Greetings MacArthur Families,
Happy Friday! Thank you to all who were able to attend this morning's monthly Principals' Forum. We reviewed our latest MCAS data and shared feedback from families related to our Back to School Night / Open House event. 76% of families were able to attend this year! Thank you again for prioritizing this time at our school.
MacArthur School, and all Waltham Public Schools, receive a rating from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, DESE, based on our students’ MCAS scores and other accountability measures. We fell into the making Substantial Progress Towards our Targets category once again. MacArthur faculty and staff utilize this information to refine our instructional practices related to grade level standards to ensure our students have the tools to be successful on local assessments and state assessments such as MCAS. Families in Grades 4 and 5 received students' score reports from our Spring MCAS last week. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or either of us with any questions.
Each fall, all students K-5 are assessed on their reading proficiency using the DIBELS assessment. DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. We use this tool to guide our instruction and target students’ learning needs. The students are reassessed with grade level content in the winter and spring to monitor their growth. Read here for more information on how we approach literacy assessment and intervention. Spanish Portuguese
The elementary student handbooks are available virtually. Click below to access them.
English Spanish Haitian Creole Portuguese
In reviewing feedback from families about their experience at Back to School Night, we wanted to share the link to the Waltham Public School Curriculum Guide from the WPS website. In clicking on the elementary tab you are able to learn more about what is taking place in each grade level linked to the Curriculum Frameworks outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). If you are interested in learning more about what your child is learning, don't hesitate to reach out to your child's classroom teacher, specialists, or administration to support your understanding of your child's academic experience via email or phone.
We love celebrating the diversity of our MacArthur community and are eager to have families join us for our annual Multicultural Festival on Thursday, November 14th from 3:45pm - 5:15pm. Click here to sign up to present and share your family's cultural background with our MacArthur Family. This is always a fan favorite community event that continues to grow each and every year! If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Stephanie South, our MacArthur School Librarian, who has spearheaded this event since its inception. stephaniesouth@walthampublicschools.org
In addition, see below for how to share a recipe in our MacArthur Cookbook! This wonderful idea is shared in this week's PTO Notes once again. *SEND IN YOUR RECIPE BY SATURDAY, October 19th!*
Next week, we have an Early Release Day on Wednesday. Dismissal is at 1pm and lunch will be served. On Friday, students are encouraged to wear red and white to support the WHS Homecoming. Thank you for supporting this Spirit Day tradition! Finally, our PTO Trunk or Treat is Friday night. Click here for more information. https://macarthurpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/307713
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
In Partnership,
Mr. Kmiec - (781) 314-5721 kevinkmiec@walthampublicschools.org
Mr. Howes - (781) 314-5725 roberthowes@walthampublicschools.org
