Frank I. Brown Elementary School

37 Highland Avenue

South Portland, ME 04106

Margaret Hawkins, Principal Telephone 207-799-5196

Email Address: hawkinma@spsd.org FAX 207-767-7742

May 7, 2014 Dear Brown School Families, It is great to have the long, cold winter finally behind us. Now that we are in to the month of May there are many upcoming events that I want to make sure that you are all aware of. I am attaching a letter from Rebecca Brown, our Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, regarding the MAP testing that will be taking place in all grades in the coming weeks. In addition to the MAP testing, students in grades 3 and 4 are taking part in the pilot tests for SMARTER BALANCED, the tests that will replace the NEW ENGLAND COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. Also, our grade 5 students are completing the Science portion of the MAINE EDUCATION ASSESSMENT. Our calendar for the month of May is full of assessments of one kind or another. Your child’s classroom teacher should contact you to let you know the exact dates for their assessments. This much testing will not occur again as we transition to a new school year. Next year the MAP assessments will occur earlier in the school year and the SMARTER BALANCED assessment will be at the end of the year. There are many field trips coming up. Your child’s teacher will send notices with dates and times. The teachers and I will begin working on class lists very soon. We have not made definite grade level configurations yet as we are still trying to determine exactly how many students will be entering Kindergarten in September. But, in the meantime, as we begin working on the class lists I just want to remind you the classroom teachers, special education teachers, guidance, social worker and I, people who work with your children will work together, putting much time and thought into creating balanced groupings that provide equal learning opportunities for all students. As in the past, we do not accept specific teacher requests. If you would like to share information about your child’s learning style or any other pertinent information to add to our knowledge of your child, please send that to me in writing by Friday, May 16, 2014. Switching gears from testing and class lists, I’d like to remind everyone that as the weather gets warmer I would appreciate your help as your children dress for school. Please help them understand that there is a difference between what one wears to the beach and what one wears to school. Thank you for your help with this. As always, if you have questions about anything in this letter or any other aspect of daily life at Brown School, please feel free to call or email me. Sincerely, Margaret Hawkins