KESTREL HEIGHTS NEWSLETTER

Now accepting NEW Scholar Applications! Remember, in order to receive sibling preference, sibling applications must be submitted prior to January 31st!

Apply Now: http://ow.ly/2wEL50Hs8T3

Important Enrollment Dates for 2022-23:

• Applications must be submitted by January 31, 2022
  
• The new scholar lottery will be held on February 11, 2022

This is the final week to vote Kestrel Heights School as the Hulafrog Most Loved Charter Schools! Click the link below to vote for KHS!

https://hulafrog.com/Durham-Chapel-Hill-NC/kestrel-heights-charter-school-b/

Our February breakfast and lunch menus are attached below.

To find all our breakfast and lunch information, please visit our website at:

https://kestrelheights.org/lunch-information/

If you need assistance please contact Maureen Gordon at gordon@kestrelheights.org or (919)484-1300 ext.300

Kestrel Heights will be participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee!

The grade level semi-finalists will move on to our school-wide spelling bee to be held the week of February 14th. Our top speller will then move onto the Local Spelling Bee on March 26th.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to have guests in person but there will be a live link available for parents and families to view. If you have any questions regarding the Spelling Bee please reach out to Ms. Pritchett via Class Dojo message or email: elisepritchett@kestrelheights.org.

If we receive notification of a positive diagnosis of COVID, we are required to trace any exposure that may have occurred. Those who are exposed are then sent home for up to 10 days to quarantine or, they may be tested after four days and return with a negative result. However, for scholars who have already received the vaccine and are not showing symptoms, they may not have to quarantine at all.

If your scholar has received or if they do receive the COVID vaccination, would you please share the documentation with us so that we may update your scholar's school health record? In the case of an exposure this will assist us in communicating with you if your child must go home or may remain in school.

Vaccine documentation may be emailed or dropped off to Ms. Vargas in the Middle School Admissions Office. Thank you!

Third grade has made progress and shown growth on their i- Ready Reading and Math Diagnostic Assessments. In Math we are working on comparing and understanding fractions. Scholars are learning about story structure, story message, prefixes and irregular verbs in ELA. In Social Studies we are continuing to learn about people and the environment. We are continuing to study and learn about animal life cycles.

We are already halfway through the school year! Most of the scholars have shown impressive growth in their second i-Ready Diagnostic! We are challenging them to demonstrate more growth in the third Diagnostic Test which will be held in May.

These are the lessons that we are currently working on:

ELA - RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Math - NC4.NF.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, using the denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100.

Science - 4.P.1 Explain how various forces affect the motion of an object.

Social Studies - 4.05 Describe the political and social history of colonial North

Carolina and analyze its influence on the state today.

Our mathematicians have mastered the ability to add and subtract with decimals by competing with their peers. They continue to motivate themselves and classmates to SOAR and strengthen their math skills.

Our scientists will be displaying their mastery of organisms in the ecosystems by completing an assessment on food chains, food webs, energy pyramids, and the role of specific producers and consumers in the ecosystem. Keep up the great work!

YOU SOAR!

Mrs. Bowie - In ELA scholars finished iReady Diagnostic #2 testing, minus a couple of students. I am proud to say that 6th graders were able to see a 157% growth as a class! The scholars with the highest growth in class will be rewarded with a DoorDash lunch! Congrats!

• Core 1: Nura Abdul-Hakeem - 544%

• Core 2: Aija Jerome - 950%

• Core 3: Michael Machuca - 725%

• Core 4: Demi Boyd - 675%

This week scholars are studying Point of View. Please make sure that they are studying their affix flashcards every Monday and Wednesday. This Tuesday and Thursday they should be studying the Point of View literature comprehension flashcards. Please place special focus on the 3rd Person POV, and the pronunciation of the word “Omniscient.”

Mr. Flynn - In Science we’ve been discovering the universe, and are focusing on the layers of the earth, from the core to its crust.

Ms. Williams - In Science we are studying the layers of the atmosphere at the beginning of the week. My scholars have created their own foldables with each layer labeled and have included information about those layers. For example, they now know that we live in the troposphere and this is the layer where weather takes place. They will finish by explaining what takes place at each layer. By the end of the week we will take a look at Earth’s core, mantle and crust.

Ms. Guess - In math we finished our Expressions Unit. We have about 3 more units left in the 6th grade until we start the EOG review! The expressions unit covered: Exponents, Order of Operations, Writing Expressions, Properties of Expressions (Commutative, Associative, Identity, Distributive, Inverse) Evaluating Expressions, and Application of Expressions. There is an optional study guide for students to complete that they can use on the test. Not only are we learning about math, but we are learning how to effectively take notes for an open note exam. The class store opens on February 11th, scholars are encouraged to use their points to purchase extra credit and homework passess if they will need it for this quarter. We are still wrapping up iReady #2 Diagnostics in math, I will post the results next week!

Science- 7th graders will begin to look at the different levels of organization. This week we will further discuss tissues and the different types of tissues. By the end of this week the scholars will have a better understanding of organ systems and finally the organism. We will also take a look at the different types of organisms.

ELA- Students have shown impressive growth in their I-ready reading diagnostics. There are still a few students completing their test but so far I am seeing a growth of 188%. I am extremely proud of their development. Additionally, today is our last week reading “The Glory field”, scholars are comparing and contrasting historical fiction to true events. Next week we will begin looking at our new text “The Children’s March”.

Science: We are finishing the respiratory system and moving on to the body’s digestive system and the importance of nutrition

In social studies, we will finish our Unit on the Constitution. We will have a test on Friday on Module 5. Module 6 will begin next week with an emphasis on citizenship.

Kestrel is always accepting PPE items. Please feel free to drop supplies off at the front desk or send them with your scholar to give directly to their Teacher.

Items to consider:

• Disinfectant wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• Mask (K-5 size)
• Cases of Water

Student-athletes interested in trying out for track and field must have a completed 2021 - 2022 Athletic Packet (attached) on file with the athletic office (THIS INCLUDES AN UP TO DATE MEDICAL PHYSICAL). Please email hess@kestrelheights.org with any questions. Students can also pick up a packet from Coach Hess or the front office.

Unfortunately, Kestrel Heights will not be offering girl’s soccer or Baseball this spring due to limited interest.

Co-ed Track and Field Spring Tryouts are scheduled for February 15-17 3:30pm- 5:00pm

Did you know that Thursday, February 10th will mark our 100th day of school? 100 days of learning is kind of a big deal! That's why we have 2 special activities planned for scholars of any grade to participate in:

-Dress Down for the 100th Day

All scholars are encouraged to take February 10th as a dress down day and show their creativity in creating a costume or outfit that celebrates 100 days! Some ideas include: dressing up like a 100-year-old person, attaching 100 of something to your shirt, or decorating an outfit in any way that incorporates the number 100. Let your creativity run free!

-100 Acts of Kindness Competition

Is your class the most kind in the school? We're having a contest to put it to the test! The first homeroom to log 100 acts of kindness will be gifted a pizza party from the PTA! Be on the look out for kindness logs to appear near each classroom soon. Need a little inspiration? Check out these 125 suggestions for how to spread kindness everywhere you go: https://bit.ly/3s0bXZo

Our after-school Snapology workshops begin next week, but we still have a few spaces left! We have 2 workshops for elementary-aged scholars to choose from:

Mining and Building - Each Tuesday after school (3:15-4:15) we'll be bringing Minecraft to life using LEGO bricks!

Mega Machines Robotics - Each Wednesday after school (3:15-4:15) we'll be learning about sensors, pulleys, cranks, and programming while building trucks, space rovers, helicopters, and more!

Both classes run for 7 weeks, starting the first week of February through mid-March, and will feature fun hands-on educational activities that reinforce STEAM principles (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).
Register today at www.flow.page/snapkhcs
A portion of the registration fee will be donated back to our school.

You can become a PTA member at our new membership portal: https://khcspta.square.site
Our next PTA meeting will be held virtually on Monday, February 7th at 6pm. You do not need to be a member to attend PTA meetings, so drop in to see what we're working on. We hope to see you there! https://meet.google.com/ogi-jwan-gdg
Make sure to follow us @khcspta on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for meeting recaps, news, events, and more.

The Parent and Family Engagement Calendar is located on our website at: https://kestrelheights.org/calendar/

January 28th:
Classroom Spelling Bees

Q2 Report Cards

February 1st:

Fire Drill

February 7th:

PTA Meeting

February 8th:
Kestrel Heights Board Meeting

February 10th:

Middle School Grade Level Celebrations

February 11th:

Teacher Workday- No School

February 14th:

Kestrel Heights School Level Spelling Bee

February 15th:

Kestrel Heights School Level Spelling Bee
Track and Field Tryouts

February 16th:

Kestrel Heights School Level Spelling Bee
Track and Field Tryouts

February 17th:

Track and Field Tryouts

February 25th:

Q3 Progress Reports

We are a small, diverse, and inclusive learning community in Durham that empowers our Scholars to sharpen academic knowledge, demonstrate creative expression and expand leadership abilities to prepare for success in high school, college, and beyond.

Email: Vargas@kestrelheights.org
Website: www.kestrelheights.org
Location: 4700 South Alston Avenue, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-484-1300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KestrelHeightsSchool
Twitter: @KestrelHeights