Principal’s Newsletter May 2015

Posted on May 4, 2015 by zervaspto in From the Principal for |

Dear Zervas Families,

It is so wonderful to finally have the beautiful spring weather with us as I write this newsletter! This is always an exciting time of year in school; students are deep in their learning with engaging projects and activities; while at the same time we are starting to plan for next year.   There are many exciting projects and activities taking place these days.

Planning for Next Year

With the Superintendent’s budget recently passed, we can start our planning for next year. We are pleased that there will be no significant cuts to the elementary budget and that we will be able to maintain our class sizes and programs. However, at this time, our incoming Kindergarten enrollment is lower than had been anticipated, so our planning for this grade level remains fluid. We believe that we will have 2 or 3 Kindergarten classes, 3 First Grades, 3 Second Grades, 3 Third Grades, 2 Fourth Grades, and 3 Fifth Grades, one of which will be a co-taught class, for the 2015-2016 school year. We anticipate having the following teachers returning next year:

Kindergarten

  1. Karen Joe-Yen
  2. Julia Torres
  3. Harriet Hurworth

First Grade

  1. Lisa McLellan
  2. Maggie Williamson
  3. Beth Bernier

Second Grade

  1. Jen Gorman
  2. Kelly Fater/Kate Gacicia (job share)
  3. TBD

Third Grade

  1. Kathleen Eakin
  2. Alicia Arkin
  3. Chris O’Rourke

Fourth Grade

  1. Sam Bergquist
  2. Judd West

Fifth Grade

  1. Rebecca Deeks/Paula Hayward (job share) with Julie Riley (co-taught)
  2. Mike Stern
  3. Evan Raney

If our enrollment does not necessitate 3 Kindergarten classes, a Kindergarten teacher will move to First Grade, a First Grade teacher will move to Second Grade and we would not hire a new Second Grade teacher. We hope to have more certainty before the end of the school year, but there are years when enrollment continues to fluctuate over the summer. I will keep you informed as we learn more about this.

School Climate Survey

Thank you to those who completed our School Climate Survey. Over 100 families participated and provided us with valuable feedback and ideas about what makes our school unique.   In addition, students have completed a child-friendly school climate survey in class. As a School Council, we have met twice to review the results of these surveys and have worked with an outside consulting firm to code and summarize the data. In the next few weeks, we will be communicating the patterns and themes that emerged from the data as well as share possible next steps. This will be an agenda topic at the next Principal Coffee on Friday, May 15 at 8:30.

3rd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

Mark your calendars! We will be holding our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast for parent volunteers on Friday, June 12th at 8:35-9:00 in the gym. Hosted by the Zervas staff, this event allows us to show our appreciation to all the volunteers who have supported our school this year. Please feel free to stop by, even for just a few minutes!

Important Dates:

Week of May 4 – ELA and Math PARCC testing for students in grades 3-5

Thursday, May 7 – Early Release Day – 12:30 dismissal

May 13 & 14 – Science MCAS for students in grade 5

Friday, May 15 – Principal Coffee – 8:30-9:15 am in the Library

Saturday, May 16 – Zervas School Fair

Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day – No School

Friday, May 29 – Fifth Grade Musical – School House Rock

Wishing you all a wonderful spring!

Diana