For daily announcements and homework, please view my SchoolNotes Page. However, if we continue to use the Google Classroom for the 2021 - 2022 school year, all important information will be posted there. I shall continue to save school paper by posting many of my handouts online at this site. Whenever a parent response form is required to be returned, the parents may simply print out that page. Since the documents will remain on this site as reference for the entire year, there is no need to print out the whole document unless the parent desires to do so.


                                                                                    October 17, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

          Although Progress Reports were distributed on Friday, a number of situations are making it very difficult to give an exact idea of the progress of some students. As I mentioned at the beginning of the school year, I have a very generous “new student discount” policy that permits me to drop more than the customary number of “poorer grades” at the time of the first report card due to the need for the students to make the transition to the middle school level. However, a number of students have not been consistently in class during the first four weeks of the school year. While I may be able to drop those “missed grading opportunities,’ it seriously limits the number of other grades that I may be able to drop.

     On Tuesday, I shall be returning the second major test of the first quarter. At the bottom of each test, I have written the "Weekly Homework Average" and the "Weekly 'Check Quiz' Average. As mentioned above, no grades are dropped until the first report card. Loose leaf homework is returned the following day and online assignment grades are posted on the respective websites. All parents should be able to have their children show them these results. If a student is unable to do so, it probably means that the grade was not good. Absent students should be looking at the Google Classroom for the posted class work and homework assignments so they do not fall behind. Within a reasonable amount of time upon a student's return to class, they should be able to show me the completed class work in the notebook and the completed homework assignments on loose leaf. In addition, the weekly individualized programs on Dreambox and MobyMax need to be addressed consistently. While I never worry about any one grade, it is hoped that the students will use their past mistakes to prevent a repeat situation on the next test. a cumulative test for which the grade can be doubled to replace a previously lower grade entirely.

     Before closing, there are a few items that I need to mention to the eighth grade parents. First, Mr. Naccari has informed me that the public school portal has finally been opened. He has requested that the parents contact him if they wish for him to set up an account for their child. Needless to say, the child must be a resident of New York City to apply for these schools. Second, I really must remind the eighth grade students that they should be lined up by the door and ready to move in by 7:45 AM. I spend too much of my first period math time changing the attendance information. Not only do late students miss part of my math presentations, but they also interfere with the amount of time I can give to answering possible questions. I have been placing almost daily reminders in the Google Classroom, but some students continue to come late almost every day. I would certainly appreciate any help you may be able to give in this matter. Finally, the students will all be wearing the regular "winter" uniform beginning tomorrow. With the new schedule, gym classes for the middle school are now conducted on Tuesdays. Mr. Naccari gave all the students a reminder on Friday at the end of the day. Except on gym day, only all black footwear (shoes or sneakers) may be worn.

     I thank you for your attention to the above matters, and I certainly look forward to working together with you as the school year continues.

                                                                                                              Respectfully yours,

                                                                                                              Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                                                    October 4, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     As you know by now, we began the MAP testing program this past Thursday, and the remaining tests are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of this week. The first Math 8 tests will be returned on Tuesday, and the second Math 7 test on Pearson Lessons 1-6 to 1-8 will take place at the end of the week. Once again, I remind you that I do not necessarily worry about any one grade; however, it is important that all corrections be completed in the student's notebook so they can avoid a similar error on a future cumulative test. Please review the whole picture for consistency of performance.

     The eighth grade successfully sponsored two major events this past week. After a year's absence, the class was able to organize what had been out traditional "First Grade Buddy Welcoming Party." I know it took much work "behind the scenes" to conduct this event, but both classes enjoyed a wonderful Friday afternoon, and it was a joy to watch. On Saturday, we held our first car wash since October 2019, and it was a big success. I cannot thank the parents enough for taking charge and keeping everyone focused on the task at hand. Since we had to work in shifts to insure safety, it was even more challenging than it has ever been in the past; but inspired by the parents, the students rose to the occasion to do all that was required to get the job done. I certainly look forward to whatever other ideas the Class of 2022 and their parents can make work. 

                                                                                                                Respectfully yours,

                                                                                                                Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


 
                                                               September 16, 2021

Dear Middle School Parents,

     I am very sorry that the "Back to School" nights with the seventh and sixth grade parents didn't go as well as planned. Since I am just getting used to the names of the students in both of those classes, I did not really always know who was making some of the disrespectful comments. I certainly know that it wasn't any of the parents of our students because I know that you treasure the same Christian values that I strive to model for your children each day.

     To summarize the most important points, I shall make a few brief statements:

      Grade 6: Do not stress over any one grade. I always have plenty of grades to allow for a fair assessment. It is the
                     consistency of the performance that is important.

                     Check your child's homework when it is returned each day. Help them to improve by following the
                      constructive written comments. 

                     Check your child's notebook. You should see the date and the objective [written in red] at the top of the page.
                     If notes were given in class, they should be written before any class work is done. Each set of directions, the
                     original example, and all computation work steps should be neatly organized. For word problems, a full
                     sentence answer statement is required.

                     In a separate folder, the student should keep loose leaf pages on which one example of each set of
                     directions is written. If they take a few extra moments to do this each day, it will not become a major chore
                     just before the Cumulative Test.
 
     Grade 7: In addition to some of the ideas expressed above, it is important that the students in the two math groups
                    [Math 7 and Math 8] be properly completing all assigned work while I am working with the other group. This
                    includes any online assignments in Dreambox, MobyMax, and Khan Academy,

                    I also suggest that the seventh grade families begin the process of looking at some possible high school
                    choices for their children. You really do not want to wait until eighth grade!

     Grade 8: Needless to say, this was the most successful meeting of the night. I ask both the parents and the students to
                    work together for a memorable final year under our present challenging circumstances.

                    With respect to recommendations, I will handle the math ones, but I ask that the English ones be given to a
                     person who has taught the subject to your child more that a few months.

                    Once again, I thank you for your feedback, and I really do apologize for the very rude behavior to which our
                    seventh and six grade parents were subjected. At times, I wasn't even sure which person was speaking.

                                                                           Respectfully yours,

                                                                           Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

 P.S. The parent response form is found in the documents below: Introductory Letter with Response Sheet for Grade 8
         Parents 2021 - 2022,



   


                                                              September 14, 2021

Dear Middle School Parents,

        On Thursday, September 16, from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM, we will have a vitual "Back to School night. The teachers agreed on the following schedule that will enable us to speak with our homerooms last:

                      Mr. McCarthy:     7:00 PM - Grade 7
                                                 7:15 PM - Grade 6
                                                 7:30 PM - Grade 8

                      Ms. O"Beirne -   7:00 PM - Grade 6
                                                7:15 PM - Grade 8
                                                7:30 PM - Grade 7

                      Mrs. Ness -       7:00 PM - Grade 8
                                               7:15 PM - Grade 7
                                               7:30 PM - Grade 6

          The invitation to my Zoom meetings is as follows:

                Hi there, 

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 
When: Sep 16, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvdOmtqDoqG9Rohbn4rf5nxlsosCG0mDul 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  



                                                                 September 9, 2021

Dear Students and Parents,   

         Below you will find a link for information about Xavier High School in Manhattan:


https://www.xavierhs.org/controls/email_marketing/view_in_browser.aspx?sid=81&gid=1&sendId=2757657&ecatid=13&puid=b1b0b75d-b2c7-4f1f-82c8-1d3dfd8a627d#:~:text=View%20in%20browser,10011%20United%20States

                                                                                      Respectfully yours,

                                                                   Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


 
                                                                                        September 7, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     It has not been the easiest of summers for me, and I certainly appreciate the prayerful support from the Saint Gabriel Family. School is set to begin tomorrow morning, and very few middle school students have signed into the new Google Classrooms that have been posted on my Class Page below since August 28th. Just as the 2021 Google Classes were different from the 2020 ones, the same hold true for the upcoming school year. While reminders will definitely be given by the homeroom teachers tomorrow, there is no time like the present to get started. 

     With respect to the eighth grade, no book report was required on the summer reading assignment. The students were just required to take notes according to the directions given in the letter that still appears below in the "\Document" section. I will not be collecting the notebook the first day as my "opening prayer service" and the beginning of a general review of class policies will probably take up a majority of the morning. I am looking forward to welcoming the Saint Gabriel Class of 2022 to what I believe will be an interesting and challenging year.

                                                                               Respectfully yours,

                                                                               Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                                                          August 24, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

      I am getting ready to archived last year's Google Classrooms and set up the ones for the coming year. In the days ahead, I shall also be setting up my new classes in the other online sites that were used last year. Below I am providing you with the Google Classroom Codes for the 2021-2022 school year:

Morning Prayer for Grade 8 [if we return to remote learning]:  z2nmrkv

Math 9:  vx6q3uy

Math 8:  dilhcpu

Math 7-8:  xwxgr3d

Math 7:  tql4nyc

Math 6:  lqmepii

Religion 8:  57c6pii

English Language Arts 8:    5i4bfnt

     As I indicated below, I am assuming that you will follow the same procedure to join the classes as was followed last year when we went to hybrid learning.
For students new to the school, I will provide instructions once you have been assigned student school email addresses. I shall also be replacing the documents below with the new ones for 2020-2021 a little at a time. I really need to know my eighth grade class roster for some of the items. For now, however, I will do my major posting on this Class Page.

     Please keep well and safe in the remaining summer days ahead.

                                                  Respectfully yours,

                                                  Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                        August 18, 2022

Dear Parents and Students,

     I have just been informed that Dreambox has promoted all students to their new grades for the 2021-2022 school year. This does not affect my students from last year. Your progress will continue to be reported to me. Now, however, I can view the progress of my new sixth graders. I really wish they had done this in June so I could get some indication of what is ahead. Nevertheless, I will at least see your progress in the few remaining weeks. Although a few more documents need to be added, many of the important ones are already there.

                                                                   Respectfully yours,
                                                                   Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy

                                                    August 14, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     Unfortunately, it has been a very challenging summer for me with personal family issues with which some of you are familiar. I have been reviewing the Dreambox performance weekly on Saturdays, and I sent messages to the students last Saturday after reviewing each student's "Standards Mastery Profile." I am slowly updating the documents at the bottom of my Class Page as much as I am able until I have a full understanding of how we are going to proceed. Yesterday's message from the Archdiocese did indicate that we would be returning to full "in person" instruction; however, we will still be enforcing the suggested CDC protocols. I certainly appreciate all prayers that have been sent my way, and I hope that you safely enjoy the remaining time of the vacation period.

                                                             Respectfully yours,

                                                             Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy 

                                                    July 14, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     I want to thank the parents and students who brought to my attention the problem with logging in to the Dreambox program last week. I am happy to announce that the Archdiocese and Dreambox have worked to resolve the problem. Dreambox is now up and running again; therefore, the students may continue to work on the five lessons per week that the Archdiocese requested the teachers to assign. I shall continue to check the Archdiocesan reports on Saturdays as I did throughout the school year. Please continue to be well and to enjoy a safe summer.

                                                                    Respectfully yours,

                                                                    Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


 
                                                     June 28, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     Please be advised that I have posted a video in the Google Classroom. It is based on the limited photos I was able to take this year. It was posted in the Math classes for Math 7-8, Math 7, and Math 6, and the Religion class for the graduating Class of 2021. I hope you enjoy the effort!

                                                                     Respectfully yours,

                                                                      Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy



                                                        June 22, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     Following the instructions below, I have sent the final report cards to the requested email addresses: Katherine Barrio, Daniela Hernandez, Mia Sanchez, Nyla Anderson, Elisavet Mitskaris, DucAn Le, Clevisa Bujaj, Brianna Eugenio, Avery Garcia, Liam Rausch, Matthew Reyes, Vincent Humphreys, Adrian Betances, Francis O'Rourke, Alana Rivera, Liani Bueso, Jaidaly Cruz, Tylan Mercado, Keira Reddington, Haralamby Mila-Rus, Ian Gatmaitan, and Spencer Synek Diluzio.

     For the other classes, I have posted the important documents at the top of my Documents Section below.

     Have a great summer, and thank you for the end of the year gifts. Please remember, however, that the greatest gift is your hardworking child.

                                                                 Respectfully yours,

                                                                 Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy


                                                       June 20, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     First of all, I would like to wish all of the fathers a "Happy Father's Day." As the students know there are two more "dress down" half-days remaining in the present school year. We had a number of surprise interruptions on the last two days of last week; therefore, anything I say is tentative since this is our first hybrid ending to a school year.

      I wish to express my appreciation to the eighth grade parents who pulled off a great "Eighth Grade Graduation Picnic" last Thursday afternoon. I regret that all members of the class were not able to attend that special occasion. I know that I certainly ate enough food to qualify for another diet, and I brought home enough food for two more days of meals. My mother really enjoyed the container of cookies that I brought to her at the end of the day. She has always been a big fan of desserts. I also wish to express my sincere appreciation for the very generous "Class Gift," as well as the other variety of gifts that were recently given to me. I always say that gifts are nice and apprecited, but the greatest gift you can ever give me is a student who works hard to meet the high standards I require.

     I really have no idea what this week's schedule will allow. Unfortunately, math is a subject that builds upon the foundation established in the previous grades. Therefore, I shall be providing notes, materials, and suggested assignments. It is always interesting to see which students continue to respond when the year is just about over. As always, the objectives are posted in the Google Classroom.

     With respect to "Move Up Day," I shall be providing the students with handouts that will subsequently be posted in the "Documents Section" below. As a matter of fact, anything any parent needs to know is permanently posted in that section. For the eighth grade I will be providing a supply list, the summer reading assignment, and some suggestions for Class Activities in the year ahead. Unfortunately, everything is tentative, depending on how quickly we are able to return to the normal class experience. The students in the sixth and seventh grades are asked to review both my supply list and the Jr. High Math Grading Policy I use under normal circumstances.

     Whether you agree or not, the Archdiocese will be monitoring the weekly use of the Dreambox program in which they have invested a serious amount of money. Although the teachers are not required to monitor the students, the weekly reports are sent to us. I usually do check the weekly reports and send comments through the Google Classroom. I shall also supply the parents with information about the "Legends of Learning" Math Program, one that I have used during the school year because the students seem to like the "game format." I am pleased with the quality of the math practice and problems that are found in the program, and I have played several of the games myself. At 70, I am not really a "video game" person, as I grew up in the "Age of Board Game." Even in my thirties, my five year old cousins could beat me easily in the early age of video games. Nevertheless, if it keeps the students interested in learning math, I say, "Go for it!" The program also has games in science; however, I have never investigated that area. All of the necessary information will be posted on the top of my Documents Section before the end of the week.

     Awards will also be presented this week. I believe I was told that there would be a presentation on both Monday and Tuesday. The homeroom teachers will be making the decisions there. With respect to report cards, I am following the same procedure as for the previous three. The parent sends me a request with the child's name and report card. I shall simply attach the report card and hit the "send' button. All of my comments are on the report cards for all three classes. As of Monday afternoon, June 21, 2021, I have only received ten parent requests for the report card.

     On Wednesday, I am scheduled to be at Sacred Heart High School to help with the administration of the Algebra 1 Regents. Only a few students sent a response to my inquiry about attendance at this exam. I am hoping that Mr. Naccari has had a beeter response since Sacred Heart has been so gracious to accommodate our students over the years. I shall check with Mr. Naccari in the morning. Students should arrive no later than 8:45 AM with sharpened pencils, black ink pens for recording their final answers, a small ruler, and the graphic calculator. Students will not be allowed to use their cell phones. The exam is three hours long, and students must sit for at least two hours. If you have been checking the scoring scales in the Barron's Regents book, you will see that a good performance on the "multiple choice" section helps to set you up for a passing grade. However, the top scores also require a good performance on the "show your work" sections of the test. I shall be there to help with the proctoring of the test; however, I am not permitted to supervise my own students. I am hoping that this will answer any questions you may have. All students know that I can only respond to them through the Google Classroom.

     Before closing, I wish to thank you for your understanding and cooperation throughout this very challenging year, especially during the last few months when I had to turn my attention to my aging mother. May you have an enjoyable summer vacation period.

                                                                  Respectfully yours,

                                                                  Mr. Glenn A. McCarthy                  



                                                        June 13, 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

     I am sorry to write so late, but it has been an exhausting weekend. I was very pleased with the Graduation Ceremony on Friday night. With no opportunities for an actual rehearsal, I think the class did a great job. Once I have a little time to breathe, I shall organize the pictures I was able to take so you will all get copies. I want to thank the Class Parents, Mrs. Barrio and Mrs. Rausch for being able to decorate the gym on very short notice. I was very impressed that they were able to get both sets of pictures for the two displays. Their efforts certainly added to the atmosphere of this very special event.

     I know that report cards will not be given out until the actual end of the school year. Before then, possibly on the day of the Class Picnic, the textbooks need to be returned to my classroom. I ask that the students return the books in a bag on which they should write their names. Mr. Naccari also needs a response to my inquiry about the June 23, 2021 Regents exam at Sacred Heart High School. I had heard some talk that students were not going to be present. If that be the case, Mr. Naccari needs to inform Sacred Heart since they have always been so generous to host our students.

     As some of the students found out, I have been sending the "private messages" to those students who feel that they are no longer responsible for doing assigned work. A few weeks ago, Mr. Naccari sent out the progress reports. I did advise the parents that any child who failed, or just managed to pass with several grades dropped, should take advantage of the free program sponsored by the Archdiocese. I have a feeling that it is going to be very interesting once the students are all back in the classroom where it will be much easier to monitor their work habits. Everything you need to know about my grading system is permanently found in the documents at the bottom of my page. Before the end of this year, the students will know what is expected of them in September.

     Before closing, I wish to thank all those who supported out "Modified Basketball Marathon" last month. On Wednesday we were able to make a brief presentation to the Husk Family, and Mr. Husk was very appreciative of your efforts to be there when needed. Over the last forty-plus years, the Saint Gabriel Family has always risen to the occasion in support of our charitable efforts. For that, I will always be grateful!

                                                       Respectfully yours,

                                                       Mr. Glenn A. Mc Carthy


                                                     



                                             
                                                      

To view to Mr. McCarthy's School Notes page click here!

This link will lead to my homework page, study flashcards, and my Photo Gallery.