May 2008
Dear Parents & Guardians,
There's a joke about a woman who, when she is notified by her bank that her checking account is overdrawn says, "How can I be out of money? I still have checks left!" My quip would be, "How can I be out of time? I still have so much work to do!" It's May, there are five or six weeks left (not that I'm counting) and it's crunch time. The end of the year is a hectic time here at ECMS. Fifth graders are transitioning in, eighth graders are transitioning out, end of the year activities are being planned and we're still educating kids. While the school year may be winding down, we still maintain our expectations for work and behavior. Teachers have not changed their expectations for their classes and here are some gentle reminders about a few things:
- School starts at 7:45 AM. Students who arrive at 7:45 or after are late. Tardiness is a factor in one's good standing as a student. (Student handbook, page 19).
- Good bus behavior is synonymous with respectful, responsible, safe behavior. (Sudbury Public Schools Parent Handbook, pages 33 - 34)
- Students must have a pass to ride the regular and late buses.
- Students are not allowed to have cell phones activated or visible during the school day (Student handbook, page 7). To be on the safe side, students should not keep cellphones on their person but should keep them secured in their lockers. If we become aware that a student is using his/her cell phone, it is confiscated, given to an administrator and a parent or guardian has to pick it up at school. We also have the right to search the contents of a cell phone if we have reasonable suspicion that it may contain inappropriate material. And, this just in, I have been informed that there are now ring tones that only the adolescent ear can hear. While this means we will have to apply another layer of vigilance to determine who is using a cell phone in school, it also presents an opportunity to create our own subliminal tones to deliver messages such as, "Do your homework." "Get to school early." "Clean your room."
- The Dress Code is on pages 9 and 10 of the Student handbook. We are noticing a number of young ladies sporting very short, shorts and skirts. Our dress code states that shorts and skirts should reach mid thigh. In the five years that I have been principal, no one has ever been "punished" for violating the dress code; we do require that the student change and offer the option to call home or see if a friend has something appropriate she can borrow. There is also the option to visit our extensive lost and found department to make an appropriate clothing selection.
These are the ones that spring to mind at this point in time. And what would the month of May be without the MCAS? The schedule and information about it follows.
We're all hanging in for the home stretch. Don't hesitate to contact us if we can assist you or your child with any of the stressors that crop up this time of year.
Sincerely,
Kathy Codianne
MCAS - May Administration
Here are the dates for the May administration of the MCAS tests:
Students should make every effort to attend school on MCAS days and arrive to school on time. Testing begins at 8:00 AM. From MCAS test days, teachers go light on homework and no other tests or quizzes are scheduled. Students who are absent the day of the test or who arrive late to school on test days will be required to make up the test during the school day, prior to May 23. Students who need to make up tests will miss regularly scheduled instruction time. For more information on the MCAS tests, please visit the Massachusetts Department of Education: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/.