S T. MAR Y S CHOOL
DATE:
SEPTEMBER 22, 2016
TO:
PARENTS/GUARDIANS
FROM:
MS. LEPORE
RE:
WEEKLY MEMO
Attached to this memo is a flyer to explain how to create access to our Parents Web, a flyer for our
Grandparents Breakfast, information regarding our annual Trunk or Treat and the sign up for our October
Ceramics Project, a letter about Star Testing (this was sent out in a previous memo but I thought you
might like to see it again).
We are using RenWeb as a Student Information system. There is a portal for parents to login in and see
certain information (right now it’s attendance, progress reports (Grades 3-8) and report cards but we will
be adding more to this in the near future. It is also the way to receive our Parent Alert either via email,
text or phone call. If you created an account last year you don’t need to create a new one. Please let us
know if you have difficulty creating an account. By the end of next week, I will send out an email letting
you know that I am sending a ‘test” alert to make sure emails, texts and phone messages are working.
I am looking forward to seeing you all at the hot dog roast on Saturday! Don’t forget this is a picnic style
event on the front lawn, bring your chairs or blankets to spread out on the grass. Along with the hot dogs
there will be activities and games for the kids, Balloon animals and an ice cream truck will be coming
by!!!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Saturday, September 24th – Hot Dog Roast 4:00-5:30
Wednesday, September 28th – School Picture Day (ALL students must be in full dress uniform)
Monday, October 3rd – Grandparents Breakfast 9:00-10:00 (Please use the Parish Center entrance)
Wednesday, October 5th 2:30-5:00 Flu Clinic (more info to follow)
Star Testing will begin next week for grades 3-8. We will test Math next week and Reading the following
week. Each test is about 45 minutes long and will be done on our new chromebooks!
All Lunch Menus for the month of October are due tomorrow! If your order is not in for hot lunch your
child will be able to purchase ala carte items only! Please send money in daily if your child is buying ala
carte.
Please return the Email forms, Emergency Care Cards, Photo Consent forms and the Technology
Consent forms.
I am still interviewing for the school nurse position. I hope to have someone in place soon!
We have been sending hard copies of forms home but please note that as of October 1st all forms will only
be available on the school website and via the weekly memo emailed to you.
Our Annual Christmas Boutique is Sunday, December 4. If you are interested in renting a table, please
call the office.
If you would like to volunteer at school for anything you must fill out the Disclaimer form (this
needs to be notarized and sent in with a copy of your license – both front and back ). We can only
submit these on a monthly basis which will be done at the end of each month. The firs t batch that
will be sent need to be in the office by Friday, September 30. Any disclaimers that come in after
that will have to wait until the October date.
The Parent/Student Handbook will be available for you to view on our website by the end of tomorrow.
If your child is out sick, please call the office between 7:15 – 7:45 to let us know. We also need a note stating
the reason for the absence when your child returns to school. If your child is absent for 3 or more
consecutive days you must get a doctor’s note for your child to return to school. (This is a state law.)
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held again in December this year on Wednesday, December 7 from
2:30 – 3:30, Thursday, December 8 from 1:30 – 6:00 and Friday, December 9 from 8:00 – 12:00. You
must make an appointment to pick up your child’s report card for the 1 st trimester - the y will not
be sent home.
For ‘No School” Announcements we follow the Cranston public schools. If there is no school in
Cranston, there is no school at St. Mary’s. You can sign up at www.turntoten.com - go to Weather –
Closings – School Alerts and you can sign up to receive calls or text messages when school is canceled or
delayed.
I have spoken to the students – it looks like we have several students interested in playing basketball so
now we are in need of coaches! Please let me know if you would be interested in coaching or helping to
coach.
Looking ahead - We are also looking for someone to coordinate the concession stand at school during the
basketball and volleyball season. We need someone to take care of ordering snacks and drinks and
coordinating parent coverage as the season goes on. The money collected helps to defray the cost of the
season and ultimately what it costs for your child to play. If you can coordinate this, please see me – even
if we have 2 people share the responsibility.
This year all parents must commit to a scheduled time to cover the concession area. If we all contribute a
few hours we can handle the season with little trouble!
Please continue to collect Box Tops and send them in to school.
Have a wonderful weekend!
St. Mary’s School lives the Gospel Values of
Faith, Hope and Love through our kind thoughts and deeds.
Accessing ParentsWeb
RenWeb School Management Software gives you, the busy parent, an opportunity to get more involved
in your child’s academic progress and future success – all via the Internet!
RenWeb’s ParentsWeb is a private and secure parents’ portal that will allow parents to view academic
information specific to their children, while protecting their children’s information from others. You may
view your child’s, attendance, progress reports (Grades 3-8), report cards, as well as other useful school
information. You can also communicate with teachers and other school staff online whenever necessary.
All you need is an Internet-capable computer.
Here’s how to access our easy-to-use RenWeb ParentsWeb:
Make sure that the school has your email address in RenWeb.
In Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, go to www.renweb.com and click Logins.
Type the school's District Code SM-RI
Click Create New ParentsWeb Account.
Type your email address and click Create Account. An email will be sent which includes a link to
create your ParentsWeb login. The link is active for 6 hours.
Select the Click to Create your ParentsWeb login link.
A web browser displays your Name and RenWeb Person ID.
Type a User Name, Password, and Confirm the password.
Click Save User Name and/or Password.
A message displays at the top of the browser, "User Name/Password successfully updated."
You may now log in to ParentsWeb using your new User Name and Password.
ParentsWeb allows you to access:
o
Student attendance
o
Progress reports, reports cards
o
School events and lunch calendar
PLEASE JOIN US!
Monday October 3rd
9am to 10am
School cafeteria
Please use Parish doors on Vallone Street
This is a PTG Sponsored event!
An opportunity to purchase professional photos
through Tracey Jaques Photography
PLEASE RETURN BY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH
Student Name(s)________________________Grade(s)__________
# of Grandparents _______________________________________
Friday October 28 th
Rain Date Saturday October 29 th
6pm-7pm (Trunkers please arrive by 5:30 to set up)
A Trunk or Treat is a Halloween event that families gather and park their cars in the
parking lot. They open their trunks, or the backs of their vehicles, and decorate them.
Then they pass out candy from their trunks. The event provides a safe family
environment for trick or treaters.
When it comes to decorating your vehicle there are the obvious choices, like decorating
for Halloween, using pumpkins, spider webbing, spiders, brooms, bats, cauldrons,
scary stuff...
The best way to plan your trunk is to pick a theme. Think of it like dressing yourself in a
costume.
Other ideas:
50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s
Zoo Keeper
Harvest
Clown
Nursery Rhymes
Beach or Luau
NASCAR
Sports
Popular Kid's Themes: Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Veggie Tales, Backyardigans
Animal
Movie (Keep the kids in mind though)
Western
Camping Out
Christmas (or other holiday)
Gone Fishing
Pirate
Games
Don't forget about a costume for yourself. The best and most interesting
trunks have their owners dressed to match the theme.
Friday October 28th
6pm-7pm
Rain Date Saturday October 29th
RSVP
PLEASE RETURN BY MONDAY OCTOBER 24TH
PLEASE CIRLE 0NE OF THE FOLLOWING:
We will be attending Trunk-or-Treat as
Treaters, Trunkers, or both.
Family Name______________________
Grade(s)__________________________
#Adults_____________#Kids__________
Friday October 28th
6pm-7pm
We are a Nut Free School
Please read packages carefully. Thank you!
Suggested List or Treats
Nut-Free Candy
Rolos
Jolly Rancher hard candy,
lollipops and gummi candy
Hot Tamales
Skittles
♦ Hershey (plain) chocolate
bars, personal size only (not
King size, not Minis)
♦ Hershey (plain) chocolate
Kisses (not King Size, not
Holiday/Seasonal Bags)
Starbursts
Now and Laters
Tootsie Rolls
Peeps
Tootsie Roll Pops
Dum Dums
Blow Pops
Laffy Taffy
Air Heads
Dubble Bubble
Swedish Fish
Sour Patch Kids
Pixie Stix
Nerds or Nerds on a Rope
Dots
Bottle Caps
Mike and Ike
Sweet Tarts
Smarties
Ring Pops
Push Pops
Pop Rocks
Fun Dip
York Peppermint Patties
Junior Mints
Whoppers
Lemon Heads
Red Hots
Milk Duds
Lifesavers Gummies
Runts
Caramel Apple Pops
Twizzlers
Kraft Marshmellows
Snacks
Betty Crocker/Kellogg’s fruit
snacks
Fruit Roll‐ups
Fruit Gushers
Sunmaid rasins
Oreos: Original, Double Stuf,
Mint Crème,
Chocolate Crème, Golden
Oreos, Golden with
Chocolate (not Peanut Butter
Crème or Oreo Cakesters)
Nilla Wafers
Teddy Grahams (chocolate,
honey, chocolate chip and
cinnamon)
Chips A‐Hoy (not Mini’s)
Nabisco – Barnum Animal
Crackers
Fig Newtons
Rice Krispy Treats (plain only)
Nutri Grain bars (e.g.,
strawberry, apple,blueberry,
cherry)
Special K bars (strawberry,
vanilla and chocolate only)
Salty Snacks
Rold Gold Pretzels
Ruffles and Lays Potato Chips
(not Mike Sells)
Sun Chips
Fritos
Doritos (not crackers)
Tostitos
Sunshine Cheez‐Its
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
(plain, pretzel or cheddar
flavors)
Kraft Handi‐Snacks Crackers
with Cheese Dip
Kids restaurant coupons
Burger King,McDonalds, etc
St. Mary School
After School Ceramic spooktacular
Project
Arlene from Arlene’s Ceramics will be coming to our school on Monday
October 17, 2016 from 2:30-3:30. For $12 your child will paint a
spooktacular project!
REGISTRATION:
This form must be completed for EACH child attending this activity.
Please return this registration and $12 fee, payable by check to: St. Mary
School, by Wednesday October 12, 2016.
NO LAST MINUTE ADD-ONS OR EXCEPTIONS
PERMISSION
With my signature I hereby give my child __________________________________________________
Grade____________ permission to particpate in this Ceramic Afterschool Project.
Parent/Guardian signature___________________________________________Date_______________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------Please PRINT the following information which will assist us in providing our best service.
PICK-UP PRIVILEGES
Student
Name_________________________________________________________________Grade_________
Parent/ Guardian
contact________________________________________________________P hone#________________
Emergency Contact _____________________________________________Phone#________________
Individuals authorized to pick up student:
Thank you for your support and cooperatiopn.
**All Ages Welcome!**
*Registration is on a first come first serve basis. Space is Limited!
*All students w ill be dismissed out the front door by a faculty member
Diocese of Providence
Catholic School Office
One Cathedral Square, Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401- 278-4550 • Fax: 278-4596
www.catholicschools.org
June 3, 2016
Dear Parents:
Two years ago, when the diocesan contract for the CTB TerraNova was drawing to its end, the Catholic School
Office began a process of consultation about whether to continue with the standardized test or move to new
one. During that time, the Catholic School Office met with different testing firms and evaluated the benefits
of their assessments. Now, based on consultation with the elementary principals and administrators, we
have made a decision to discontinue the CTB TerraNova and adopt STAR Assessments by Renaissance
Learning.
In the assessment review, we looked at what the Renaissance STAR Assessments are designed to measure,
the number of times they could be administered throughout the year, the format as online tests as opposed
to paper and pencil assessments, and the instantaneous scoring that allows for an immediate return of
student reports. We appreciated the instructional links available to teachers to improve student
performance, the teacher professional development provided by Renaissance Learning and the quality,
usefulness and simplicity of understanding the parent reports. During the consultation process we were also
mindful of the national debates over high-stakes standardized testing in public schools. Like many parents of
public school children, we, too, are concerned about curricula being reshaped by the tests and the apparent
disconnect between test results, data analysis and instruction.
We think the STAR Assessments will bring positive changes. STAR Assessments will be used regularly
throughout the year as formative and interim testing to screen for reading and math achievement levels.
They will be used once a year in April as nationally normed summative assessments but taken within the span
of half an hour, not over three hours during three to four days, the current practice with TerraNova.
The assessments are computer-adaptive tests, which means depending on the student’s previous answers
the assessments adjust the difficulty or ease of the student’s subsequent test questions. This is why, without
taking unnecessary test questions, students can complete the STAR Assessments on a computer or tablet in
less than a single class period. The teachers’ reports are designed to identify differentiated classroom
instructional strategies for individualized student progress. Finally, with a diocesan contract for all the
schools, the cost of the STAR Assessments are reasonable and should work well with the schools’ budgets.
If you have questions about the move to Renaissance STAR, contact your principal, the Catholic School Office,
or view the Parent’s Guide to STAR Assessments at http://www.renaissance.com/resources/parents .
Sincerely,
Daniel J. Ferris
Superintendent