Donaghue School Math and STE MCAS Schedule

Monday, May 7 – Grade 3 Math Session 1; Grade 4 Math Session 1

Tuesday, May 8 – Grade 3 Math Session 2; Grade 4 Math Session 2

Wednesday, May 9 – Make-Up Grades 3 and 4

Thursday, May 10 – Grade 5 Math Session 1; Grade 6 Math Session 1

Friday, May 11 -- Grade 5 Math Session 2; Grade 6 Math Session 2

Monday, May 14 – Grade 5 Science, Tech and Engineering Session 1

Tuesday, May 15 – Grade 5 Science, Tech and Engineering Session 2

Wednesday, May 16 – Make –Up Grades 5 and 6

Thursday, May 17 – Make – Ups Grades 5 and 6

The exams for grades 3, 4, and 5 begin each day at 8:35 AM. Sixth grade exams begin at 9:20 AM. It is critical that students arrive at school on time each day because they cannot join their class once the exam has begun. Rather, they will have to sit at the office and wait until the exam period ends. Attendance on these days is also important, because students generally don’t perform as well on make-up exams as when they take the exam with their peers during the scheduled time. Each test is scheduled to last sixty minutes, but students will have as much time as they need to finish within the time of the school day.

Students need sufficient sleep and nutrition to learn and perform their best in school, and this is certainly the case during the testing period. These exams are challenging, and so students should be sure to get a good night’s sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast before coming to school.

The 2011-12 Trailblazer Award

"Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” Chinese Proverb

Has your teacher, or your child’s teacher, inspired, energized or motivated you or your child to achieve more than you thought possible? Teachers who demonstrate passion for their subjects, communicate dynamically and powerfully with students and are selfless in their commitment deserve to be recognized.  Last year the Pentucket Education Foundation purchased iPads, Nook computers, a document camera, books and a musical instrument for winning teachers to further their curriculum goals.

Please complete a Trailblazer nomination form and return it to your principal or the PEF mailbox, located in the district office.  Nominations are dueMay 11, 2012and winners will be announced at the school committee meeting on June 5, 2012.  The 2012 award will be $500 per teacher or other staff member per school, to purchase materials that directly impact the curriculum. 

Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Pentucket Education Foundation website address (http://www.pentucketedfund.org/awards.html)

Tardy Reminder

A reminder to all parents that the Donaghue school day begins promptly at 8:25. Teachers begin taking attendance, students prepare for their day, and we do opening exercises within a couple of minutes. Students then go to either special subject classes or into their class’s morning meeting. Teachers report that students who are even five minutes late, coming into the room at 8:30, disrupt the flow of the classroom and put the late-arriving student at a disadvantage. Also, many students have been arriving at school after 8:25, and not all have stopped in the office to sign in. This has created situations where students have been recorded as absent, and the school has called the home to verify the absence, only to have a parent become understandably concerned because they dropped the child at school.

As a result, we urge parents to make sure their children arrive at school in the morning between 8:10 and 8:23, the time students enter the building. This will help all students get off to a good start in their classes.

Important Notice About Walking To Donaghue School

Many students are walking to the Donaghue in the morning, which is good to see. Students coming from North of West Main Street should know that we post a crossing guard at the intersection of Locust Street and West Main Street in the morning, NOT at the intersection of West Main Street and Union Street. This means that students walking or riding bikes to Donaghue in the morning need to cross West Main Street at Locust Street only.In the afternoon, we post a crossing guard at the intersection of Union Street and West Main Street to assist children crossing West Main Street.

Study Island Mathematics Still Available

Parents, a reminder that our school has access to a great resource for preparing our students to master the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Standards. For students in grades 4 through 6, we have a subscription for a web-based program called Study Island, which is accessible to students from school or home, provided your home has Internet access. Teachers have shown their students how to access the site in school. We encourage students to also spend some time at home with their parents going to the site and completing some of the lessons and examples.

To access Study Island from home, go to www.studyisland.com. Your child will be prompted to login with his or her username and password in the upper left of the screen, which they used in school. There are different kinds of sessions from which to choose, with Test being the default.

We hope that you and your child find Study Island a useful tool for learning and reviewing important mathematics concepts and skills at home. A little time spent on this at home can be beneficial.