April Letter

Dear Parents,

Here we are in one of the busiest times of our school year, and considering the normal pace at TAS, that is saying something. Not only does April and May bring the baseball season, but here on the fourth floor, it brings testing season. This entire week mainstream teachers are administering the CTP4 tests. The best thing you can do to support your child is to make sure s/he gets a good night’s rest and a healthy breakfast. It is impossible to study for these tests and so the best preparation is to be positive with your child and say “Just do your best.” Please note that make up tests are not possible with the CTP4 tests.

Next week is a week off from testing, but features the PTA Spring Book Fair. The first week of May brings more testing upon us with the WRAP writing test on Tuesday May 3 and Wednesday May 4. This is a two day test where students brainstorm and write a draft for the first fifty minutes. They return on Wednesday with another fifty minute time period to put the polish on their final draft.

Our testing season concludes the following week, May 9-13 when Grade five ESL students will be taking their semester ESL tests. In years past, all ESL students in Grade 3-5 would take the tests on the same days. This year due to Camp Taiwan conflicts, we are testing on different days. Please see the testing dates below.

Please let me remind you that a strategic summer plan is essential for your child to consolidate all the linguistic gains s/he has made over the year. There are still spaces in the second session in the Grade 6 English literacy class I am teaching at the TAS Summer Academy. If you will be on island at that time, it is a great opportunity for your child to continue raising his/her English skills to get ready for the official beginning of your child’s TAS middle school career in August.

As at any time, please feel free to contact me at the email address below. This is my outlook email which I use for parental correspondence. My Gmail account is used exclusively for communicating with students. Hope you have a great week.


Warm regards,

Mark S. Gurecki
gureckim@tas.edu.tw


CTP4 Testing April 18-22
WrAP Writing Test May 3, 4
Grade Five ESL Testing May 9-13