Reminders
Monday, March 27, 8-11:30 a.m.: Fourth- and fifth-grade field trip to Portland Symphony Orchestra performance of “Beethoven Lives Upstairs”
Thursday, March 30, 5 p.m.: Art exhibit opens
Thursday, March 30, 5:30 p.m.: First- and second-grade performance and art exhibit
Thursday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.: Third- and fourth-grade performance at art exhibit
Friday, April 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: “Mangia” swim fundraiser
Tuesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.: Fifth- and sixth-grade chorus and band concert and art exhibit
The principal’s column
By Mona Schlein
Wiscasset Elementary school’s fourth-graders participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress on Tuesday, March 7. The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students know and can do in core subjects. It is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress is different from our state assessment because it provides a common measure of student achievement across the United States. The results are released as The Nation’s Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public. Most state tests measure student performance using the state’s own curriculum standards — i.e., what the state considers important for its students to know. State tests enable the comparison of results over time within the state, but because state tests are created according to each state’s individual curriculum standards, they do not allow comparisons of results with other states or the nation. The National Assessment of Educational Progress asks the same questions and is administered in the same way in every state nationwide, providing a common measure of student progress and making comparisons between states possible. The National Assessment of Educational Progress helps states answer such questions as:
How does the performance of students in my state compare with the performance of students in states with similar resources or demographics? How does my state’s performance compare with the nation’s? Are my state’s gains in student performance keeping up with the pace of improvement in other states?
While the two assessment types differ in substantial ways, state tests and the National Assessment of Educational Progress work together to give educators and policymakers a comprehensive picture of student performance.
Schools and students are carefully selected to be in the National Assessment of Educational Progress samples according to demographic characteristics that make the samples collectively representative of all the nation’s students in grades four, eight, and 12 in public and private schools.
The participation of each school and students selected helps ensure that the National Assessment of Educational Progress truly reflects the great diversity of our nation’s student population.
Book fair
Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of information and imagination. The Scholastic Book Fair is a fun event that brings the books kids want to read right here to Wiscasset Elementary School. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level.
We hope people will make plans to visit the Scholastic Book Fair from Tuesday-Thursday, March 14-16.
The book fair will be open during parent-teacher conferences, and a little beyond:
Tuesday, March 14, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 15, 2:30-7 p.m.
Thursday, March 16, 2:30-7 p.m.
Pennies for Patients fundraiser
The school’s Pennies for Patients fundraiser, which began March 6, will end Friday, March 24. A parent letter will be heading home to give information on Pennies for Patients.
Pennies for Patients makes an even bigger difference than one may think. Those who don’t know someone with a blood cancer probably know someone who has battled another form of cancer. More than 40 percent of new cancer therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2015 were first approved for blood cancer patients but now help others as well. Working together on the Pennies for Patients campaign can turn spare change into real help for real people!
For more information about Pennies for Patients, contact the school’s program coordinator, Lynn Pelletier, or go to lls.org. To donate online, go to events.lls.org/pages/ma/wiscassetprimaryschool-2017.
Snack donation
A big shout-out and thanks to the Modern Woodmen of America and its Wiscasset Youth Club for donating $150 worth of snacks to the elementary school. These snacks bridge kids to their next meal and fuel their bodies and their learning. We are grateful that the club thought of us for this generous donation.
Counselor corner
This week marks the beginning of a unit on feelings in kindergarten. We talked about how some feelings are comfortable and some are uncomfortable. The students showed different feelings, first with their expressions and then with masks that they made. Each week hereafter, we will talk about an uncomfortable feeling and something the students can do to make themselves feel better or more comfortable.