March 2017

Reporting Your Child Absent: 

I am pleased to announce a new digital way to report your child’s attendance information.  Families may now use a link on our school’s webpage under the “Parents” tab to report your child as tardy or absent.  You may want to bookmark the link below for easy access. https://thoreau.concordps.org

MCAS Information:

Students in grades 3-5 are scheduled to participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) between April 3rd and May 26th.  The specific dates for each grade level and test session can be found in the link below and on our school’s webpage. https://goo.gl/zPUjtE

Principal Coffee:  New Date

On Thursday, March 30th, Thoreau School Instructional Technology Specialist Sue Howard will be joining me for a special Principal Coffee focused on supporting our students in the digital age.  In advance of our discussion, here are some links families may find helpful:

A current list of resources on “Raising Digital Natives.”
https://thoreau.concordps.org/showard/digitalcitizens/

SEPAC Event:  March 23rd:

Reading Development & the Brain  | Thursday, March 23rd | Presentation/Q&A 10-11:30am | Ripley Administration Building, Conference Room 1 | Presenter Dr. Nadine Gaab, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

The Concord Public and Concord-Carlisle Regional SEPAC is pleased to offer a presentation providing an overview of the typical and atypical reading brain, its development, and how it changes in response to intervention. Dr. Gaab will introduce the idea of early screening for reading disabilities in young children and discuss its implications for education settings and policy. She will conclude by discussing the implications of neuroscientific findings for general education, educational policy as well as the development of interventions. For planning purposes, please RSVP to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reading-development-and-the-brain-presented-by-dr-nadine-gaab-tickets-32142915325 Please join us! Please contact concordsepac@gmail.com with any questions.

Changes to Dismissal Plans:

Please send in a note to your child’s teacher if you need to change his/her dismissal plans for that day. If possible, all play dates should be arranged prior to your child’s arrival at school. If you need to change your child’s dismissal plan unexpectedly, please notify the office by 2:30 PM.  Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Forgotten Lunches, Instruments, Homework, Books, Sneakers, Etc.:

In an effort to keep interruptions to learning to a minimum, we seek your support in reducing the number of students who need to leave class to call home in order to request that items be brought to school.  Please help students learn to be responsible (especially in our upper grades) by reminding them to check to be sure they leave home with all necessary items.  If it is absolutely necessary to drop something off, please leave it in the main office.

Dismissal/Arrival Parking:

During arrival, please reserve the van accessible spaces for vehicles with handicapped placards. During dismissal, please be sure not to block the crosswalk or fire lanes.  Because the back parking lot is reserved for faculty, parents are encouraged to park along both sides of West Street and on the right side of Pleasant Street or Chase Road.  If it’s not raining or snowing, parents picking up their students should meet them behind the building near the basketball court.  In the case of inclement weather, pick up is in the cafeteria.  Thank you!

Upcoming Events:

March 17th PTG Meeting, 9:00 AM

Math Night, 6:00 PM

March 18th Spelling Bee, 1:00 PM

March 25th Cake Walk, 1:00 PM

March 28th Round 2 Kindergarten Registration, 1:00 PM

March 30th Principal Coffee, 9:15 AM  NEW DATE

April 4th Professional Day:  NO SCHOOL

April 11th PTG Meeting, 7:00 PM

April 17th-21st Spring Break:  NO SCHOOL

Reflecting on Our Core Values:

As always, Thoreau is committed to honoring our district’s 5 core values of Academic Excellence, Respectful and Empathic Community, Continuous Improvement, Educational Equity and Professional Collaboration.    We will continue to support all students and families as we strive to provide the best and most inclusive school community for you and your children.