Dear Lynch Community,
A big congratulations to all of the students in grades K-2, Kirsten Neale, Lynch Music teacher, and the entire K-2 staff for last week's K-2 Spring Concert. Under Kirsten's direction, the students sounded great. In addition, kudos to Daniel, Lynch 1st grader, and Mae, Lynch 2nd grader, for their sublime musicianship as well.
Congratulations to Mrs. Squeglia's and Mrs. Murray's third grade classes on all their work and efforts that resulted in a wonderful Space Museum. It was a fun-filled and informative event. Also, I would like to thank all the parents/families that were able to visit and support their children.
Many thanks to the 5th grade parent and student community for their generous support of Lynch's first ever purchase of a SMART Board. The 5th grade parents and students have designated the SMART Board as their gift to the Lynch School as they begin their transition to middle school. A simple thank you is not enough for this wonderful gift their overwhelming generosity.
As defined by wikipedia.org, a SMART Board "is a large, touch-controlled screen that works with a projector and a computer. The projector throws the computer's desktop image onto the interactive whiteboard, which acts as both a monitor and an input device. Users can write on the interactive whiteboard in digital ink or use a finger to control computer applications by pointing, clicking and dragging, just as with a desktop mouse." I tend not to be overwhelmed by the latest technological bells and whistles since I remain a strong believer that an effective teacher is the best instructional tool we still have in public education. Nevertheless, the effective use of SMART Board technology allows instruction to be raised to another level. Specifically, teaching advanced science and mathematical topics take on a new life with this technology as it allows for two and three dimensional viewing that simply cannot be accomplished with overhead projectors, et al. In addition, a SMART Board allows student-teacher discussions and notes to be captured and saved on the spot. This is simply 1% of its capability. I have been told SMART Boards are becoming more common at Winchester High School in the math and science departments. In addition, there are a couple at McCall Middle School and a few scattered across the elementary schools. Due to the generosity of the 5th grade parents and students, Karen Clements, Gordon Casey, Wendy Tsapatsaris, all 5th grade teachers, recently attended a SMART Board training and are eager to begin using their new instructional tool. Again, many thanks to the fifth grade parents and students for their generous gift to the Lynch Schools and the many instructional benefits that will be reaped by students and teachers in the years to come.
Finally, information regarding July and August Lynch LEGOS Robotics classes appears below.
Lynch MCAS Testing Dates - Round 2: A big congrats and thank you to the Grade 3 students on completing their Math MCAS over the past two days. In addition, their attendance was nearly perfect. Thanks to all of you for your support of our students during MCAS.
Below are the dates Lynch will be administering the second round of MCAS tests for students in grades 3-5. I would urge you to mark these dates down and keep these in mind as you schedule appointments, et al., for your child(ren). If you have a child(ren) in grades 3, 4 or 5, it is mandatory that they take MCAS. In addition, it is quite a challenge when a student misses an MCAS test and we have to schedule a make-up session. We did very well this past March in terms of not needing to conduct too many make-up exams. As principal, I would like to thank you personally for your attention to this matter since MCAS administration dominates much of my spring
May - Math/Science/Social Studies Testing
Grade 4 Math - Wednesday, May 21; Thursday, May 22
Grade 5 Math - Wed., May 14; Thursday, May 15
Grade 5 Science - Monday, May 19; Tuesday, May 20
Grade 5 Social Studies (Pilot Tests) - Tuesday, May 27; Wednesday, May 28
MCAS Reminders: As it is prior to any school day, it is important for students to receive a good night's sleep as well as enjoy some form of breakfast. On the day your son or daughter takes a test, the administration will begin promptly at 9. Thus, it is vital that your son or daughter comes to school on time. Also, MCAS tests are untimed. Don't hesitate to remind your son or daughter that "getting it done fast" is not the goal of this assessment. Rather, we want all students to do their best and take as much time as they need in order to perform to their maximum potential. Thanks in advance to the entire community for your support of our students during the upcoming weeks. If your son or daughter were to miss an MCAS test, make-ups will be conducted in and around their other testing days.
For the second round of MCAS, I will again discuss the notion (i.e., "Bringing Your 'A' Game") of demonstrating maximum effort during all school days as well as certainly when they are taking their MCAS exams. Often we think much in life might be beyond our locus of control, however effort is something we typically can control. I will gently remind students of this during our conversation. You have raised great children and they will succeed both now and in the future.
Math Open Response Writing Information:
Parents of 3rd - 5th Graders - Clip and Save
With the Math MCAS approaching in approximately two weeks, I wanted to share again how teachers were instructing students in order to have them craft effective open responses for various math problems/assignments. In essence, they are asked to take it a step beyond simply solving the problem, but are actually required to explain their mathematical thinking. On Grade 4 and 5 Mathematics tests, students can earn 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 point(s) per open response question. On Grade 3 Mathematics tests, students can earn 0, 1 or 2 point(s) per open response question. There are generally 4 to 5 open responses spread over the two testing sessions. Thanks to the fourth grade team, I have included the information below as resource for families. Feel free to clip and save this section for future math open writing response assignments that your third through fifth grader might be working on.
Math Open Response
q Read all directions and information until you understand.
o Look for words in boldface type, CAPITAL LETTERS, and/or italics.
o Determine how many parts you need to answer. Usually the parts will be labeled a. b. c. d. and so on.
q Highlight the V.I.Ps (the Very Important Parts)
o Look for key words and verbs.
o Ask yourself, "What am I being asked to do?"
q Examine charts, tables, diagrams, pictures, and number sentences.
o Read all information such as titles, labels, keys, and hints.
q Create a diagram and number sentence that will help you
solve the problem.
q Solve the problem by showing all your work.
o Label all your work!
o Be specific/explicit. Show and explain the answer.
o Make your answer easy for your reader to follow and understand.
q Check all your work.
o Make sure that you solved each part.
o Check your math by redoing it.
q Write your answer in a complete sentence(s).
o Echo the question- use the same words from the question in your answer
q Re-read the question.
o Ask yourself, "Is this my best work?" "Did I do my best on this question?"
o If your answers are yes, give yourself a pat on the back! YOU DID IT!
LEGOS Update: We will conduct a two day LEGOS course on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20th for students in grades K-5. The information below is for the two day course on June 19th and June 20th. Enrollment priority for the June 19th and 20th course will be given to students that have not yet taken a LEGOS course this year. If interested, please see course information below. There are three spots left for the Summer 1 session.
Grade K - 5 - LEGOS Robotics Summer 1
Class Dates: Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20
Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Class size: Maximum of 16 students
Fee: $40. Checks should be made out to the "Town of Winchester"
Location: Tech Lab
Staff: Mr. Avery, Lynch Special Educator, and Ms. Duffy, 4th grade teacher. Registration: If you are interested in having your child(ren) participate in the Grade K-5 LEGOS Robotics Summer 1 Club, please let Judy McDonough, Lynch Secretary, know by Friday, May 9. If more than 16 students are interested, student names will be selected randomly. All checks should be made out to the "Town of Winchester". If you are interested in this program, but require financial assistance, please contact Stephen Goodwin, Principal of Lynch School.
New Information Below
Grade K - 5 - LEGOS Robotics July/August Sessions
Class Dates: July 7 - 10; July 14-17; July 21-24; July 28-31; August 4-7. These sessions will be held on Mondays-Thursdays. No classes will be held on Fridays.
Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Class size: Maximum of 14 students per session. Students can be signed up for multiple sessions. We will need a minimum of 8-10 students each week in order to run a session.
Fee: $60. Checks should be made out to the "Town of Winchester".
Location: Tech Lab
Staff: Mr. Casey, 5th grade teacher.
Registration: If you are interested in having your child(ren) participate in the Grade K-5 LEGOS Robotics July/August Sessions, please let Judy McDonough, Lynch Secretary, know by Monday, June 2. If more than 14 students are interested for a particular week, student names will be selected randomly. All checks should be made out to the "Town of Winchester". If you are interested in this program, but require financial assistance, please contact Stephen Goodwin, Principal of Lynch School.
Upcoming Event FYI: Lynch will conduct its annual Flag Day Ceremony on Thursday, June 12 at 9 a.m. All members of the community are welcome to attend. Weather permitting, we will meet outside at the flag pole area, located on the playground.
Reminder: Due to the observance of Memorial Day, there will be no school on Monday, May 26.
Take care,
Stephen Goodwin
