Dear Lower School Families,
In today’s Lower School Newsletter, you will find a request for parents to partner with us on cyber safety, congratulations for Dr. Nancy Anderson on the publication of her new book, information about next week’s book fair and next month’s Grandfriends’ Day, details about the week ahead, and dates to add to your calendar.
Thank you to the many parents who came to campus for “testing” by our fifth-grade students for their science projects. We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday for our annual Book Fair and on Friday for the Earth Day Assembly.
I hope you have time this weekend to enjoy the much-anticipated spring temperatures. For those celebrating Easter or Passover this weekend, I wish you a good holiday. And if anyone is running Monday’s Marathon, best of luck!
All the best,
Racheal
News and Announcements
School Devices Challenges––We are fortunate to be able to provide school devices to students beginning in Grade 4. The intention of providing these devices is for students to use them for their school work. While Milton Academy has a robust firewall, and we do monitor the sites that students visit, we also hope that parents are partners in keeping children safe. Help us by reviewing your and the School’s expectations for use (ie: the device isn’t meant for making social plans), occasionally checking the device history, and supervising device use. Thank you for your support.
Grade 5 Families—Did you miss the Looking Ahead to Middle School evening this week? Click here to watch it.
Grandfriends’ Day, Friday, May 12, 8 a.m.–12 p.m.— Grandparents and special friends are invited to experience a morning at Milton Academy enjoying a continental breakfast, visiting classrooms, and attending a special assembly.
8-8:30 a.m. Check-In
8:30-10:50 a.m. Classroom Visits
11-11:45 a.m. Assembly
12 p.m. Dismissal for Grandfriends
and Lower School Students;
Middle School students return to class.
Click here to register your grandfriend or special friend. Contact Marlena Alex with questions.
Note: Space constraints do not allow us to include parents in classrooms on this day. However, if you would like to volunteer to help the day run smoothly, we welcome your help. Click here to be a Grandfriends’ Day volunteer. Roles include: greeting in the lobbies of the buildings, providing directions between buildings, etc.
What’s Right About Wrong Answers—Congratulations to Dr. Nancy Anderson on the publication of her new book! It is a professional development resource for teachers in grades 4 and 5 and aims to help teachers harness the power of error analysis as a learning tool for students. Below is a description of the book from the publisher, Stenhouse. Families interested in purchasing the book will find it on Amazon.com.
“You can’t learn to hit a three-point shot without missing a lot of shots. You can’t learn to play a piece of music correctly without striking a lot of wrong notes.” And, as Nancy Anderson explains in What’s Right About Wrong Answers, “You can’t learn math without making mistakes.”
Nancy turns mistakes on their head and helps you cleverly use them to students’ advantage. Each of the twenty-two activities in this book focuses on important ideas in grades 4–5 mathematics. By examining comic strips, letters to a fictitious math expert from confused students, and sample student work containing mistakes, your learners explore typical math mistakes, reflect on why they’re wrong, and move toward deeper understanding.
Each activity includes:
- a summary of the mathematical content and highlighted error;
- Common Core connection
- prerequisite knowledge that students need;
- required reproducibles, manipulatives, and other tools;
- the big underlying math ideas; and
- suggestions for implementing the activity.
Each activity can be used to enhance units of instruction and help students prepare for assessments that are aligned with the Common Core and similar state standards.
The Week Ahead
No School. Patriots’ Day––Monday, April 17
Classes Resume, Monday Schedule––Tuesday, April 18
Book Fair––Thursday, April 19, 8 a.m. 4 p.m., Thacher. See the Important Reminders section for the schedule of classes visiting the book fair as well as the ways students may purchase books.
Earth Day Assembly––Friday, April 21, 8:30 a.m., Thacher. We hope you will join us in celebrating the Earth and its creatures.
Important Reminders
Lower and Middle School Book Fair, Thursday, April 20, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thacher––A wide selection of books will be available for all ages, from children through adults. Parents are invited to attend the book fair with their children; the schedule is below. The Parent Library Committee organizes this event on behalf of the Parents’ Association.
Payment Options:
- IA (this is the easiest method) – Students can charge books to their school “incidental accounts.” (To authorize your child to spend more or less than the default $30, please send a note with your child on the day of the sale.)
- Cash – Send cash in an envelope with your child. Be sure to put your child’s name on the envelope.
- Check – Send a signed check (payable to Milton Academy) in an envelope with your child. Please indicate a maximum spending amount.
- Credit Card – Visa/MasterCard/Discover cards accepted. Please indicate a maximum spending amount.
Schedule:
Grade 4 8:30-9:15 a.m.
Grade 2 9:15-10:00 a.m.
Grade 5 10:15-11:00 a.m.
Kindergarten 11:15-12:00 p.m.
Grade 1 1:00-1:45 p.m.
Grade 3 1:55-2:40 p.m.
Tick Season is Upon Us—Nurses Martens and Holland remind families that with the spring come ticks! Consider checking your children on a regular basis.
Grade 2 Recorders Have Gone Home—Click here to read about recorder care and to access the fingering chart. Refer to the homework and practice suggestions sent home by Mr. Young. If you have questions, reach out to him.
Save the Date for the See You in September Picnic! Sunday, June 4, 12–3 p.m. in the ACC—In the coming weeks, you will be receiving an invitation to attend the picnic as well as the opportunity to volunteer for a one-hour shift. Email Marcy Carty or Daniele Serafini with questions or to volunteer either before or during the event.
Book Drive on behalf of Mattapan Community Health Center—Our Grade 5 Ambassadors for Good have organized a children’s book drive to stock the waiting rooms of the Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC). Donations can be placed in the bins in the lobby of Greenleaf Hall. Working with the organization, students were able to determine a need and to find ways to help. Over vacation, consider taking some time to clean out book shelves in support of our children and this worthy cause. MCHC is a comprehensive health delivery organizations that serves people from Mattapan and its surrounding communities. It is the only organization of its kind in Mattapan and Hyde Park, and it has a policy of not turning away patients in need.
Safety Alert: MeowChat App––The MeowChat app, which connects users with strangers in private and group chats, has been quietly gaining momentum. The app describes itself as a “fun place to chat and meet new friends,” and is a cross between matchmaking app Tinder and instant chat app WhatsApp. Users can send text, images, or audio clips to others.
Its random chat feature can be used to pair users in a one-on-one chat with a stranger, or enter larger group conversations with others within chat rooms. While it may feel like innocent chatter, the chat rooms are inundated with sexual language and users looking to send and receive illicit pictures. Cyberbullying can also arise from this app.
The MeowChat app icon features a cute, colorful cat, so it’s easy to see why it appeals to children and teens. Parents and teachers are encouraged to have conversations with children about the safe use of such an app and the risk of chatting with strangers, which can potentially lead to meeting in person. Ensure they do not give away personal details, including full name and location. Finally to put our Lower School stamp on this topic, please know that we believe that chatting apps are not meant for children under the age of 13.
Add These Dates to Your Calendar
Consult the online calendar for dates and locations.
- Wednesday, April 26––Lower School Parent Association Faculty Appreciation Celebration at Steel & Rye. Thank you to the LSPA for sponsoring this faculty-only event. For details about how to participate, see the Parent Association section in the column on the right.
- Friday, April 28––Lower School Parent Association Open Breakfast Meeting – Join us to talk about volunteering for next year. 7:30 a.m., Perry Reading Room, CSG. Take advantage of early drop off on this day, to join us for breakfast treats, coffee and conversation with other parents, and to join in the planning for next year.
- Friday, April 28––Gratitude Assembly, 8:30 a.m., Thacher. This assembly is a spring highlight as students (and this year, parents too, thanks to Andrea Brodeur) thank the many people and departments around campus that support our Lower School.
- Tuesday, May 2––Looking Ahead to Grade 3. This event is intended for Grade 2 parents to learn about the year to come. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum and to meet the teachers.
- Wednesday, May 3––Looking Ahead to Grade 2. This event is intended for Grade 1 parents to learn about the year to come. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum and to meet the teachers.
- Friday, May 5––Lower School Student Showcase.
- Friday, May 5––Grade 5 Social
- Thursday, May 11––Parent-Child Night. Students across the Lower School grades share their spring culminating projects with parents and visitors.
- Friday, May 12––Grandfriends’ Day
- Friday, May 12––Early Release Friday. Special programming available.