May 2016

Warm Thanks:
On behalf of the entire Thoreau Staff, I would like to thank the PTG and parent community for the fabulous Coffee/Tea Bar on Monday!  Having a barista in the staff lounge was such a treat and we are grateful to have such an appreciative group of parents and families.

Thoreau Pride Day:  Friday May 13th
In honor of our annual Thoreau Road Race on Sunday, May 15th, we are asking students and staff to show their Thoreau pride by wearing their Thoreau apparel or our school colors (navy blue and white).  We look forward to seeing everyone in his or her “Thoreau Best” on Friday and ready to run on Sunday!

A Message From CMS Principal Lynne Beattie:
Dear Families,
I am writing to inform you that I have been offered and have accepted the position of K-12 Digital Literacy Administrator for Concord Public Schools and the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District. I will begin my new role as of July 1, 2016.

I am very excited about the position, and the opportunity to contribute to student learning in a broader way. I will miss being housed solely at CMS, having been here 15 years, but am very happy to be continuing in the Concord community, and to adding Carlisle at the high school level as well. I have very much enjoyed working with all of you, your children, and CMS staff, and intend to continue to work hard to ensure that our students have the best learning opportunities available to them.
Moving forward at CMS, Drew Rosenshine, CMS Assistant Principal at Peabody, has been appointed as Interim CMS Principal for the 2016-2017 school year, and we will hire an Interim Assistant Principal at Peabody in his place. Anne Cline-Scott will continue at Sanborn as Assistant Principal. The process for hiring a permanent principal to begin in 2016-2017 will be articulated next year.

Drew and Anne have both done fabulous work this year, taking over while I was on medical leave after a very short transition into our community. I am confident that under their leadership, and with the addition of a new assistant principal, CMS will run smoothly, students will be well-cared for, and the learning experience will continue to be excellent.

Best Regards,
Lynne Beattie, CMS Principal

Last day of school:
Our last day of school is Tuesday, the 21st of June. It will be a 12:25 dismissal for all students.

SEPAC Seeking Volunteer Liaisons for Each School: The Concord Public School and Concord-Carlisle Regional School District Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is looking for liaisons to represent each school in our district. The role of the SEPAC liaison is to represent the SEPAC at various events, help connect parents to the resources SEPAC offers, stay abreast of school happenings, and share information about their school with the SEPAC Board. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Mary Tambor or Becky Robichaud at concordsepac@gmail.com. A more detailed description is available at: http://concordsepac.org/

Upcoming Events:
May 2nd-6th             Teacher Appreciation Week
May 10th                Early Release
May 11th                Teen Buddies
May 12th                PTG Meeting, 9:00 AM
May 13th                Thoreau Pride Day
May 15th                Road Race
May 17th                Early Release
May 30th                Memorial Day:  NO SCHOOL

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 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 any necessary items.  If it is absolutely necessary to drop something off, please leave it in the main office.

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.

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!

PARCC Assessment Dates:
Students in grades 3-5 are scheduled to participate in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test between April 25th and June 6th.  The Thoreau-specific PARCC Schedule for Spring 2016 can be found here: http://goo.gl/rSY9rP.  The homeroom teacher’s initials indicate which class is testing on a particular day.  Please see below for general information about test session at each grade level.

PARCC Unit Testing Times
Grade 3
ELA Unit Times
Unit 1:  90 min
Unit 2:  75 min
Unit 3:  90 min

Math Unit Times
Unit 1:  60 min
Unit 2:  60 min
Unit 3:  60 min
Unit 4:  60 min

Grades 4-5
ELA Unit Times
Unit 1:  90 min
Unit 2:  90 min
Unit 3:  90 min
Math Unit Times
Unit 1:  60 min
Unit 2:  60 min
Unit 3:  60 min
Unit 4:  60 min

For more information about the PARCC:
http://parcconline.org/resources/parent-resources
http://www.doe.mass.edu/parcc/