I hope you all had a wonderful spring break!  The staff and I are ready for the last stretch of the school year, which promises to be a very busy time.  Our fifth graders are busy planning the last minute details of their group presentations, which represent the culmination of their IB Exhibition.  The Exhibition, required in all IB Primary Years Schools, occurs toward the end of fifth grade and reflects the learning the students have acquired throughout their elementary years. This year, the overall theme is Growing Up, with students choosing subtopics to research and learn about.  This last stage represents the "creative outlet" to showcase their learning.  The group presentations are scheduled next week, Tuesday, April 29th, Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1 between the hours of 9 and 12.  Group presentations run approximately 30 minutes.  Please come in and see the efforts our fifth graders have put into their projects. (Parents of younger students can see what their children will have to look forward to when they get to fifth grade.)  All parents and visitors are welcome to come at any time during these hours on any or all of the three days.  

The SBAC testing will begin for fifth graders the week of May 5th, while the third and fourth graders will begin their testing schedule later on in the month.  Mr. Matejek, our Assistant Principal, is the Testing Coordinator and has worked very hard overseeing the details and training.  We expect it to run with few, if any, issues.  The feedback we have received from other CT districts has been positive in terms of the testing being done without significant problems in its' execution.  Right here in Greenwich, Eastern Middle School began their testing period this week and all seems to be going well.

Wednesday, April 30th, is an early release afternoon.   Students will be dismissed at 1:15 so teachers may attend training sessions.  This particular session will have primary teachers attending workshops related to digital learning, while upper grade teachers will attend a workshop on Close Reading conducted by noted literacy expert, Chris Lehman.  Special area teachers will work on a variety of topics related to their fields.

Lastly, as the month of May is fast approaching, it is the time of year when teachers begin to work on class placement for the next school year.  As always, we will have three classes in each grade level, so teachers will place students into three groups, taking into consideration many variables.  These variables, include gender, achievement level, etc.  In addition, there are "social pairings" that may need to be separated for the benefit of one or both students.  The goal is always to have three sections that are as equitable as possible.  Although teachers have a lot of information to work with in completing this task, I recognize parents may want to include information in the process that we may not be aware of.  Therefore, if a parent wishes to submit information to me they wish to have considered, please do so in written form (a letter or email) by Wednesday, May 7th.  The teachers will be working on this task in early May.  Once it is completed, we move on to the next task, which at this time of year, there is no shortage of things to get done.  Please do not include requests for a specific teacher, as these will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely, Terry Ricci