Dear Peirce Families,
I hope that all of you enjoyed the vacation week! As we return to school this week, the weather appears to be shifting toward a hint of spring with warmer temps and rain instead of snow in the immediate forecast. During these next eight weeks before April Vacation, the district will engage in both intensive planning for the 2021-22 school year and consideration of how the final quarter of this school year will look. Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman will communicate with you as decisions are finalized.
During this time between February and April Vacations, we also look forward to our spring Parent-Teacher Conferences, which are scheduled for the first two weeks of April. I hope that all of you had an opportunity to view the mid-year Progress Report to learn more about your child’s academic and social-emotional growth. If you have not been able to access the report, please contact either Trisha Carey or me for assistance. If you have questions about information in the report, please contact your child’s teacher. Our progress reports and conferences are intended to communicate both your child’s current performance and our strategies to help them take the next steps in academic and social/emotional domains of learning. We are determined that social/emotional learning and academic growth must happen simultaneously as students learn from mistakes, take risks, collaborate respectfully with others, and build a sense of independence and responsibility for their own achievement. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in this important work.
With Best Wishes,
Mark Chitty
Black History Resources: Please visit this website created by Third Grade Teacher Emily Donahue. It includes daily resources used in Third Grade to talk about people who are Changemakers, books available through either Epic or Newton Free Library, and ideas for historical exploration adventures in our region.
New Panther Press Edition (created by Peirce Fifth Graders!): Panther Press Second Edition .pdf
Please see the following information about Kindergarten Registration: Kindergarten Press Release January 2021.pdf Info Night Flyer 2021.pdf
Pajama Drive: Please join us in supporting Cradles to Crayons’ annual PJ Drive! We will be collecting donations of *new* pajamas from February 22nd through March 5th. Our goal is to collect 250 sets of pajamas, which will be distributed to children in our area who are facing clothing insecurity. Collection bins will be outside the front entrance of the school.
All sizes are welcome, but their most needed sizes are:
- Girls 2T-5T and 14/16
- Boys 14/16 and 18/20.
Please avoid any pajamas referencing family or holidays.
In celebration of this service project, we will have school-wide Pajama Days on Monday, 3/1, and Friday, 3/5.
Important Calendar Note: Due to the Special City Election on Tuesday, March 16th, we are switching the in-person day for Cohort A. Cohort A will attend in person on Wednesday, March 17th. They will follow their Wednesday remote schedule on Tuesday, March 16th.
MCAS Dates for Students in the Hybrid Model:
Grade 5 ELA: 4/6 (Cohort A) and 4/8 (Cohort B)
Grade 4 ELA: 4/12 (Cohort A) and 4/16 (Cohort B)
Grade 3 ELA: 4/27 (Cohort A) and 4/29 (Cohort B)
Grade 5 Math: 5/3 (Cohort A) and 5/6 (Cohort B)
Grade 4 Math: 5/11 (Cohort A) and 5/13 (Cohort B)
Grade 3 Math: 5/18 (Cohort A) and 5/20 (Cohort B)
Grade 5 Science: 5/17 (Cohort A) and 5/21 (Cohort B)
DLA MCAS Information will be coming soon.
Parent Coffees (Hybrid and DLA Families): Our next PTO/Principal Coffee will be held on Tuesday, March 16th. Please join the PTO Presidents, Principal, and other parents on Zoom at 8:30 a.m. for coffee and conversation about topics of interest in our school community, including how we are maintaining connectedness with others during this time of pandemic. Our final coffee will be held on May 4th. https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81842617434 ; Passcode: 988612
Important Note About Attendance: All students are expected to attend the Morning Meeting and participate in all of the teacher-assigned, synchronous and/or asynchronous learning activities on each school day, including special subject classes such as Library, Art, Music, and PE. There is no minimum number of classes students are permitted to attend and per MA DESE regulations, students who miss 10% or more of days enrolled (e.g., 18 days absent if enrolled for 180 days) are defined as being chronically absent. As part of the Hybrid Learning model, students are expected to participate on all days (both in-person and remote days) and cannot selectively opt out of certain classes, including those in the special areas, even if they are participating in a private pod.
School Photo Dates (for DLA and Hybrid Families): We have decided to postpone our School Picture Days until the spring due to the pandemic. Please mark your calendar with the following dates:
Tuesday, 4/13 – Cohort A Photos
Wednesday, 4/14 – DLA Photos (Start time 1:00PM)
Thursday, 4/15 – Cohort B Photos
Absences (For DLA and Hybrid Families): If your child will be absent from school for any reason on either in-person or at-home days, please call the Student Absence Line at 617-559-9650 before 8:00. Also, please be sure that teachers have accurate information about dismissal routines for your child.
Conference and Progress Report Schedule for 2020-21:
| Progress Sharing | Dates |
| Spring Conferences | Mon, Apr 5 2:00-3:15 Thurs, Apr 8 2:00-3:15 Wed, Apr 14 1:15-3:15 |
| End-of-Year Progress Report | Last week of school in June. (Currently the week of June 18th) |