Thanks to those of you who were able to make it out to the PTA meeting to hear about PARCC and to take a dive into what PARCC looks and feels like for the students. Below is a link to the Power Point that was shared with parents, with some very helpful links to information about the assessment as well as ways to do some PARCC practice items. I hope the information provides useful for you!

Best,
Peter Young

PARCC Parent Session Presentation

Learn About PARCC: A Conversation for Parents Who Are Curious
Have you been wondering what Brent’s PARCC scores mean? Are you interested to learn about the PARCC assessment as it is experienced by students? Do you have questions about how the PARCC impacts teaching and learning at Brent? Come to the conversation on January 20th at 6:30 p.m. to talk about these topics and get a closer look at the PARCC. Whether you have children in the upper grades or not, this session will be a way to consider this new assessment and its ramifications at our school. All are welcome and childcare is available. We may gather somewhere other than the cafeteria, so look for directional signs in the front hallway upon arrival.

If you plan on attending, please RSVP by clicking on the link below so that we can prepare the correct quantity of materials. Thank you!

PARCC Parent Session

Can you use it in a sentence please? What is the origin of the word? Can I have the definition? This month Brent is all a buzz with the sounds of a spelling bee! It all starts with classroom-level competitions that will be held on Thursday, January 21st for grades 3, 4 and 5. The top four spellers from each classroom will then represent their class in the Brent School Spelling Bee on Tuesday, January 26th at 10:00 a.m. The school’s top three spellers will then advance to represent Brent in the Cluster Competitions, where they will compete with students from other schools to qualify for the city-wide competition. Please note that the rules state that only students in grades 4 and up are eligible for the Cluster Competition, so our school bee will serve as a practice round for Grade 3 students in order for them to become even more competitive next year. Students have already received their spelling word study lists, so we encourage parents to help them review the words at home. More information and study tips will be provided later.

Brent is excited to announce that Friday, January 22nd will be Team Spirit Day. Students and staff are asked to wear something that represents a team, group, or community that they are proud to be a part of (i.e., Washington Redskins, Capitol Kicks, Brent ES). In the week leading up to January 22nd, classes will discuss what it means to be a good team member and will participate in a variety of team building activities. To support our emphasis on teamwork, students are encouraged to create a visual representation (i.e., a poster, poem, and/or drawing) that shows what teamwork means to them. These representations will be displayed on a first floor bulletin board. Go team!