Dear Families:

It's the start of spring break, the time when we assess our school road map, our Action Plan. We write our Action Plan at the beginning of the school year, to set goals and determine what we want to accomplish as a school for our academic year.

Our Action Plan has included the roll out of our new math curriculum , Eureka Math Squared. Both our staff and students have gallantly learned this new math curriculum alongside one another. We have also completed our training around "The 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom," implementing a plethora of engagement strategies. Both of these action steps have been wildly successful.

I am proud to say that our students have continued to impress us with their dedication and hunger for learning. They are a resilient crew!

I want to encourage our students, staff and families to take some time to rest and recharge. Whether it's spending quality time with loved ones, enjoying the outdoors, or just taking some time to relax, I hope this break provides an opportunity for you to rejuvenate.

When we return from Spring Break, we will be entering the final stretch of the school year. We will be hosting many spring events along with a multitude of summer opportunities. One of our upcoming events is our Evening of Excellence, April 20th, where we celebrate our students with classroom exhibits and dinner with Adam's Mountain Cafe. Watch the newsletter for more information.

I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you for your continued support and partnership. Your involvement and dedication to our school community are invaluable, and we couldn't do it without you.

Wishing you all a warm and enjoyable Spring Break filled with love, laughter, and memories.

Warmly,

Maria

MSES art teacher, Ms. Carrie Dunlap, won the Manni Award for Education sponsored by the City of Manitou Springs.

Ms. Lawson and the fifth graders celebrated Music in Schools!

Third graders were off to the Dinosaur Museum in Woodland Park this week!

Kindergarten students have been learning about jobs that tradespeople did in colonial times. We have even mimicked their work a bit by baking bread and making our own butter, learning to sew/stitch, making tri-comb hats, and designing our own houses! It's been a whole lot of fun, and we are learning to be thankful for the technology and tools that help us with these tasks today! Here are a few questions that you can ask your expert to see if they remember the responsibilities of various tradespeople:

• Which tradesperson would you visit to have a dress made? (dressmaker)
  
• Which tradesperson would you visit to have pants or a shirt made? (tailor)
  
• Which tradesperson would you visit to have a hat made? (hatter)
  
• Which tradesperson would you visit to have shoes made or fixed? (cobbler)
• Who are some tradespeople who helped to build houses? (The mason built using stones, the bricklayer built using bricks, and the carpenter built using wood.)

Our mathematicians just wrapped up a unit on shapes, time, and fractions. We are now starting to revisit addition and subtraction, and now we are adding within the 1,000. Ask your expert- What is your favorite strategy to use and why? What is your least favorite strategy to use and why? It has been so exciting to watch them choose strategies that work best for their learning, and to be able to explain why they chose it.

We have also started writing personal narratives. They love having the opportunity to tell their stories, hear about each other's experiences, and learn how to become stronger writers. Ask your expert- What are the three parts of a story? (beginning, middle, and end) Our next step is to begin adding dialogue.

Fourth graders are learning about the three types of rocks that make up our Earth and the processes that change them! Ask your expert: What are the 3 types of rocks? (Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.) What is the most important thing to remember about each type of rock? (Igneous: comes from volcanoes - both above and below the Earth’s crust. Sedimentary: made up of sediments and have layers. Metamorphic: they were igneous or sedimentary rocks but were changed due to heat, time, and pressure.) What is erosion? (Any process or force that moves sediments to new locations.) How does wind cause erosion and weathering? (Wind picks up sediments and carries them away, depositing them on land and in water.) How are sediments and sedimentary rocks related? (Sedimentary rock is made of sediments. Over time, sediments are compacted and cemented together, layer by layer, transforming them into sedimentary rock.)

Here are some pictures from our recent field trip to Garden of the Gods, where we learned all about Geology right in our backyard!

Kindergarten has just wrapped up studying Columbus and the Pilgrims. We have taken all the information we have learned to create and ebook on their ipads. The students have done a fantastic job using their ipad skills to type the words first, then create a picture to match. We have made such growth with our reading and writing skills that we are finishing a bit early. After spring break Kindergarten will learn the Typing Pal program that all students use 1st-5th grade to warm up for TEAMS class each day. Way to go Kindergarten!!!!

First and second graders have been working hard gathering information and making a script for a news cast we will be filming after spring break. The students have been studying animals and habitats (1st) and cycles in nature (2nd) for their CKLA domain. We took all the information we have learned and put our notes into a script to read just like the REAL news. We learned how a green screen works so we can project images that match what we are talking about when their group is "on the news."

Third graders have been working on designing the Colosseum which tied into their Ancient Rome domain a few months ago. We had a few projects to wrap up before this however students were REALLY excited to complete this and we are a few days away from 3D printing them. This particular project was new for all third graders (and Ms. B) so we had some challenges along the way, just like real engineers, as this structure has at least three rows of windows (openings).

SRO Strider and Safety and Security Director Janie Anderson have added information to the Manitou Springs School District 14 website that parents may be interested in.

Some of the information that has been added is about threat assessments, how to monitor your child's phone and other safety information.

If you have ideas on what other information you would like to see please email Janie Anderson at janderson@mssd14.org or SRO Strider at astrider@mssd14.org

Define your terms.

Make sure kids understand what cyberbullying is: repeated and unwanted mean or hurtful words or behavior that occur online (through texts, social media posts, online chat, etc.).

Check in about online life.

Just like you'd ask your kid about their sleep, exercise, and eating, stay on top of their online life. Who are they chatting with? How do people treat each other in the games and on the sites they're using?

Role-play.

If kids feel like they might have trouble removing themselves from digital drama, experiment with some different ways they can make a graceful exit. Talk through words they can use, ways they can steer conversations in positive directions, etc.

Encourage upstanding.

Let kids know that supporting a friend or acquaintance who is being bullied can make a big difference. If they feel safe confronting the bully, they should. If not, a private message to the victim can be enough to help someone through a tough time. Speaking up against hate speech is important, too.

Take breaks.

If you notice your kid getting pulled into digital drama, help them take a break. It's great if they can determine for themselves when they need to step back, but they might need some help setting limits. Putting devices to bed at a specific time, plus breaks for mealtimes and face-to-face connection, can help kids recharge.

Review worst-case steps.

Walk through what to do if your kid is being bullied online. First, step away. Ignoring a bully can be very effective. If the bullying continues, take screenshots or print out evidence. Then block the person. If it gets worse, report the behavior to a trusted adult. Talk about who those people are and make sure your kid has their contact information.