Dear Parents,

Thank you so much to those of you who helped with our Teacher Appreciation Lunch - it was really appreciated - and for those of you who were baking or making cards the evening before. Next week there is a Staff Appreciation Lunch, and we'll thank you in advance for that, too. Next week our final MAP testing session begins, and well be enjoying the children's art work all around the hallways on Thursday - thanks to Linda Bockarie, Wendy Welander and Megan Carpenter for the time they have already pout into organizing this.

Library Book Return Dates: Please note the following dates for the end-of year return of books to the library. This is so we can take stock of all books for next year.

- May 22: last day to borrow - May 29: all books due back to the library

Pool Reminder: Parents are requested to be with their own children if they are at the pool after school or at weekends. This applies to all children Gr 8 and younger. The pool rules are linked here to the parent/student handbook . 

Pre-3 - Gr 2 Assembly on Thursday May 16: We have a special mid-month assembly for you. Ms. Marje's class will be entertaining us, so please come along to the amphitheater if you have time at 8:30.

Art Salon: Our first Art Salon will take place next week on Thursday May 16 at 5:30. There will be refreshments, and plenty of Pre-3 to Gr 12 art on view to enjoy. 

May 13-21 MAP Tests for Gr 2-5: This is our final battery of tests, and here is some information for any of our recent arriving parents who are new to the MAP tests:

ISD uses the MAP Test as our standardized test.  The MAP Test is Measures of Academic Progress™ and is created by the Northwest Evaluation Association. These tests determine your child’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of math, reading and language. This is the  third and final set of tests this year.

In addition to using our own assessments and report cards, ISD, like most schools, uses a standardized test to compare how our students are doing as compared to a larger pool of students.  The MAP test is especially useful to ISD as we receive the results within a week after the tests are complete.  Once we receive the test results, each parent will receive a test report.

Students in Grades 2-5 will be taking the final round of these MAP tests starting Monday, May 13.  Students take these tests in three sessions, each lasting about an hour.  The first test is in reading, then math, and the third test is language usage. 

MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child takes on a computer. That means that the test becomes more difficult the more questions your child answered correctly. When your child incorrectly answered a question, the test became easier. Therefore, your child takes a test specifically created for his or her learning level.   We also receive very detailed reports on each student and each class, and this information is used for teachers to better tailor instruction to the needs of each child and each class, based on the reported areas of strength and weakness.

Please know that there is no need for your child to study in advance of these tests.  However, there area a few things you can do that will help your child be at his/her best when the test is taken:

·       Get a good night’s rest the week of the tests.

·       Always have a good breakfast before coming to school.

·       Help your child understand that he/she should not rush through the test.  

·       Relax.  This should not create any stress or anxiety for students.  It is not a “high-stakes” test by any means.  

Gr 3-5 Disco: Mr. Ishmael, and Ms. Osundwa will be hosting the Gr 3-5 Disco later TODAY!! This will begin at 6:00; we request that all students head home before the disco. They must also have purchased a ticket in the school day before attending, and this is only for ISD Gr 3-5 students - no guests. Pick-up is at or before 8:00, and children are not permitted to walk home alone:

Helping Your Child With Math: I would like to share these useful tips from a recent math journal on how to help your child with math homework if they are struggling with a concept. They may prompt a thought!:

1st Grade Publishing Party: Gr 1 recently had another publishing party, and here they are:

There were a lot of informational texts on view that the children had been researching. As a note, we have been working as a school on raising awareness of academic honesty (a core component of the HS IB program) and for this project, the 1st Graders did cite their source in a bibliography! We are not going too far with the young children - in this case they only used one book - but we do work on building awareness of such research skills so children are ready for the older grades:

Summer Camp: In case you missed this last week, Ms. Gage has been working with trustees to look into the viability of running a Summer Camp. If there is enough interest from school parents, it would run the two weeks from June 17-June 28, counselors would be our TA's and the times, 9:00am-3:00pm. It would serve children ages 4-13, and the emphasis would be on FUN. There is much more information here in Ms. Gage's Director's Dispatch. We need a critical mass to make the program viable, so PLEASE EMAIL THE OFFICE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED: laliya@isd.sn or nichole@isd.sn

Fun Run: Murray Te Huki and Jodie Roderick took some of our ISD athletes to take part in a fun run and meet some world champion athletes. There were many local schools there and some of our Elementary track athletes were invited to attend:

What a Load of Garbage!: Melinda Watters sent me this photo her class took when researching where the school garbage goes. This followed a class project:

Upcoming Events: