Here’s the Scoop!
 
We have a new assistant principal at the Trotter Innovation School!
 
Please come welcome and meet Mrs. Stacy Mark and enjoy some sweet ice cream with your Trotter friends.
 
Tuesday, August 23rd
5:30-7:00PM
Trotter School Playground
 
Please RSVP.
Call the Trotter (617) 635-8225
Email mnolan@bostonpublicschools.org
 
 
 

I am very excited to be joining the Trotter team as your new assistant principal.  I say "your" assistant principal because I am here to work for the students and families in our community.  I am committed to not only making sure that our students get an outstanding education, but that we also work to ensure social justice for everyone in this great neighborhood.  I will be hosting a coffee hour and ice cream social on Tuesday, August 23rd (see Parent's Page for times) and I hope to meet a lot of you at one of these socials.  I will also be callling our families, starting at the eighth grade, throughout the month of August and September to introduce myself.  Please feel free to come in and say hello while we prepare for the return of our students!

Fifth grade students have been working very hard in math this term.  As we near the end of the semester, we have developed our skills in number sense and decimals.  Students have reviewed addition, subtraction, multplication and division.  We have learned how to round to any place value and how to perform all of these operations with decimals.  We are moving on to fractions next, and we are looking forward to learning how to add fractions with different denominators.  

Please continue to support your child by looking over homework and making sure it is completed.  If your child's answers are incorrect, please redo the questions on a separate sheet of paper and leave the answers incorrect on his/her paper.  This allows me to see where they need additional support.  Letters have been sent home offering extra support on Monday afternoons.  If your child received one please return on Monday.  Parents will be responsible for picking students up at 4:30, unless they go to an afterschool program.  Thank you!

Today students  were shining at a students who were strugaling but mostly doing fine.  Also today, they didn`t  clap when Ms. Yousifi clapped at lunch.  In reading we learned Amazon horned frogs can camouflage with their horns under a leaf and it can eat prey the size of a dinner plate.  It can't it larger things than itself.  If you step on one it can defend itself and attack humans.  - Student reporter:  Anthony L.  In math we learned to find a fraction on a number line and to show how many jumps and how many spaces to find the numerator and denominator.

Welcome to Room 212!  It was wonderful to meet many of my new students and their families last night at Family Orientation.  I am very excited about this school year and the opportunities that UP Education Network has in store for our children.  Teachers have been hard at work since August 1st planning fun but rigorous lessons that will both challenge and engage our students.  The classroom is almost ready to welcome you and I hope that you will find it to be comfortable and motivational. 

Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 27th.  Students are expected to be at school no later than 7:45 a.m., and by 7:15 a.m. if they would like breakfast.  The first day is an early dismissal day, and students will be dismissed at 12:30 pm.  Make sure to contact me if your child will be going home a different way than as originally planned.  Students MUST be in full uniform.  Students not in uniform will not be admitted into the classroom.  Students do not need any supplies on the first day, but are encouraged to bring a bookbag.

As stated during orientation, we welcome you into our classrooms at any time.  I just ask that you do not interrupt any teaching and learning time during your visit.  It is always best to reach out to me prior to your visit so that I can have any materials ready for you that might be needed.  Please remember that all visitors must check in at the office before entering other areas of the building.  I look forward to working with all of you this year as we challenge your students and push them to achieve at the highest level.  ~ Mrs. Mark

Hello everyone,

As we near the end of the school year please remember that students are expected to be in school EVERY school day, including the last day.  We are learning important skills for fourth grade during these last few weeks. Missing school also sends a message that it is not important to attend.  It is not acceptable to start your child's summer early.  Thank you.

Our schedule for the next few days:

Wednesday, 6/18 Full Day 
Thursday, 6/19  Full Day
Friday, 6/20  Full Day
Monday, 6/23 Full Day
Tuesday, 6/24 Half Day
Wednesday, 6/25 Half Day - Last day of School -- Report Cards Distributed

~ Mrs .Mark

Welcome to our final countdown to the last day of school, which will be a half-day on June 25th.  Tuesday, June 24th will also be a half day.  Please remember that I will be teaching lessons EVERY day, including the last day of school, to prepare your child for fourth grade.  Students should continue to be on time and ready to learn every day of June.

Monday is ORANGE day in room 212 for our alphabet countdown.  If your child has something orange to wear that would be great, but please do not go out and buy something.  All of our alphabet countdown activities are optional.  

A flyer was sent home on Friday to let you know that there will be a family information meeting for Up Academy Holland on Wednesday, June 11th from 6:30 - 7:30.  JB Edwards Uniform will also be there on the 11th from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. for uniform fittings for next year (small cafeteria).

The first day of school for your fourth graders attending Up Academy Holland will be on August 27th.  Family Orientation sessions will be held on August 20th and 21st.  Please visit their website  for a complete school calendar.  I am excited to announce that I will be the third grade lead teacher for for UAH next year, and I look forward to greeting your children in August as they move on to fourth grade.

Have a great weekend! ~ Mrs. Mark

Hello everyone!  It has been nice to enjoy some spring weather and some outdoor recess.  A couple of parents recently asked why I didn't make students do their missing homework at recess.  Although I do occasionally have some students come in and do their work at this time, it is rare and it is for reteaching, not punishment. Research has shown the following about taking away recess:

• It does not change behavior.  It is the same 4 or 5 children every day who are not doing their homework, and taking away recess will not make them start doing it.  Only the family can change this behavior.
• This is my 20 miinutes of lunch time, and I like to use this time to connect with students and families, eat with children who need some counseling, talk to clinicians, etc.  It is a better use of my time to help children deal with anger, loss, and trauma and reduce behavior problems in class.
• Homework is expected to be completed at home.  It is the responsibility of the family to make sure that it is finished and returned to school.  I provide the assignments, post it on the board, review it, and post it on my website. 
• Students NEED exercise to learn.  Exercise helps the brain to connect to new material and retain it in their memory and play helps to develop creativity and cooperation.  For many students this is the only exercise they get each day.

If your child is having difficulty getting homework done, or getting it back to school, there are some things you can do to help him/her:

• Schedule a specific time for homework, and do not waiver from this time.  Most children do better if they go home and have a snack and then do the homework. Make sure it is well before bedtime.  If your child does their homework somewhere else before coming home, schedule a time to check it over.
• Do not allow your child to watch television or do other leisure activities until you have checked the homework and have supervised it being packed into the folder/bag.
• Make it your child's responsibility to do homework.  I only assign work that we have already reviewed, and so you should allow your child to do the work independently.  If he/she cannot complete the assignment, it is important for me to know that.  Just write a note on the paper and I will reteach it to him/her.  

I am always available to sit down with you and develop a home-based homework plan with your child.  Children will have more and more homework as they age, and it is important that you help them to develop good study habits at an early age. ~ Mrs. Mark