Elementary School Newsletter 4.3.2023

Apr 3

Written By PCS

We have another great week at Premier Charter ahead of us. We will probably see some opportunities for the students to learn outside this week with the combination of our large beautiful campus and the nice weather. There is a lot of news and information packed in the newsletter today!

PCS Summer School:

Premier Charter School is excited to offer summer school again this year. At this time summer school is open to current PCS Pre-Kindergarten through 7th grade students (current grade level for the 22-23 school year). It will run from WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 through THURSDAY, JUNE 22 (with no classes on June 19). The school day will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. Before and After Care will NOT be offered this summer. Morning drop off begins at 7:50am. Students must be picked up by 4:10pm.

The summer school program will focus on remedial and enrichment activities, primarily targeting English Language Arts and Math interventions. Play, interests, and outside time will also be included on a daily basis.

If you are interested in having your child participate this summer, please complete this registration form by WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12. Please send one form per family and include all of the information requested. If you received the first-round letter and marked "would attend" you must complete this official registration.

Confirmation on your acceptance status should be sent home no later than the end of April. Information regarding your child's summer school teacher and room number will arrive in May.

Class size will be limited. Once a class is designated as full, we will start a waiting list. If your child is on a wait list, we will let you know so that you can plan accordingly. The goal is to make availability for all interested families.

MAP Testing:

The state of Missouri requires the MAP exam to all students in 3rd- 8th grade every year. The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade Level Assessments evaluate students’ progress toward the Missouri Learning Standards. This does include virtual students as well. If you are virtual, you will be contacted for scheduling. Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 will be tested in English/ language arts and math. Grades 5 and 8 will also be tested in science. The questions on these tests are a compilation of what they have been learning all year.

Dates are as follows:

4/11-4/13: 4th and 7th

4/17-4/21: 5th and 8th

4/24-4/26: 3rd and 6th

5/1-5/5: Virtual students

Let's work together and make sure our students do their best. We’ve been preparing here at school. Here are some suggestions for what you can do at home too.

Students will need to have their fully charged chromebooks for testing
Headphones are needed for each child.
Ensure kids arrive on time. If they are late to school they may have to wait in the office if their class has started testing.
Please avoid days off and appointments during these times if possible
Have your child eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school
Encourage an extra good night sleep
Encourage them to do their best!
All phones and electronic devices will be turned off and held by teachers during testing.

Each test produces an Individual Student Report (ISR) that includes an Achievement Level, which will describe the student performance as Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced. The report also includes a short description of the knowledge and skills that are typically demonstrated by students in each Achievement Level. The ISR will be distributed in the 23-24 school year. Current 8th graders will have theirs mailed home.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Please reach out to our District test coordinator, Martha Gray, or our Assistant Head of School, Dr. Mike Schrimpf, for more information.

Library News:

Thank you for supporting our Spring Book Fair! We surpassed our $300. goal to purchase books for our sister library in Lusaka, Zambia and had one of our most profitable book fairs to date. All proceeds go toward books for our library, classroom libraries, and students, as well as library furnishings and reading incentives!

Students who took the Spring Break Reading Challenge should turn them in (with an adult's signature, their name and their teacher's name) by Friday! Missed the challenge? Look out for an April reading challenge coming soon!

A message from Mr. Doyle on our spring foodservice parent survey

Parents and Guardians:

I realize that we ask for your opinion often, and your responses are always welcomed and appreciated. Please take a few minutes in the next day or two to answer this survey regarding your child(ren)'s eating habits at school and about the food service at Premier Charter School in general. Thank you for your time, and if you have any specific questions or comments that aren't addressed in this survey, please contact Mr. Doyle (kdoyle@premiercharterschool.org)

Counselor Corner:

We have a counselors page on our school website that highlights various resources for our families. Feel free to check it out! Counselor Connection

May 11th Field Day:

May 11th is scheduled as our annual field day. Currently, May 11th is scheduled as a full day of school with field day taking place in the morning. After reviewing teacher, student, and family feedback from previous field day events, we have decided to make May 11th a half day with dismissal at noon.

While May 11th is more than 2 months away, we wanted to notify you of this schedule change as soon as possible to allow enough time for you to make alternative arrangements. This schedule change will not impact our scheduled last day of school on May 25th. We are looking forward to a great field day this year. Please contact your child's principal or Dr. Schrimpf with any questions.

PCS Family Event:

Check out an opportunity to go to a Cardinal game with friends and families from PCS. Forms and payments due by May 4th. See more info on the link below.

PCS Night at the Ballpark

Upcoming Dates:

April 3-7: Spring iReady window

April 5: Board Meeting

April 11-15: 4th Grade MAP testing

April 17-21: 5th Grade MAP testing

April 21: 4th Grade field trip to Springfield

April 24-26: 3rd Grade MAP testing

April 27: Spring Peace Rally and Multicultural Fair

April 28: No School - Professional Development

Thanks and have a great week!

Tyson Strickler