McCarter Mustangs Principal: Katherine Cooney Contact Information 5512 SW 16th Street Topeka, KS 66604 Phone: 785-438-4660 Absent Line: 785-438-4667 Spanish (ELL): 785-438-4668 School Information: 785-438-4669 Fax: 785-271-3760

Important Dates

April is a heavy testing month for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. It is students’ time to show what they have learned by taking state assessments. We encourage all families to schedule vacations and appointments around the scheduled testing dates. We have minimal make-up days restricted to a specific window scheduled for students who are ill or absent for unavoidable reasons.

March 2017 McCarter State Assessment Dates/Times Mon 4-10

Tue 4-11

Wed 4-12

Thur 4-13

Fri 4-14

AM 3rd Rdg

AM 3rd Rdg

AM 4th Rdg

AM 4th Rdg

Make Up Tests

PM 5th Rdg

AM 5th Rdg

PM 5th Science

PM 5th Science

Make Up Tests

Mon 4-17

Tue 4-18

Wed 4-19

Thur 4-20

Fri 4-21

2) Remind your child that the test is important. It sounds simple, but many parents fail to reiterate this. Most children will put forth their best effort when they know it is important to their parents.

AM 5th Math

AM 5th Math

AM 4th Math

AM 4th Math

Make Up Tests

3) Ensure that your child gets a decent night's sleep and a good breakfast before taking the test.

PM 3rd Math

PM 3rd Math

As parents, to ensure your child shows all that he/she knows, we encourage you to discuss the upcoming state assessments with your child. Here are some discussion points to get you started.

1) Tell your child to attempt to answer all of the questions and not to leave any blank.

Make Up Tests

4) Get your child to school on time the day of the test. Give yourself extra time to get to school that morning. Getting them there late will not only throw off their routine, but it could also disrupt testing for other students. 5) Remind your child to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher and to read the directions and each question carefully. Encourage them to read every passage and every question at least two times. Teach them to slow down, trust their instincts, and give their best effort.

March 3 Read at Lunch

6) Encourage your child to stay focused on the test, even if other students finish early. It is human nature to want to speed up when others around you are already finished. Teach your child to start strong, stay focused in the middle, and finish just as strong as you started. Many students hijack their scores because they lose focus on the bottom third of the test.

March 7 McTeacher’s Night

7) Remind your child that it is okay to use scratch paper and manipulatives available while taking the test. It is also ok to use the computerized tools when available (i.e. highlighter, calculator, striker tool to eliminate answers they know are wrong).

March 12 Daylight Savings Time Begins March 14 PTO Meeting March 17 NO SCHOOL March 20-24 Spring Break NO SCHOOL March 27 Students return

KESA Were you aware that Kansas is moving to a brand new way of accrediting schools? It is called the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA). This new model is designed to accredit systems (such as the Topeka Public School District) rather than individual schools. McCarter stakeholders, district leadership teams, and site councils provide input to McCarter throughout a five-year cycle. There will also be an outside validation team whose mission is to validate our district’s process and results, identify areas for improvement, provide guidance, and recommend an accreditation rating to KSDE. The compliance element of KESA requires TPS to meet governmental requirements. KESA’s foundations support having research-based best practices, appropriate academic intervention, diversity/equity, mental/physical health, civic engagement, and post-secondary and career preparation throughout our district. Currently, we are using ‘The Five Rs’ framework to begin this process. The district is in the process of rating ourselves using rubrics for relationships, relevance, responsive culture, and rigor, and then we will analyze results data related to the State Board’s definition of a successful Kansas high school graduate. Although we have only just begun gathering data for this new process, we are excited that the KESA system emphasizes best practices involving support for students, equity in education, and programs and services supporting the whole child and learning.

Read at Lunch March 3rd, you are invited to join us for our annual Read at Lunch. Adams & Munoz - 11:10 - 11:40 Auten - 11:15 - 11:45 Deiter & Warren - 11:20 - 11:50

Kulbiski & Garret - 11:30 - 12:00 Smith & Armfield - 11:40 - 12:10 Riscoe & Stephens - 11:50 - 12:20 Oliver & O’Shea - 12:00 - 12:30 Letson & Larson - 12:10 –12:25 Bayless & Gleason - 12:15 - 12:25 Ferraro & Spencer - 12:20 - 12:50 Guests may enter a drawing for a family game to enjoy at home. The drawing will be held at our March Marvelous Mustang assembly. All students receive a book of their own to keep .

Kindergarten We are very busy this month! In reading we will be starting the month with a 2 week unit on Dr. Suess and end the month learning about plants as we prepare for the spring season. In math we are studying 3D shapes and will begin comparing 3D and 2D shapes. We will end the month with a unit about length. Please read your class newsletter to find out more details about these units. Please remember to check your child's folder and planner every night. Please don't forget to record your iRead 20 mins. Also, please continue to send a coat or jacket with your child. Even though the weather is warm at times please continue to send a coat or jacket because we do go out everyday if the weather permits and at times it can be very chilly.

1st Grade We are sure you've heard all about our EGG-citing news...we have chicks! The first graders have had fun learning all about chick embryology. We've enjoyed having these new friends join our classes for a few days. Next up is habitats! We will be studying four main habitats: ocean, desert, grasslands, and the forest. Students will be making dioramas at home over Spring Break, so please find a cardboard shoe box to keep handy. More details coming soon!

2nd Grade We've just finished a unit on counting money. (Maybe your students have been dumping their piggy banks to see just how much money they really have)! Now we are starting a unit on multi digit addition. All of that math fact practice is about to pay off. Thank you for helping your student practice these math skills at home. Just a reminder . . .The calendar says it is still winter, so don't forget to dress for the weather.

3rd Grade The 3rd graders are currently working extremely hard to prepare themselves for the upcoming state assessments. The students have been taking practice assessments in reading and math and are doing a great job applying the skills and knowledge they have learned along the way. In math, 3rd graders are showing persistence and effort in learning and memorizing their multiplication and division facts. Memorization of these facts is a necessity for all students entering 4th grade. Please continue to encourage and praise your children for their effort in accomplishing this goal. Students will be learning about good money habits and the important aspects of business in the community from Junior Achievement. Students will also love digging into Science in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Students will get a chance to observe Bess Beetles and crayfish in the classroom during our structures of life unit. These creatures can look intimidating to handle, but they are virtually harmless if handled with respect to the animal.

4th Grade Busy, busy, busy. That sums up what is going on in the 4th grade. We are working hard to prepare for our State Assessments coming in April. Students need to get used to going to bed at a reasonable time so they are refreshed in the morning. The weather has been crazy, so please be sure to check the weather and bring appropriate clothing. We go outside if the temperature is above 20. Continue having your child read their 20 minutes every night.

5th Grade We are preparing for State Assessments which will be given when we return from Spring Break. More information on testing dates to come. We are researching and learning about the Universe and the Revolutionary War. We will begin our District Writing Assessment this month. As you can tell, there is a lot of learning taking place so please make sure your child is here, on time, and ready to learn. Counselor’s Corner For the month of March, counseling lessons will be based around the word "safety". Ms. Mary and I will be educating your students on what to do in diverse situations such as; when a stranger approaches them, if they are feeling harassed or if they come across a dangerous object or weapon. If you have more questions about these topics, please feel free to contact me by email [email protected] or by phone 785-438-5891. I want to give a huge THANK YOU to all of the parents who helped their child donate to the Pennies for Patients Fundraiser. As a school we donated a total of $1,708.59 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! What a great accomplishment. Donations are spent on patient and community services, research, public health and professional education. I am so proud of our school for donating such a large amount. Mr. Stephens 3rd grade class raised the most money, with a total of $326.47! They will be receiving the ultimate reward of an Olive Garden Pasta Party, catered to them at school during their lunch period!

Music - Lacey Ford The 4th grade has been working really hard on the recorders. They are doing an amazing job. I am really proud of the growth they have made. 4th grade will be able to take their recorders home for spring break. After spring break, we will be starting our instrument unit. In this unit, we will go over each of the instrument families. Next year, they will get a chance to be in band or strings. Hopefully the students will have a better understanding of which instrument they would like to play in 5th grade. Band and strings is not required in 5th grade, but I would love to have lots of students participate in the program with Ms. Snell, strings, and Mrs. Anderson, band. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade music programs on May 18. Pre-K will be at 5:00 pm, 1st grade will be at 6:00 pm, and Kindergarten will be at 7:00 pm. All programs take place in the cafeteria (old gym).

PBIS February’s purple perk was the photo booth. This year, because of your generous support of Smencil sales, we were able to hire a professional photo booth. What fun we had! Check out a few strips of these McCarter Mustang besties.

The Book Fair was a FANTASTIC success! This spring our total sales was about $3,800. We made about $2,500 profit to spend on new books and supplies. I am currently looking into purchasing a binding machine to help fix books so they can circulate longer. This cost will deplete about half of our profit but I think it will be a great investment. Thanks to all of the students, parents, and staff for supporting the library!!!

March Madness March Madness is about to begin. We’ll begin with a seeding round and follow with elimination rounds until we find the best shooter for each grade level. It costs only 50 tickets to enter and trophies are awarded for the winners!

There is plenty to look forward to in March. We are wrapping up our "Hoops for Heart" fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association this week and before you know it we will be on spring break. After the break we will be using our district's traveling fitness unit, so stay active on break.

McCarter Library News

Physical Education

The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate education service, program or activity provided by the school district. The Tile VI and Title IX compliance coordinator is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching/Learning/Administration. The Section 504/Title II compliance coordinator is the Coordinator of College and Career Ready Services. For employment, the EEOO/AA officer is the General Director of Human Resources. All compliance coordinator may be contacted at 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000. The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations, and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3045 or be writing to 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294.