Parents/Guardians
 College Planning Night For Juniors Wednesday, March 9, 2011

CRLS Main Café 6pm

SPRING SEMESTER PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Tuesday, March 15, 6:00-8:00 and Wednesday, March 16, 2:30-3:30 PM

All Parent Teacher Conferences will be at the Main Campus, 459 Broadway

TEACHERS FORM THE 9TH GRADE CAMPUS WILL MEET WITH PARENTS AT THE MAIN CAMPUS

TIPS FOR CRLS PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

 
 1.     HAVE THE NAME (FIRST AND LAST) OF EACH TEACHER AND THE SUBJECT TAUGHT.
          Teacher lists, with names and classrooms, may be picked up in the lobby.
  
 2.      CHECK THE ABSENT TEACHER LIST WHEN YOU ARRIVE.
           A few teachers will be unavoidably absent.
  
 3.      MAPS OF CRLS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE.
          Student guides will be posted around the school to help find classrooms.
  
 4.      PLEASE BE SURE TO BRING YOUR CHILD'S PROGRESS REPORT.
  
 5.      CONFERENCES WITH TEACHERS AND STAFF WILL BE HELD IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.
          Sign up lists with time slots will be placed right outside each classroom door.
  
 6.      EACH CONFERENCE SLOT LASTS FOR TEN MINUTES.
          Please do not keep teachers longer if others are waiting.
  
 7.      SOME CLASSES ATTRACT MORE PARENTS THAN OTHERS.
          Do not assume that because there's no line in front of one classroom that the other three will be the same.
 8.     IT IS GENERALLY ADVISABLE TO GO AROUND TO ALL CLASSROOMS AND SIGN UP  OR  ALL CONFERENCES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION. 
           That way if the lists fill up you won't end up being disappointed.
  
 9.      IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO BRING YOUR STUDENT WITH YOU.
          If that isn't possible, ask him/her to tell you the best way to go from one class to another.  This might help you get around the school more easily.
  
 10.        IF YOU NEED TO SPEAK AT LENGTH TO A TEACHER/COUNSELOR; PLEASE FIND ANOTHER TIME TO DO IT.
              Fill out a PARENT-TEACHER APPOINTMENT FORM at the Main Entrance for another appointment or contact the teacher directly.

But conferences aren't the only way to learn about your student's progress! 

If you can't attend the conferences, try one of these other ways to learn about your child's classes:

• Use your Edline account to learn about assigned work.  (If you need help with Edline, send a message to edline-support@cpsd.us.)
• Email your students' teachers directly.  (Teacher email addresses include the teacher's first initial and last name, such as ATeacher@cpsd.us.)
• Schedule a telephone conference with a teacher.
• Arrange an individual appointment at CRLS.  (Call the Learning Community office or email the teacher directly.)
• Contact your student's guidance counselor to arrange a meeting of several teachers at once at a time that is convenient for you and them, before, during or after school.

CRLS Calendar of Events

3/8/11 FOCA Meeting, 6 PM, Athletics Office in War Memorial

3/9/11 College Planning Night for Juniors, 6 PM, Main Cafeteria

3/10/11 Public Reception for CPS Exhibition of K-12 Student Art,

4-6 PM, Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center

3/9/11 CRLS Arts Committee Meeting, 7 PM, Room 0603

3/12/11 SAT Exam only (no Subject Exams), 8 AM, 9th Grade Campus

3/15/11 Parent Teacher Conferences, 6:00-8:00 PM Main Campus

3/16/11 Parent Teacher Conferences, 2:30-3:30 PM Main Campus

3/16/11 FoCRLS Meeting 7:30-9 PM, 9th Grade Campus Library

3/17/11 Evacuation Day Holiday-NO SCHOOL

3/18/11 Public Performance of CRLS Mass High School Drama Festival

Submission 7 PM, CRLS Theatre

3/19/11 MA High School Drama Festival, Semi-Finals, 9 AM-9 PM, TBA

3/21/11 Spring Sports Start 2:45 PM, Field House/Main Gym

3/22/11 MCAS Exams Grade 10-English Language Arts

3/23/11 MCAS Exams Grade 10-English Language Arts

3/24/11 MCAS Exams Grade 10-English Language Arts

Attention Sophomores

Our two week countdown to the ELA MCAS begins today.

The test dates are:

 Tuesday, March 22  Long Composition

Wednesday, March 23  Reading Comprehension Session I

Thursday, March 24  Reading Comprehension Session II

Q: Is there a way I can practice?

A. We strongly recommend that you review a text you have already read.  To review  past questions please go to: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/student/

Q:  If I have more questions and/or want to practice exam questions what resources are available to me?

A. During the two weeks before the MCAS - March 7^th -March 18^th the English department  will provide afterschool practice sessions every day, (see the schedule below).  Also during the week of March 14^th -March 21^st the ELA department is sponsoring a MCAS review session, packets will be distributed in homeroom . The homeroom that has the most packets completed (including answering an open response question (ORQ)  will win a free breakfast from S&S! The winner will choose the menu. The winning  homeroom will be announced on Friday March

The Cambridge Parent Advisory Council on Special Education (C-PAC) Invites parents, educators, and other interested individuals to the following free workshops:

Aspergers: The Big Picture

     Date: Thursday, March 10

     Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

     Location: Citywide Senior Center - 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

     Contact: Rosalie Rippey, rrippey@cpsd.us or 617-593-4402

Join Jean Stern of the Aspergers Association of New England for this informative workshop, which offers an overview of Aspergers Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. Appropriate strategies and interventions for parents and schools will be discussed. This workshop is free and open to the public; and has been rescheduled from January, when the monthly meeting of the Cambridge Parent Advisory Council on Special Education was cancelled due to weather. Childcare will be provided.

Federation for Children With Special Needs Presents

Basic Rights in Special Education

     Date: Friday, March 11

     Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m.

     Location: Fletcher Maynard Academy, 225 Windsor St,    Cambridge

     Contact:   Please register in advance by contacting Rosalie Rippey at rrippey@cpsd.us

     or 617-593-4402 or phone the Federation's receptionist at 617-236-7210 or 800-331-0688 ext. 0 or go online at http://fcsn.org/pti/workshops/home.php

The Basic Rights workshop provides families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This workshop is designed to help parents learn to be effective partners with their child's school to decide their child's eligibility for special education, and to plan, make decisions and monitor their child's progress in school.

A presenter from the Federation for Children with Special Needs, Ginny Brennan, will conduct this workshop.  Federation workshops are free to parents and open to the public.  You are welcome to attend any workshop in or outside of your immediate community. 

March C-PAC Meeting & Workshop

Language Based Learning Disabilities

     Date: Thursday, March 31

     Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

     Location: Peabody School - 70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge

     Contact: Rosalie Rippey, rrippey@cpsd.us or 617-593-4402

Keryn Kwedor of the Landmark High School will provide an overview of language-based learning disabilities (LBLD). LBLD's may include problems with age-appropriate  reading, spelling, and/or writing, and this workshop will offer recommended interventions  followed by time for questions and answers. T his workshop is free and open to the public, and childcare will be provided. Following the workshop there will be a brief business meeting of the Cambridge Parent Advisory Committee on Special Education.

CRLS Artists Recognized....

More than 6000 students from 412 schools throughout Massachusetts participated in the 55th Annual Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards Competition.   50 awards, or 18% of all awards, were given to CRLS students: 11 Gold keys for senior portfolios, and 5 Gold keys, 7 Silver keys, and 27 Honorable Mentions for individual works. Gold key winners will be entered in the national competition for Scholastic Art Awards.

 Teachers submit student artwork in 12 different categories: animation, ceramics and glass, design, digital imagery, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video and film.  CRLS students won awards in the following departments: Ceramics, Digital Art, Design, Fashion, Film and Animation, Painting, Photography, and printmaking. We congratulate the students and give sincere thanks to the teachers who put in countless hours to give their students this opportunity.

The singleton art pieces that received Gold and Silver Keys are on display at the State Transportation Building in Boston from Feb. 14- April 7.  

Portfolio Gold Key recipients:  Esther Binstock-Photography, Alexander Chiclana-Photography, In Ah Choe- Photography, Nicolas Guevara- Photography, Henry Hayes- Photography, Zolan Kanno-Youngs- Photography, Katarzyna Maciak- Art, Eric Macomber- Art, Sacha Pfeufer- Photography, Sylvan Sheldon- Photography, Micaela Woskie- Photography.

Gold Key recipients: Kayla Coleman- Ceramics, Victoria Corcione- Fashion, Violet Doucette- Ceramics, Sara Rosenberg- Photography, Rochelle Waite- Photography.

Silver Key recipients: Luke Dowley- Photography, Morning Star Lazic- Photography. Savannah McCarter- Fashion, Gabriel Sanchez- Photography, Ilana Sandberg- Photography, Philip Truant- Ceramics, Hannah Varden- Printmaking.

Honorable Mentions: Kaylie Boyne- Painting, Kayla Coleman- Ceramics, Victoria Corcione- Fashion, Violet Doucette- Ceramics, Luke Dowley- Photography, Sara Goldstein- Photography, Darryl Harris- White- Fashion, Killa Kupfer- Photography, Francesco Marchetti- Film & Animation, Melinda Maxwell- Design & Digital Art, Angela McKenzie- Design & Digital Art, Jessica Orellana- Digital Art, Natalie Schmitt-Nardin- Photography, Nora Sears- Fashion, Ashley Vincent- Digital Art, Rochelle Waite- Photography,  Stephanee Warrington- Printmaking.

CRLS Teachers of Scholastic artists:  Jon Baring-Gould , Deborah Haverty,  Archy LaSalle, Michele Maxwell, Deborah Milligan, Jessica Young

East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Workshop, March 14, 7:00PM, St Francis Church Hall

East Cambridge Scholarship Fund is currently accepting applications for the 2011-2012 academic year from East Cambridge residents who are attending, or planning to attend, post-high school college, graduate school or vocational/ trade schools. A workshop will be held on Monday, March 14, 2011, 7:00PM at the St. Francis Church Hall, 42 Sciarappa St. Applications for scholarships may be obtained by writing to: The East Cambridge Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 26,Cambridge, MA 02141. In addition, applications are available at the East End House, The Frisoli Youth Center, the Kennedy Community School Office, the Sixth Street Library and Councilor Tim Toomey's office.

The East Cambridge Scholarship Fund is a neighborhood organization that was established in 1989 with a $250,000 endowment from Steven Karp and the CambridgeSide Galleria Mall. Subsequently, the American Twine Company, the East Side Bistro, the Monitor Company, the East Cambridge Land Trust, Biogen Company, and private citizens have contributed to the fund.

Sincerely, Greta Hardina, CRLS