Fever with a rash occurs Call your child’s doctor during the day if: Your think your child needs to be seen Your child is considered high risk and has flu symptoms Earache or sinus pain occurs Fever lasts more than 3 days Cough lasts more than 3 weeks Your child becomes worse Avoid the spread of the flu Influenza spreads easily. If you suspect your child has the flu, keep your child at home for at least 24 hours after the fever has ceased without the use of fever-reducing medications. (A fever is defined as 100ºF in the early morning.) It is important to teach children how to reduce their risk of getting influenza and protect others from infections by teaching them to frequently wash their hands and to cover their coughs and sneezes. Please be assured that we encourage these practices here at Sprague. Please read the attached flu information from the CDC. Sharon Dates to remember: Jan. 30: Progress Reports sent home Feb. 3: Valentine Community Service activity for registered students in grades 3-5 Feb. 4: Walk to School Day Feb. 11: Kindergarten Round Up #1 from 3:00-6:00 PM in Sprague library Feb. 4: PTO meeting Feb. 16-20: February School Vacation Week Feb. 27: A Cat-Emy Awards assembly March 6: Open House from 8:00-9:30 a.m. March 7: Kindergarten Round Up #2 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. March 12: Parent meeting for incoming kindergarten parents @ 7:00 pm.
| March 23 Monday | March 24 Tuesday | March 25 Wednesday | March 26 Thursday | March 27 Friday |
| Grade 3 ELA | Grade 4 Long Comp. – State mandated day | Grade 3 ELA | Grade 5 ELA | Grade 5 ELA |
| March 30 Monday | March 31 Tuesday | April 1 Wednesday | April 2 Thursday | April 3 Friday |
| Grade 4 ELA | Grade 4 ELA | No Testing Scheduled – Make ups | Grade 4 Long Comp. make-up day – state mandated day | No Testing Scheduled – Make ups |
| April 6 Monday | ||||
| Last Day to test – Make ups | ||||
2014-2015 Sprague School MCAS Schedule
| May 4 Monday | May 5 Tuesday | May 6 Wednesday | May 7 Thursday | May 8 Friday |
| Grade 3 Math | Grade 3 Math | No Testing Scheduled | Grade 5 Math | Grade 5 Math |
| May 11 Monday | May 12 Tuesday | May 13 Wednesday | May 14 Thursday | May 15 Friday |
| Grade 4 Math | Grade 4 Math | No Testing Scheduled | Grade 5 Science | Grade 5 Science |
| May 18 Monday | May 19 Tuesday | |||
| No Testing Scheduled – Make ups | Last day to test – Make ups | |||
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