Dear Families,

In case you haven’t heard yet, the school is hosting its Second Annual PARENT Dance on Friday, February 1! If it has been awhile since you’ve been out dancing, the Amigos Student Council invites you - our busy parents - to a night out without kids. DJ Battisimus is ready to honor your song requests and some upper school students have agreed to assist in childcare for siblings (in a limited capacity) here at the school while you dance the night away! Please make sure to RSVP so we know how many people to expect. We hope to see you there!

From time to time you may hear your child come home talking about reading and math screeners. These screeners are part of the Massachusetts Tiered System of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. The reading and math screeners make up part of the academic component of MTSS. Each student participates in the screeners throughout the school year and they help us to know who may need additional support in reading or math. They also help us to see how our students are performing in comparison to national benchmarks. If you are interested in learning more about MTSS, please check in with your student’s teacher or one of our instructional coaches.

Ms. Greene, our Physical Education teacher for grades K-5, has a student teacher joining her this semester. Her name is Libby Bacher, and she is a Boston University graduate student studying for her physical education licensure. She is originally from New Hampshire, and attended undergrad at Elon University in North Carolina. Her favorite physical activity is running, and she is about to start training for her third marathon! She is really looking forward to getting to know all of the students throughout the rest of this year! Please join me in welcoming her to Amigos.

I want to remind families of the River Street Reconstruction project that is about to begin. The River Street Reconstruction project will upgrade the sanitary sewer, stormwater and water subsurface infrastructure while developing a new surface design for River Street, the bus terminal area at River and Magazine Streets near Central Square, and Carl Barron Plaza. If you would like to be on the River Street mailing list to receive updates, sign up here. In addition, a Working Group has been formally established for this project. The first meeting will be held on January 29th, from 6-8pm at the Manning Apartments 1st Floor Community Room at 237 Franklin Street in Cambridge. There will also be public meetings held for the project throughout the year. If you have any questions about the project or input to provide now, or in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Justin Schreiber ([email protected]), the Assistant Transportation Planner, or Tegin Teich ([email protected]), the Community Development Department project manager for the public process during the design, or Jerry Friedman ([email protected]), the overarching DPW project manager.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Sarah Bartels-Marrero
Principal

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Estimadas familias,

En caso de que aún no se hayan enterado, la escuela está organizando su “Segundo Baile Anual para Padres, Madres y Tutores” el viernes, 1 de febrero. Si ha pasado ya un tiempo desde que salieron a bailar, el Consejo Estudiantil de Amigos les invita -nuestros ocupad@s adult@s- a una noche de fiesta sin niñ@s. DJ Battisimus está listo para honrar sus peticiones de canciones y algunos estudiantes se han comprometido en asistir con el cuidado de herman@s menores (en una capacidad limitada) aquí en la escuela mientras ¡ustedes bailan toda la noche! Por favor, asegúrese de confirmar su asistencia para que sepamos cuánta gente puede esperar. Tod@s están invitad@s no sólo las familias de la escuela intermedia. ¡Esperamos verlos allí!

De vez en cuando ustedes pueden escuchar a su hij@ llegar a casa hablando sobre evaluaciones de lectura y matemáticas. Estos exámenes son parte del Sistema de Apoyo por Niveles de Massachusetts (MTSS, por sus siglas en inglés). MTSS es un enfoque de varios niveles para la identificación temprana y el apoyo de l@s estudiantes con necesidades de aprendizaje y comportamiento. Los exámenes de lectura y matemáticas forman parte del componente académico del MTSS. Cada estudiante participa en los exámenes a lo largo del año escolar y nos ayudan a saber quién puede necesitar apoyo adicional en lectura o matemáticas. También nos ayudan a ver cómo se están desempeñando nuestr@s estudiantes en comparación con los puntos de referencia nacionales. Si usted está interesad@ en aprender más sobre MTSS, por favor hable con el maestr@ de su estudiante o con una de nuestras formadoras de instrucción.

La Sra. Greene, nuestra maestra de Educación Física para los grados K-5, tiene a una estudiante practicante que la acompaña este semestre. Su nombre es Libby Bacher, y es una estudiante graduada de la Universidad de Boston que estudia para su licencia de educación física. Ella es originaria de New Hampshire, y asistió a la Universidad de Elon en Carolina del Norte. Su actividad física favorita es correr y está a punto de empezar a entrenar para su tercer maratón (a lo mejor la podemos motivar para ayudarnos con la carrera Ragner). ¡Ella está deseando conocer a tod@s l@s estudiantes durante el resto de este año! Por favor, únanse a mí para darle la bienvenida a Amigos.

Quiero recordar a las familias del proyecto de reconstrucción de la Calle River que está a punto de comenzar. El proyecto de reconstrucción de la Calle River mejorará la infraestructura de alcantarillado sanitario, aguas pluviales y agua subterránea y desarrollará un nuevo diseño de superficie para la Calle River, el área de la terminal de autobuses en las calles River y Magazine, cerca de Central Square, y la Plaza Carl Barron. Si desea estar en la lista de correo de River Street para recibir actualizaciones, inscríbase aquí. Además, se ha establecido formalmente un Grupo de Trabajo para este proyecto. La primera reunión tendrá lugar el 29 de enero, de 6 a 8 de la tarde, en el salón comunitario de Manning Apartments 1st Floor, en el 237 Franklin Street de Cambridge. También se celebrarán reuniones públicas para el proyecto durante todo el año. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre el proyecto o alguna sugerencia que hacer ahora o en el futuro, no dude en ponerse en contacto con Justin Schreiber ([email protected]), o con Tegin Teich ([email protected]), el gerente de proyectos del Departamento de Desarrollo Comunitario para el proceso público durante el diseño, o con Jerry Friedman ([email protected]), el gerente general del proyecto DPW.

¡Que tengan un lindo fin de semana!

Atentamente,

Sarah Bartels-Marrero
Directora

Reminders
Parking
Please remember that there is no parking in the bus lane in front of the school during arrival and dismissal times.

Friends of Amigos
FOA is looking for a new treasurer. Please let us know if you are interested. 

School Schedules
READ HERE: Questions and Answers About School Schedules

Volunteer
Sign up to help in the cafeteria! Helping Hands.

New Playground
Read our rules about the new playground!

Amigos Store
Our first Amigos Store is up and running! If you’ve had your eye on an Amigos sweatshirt, bag or sticker, please visit El mercado de Amigos to order yours now.

Chaperoning
All parents must fill out a CORI form at least 2 weeks in advance before chaperoning field trips or volunteering in the school.

Family Liaison
Lillian Rater, will be offering office hours. Her office hours will be by appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays 9 - 11AM. You can contact her by email or at 617.349.6315.

Recordatorios
Por favor recuerden que no hay estacionamiento en el carril de autobuses frente a la escuela durante las horas de llegada y salida.

¡FOA está buscando un/a nuev@ tesorer@! Favor de dejarnos saber si le interesa.

LEAN AQUÍ: Preguntas y respuestas sobre los horarios escolares de las Escuelas Públicas de Cambridge

Sign up to help in the cafeteria! Helping Hands 

Lean las reglas para el nuevo patio de recreo

¡Nuestra primera tienda Amigos ya está abierta! Si usted ha tenido el ojo puesto en una sudadera, bolsa o pegatina de Amigos, por favor visite El mercado de Amigos para ordenar la suya ahora.

Tod@s l@s padres, madres o guardianes deben completar un formulario CORI con al menos 2 semanas de anticipación antes de acompañar las excursiones o trabajar de voluntari@s en la escuela.

Lillian Rater, ofrecerá horas de oficina. Éstas serán por cita previa los martes y viernes de 9AM a 11AM. Pueden contactarla en [email protected] o al 617.349.6315. 

Rindge Avenue Upper Campus Presents
Speaker Series for Parents
Friday, January 25, 2019 | 6 - 8PM
Nearly half of students in grades 7-12 reported experiencing sexual harassment in the previous year and 87% describe negative effects such as absenteeism and poor sleep. And more than ever before, socializing, exploring identity, and dating often occur between texts and social media, raising new challenges and positive opportunities. How can we as parents mentor our children to engage in healthy behaviors? How can we foster their confidence and capacity to solve problems and build their independence, while at the same time providing appropriate support and supervision as adults? If you have a child currently in grade 6-9 AND/OR this information would be beneficial for you, we invite you to join us. Participate in this interactive workshop and come away with new resources, skills and perspectives for you and your family. View the Flyer >>

Connect With Us / Conéctense
Facebook | Twitter | District Social Media

In Our Community
What are you doing after school this winter? 
The Winter/Spring Resource Guide, compiled by the Middle School Network, gathers together the MANY options for outside of school opportunities for middle school students (grades 6-8). It includes many year long programs (that young people join at all different points of the year) and a lot of unique programming for just Winter and Spring: sports, media, academic help, leadership and even some early job opportunities for older kids! To see about signing up and getting started in any of these opportunities, contact Mariel Santos Dugan.

Intent vs. Impact: Exploring Microaggressions and Tools for Change
Saturday, January 26 | 12Noon - 2PM
CRLS Main Cafeteria
Join us for a city-wide community workshop on understanding implicit bias and macro/microaggressions. View the flyer >>

Book Talk
February 12 | 6-7:30PM
Dr. MLK School, 102 Putnam Avenue
You're invited to a book talk with authors Danielle Allen and Mira T. Lee. Learn more >>

Immigration Legal Screening Clinics
3rd Wednesday each month, 5:15-7:15PM
Free consultations with an immigration attorney for Massachusetts immigrants and their families
Community Legal Services & Counseling Center (CLSACC)
90 Third St., Cambridge
617.349.4396; [email protected] 
See flyer >>

Cambridge Affordable Housing Information Sessions
Learn about the eligibility requirements and application process for the following programs Cambridge Rental and Homeownership Programs: Inclusionary Housing Rental Program for studios, 1BR, 2BR, & 3BR units
throughout Cambridge, Homeowner Resale Pool, First-Time Homebuyer Workshop, Downpayment Assistance, and HomeBridge. Open to all. No RSVP Necessary. Learn more >>