Dear Parents,
Spring Break is finally here! Whether you are traveling out of Chennai or staying close to home, keep well, and I wish everyone a relaxing holiday. School resumes on Monday, April 8th.
Important ASA Information:
- All Semester 2 ASAs
will resume on April 8 and end on May 31
- The Raptors Swim Club
(mini-session) is now over
- Funshine Camp 2013-
Summer camp registration forms will be sent home after the break.
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing (Grades 2-5):
The second and final
round of MAP testing will run from April 9th to April 23rd.
New parents will be interested to know that students (EAL Level 2 and above) take the MAP tests on a computer in the
fall and spring of each school year. Students will take tests in three content areas: reading, language usage (punctuation,
capitalization, etc.) and math. Although tests are not timed, students
generally finish in under 45 minutes. Later in the spring, you will receive progress report. Below is a list of FAQ’s about MAP tests.
Do all students in the same grade take
the same test?
No.
This assessment is designed to target a student's academic performance in mathematics,
reading, and language usage. These tests are tailored to an individual's
current achievement level. This gives each student a fair opportunity to show
what he or she knows and can do. Because the computer adjusts the difficulty of
the questions as the test progresses, each student takes a unique test.
What are the MAP test results used
for?
MAP
is used to measure a student's progress or growth in school. They are important
to teachers because they let teachers know where a student's strengths are and
if help is needed in any specific areas. Teachers use this information to help
them guide instruction in the classroom.
If
you have ever used a growth chart in your home to show how much your child has
grown from one year to the next, this will help you understand the scale MAP
uses to measure your child's academic progress. The RIT scale (Rasch unIT), it
is an equal-interval scale much like centimeters on a meter stick. It is used
to chart your child's academic growth from year to year.
·
Meet
with your child's teacher as often as needed to discuss his or her progress.
Parents and teachers working together benefits your child.
·
Make
sure that your child is well-rested on school days, especially the day of the
test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention in class or to
handle the demands of a test.
·
Give
your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
Where can I go for more information
about MAP testing?
Visit
the NWEA website or read the Parent
Toolkit, also found on this site.
Grade 5 NESA Virtual Science Fair:
We are so proud of our scientists who participated
in NVSF-5 this year! They behaved like scientists and demonstrated a clear
understanding of what it means to make a commitment! This fine group of
students spent countless hours working as a team. Of the 8 teams who began this
journey prior to the Winter Break, ALL 8 teams completed and presented their
experiment- in person and virtually! We couldn’t have done it without our
fantastic judges: Mr.Ryan Sager, Ms. Ashley Sebesen, Ms. Jennifer
Brunson, Ms. Kim Bane, Ms. Jyotsna Nanda, Ms. Britt Thorpe and Ms.Shireen
Lazarus. The top three teams, and in no particular order:
Team 3: Does the 5-second rule really work?
Team 1: Which biodegradable waste generates more bio-gas?
Team 7: How do we use bio-gas to develop rural areas?
Thank you, parents, for your support, too! Below is a picture of our
scientists.
-Ms. Shobhana and Ms. Salome-
Mathemania: Everyone enjoys two hours of math- at least each
year when we host Mathemania! The fun all started last Friday afternoon after
lunch! Children in each class created a math game that they had to teach to
students from another grade level or class. We all know the importance of math;
its importance in our daily life cannot be questioned. A special thank you
to Ms. Jenna, Ms. Morgen and Ms. Kristie for organizing this exciting
afternoon!
Have a wonderful and relaxing break. See you in April!
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal