Chestnut Street Parent Newsletter
February 2020
WHUFSD Vision
Thank you!
Thank you to the incredible members of the West Hempstead Community Scholarship Fund, including Ms. Annalee Ickowics and Mr. Thomas Kemnitzer, for their support of the Chestnut Street Parent University! Thank you to Ms. Pia Ramirez and Ms. Kerry Nugent of the West Hempstead Public Library for attending Parent University and sharing materials!
Kindergarten Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year!
Things to remember for February:
- We are celebrating Global School Play Day on Wednesday, February 5th! Your child can bring a favorite toy, doll, or game to school to share with their classmates. We will have an hour of unstructured play in the afternoon. Please, no electronic toys. To learn more about #GSPD2020, visit here: https://www.globalschoolplayday.com/
- Check out this fantastic article on the benefits of free play: https://wetheparents.org/importance-of-free-play
- We are celebrating the 100th day of school on Thursday, February 13th! Information about the 100th day project as well as dressing like a 100 year old are forthcoming.
- Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) kicks off February 24th! The PTA will be sending home more information. The theme this year is Jungle: Elephants, and Tigers, and Books, Oh My! At Chestnut Street, we're encouraging your child to get wild with reading! Take a picture of your child reading with a stuffed animal or a pet and Tweet it! Be sure to tag @WHChestnut and @WH_EPTA If you need help with Twitter, reach out to Mrs. Tripp!
- If your child will be absent, please call Nurse Angela before 9:00 AM at 516-390-3155.
- If there will be a change in your child's afternoon transportation, please write a note to the teacher. For last-minute changes, please call Mrs. Butler before 2:00 PM. 516-390-3150.
- Please be sure to send updated change of clothes for your child. They have grow a lot since September!
Questions to ask your child when they get home!
Ideas for Home
Sight Word Smash-Up: You will need a few beanbags, index cards, and a marker. Write a sight word on each card. Spread the word cards on the floor. Shout out words and have your child toss bean bags onto them. Next, have your child shout out the word and see if you can hit them with the beanbags.
In Reader's Workshop...
Students meet with their teachers in small guided reading groups on a daily basis.
Our first official Reading Benchmark Assessments are underway. You will receive a letter with information about your child's reading level with their second quarter report card that comes home on Friday, February 7th.
Please note, we do not discuss students' reading levels with them -- reading levels are for teachers to develop differentiated lessons based on students' needs.
Use Raz Kids to find a library of age-appropriate books for your child to read at home!
In Writer's Workshop...
In Math Workshop...
Students will answer the essential questions below. Be sure to ask your child these questions!
How do we describe the shapes we find in our environment?
How are 2-D and 3-D shapes different?
Students will work on the following skills:
- describing, identifying, and comparing 3-D shapes
- composing and decomposing 3-D shapes
- counting and representing quantities
We are also continuing to use ST Math in the classroom to support deep conceptual understanding via personalized learning.