It's Elementary - DES Newsletter
January 2021
Dates to Remember
January 18 - No School/Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
January 28 - End of the Second Quarter
January 29 - No School
February 5 - Honor Roll
February 15 - No School
Dr. Heidi's Happenings
Greetings!
How is it 2021 already?! Students returned from Winter Vacation full of stories of fun family time. It was so wonderful to welcome everyone back and share our adventures, even if those adventures just took place around your own living room and back yard!
This week we had our first Eyes Alive News (EAN) meeting after school, and the students did a fantastic job! We are excited to offer students this opportunity to plan content, practice public speaking, learn the ins and outs of video editing, and develop greater self-confidence. Stay tuned for the first installment!
We also welcomed two interns to our school community. Sophie is working in 2nd grade and Halee is working in 4th grade. We know they will learn valuable lessons from our veteran teachers during their time with us. It is always a gift when we can give back to budding educators finding their teaching groove.
As we begin the New Year and wind down our first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, we hope you will help us continue our commitment to implementing our health and safety measures with fidelity. Please remind your child that the importance of washing hands, wearing masks to cover both nose and mouth, and maintaining social distancing are just as important as ever. We are doing all we can to protect our school community, and it takes all of us putting in our best effort. Thank you!
A Note From Deaf Department Principal Angela Saunders
Happy New Year families!
We are back for the second half of our year, refreshed after the winter break. We are continuing to diligently work together to keep our children safe by reminding students and staff alike to monitor social distancing, mask use, and handwashing- the three biggest preventatives we have for reducing the spread of Covid-19.
We have several important dates coming up, mark your calendars! There is no school on Monday, January 18th in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. The end of the second semester is January 28th. There is no school on Friday, January 29th , which is a teacher work day to wrap up report cards and prepare for the second semester of the school year, which begins on February 2nd.
This coming Tuesday, Jan. 19th, we will have an accountability drill to review lock down procedures. We are required to have routine practice sessions to teach appropriate responses to emergencies. Due to our need to continue to maintain social distancing, during the drill, our students will participate in an FSDB safety video that reviews all of the procedures that students would follow if there were a lock down on campus. These tabletop reviews and discussions allows us to practice our emergency procedures while maintaining social distancing. We are thankful for our Safety Specialist, Officer David Moore for taking the lead on creating the emergency practice videos for these drills. You will receive an alert about this upcoming drill.
Have a happy and healthy three day weekend!
Angela
Updates from Vaill Hall
Prior to the break, students spent time making and delivering goodies to our friends all over campus. They made delicious treats as well as the cutest little handprint Christmas tree ornaments you've ever seen!
The students in the dorm have been busy getting back in to the routine of the school year. After school, they have homework time, enjoy playing on the playground and riding bikes, and socialize with one another during supper and before heading to bed. We're happy to be able to provide a homey, happy boarding experience for our children in this home away from home. We know it is hard to send your baby off to live in the dorm all week, so we try to make the experience as pleasant and home-like as possible.
Spotted in Each Grade Level
Every month we ask grade level teams to tell us something special they spotted in Gore Hall. Here are their responses!
Kindergarten: A safety patrol student and staff member leading students out of the building safely to the bus or dorm.
First Grade: Students are continuing to learn new technology by completing interactive word walls and math skills in Google Classroom.
Second Grade: The children are getting comfortable in their new math groups.
Third Grade: Watching our new student making new friends during his first week.
Fourth Grade: Students learning about mechanical energy using kinetic and potential energy.
Fifth Grade: 18 happy 5th grade faces bake form Winter Break and eager to learn!
Learning Lab: Starting a "Number of the Day" lesson a student said, "I like this!"
Favorite Moments From Each Grade Level
Every month we ask grade level teams to share a favorite moment. Here are their responses!
Kindergarten: A fourth grade student gave up the bike he was riding and generously offered it to a kindergarten student.
First Grade: A student in first grade was playing a game outside when she turned to her teacher and signed, “Success!” It was great to see the excitement and language development.
Second Grade: Students celebrating reading success!
Third Grade: A student remembered to put her hearing aid box on her desk. She used the rotation chart in the classroom to anticipate where she needed to put the box to be ready the next morning.
Fourth Grade: Students reading over break and keeping up with the goal of 300 reading lines by February 1st!
Fifth Grade: After learning about the different planets in our solar system, we then made a scaled version of our solar system in the hallway with model planets that are scaled to size. Earth was 2 feet 6 inches from our sun. Neptune was at the end of the hallway, 76 feet 2 inches from the sun. Each student was given a place in our solar system.
Learning Lab: When asking a student what makes him happy, he said, "School."
Deaf Elementary Named a PBiS Model School!
The FSDB Deaf Elementary School celebrates being named a Model School from the Florida Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBiS) project.
This model school award is given for implementation of positive school outcomes and exemplifies the achievements of teachers,
staff and students.
Title I Information
You should have also received an ASL dictionary and ASL flashcards provided by Title I funding. Please enjoy these materials during your family time, and help bridge ASL and English.
Title I, Part A is a component of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that provides supplemental funds to approved schools to meet educational goals, support professional development of staff and support parent engagement programs.
Be Kind!
Phases of the Moon - in Oreos!
Moving up a Reading Level!
Things to Say to Your Child
- I understand you.
- You can say no.
- This family would not be the same without you.
- We can try it your way.
- I appreciate you.
Opt-in for Skyward Text Alerts
FSDB encourages parents/legal guardians of enrolled students to regularly log onto the Skyward Family/Student Access portal to keep their contact information up-to-date.
Skylert (School Messenger) is the system that FSDB uses to send out automated phone calls, text messages and email notifications families for general purposes ann case of emergencies.
Opting in for automated Skylert text notifications makes it possible for FSDB to quickly inform families about situations that may impact their child/family (e.g., weather, safety and bus alerts) as well as other school-related information. To opt-in, text "Y" to 67587.
Cutie Patootie Picture of the Month!
Dr. Heidi's Virtual Office
Links
Videos
Fifth Graders Made a Model of the Solar System. It's BIG!
Contact Us
DES Office
PH: 904-827-2520
VP: 904-201-4505
Health Care Center
PH: 904-827-2410
VP: 904-201-3910
Transportation
PH: 800-992-8747
Vaill Hall (Dorm)
PH: 904-827-2806
VP: 904-201-4461
Parent Services
PH: 904-827-2212
VP: 904-201-4527
Campus Police
PH: 904-827-2315
Email: jordanh@fsdbk12.org
Website: www.fsdbk12.org/deaf-elementary-school
Location: 207 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, FL, USA