October has certainly been a busy month. The students have adjusted to the routines and have become comfortable with their classrooms and teachers. During the month of October students have been involved in bus evacuations, fire safety and the Apple Crunch Event!

Thank you all for coming to the Harvest Festival on October 24^th. It was nice to see so many students dressed up in their Halloween costumes. A special thank you to South Street’s PTO and the Title 1 department for organizing all of the activities.

On Monday, October 20^th I presented an overview of South Street’s MCAS results at the School Council meeting. Our school has improved its overall performance rating from 6% in 2013 to 13% in 2014. In addition, South Street’s Progress and Performance Index (PPI) increased from 50 in 2013 to 94 in 2014. All fourth grade parents should have received your child’s Student Report for the 2014 MCAS testing. If you did not receive your child’s report please contact me.

 We are still looking for members to join the School Council. The School Council is comprised of the principal, teachers, parents and community members. We meet on a monthly basis to discuss school issues, as well as develop a School Improvement Plan. The next meeting is on Monday, November 3^rd from 4:30 to 5:30 in the office conference room. If you are interested please contact me or attend the November meeting.

If you are calling to change your child’s transportation all calls must be received by12:00. We will not accept any transportation changes after 12:00. This is for the safety of the students. In addition, all parent drop offs in the morning are in the back of South Street near the playground. Many students are being dropped off in the front of South Street. This is causing a safety issue with the special education busses. Thank you for following the drop off and pick-up procedures.

The weather is now getting colder so please dress your child in layers. We encourage students to wear their coats and sweatshirts out to recess with the option to take a layer off if they are hot or if the weather allows them to do so. 

Finally, I wanted to thank all parents/guardians who attended our Narrative Writing Celebration. The students and teachers appreciate all of your support. We will have another Writing Celebration at the end of January.

Sincerely,

Mr. Thompson

Important Dates:

November 4^th- No School- Teacher Professional Development Day

November 11^th- No School-Veteran’s Day

November 19^th- ½ Day of School-Dismissal at 1:18

November 26- ½ Day of School-Dismissal at 1:18

November 27^th and 28^th-No School-Thanksgiving Recess