No School Monday, February 17-President’s Day
Windows to Learning – Exciting News!
With your help, two greatly needed new spaces will be added to our 7th Street building this summer, funded by our Windows to Learning capital campaign. A big multipurpose space will function as an assembly room, lunchroom, and (drum roll please) indoor gym. And a new music room will offer space for reverberation, instrument storage, a music technology lab, and insulated mini rooms for instrumental sectionals or recording—all located where the glorious sounds will not interfere with other studies. Our goal is for both rooms to be constructed by the start of the new school year, on the south side of the courtyard. The open courtyard will still be bounteously spacious for all of our needs, and even more breathtaking. The construction of these rooms is part of a larger, overall campaign that will support the development of a second Arts Based School, expanding access to the ABS way: inspired learning through the arts. When we placed hundreds of disappointed families on the waiting list this week, we felt even more certain that another school is needed by our community. You can contribute and be part of this important development! What will your legacy to this school be? We invite you to participate to make this campaign a smashing success. Watch Thursday Notes for continuing reports about the Windows to Learning capital campaign. To learn how you can help, please contact ABS Development Director Ellen Coble.
MAP results sent home
Third through Eighth grade students will receive MAP results in their Thursday Packets today. Please take some time to review these results. Overall results show that ABS students in each of those grades achieve higher scores than the national norms in all areas tested: math, science, reading, and language arts. Congratulations to our students and their teachers for a job well done. If you have any questions regarding MAP results, please contact your child’s teacher.
iStation Reading Results Sent Home
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has implemented and required a kindergarten through third grade reading assessment called iStation to help teachers assess, track and support each student’s reading skills. Each student will be assessed every trimester using the online assessment program. iStation will instantly analyze your child’s development in grade-appropriate foundational reading skills. Teachers will use this data to focus their instruction around your child’s specific needs, in areas that may include:
- Hearing and using sounds in spoken words (Phonemic Awareness)
- Knowing sounds of letters and sounding out written words (Alphabetic Principle)
- Reading words in stories easily, quickly, and correctly (Accuracy and Fluency)
- Understanding what they read (Reading Comprehension)
In this week’s Thursday Packet, you will receive your child’s specific assessment results. Parent support and reading at home are a vital part of your child’s education. The teacher’s efforts, combined with your support, will help your child read with mastery and confidence. If you have any questions about the assessment, the activities, or your child’s classroom work and progress, please talk to your child’s teacher.
Yearbook Ordering
Last year we sold out of yearbooks AND sold out of our reprint! Make sure you have your copy by ordering today! Orders can be placed by visiting the Strawbridge website and clicking the red “Order Pictures and Yearbooks” button at the top of the page. The price is $22 and our school code is YB106312.
Summer Camp registration is now OPEN to ABS families. Be sure to visit our website to register your child while spaces are still available.
Last Box Tops collection is scheduled for Friday, February 21st.
Skate Night Tuesday Feb. 18
The K-Kids are sponsoring Skate Night on Tuesday, February 18, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Skate Haven, 120 Hood Drive. Money collected from this event will support “Be the Match,” an organization combating blood cancers and sickle cell disease. So MATCH UP – bring a friend and dress alike! For more information about this cause, click here.
Inclement Weather
In the event of inclement weather, ABS will announce school closings on local TV
channels, under “The Arts Based School”. This information will also be posted on the ABS website.
Around town:
Ovation Sound: Indoor Yard Sale, 801 N Liberty, Sunday, Feb. 16, 11:00-5:00
Ovation Sound is an ABS-family-owned business, a generous partner family who voluntarily introduce ABS students to professional sound studios, share expert musicianship and recording skills, even providing repair of our guitar fleet. They have acquired a new studio space, within walking distance from ABS! Their rummage sale this Sunday features items left behind in this new space, at bargain yard sale prices, including:
CDs, camping gear, power and hand tools wood scraps kitchen utensils and dishes, (silverware, knives, cooking utensils, furniture, electronics, and some large, industrial-grade kitchen appliances. And…a bonus… Girl Scout Cookies!