BCE Bobcat Bits
Spring 2017
Big Cypress Elementary Bobcats are Honest, Kind and Responsible!
Mission
VISION
MOTTO
We want you to stay connected. Visit us on Facebook or Twitter to see pictures and videos of what amazing learning is going on each day.
Communication is important to us. We send reminder emails and phone calls for upcoming events. Please make sure that we have your correct or updated contact information on the Parent Portal. You can access the Portal by clicking here: https://portal.collierschools.com/live/
In this issue.....
- Principal's Message
- STEAM Night Event
- Grade Level News
- Related Arts News
- Counselor's Corner
Greetings Bobcat Families!
We are so proud of our students for doing their personal best each school day! They consistently model being Honest, Kind and Responsible.
As you scroll through the next few pages, our students are engaged in learning at all grade levels. We enjoy visiting their classrooms and observing how much they have already accomplished since the beginning of the school year!
We need you to stay connected with the awesome activities going on during the school day. Take a moment and check out our Facebook page. We upload lots of pictures and videos each week. We are so proud of our Bobcats.
One of my favorite things to do each month is to have lunch with our Super Bobcats! Teachers select one of their Bobcats of the Week to have pizza with me on the cafeteria stage. Students receive a certificate, lanyard, and medal. Plus, their favorite reward is the spirit monkey donated by our wonderful PTA. Pictures of our recipients each month are posted outside my office and on BCE Facebook & Twitter.
Did you know that we have so many great artists at BCE? Displayed also in the front office is our featured artists at each grade level. I am so proud of their efforts. Mrs. Tart, along with her students, have created beautiful sky ceiling tiles on the first floor of the main building and now has expanded to the solar system ceiling tiles on the second floor. Ms. Kriek, our STEAM teacher, has added a fairy garden close to her classroom. Please check it out!
Recently, we had a penny war among the grade levels to raise money for our students in the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) units. This money will be used to purchase rewards and incentives. April is also National Autism Month. Our grand total was $1,367.00!!! What kindness we saw from everyone.
Together, we make BCE the best school. It is always a great day to be a BOBCAT!
Kind regards,
Diana Little
UPCOMING EVENT!!!
The annual BCE STEAM night is being held on May 16, 2017, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. This exciting event will feature fun and engaging activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math! This is a great opportunity for our students and their parents/guardians to participate in hands-on projects together and see STEAM in action!
Grade Level News
What's Happening In Kindergarten
Adding and Subtracting
Celebrating Dr. Seuss' Birthday!
working together
Can you believe that this school year is almost over? As the kindergarten year comes to an end, we are working very hard at learning to read new sight words. Please help your child to practice their words daily. We are also working on learning new vocabulary words that we read in books and see in the real world. It is important to remember that students may be able to read words well, but they also need to understand what they are reading. Comprehension is critical and you can help your child by asking them questions about the story they are reading to ensure they are understanding what is happening in the story.
We also would like to remind parents to have their kindergarten child(ren) access I-Ready from home! The I-Ready program is used daily in the classroom. This program pinpoints individual student reading needs and adjusts lessons to help your child improve their reading skills. I-Ready has its own ongoing progress monitoring process that generates reports to show whether or not each child is on track to achieve the end of the year goals. The more a child practices, the more successful they will become.
During writing the students are working on sounding their words out to write complete sentences that include a capital letter at the beginning, details in their sentence, and punctuation at the end. Our goal by the end of the school year is to have students writing a paragraph or more that includes proper sentence structure and details regarding a topic. We are encouraging parents to work with their child(ren) at home on these skills.
Also, during math we are working on decomposing numbers, including teen numbers. The students are working on showing and solving combination problems within 10. They are also learning how numbers 11-19 are composed of ten ones and other ones (place value). Please continue to help your child practice counting, practice their addition and subtraction skills, and how to solve story problems.
All of the kindergarten teachers have seen each child grow in their learning this school year. We are very proud of their successes and we are here to support them. Your continued support at home is also truly appreciated!
What's Happening in 1st Grade
Greetings from 1st Grade!
All the 1st grade students and teachers enjoyed their field trip to the Naples Zoo. We took the boat ride around Monkey Island, viewed the Animal Planet show, and enjoyed walking around to observe all the animals. Before spring break, all the classes competed at Field Day and had some great new events that Mr. Clawson and Mrs. Percel added.
In April we will start our unit on Fairy Tales. The students will be constructing a book of Fairy Tales as they compare and contrast the characters, problems and solutions, and settings of several tales. They are also writing their own fairy tale with all the elements that they have learned and will publish it in a hard cover book provided by the PTA.
In Math, we are practicing counting efficiently up to 120. We have been solving problems involving things that come in groups of 2’s, 5’s and 10’s using our hands, fingers, and feet. The students are also developing fluency with combinations of 10.
Science has been very exciting as we learn about the similarities and differences between plants, animals, and humans. We are able to name the basic necessities that all plants, animals, and humans need. Our biggest challenge was being able to determine the difference between needs and wants.
We have been learning and exploring many interesting things about our local community in Social Studies. After identifying the key elements of maps and globes, we are able to locate Florida, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
As we come upon the last quarter of the year, please continue to read every night with your children and encourage them to complete their homework.
What's Happening in 2nd Grade
The 4th quarter is an important time for the students to continue to build upon what they have learned so far this year and to put forth their best effort in all areas. In Reading, the focus will be on reading fluently and comprehension. In Math, the students will be working on more complex problem solving with multiple step problems and using efficient strategies. They need to know their addition and subtraction math facts up to and from 18, the value of coins, how to count money, tell time to the hour and half hour, and place value up to 1,000. Staying focused and motivated these last few weeks is also important.
All of 2nd grade enjoyed their field trip to Farmer Mike's in February. The students had an opportunity to pick fresh strawberries and take them home.
All students will be earning tickets for good behavior and work habits. They will be able to spend their tickets at our 2nd grade Fun Fair in May. We encourage all students to read Reading Counts books nightly and/or work on the iReady computer program at home.
The 2nd grade teachers would like to thank all of our parents for their support this year!
The strawberry field at Farmer Mike's
Waiting for the hay ride
The Fun Fair is in May!
What's Happening in 3rd Grade
Hi parents! It’s hard to believe that we only have a few weeks left of school. Our 3rd grade students continue to be very busy. The skills they’ve been learning will help prepare them for 4th grade.
We’d like to thank those of you who supported our Bobcat Walk. Money raised from activities like this are crucial to supporting academic programs here at Big Cypress Elementary School. We would also like to thank you for the support you gave our students to help them complete their culture projects and Valentine Robots. The students loved sharing their projects and presentations! We were introduced to many cool robots and learned about many different cultures of the world!
Field day was a huge success! This year the students participated and competed in some new activities. It was a fun time for all! Thank you to those who were able to come out and cheer on their child! Your support makes all the difference!
Third graders recently took the FSA Reading Test on March 28-29th. Teachers and students did their best to prepare all year long. We are confident that the 3rd graders did well! These tests will provide information regarding how well students have learned the Florida standards. We are currently working on FSA Math practice materials to help prepare students for the upcoming FSA Math assessment. Some of the practice materials are coming home for homework as well. On these nights, please make sure that you are reviewing these activities at home. Also, it’s a great idea to go over practice questions that were missed in school or while working independently at home. Thanks for all your support with this important matter.
Events coming soon:
1. 3rd grade field trips to Naples Botanical Gardens for Butterfly Science program - Classes will be going April 20th, 21st, and 24th. We will be learning about the butterfly life cycle, butterflies’ role as pollinators, butterfly habitat needs, and butterfly diversity.
2. FSA Math test – May 1st and 2nd
3. Florida Repertory Theater for Young Audience Show – May 5th
4. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Night – May 16th
5. 3rd grade Marketplace – May 24th and 25th
Please continue to do these things at home:
1. Review your child’s work in the “Wednesday Envelope” and praise your child for work done well. Encourage them to correct their mistakes and take pride in their work.
2. Check the planner every day to see assignments and other important notices and events.
3. Help with homework – help your child complete assignments correctly and make sure they are returning quality work to school.
4. Practice basic math facts. If your child is still struggling with basic addition and subtraction facts to 20, use flashcards, the internet, or practice books to develop proficiency. At this point third graders should not be using their fingers to add and subtract. These facts should be memorized. They must know these facts in order to be able to understand the more complicated math processes that we are learning now. Also, 3rd graders are expected to know the multiplication products of two 1-digit numbers by memory by the end of the year. Keep practicing!
5. READ, READ, READ! This is the most effective strategy that you can use to help your child academically. Read to and with your child whenever possible and make sure they are reading independently as well. Also, students can work on iReady lessons at home.
We thank you for all your support in helping your child to be as successful as possible!
What's Happening in 4th Grade
Wow! Can you believe we are already in the fourth quarter of the 2016-17 school year? This year sure has flown by. So much has happened since our last newsletter. We have had our vocabulary parade, the annual Bobcat Walk, and field day, which the kids enjoy so much. And field trips! The fourth grade team loves to get the kids out of the classroom to learn about nature with hands on experiences. We’ve had so much fun learning about animals in the wild with the FGCU students and Miss Ricky during our nature walk at the C.R.E.W. We also learned many great things about estuaries, in particular Rookery Bay, and how important they are to our coastal town. We highly recommend a summer day trip to either of these areas.
In the classroom we have been reviewing for the upcoming FSA Reading and Math tests. What can you do to help? Please make sure that your child gets plenty of rest and eats a good breakfast each day as it is so important for the students to start their day off strong.
We have a few projects we will be working on during this last quarter. The students will be creating a book of poems for our Young Authors book where they will be responsible for creating several different types of poems and include illustrations for each poem. We will be teaching cursive writing skills from now until the end of the year, and we will be doing a Social Studies book study on The Last Egret: The Adventures of Charlie Pierce. Our classrooms are full of activity all the way to the end of the year, making every moment count. As well as preparing our students for the tests, we are also preparing them for their transition to fifth grade, their final year here at Big Cypress Elementary. Such a bitter sweet moment for everyone.
The fourth grade team would like to request that you keep your child involved in learning throughout the summer. Summer is a great time for your child to curl up with a great book, practice math while learning life skills, and experiencing science and social studies in a way that only a parent can teach them. We would also be remiss if we didn’t take this opportunity to thank all of our parents for their support this year. It has been a great year!
What's Happening in 5th grade
During the third quarter, 5th grade students had many opportunities for learning, exploration, and having fun. One major highlight was Junior Achievement. On this day, business members from the community came in to talk to students about “work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.” Students were then asked to reflect on the day, complete a career interest survey and determine what types of careers they may be interested in. Students discovered many of their strengths and interests and were introduced to different career possibilities.
Another highlight of the third quarter was our Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) for writing. Throughout the year, students worked hard to master the art of writing informational and opinion pieces using multiple texts to support their ideas. This test gave them the opportunity to show all that they learned. Please remember that the FSA writing test score and FSA reading score will be part of your child’s final FSA Language Arts score.
In the next few months, students will be completing their state testing. Students will take the FSA reading exam during the week of April 10, science on May 2-3, and math during the week of May 8-11. Please note that there are two days of testing for each subject. Please contact your child’s teacher for specific days for reading and math.
As the 2016-2017 school year comes to an end, 5th grade students will have the opportunity to participate in many exciting activities. These activities are a privilege. We hope that all students participate, but they will need to earn the right by continuing to be an active and organized student who shows positive school-wide behavior. A note will be going home to explain all of the activities and expectations very soon. Some of the activities included are Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Kahoot competition, Business Builders, and 5th Grade Kickball Tournament. Our Moving Up Ceremony is scheduled for May 31 at 9:30 in the Big Cypress Cafeteria. We hope you will all be able to join us and celebrate the success of all of our Bobcats who are “moving up” to middle school.
Related Arts News
STEAM Lab
Greetings from the STEAM Lab! Our students have been very busy these last few months. Our kinder students have tackled many topics such as “why objects in space can be so big, but look so small to us here on Earth”. First graders and second graders have learned about habitats and why they are important for animal survival. Third graders have completed a “Light Reflection Challenge”. They used small laser pointers, a set of mirrors and a bullseye to create a series of reflections based on a point system. Fourth graders recently participated in our school “littleBits” challenge. Students voted on completed projects and one team was selected as our “winning team”. They will represent Big Cypress Elementary at our district competition in May. We are really excited about that! Last, but certainly not least, our fifth graders competed in our own BCE Lego Robotics challenge. Over the course of the unit, they learned to create many different programs for the EV3 Lego Robots. Everyone enjoyed that!
Learning with Legos
Littlebits Challenge
Lego Robotics Challenge
ART
It’s hard to believe that we are almost through another school year. We have been very busy! We completed our clay projects and enjoyed learning how to score and use slip to put pieces of clay together. We learned the properties of glaze and how the final firing turns clay into beautiful pottery. We completed our units of study in line, color, shape, and are well into our units on form and space. Ask your student to tell you the difference between 2-D and 3-D objects. Also have them tell you how they can make 2-D objects on a paper appear to be 3-D.
We want to congratulate those students who had artwork on display at our 2016-17 art shows as well as the outstanding art students of the month. We hope that our students will continue to create GREAT art over the summer. We encourage them to sign up for various art camps offered by Artis-Naples, CCPR, Von Liebig Art Center, and the Center for the Arts in Bonita. Have a great summer!
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The second half of the school year has been full of wonderful learning experiences for our BCE students!
In the second semester the students learn:
K-2:
· How to toss and bump a volleyball
· How to jump rope and use it as a creative tool
· To work in collaboration with their classmates
· Create moves with their body and with a hula-hoop
· Tee ball skills: catching-throwing and batting
3-5:
· Soccer skills
· Hockey skills
· Fitness
· Tennis skills
· Lacrosse skills
We also held our Olympics Field Day! Everybody had a blast! P.E. ROCKS!!
Tech Talk
Kindergarten: We have learned how to use Microsoft Word to type our names, alphabet, numbers to 20, and sight words. We have also learned how to search for and insert pictures from the internet. We are currently working on finding our saved work, opening it and printing it. The last unit of the year will be a PowerPoint animal book.
1st grade: We recently finished using Microsoft Word to complete a chart showing living and non-living things. We typed words, inserted corresponding pictures, and changed the text fonts and colors. Soon we will be working on a PowerPoint presentation about our field trip to the zoo.
2nd grade: We are currently using PowerPoint to create a presentation about one of the 50 states. We are learning how to design our slides, search the internet for pictures and facts, and use the "side-by-side" windows feature as a way to multi-task and work more efficiently.
3rd grade: We have just finished creating a multiplication table as a way to learn basic Microsoft Excel skills. Our last project will be a "My Favorite Things" PowerPoint presentation.
4th grade: We are currently using Microsoft Excel to create tables and graphs as a way to represent and analyze the data from our Kahoot poll. For the final project, we will be using PowerPoint to create a critic's "review" of an SSYRA book we read this year.
5th grade: We are putting the finishing touches on our Olympic medal tables and graphs using Microsoft Excel. The last big project before moving on to middle school will be a PowerPoint presentation about a famous American or one of the departments of the President's Cabinet.
Grades 3-5 are now into the Kahoot tournament playoffs! It's going to be exciting as classes challenge each other and reach for the gold!
2nd grade state research
Kinder using Microsoft Word
5th Grade Creating Tables and Graphs
Counselor's Corner
Greetings!
The school-wide PBS (positive behavior support) program continues to be in full swing at BCE! New this year is our “Go for the Gold” charts in each classroom. Students have been earning gold, silver or bronze behavior during related arts and returning to their classroom to add on to their classroom chart. As charts are completed they earn either dodgeball during PE warm-ups or a special classroom activity during STEAM Fridays. Students receive individual recognition by earning “Awesome Pawsome” pink tickets that they bring to the media center for daily drawings on the morning news.
Although the end of the school year is right around the corner, we continue to encourage students to demonstrate positive behaviors using our Three BCE Expectations: "BCE Bobcats Are HONEST, KIND and RESPONSIBLE.” We also encourage students to use the “Be Cool Steps” to resolve conflicts with others. Remember to use these steps at home:
The Peer Mediation Program is very active. Our 5th grade Peer Mediators have done an excellent job throughout the school year by assisting other students in working out their problems in a fair and mature manner. We are very proud of them!
It has been an awesome year and we are lucky to have such wonderful students at BCE! We wish all of our fifth grade students continued success as they move up to middle school. We hope that everyone has a safe and fun-filled summer!