Principal Grassa’s Pawprints 5/19/19

MCAS Testing

MCAS testing for students in grades 3-8 will continue through May. Students in grades 3-8 will take two sessions of ELA and two sessions of math. Students in grades 5 & 8 will also take two sessions of science. The MCAS Calendar will tell you which dates your child will be testing.

It is important that students are present and on time for school on testing days. Also, we want students to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast so they can be focused and ready to do their best. Students should not be nervous about testing; they are all well prepared. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have further questions.

SPED PAC Update & Meeting

Please join us for the final Special Education Parent Advisory Council meeting of the school year: Thursday May 23, 2019 7-8:30pm! We Need You!
**Elections will be held during this meeting!**

Thursday May 23, 2019 7-8:30pm
Richard J. Murphy K-8 School
Library – 2nd Floor
1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122

Presentations will be on the following topics:

• Special Needs Trusts & ABLE Accounts: Aaron McFadden, Commonwealth Financial
• Extended School Year: BPS Representative
• School Funding & Impact of Our Voices: Nick Cubides, Stand For Children
• 2019- 2020 SPED PAC Board Members Job Description: Carolyn Kain, SPED PAC
• Nominations & Vote for 2019-2020 SPED PAC Board Members

RSVP for childcare. Spanish interpretation available. Additional interpretation services available. CONTACT: Lisa Connor, Parent Support Coordinator lconnor2@bostonpublicschools.org

All other questions:
email@bostonspedpac.org / SpedPAC Voicemail: 617-297-7335
or Curley SPED PAC representative Lisa Walker at walkerlm1@outlook.com

Arts Showcase: Thursday, May 23rd

The Curley Art Showcase is a day to celebrate the visual art creations of all the students at The Curley. Please join us May 23rd from 5-7pm to view works and honor our creative students. Art work by every student will be on display in the lower level of the upper school. This evening will include a dance performance and music. Food, refreshments and an arts themed raffle will also be part of the evening festivities.

More information about the event will be sent home with each student very soon. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Pizzi at ppizzi@bostonpublicschools.org or Ms. Bello at abello@bostonpublicschools.org. We are extremely excited to share the creative works from this school year!

New Student Welcome Sessions

We look forward to welcoming all of our new students to the Curley K-8 for next school year.  We will host two welcome sessions.

• K1 students only on Thursday, May 23rd from 9-10am. We ask that families bring their K1 student with them to this event. If you are attending please RSVP to Jenny Goldstein jfrazier2@bostonpublicschools.org.
• K2-8th grade students on Wednesday, June 5th from 9-10am.
• For questions about either event please email Cristina Silva (K-4) csilva4@bostonpublicschools.org or Sugeily Santos (Grades 5-8) ssantos2@bostonpublicschools.org

We are excited to meet our incoming students and families and welcome them to our community!

Footwear for Students

The weather is getting warmer and students will start to wear sandals to school. We want to encourage families to have their student wear sneakers. This type of footwear is safer for recess and physical education classes as well. Thanks.

LGBTQA Picnic: Thursday, May 30th

Come join us for our annual LGBTQ+ Picnic on Thursday, May 30th at 6pm! All families are welcome to come and bring their own picnic and share in our celebration! The picnic will take place on the Curley field; in case of rain we will be in the upper school cafeteria.

Coming this June: Curley Fun Run Fundraiser

The Curley Fun Run fundraiser is back and better than ever! Save the date for Wednesday, June 12th. Click HERE to find out what it’s all about and how you can help make it a big success.

School Climate Survey for Parents

We want to hear what you think about your child’s school! BPS offers parents the opportunity to fill out a survey every year. Students and teachers also fill out surveys at school. Please let us know what is good and what needs to be changed or worked on to make your school better. Your feedback is very important. If you would like to participate, please fill out a survey found below.

This year we are encouraging parents to complete their surveys online. Please fill out one survey per child. Schools with high response rates will earn prizes. https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/climatesurvey

10th Annual Playworks Run for Recess: Saturday, May 18th

Please join us for a family friendly 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, May 18th! The 5k Run for Recess is designed to bring students together from Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence and Brockton for a day of safe, inclusive, active, and healthy play. Most of the registration fees collected from a school that participates in the run will be donated back to the school. Please note that only the paper registrations will be donated back to your school. Contact your Playworks Staff (Coach – Jessika Sickey jessika.sickey@playworks.org_) for further clarification.

The Run for Recess is a great opportunity for schools to raise funds for the school, and to increase support for Playworks at your own school for next year. If you are interested in learning more about the event, or you or others from your school are interested in running the 5k, please visit: this link. The Run for Recess will be held at Franklin Park’s world-famous cross country course adjacent to the zoo. Please find more information attached.

Sole Train Run to Remember

Looking For Something to do With Family and Friends on Memorial Day Weekend? Sign up to volunteer and Boston’s Race to Remember and cheer for the Curley (and other BPS schools!) Sole Train runners on Sunday, May 26th! The Sole Train Volunteers will be cheering and passing water/Gatorade to the runners at Water Stop #8

Sign up online for the Sole Train water stop at: https://register.chronotrack.com/r/46879 

• Would you like to volunteer on Sunday, May 26th? Choose: Yes
• Water Stop – 6:45 Am-12:00PM. Choose: Water Station #8: Sole Train Congress St, Post Office Sq. (around mile 11.75)
• Additional Info – Please tell us how you heard about volunteering: Sole Train: Boston Runs Together.

Please let our volunteer coordinator, Noreen Power (ncpower1@gmail.com), know you’ve signed up!   

Last Day of School

The last day of school will be Wednesday, June 19th and we will have an early release from school on June 18th and 19th. The last day of CASP will be Monday, June 17th.

Changes in Arrival Procedures SY2019-2020

Our safety procedures for arrival will be changing for the 2019-20 school year. Families will no longer be able to escort students to class in the morning. Instead, families will be able to walk their student to the lower or upper school main entrance, and the student will free walk to class or be escorted, depending on grade level.

We are going to pilot this change beginning in June, and want your feedback to ensure it goes smoothly. Please fill out the google form here to provide feedback.

Additionally, all visitors will now be required to sign in and sign out in the main office when visiting the Curley. Visitors will be issued badges that they must wear during their time in the school building. 

Boston Children’s Chorus Summer Program

BCC SUMMER is a choral program for children ages 7-11. Our program distinguishes itself in its design for cultural exchange and collaborative music-making through BCC’s unique approach to music and social inquiry. The singers come together from all different walks of life to prepare and perform a concert, to learn about one another and society, and to explore the world with a new perspective. We are so excited for another fun-filled summer!

This year, we are offering 4 separate weeks of programming (with distinct themes below), and are actively becoming a tour destination for visiting choirs (last year, we hosted two ensembles: one from a neighboring church, and one all the way from Beijing!). Please see our website for more information: www.bostonchildrenschorus.org/BCCSummer.

• Week 1 (July 29 – August 2): “Animals Extinct & Obscure” with Robbie Jacobs
• Week 2 (August 5 – 9): “Heart Be Brave” with Irene Idicheria
• Week 3 (August 12 – 16): “The Giant’s Garden” with Trey Pratt
• Week 4 (August 19 – 23): “I Dream a World” with Jason Holmes

Support the Curley K8 Auditorium & Get Car Service from Morrison’s Auto-Rite

Morrison’s Auto-Rite (475 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain) is offering car maintenance services for FREE with a small donation to the Curley Auditorium (the total cost of the car services far exceed the donation!!!)

Free comprehensive multi-point inspection (check over your car’s health) including:

• Free Oil Change (up to a $39.95 value). NOTE: some cars have additional charges for synthetic oil
• Rotate tires
• Balance two front tires (while doing rotation)
• Free front wiper blades (most cars); no appointment needed for wiper blade install
• Second free oil change (up to a $39.95 value)
• Upgraded warranty on repair work done by Morrison’s Auto-Rite to two years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. (There are a few exceptions for normal wear items, i.e. tires)
• Unlimited tire pressure adjusting, no appointment needed
• Unlimited fluid level checks, no appointment needed

TOTAL APPROXIMATE VALUE (SAVINGS) $295!

You must present the check in the amount of $95, made out to Friends of the Curley K-8, in person to Morrison’s Autorite to be eligible for these services. No credit cards, please!

Help the Curley Turn Markers Into Energy

The Curley School is participating in the Crayola ColorCycle program. Students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. The markers will be sent to a facility where they will be converted into clean fuel.

Please help support our efforts by sending your kids in with any used markers you may have around your house—even non-Crayola brands. Drop-off boxes are located in the Upper and Lower School Offices.

Thank you for participating! Together, we can keep tons of plastic out of landfills each year. Learn more at: www.crayola.com/colorcycle.

Arrival/Dismissal Parking

We are asking families to pay attention to the parking signs at arrival/dismissal and make sure that you are not blocking driveways when you come to school. The Boston Police will ticket if you are found in violation of this on the surrounding streets

Social Media

For up to date information about the Curley K-8 School please sign up for email alerts by joining the Mailing List. You can also follow Principal Grassa on Twitter @principalgrassa and be sure to always use the hashtag #curleycares when sharing/posting/tweeting information about our school. Toggle panel: Settings