Good day,

As you know, the report cards went out on Thursday. I was pleased at the amount of parents who came out to meet with me. Some where for the first time . It was a real pleasure to meet with you all. I did give much time to answer all of your questions and concerns and to navigate you through  the new Archdiocese  report card format.

Many of you were pleased with your child's grades. some of you were not. Needless to say , there were many criteria which led to the arrival of your students grades.

I am pleased with the overall improvement with the class's academics, but there is much work to be done on the behavioral side. Please continue to speak to your child about the importance completing all classwork and homework assignments on time.

I have implemented a new behavior strategy that seems to be working. Also, there will no longer be a grace period for missed homework  assignments. The old policy was a one day completion window, but since many students were taking advantage of that policy. The new policy is that the homework is due the very next day. I  will no longer accept the excuses such as , " I left my book in school ," or  "I forgot ."

The student will receive a "0" for the missed assignment. There are some excuses  that I will accept. This is due to the fact that many of my students were taking advantage of my generous and liberal homework policy. 

We have a half day on Wednesday and the school will be closed on Thursday and Friday for observance of Thanksgiving. For those of you who have donated foods to our food drive, ' Thank You ! "

We will have a Science exam on Tuesday on labeling and defining the parts of an animal cell and plant cell. My students also need to know the functions of their respective parts as well. This is a test, not an exam . It will carry more weight as it is graded than a quiz.

Lastly, My sixth grade class will also be receiving a retest on the classroom and school rules and policies this Wednesday, if time permits, for many of my students need to be reminded of what the school and myself expect of them and how they  are to conduct themselves. It will count as a quiz and it must be signed by the parent and returned promptly. I will keep it on file so that the student knows and acknowledges that he/she has taken the quiz and understands  the rules and consequences.

As always, I will review all subject matter for all my quizzes and exams before administering the test. Please encourage your child to read, read ,read !

I wish all  of my students and their families  a wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving. It would be a really nice thing to give back to others who are less fortunate than ourselves. As a suggestion, My family and I have volunteered at a Soup kitchen/ Homeless  shelter on Webster Ave. in the Bronx for many years. It is  called P.O.T.S. (Part of The Solution) It is a great way to help people, spend family time together and to teach our children the importance of giving back. This is just a suggestion!  

As always, I remain yours in Christ !

Mr. Maselli