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the beal news reel volume 7 issue 8 april 2012 a word from our principal while spring is beginning to arrive i must caution parents teachers and students alike that much remains to be accomplished here at beal between now and the end of the current school year the warmer days and budding trees frequently suggests that the close of school is just around the corner when indeed many important challenges remain ahead for our students between now and the close of school in june not the least of which is the upcoming mcas testing in math for grades 3-5 in addition grade 5 will also be tested in science technology once again as stressed in an earlier newsletter i urge parents and students alike to cooperate in preparing our children for these important milestones in each student s academic experience ­ get plenty of sleep have a good breakfast arrive at school on time and most importantly assure your children that they are fully capable to do well on these tests inside this issue in case you were wondering pto news a blast from beal s past calendar 2 2 2 3 the may testing date for mcas ­ math science will be sent out soon special points of interest 4/2 pto 6:30pm 4/10 24 book club 4/16-20 spring vacation mrs coughlin goes to washington our very own physical education teacher mrs coughlin has been honored as a physical activity champion of change and met mrs obama at the white house as we all know mrs coughlin is very energetic and excited about getting outside and getting moving she has spread that excitement to the students and staff here at beal she has done a fantastic job at motivating everyone to get up and get moving it s wonderful to see her get recognized for all the hard work she does mrs coughlin is one of only 13 teachers in the country to be awarded this honor great job mrs coughlin congratulations we re very proud of you spring is on the way!

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page 2 the beal news reel in case you were wondering if your child has gotten clothes from the nurse s office please wash and return them we need those clothes for other children who at some time may need to borrow them thank you the book club is meeting on april 10th and 24th after school each member is bringing their own book to share with the group if you haven t come before this is a great time to join us spring vacation is april 16 20 here are some ideas to make it fun before you go running out the door on your adventures you might want to pack some supplies that you will need all summer like sunscreen hats antibacterial wipes a light sweater for those cool evenings and maybe some nutritious snacks some fun inexpensive activities are walking hiking flying a kite splashing in the puddles making a birdhouse or bird watching there will also be lots of fun activities at the public library for those rainy days i looked at several websites to find activities that are not only fun but educational you can log onto www familyfun.com abcteach.com about.com suite101.com parenting.com or scholastic.com don t forget to check out the spa you can access it through the parent tab on the sps web site there are great free opportunities for adults to enhance their skills and learn new things pto news everyone at beal school wants to send a big thank the next pto meeting is april 2nd at 6:30pm we are continuing to work on the 50th anniversary celebration of beal school if anyone knows an alumni of beal tiffany st school please contact us we d like to add a section to the newsletter giving updates on our graduates if you d like to be included and/or get a copy of the beal news reel sent to you via email please send your information to deb newell at newelld@sps.springfield.ma.us the movie afternoon was great fun a special thank you to danny swenson for donating the popcorn and machine you to linnette for processing the box tops for education a blast from beal s past i have been asked to include a piece about beal s alumni in each news letter if you are or know anyone who is an alumni from beal or tiffany st school and would like to give our community an update about yourself please send me a message so i can let folks know how you re doing you can write to me at newelld@sps.springfield.ma.us i have been given a couple of updates from two of our more recent graduates adrian francis and sarah newell adrian wrote in an email alice b beal elementary school tiffany st school provided me with the foundation of being immersed in a culture of educational excellence i feel i gained a rich learning experience with beal and the other springfield public schools that i attended all of which prepared me to be a lifelong learner and productive citizen as an aspiring school adjustment counselor who is completing field placement work at van sickle middle school i am able to offer my insight as a former student of springfield public schools as a result i have been able to successfully connect with students as i work proactively to ensure that students academic personal and social needs are addressed sarah is finishing up her freshman year at boston university she has had a wonderful first year she credits the good study habits formed at beal and at central high school in ap classes with making her extremely prepared for college work in fact she may be able to graduate one semester early thanks to all of the credits earned through the ap classes her advice to beal students read read and read some more.

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