Final Exam Schedule

Posted on May 18th, 2012 by

Dear Upper School Parents,

For many of you your child will be taking final exams for the first time this year.  Final exams are an essential part of the learning process as they allow students to synthesize information learned over the year and serve as an essential assessment tool for the faculty. While this can be a very rewarding and beneficial process for your child, it can also create some fear and anxiety.  Your child’s teachers and homeroom teachers are very sensitive to this fact and will guide and support each student successfully through the examination period.

The following are suggestions that you may find beneficial as you help your student through this process:

Studying for exams 

  • Beginning the week of exams, clear your child’s calendar so that there are no interruptions.
  • Divide the weekends prior to exams into blocks of time to study.
  • Provide substantial time for breaks.
  • Do not let your child stay up late studying.  A good night’s sleep and a regular daily schedule throughout exam time are crucial.

Your child should prioritize study time based on his/her exam schedule. Your child should begin preparing for his/her first two exams on Memorial Day weekend.  By this time, faculty will have given students the information necessary to begin their studies for exams. The first exam of the following day should be the last studied the evening prior.

All teachers will begin review for the final exam during the week leading up to the examination period by integrating review into their weekly curriculum. Teachers give students clear expectations for the exams (including review sheets and/or outlines) which allow the students to understand how the exams will be structured and how to best prepare. If you or your child has questions regarding the format for each exam, do not hesitate to contact the teachers.

On the exam days, it is crucial that your child arrive on time (8:10 a.m. at the latest). Students who receive extended time for exams, must arrive by 7:50 a.m. and report to Mrs. Fawcett’s classroom (Ryan 3). This will give him/her time to settle in before the exam begins.  Please provide a substantial snack for the break between exams and for after the last exam.  Please be prompt if you are picking up your child after exams at 1:00 p.m.  Students who receive extended time during the second examination period will continue working from 1-1:30 p.m. in Ryan 3. Students who remain at school and take the 3:05pm bus home will have time for lunch, followed by a proctored study hall.

Finally, exams count up to 20% of a student’s final grade for the year.  If a child fails an exam with a numerical grade lower than 40%, the grade will be calculated as a 40%.  This is to prevent a poor exam performance from devastating a good year’s effort.

I am confident that every student can do well on his/her final exams given the time and the structure to prepare.  Best wishes for a successful conclusion of a great year!

Sincerely,

Carmen

P.S. Please note that the 7th – 9th grades have a mandatory Graduation rehearsal from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 13th.  The rehearsal will be followed by our year-end assembly and All-School Picnic.

 

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

June 11th – June 13th, 2012

 

MONDAY 11th Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9
  8:30 – 10:30 am Math

Perkins, R1

Douglas, P1

 

 Latin*

E. Fawcett, R3

 French

Downes, R22

Spanish

CDP, R23
10:30-11am SNACK      
11:00 -   1:00 pm English

Watts, R1

Fawcett, R3

 History

Ashworth, R23

 Latin**

E. Fawcett, R22
TUESDAY 12th Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9
  8:30 – 10:30 am French

Downes, R22

Whalen, R23

Spanish

McCarthy, R3

 Math

Perkins, R1

Douglas, P1

 Math

Perkins, R1

Frantz, Benner’s lab
10:30-11am SNACK 7th Grade eats in P6    
11:00 -  1:00 pm Science

Ashworth, P6

 

 English

J. Fawcett, R3

 Biology

Benner’s lab
WEDNESDAY 13th Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9
  8:30 -  10:30 am Latin

E. Fawcett, R3 and R2

 French

Downes, R22

Spanish

CDP, R23

 English

J. Fawcett, R1
10:30-11am SNACK

And Mandatory Rehearsal

 Bring to Fitz!

Mandatory Rehearsal

 Bring to Fitz!

Mandatory Rehearsal

 Bring to Fitz!

Mandatory Rehearsal

* If a student in the 7th or 8th grade does not take Latin, s/he may be come in at 10:30am on that exam day, or report to a study hall in the morning in the library.

**9th grade students who do not take Latin may be picked up at 11am, or report to a study hall in the library.

OTHER NOTES:

  • Extended time will be held in Ryan 3 at 7:55- 8:25 a.m.

             and 1:00-1:30 p.m. each exam day.

  • Buses depart at 3:10p.m. Monday and Tuesday and at 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday. Graduation rehearsal is mandatory, as is the closing assembly.
  • On Monday and Tuesday, students may be picked up at 1pm or join Mrs. D.P. in a lunch/recess followed by study hall in Ryan 3 from 1-3:00 p.m. and take the bus home with regular dismissal at 3:00 pm.

 

 

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Transition Meetings

Posted on May 8th, 2012 by

Dear current 3rd and 6th grade families,

While it may seem early, our students are already beginning to think of next year and their next homerooms, new teachers or in some cases, new schools. In order to help them through this time of transition, teachers and advisors alike address the anxieties they may be feeling and help them ease into these next steps. In addition to conversations in Advisory blocks and homeroom, there is also a “Move-up Day” on June 7th during which time students visit next year’s homerooms and eat lunch with their future advisors.

For parents, we have identified key grade transitions where students experience significant change.  These transitions are from Pre-kindergarten to Kindergarten; Kindergarten to First Grade; and Third to Fourth Grade; and Sixth to Seventh Grade.  We have specific transition meetings for the parents of students moving into these grades. I invite current parents of children in 3rd grade or 6th grade  to attend the Grade 3 to Grade 4 Transition meeting on Wed. May 16th (Peterson 4, at 8:15-9:00am) and the Grade 6 to Grade 7 Transition meeting on Thursday, May 17th (Ryan 1, 8:15-9am).  This provides a nice opportunity to meet the homeroom teachers and to learn more about daily life, expectations and the academic program in the next stage of your child’s educational path.  Teachers always welcome an opportunity to meet with parents with children moving up into any grade and you should feel free to set an appointment even if your child does not fall within one of the transition meeting grades.

Regards,

Carmen

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Midterm Comments

Posted on May 2nd, 2012 by

Dear parents,

We are at the midterm of our final trimester–hard to believe! Your children’s teachers met last week, per grade, to discuss any academic or social concerns. From those discussions, midterm comments are sent home  by subject teachers to alert you of any specific concern, missing work, slip in a grade, etc. There is still time to address these notices before the end of the trimester. If you have any questions, please do contact the subject teacher or the advisor if the concern is social in nature.

Now is the time, for Upper School students in particular, to begin organizing and reviewing for final tests and exams. Final exams are given in Grades 7-9 only. Shortly, I will publish the exam schedule and year-end details. Please plan on your Upper School student attending all final exams and Graduation on Friday, June 15th. Academic Awards are given to students in Grades 7-9 on that day as well as celebrating our graduating class. If your family has travel plans which preclude your child from attending either or both required events, I kindly request that you let me know that as soon as possible so that the appropriate arrangements can be made.

Thank you,

Carmen

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Reminders for spring!

Posted on April 5th, 2012 by

Well, it’s finally beginning to feel like spring is here for good and our students are excited to be outdoors with our co-curricular programs. The following are a few reminders to make note of and, as always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

The playground

Paul Frantz recently mailed a letter home to our PS-LS families, highlighting the School’s real desire and necessity to ensure a safe an enjoyable experience for all students who share this space during  after-school hours. The following is an excerpt from his letter:

“It is expected that families using the playground after school adhere to these rules to ensure that the children have a safe and fun experience on the playground.

  • Please keep your children in sight at all times
  • Children are not permitted to play near or in the stream
  • Please make sure children stay well away from Rt. 183 and the driveway
  • Children are not permitted to climb trees
  • Children are not permitted to climb on the rocks around the tunnel on the berm
  • Please use all playground equipment properly
  • The tall playground structure is for students age 6 and older
  • Children are expected to go down slides feet first only
  • There should be no climbing up the slides
  • Children should not climb on top of the swings, elevated tunnel, or playhouse
  • Children should leave sticks and rocks on the ground
  • When children are playing together, please make sure they are being respectful to each other

Please also be aware that children in our After School Care program may also be using the playground in the afternoons. Our instructor, Julia Hobart is responsible for the children in her care. It is not appropriate for any of us to expect her to be responsible for children not in her direct care, though she will step in if she deems a situation as unsafe.”

 Communicating a change of plans

If your child has a change of schedule (pick-up early, leaving in a different mode of transportation, going home with a friend) or you need a message to reach your child before the end of the day (cleats are in the office, Dad dropped off a snack for you) please call the front office. An email message to an advisor will most likely not reach your child in time, as our faculty are teaching your children most periods of the day and unable to check their email accounts until after dismissal, and a direct call to the child’s homeroom may disrupt a class in session. The message received at the front office will be hand delivered to your child.

Dress code

Please take a moment to review our dress code (in the handbook nestled under the Downloads tab in MyBCD) as the warmer weather nears. Things to highlight are our rules on flip flops and open-toed shoes, shorts, and tank tops, among other things. The intent of the dress code is to ensure that all students may learn in as non-distracting an environment as possible, and be safe in the process. For example, flip flops are not allowed in the middle school because of our playground equipment and the risk of losing your footing. I will be reviewing these points with our students as well.

Finally, please do check our BCD calendar regularly. We have many exciting events this month to which parents are invited, including our Talent Show (6:30pm on 4/13) performers must be at the theater by 6:15pm, our Upper School Poetry Assembly (11:30am on 4/18), the Private Lessons Music Concert (2pm on 4/22), the Lower School Concert (2pm on4/27) and as well as the festivities of our Year-end Assembly and Picnic and Graduation.

Enjoy the holiday weekend,

Carmen

 

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Reminder: Advisor Conferences Sign-up

Posted on February 20th, 2012 by
This is a reminder that our Middle and Upper School advisors invite you to discuss your child’s progress during this winter trimester.  Advisor conferences will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23rd between 3-8pm. The link to sign-up is http://mybcd.org/april/   The end-of-term grade level meetings are in progress and during which the faculty of each grade comes together to review each student’s academic and social experiences. Successes and strategies are shared, as well as action plans developed to ensure that each student may reach his or her greatest potential. The grade’s advisors lead these meetings and are prepared to share their notes from the meeting. Their time shared with your children in homeroom, lunch, recess, study hall and advisory blocks all lend to the advisors’ more general observations.
The conferences will be an important moment to touch base with your child’s advisor as we begin to look towards the spring trimester and final exams for the Upper School students. Should you wish to meet with a specific subject teacher, we encourage you to set a separate appointment on a different day. I also have conference slots available (feel free to sign up for a 20-minute block per child) during the conferences.
Regards,
Carmen

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Advisory Discussions

Posted on February 3rd, 2012 by

Berkshire Country Day’s Diversity Statement:

“Diversity defines us all as we bring our unique combination of attributes to the Berkshire Country Day community. It is this diversity that enriches and strengthens our school. Each of our identities include race, gender, class (education levels, and income/assets), ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation, age, abilities/disabilities, and language, as well as many other attributes that give shape to self.“

This statement, alongside our Core Values and Mission, helps to guide the faculty and students in their collective work during advisory blocks. Often, an emerging  issue in class will spark a conversation on issues of difference and diversity, however our hope is that this statement become a guiding principal in all of our daily interactions and one that is carried throughout our young students’ lives.

Topics addressed and activities completed during advisory blocks vary widely between grade levels, but  include: how to be a good friend, organizational skills (from using a planner to keeping a cubby clean), how to study for a test, bullying (issues around exclusion and aggression both verbal and non-verbal), understanding plagiarism, managing stress (home and school),  physical wellness and mindfulness (getting enough sleep, exercise and eating well), healthy relationships, sexual orientation, gender issues, Internet safety and chat rooms/communal gaming, and many more.

In addition, a class may use the time to meet with their buddy classes for “down time” and games, peer mentoring, or just a moment to run around outside and be kids–as many did during the advisory blocks of  ERB week. Paul Lindenmaier, John Evans and I circulate among homerooms during advisory blocks and special meetings to address specific topics as well. For example, over the past few months Paul has had several discussions on issues of diversity and privilege, John has opened discussions on bullying, what constitutes inappropriate language and the topic of sexual harassment (what is it and how do I report it?), while I have addressed class dynamics around exclusion, gossiping, and cultural differences.

It is important and rewarding work and I thank our parents who help us to keep the conversation alive beyond our classroom walls.

Regards,

Carmen

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Classics Day

Posted on January 23rd, 2012 by

I had the pleasure of attending my first Classics Day this past Friday. This “Super Bowl ” of  Latin students was impressive, indeed. As the only junior school present, I was all the more proud of how well our students placed in everything from quiz bowls, to art competitions, to recitations. In short, the day was just one more affirmation that BCD students rise to the challenges we present them, with confidence and success.

There are many reasons to study different languages, and as a linguist myself, I can speak from experience that my foundation in Latin only has enhanced my studies of Spanish and French, not to mention English. The study of Latin fosters a precision in the use of words and develops the habit of reading closely and following texts with accuracy. I don’t believe that is is coincidental that our upper school students who take the ERB writing assessment exam (different from the January ERBs), and in which they must write cohesive essays, regularly score well above the national norms. Their facility with the English language can easily be attributed to their training in both Latin and the modern languages they study at BCD. It is known that test scores in elementary schools demonstrate the value of early language training, and this later directly translates into higher testing scores on the high school SATs. Finally, I agree with our department chair, Mrs. Fawcett, that reading, writing and translating Latin sharpens the mind. We are fortunate to have her at the helm of our Latin program.

Congratulations again to our Classics students!

Carmen

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A 27-Syllable Word and a 3-Letter Word

Posted on December 16th, 2011 by

One of the funniest moments during the 6th grade play, Just a Name, was when one of the actors described how her brothers could bring the word “Stupid” to reach 27 syllables in its delivery. A piece filled with angst, humor, and so many truths, Just a Name was remarkable. Over the course of four weeks, director Meg Agnew led our young thespians through a series of theatrical exercises which lent themselves to self-reflection and honest conversations about being 11 years old and in a world filled with social pressures far beyond what we wish were the case. The actors portrayed those internal struggles beautifully and honestly within the poignant script. Congratulations!

Upcoming in January, our students will take the ERB tests (that’s the 3-letter word) for the standardized tests our students complete every year at this time. The ERB’s (Educational Records Bureau) verbal and quantitative tests are given as a means for us to evaluate our students’ abilities in different grade-appropriate topics in both English and math, while providing them an opportunity to develop their familiarity with and bolster their confidence with standardized testing. Each student’s results are produced in a format that allows parents and teachers to see how they did compared to the population that completed the tests nationally.  And, additional information is provided that compares the results to an even more select group of students that attend independent schools like BCD.  While the results are not calculated into their grades for those subjects, the data does allow each department to review its strengths and the areas to which more attention should be given. From year to year, a student’s results can also be a good indicator of the child’s progress while highlighting strengths and weaknesses and areas to support.

The testing will occur the week of January 9-13, every morning for two periods: Monday and Wednesday it will be periods 1 & 2 and Tuesday and Thursday, periods 3 & 4. Friday will be kept as a make-up day in case we have a snow day that week. Feel free to discuss the tests with your children, but also help them to understand that this should not be an anxiety-provoking process, nor are the results a complete reflection of the student they are, but just one piece of the equation.

After careful consideration, we have decided that BCD will no longer forward our students’ test results to the Center for Talented Youth programs at Johns Hopkins, yet parents should feel free to contact CTY directly. We feel that there is a large and diverse group of summer academic opportunities available to our students and encourage parents to investigate those possibilities as well as the Johns Hopkins programs. I, and the faculty, have many wonderful recommendations–use us as a resource! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and have a wonderful Winter break.

Carmen

 

 

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Just a Name

Posted on December 9th, 2011 by

Dear Parents,

Do not miss the upcoming 6th grade play on Tuesday, December 13th at 7pm in Furey Music Room. Student will also perform for their peers on Wednesday, the 14th at 11:30am during our Flex Block.

The cast has had an intensive theater immersion with Director Meg Agnew over the past few weeks. They have worked very hard to craft this wonderful piece. Just a Name is an adaptation of a play by Lindsay Price.   The ensemble gives an “orchestra-like” expression to a series of very “human” moments – blunders, mistakes and bad decisions ending in self-forgiveness and acceptance.  It’s funny, heart-breaking and uplifting.  So come enjoy this courageous group of youngsters!

Hope to see you there!

Carmen

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Reminder: Conference Sign-ups Closing

Posted on November 29th, 2011 by

The Parent/Teacher conference sign-up sheets will close this evening at 9pm.

This  link allows you to access a schedule sheet for each of your child’s teachers. Please type in your name (or your child’s if it is different from yours) in one of the available time slots.

See you on Thursday and Friday,

Carmen

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