From the Head of School
Dear Parents of Kent School Students,
Next week marks our annual standardized achievement testing which provides us with an internal evaluation of our curriculum, teaching, and learning. This year, for the first time, we will be using tests by the
Educational Records Bureau (ERB
), as the Stanford test previously used by Kent School no longer exists. Founded in 1927, ERB is the only not-for-profit educational services organization offering assessments for both admission and achievement for independent schools.
Taking standardized tests is an important skill for our students to practice as we prepare them for secondary school and college. You can help your sons and daughters at home during next week's testing by making sure they get a good night's sleep each night, giving them a hearty breakfast to fuel their brains and helping them stay positive about the experience. Please be on time for School next week. Testing begins at 8:30am.
This academic year we have also launched Kindergarten readiness testing of our Little School 4s and also prospective Kindergarten students as part of the admissions process through ERB. The testing is done via iPad. Our plan is to review ERB's admissions testing module for Grades 1-8 for potential use next academic year for prospective families.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
Nancy
Afternoon Clubs
The spring term of Coding and Robotics and Needleworks will begin next week. Coding and Robotics will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30pm until 5:00pm and is designed for Middle School students. Needleworks will be held on Friday afternoons from 2:30pm until 4:00pm and is designed for students in Gades 3-8. Both sessions will run for 6 weeks and the cost is $120.
Email [email protected] to register your child or children.
PTF News
Spring Box Tops Challenge: The next Box Tops Challenge will launch next Tuesday, April 18th and run through Monday, May 15th. It is a Red/White Challenge. To print a collection form, please click
here. Or you can pick up a copy in the school store. The prize for this challenge is a Red/White Jeans Day. The winning team gets a jeans day and the losing team must wear the winner's color in order to have a jeans day. For a list of participating items, click
here.
Lunch Orders: Lunch ordering for the month of May is now open. Lunch ordering closes on Thursday, April 27th. For more information about lunch ordering, please see the PTF Handbook
here. If you have any questions about lunch ordering, please contact Lisa Butler at
[email protected].
Spring Picnic: Be sure to mark your calendar for the annual PTF Spring Picnic on Thursday, May 18.
As always, if you have any questions about the Kent School PTF and its programs, please don't hesitate to ask. You can reach us at
[email protected].
In Case You Missed It
Fourth Grade students took advantage of the spectacular weather last week to build their miniature Poplar Islands. They divided into teams (Red and White) and used different strategies to build an island that would withstand an approaching high tide. See our
FLICKR PAGE for more photos.
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| Students found a fossil while building their mock Poplar Islands. |
Fourth Grade students will be taking a field trip to the real Poplar Island to release Squirt and Chesapeake, our classroom terrapins.
Mrs. Roddy's and Ms. Lenker's Middle School advisory groups teamed up with Kindergarten students to make rocket eggs. They had to determine the best and fastest way to move them.
Kent School in the News
Upcoming events at Kent School were recently covered in local news:
Cheryl Plummer and her First Grade students were recently featured in the NAIS (National Association of Independent School) Inspiration Lab for an innovative lesson on persuasive writing. Check it out:
Their ingenuity and "persuasiveness" inspired our Word of the Week:
Persuasive. Oh, and yes they are getting a new rug for their classroom!
A statement is persuasive and credible either because it is directly self-evident or because it appears to be proved from other statements that are so.
Aristotle
To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.
Edward R. Murrow
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