Thursday, December 14, 2017

December News


Hour of Code, Month of Code!
Mrs. Steever, our new Library Media Specialist, made sure that all Metcalf students joined thousands of students from around the world to participate in the Hour of Code during the week of December 4th to celebrate Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. Metcalf students will continue to participate in activities at the Hour of Code website, as well as use other coding apps and websites appropriate to their grade level during their library classes through the month of December.  Thank you, Mrs. Steever, for all the fabulous things you have brought to Metcalf School!

Happy Hanukkah!
I'd like to wish a Happy Hanukkah to those that are observing Hanukkah from 
Tuesday, Dec. 12th to Wednesday, Dec. 20th.

Band Performance
Thank you to Miss Place and the entire grade 6 band for a lovely performance on Wednesday evening. It was very apparent that you've all received expert instruction from Miss Place since September and all practiced quite a bit leading up to your concert! The Metcalf cafeteria was transformed into a musical extravaganza for the evening!

Let's see those Holiday Sweaters!
Let's all break out our favorite Ugly/Festive Sweaters on Monday, December 18th!  I can't wait to see how the sweaters express everyone's true holiday spirit!

Rooster Games
The librarian at the Exeter Public Library is hosting a Rooster Games book club event during the holiday break (with additional events planned for January, February and March as well). The event is free and ties directly to the Rooster Games books we want our students to read. The December event is about Ollie's Odyssey, a favorite with our students! You can find more information at the following link: Rooster Game Book Club

Brrr...it's COLD OUTSIDE!!
Please be sure your child comes to school dressed for the winter weather.  We try to get outside every day if at all possible.  The children are encouraged to bring in hats, mittens, snow pants, and snow boots if they'd like to play in the snow during recess. 

Report Cards
The end of the first trimester has come to a close and report cards are now available through the Parent Portal in Aspen.  This is our second year using a Standards-Based Report Card and we have made some slight changes based on feedback received.  Some of the standards have been combined and/or clarified.  Please remember that students are graded according to the expected progress at this time of year and only on those standards that have been taught thus far. You will also notice we are now using the same Academic Key as the Wawaloam report card:
S for Secure
D for Developing
N for Needs Improvement.  
The report is in PDF format and can be found on the "Pages" top tab, "Published Reports" box on the bottom right side of the page.  You can easily download and print the report card as you would any other document. Please click the following link to submit a help ticket to the EWG IT Department if you are having any problems viewing your child's report card: Helpdesk Ticket

Cafeteria Behavior
The excitement of the season is evident at Metcalf.  Children are happy, full of anticipation, and sometimes forgetful or our rules. ;)  Please speak to your child about following all school rules, especially in the cafeteria during lunchtime.  Grade six in particular has had great difficulty during this time.  We hope the behavior improves so we can avoid silent lunches.  Thank you in advance for your support at this busy time of year!  


Upcoming Events:

Holiday Recess:  Friday, December 22nd to Tuesday, January 2nd.