PARCC Testing Complete!
Students in grades 3-5 participated in PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment began Tuesday, April 25th.  Testing concluded on Friday, May 26th with make-ups conducted the week of May 30th - June 2nd.  Students were assessed in two content/subject areas:  ELA/Literacy and Mathematics.  Results from PARCC will be made available to families in the fall 2017.

MAP Testing
Students in grades 1-5 will begin MAP testing for Language Arts and Math will begin Tuesday, May 30th through Friday, June 9th.  MAP home reports will be sent home with Quarter 4 report cards.

ACCESS Testing Results
In January and February, English Language Learner students in grades K-5 were administered the ACCESS assessment.  Results from that testing will be sent home in Friday Folders on Friday, June 2, 2017.

Spring Band/Strings Concert
Congratulations to Ms. Zepp as well as the band and strings students in grades 3, 4, and 5.  Band and Strings students showcased their instrumental music talents on Wednesday, May 31st at the Jim Rouse Theater at Wilde Lake High School at 7:00PM.  Many thanks to those staff members and families that came out to support our fine arts department.

EOY Picnics
As we embark upon the closing of the 2016-2017 school year, grade level teams enjoy the culmination of a year's worth of hard work by celebrating with a picnic.  Below, please find dates for End of the Year Picnics.  If you have any questions regarding picnics, please contact your student's teacher:

• Pre-Kindergarten : Thursday, June 8, 2017 immediately following the end of the year program
• Kindergarten:  Monday, June 5, 2017 11:45-2:00
• Grade 1: Friday, June 9, 2017 10:45-12:45
• Grade 2:  Thursday, June 8, 2017 9:00-12:00
• Grade 3:  Tuesday, June 13, 2017 9:30-11:45
• Grade 4:  Monday, June 12, 2017 12:45-2:00
• Grade 5:  Thursday, June 8, 2017 10:00-2:00 at Centennial Park

Fidget Spinners and Slime

Many of our students have been bringing Fidget Spinners and Slime to school.  Unfortunately, these items are becoming a major learning distraction during class time and causing conflicts among students during lunch and recess.  We are asking that you not allow your students to bring either of these items to school for the remainder of the year. Please know the items will be confiscated if a student has them out.  Our goal, as always, is to have a safe and productive learning environment for all students.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to Ms. Hough or Ms. Williams-McKinney.

Updates to the Elementary School Model (ESM)

The Elementary School Model (ESM) will be changing for the 2017-2018 school year:

• Strengths Development will no longer be funded by HCPSS. However, we will continue to focus on the 5 Principles of ‘Grow Strong’.

• Departmentalization will be adjusted as follows:
  • Departmentalized instruction will no longer take place in Grade 1 at ESM or any other HCPSS schools.
  • Decisions about departmentalized instruction in grades 2-5 are school based decisions. At Bryant Woods we have decided to maintain the departmentalization model for grades 2-5 for the 2017-18 school year.

The other parts of the model will remain in their current form.  If you are seeking information regarding the Elementary School Model, please visit this link.  I am looking forward to our continued work on this initiative. Please feel free to contact Ms. Hough if you have any additional questions.

Educationally yours,
Ms. Hough and Ms. Williams-McKinney