March 5, 2024

March 5, 2024

Alcott Newsletter

March 2024

I can’t believe it is March already!  I am grateful for the longer days (goodbye 4:28 sunsets!) and the arrival of some more spring-like weather.  Before launching into updates and reminders, I just want to thank everyone who participated in sending roses to Alcott staff for Valentine’s Day.  This event continues to be one that is deeply appreciated by all.  I truly wish that families could be present to see the expressions of surprise, delight and appreciation on staff faces when they walk into school on the morning that roses are delivered.

In this month’s newsletter, you will find information about Multicultural Night, Math Night, MCAS and more.

Multicultural Night: This is just a reminder that Alcott’s Multicultural Night is on March 8th from 5:30-7:30pm. This is a time to showcase your heritage, something that you are proud of and would like to share with the Alcott community. No matter whether you are a recent immigrant or have had generations living in the US…there is always something that you as a family can showcase!   This festival is all about us, as the Alcott community, coming together and celebrating each other. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/wiZNS3sRrpnSeyZ29

Math Night: Our annual Math Night is in March as well.  Hosted by the PTG, this event takes place on March 28th.  Stay tuned for more information!

Book Fair: March is just filled with special events, with our annual book fair taking place from March 25th through March 29th.  Your child’s teacher will share specific information later in the month as to the date and time their class will be visiting the fair.  The book fair will also be open for families to visit during Math Night on the 28th.

Ramadan: The evening of Sunday, March 10 marks the first day of Ramadan for Muslims worldwide.  We have many students and staff who will be fasting during this period of time. We have optional, alternative spaces for students who will be fasting during their lunch block.  If your family observes Ramadan and would like more information, please reach out to Principal Krakow or Assistant Principal Moon.  You can also reply directly to this email.

Alcott’s Core Values: As I have shared in previous newsletters, we are taking each month to focus on one of Alcott’s core values.  As a reminder, at Alcott, we are a caring, cooperative, respectful community of learners.  This month our focus is on what it means to be a respectful member of our community.  At our all school meeting on February 28th, we introduced the concept by sharing that respect means thinking about how our words and actions impact others.  We ended our meeting with a quote from none other than Taylor Swift herself who (apparently!) once said, “We don’t need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful.”

MCAS Schedule: As a reminder, MCAS begins at the end of March and continues through the middle of May.  Specific test dates are as follows:

  • March 26 and 28 – Grade 3 ELA
  • April 1 and 2 – Grade 4 ELA
  • April 9 and 11 – Grade 5 ELA
  • April 30 and May 2 – Grade 3 Math
  • May 7 and 9 – Grade 4 Math
  • May 14 and 16 – Grade 5 Math
  • May 20 and 21 – Grade 5 STE

February 1, 2024

February 2, 2024

Alcott Newsletter

February 2024

Happy Groundhog Day Alcott!  I can’t believe how quickly this year seems to be speeding by.  It feels like just yesterday I was wishing everyone a joyful December vacation and yet, somehow, here we are ushering in the beginning of Black History Month, Lunar New Year, the 100th Day of School and February vacation!  In this month’s newsletter, you will find information about the upcoming breakfast program, progress reports, a new staff introduction, a review of our emergency preparedness drills, and much more.

School Breakfast Program:  We are excited to announce the start of daily School Breakfast service at our CPS elementary schools beginning Monday February 12th!! All district families will have the ability to preorder their student’s breakfast via our online meal ordering platform NutriSlice. Breakfast meals can be order up to 5 days in advance, and up until 7 am on the day of meal service. Breakfast will be served in each school’s cafeteria from 8:40 am until 9 am. Due to the Universal Free Meals legislation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, these breakfast meals will be available free of charge to all students. For menu selections and preordering please remember to visit our NutriSlice Online Meal Ordering Platform

If you have any questions or need assistance creating a NutriSlice account for your student, please email our Department of Nutrition & Food Service: foodservice@concordps.org

Progress Reports: Progress reports will be posted to the parent portal in Aspen on February 15th.  Reports are available on the portal for approximately one month, but can be downloaded and saved as .pdf files.  You can access the Parent Portal here. A link to request a password reset can be found at that site or you can email parentportal@concordps.org.

Core Value Focus: It was so wonderful to see, hear and experience all of the acts of caring that students engaged in during the month of January as a part of our core value focus.  In the picture below, you can see how Mrs. O’Rourke encouraged her students to think about what it looks like to be caring in the library.

As a reminder, at Alcott, we strive to be a caring, cooperative, respectful community of learners.  In February, we will focus on what it means to be a cooperative member of our school community.

Welcome New Staff: I am excited to share the news that we have a second school adjustment counselor joining Alcott this month.  Latoya Ogunbona will be joining our current school counselor, Rene Kashmiri, and our school psychologist, Brigette Sayles, in supporting the social/emotional needs of all of our students.  Prior to transitioning into the field of school based mental health, Ms. Ogunbona served as a METCO director for more than a decade.  We are very happy that she is joining our community!

Climate Survey: This year, we are surveying all families about their experience within the schools. The results of this anonymous survey will help Alcott and the District better understand families’ experiences and perceptions. The survey data will be used to identify strengths and areas for growth.  Families should have recently received an individual link from an email entitled Concord Public Schools (MA) Request for Feedback.

Informance: There will be an All-CPS 5th Grade Band Winter Informance on Thursday, February 15, at 6:30 pm, in the Willard auditorium. The event will run one hour and conclude no later than 7:30 p.m.  An “Informance” is similar to a performance, though the goal is to make the evening informal as families watch how instruction is provided during a typical Band rehearsal. The students are excited about this opportunity to demonstrate what they do every week during class.

Celtics Playbooks Initiative with CMS: I am excited to share that our 5th graders have the opportunity to be introduced to the Celtics Playbook Initiative this month.  On February 8th, student leaders from the middle school will be here to introduce our 5th graders to this powerful anti-discrimination and bias prevention program.  In addition to being an invaluable standalone workshop, it is an introduction to the program that they will participate in during their three years at CMS and so serves as one of many steps in their transition to 6th grade!

Diversity without Divisiveness: Families are invited to join this series on understanding and interacting with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) practices in education.  It is geared for parents and anyone interested in learning what DEI is and how it can be practiced inclusively and constructively. The three 90-minute sessions will each have a different focus that will support participants in learning about DEI and what they can do to support DEI best practices in education.  Please visit this flier for more information.

Coffee with the Principal: February’s coffee with the principal is scheduled for Friday, February 9th from 9:30-10:15am.  This coffee is virtual.  Please join for casual conversation, questions and connection.  A zoom link will be sent out closer to the event.

Alcott’s Emergency Preparedness Drills: This last update includes information about Alcott’s emergency preparedness drills.

Since the start of the school year, we have practiced both bus evacuations and fire evacuations in collaboration with our School Resource Officer, Detective Cara Paladino, the Concord Fire Department and the CPS transportation department.

Our Bus Evacuation drill involves students practicing how to exit the bus in the event of an emergency in the most efficient and safe manner.  Members of the Concord Public Schools Transportation Department and Concord Police Department were on hand and commended our students in their efficiency and ability to follow directions.  Bus Evacuations take place 1-2 times a year.

We have also held three Fire Drills already this year, which are overseen by the Concord Fire Department.  All three were completed in great time.

After February Break, we will be completing a Lockdown drill.  As you may recall, all staff have been trained in the most up to date ALICE protocol.   The ALICE protocol helps schools prepare for the threat of an intruder or active shooter.  ALICE stands for:

  • Alert – individuals remain alert to surroundings to make the best decision

  • Lockdown – used if an evacuation is not a safe option

  • Inform – communicate any information available in real time

  • Counter – create noise, movement, distance and distraction (used only if evacuation is not possible and an intruder has entered your area)

  • Evacuate – when safe to do so, remove yourself from the zone of danger

Staff are trained to use their judgment to determine which of the five elements of ALICE are most appropriate to use in a potentially dangerous situation.

Lockdown drills are announced and can occur any number of times throughout the year.  These drills involve staff locking their classroom doors, turning off the lights, and positioning themselves in a location that is out of sight and in accordance with ALICE guidance.  An instance where we might put this into practice would be if an individual without authorization to be in contact with students gained entry into the building.  We inform students about this in a developmentally appropriate manner – highlighting that we practice being out of sight to keep everyone safe should a stranger ever enter the school building without permission.

Whole School Evacuation drills may be announced, can occur any number of times throughout the year, and involve relocating the entire staff and student body from the campus to our reunification site. In the event of an evacuation drill, the Concord Police Department closes the streets along our evacuation route and we practice our relocation protocol.   An example of when we might use this protocol would be if we lost heat in the winter months.

Another part of our safety plan you may have heard about is what we refer to as Shelter in Place.  We utilize shelter in place mode (restricting students to a particular area of the building) when a medical or environmental issue arises and we need a clear path for responders and/or to protect the confidentiality of the individual having a medical issue.  Instruction continues as usual during a shelter in place so this is not a safety procedure we typically drill with students.

We teach students that lockdowns, evacuations and shelters in place are steps that we may take to keep everyone safe during any number of situations.  Please know that we will not be explicitly using the terminology “active shooter” when explaining these drills to students though we will describe them as practices we might implement to keep them safe from any possible dangers that could occur while they are at school.  We will share explanations similar to the ones included in this letter and highlight that there are a number of different options we can follow to keep everyone safe.

If you have any questions about our emergency preparedness drills or anything else in February’s update, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Warmly,

Naomi Krakow

January 3, 2024

January 4, 2024

Alcott Newsletter

January 3, 2024

Happy New Year Alcott!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful vacation.  I enjoyed time with my own family and, while I very much appreciated being able to slow down for a week, I am excited to be back at school.  With the holidays behind us, these next few months are a great time to focus on learning and growth.  Not that the fall isn’t a good time for learning, but early in the school year, we focus on new beginnings, which then transitions into Thanksgiving and December vacation.  In January, we get a really nice long stretch of learning, unpunctuated by vacation or MCAS or other interruptions.  It is a time of year when everyone’s hard work starts to pay off and we really see students start to grow!  And so, while I do love a good vacation, this is why I am excited to be kicking off 2024 with all of your children!

In this newsletter, you will find a new year’s resolution, a recap of December’s all school meeting, a reminder about smart devices, information about MCAS and more!

Alcott’s Core Values: As we ring in the new year, Alcott is making a new year’s resolution of sorts.  The entire school community is going to be refocusing our attention on what it means to be a student at Alcott.  Given all that has happened in the last few years (COVID, rebuilding from COVID), not all families are aware of Alcott’s school values, something which we intend to fix!  You may be familiar with Alcott’s logo, but how closely have you looked at the words around the logo?

Our logo communicates our school’s values, namely that, at Alcott, we are a caring, cooperative, respectful community of learners.  In the coming months, our school community will be exploring what it means to be caring, to be cooperative, to be respectful, to be a part of a community, and to be a learner.  For the month of January, we will be focusing on our first value of caring.  Even our Give a Hoots for the month of January will focus on acts of caring and kindness!  We look forward to exploring what each of these values means and seeing them in action.

Recap of December’s All School Meeting: We had a wonderful all school meeting at the end of 2023. Led by Anna Anderson, our string ensemble shared two of the songs that they have been working on.  Mr. Gaudreau presented the money that students raised from the Turkey Trot to both Open Table and Concord Recreation.  Thanks to our amazing community, we raised $11,294.00, which was the second largest amount of money raised in Turkey Trot history!   Our fabulous 5th graders shared a recap of the food drive that they organized.  Our school chorus was led by Mr. Toland in a wonderful winter song medley.  And finally, we had a special visit from Bronson the Owl!  It was wonderful to be able to bring the entire school together in a joyful celebration of our community.

Reminder about Cell Phones and Smart Devices: The new year tends to be a good time for us to review the district’s policy on cell phone and smart device use.  At the elementary school level, students may not use smart devices during the school day.  If your child brings a smart device to school, they must keep them turned off and in their backpacks or lockers during the day.  If you need to contact your child during the school day, you are asked to call or email the main office to relay the message.

MCAS Schedule: Alcott’s 2024 MCAS schedule has been posted to the school website: https://alcott.concordps.org/mcasschedule/

Kindergarten Registration: Kindergarten registration is officially open.  Please share this information with anyone who may have school aged children in the fall!

November 1, 2023

October 31, 2023

I hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well.  In spite of this weekend’s incredibly warm weather, November is just a day away.  Below, please find information about our annual Turkey Trot (just days away!), the lost and found, conferences and more.

Turkey Trot: Our annual Turkey Trot takes place this Wednesday (November 1st) and is sure to be an amazing day!  The Turkey Trot, where the entire school comes together for the good of the greater community, truly exemplifies one of the things that makes our school so special.  A big thank you to Mr. Gaudreau and the parent volunteers who make it possible!  For more information about the event, see the letter Mr. Gaudreau sent out to families.  A schedule of when each grade level will be at the Emerson track is below:

  • 9:45-10:00 4th Grade
  • 10:05-10:20 3rd Grade
  • 10:25-10:40 1st Grade
  • 10:45-11:00 2nd Grade
  • 11:05 11:40 Kindergarten and 5th Grade

Recess Attire: It is hard to believe I am sharing reminders about cold weather recess when it was so warm over the weekend, but the cold will be here before we know it.  Please make sure that you send your children to school with warm clothing when the weather gets cold.  We make every effort to send students outside for recess throughout the winter (even when there is snow on the ground), so hats, gloves/mittens, boots and snow pants are helpful.

Lost and Found: The lost and found is starting to fill up!  I would strongly encourage families to label anything your child brings to school that they are likely to put down – water bottles, jackets, sweatshirts, and (soon enough!) snow pants, hats, and gloves.  Anything that we find that is labeled is returned directly to your child’s class.  Items that are not labeled are brought to the lost and found.  If your child is missing an item, please encourage them to visit the lost and found to see if it is there.  Parents are also welcome to come in to check the lost and found any day before 11:15am and after 1:45pm.

Elementary Conferences: This is just a reminder that there is no school for students on Thursday, November 9th because it is a conference day.  Conferences are available in person or by zoom with information about signing up coming directly from classroom teachers.   We are looking forward to conferences beginning so we can share all of the amazing learning your children are engaged in this school year!

Coffee with the Principal: November’s Coffee with the Principal is a BYOC (bring your own coffee) zoom on Friday, November 17th at 9:30am.  These coffees are informal ways to meet other parents, ask me questions or chat about anything that is on your mind.  A zoom link will be shared closer to the day of the event.

One additional note, please refrain from sending costumes and/or candy into school with children tomorrow.

October 2, 2023

October 2, 2023

Dear Alcott Families,

I hope you are all doing well and have settled into the routine of the new(ish) school year.  After weeks of what felt like never ending rain, the sunshine forecasted for this week feels like a delightful treat!  Here’s hoping for more blue sky as we move further into the fall!

In October’s Newsletter, you will find updates on Alcott’s playground, Care Solace, MCAS reports, and more!

Bike, Walk, Roll to School Day: Thanks to a partnership with our PTG and Safe Routes to School, students are invited to participate in the annual Bike, Walk and Roll to School Day on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.  Students who are biking are invited to meet at Keyes Road at 8:30 for a police-escorted ride to Alcott.  Students who are walking are invited to start their stroll at Emerson field.  We look forward to this fun annual event that raises awareness around safe biking and walking to school.

Update on Playground Structure: By now you may have noticed that, thanks to the unprecedented amounts of rain over the last two months, parts of our recess area have turned into a swampy mess!  Our building supervisors and the district maintenance team are working hard to figure out what, exactly, is preventing water from draining once it has accumulated and, in the meantime, are using pumps to help dry water from that area.  Once they have determined the cause of the poor drainage, they will be replacing the wood chips and the entire playground area will be accessible once again!

Care Solace: The Concord Public Schools have partnered with Care Solace to help connect students, staff, and families with mental health providers.  Our school counselor, Rene Kashmiri, is available to help get the process started or, if you prefer, you can access the service yourself.  For more information, you can find an overview of the service here with a Concord specific link here.

Alcott on Social Media: Last year, Alcott created its very own Twitter (X) account!  You can follow us here: https://twitter.com/AlcottSchool.  This year, we have created an Instagram account, which you can find at: alcott_elementary_concord.  We hope you will follow us on whichever platform you prefer to see what great things are happening at Alcott this school year!

MCAS Parent Reports: MCAS reports will be mailed home in mid October.  We will send more information about this when we actually have the reports in hand. Once they are released, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Assistant Principal Moon if you have any questions!

Dismissal Change Reminder: If you need to change your child’s dismissal plan, please try to do so as early as possible.  Ideally, you would email your child’s teacher, Kristin Corliss (kcorliss@concordps.org) and Theresa Bertolami (tbertolami@concordps.org) before the start of the day.  However, we do understand that unexpected changes do occasionally arise.  For these unexpected changes, we still ask that you communicate with the main office as early in the day as possible.  If you absolutely must make a change after 11:30 on a half day or 2:30 on a full day, please call the main office to ensure that someone gets your message in time for dismissal.

Reporting Absences: When you report that your child is out sick using the Online Attendance Reporting Form, it is very helpful for the main office and Nurse Colleen if you include details of the illness in the “additional information” line.  Nurse Colleen follows up on all absences that involve illness so this is helpful information for her to have.  Including details of the illness in your absence report helps streamline the process.  Thank you!

August 24, 2023

August 25, 2023

August 24, 2023

Dear Alcott School Families,

I hope that you and your children are enjoying these final days of summer and have found time to relax with friends and family.  As the end of August draws near, I can feel the excitement growing as staff set up classrooms and prepare to receive their students.  I am looking forward to welcoming you and your children back to Alcott very soon!

Attached is a document with Alcott specific information including our arrival and dismissal routines, how to change your child’s dismissal plan and information about school lunch.  Please also make sure to review the elementary school handbook.  You will be asked to sign off that you have read it in the Parent Portal.

Please also note important upcoming dates:

  • Open House: Tuesday, August 29th from 2:15-3:00.  Kindergarten students are welcome to attend a PTG sponsored popsicle party on the playground at the end of the open house.

  • First Day of School: Wednesday, August 30th – early dismissal at 12:25pm (no school on Friday, September 1st and Monday, September 4th).

  • Back to School Night: Wednesday, September 20th from 5:30-7:30pm.  This event will be in person with more details, including specific times for each grade level, to come.

  • Half days will remain on Wednesdays for the upcoming year.  This information and more can be found by following this link to the 2023-2024 CPS calendar!

If you have any questions in these last few days of summer, please do not hesitate to contact the school!

Best,

Naomi Krakow
Principal

August 14, 2023

August 14, 2023

August 14, 2023

Dear Alcott Families,

I hope you and your children are enjoying the summer and have found time to relax with family and friends.  It is hard to believe that the 2023-2024 school year will be starting in a few short weeks.  I am looking forward to a great year and can’t wait to welcome you and your children back to Alcott!   

I wanted to take this time to share some important information that you may need in the coming weeks.  

First Day of School: The first day of school for students is Wednesday, August 30th –   this day is a half day, meaning dismissal occurs at 12:25.  There is no school on Friday, September 1st and Monday, September 4th.  

Open House: Teachers will be hosting an open house for students on Tuesday, August 29th from 2:15-3:00pm.   Although brief, this will be a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to meet their new teacher, classmates, and see the classroom.   

Class Placement: Class assignments will be released in the Parent Portal by 5pm on Friday, August 18th.   You will need your Aspen login to be able to view your child’s classroom assignment.  If you are having any trouble logging in, please email parentportal@concordps.org for help.  You may want to check to see if you remember your login before August 18th as help is only available during business hours.  

Back to School Night: Save the date for Alcott’s Back to School Night, which will take place on the evening of Wednesday, September 20th.  A more detailed schedule for the night will be released later in the month.  

Supplies: If you did not order supplies through the PTG, a link to the supply lists for each grade level can be found here.  If this is a financial hardship for your family, please reach out to Alcott’s school counselor, Rene Kashmiri (rkashmiri@concordps.org), who will coordinate school supplies for your child.    

Bus Assignments: Bus assignments will be available later in the month.  You can access bus routes on the transportation website.  

School Lunch: We are happy to share that the state of Massachusetts has funded universal free public school lunch again this year.  Lunch orders can be placed on the Nutrislice website. If you do not already have an account from last year, you will need to create one. You will need your child’s lunch ID. If you do not know it, please email Food Services Director Jess Brown (jebrown@concordps.org). Lunch orders need to be placed by 8am the day of attendance and can be placed up to five days in advance.  Please note that state guidelines require that all lunches be consumed on site so only students who remain at school after Wednesday half day dismissals will be able to order lunch for Wednesday.  Orders for half day Wednesdays must be placed using the Wednesday Early Release On Sight Lunch tab by 8am the Tuesday prior.  

I hope that everyone is enjoying their final weeks of summer.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Warmly,

Naomi Krakow
Alcott Principal

April 7, 2023

April 7, 2023

Alcott Newsletter
April 2023

I don’t know how April is here (and halfway over!) already.  It really feels like just a few days ago that we were preparing for December vacation!  With the arrival of spring comes a very busy time of year at school.  The days start to fill up with regular learning activities as well as enrichment ones.  I look forward to seeing many of you at various spring events!     

Recap of March Events: March was an incredibly busy month!  We had an amazing Multicultural Night at the beginning of the month and an awesome Math Night at the end of the month.  The Book Fair was a great success too!  I want to extend a huge thank you to all of the parents who contributed to making these events so successful!

Placement Feedback Form: It is hard to believe that we are already starting to think about placement for the upcoming school year!  Keep your eyes out for a separate email early next week that will contain information about the placement process as well as a link to a Google form where you can share placement feedback with the school if you would like to do that.

Kindergarten Open House: There will be an open house for incoming K students on the afternoon of May 10th.  More information (including the time for each session) will be sent directly to families.  If you have an incoming kindergarten student, please make sure that you register them through the parent portal in Aspen so that we can communicate with you about the transition to kindergarten!

April Vacation: This is just a reminder that there is no school April 17-22.

MCAS: The English/Language Arts MCAS is already underway.  Grades 3 and 4 took their ELA MCAS last week.  As a quick reminder, the remainder of the schedule is as follows:

  • April 10 and 11 – Grade 5 ELA

  • May 4 and 5 – Grade 3 Math

  • May 9 and 11 – Grade 5 Math

  • May 15 and 16 – Grade 4 Math

  • May 18 and 19 – Grade 5 Science

March 2, 2023

March 2, 2023

Alcott Newsletter
March 2023

I can’t believe it is March already!  This week’s weather aside, spring is right around the corner!  Before launching into updates and reminders, I just want to thank everyone who participated in sending roses to Alcott staff for Valentine’s Day.  The gesture was incredibly thoughtful and deeply appreciated by all!

In this month’s newsletter, you will find information about Multicultural Night, Math Night, MCAS and more.

Multicultural Night: This is just a reminder that Alcott’s Multicultural Night is next week!  Please join us from 5-7pm on Thursday, March 9th in celebrating the diversity of our community.  Families are invited to share a favorite food dish, make a Family Heritage Display or take part in a cultural show with a song or dance performance.  Let the PTG know you are interested in participating by completing the following form: https://forms.gle/gxYfUjf8B72WQ7879

Math Night: Our annual Math Night is in March as well.  Hosted by the PTG, this event takes place on March 30th from 4:30-6:00.  We hope you will join us for an afternoon/evening of fun math activities inspired by famous mathematicians like Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson.

Book Fair: March is just filled with special events, with our annual book fair taking place from March 27th through March 31st.  Your child’s teacher will share specific information later in the month as to the date and time their class will be visiting the fair.  The book fair will also be open for families to visit during Math Night on March 30th.

MCAS Schedule: As a reminder, MCAS begins at the end of March and continues through the middle of May.  Specific test dates are as follows:

  • March 27 and 28 – Grade 3 ELA

  • March 30 and 31 – Grade 4 ELA

  • April 10 and 11 – Grade 5 ELA

  • May 4 and 5 – Grade 3 Math

  • May 9 and 11 – Grade 5 Math

  • May 15 and 16 – Grade 4 Math

  • May 18 and 19 – Grade 5 STE

Drop Off Reminder: This is just a reminder that we use a valet style drop off in the morning.  If you are dropping your child off in the morning, you should enter the school grounds and proceed as far forward along the curb as possible.  To keep traffic moving steadily and to prevent backups onto Laurel Street, we ask that you help your child be ready to get out of your car as soon as you pull up at the curb.  If your child needs a little extra time to get out of the car or if you would like to walk them to the flagpole, we ask that you park in one of the parking spaces on the left hand side of the drop off loop.

Alcott Twitter: Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!  https://twitter.com/AlcottSchool

February 3, 2023

February 3, 2023

Alcott Newsletter
February 3, 2023

What a start to the month of February!  With an arctic blast bringing frigid temperatures today and tomorrow, we are certainly in the middle of winter right now!  I will say, the current cold spell aside, the days have been noticeably brighter in the afternoons even if the groundhog did see its shadow yesterday!

In this month’s newsletter, you can find information about our upcoming multicultural night, math night and book fair, the spring MCAS schedule and more!

Save the Date for Alcott’s Multicultural Night: Originally scheduled for two days after schools closed for COVID in 2019, I am thrilled to announce that multicultural night is finally back on!   Come join us from 5-7pm on Thursday, March 9th in celebrating what makes the Alcott Community so diverse and strong!  The Alcott PTG is planning the 2023 Alcott Multicultural Night and looking for families to participate!  Share a favorite dish in the Celebration of Food, make a Family Heritage Display or take part in the Cultural Show with a song or dance performance!  Let the PTG know you are interested in participating by completing the following form: https://forms.gle/gxYfUjf8B72WQ7879

Save the Date for Math Night and the Book Fair: We have another great family event happening at the end of March.  Join us for a night of math activities and a chance to visit the book fair on March 29th.  Stay tuned for more details!

Progress Reports: Elementary progress reports will be released to the Aspen parent portal by 5pm on February 10th.  If you need help with your parent portal login, please email: parentportal@concordps.org.

Spring MCAS Schedule: Below please find the MCAS schedule for the spring.  Students in Grades 3-5 will take two sessions of ELA and Math.  Students in Grade 5 also take two sessions of Science, Technology and Engineering.

March 27 and 28 – Grade 3 ELA
March 30 and 31 – Grade 4 ELA
April 10 and 11 – Grade 5 ELA
May 4 and 5 – Grade 3 Math
May 9 and 11 – Grade 5 Math
May 15 and 16 – Grade 4 Math
May 18 and 19 – Grade 5 STE

All School Assembly: Also back after a long hiatus due to COVID, we will be having our first all school assembly in several years on Wednesday, February 15th.  We are excited for a vocal performance by our school chorus as well as a Black History presentation from our second graders.  We will also be presenting money raised at the Turkey Trot to Open Table.