WHAT:  Advanced Work Q&A with principal, 4th AWC teacher, AWC parents.

WHEN: 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 7

WHERE: Curley K-8 Auditorium (use main entrance on Centre St.)

WHO: Current or new families considering the Curley for 4th grade AWC next year.

On Thursday, March  at 8:30 a.m. the Curley K-8 will hold a 4th grade Advanced Work Curriculum (AWC) info session with our principal, 4th grade AWC teachers, and current AWC parents. The session will run until approximately 9:15 a.m. and is aimed at current and prospective families whose children have been invited to AWC next year and who are considering the Curley for 4th grade.

We will also have current AWC parents who can answer questions by phone or email, particularly if you are not able to attend this session. (NOTE: Current Curley AWC parents – if you’re willing to attend this meeting to talk to parents considering AWC, please email Carrie Fletcher.  It is extremely helpful for people who are trying to figure out this process to talk to someone who’s been through it.)

A number of people have asked how many seats are open at the Curley for transfers into 4th grade AWC. There are a total of 25  4th grade AWC seats at the Curley.  At least 17 current Curley 3rd graders have received invitations to Advanced Work – we do not know if all 17 will accept the invitation, although we suspect that most will.

Reminder:  Court Street advises that 4th grade Advanced Work selection sheets are due by March 22. Please keep an eye out for these sheets, which should come home in your child’s backpack in the next couple of weeks.

Just weeks after the launch of The Curley Playing Field Capital Campaign, we are off to an exciting start. The Curley K-8 has received a $50K anonymous donation by way of the Boston Foundation toward the construction of a long-awaited playing field. We are one step closer to making this dream a reality.

Thanks to planning expertise and funding secured through the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a LOWE’s toolbox grant and the collaboration of parents, students, teachers and community partners, we have successfully completed Phase 1 of our school yard improvements. These include the addition of our outdoor classroom and updated playground.

We are now gearing up to tackle Phase 2: A PLAYING FIELD. As you can see in this video, it’s an effort that has a lot of energy behind it!

Our goal is in sight! Want to see the vast expanse of asphalt outside the upper school transformed into a safe, green sports field for recess, physical education and other outdoor activities? The first Curley Playing Field Capital Campaign subcommittee meeting is this Sunday, March 3rd at 11 a.m. From grant writing to community outreach, find out how you can be a part of this exciting effort. Contact Kieran Fitzgibbon (kfitzgibbon@statewiderm.com) or Doug Rand (dougrandra@gmail.com) or more information.

[Excellent video by Curley parent Rebecca Nieto – ed.]

We hope you had a restful winter break; PLEASE SAVE THE DATE of upcoming school events:

• Thursday, February 28th principal breakfast 9:00 a.m. in the upper school library, part 2 of our multi-session workshop presented by Families first: the topic will be fostering parent/teacher partnerships:
• Friday, March 1st Firebird performance at 9:00 a.m. in the upper school auditorium
• Thursday, March 7th Family math night for grades K-8 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 12th for the 6th Annual Curley Silent Auction at Canary Square in Jamaica Plain from 6-9 p.m. (this is an adult only event)

__________________

• Esperamos pasen unas vacaciones descansadas.  Por favor reserven las siguientes fechas:

• Jueves, 28 de febrero – Desayuo con el Principal a las 9 a.m. en la biblioteca intermedia. Habra la segunda presentacion de la Agencia Families First:  el topico es el de fomenter relaciones entere padres y maestros:   el taller es en ingles y espanol.
• Viernes, 1 de marzo – Presentacion de Firebird a las 9 a.m. en la escuela intermedia.
• Jueves, 7 de marzo Noche de Matematica par alas famiias para los grados de Kindergarten al Octavo de 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Martes, 12 de marzo – Subasta en el restaurante Canary Square en Jamaica Plain de 6-9 de la noche (este es un evento para adultos solamente.)

Below is an important reminder for Kindergarten and Curley Ambassadors of Dance families from Ms. Taylor Knight:

Dear Kindergarten families and Curley Ambassadors of Dance Families.

On Friday, March 1st at 9 a.m., your child will be performing in this year’s Kindergarten production, The Firebird.

In preparation, students are hearing the folktale from Russia, rehearsing ways to express the music through movement and creating costumes in Mrs. Drakes and Ms. Zidonik’s classes.

On performance day, students should wear plain T-shirts in any color (no logos or writing please), leggings or sweatpants that aren’t too baggy. Also avoid shoes that make it difficult to move, such as boots. We will provide costumes for their character.

Here are the dances per class:
Nason – Flowers
Kidd – Golden Apples
Shea – Birds
Minaya – Princes and Princesses
Cronin – Wolves
Hijab-Cable – Statues

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions. I look forward to seeing you on March 1st.

Kim Taylor Knight
Dance and Theatre Teacher, K–4
Cell: 617-840-3612

Cathy Drakes
Art Teacher

Sarah Zidonik
Art Teacher

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A continuación se muestra un recordatorio importante para las familias de kindergarten de la Sra. Taylor Knight:

Queridas familias del Jardín Infantil,

El viernes 1 de marzo, a las 9 a.m., su hijo/a va hacer una aparición en una presentación de arte del Jardín Infantil llamado, The Firebird.

Como preparación, los estudiantes están escuchando el cuento folclórico de Rusia, ensayando maneras de expresar la música a través del movimiento y creando sus disfraces en las clases de Mrs. Drakes y Ms. Zidonik.

El día de la actuación, los estudiantes deben usar camisetas simples en cualquier color (por favor sin logos o escrituras), mallas o pantalones deportivos que no sean muy grandes. Evite también los zapatos que hacen que sea difícil de moverse, como botas. Vamos a ofrecer disfraces para sus personajes.

Aquí están los bailes por clase:
Nason – Flores
Kidd – Manzanas de oro
Shea – Pájaros
Minaya – Príncipes y Princesas
Cronin – Lobos
Hijab-Cable – Estatuas

Por favor, no dude en ponerse en contacto conmigo si tiene preguntas. Espero verlos el 1 de marzo.

Kim Taylor Knight
Maestra de las Artes Escénicas K–4
Celular: 617-840-3612

Cathy Drakes
Maestra de Artes Visuales

Sarah Zidonik
Maestra de Artes Visuales

Science teachers Ms. Selznick and Ms. Felicetti asked us to post a message of thanks to those who helped make the recent Science Fair a success:

We would like to thank the parents who helped their children with the science fair and attended on Thursday. It was wonderful to see the students really accomplish these big projects.

We want to thank the custodians, the gym teachers, Mrs. Maria Monteiro-Roby, the students who participated, and the parents who judged and helped during the morning. Finally, we want to thank the classroom teachers who spent time in the upper school gym watching their students get judged.

Stephanie Selznick and Jennifer Felicetti
The Science Teachers

Below is an important item Principal Jeff Slater asked us to post:

BPS is currently participating in the Massachusetts DESE Special Education Policy and Planning Unit’s Parent Involvement Survey, which is open January 28-March 29, 2013.

The purpose of the online survey is to reflect how well schools are partnering with parents, helping students to transition from grade to grade and to adult life, and providing training for families in areas of interest. Each district will receive an individualized report detailing the results of the survey later this spring

We are asking for your support in completing the survey, which can be found online here: http://www.MAparent1.com

Get your sitters lined up now for this terrific grown-ups’ night out with new and old friends! Please save the date of TUESDAY, MARCH 12 for our 6th Annual Curley Silent Auction at Canary Square in Jamaica Plain from 6pm – 9pm.

A suggested donation of $15 includes light refreshments and a chance to bid on exciting items including food, wine and beer, childcare, tickets to the Red Sox, movies and shows, gift certificates to local restaurants and much more. Raffle tickets will be sold for amazing baskets.

The restaurant’s full menu and bar will be available to order a la carte. All funds raised will support arts, music and science programming at the Curley, as well as the Curley After School Program!

For more information, or if you want to help, contact Jess Ormsby or Molly Mariano.

This week’s Paw Prints from principal Jeff Slater:

• Thank you to our head custodian John Carey and his amazing team for the great job they did with snow removal around the Curley! While we were at home buried under the snow, John and his team were working tirelessly to ensure that our sidewalks and entrances were clear for our safe return to school. Well done!
• Thank you to our wonderful Science team for organizing this year’s Science Fair! This years experiments included a tesla coil and laser beam! We had a lot of support from volunteers, including students from Northeastern University, who offered to help judge the projects.
• We’re growing! The Curley will be adding a new K0/K1 PACE (autism) classroom in the near future! The new classroom will have 8 students, a teacher, and two paraprofessionals. Our PACE program at the Curley is viewed in BPS as a model program for students with autism, and we are excited to be welcoming these students to our community!
• Our 8th graders have received a special invitation from Showa Boston to spend some time getting to know their 8th grade counterparts who are visiting from Japan! They’ll be providing us with transportation to visit Showa. What an exciting opportunity for our students!
• Have a safe, wonderful, and restful February vacation! We’ll see you back here on Monday, February 25th!

Due to the multiple snow days we’ve had this week and last, Friday’s Kindergarten/Curley Ambassadors of Dance performance of “Firebird” has been cancelled.

The performance, however, has been rescheduled for Friday, March 1, 2013 at 9 a.m. in the Auditorium.

Many preparations for the performance have been impacted by the snow days. The production is supported by a number of other classes, where students are introduced to the Firebird folktale from Russia, rehearse ways to express the music through movement, and create costumes in Mrs. Drakes and Ms. Zidonik’s art classes.

Ms. Taylor Knight would again like to remind parents and guardians that on the new performance day, students should wear plain T-shirts in any color (no logos or writing please), leggings or sweatpants that aren’t too baggy. Also avoid shoes that make it difficult to move, such as boots. We will provide costumes for their character.

To volunteer to help with the production, or if you have other questions, please contact Ms. Taylor Knight.

Oh Joy!

Boston Public Schools has announced that Tuesday, February 12 will also be another snow day. All public schools and after school programs will not be open for a 3rd day.

All Boston Centers for Youth and Families community centers will be open tomorrow and will provide a place for students six and older if parents need to go to work.

The BPS website’s announcement is below:

No school Tuesday; all BCYF centers open for children to spend the day

All Boston Public Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 12. All extracurricular and athletic events are canceled.

• The Campbell Resource Center, Family Resource Centers and the Newcomers Assessment Center, as well as all BPS administrative offices including 26 Court Street and BLA will be openTuesday. All staff who support these locations should report to work.

For families who need help with child care, all Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) community centers will be open on Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. These centers will offer a warm and safe place for young people age six and older while their parents work. All youth are welcome but youth under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at drop-off for the completion of a short intake form. You can find a list of locations here or by calling the Mayor’s 24-Hour Hotline at (617) 635-4500.

Thanks to Ashlee Wiest-Laird for the heads up. My optimism that parental sanity would likely return on Tuesday was clearly not quite on the mark… For speculating on such a measure of false hope, I apologize. – Ed.

Parents and Guardians, there will be no school tomorrow, Monday, February 11th.

The Boston Public Schools Department has posted the following on their website:

No school Monday; four BCYF centers open

All Boston Public Schools will be closed Monday, February 11.

• All extracurricular and athletic events are canceled Monday.
• The Campbell Resource Center, Family Resource Centers and the Newcomers Assessment Center will be closed Monday.
• BPS administrative offices at 26 Court Street will be open. All BPS staff who work at this location should report to work Monday.
• For more information, call the Mayor’s 24 Hour Hotline at (617) 635-4500.

Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) will have four community centers open Monday for parents who need a safe place for their child to spend the day. Children must be over age 6 and any child under 12 needs to be dropped off with a parent to fill out a short form before they leave the child. The centers will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Open BCYF centers are:

• BCYF Curtis Hall Community Center, 20 South Street, Jamaica Plain;
• BCYF Hyde Park Community Center, 1179 River Street, Hyde Park;
• BCYF Paris Street Community Center, 112 Paris Street, East Boston;
• BCYF Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street, Mission Hill

May our parental sanity return on Tuesday…