October 13, 2019

Dear Quashnet School Community,

I hope you are all having a SAFE and enjoyable long weekend.  Being SAFE is a Falcon Five trait and the theme of the month.

With all the rain last week, we had to reschedule a few field trips.  On Tuesday, four of our Grade 5 classes will be participating in a field lesson at a freshwater pond with Cape Cod Learning Tours.  On Wednesday, Grade 4 begins their field lessons in the forest.  Our partnership with CCLT exposes our students to three distinct habits/ecosystems on Cape Cod from life in the salt marsh, to the freshwater habitats of ponds and vernal pools, to the flora and fauna in the forest. These trips bring great awareness to the wonderful resources around us.  We will continue to provide DeepWoods Off mosquito repellent to all students - long pants and long sleeves are recommended for the trips. 

We are halfway through the first term of school this week which means Progress Reports are available on Wednesday, October 16th. Teachers do not print up a report rather, it means that all the grades are up to date to in our data management system, Powerschool.  As a parent/guardian you are able to log in with your individualized sign in and see the assignments and progress your child is making.  You can monitor PowerSchool anytime, but on October 16th teachers will have all student grades entered to date. As conferences are held close to the midterm, your child's teacher will be able to answer any questions you may have. 

If you haven't signed up for your parent/teacher conference yet, click this link:  https://www.myconferencetime.com/mashpee.  Conferences are held on October 24th and October 29th - both early release days for students. 


MCAS UPDATE - 

On Monday, Spring 2019 MCAS results were sent home to families. The detailed report shows where your child performed individually and in comparison to the school performance and state. If you have any questions regarding the report you received we are happy to help - call, email, or stop in.  Both Mrs. Avtges and I will be available during conference days if that is a convenient time for you.

During last Friday's professional day, teachers spent the morning analyzing MCAS data. One of the outcomes from our analysis is that students performed better on day one of testing than on day two. Our hypothesis is test fatigue. To address this we are going to make a slight adjustment in our MCAS testing schedule for Spring 2020.  Instead of testing on Wednesday and Thursday, I have shifted the dates to a Tuesday and Thursday. Please see the MCAS tab above for the testing dates. We identified several trends across grade levels where students struggled in both Math and ELA - teachers will continue to work to adjust both their instruction and curriculum to best meet the needs of students. 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - wear your PINK this Friday, October 18th.  

  

Wishing you a productive week ahead.  

Respectfully, 
Principal O'Brien 

Friday is pink day