March Newsletter
News You Can Use
A Word From Mr. McCarthy
Dear Red Jacket Families,
The snowy and cold month of February is now squarely in our rear view mirror. March is upon us and the promise of warm weather is just on the horizon… hopefully? Before we say goodbye to February, I would like to celebrate some of the great things that took place in our building. Love was in the air as our classrooms celebrated Valentine’s Day. My desk was filled with valentines, candy hearts, and countless goodies. We also had our district-level Spelling Bee. I would like to congratulate all of the participants on a job well done! The highlight of the month for me, personally, was the PTSA’s Family Matters celebration. Despite frigid temperatures and treacherous road conditions, families came out in impressive numbers to support the PTSA. Students enjoyed cookie decorating, necklace making, face painting, and many more fun activities. Teachers, parents, and students alike had a great time getting to know one another outside of the normal school setting.
The month of March is often considered one of the longest months of the year. To help with the cabin fever, winter blues, and spring itch, the elementary school has a few fun events planned for the month.
Math Science Technology Night
On Thursday, March 8, 2018, Red Jacket Elementary will host a family Math, Science and Technology Night from 6:00-7:30 p.m. A variety of science experiments, math games, and technology activities will be set up for students and their families. Some of the science experiments include: designing a skyscraper, exploring the rock cycle, building a rocket, and programming robots! Families will also have the opportunity to use iPads, Chromebooks, and win door prizes. Moreover, families will be able to play dice and card math games, design pictures with shapes, use measurement skills to make a snack, work together to solve math puzzles and much more. Numerous local business and community groups will be on hand as well. It promises to be an engaging evening for the entire family!
Read Across America
March 2, 2018, was Doctor Seuss's birthday, National Read Across America Day, and Red Jacket Staff Appreciation Day. Although the celebrations were delayed due to the snow day, many classes spent additional time reading and having special classroom celebrations. All staff in the Manchester-Shortsville district were given a book as a sign of appreciation for their dedication to our students. It was also a way to show students the importance that reading plays in our growth as individuals and lifelong learners. Getting students in the routine of reading every day plays a significant role in their future academic success. According to a research study conducted by Bernice E. Cullinan of New York University, “The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. Students who read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not (Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993).” I would encourage you to sit down and read with your children daily.
As you can see, there are a number of things to keep you and your children occupied this month as we wait for spring to arrive. Please join the elementary staff in promoting our students' reading development and consider coming to Math, Science, Technology Night!
UPK/Pre-K News
We hope everyone had a relaxing February recess! Soon we will be “March”ing right into spring weather and we have enjoyed spending time on the playground!
In preparation for Valentine’s Day, the class talked about caring for others and friendship. We made many Valentine’s Day projects and read many stories about friendship.
In our math curriculum we are counting and learning our numbers. Our math learning is hands-on with fun and engaging activities that support rote counting, counting backwards from ten to one, recognizing and naming numbers, comparing sets, matching sets to numerals, and even learning to write numerals! We are definitely on a road to math success as we continue to build our number sense skills for recognizing numbers one to twenty!
Kindergarten News
The month of February flew by in Kindergarten. Students learned about teeth, the Presidents, and celebrated a few holidays. The month kicked off with Groundhog Day. We were a little disappointed that the groundhog saw his shadow, but maybe he was wrong because we definitely had some nice days in February! Students listened to books about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Ask your Kindergarten to tell you something about these two important presidents. The 100th day of school was celebrated on February 9th. Our goal is to count to 100 by 1s and 10s by the end of the school year. On this day, we practiced a lot of counting. Valentine’s Day was a fun day in classrooms. We exchanged valentines and had snacks. Students were excited to read the valentines from their classmates.
During the month of February in math, some of our students compared numbers using the words more than, fewer than, and the same as. Students compared sets of objects, identifying how many more of one object there was than the other object. You can practice this skill at home by choosing two different types of toys or food to compare and discuss. In our multiage classrooms our students worked on early addition and subtraction strategies. Those students will be comparing numbers in a few weeks. All of our students will be spending much of our time until June working on addition and subtraction. Daily counting at home will help with these skills.
Kindergarteners have been writing more and more. We have been working on incorporating basic conventions of capitalization, punctuation, and spacing between words. Their pictures are also getting more detailed. We have completed our handwriting practice with the entire alphabet in our Handwriting Without Tears books. We will keep practice forming our letters appropriately.
As the weather hopefully improves, we will be trying to get outside for fresh air. Please send your child to school dressed to go out, even on cooler days. Continue sending hats, mittens, and boots.
March will bring stories by Dr. Seuss. We will attend a play later in the month. Look for information about this production coming home shortly. Students will be reading nonfiction in small guided reading groups. We look forward to watching everyone grow during the month of March!
First Grade News
February has been an exciting month for first grade students. We began the month by learning about Groundhog’s Day. The children listened to stories and poems about the groundhog legend. Most students’ predicted that he would see his shadow.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day in our class. It was a wonderful day to tell each other how much we care. The children read books about Valentine’s Day and did some fun Valentine’s projects. They shared valentines with each other during our Valentine’s Day party.
In math, we are comparing numbers using terms such as greater than and less then. We are also learning about place value – tens and ones. Through the teaching of place value, we introduce money- the dime and penny. Even while learning all these new things, we still haven’t left addition and subtraction practice behind. We need to keep practicing those facts until they become automatic.
During our ELA time our focus has been on Nonfiction. Students are reading and listening to a variety of Nonfiction books and picking out the VIP (very important points). Students have also been on the lookout for different text features such as index, contents, maps, captions, and maps. We have begun to write our own Nonfiction book on a variety of topics. Students will include many of the text features we have been talking about.
As you can tell February was a month filled with all sorts of interesting learning activities. Now we are trying to stay warm as wait for spring and for that lucky leprechaun to come.
Second Grade News
We hope you all enjoyed your week off for February break! We all hope the weather continues to get warmer so we can go outside for recess.
In Social Studies, we learned about landforms and bodies of water. They enjoyed creating landforms and bodies of water with salt dough to make their very own map. Ask your child what landforms and bodies of water they made.
For math, we have been working on 2 and 3 digit addition with and without regrouping. We learned to always start in the ones place in case you have to regroup. We have also been focusing on learning our basic math facts. We have been taking timed fact tests to help improve our fact fluency (know a math fact in under 3 seconds).
In our reading groups, we have been reading non-fiction books. We have been learning about the text features in non-fiction text as well as using a comprehension strategy called Learn, Wonder, Wow. They have been learning a lot of interesting facts about animals, people and places in our world.
Please continue to have your child read and encourage them to complete their homework. Doing their homework on a regular basis will prepare them for third grade and beyond. Our goal for homework is to teach them responsibility while improving their reading skills and their knowledge of spelling patterns. Thank you!
Third Grade News
Our third marking period is well underway, and our students are gearing up for the busy time leading up to the New York State Assessments. Third graders will begin a new RtI cycle and your child may have a new provider for this round, so ask them what they are doing! We are continuing with word study for the next week or two and then plan to take a break. We will use this time to prepare for the state tests, practicing our reading and writing skills during large and small groups activities. We have been working on test practice activities for quite some time, and you may see some activities come home for homework, as well.
In math we are continuing our unit on fractions. By the end of the unit, your third grader should be able to compare fractions with like numerators or like denominators, order unit fractions, find equivalent fractions and solve word problems involving basic fractions. We will be moving on to area soon and will push full steam ahead with several other concepts that need to be covered prior to the math assessment in May. Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts on a nightly basis, as speedy and accurate recall is so important moving forward this year and in the future.
As always, thank you for your support by signing planners, checking homework, and reading with your child at home! We truly appreciate your efforts!
Fourth Grade News
We hope that you have enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather as we have ended February and are now in early March. We know for sure that the children have been enjoying the extra recess time and are experiencing early “spring fever”. Even with the nice weather and the time away for February break we have been able to get a great deal done while in school.
In math students have moved on to adding and subtracting fractions. This concept was new to them but with some reteaching and support they were able to get the hang of it. Simplifying these fractions was a tricky step as well. Of course, word problems are always a part of math class and are focused on in almost every unit, including the fractions unit. In Science we have introduced our new STEM scopes. Very interactive and engaging. Ask your student what they have learned.
In SS we will start looking at the role that NYS played in the American Revolution. To incorporate this into ELA we are reading and writing about historical figures from the time period. Since February was Black History month the classes spent a great deal of time focusing on famous African Americans. We read picture books and compared character traits using Google Classroom.
We certainly plan on getting the kids outside as much as possible so a quick reminder about proper clothing seems appropriate. As always, feel free to contact us with any questions.
Fifth Grade News
Although the weather has kept us indoors, it has not kept our 5th graders from being busy!
In Math, we are continuing to work on fractions. Students have learned a great deal about how to represent, compare, add and subtract, and convert fractions. We will continue using our strategies to solve word problems. Throughout this upcoming month, we will be learning to multiply and divide fractions. Having a solid understanding and automatic recall of basic multiplication facts continues to be crucial to everything that we do in math. Please encourage and work with your child to develop their fluency.
In ELA, 5th graders built new reading skills and learned how to compare and contrast characters, themes, settings and events. Compare and contrast is often seen on the state assessments and this will help better prepare them come Spring. We continue to loop concepts, such as summarizing, main idea, theme and figurative language. In writing, students continue to work on improving their spelling and grammar. They also are becoming strong with their short responses. We will be moving into how to construct extended responses as well.
We have just begun our very exciting astronomy unit in Science. We are learning about the stars - their distances in light years, their life cycle and really investigating our own star, the Sun. As we move forward, we will begin to learn more about the moon and Earth’s movement.
In Social Studies we are becoming digital citizens and using technology to learn about explorers and their impact on the world. Students have researched tools, ships, routes and reasons why explorers went on voyages. They created presentations, as well as written reports on their chosen explorer. We even created our own routes of voyages on Google Maps! Next, we will be learning about complex societies and civilization of Western America.
Please support your child’s reading at home. We are urging kids to read at least 20 minutes a night. If they can read more – go for it! When your child reads at home – ask them to identify the main idea of the text. Then ask them to give you a verbal summary of the text. Please remind your child the importance of completing homework assignments on time and studying for test and quizzes. These work habits will be beneficial for your child in the future.
Thanks for allowing your child to learn with us!
A Note From Mrs. Huber
It’s the time of year that there is lots of illness spreading including the flu. Although widespread flu activity occurs every year, the timing, severity, and duration of it depend on many factors, including which flu viruses are spreading, the number of people who are susceptible to the circulating flu viruses, and how similar vaccine viruses are to the flu viruses that are causing illness. The timing of flu can vary from season to season. In the United States, seasonal flu activity most commonly peaks between December and March, but flu viruses can cause illness from early October to late May. Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughs and sneezes of infected people. Less often, a person also might get the flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, eyes, or nose.
Here are some everyday preventative actions to help prevent the spread of flu….
· Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
· While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
· If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
· Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.
Reminders from the health office…..
Please remember if your child has the following symptoms, be sure to keep them home….
*Fever of 100° (37.8° C) or greater *Cough/Cold *Vomiting and/or Diarrhea *Sore Throat- a bad sore throat could be strep, even if there is no fever. Other signs of strep throat are headache, upset stomach, or rash. Please call your doctor if your child has these signs.
REMEMBER THE 24 HOUR RULE!!!!!!
Children must be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicines such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) for 24 hours before returning to school. If your child develops a fever at school greater than 100°, he/she will be sent home. Children also need to be vomit free for 24 hours prior to returning to school. Please keep your phone numbers updated with the school as changes occur.
PLEASE check your child’s head on a weekly basis for any signs of head lice. It is much easier to eliminate when detected early. If you have any questions or concerns or are looking for more information please call our office.
Dear Red Jacket Elementary Families,
March is Music In Our Schools Month! Here are some of the events happening in honor of MIOSM, we hope to see you there!
•In School Performances by Red Jacket Elementary students
•Our whole school will be creating a MIOSM banner. Students will share why music is important to them, with a written or illustrated response. Each response will be added to the banner and displayed at RJE!
•The Addams Family (the musical teaser) Friday, March 9th, 2018
•The Addams Family Musical Friday, 9th- Sunday March 11th.
•Guess Who? Faculty and Staff share how music is part of their life.
•Music Trivia Contest (Listen to the announcements for more info)
• RJE’s Red Jacket’s Got Talent Friday, March 16th, 2018
Come see 4th and 5th grade students perform their unique acts!
• High School Music In Our Schools Concert Wednesday, March 21st 2018, 7 p.m. HS Auditorium
Thanks for helping us celebrate Music In Our Schools!
Mrs. Dutcher & Mrs. Smith
Red Jacket Elementary CSD
Email: Jeffrey.McCarthy@redjacket.org
Website: http://www.redjacket.org/
Location: 1506 State Route 21, Shortsville, NY, United States
Phone: (585) 289-9647
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Red-Jacket-Elementary-134458507214606/