RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School
Principal's Weekly Update - 4/10/23
Translation of the Principal's Weekly Message/Traduccion Del Semanario Del Director
- At the top there is a black menu bar and pick the option that says "Translate."
- Select the language you would like the newsletter to be translated into and it will translate on the webpage.
¿Quiere que le traduzcan este boletín? Estos son los pasos a seguir:
- En la parte superior hay una barra de menú negra y elige la opción que dice "Traducir".
- Selecciona el idioma al que quieres que se traduzca el boletín y se traducirá en la página web.
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Our News this Week
Interior Courtyard Cleanout!
A HUGE thank you to the following RK Finn Ryan Road community members who put in lots of hard work for this clean up project:
- James Hindle
- Alden Burgess
- Mr. Andrew (one of our amazing school custodians!)
- Rodney Rewis
- Rob Rea
- Liam Hurley
- Our students...who cleaned up litter around the school during the courtyard cleanup! We are very proud and grateful for how our students regularly help us keep our school and environment clean!
AND the following community members and organizations who helped make this possible:
- Eric Tiedeman-Mau at the Hadley Garden Center (for their materials donation!)
- RK Finn Ryan Road PTO (for the funding!)
- Elise Kagan (for the helpful gardening advice!)
We are currently semi-finalists for an NEF Grant, which will focus on the repurposing of this space as a Mindfulness Retreat!
Farm to School April Taste Test: Russet and Sweet Potatoes
REAL Talk Story Exhibit - Monday, May 1st, 6-8pm @ JFK Middle School
REAL Talk Story Exhibit
at JFK Middle School in Northampton
Monday May 1st from 6pm to 8pm!
The goal of the REAL Talk Story Project is to inspire compassionate and critical conversations about race and racism and work toward racial equity, grounded in the experiences of our school community. To that end, the exhibit is based on experiences of our students, educators and caregivers over the past few years.
The project is being collaboratively launched by REAL Northampton and an advisory team of 4 educators and 4 incredible 6th grade students at JFK. The JFK art department is also leading a corresponding school-wide art project! The event will feature the Amherst Gospel Choir, tours of the exhibit, a conversation circle, and more.
There is additional info on the REAL Northampton website, here: https://realnorthampton.com/share/. You can also find exhibit updates on REAL Facebook and Instagram.
We hope to see you there!
In community,
REAL Story Project Team
Need: Metal Cans (any size!)
RKFRR Science Night - April 13th, 2023 @ 6pm
Second Annual Power of Truths - April 29th & April 30th
The Second Annual Power of Truths conference is being organized in Florence, Massachusetts on April 29-April 30, 2023. The Power of Truths envisions a world where arts and education are powerful tools to create communities where justice and equity are the standard, not outliers. Centered in the practice is the belief that the arts and education can help us create a more just world.
Thanks to generous funding from Senator Jo Comerford’s office we are able to offer free registration for this year’s two-day festival for up to 100 members of the Northampton Public School community. These free registrations are available to all NPS employees (teachers, Educational Support Professionals, administrators, custodial staff, office personnel etc.), all NPS students (most sessions would probably be most engaging for middle and high school students), and all caretakers of NPS students. To register, please go to https://bombyx.live/power-of-truths/ and enter coupon code “NPS” at check out.
Reminders
Spring 2023 MCAS Testing Dates
The English Language Arts MCAS will take place in April, and the Math MCAS will take place in May. All of the MCAS assessments are online. It is very important that students be present for testing and arrive to school on time. We encourage families to avoid making appointments for students on testing days.
It is important to remember that any test is only one measure of a child’s performance at school. Teacher evaluations through the years, day-to-day work, and other types of performance assessments and projects are additional ways to evaluate learning. However, these tests are important, and we will be doing all we can to prepare our students to take these tests with calm confidence.
Some parents have asked for more information about MCAS tests. Here is a resource link to practice tests that we will be using at school, but you can also take a look at them at home if you wish.
http://mcas.pearsonsupport.com/tutorial/
MCAS Testing 2023 Dates for Ryan Road School
Grade 3:
- ELA: April 6 & April 12
- Math: May 3 & May 11
Grade 4:
- ELA: April 4 & April 11
- Math: May 2 & May 9
Grade 5:
- ELA: April 7 & April 13
- Math: May 4 & May 10
- Science: May 18 & May 19
School Calendars (NPS and RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School)
Stay up to date with all of our school activities on our School Website’s Calendar!
Upcoming Dates:
- April Vacation: April 17 - April 21
Updated District Calendar
April - Lunch Menu - English and Spanish
After School Options
- YEP will run this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week!
YMCA: The YMCA. Hampshire YMCA runs an afterschool program at the school until 6pm. Space is limited. Contact the Hampshire YMCA directly for more information.
RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School - 2022-2023 Meeting Dates
Website: https://ryanroadpto.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RKFRRPTO
Meetings (via Zoom - link sent on the day-of-ish) 6:30pm to 7:00pm:
- 4/26
- 5/24
- No June Meeting
In Closing...
As always, we hope that all families and caregivers feel welcome, comfortable, and valued at our school. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. I am happy to meet with any of you or we can talk on the phone anytime.
Karen Albano, Principal
RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School
RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School
Email: kalbano@northampton-k12.us
Website: https://northamptonschools.org/project/rk-finn-ryan-road-school/
Location: 498 Ryan Road, Florence, MA, USA
Phone: 413-587-1550