Shout Out
Shout out to Eileen Cronin, Laura Strait, Patty Garcia, Danielle Moran, Sharon Ennis and Craig Melzer for their work developing a capstone project for grade 4. We appreciate the time you are taking to help others and look forward to expanding this to other grades in the future. Thanks!Get BPS Technology Updates - Join the BPSTechnology Group
Click here to go to Google Groups and join the BPSTechnology Group. Once you join, you will start receiving regular updates written by OIIT's Digital Learning Team to inform members of the BPS Community about professional development and other digital learning opportunities such as:- Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities, such as workshops and other offerings and updates from the Digital Learning Team
- Learning Challenges and Links to Resources to help you build your digital literacies and learn more about digital tools for your classroom
- Social Media Updates, including links to new blog posts and other opportunities to build your professional learning network within BP
- Network and BPS Application Updates from OIIT
- In order to join, you must be logged into Google using your BPS login. Once you get to the Google Group page, just click on "Join" to join the group and start receiving regular updates from the BPS Digital Learning Team.
Save the Date
Please reserve Friday, June 2nd for our End-of-the-Year and Retirement Party.
Place: Florian Hall
Time: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Appetizers, Buffet, Music, Dance, Celebrations!AN INVITATION TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-8!
Help needed! Please consider having your students write some “Random Acts of Kindness” to insert in the envelopes on the bulletin board across from the Teachers Room! These can be kind words or suggestions for kind acts. And a reminder… they are for adults as well as students!CASP Changes
We wanted to notify all staff of a change in CASP. All families with children in CASP received a notice (in Spanish & English) regarding this transition (please read below). Ms. Canada will continue to work at the Curley during the day in her regular position.
I am writing to notify you regarding a change with the Curley After School Program. Torri Canada has decided to move on and Friday, March 10th will be her last day as Director. We will use this time before she leaves to train someone to take over while we search for a new CASP Director. Erika Mercado will step in as Acting Director for the remainder of the school year and Princess Ortega will now be the Acting Assistant Director.
I want to take this time to personally thank Torri Canada for her hard work and commitment to CASP. For those of you who don’t know, Torri started this program with a group of families 6.5 years ago. In that time the program has grown from 50 students to over 350 students receiving high quality before and after school programming. We are thankful for her leadership over this time period as well as how much support she has given to students and families. We also appreciate the support she is willing to give during this transition.
Please make sure to stop by the CASP office and join me in thanking Ms. Canada for her time, efforts and contributions to our program.
Field Trips
Are you going on a field trip soon? Have you shared this information with the nurses and the cafeteria? This is a friendly reminder that the nurse's and cafe should be notified 2 weeks in advance of scheduled field trips. Teachers should also be carefully checking the returned permission slips. They should notify the nurse's office when a parent checks the "yes" box stating that their child requires medication while on the field trip.
Staff Social
Please join us for the March staff social at Costello's from 3pm-6pm.WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Let’s share with one another and show students that teachers are readers, too!Amika is putting up a new Bulletin Board outside the Teachers Room and needs your help! Please send her a photo of the cover of a book you are currently reading, or have recently read and enjoyed. Commentary welcome, but not necessary. Email full-size photos to: amika45@gmail.com. THANK YOU!
MCAS (Yes, it is that time of year again!)
As we get closer to our MCAS testing date we want to make sure we are continuing to make progress towards our team goals that are linked to the school wide instructional focus:
- Teachers will vary demands and resources, in order to optimize challenge in writing tasks, so students can express a clear organized idea.
It is important that we are preparing students to express clear organized ideas because this will lead to improved student outcomes. We want to be able to see improvements in our data from last years results.
Please use the link below to prepare students for the technology that they will be using on MCAS 2.0. Our students come to this online test with a range of exposure to technology. It is expected that all students taking MCAS 2.0 will have taken the practice MCAS 2.0 online for math and ELA by Friday March 3rd. The admin team will be checking in with teachers to ensure you are familiar with the online tools of MCAS 2.0.
Please map out how many weeks you have until your MCAS dates and plan to cover the major standards that you want to cover before the MCAS. It’s more important to cover essential standards over trying to cover as much as you can before MCAS. This is a case where less is more and quality trumps quantity.
MCAS Calendar Link
Any questions, concerns or ideas regarding MCAS scheduling or the practice test should be sent to David Diaz.
As we get closer to our MCAS testing date we want to make sure we are continuing to make progress towards our team goals that are linked to the school wide instructional focus:
Please use the link below to prepare students for the technology that they will be using on MCAS 2.0. Our students come to this online test with a range of exposure to technology. It is expected that all students taking MCAS 2.0 will have taken the practice MCAS 2.0 online for math and ELA by Friday March 3rd. The admin team will be checking in with teachers to ensure you are familiar with the online tools of MCAS 2.0.
Please map out how many weeks you have until your MCAS dates and plan to cover the major standards that you want to cover before the MCAS. It’s more important to cover essential standards over trying to cover as much as you can before MCAS. This is a case where less is more and quality trumps quantity.
MCAS Calendar Link
Any questions, concerns or ideas regarding MCAS scheduling or the practice test should be sent to David Diaz.
- Teachers will vary demands and resources, in order to optimize challenge in writing tasks, so students can express a clear organized idea.
Please use the link below to prepare students for the technology that they will be using on MCAS 2.0. Our students come to this online test with a range of exposure to technology. It is expected that all students taking MCAS 2.0 will have taken the practice MCAS 2.0 online for math and ELA by Friday March 3rd. The admin team will be checking in with teachers to ensure you are familiar with the online tools of MCAS 2.0.
Please map out how many weeks you have until your MCAS dates and plan to cover the major standards that you want to cover before the MCAS. It’s more important to cover essential standards over trying to cover as much as you can before MCAS. This is a case where less is more and quality trumps quantity.
MCAS Calendar Link
Any questions, concerns or ideas regarding MCAS scheduling or the practice test should be sent to David Diaz.
Using ESS
If you wish to request a day off (medical appointments, religious holidays, professional day, bereavement, personal day etc...), sign on to Boston Employees Self Service (ESS, Please bookmark this page). When possible, request a personal day at least two weeks in advance. Staff members will request sub coverage through SubCentral (https://subcentral.bostonpublicschools.org/logOnInitAction.do). Please do not decide whether you think a sub is needed and submit the request as soon as you know a day you will be absent. We have many unexpected coverage needs that might need sub help. We are attaching a list of subs who usually work at the Curley upon request.
Sick Day Procedure (teachers and paraprofessionals)
- Call/Text Katie Grassa at 857-265-4954 immediately, no matter how late/early
- Enter the absence in SubCentral (teachers only). Link: https://bostonps.eschoolsolutions.com/logOnInitAction.do
- If it is after 6:30am, also send an email to Katie Grassa, David Diaz and the secretary.
If you wish to request a day off (medical appointments, religious holidays, professional day, bereavement, personal day etc...), sign on to Boston Employees Self Service (ESS, Please bookmark this page). When possible, request a personal day at least two weeks in advance. Staff members will request sub coverage through SubCentral (https://subcentral.bostonpublicschools.org/logOnInitAction.do). Please do not decide whether you think a sub is needed and submit the request as soon as you know a day you will be absent. We have many unexpected coverage needs that might need sub help. We are attaching a list of subs who usually work at the Curley upon request.
Sick Day Procedure (teachers and paraprofessionals)
- Call/Text Katie Grassa at 857-265-4954 immediately, no matter how late/early
- Enter the absence in SubCentral (teachers only). Link: https://bostonps.eschoolsolutions.com/logOnInitAction.do
- If it is after 6:30am, also send an email to Katie Grassa, David Diaz and the secretary.
Buddies Update
Are you struggling to think about what to do with your buddy classroom during these cold, snowy, winter days? Check out this link for ideas and feel free to add any fun ideas you may have!
Are you struggling to think about what to do with your buddy classroom during these cold, snowy, winter days? Check out this link for ideas and feel free to add any fun ideas you may have!
NAEP Testing Grades 4th and 8th
The Curley K-8 School will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on 3/8/2017 (8th grade) and 3/9/2017 (4th grade). Your students will take a mathematics or reading assessment. I will send a list of all students taking the assessment once we input all the accommodations for ELL and Special Education Students. The assessment also asks students questions about their daily routine and their educational experiences. Student responses are anonymous, and they provide context and meaning to the assessment results. You will also receive an email for NAEP with a Teacher Questionnaire to help them gather information on teacher training and instructional practices. Please visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/booklets.asp to review sample questions.
The assessment takes about 90 to 120 minutes for most students. This year, students might take a computer based or paper test and the Department Of Education sends their own staff to administer the test. A letter notifying parents about the NAEP Assessment and other helpful information will go out no later than February 17, 2017. It is important to note that the information collected is used for statistical purposes only. Students may be excused for any reason, are not required to complete the assessment, and may skip any question. While the assessment is voluntary, NAEP depends on student participation to help policymakers improve education. If parents do not want their children to participate, they are able to opt out. However, parents need to notify the school in writing by 2/28/2017.
The assessment takes about 90 to 120 minutes for most students. This year, students might take a computer based or paper test and the Department Of Education sends their own staff to administer the test. A letter notifying parents about the NAEP Assessment and other helpful information will go out no later than February 17, 2017. It is important to note that the information collected is used for statistical purposes only. Students may be excused for any reason, are not required to complete the assessment, and may skip any question. While the assessment is voluntary, NAEP depends on student participation to help policymakers improve education. If parents do not want their children to participate, they are able to opt out. However, parents need to notify the school in writing by 2/28/2017.
K2, First and Second Grade Teachers
The BAS and Dibels windows are open from January 23rd to March 3rd. Teachers should find an independent, instructional and hard level for students not meeting the current benchmark according to your most recent running records. The current benchmarks are: K2 - C, 1st - H, 2nd - L.
The BAS and Dibels windows are open from January 23rd to March 3rd. Teachers should find an independent, instructional and hard level for students not meeting the current benchmark according to your most recent running records. The current benchmarks are: K2 - C, 1st - H, 2nd - L.
SPED PD Options
Below are some PD options being offered at the Curley during our contractual PD dates. Staff may want to include one or more of these into their team PD plan. Here is the link to sign up https://goo.gl/forms/
- March 16th --- Behavior Supports
- April 27th --- Understanding Disabilities and Services available
- May 18th --- Middle School Transition/Life Skills
- June 1st --- Inclusion
Below are some PD options being offered at the Curley during our contractual PD dates. Staff may want to include one or more of these into their team PD plan. Here is the link to sign up https://goo.gl/forms/
- March 16th --- Behavior Supports
- April 27th --- Understanding Disabilities and Services available
- May 18th --- Middle School Transition/Life Skills
- June 1st --- Inclusion
