March 12
It’s hard to fathom that, nearly one year ago today, school and life as we knew it was about to change so dramatically. While none of us could have imagined the impact that COVID would have on our students, ourselves or the way in which we do business, I couldn’t be more proud of the way in which the entire Thoreau community has persevered and supported one another along the way. Thank you!
Spring of 2021 Reminder: Per the Governor’s announcement last week, and state-approved mandate, the Concord Public Schools plan to return elementary students to full in-person learning on April 5, 2021. Students will attend school from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 9:00 AM-12:30 PM on Wednesdays. We will continue to provide remote instruction to our students in the Remote Academy. Students attending in person will be expected to attend at the full day schedule.
While we remain committed to maintaining 6 feet of social distance in school, there will be some changes. For instance, lunch will now occur at school. All information regarding changes to our original Reopening Plan is found here. We understand these changes may impact which program is best for your family, fully remote or fully in person.
In order for us to plan, we are asking families who want to change their program to communicate this to us by completing this form by March 15, 2021. Please know that, if you opt for your student(s) to return to in-person classes, homeroom assignments will be determined based on available space and may not align with their previous placements. Any change to program would begin on April 5th and last through the end of the school year.
Star Reading Assessment: Please see the following note about the Star Reading Assessment, given three times a year to measure student progress in reading and math.
During the 2020-2021 school year, your child participates in the Star Early Literacy or Reading assessment. To monitor progress, students will be tested three times during the year (fall, winter, spring). Students are assessed in areas of alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension with this 15 minute computerized test.
The STAR assessment is used to screen students for dyslexia. “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. Students at risk for reading difficulties are followed by additional testing or short-term progress monitoring. Further assessment may be appropriate for students who do not make adequate progress. Upon identification, parents will be informed and students at risk will receive evidence-based, code-based, core instruction or intervention, in addition to regular classroom instruction.
Our school is committed to identifying and addressing the needs of each individual child. I encourage you to reach out with any questions you may have about your child’s Star Early Literacy score report or concerns about your child’s development.https://www.doe.
Professional Day: March 26th is our second professional day for teachers in March and there will be no school for students. We will be using this day to prepare for our reopening on April 5th.
Upcoming Events:
3/19 PTG Meeting, 9:30 AM
3/26 Professional Day: No School
4/7 K-5 Conference Day: No School
4/19-4/23 Spring Break: No School