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may 2012 volume 7 issue 9 the beal news reel a word from our principal may is a busy month for the students at beal including mcas testing for students in grades 3-5 the focus of the may mcas testing period is math for students in grades 3-5 in addition grade 5 will also be tested in science technology please check the may calendar for the dates of the math science mcas once again as stressed in an earlier newsletter i urge parents to co-operate in preparing our children for these important milestones parents can make sure that their child gets plenty of sleep has a good breakfast arrives at school on time and most importantly assure your children that they are fully capable of doing 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 test taking tips for parents i have looked at several websites including testtakingtips.com and the doe­ department of education web site to find advice for parents to support and encourage their children to learn as much as they can and to do their best here are some of the tips i found provide a quiet well lighted place free from distraction to do homework and study talk to your child daily about what they learned in school and ask for test dates review school work and discuss what they had trouble with to be sure they know the correct information praise your child for their efforts when doing homework and studying the day before a test keep a positive attitude reminding your child to relax and do their best don t pressure or express anxiety to your child have your child go to bed early to get plenty of sleep have your child get up early and arrive to school on time provide a healthy breakfast­ protein and fiber a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter and some fruit with a glass of milk not high sugar cereal again encourage your child to do their best and not worry i found some information from the ma doe website they give an explanation of what open response questions are and how they are scored special points of interest 5/2­ walk to school day 5/3­ pictures 5/7­ mcas begins 5/7-11­ teacher appreciation week 5/8 22­ book club 5/14­ pto meeting 5/28­ memorial day go to www.doe.mass.edu for more tips and information

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page 2 t he beal new s reel v olume 7 i ssue 9 in case you were wondering wednesday may 2nd is walk to school day all children will meet at the elks club on tiffany st before school and walk with teacher supervision to the school remember to wear your fuel up t-shirts may 3rd is picture day only individual pictures no class pictures are available the book club meets on may 8th and 22nd the theme for the book to be presented is memorial day or the 4th of july mcas testing begins on may 7th­ see the schedule for details may 7-11 is teacher appreciation week the pto will be sending breakfast and lunch a few days this week for the teachers to say thanks for everything memorial day is the 28th there is no school on may 30th parents and new kindergarten students can come to see the school and meet the teachers fresh fruit is back in season so enjoy pto news pto meeting is on monday may 14th at 6:30pm the orders for the coupon books are due no later than may 15th if you pay by check your book will be sent to you as soon as your check clears we are doing another box tops challenge all box tops should be turned in by june 1st the winning classroom will have a pizza party be sure to keep collecting the box tops over the summer because we will have another challenge in the fall plans are coming along for the 50th anniversary celebration for beal elizabeth winship is chairing the alumni committee if you are interested in being on that committee please contact her at elizabeth winship alice b beal pto member eliza_win@hotmail.com mob 413 654 6395 pto meeting monday may 15th at 6:30 free child care a blast from beal s past kyle kate dudley since her formative years at beal school 1992-1997 kyle kate dudley s path has taken her across the world and back again to springfield teachers at beal clearly remember her enthusiasm for composing her own stories and writing books this creative spirit led kyle kate to complete a bfa in theatre and anthropology at new york university in 2008 she then applied her skills and passion for strengthening communities in many settings including rhode island south africa and new york city upon completion of a cambridge english language teaching program in barcelona spain she returned to springfield in 2009 to work as assistant to the drama studio s founding director steve hays in the role of managing director since july 2011 she has been pursuing new avenues of increasing access for springfield pupils to the drama studio whether they are enrolled in the ds or not discussions are underway as to how to make opportunities available to beal students stay tuned

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