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Toy Town Elementary School
Newsletter March 2015
Kathryn Vanderhoof, Principal
Laura Weiderman, Assistant Principal
Mari-Jane Thurlow, Principal Secretary
Jeanette Perry, Office Secretary
Sue Vaillancourt, School Nurse
Phone: 978-297-2005
Fax: 978-297-3011
Nurse: 978-297-3771
Supt. Office: 978-297-0031
Food Service: 978-616-1467
At Toy Town Elementary School, we are getting ready to begin state assessments. The Performance Based Assessments are
given after about 75% of the curriculum for the school year has been taught. Those are scheduled for March and early April.
The End of Year Assessments begin in May. The sessions are scheduled for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the grade level and
subject matter. All students are allowed up to 30 minutes longer if needed. Testing is scheduled to be completed by 1:30 in the
afternoon for all classes. We believe our students are well-prepared to use the technology skills necessary to navigate the
assessments. We have been addressing the Common Core Standards at Toy Town since 2011 and continue to work toward
curriculum mastery for all students in each area. We have hard working, competent students that will do their very best. Our
staff looks forward to getting the results this year rather than waiting for the next school year as we have done with the MCAS
tests. The timely results will better enable us to plan for the academic needs of our students.
PBA Assessments
3rd Grade
Math - March 17 and 18
ELA - March 25, 26, and 27
4th Grade
Math - March 19 and 20
ELA - March 30, 31, and April 1
5th Grade
Math - March 23 and 24
ELA - April 2, 6, and 7
End of Year Assessments
3rd Grade
Math – May 11 and 12
ELA - May 18
4th Grade
Math – May 6 and 7
ELA - May 19
5th Grade
Math – May 4 and 5
MCAS Science – May 13 and 14
ELA - May 20
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School Improvement Council
Members of the School Council for 2014-2015
Kathryn Vanderhoof
Principal Annemarie Aidonidis
Special Education Teacher
Laura Weiderman Assistant Principal
Deb Vaughan Special Education Teacher
Eric DeHays Parent Melissa Pandiscio Grade Three Teacher
Alissa Campbell Parent Tony Dellasanta Physical Education Teacher
Shannon Coffin Parent Kyle Scrivines YMCA, Community Rep
Steven Sroczynski Parent
The Council will be meeting the first Thursday of every month from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
In the Superintendent’s Conference Room.
The next meeting is Thursday, April 2, 2015
March and April Calendar
March 5, 2015 School Council Meeting 4:30-5:30 pm
March 16, 2015 Professional Development Day No School
March 17 – April 7 PARCC Assessment
March 19, 2015 Winnie the Pooh Kids 7:00 pm TTE Auditorium
March 20, 2015 Winnie the Pooh Kids 7:00 pm TTE Auditorium
March 21, 2015 Winnie the Pooh Kids 7:00 pm TTE Auditorium
April 3, 2015 Good Friday ½ day Breakfast and lunch served
April 20-24, 2015 Spring Vacation No School
Mrs. Daigle’s Class
What I like about winter.
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Toy Town Elementary
Did you know…by Miss Murray
The fall of 1997 was a great time to
be a 4th grader at Toy Town
Elementary School. The bottom floor
was no quite ready for occupancy due
to renovations to the building. So…for
two months we held classed in Old
Murdock (now the Senior Center). We
were going to school in a historic
building!
Most 4th graders from Toy Town at
that time are now 25 and 26 years
old. They remember going to class in
the building where many of their
grandparents and great aunts and
uncles and older neighbors went to
high school. And the bonus was we
didn’t go back to school until after
Labor Day that year!
REMINDER…PLEASE KEEP THE OFFICE UP TO
DATE WITH CURRENT PHONE NUMBERS and
EMAIL ADDRESSES.
PLEASE BE SURE YOU CHILD IS DRESSED FOR
THE WEATHER. STUDENT’S MUST HAVE SNOW
PANTS AND BOOTS TO BE ALLOWED IN THE
SNOW.
OUTDOOR RECESS FOR 20 degrees and
HIGHER.
Student of the Month
Magdalena Phelps
Toy Town Elementary School is
proud to announce our February,
2015 Student of the
Month. Magdalena Phelps, from
Mrs. Zelnia’s third grade class, has
been chosen for this award.
Maggie has shown many great
qualities that make her a
wonderful student. She always
carefully checks her work, strives
to do her best, and puts forth her
best effort. She has a great sense
of humor and loves to share her
thinking in small groups and in
whole class discussion. She is also
a good friend and is always
available to help everyone.
Maggie is honest and respectful.
Mrs. Zelnia calls her ‘a gift to my
class’.
Congratulations, Maggie, on
becoming Student of the Month
and thank you for helping to make
our school a happy place for
others.
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What to Do When Your Child Hates Reading
Do you have to beg your child to sit down and read; for school or for pleasure? They may tell us they
don’t really care about reading, but if we could wave a magic wand and make them accurate, fluent,
expressive, comprehending readers, not one of them would turn us down. But there isn’t such a wand,
and we know that they will never become readers if they don’t read. So how can we get them to do what
they don’t want to do in order to help them become what they must? Try these simple, but meaningful
steps to help move your reluctant reader toward a book-filled future:
1. Zero in on your child’s interests. A magazine with his/hers name on the label becomes a personal
invitation to read.
2. Start small. Read sports scores in the newspaper, a short magazine article, comic books, jokes, riddles,
or watch a related video or movie before or after reading.
3. Practice shared reading. Take turns reading a page, section, or chapter; even with older students.
Chat about the reading in a conversational tone.
4. Create a comfortable environment. Keep books handy in the car, kitchen, at the doctor’s office; for
those waiting times.
5. Provide them with “how-to” books, and the materials. Show them how books give step by step
directions to care for a new pet, or learn a new skill.
6. Let your child see you read. Actions speak louder than words.
Mrs. Holly Visco, Reading Specialist
Mrs.
Chamber’s
Class
Black
History
Month
Biographies
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News from the Art Room…By Mrs. Leroy
After working on a successful paper weaving project earlier this year Grade Four is
weaving again! We are working with patterns, colors and texture to create a
potholder.
Kenny DeHays and Tylor Sears Annabelle Merante and Nickalas Laplaca Jonathan Pare and Dominic LeBlanc
Lillian Skawinski and Angelina Dellasanta Aurora Smith Jason Ingman and Donovan Campbell
Laughable Limericks
By Mrs. Zelnia’s
class
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