Hello!

The next Curley K-8 Health and Wellness Committee meeting will be held Thursday, May 15th at 8am in the upper school guidance office.

There will be a very important guest at this meeting, Dr. Huy Nguyen, the Medical Director of the Boston Public Health Commission.  We have been working very hard to reinstate the full salad bar and stop the sale of junk food in the cafeteria.  Dr. Nguyen will be at the meeting to offer us suggestions.  It would be wonderful if we could have several parents at this meeting, even if you cannot regularly attend.< We look forward to seeing you on Thursday! Katie Fitch and Sue Trotz

The May School Site Council (SSC) meeting is tonight, May 13th from 5:30pm – 7pm in the Library.

The SSC is the governing body of the Curley, and consists of parents, teachers, staff, and the Principal. The SSC deals with many issues of governance and policy, including hiring, oversight of the Instructional Leadership Team, and budget, family involvement, uniforms, and the Quality Schools Plan.

All meetings are public and everyone is welcome to attend, though only elected members are able to vote.

To find out more about the SSC, please see the SSC page.

The agenda for tonight’s meeting is below:

1. Passing minutes from the March meeting (1 minute)

2. Announcements (1 minute)

3. Public Comment Period

4. Principal’s Comments – Katie Grassa

   1. Quality Schools Plan Update (5 minutes)

   2. Budget update on FY14-15 numbers, staffing changes (10 minutes)

   3. Comments at the Principal’s discretion (2 minutes)

1. Standing and Ad-hoc Committee Report

   1. Personnel Committee/Hiring report (10 minutes) – Katie Grassa

   2. Health & Wellness report (5 minutes) – Sue Trotz

   3. ILT report (10 minutes) – Katie Grassa

   4. Parent Involvement report (5 minutes) – Maria Monterio-Roby and Betty Alvarado

   5. School Climate (5 minutes) – Katie Grassa

   6. Uniform report/vote (15 minutes) – Katie Fitch/Megan Jewitt

   7. Other standing or ad-hoc committee reports (5 minutes)

1. Old Business

   1. AWC curricular and climate changes (10 minutes) – Leah Barcan

   2. PARCC Assessment Rollout (5 minutes) – Katie Grassa

1. New Business – topics placed on agenda for discussion for next meeting (2 minutes)

2. Other Business (2 minutes)

3. Motion to adjourn

The final SSC meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, June 10th from 5:30pm – 7pm, again in the Library. For more information, please contact parent co-chair Heshan Berents-Weeramuni.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• MCAS: Mark your calendars and remember that you can help your child prepare for MCAS by having them get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and arrive to school on time for testing. Grades 5 & 8 will be taking the science MCAS on Tuesday, May 13th and Wednesday, May 14th.
• Families Notice: We are please to have so many families bring their child to and from school, however, there has been a lot of families staying in the building after arrival and reentering the building before dismissal starts. We are asking all families to escort their child to class and promptly leave the building by the time announcements begin and in the afternoon families can enter the building at 2:25pm when walkers are called for dismissal. Thank you for your support.
• School Site Council: SSC meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 13th from 3:00pm-4:15pm in the Upper School Library. All families are welcome to attend!
• Health and Wellness Committee:: The next Curley K-8 Health and Wellness Committee meeting time has been changed to Thursday, May 15th at 8am in the Upper School Guidance Office. There will be 2 very important guests at this meeting, Dr. Huy Nguyen, Medical Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, and Michael Peck, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Boston Public Schools. All families are encouraged to attend and show support.
• Spring Music Concert:: The Spring Music Concert with the Community Music Center of Boston will be held on Thursday, May 29th at 9am in the Auditorium. For more details, or to be involved in its planning, please contact art teacher Anna Youman.
• International Week at the Curley K-8:: In celebration of our diverse school community we invite you to join us for International Week at the Curley K-8 school from June  2nd – 6th, 2014. This week-long celebration will include classroom exhibits, activities, and performances. Each class will learn about a different country; on Friday they will “travel the world” by hosting and visiting one another’s adopted countries. On Thursday, June 5th, students, teachers and parents will also present a Multicultural Showcase of songs, poetry, skits, and dances celebrating our cultural diversity. The evening performance will be at 6:00pm in the Upper School Auditorium. Come and enjoy delicious food from all over the world prepared by our community. We welcome family participation and hope you’ll consider sharing your heritage at the showcase. Read about last year’s celebration here. We need volunteers to help organize this event. For more information about this event please email Ms. Canada or call her at 617-777-5018, or email Ms. Monteiro-Roby or call her at 617-756-3667.
• Happy Mother’s Day!

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Teacher Appreciation Week: May 5th-9th is National Teacher Appreciation Week and Tuesday, May 6th is Teacher Appreciation Day. We are thankful for our teachers and all the hard work they do each day to assure that all students are successful.
• MCAS: Mark your calendars and remember that you can help your child prepare for MCAS by having them get a good nights sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and arrive to school on time for testing. Grades 3-8 will be taking the math MCAS on Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th and grades 5 & 8 will be taking the science MCAS on Monday, May 12th and Tuesday, May 13th.
• Grades 6-8 Report Cards: The 3rd quarter grades closed for all students in grades 6-8 on Thursday, April 17th. Report cards will be sent out next week.
• Families Notice: We are please to have so many families bring their child to and from school however, there has been a lot of families staying in the building after arrival and reentering the building before dismissal starts. We are asking all families to escort their child to class and promptly leave the building by the time announcements begin and in the afternoon families can enter the building at 2:25pm when walkers are called for dismissal. Thank you for your support.
• School Parent Council: May SPC meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 7th from 8:45am-10:45am in the Upper School Library.
• Thank You: Thank you to all the families that assisted with the School Previews for incoming students this past week. It was great to have new families introduced to our community by those who know it best. Also thank you to all the families that helped with the Plant Sale on Saturday. The weather cooperated and many staff, students, families and neighbors showed up to support the Curley K-8 School.

The 14th annual Curley Plant Sale TOMORROW, Saturday, May 3rd from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. across Centre Street in the parking lot!

Buy your annuals, herbs and vegetables and support the Curley. There will also be a bake sale so please sign up here if you can contribute a delicious treat.

This is one of our biggest and most important fundraisers of the year. Mark your calendars now, then stop by on the 3rd in the parking lot across from the school for plants, baked goods, or fun kid activities – and tell your friends and neighbors!

We need volunteers  to help with: set up, selling plants, or clean up after the sale. Kids are welcome and encouraged to attend!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to make this event a success again this year so please sign up online!

Our longest running fundraiser and a big community favorite, our annual Plant Sale supports art, music, science and technology at our school.

Questions? Please contact Curley parent Kristin Jurkoic or Flo Zimmerman.

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Por favor únase a nosotros en la Escuela Curley K-8 School a nuestra Treceara anual de 14

VENTA DE PLANTAS
El Sabado 3 de mayo, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

En el estacionamiento que esta al frente de la escuela en la calle Centre.

Recaudación de fondos para apoyar los programas de arte, ciencias música de nuestra escuela.

Necesitamos voluntarios para hacer de este evento un éxito de nuevo este año, así que por favor inscríbase en línea!

¿Preguntas? Por favor, póngase en contacto con Curley padres Kristin Jurkoic o Flo Zimmerman.

Please join us for the May SPC meeting on Wednesday morning (5/7) at 8:45am in the Upper School Library. On the agenda this month will be a presentation from the Community Music Center of Boston (the Curley’s long-time music partner); a brief overview of next year’s budget from Principal Katie Grassa; committee reports; SPC treasurer update, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about all the exciting initiatives happening at the Curley K8. We hope to see you there.

As always there will be Spanish interpretation and refreshments.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

*The 14th Annual Curley PLANT SALE is happening this Saturday from 10am – 2pm. Plant sale, bake sale, kids activities…this is a great annual event that raises money for arts + science enrichment at the Curley.

**Final SPC meeting will be on Wednesday, June 4th, from 6 – 8pm. We will be holding SPC and SSC elections at this meeting.

The Curley After School Program (CASP) is very proud to announce that nine of our after school students from grades K-7 have been selected to participate in the Summer in French program at the French Cultural Center in Boston for two weeks this summer.

This scholarship have been provided to some of the CASP students who are part of the after school Accent on Success (French Classes) program. The selected CASP students will be able to improve their skills in French, while also participating in special activities including visits from exotic animals, puppet shows, cooking, theater, fashion, art, perfume workshops, and outdoors activities.

For more information, contact CASP’s Executive Director, Torri Canada.

Spring IS here – there is no surer sign than the 14th annual Curley Plant Sale THIS Saturday, May 3rd from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. across Centre Street in the parking lot!

Buy your annuals, herbs and vegetables and support the Curley. There will also be a bake sale so please sign up here if you can contribute a delicious treat.

This is one of our biggest and most important fundraisers of the year. Mark your calendars now, then stop by on the 3rd in the parking lot across from the school for plants, baked goods, or fun kid activities – and tell your friends and neighbors!

We need volunteers  to help with: set up, selling plants, or clean up after the sale. Kids are welcome and encouraged to attend!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to make this event a success again this year so please sign up online!

Our longest running fundraiser and a big community favorite, our annual Plant Sale supports art, music, science and technology at our school.

Questions? Please contact Curley parent Kristin Jurkoic or Flo Zimmerman.

********

Por favor únase a nosotros en la Escuela Curley K-8 School a nuestra Treceara anual de 14

VENTA DE PLANTAS
El Sabado 3 de mayo, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

En el estacionamiento que esta al frente de la escuela en la calle Centre.

Recaudación de fondos para apoyar los programas de arte, ciencias música de nuestra escuela.

Necesitamos voluntarios para hacer de este evento un éxito de nuevo este año, así que por favor inscríbase en línea!

¿Preguntas? Por favor, póngase en contacto con Curley padres Kristin Jurkoic o Flo Zimmerman.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Congrats: A big shout out to three members of our community for completing the Boston Marathon and raising money for our school and partnerships. Alissa Ferro, 6th grade ELA teacher, Dan Barcan, parent, and Keith Schultz, partner, all finished the Boston Marathon this past Monday! We admire their perseverance and efforts!
• MCAS: Mark your calendars and remember that you can help your child prepare for MCAS by having them get a good nights sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and arrive to school on time for testing. Grades 3-8 will be taking the math MCAS on Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th and grades 5 & 8 will be taking the science MCAS on Monday, May 12th and Tuesday, May 13th.
• Grades 6-8 Report Cards: The 3rd quarter grades closed for all students in grades 6-8 on Thursday, April 17th. Report cards will be sent out next week.
• Families Notice: We are pleased to have so many families bring their child to and from school however, there has been a lot of families staying in the building after arrival and re-entering the building before dismissal starts. We are asking all families to escort their child to class and promptly leave the building by the time announcements begin and in the afternoon families can enter the building at 2:25pm when walkers are called for dismissal. Thank you for your support.
• 14th Annual Plant Sale: The 14th Annual Plant Sale will take place this Saturday, May 3rd from 10am-2pm in the parking lot across the road from the school on Centre Street. For more information, click here.
• School Parent Council: May SPC meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 7th from 8:45am-10:45am in the Upper School Library.
• Interview Help: We are looking for families to volunteer and help interview for our open K2 Inclusion and Grade 1 teaching positions. We will interview for the K2 position on Friday, May 2nd from 3:00pm-6:00pm and the Grade 1 position on Monday, May 5th from 3:00pm-6:00pm. Please email Katie Grassa if you are interested at kgrassa@bostonpublicschools.org.

Spring IS here – there is no surer sign then the 14th annual Curley Plant Sale NEXT Saturday, May 3rd from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. across Centre Street in the parking lot!

Buy your annuals, herbs and vegetables and support the Curley. There will also be a bake sale so please sign up here if you can contribute a delicious treat.

This is one of our biggest and most important fundraisers of the year. Mark your calendars now, then stop by on the 3rd in the parking lot across from the school for plants, baked goods, or fun kid activities – and tell your friends and neighbors!

We need volunteers  to help with: set up, selling plants, or clean up after the sale. Kids are welcome and encouraged to attend!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to make this event a success again this year so please sign up online!

Our longest running fundraiser and a big community favorite, our annual Plant Sale supports arts, music, and science at our school.

Questions? Please contact Curley parent Kristin Jurkoic.

********

Por favor únase a nosotros en la Escuela Curley K-8 School a nuestra Treceara anual de 14

VENTA DE PLANTAS
El Sabado 3 de mayo, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

En el estacionamiento que esta al frente de la escuela en la calle Centre.

Recaudación de fondos para apoyar los programas de arte, ciencias música de nuestra escuela.

Necesitamos voluntarios para hacer de este evento un éxito de nuevo este año, así que por favor inscríbase en línea!

¿Preguntas? Por favor, póngase en contacto con Curley padres Kristin Jurkoic.

Cheer along all four of our Curley connected Boston Marathon runners tomorrow!

6th grade ELA teacher Alissa Ferro, who is running in support of the Tenacity program, will also be joined by fellow teacher Jaime Staritis, our upper school Spanish teacher.

Our third runner tomorrow is parent Dan Barcan is also running in aid of our playing field campaign. Last but absolutely not least is community member Keith Schultz, who is running in aid of our general SPC fund to support our music, art, science and other academic and community needs.

The very best of luck to you all!

Many of us will be on the sidewalks cheering for you, for your generosity, and for your sense of endeavor.

If there are more Curley runners, let us know! For the rest of us more pedestrian folks, WBUR’s spectator guide is well worth a look.

The Curley K8 Playing Field Committee gratefully announces that we have reached our goal!

What started as a dream – raise enough funds in one year to transform a 14,000 square foot broken up, unsafe asphalt lot into a safe, outdoor playing field and running track for our 870+ kindergarten through eighth grade students – has become reality. We are thrilled to announce that thanks to all of you, our generous friends, neighbors, city leaders and community partners, this project is officially being put out to bid through the Boston School Facilities department.

We want to thank everyone who supported us in this effort. We made a final push for the funds at the start of this New Year. We are humbled by the amount of donations, large and small, that have come pouring in. This is truly a community effort. We took our appeal to the streets, in the JP Gazette, in neighborhood and businesses association meetings, through appeals hosted by area businesses and through conversations with friends and neighbors. And you heard us and you responded. By contributing to this project, you are a part of a lasting legacy for our Curley students now – and into the future!

Stay tuned for the groundbreaking at the start of summer, with a ribbon cutting in September.

Thank you on behalf of the Curley Playing Field Campaign.