Mariner News
Matapeake Elementary School
January, 2023 Newsletter
MES Vision
Our students will graduate with the skills necessary to pursue their professional pathway and be empathetic contributors to society.
MES Mission
The mission of Matapeake Elementary School, in partnership with families and community members, fosters a learning environment to educate and empower students academically, socially, and emotionally to prepare them for career, college and life success.
Principal's Corner
Dear MES families,
Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a restful and relaxing winter break. Now that we had some extra days, I'm sure kids are excited to get back in the building.
I was so proud of our choir and band students. Their winter concert on December 14th was just perfect. They have worked so hard and a huge thank you to Mr. Buie and the Specials teachers for all the work to make that night a success! I look forward to the spring concert!
We have 33 students that will be recognized at the Academy of Art Museum in Easton this month. Click the button below to check out their names! The reception for grade K-3 will be on January 9th in Easton. The reception for grades 4-5 will be on January 10th. We hope you can join us to celebrate our artists. The address is 106 South Street Easton, MD.
Just a reminder that our kids are taken outside for recess (when the temperature is appropriate). Please make sure they are dressed appropriately to be outside for up to 30 minutes.
If your child is sick, please keep them home and either call the school or send an email to kristian.baker@qacps.org. Mrs. Baker will code them appropriately.
STAR Students for the month of December will be recognized during lunches on January 4th. Each student will be presented with a certificate and have their picture taken, which is posted in the main hallway for the month of January. Please see the December STAR Student names using the link below.
In addition, we have had 50 Positive Referrals in the month of December! Congratulations to our hard-working students. Names are listed in the link below.
Sincerely,
Carrie L. Mitten, Principal
Grade Level News
PK
I hope everyone had a wonderful break! I'm so happy to have the kiddos back at school again!
In the month of January, we will continue to work on letter and sound identification with a big focus on learning the formation of written letters. In math we will continue to practice number identification, counting and building sets of numbers as well as introducing 3D shapes. Please remember how important it is to be reading with your child daily and the importance of having them practice the skills they are learning at school at home as well, including name writing. Thank you for all that you do at home to support your child's learning! I am so lucky to work with such wonderful students and families!
Kindergarten
Happy New Year!! Kindergarten is excited for 2023 and all the amazing learning that will happen. In Fundations, we have learned all our letters and letter sounds. We are working on tapping out words in order to read and write. In reading, we will integrate science when we read about living things. We will celebrate winter by spending time reading stories about snow. In math, we will be starting unit 3 Geometry. In unit 3 will be naming, comparing, and building 2D and 3D shapes.
1st Grade
First Grade students enjoyed their "Trip Around the World" in December. We learned many facts about various holidays celebrated in December, and learned about continents and oceans as we "flew" to the countries. In January, we will start Unit 3 "Changes Over Time" in reading. In math, we worked on decomposing teen numbers and began working on the make a ten to add strategy. In Science, we started learning all about sound. Keep practicing those trick words!--
2nd Grade
We sure did have fun making memories with your kiddos in December and we hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We're back and excited to continue learning in the new year. Happy 2023! In reading, we welcome back our Wonders texts. We will continue to respond to the stories by answering questions as well as focusing on main idea and details. We will build off of our amazing holiday writings by continuing to edit and revise paragraphs on specific topics. In math, we will continue with unit two. Our focus will be on time and money so please send in your coin bags if you have not yet done so. Also, remember that First In Math is an excellent resource that your child can take advantage of at home to practice their skills in addition to reading lots and lots of books.
3rd Grade
Third grade is so excited to start the new year with our amazing group of students. January will bring the next round of diagnostic testing for reading and math. We can’t wait to see the growth that we know our students are making. We are planning to really explore the growth mindset in the new year and focus on how far our students have already come and how much more we still have to learn together. For math, we will be introducing students to the division for the first time. Please keep practicing those multiplication facts at home as this really sets the students up for success with future learning. During our RELA block, we will be diving back into our Wonder’s textbook stories, including one about a beautiful cockroach that is always a classroom favorite. We will really be focusing on grammar skills; especially spelling and using text evidence to fully support text-dependent questions. In science, we will begin learning how to predict weather and how to prepare for different types of extreme weather situations. We might be hoping for a few snow-day experiments. For social studies, we will be focusing on how the past has affected our present day and how our nation was built.
4th Grade
The 4th grade students will begin 2023 by continuing to refine their skills in multi-digit multiplication and division concepts. In reading class, we will be working on analyzing the author's point of view in a variety of texts. In Science, the students will continue learning all about energy. We will study different types of energy and how it can be transferred. In social studies, students will continue learning about the Paleo and Archaic peoples who were the first to live in the "Maryland" area and compare their lifestyle/climate/etc as time went on. This will then lead us to study the woodland Native Americans of this area as well. We are looking forward to learning a lot of new things in 2023!
5th Grade
The fifth graders have stayed engaged and worked hard throughout December. In math, students have been studying decimal place value and have learned how to read and write decimals in standard, written, place value and expanded form. In reading and writing, students are incorporating text evidence to support their responses by using direct quotes and paraphrasing. In science, students are finishing up their rotations with their current teacher and after the new year will begin studying a new unit of science with another fifth grade teacher. FLEX continues to be an engaging time of day and students enjoy being with different students and teachers during this time. The fifth grade teachers hope all of our students and their loved ones have had a wonderful holiday and winter break. We hope our students made time to do a little reading, a little writing and perhaps a little math over break:)
Dates to Remember
January 4, 2023
STAR Student Awards for December - During Lunches
iReady Winter Assessments for Reading and Math Begins
January 9, 2023
Academy of Art Museum Reception for Grades K-3 4:30-6:00pm
106 South Street
Easton, MD
January 10, 2023
Academy of Art Museum Reception for Grades 4-5 4:30-6:00pm
106 South Street
Easton, MD
January 16, 2023
No School - Martin Luther King, Jr Day
January 23, 2023
No School - Professional Development
January 24, 2023
No School - Professional Development
January 25, 2023
Mid Trimester Progress Reports Go Home
January 26, 2023
Star Student Awards for January - During Lunches
Student Government Association (SGA) News
We are collecting gently used/new mittens, hats and gloves until 1/14.
We had a very successful Spirit Week right before the winter break.
We are looking forward to planning future activities.
Mrs. White's Corner
Ms. Osborne's - Reading Corner
Mrs. Herold's - Math Corner
Math Holiday Challenge
If your child participated in the Math Holiday Challenge that was sent home over break, they can return their filled out Hot Chocolate mug to Mrs. Herold by January 6th. Those students that turn in their completed papers will be entered in a raffle to possibly win a Chick-Fil-A gift card or a Shore United Bank frisbee.
MES STEM Fair
The MES STEM Fair is back and will take place March 2, 2023! The STEM fair celebrates students' interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). We have had some amazing projects in the past, and the best ones are the ones that the students show interest and enthusiasm for because they have done it themselves and have ownership of the project. Since we are a Green School, we hope to have some of our projects show how we can protect the environment!
Please use the links below to gather some information about the STEM Fair. The following buttons are below that will provide additional information.
Please email Mrs. Herold at kelly.herold@qacps.org, or Mr. Cherry at david.cherry@qacps.org, if you have any questions!
Mrs. Moller's - Counselor's Corner
I wish everyone in our magnificent school community a wonderful 2023 and look forward to the continuing joy of watching your child blossom.
Warmest Regards,
Mary Moller
Mrs. Francis' Art Corner
In art, students will continue to explore the big idea of; Artists Imagine. Students will use their imaginations to explore drawing, painting, collage as well as begin to explore clay processes.
Pre-K through second grade will brainstorm and investigate materials while using their imagination to add personal ideas to their artwork. They will experiment with techniques using a variety of materials and tools.
Third through fifth grade will focus on using persistence to revise, refine and develop their artwork. Students will also express their imagination through techniques and reflect on their creations.
Mr. Buie's Music Corner
Mr. Ensor's PE Corner
Mrs. Clow's - Media Corner
Arrival & Dismissal Reminder
If you are picking your child up at the end of the day, PLEASE DO NOT drive into the bus loop area. If you have a family member that is picking up your child for the first time and is not sure, please be sure to share they should not pull into the bus loop. We thank you for keeping everyone safe.
PTA News
Parent Teacher Association
Happy New Year! Thank you for all the holiday treats for our fabulous staff at MES! We couldn't have done it without your generous donations.
Thank you for all your support of the school and the PTA!
Matapeakeelempta@gmail.com (Email)
AlphaBest - Before/After Care at MES
Matapeake Elementary School
Cafeteria/Gym
Hours: 6:30-9:00 am and 3:45-6:00 pm
Pricing per week per child:
3 Day Package
3 days AM and PM $68
3 days AM OR PM $54
5 Day Package
5 days AM and PM $98
5 days AM OR PM $68
Matapeake Elementary School
Email: carrie.mitten@qacps.org
Website: https://www.qacps.org/Domain/124
Location: 651 Romancoke Road, Stevensville, MD, USA
Phone: 410-643-3105
Facebook: facebook.com/MatapeakeElementaryPTA