The McCarthy Memo

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School Hours

8:00am to 2:30pm

Doors open at 8:00am

Breakfast is served starting at 8:00am

Classes begin at 8:15am

Dismissal begins at 2:30pm

Main Office Phone:
508-626-9161

Dear McCarthy Families and Caregivers,

As previously shared, this year we are introducing safety training lessons and drills for staff and students. These trainings were created in partnership and collaboration between the Departments of Health and Wellness and Department of Safety and Security, with valuable input from the Department of Special Education. This Monday, March 25, McCarthy students and staff will be participating in a lockdown drill.

For more information, see McCarthy's recent SMORE regarding this event.

Monday, March 25

• Safety Lockdown Drill

Tuesday, March 26

• It's HERE! Day 1 of MCAS!

• 3rd ELA MCAS Session 1

Wednesday, March 27

• 3rd ELA MCAS Session 2

Thursday March 28

• Early Release - Conferences

Friday March 29

• No School - Good Friday

Tuesday, April 2

• 4th ELA MCAS Session 1

Wednesday, April 3

• 4th ELA MCAS Session 2

Thursday, April 4

• Early Release - Conferences

Friday, April 5

• Community Meetings:

• Grade 2 & 3 @8:40; Grade K & 1 @ 9:10 AM; Grade 5 @ 1:45 PM; Grade 4 @ 2:05 PM

Monday, April 8

• 5th ELA MCAS Session 1

Tuesday, April 9

• 5th ELA MCAS Session 2

Every spring, students in Grades 3 through 10 (high school) across the state participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), which are tests that measure the degree to which students are learning the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and the expectations for each grade level. The purpose of this assessment is to help teachers, parents, and students know where students are excelling and where they need help. All students Grades 3, 4, and 5 will complete two sessions of English Language Arts (Literacy) and Math. Grade 5 students also complete two sessions of Science. For more information on MCAS, please see the MCAS Resources for Parents and Guardians.

Parents and families can do several things to create a positive test-taking experience and help students prepare for tests. Here are some ideas:

• Make sure your child gets enough sleep, eats properly, and gets to school on time. During test time, make this a special effort.
• Encourage your child to READ, READ, READ. No activity is linked to academic success as much as reading. Even the math portion of the MCAS uses word problems to test problem-solving ability.
• Write test dates on your home calendar. Test dates for McCarthy are below!

Grade 3 students will begin MCAS testing this Tuesday and Wednesday, with Grade 4 and Grade 5 students beginning in upcoming weeks. On the day of testing, please support your child be doing the following.

• Make sure that your child is well rested and eats breakfast.
  
• See that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed.
• Comfort counts. Send a sweater if it’s a cool day. Dress in layers for a warm day.
• Encourage your child to do the best work possible and to have a positive attitude.
• Encourage your child to listen/ read carefully to all test-taking directions and to ask questions if any directions are unclear.
• Remind your child not to get stuck on any one item.
• Encourage your child to check answers for accuracy.

To Reduce Test Anxiety

“Test anxiety” is worrying too much about doing well on a test. It can keep students from doing their best. Some ways to help reduce anxiety are:

• Talk about the test in a positive way.
• Encourage best effort.
• Encourage your child to focus on his or her strengths, such as a good memory or strong analytical skills.
• Assure your child that the test is only one measure of academic performance.
• Assure your child that their teacher has provided them with excellent strategies to help them have a successful test experience. Remind your child to be confident and use these strategies.

Remember—you are very important to your child’s success in school and in life. Your interest and support let your child know you believe in him or her and that you value education. We hope these suggestions help you help your child have a positive testing experience.

Coach Jillian is looking for a rotation of teacher/staff volunteers for the spring session that will start in mid April. This program runs 7:20am-7:55am. Usually there's 30-40 students that participate in this program. Our spring session ends with a “Boks marathon” staff and parents come and watch the students run a mini marathon and coaches hand out awards.

Spring season is upon us! Please see the link below for McC t-shirts in multiple colors (perfect for everyday spirit wear or the upcoming Meerkat Challenge!)

Shipping is free if you click “pick up”! Once they are delivered they will be put in your mailbox. Deadline to order is 4/12

It's almost here... The Meerkat Challenge on May 9th with each grade assigned a color to wear on meerkat challenge day. See below!

• Kindergarten-Green

• 1st grade-Yellow

• 2nd grade-Red

• 3rd grade-Blue

• 4th grade-Orange

• 5th grade-Purple

PTO will provide each grade with an accessory (a sweatband) so that each student feels included. These will be handed out to classrooms a couple days prior to May 9th.

Please join our hard-working Parent Teacher Organization. Our PTO is a group made up of parents and teachers who pool their talents to provide practical support for McCarthy School. Please check back often for updates, announcements, and information about upcoming events!

CLICK HERE to learn more about the McCarthy PTO

Want to stay updated on school events? Click here to be added to our PTO email list!

Follow them on Facebook (@mccpto) or Instagram (@miriammccarthypto) to stay up-to-date on everything happening with the McCarthy PTO.

Fuller Middle School would like to invite the families and caregivers of rising 6th grade students to an Information Night on Wednesday, April 3 from 6:00-8:00 pm.

A presentation will take place in the auditorium at 6:00 pm. Tours of the school will be given after the presentation. Interpretation services will be provided. To see the original SMORE sent by Fuller, click here.