March 8, 2018
Dear Parents and Guardians,
MEAs
The state
of Maine requires all schools in Maine to assess students in Mathematics, Reading,
Writing, and Science, using an online test called the MEAs. All Maine
students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be taking the MEAs this month
between March 19 – April 12. These assessments match the content and skills
outlined in the standards that guide instruction in the classroom and provide
valuable information about student learning. In addition, these assessments
help to identify the areas in each subject where a student needs additional
support and where he or she has mastered the content and can be challenged to
go deeper into the subject matter¾information
that is useful for parents, teachers, students, and school administrators.
As a parent, you can use the information from the test to
help support your child at home and guide a discussion with your child’s
teacher to identify what, if any, additional support is necessary in school.
Students can work on the areas where they need improvement to ensure they are
staying on track to be successful in the next grade level. In areas where
students excel, teachers can provide appropriately challenging work to ensure
they continue to be engaged and advance their knowledge. While no single
test can give a complete picture of achievement, when combined with student grades
and teacher reports, the MEAs can provide important information about student
progress.
Both the Maine Department of Education and our district are working to
limit the amount of testing at the state and district level to ensure that
tests provide meaningful information for teachers, students and parents. We
are committed to student achievement, and the MEAs raises the bar for our
students to ensure they are on the path to success. We are confident that with
the quality instruction delivered by our dedicated teachers, and with your
support, our students at Riverton can meet and exceed these expectations. The following strategies parents can do at
home will help prepare students for a successful testing experience:
·
Have you child get a good night’s sleep each
night before the test.
·
Make sure you child attends school each day of
the test.
·
Encourage your child to relax and try his or her
best while taking the test so they can show what they know.
The specific dates the MEAs will be given at Riverton are:
·
Grade 5: March 19-March 27
·
Grade 4: March 29-April 6
·
Grade 3: March 28-April 6
Parent Teacher
Conferences
Parent/teacher conferences are coming up this month. Parent
Teacher Conferences are a wonderful opportunity to talk with your child’s
teacher(s) about how your child is progressing academically and socially in
school. The dates for conferences are March 26, March 29 and March 30. Students
will have lunch and be dismissed at 11:50 on March 29 and 30. We hope to have 100% of our parents/guardians
attend conferences. Please call Riverton at 874-8210 if you need to schedule or
reschedule your child’s conference.
Parent Survey
Each year, Portland Public Schools looks to parents for
feedback on what is going well, and what could be improved. This year, in an effort to make the survey
easier for all parents, we are asking all families to participate in a phone
survey. Toward the end of March you will
be receiving a phone call from me asking you to complete
to respond to just eight survey items. You will be able to
respond to the survey over the phone or by email. It will take no longer than
three minutes of your time. If your
children attend more than one school in our district, you
will get a separate phone call and survey for each school. Your responses to
the survey are confidential. Thank you in advance for your participation, Your
honest feedback will help us to provide a quality educational experience for
your child.
New Facebook Page
We are pleased to announce the launch of Riverton School’s
new Facebook page! As you know, our fabulous PTO has its own Facebook page,
which features the many exciting events and fundraisers they sponsor in support
of Riverton. The Riverton School Facebook page will feature all the wonderful learning
activities that happen during the school day. Both Facebook pages can be
accessed through our website, or by clinking on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/Riverton-Elementary-School-153484368786797/
Upcoming dates:
March 12: Grade 5
to Merrill, 9:30-12:30
March 14: Early
Release, 1:50
March 14: PTO
meeting, 5:30
March 16: Movie
Night
March 19-April 12,
MEAs
March 21: Early
Release, 1:50
March 26:
Translated Conference Day
March 28: Early
Release, 1:50
March 29, March
30- Early Dismissal for Parent Teacher Conferences
Cordially,
Mrs. Ann Hanna
Principal
