This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Jeff Slater:

• The MCAS long composition for students in grades 4 & 7 will take place on Tuesday, March 19. The ELA reading comprehension portion for students in grades 3-8 will take place Wednesday, March 27 & Thursday, March 28. Adequate rest, proper nutrition, and daily attendance directly impact student performance on the MCAS. We encourage you to discuss the importance of these tests with your child and assist him/her in maintaining an appropriate schedule during this testing period. If you have any questions or concerns about the MCAS tests, please contact me at 617-635-8239.
• A huge “Thank you!” to our Curley parent community for their support of our school at the Silent Auction! Organizing this event was truly a team effort, and we are extremely grateful for the time, dedication and hard work of everyone who had a hand in supporting this amazing event!
• Please join me in welcoming Cheryl Watson-Harris, our new Assistant Superintendent of Cluster D to the Curley! Cheryl is the former principal of the Tobin K-8, and both Cheryl and I participated in the Lynch Leadership Academy at BC. Cheryl’s office will be located on the 2nd floor of the lower school. She’ll be spending two days a week at Court Street and the remaining time visiting schools in our cluster.
• Our Instructional Leadership Team met on Tuesday. We explored ways we can continue to support teachers with “close reading” strategies, and we planned out our professional development session for Tuesday, April 2. Our teacher-leaders are the best!
• We had our grades 6-8 academic awards assemblies on Monday. Students were recognized for their academic achievements with merit awards (all A’s/B’s and just one C), honor roll awards (all A’s and B’s), and principal awards (all A’s). We’re looking to build on these awards assemblies in the future to expand to other grade levels and include recognitions for other accomplishments, like modeling of positive contributions to the school community.
• Will the Curley be the Next Lucky Grand Prize Winner?
  http://www.togethercounts.com/at-school/win-for-your-school/healthy-playground-makeover
  The deadline for the Healthy Playground Makeover Sweepstakes is TODAY! To increase our chances of winning, don’t forget to enter every day until March 15, 2013. Two Grand Prize Winners will receive a $30,000 grant and a new playground. One of the Grand Prize Winners will be chosen from a special drawing for Title I Schools. Three Second Prize Winners will receive a $5,000 grant. Spread the word to your school community: Anyone can enter to win on behalf of our school!