The Eagles' Nest March 4, 2024

It's officially March, and we are preparing for some significant transitions! This weekend we are moving students, Physical Education, and some staff members who support our 7th and 8th grade students to "Phase II" of our building. We look forward to introducing the new space to our scholars and, eventually, our parents. 7th and 8th grade parents, please save the morning of March 13th for a tour and orientation.

Other planned events for this month are the administration of the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA), our monthly food distribution day, our Annual Arts Integration

Pi Day Celebration of Mathematics, the bi-monthly SEED/EXCEL Board meeting, and an early start for spring break. Additionally, PGCPS will release the specialty and charter school lottery results this month.

Remember to prepare your pollen-sensitive scholars for the upcoming environmental allergen onslaught! As the weather gets warmer and children spend more time outside, this time of year can be problematic for many. Traditionally, tree pollen elevates simultaneously with peak cherry blossom time around March 23rd. Unless the Air Quality Index is orange or red, students will go out when temperatures exceed 40 degrees!

We look forward to seeing you at one of our family events this month!

The Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) is administered to all fifth, eighth, and high school students. The MISA is aligned with the Maryland Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The grade 5 MISA assesses the Elementary Grade NGSS for grades 3, 4, and 5. The grade 8 MISA assesses the Middle School NGSS for grades 6 through 8. The assessment includes disciplinary core ideas from life science, physical science, and Earth and space science.

At EXCEL, 5th and 8th-grade scholars are scheduled to take the MISA on Wednesday, March 6th, and Thursday, March 7th. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BRING A CHARGED CHROMEBOOK AND THEIR CHARGER. Testing will start first thing in the morning, so please ensure scholars are in school on time.

We will once again celebrate all things mathematics on Pi Day, celebrated annually on March 14th, to commemorate the mathematical constant pi (π). Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159. It falls on 3/14 since three, one, and four are the first three significant digits of π. It is a holiday celebrated on a large scale since 1988 and has been honored by millions of math students and teachers since.

We will celebrate Pi Day in various ways across the building this year. We will also have a math family night on Thursday, March 14th, where we will transcend mathematics and art. Keep your eyes open for information on the night and registration information.

We hope you can join us!

Families, we continue to solicit your support in ensuring OUR scholars are receiving customized instruction at their level on a consistent basis. As such, we are sharing our building-wide iReady data that shows which grade levels are hitting their required benchmark. Students can work on their "My Path" instruction in i-Ready at any given time at home or at school (30-60 minutes/week is ideal.) This is an easy way to support them with accelerating their learning. Congratulations to scholars in 5th, 2nd, and 1st grade who hit their benchmark times at 100%, 93%. and 86%, respectively.

THIS MONTH WE ARE HAVING A MARCH MADNESS MATHEMATICS TOURNAMENT FOR GRADES 1-8 (sorry, kindergarten - see you next year!) As we get closer to MCAP, we want to give our scholars every opportunity to ensure their success. Bracket winners will be announced each week and on Class Dojo, and will be selected based on the percentage of classes passed. Grade levels with less than 75% of students meeting their required minutes (60 minutes/week) will be disqualified. We encourage students to use scratch paper as they complete their math lessons to support them with proficiency.

The winner of the tournament will be able to have a grade-level dress-down day!