Monday, August 6, 2018

Happy Summer!



Hello and Happy Summer to All Our Metcalf Families!

I hope everyone is enjoying the great weather and relaxation that the summer months provide. It’s so important to have some fun and recharge as a family during this time. The Metcalf faculty and staff have found the perfect balance between recharging and preparing for the school year ahead! Check out the updates below…

We are very excited to welcome the following new Metcalf Team Members, with more to come in the next few weeks:
  • Ms. Beth Roman, Assistant Principal
  • Ms. Shade Lazenby, Special Educator
  • Ms. Denyelle Lobo, Special Educator
  • Ms. Whitney Hasset Norton, Reading Specialist
  • Ms. Colleen Duffy, Teacher Assistant
  • Mr. Ben Murphy, Teacher Assistant
School Improvements:
  • Lucy Calkins Writing program for all grades.
  • Responsive Classroom philosophy integrated in all grades.
  • Gym floor has been refinished...YAY!!
  • Several classrooms received a new coat of paint.
  • Some classroom carpeting replaced with tile flooring.
  • New playground equipment has arrived and will be installed by our maintenance crew soon! Thank you to the PTA for purchasing one piece and Mr. Feinstein for funds so we could purchase a second! The kids are going to have so much fun!!
Mark your calendars:
  • Week of Aug. 20th - Class assignments will be sent to families.
  • Aug. 27th - New Family Tours - Families of Metcalf students that are new to the Exeter-West Greenwich School district should meet in the cafeteria at 2:30.
  • Aug. 27th - Grade 2 Open House/Meet & Greet - All grade 2 families should meet in the cafeteria at 3:30.
  • Aug. 29th - First Day of School...we can’t wait!! :)
  • Sept. 3rd - Labor Day - No School
  • Sept. 5th - Open House Grades 3 & 4, 6:00-7:00 p.m. 
  • Sept. 6th - Open House Grades 5 & 6, 6:00-7:00 p.m. 
  • Sept. 12 - Primary Day, no school for students
  • Sept. 13th - Early Release Day, 1:00 student dismissal 
HUGE THANK YOUs go out to... 
  • All our teachers for their hard work this summer in preparing classrooms and redesigning learning spaces for students! Fantastic!! 
  • Our maintenance & custodial crews for getting Metcalf cleaned, reorganized, and in tip-top shape during the hot summer months!
I can’t wait to see you all in just a few short weeks! Until then, enjoy these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! :)

Mrs. Ratigan


We’re All In This Together...
So Let’s Work Together to Make It Work!

Monday, March 26, 2018

March Madness

It's Time for SurveyWorks!
SurveyWorks will be administered to students this Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in your child's classroom.  Please visit the following link to learn more about this RIDE survey: SurveyWorks Parent Letter

Please visit the following link to take the online survey on or before Friday, March 30th:
Family-SurveyWorks  Thank you!!

Metcalf March Madness
Thank you to Kristen Allen and Maureen Unsworth for organizing this event and to all the faculty & staff that participated!  As you will see in the photos below, March Madness was great fun for our grade 6 students and all the adults! Check out the following link for even more pictures!  MarchMadness-2018





Pennies For Patients
Our school is joining the Hero Squad by participating in the Pennies for Patients fundraiser, sponsored by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) from March 26 – April 13, 2018.  Pennies is a 3-week service-learning program that gives students the unique experience of working together to help raise awareness and funds in honor of thousands of children and adults fighting blood cancers - like leukemia – one of the leading fatal cancers of children ages 1 – 20.  The 5-year survival rate for children under the age of 20 with the most common form of leukemia (ALL) went from 3% in the 1960s to almost 95% today. Every day we are getting closer to finding cures for all blood cancers!

Our goal is to raise $2,700 and WE NEED YOR HELP!  We are asking that everyone (students, faculty, parents, alumni, etc.) at Metcalf Elementary School join in this effort of raising awareness and giving funds to benefit the mission of LLS.

Share this link with your family and friends.  Click on the link here to donate Donate for Metcalf
or find your student’s school at Donation for Metcalf  THANK YOU!

Students raising $50+ for Pennies in RI will be entered into a Drawing for an Apple iPad!

Each student that raises $50+ online through their individual fundraising page by April 30, 2018 will receive an official Pennies T-shirt. Our patient families greatly appreciate your support!

Thank you to Mrs. Christine Scott, Ms. Nellie Ryan, and Mrs. Caitlin Blake for organizing this worthy cause once again this year!

Metcalf Creative Arts Night!
Please join us for Metcalf Creative Arts Night, March 29th from 5-7p.m. as we celebrate the theme: Puzzle Peace: Everyone fits in at Metcalf!

Framed student artwork will be on sale at Metcalf Creative Arts Night!  All students will have one unique framed self-portrait that can be purchased and taken home that night which will only be available to purchase until 7pm on March 29th.  This will be the final opportunity to purchase your child's artwork. Please be prepared to pay with cash or check, credit/debit cards will not be accepted.  Any framed artwork not purchased will then be returned to Artome (our art show framing company), unframed and returned to the student at a later date.  If you are unable to attend but would like to purchase your child's framed self portrait please fill out and return the attached pre-order form with payment by Wednesday, March 28.  FramedArtWork-PreOrderForm

Reading Week
Reading Week at Metcalf will take place from April 9th through 13th.  During this time we will have special events for our students.  Guest readers will visit classrooms, special authors will be highlighted, and students will take part in D.E.A.R.

Spirit Week will take place as well.  We have coordinated our Spirit Week activities with Wawaloam to help make it easier for families with children at both schools. For a calendar of events please visit the following link: Reading Week-Metcalf-2018 

Rooster Games will be held all day on Wednesday the 11th.  Please call the school if you would like to volunteer for any portion of the day...we would LOVE to have you join us!!  For more information please visit the following link: Metcalf Rooster Games

Dates to Remember:
Mon. 3/26 to 4/13 - Pennies for Patients!
Thur. 3/29 - Creative Arts Night & Title Reading
Friday, 3/30 - No School, Good Friday
Tues, 4/3 - Family Math Night and Title Math
Wed. 4/4 - SIT mtg. @ 3:15, Grade 6 Science Fair in Metcalf cafeteria at 6:00, PTA mtg. at Wawaloam at 6:00
Thur. 4/5 - Texas Roadhouse PTA event
Week of 4/9 - Reading Week
Wed. 4/11 - Rooster Games all day!
Week of 4/16 - No School, April Vacation
Tues. 4/24 - Spring Picture Day
Tues, 5/1 - 5th Grade Band Concert, 7p.m.
Wed. 5/2 - PTA mtg. @ Metcalf, 6p.m.
Tues. 5/15 - Transition Night, Metcalf/JSH

Friday, February 16, 2018

Winter Chill

Jump Rope For Heart!
Thank you to all our students, families, and faculty members for supporting this "heartwarming" fundraising activity again this year!  A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Unsworth and Mrs. Allen for planning and organizing the event, as well as all our specialists for additional support and participation jumping with our students all day! :)
Check out all the pictures from our fun day today@ Jump Rope for Heart - 2018

Grade 2 creatively celebrated the 100th Day of School!
Mrs. Geyer's Class

 Mrs. Murdock's Class

Mrs. Bucacci's Class

 Mrs. Millar's Class

Mrs. Levett's Class

Mrs. Millard's Class

Mrs. Varga's Class

GREAT JOB GRADE TWO!!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Children and adults honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideals in many different ways at Metcalf.  Acceptance of others and equality for all are the highlighted themes throughout Metcalf to not only to honor Dr. King, but also as a focus for our school community for the entire the school year. Teaching, practicing, and celebrating tolerance, understanding, and good character in our students is something we take very seriously each and every day and blend nicely with the Social - Emotional Learning initiative we are focusing on district wide.

Just click the following link to see the beautiful job Mrs. Wilke's class did while exploring the meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.   I Have A Dream

As a faculty, we recognize how important it is for children to know they are part of a strong and accepting community in order to come to school ready to learn each day. As such, we have focused on Social - Emotional Learning and community building in our classrooms, grade levels, and school-wide.  Many teachers have implemented morning meetings, special welcomes, and student lead discussion sessions to share ideas on how to improve our learning environment for all children at Metcalf. These are all components of a program/philosophy called, Responsive Classroom which we will continue to explore throughout the school year.

Social Studies Comes Alive in Grade Three!
Mrs. Gammond's class had lots of fun learning about Gaspee Day!  Check out their project at the following link!   Gaspee Day in Mrs. Gammond's Class

Report Cards & the Parent Portal
Report cards were published to the Parent Portal in December. This allows the first contact person listed for your child to log in and view and/or print the report card for your records.  A parent survey regarding the Parent Portal and report cards was sent home in January with all students.  Thank you to everyone for sending these back in a timely manner so we can answer questions and problem solve any issues related to the Parent Portal and report cards. Below you will find answers to the "Frequently Asked Questions" from our families.

1.  What is Aspen and how/why does EWG use this system?
Aspen is the EWG Student Information System. All districts are required by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to utilize a data management system to report demographics, grades, attendance rates, etc. to RIDE.  This system also affords teachers a way to track student progress and identify strengths and needs in a timely manner. Additionally, the Aspen system includes a Parent Portal and Report Card component. As students progress through the EWG school system, the Parent Portal becomes more and more valuable to students, parents, and teachers.  It allows parents access to student information, grades, and progress.  It also becomes an important tool for students when creating and managing school schedules in the upper grades.

2.  Why are report cards published to the Aspen Parent Portal instead of sending home hard copies?
The report card component of Aspen enables parents of students in grades 2-12 to access their child's grades at any time through the Parent Portal. With almost 1700 students in our district, and report cards totaling 4-5 pages in length, this has proven to be a huge money saver (on paper, ink, and envelopes) for our district.  Parents can decide to view the report card, and/or print it from home for their records. This has been an effective way to reduce tax payers costs while not impacting student programs...a win-win for all! 

3.  What happens if I have difficulty accessing the Parent Portal?
While this may be fairly new at the elementary level, the Parent Portal has been used for many years at the secondary level.  And as with anything new, it may be bumpy at first until we all settle into the new routines and become familiar with the necessary steps together.  Most families easily accessed their child's report card quickly and easily.  Some of the issues others encountered were very simple and able to be addressed almost immediately, i.e. different email in Aspen than the one a parent was trying to use, parents listed as the "2nd contact" needing to be added to the Parent Portal, etc. Julie Dionne, our District Data Manager and Student Information Systems Technician, is always happy to assist...and she's just a Help Ticket away!  :)  EWG-Helpdesk

4.  What if I don't have a Parent Portal account as of yet?
I am working with Mrs. Dionne to ensure any families that don't yet have a Parent Portal account will have one soon.   It is important that you use the email address that you provided to Metcalf on the Emergency Card in September, as this is the one listed in Aspen that will provide access to the Parent Portal once the account is up for you. You may also put in a Help Ticket at the following link.
EWG-Helpdesk

Reminder, it is important to review and discuss the report card with your child to highlight those areas that he/she is excelling in, as well as supporting him/her in the areas that are presenting your child with difficulties.  Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding your child's progress.  
  
Dress for the chill in the air!
Please make sure your child comes to school dressed for the winter weather.  We routinely go outside for recess even during the winter months so long as it's not stormy and the temperature isn't too frigid.  The children also have unannounced fire drills and chilly bus rides every day.  We have noted some children coming to school in shorts, short sleeved shirts, and/or only sweatshirts to keep them warm.  Remember, winter coats are a must, and hats, mittens, boots & snow pants are necessary if they want to play in the snow! Please let us know if anyone in your family is in need of winter gear.

Upcoming Events

Winter Break - February 18-24th...let's all rest, relax, and get healthy!
SIT Meeting - Wednesday, Feb. 28th, 3:15 at Metcalf, all are welcome.
Dental Screening - Grades 2 and 3
Early Release Day - March 15th, students are dismissed at 1:00 for faculty & staff professional development.
Scholastic Book Fair - each day from 9:00-11:00 during the week of March 5th
Title 1 Math Celebration - March 21, 5:30-6:00
Family Math Night - March 21, 6:00-7:15
Pennies For Patients - March 26th Kickoff event
Creative Arts Night! Save the Date! Thursday, March 29th- Metcalf, framed Student Art fundraiser, music performances, crafts, creative writing, family and photo booth activities, The Met “CafĂ©” and more! 
Good Friday - Friday, March 30th, no school

I hope your vacation week is filled 
with fun and relaxation with your family.