Oakleigh Owl News
May 2022
Message from the Principal
Greetings Oakleigh Families,
It is hard to believe May is here and the school year is coming to an end. We are so excited to bring back many of our traditional end of the year activities that students have missed for the past two years. This includes spring concerts, Field Day, class picnics, and Fifth grade Farewell. More information will be coming out about all of the events.
The month of May will also be busy with testing for students in all grade levels. We know this can be stressful for some students. Our staff is working hard to minimize stress and see this as an opportunity for students to show what they have learned this school year. You can help be being sure that your child is well rested and going to bed early and arriving on time for school each day.
We are all enjoying that the weather is warming up. As a reminder, students who are walkers should go directly home after school. Many of our students want to stay and play on the playground. While we understand this, the crossing guards are only on duty for 15 minutes as we dismiss. We want to be sure all students can cross the street when the crossing guards are still there.
Lastly, Ms. Brinkley and I would like to thank all our families for their patience and understanding with bus delays. We know it is a huge impact on you and your schedule when buses are late or do not arrive. You have all be so kind and we greatly appreciate it.
-Mrs. Metheny
Starlab Visit
We are super excited to welcome Starlab to Oakleigh from May 5th to May 12th! Students will be visiting Starlab based on a classroom schedule with their teachers. One important thing to note is that due to the confined space inside of Starlab, students will be expected to wear a mask while inside of the dome. Please consider sending in a mask in students bookbags for them to wear while visiting. Thank you for your assistance to this matter.
IGE 3
This month Preschool learned all about spring. Our books focused on insects and what grows in spring! We read books about plants and gardens. This month we watched as our caterpillars change into butterflies! We were able to set them free in the school's garden. We learned about their lifecycle and what they like to eat. Unfortunately, we were not able to watch our tadpoles change. We also practiced drawing, coloring, and writing. It was a very exciting month!
Pre-K
We have been busy observing how things grow and change. Our tadpoles grew their legs and were ready to hop away. The students also enjoyed watching the caterpillars change to butterflies. We had a great day releasing the butterflies.
Conferences will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd and Wednesday May 4th. I’m looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress.
K
In Kindergarten, we are continuing to gain phonics and reading skills; blending CVC words and words that begin with consonant blends. We are practicing phonemic skills such as substituting initial sounds and letters in words, as well as deleting final sounds. We are also busy adding to our ever-growing sight word list each week!
In reading comprehension, we are practicing reading strategies such as identifying main idea and key details, making predictions, and answering and asking questions about a text. We have read about places to visit in our country and learned about what we see in our sky!
In math, we learned about the penny, the dime, and their values, created and solved addition problems, and all about measurement!
Please practice tying shoe laces at home to prepare for 1st grade😊
First Grade
We had a great month of learning during April! In reading, we started Unit 6. Our focus is to identify what we can learn from the world around us by reading a variety of texts. We are reading biographies and nonfiction texts. Our goal is to strengthen our ability to identify main idea and details, ask and answer questions, and to identify and better understand how text features help us as readers. In math, we are working hard in Unit 7. We are strengthening our understanding of place value, number sense up to 120, and awareness of number patterns.
Please continue to read nightly to build fluency and comprehension. Don’t forget to practice addition and subtraction facts too.
Second Grade
Second grade has been working hard this month looking at measurement in centimeters and meters. We have also been working on recognizing fractions and relating fractions to the number of parts that it takes to equal a whole in Math. In Language Arts we have started a new unit that is focusing on curiosity. So far we have learned about how curiosity leads us to ask questions about the world around us. We will then begin non-fiction texts about people who were curious and learned about specific topics. We finished up the "Sandy Situation" unit and completed a grade level experiment that focused on methods to slow down erosion. We are now in our Health unit that is focusing on how to keep our bodies healthy and how we have changed in our abilities as we have grown.
Third Grade
April has been a quick month with Spring Break falling in the midst of it. Third graders have been learning all about prefixes and how they can change the meaning of a word. In Language Arts, each class has been reading a book by the author Roald Dahl. Students have identified the elements of a story and analyzed characters’ traits and motivations. In Math class students completed Unit 6 which focused on Geometry and have since been practicing their multiplication skills. Finally in Science class students are working in cooperative teams to plan, design, and build a car from recycled materials. We have much more to learn before the year is over!
Fourth Grade
Fourth graders continue to work hard. In reading, we finished the novel, Inside Out and Back Again. The students learned a lot about Vietnam. We also identified theme in many poems. Currently, we are discussing different genres and analyzing how different author write about the same topic. As we read a variety of text, we are using the skills we have learned throughout the year to help us comprehend.
In math, we are learning division of large numbers, along with perimeter and area of a variety of polygons. The students are understanding why it is important to know basic facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The students are working in Xtra-Math to master their facts. There is quite a competition going on between all three classrooms!
In Science, we are learning about energy and how energy helps solve problems. We finished our MCAP testing in Math and the week of May 9th the students will be taking the English Language Arts test. A good night’s sleep is important!
Fifth Grade
What an exciting time to be a fifth grader with middle school right around the corner. In ELA, students have been reading"Wonder" by RJ Palacio. The story deals with many themes including friendship, kindness and growing up. A perfect mix for our fifth graders. Students have also continued working on their research skills and have participated in a classroom debate.
In Math, the students have continued to build and build upon their current skills. The students have been working with coordinate planes and beginning to learn the basics of geometry.
Along with all of this comes the excitement of spring and our fifth grade farewell that will take place on June 10th out in the front of the school in the bus loop. We look forward to sending our Fifth graders off to middle school.
FALS
The FALS classes spent some time in April learning about plant life cycles. Mrs. Pappas' and Mrs. Cunningham's class have been reading novels in preparation for their testing.
In math, classes have been learning different things. Mrs. Pappas' and Mrs. Mullen's classes are learning about fractions. Mrs. Cunningham's class has begun working on counting mixed coins.
We are looking forward to watching our butterflies transform into butterflies. We are also working on growing our own flowers.
Spotlight on Music
In Music, we have been excited to prepare for the return of in person concerts! Please join us for our upcoming concerts.
Tuesday, May 24th 6pm - 5th grade band, orchestra and bucket band
Wednesday, May 25th 6pm - 4th grade chorus (all of 4th grade)
Social Worker's Corner
May is Mental Health month, it was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental health is essential for one’s overall health. If you have concerns about your mental health, click on the resources link below.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health, under the Baltimore County Health Department is the mental health authority for the administration of state-funded services for people with mental illness residing in Baltimore County and is available to help residents in receiving medication assistance, assist in completing applications for services, and provide resources for mental health services. The Bureau of Behavioral Health direct phone number is (410) 887-3828 for additional information.
The Children, Adolescence, and Young Adults and Family Services (CAYA) Team in the Bureau of Behavioral Health and contracts for and monitors publicly funded services for children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral problems who are at risk for out-of-home placement and their families. Learn more about the services offered by CAYA at https://resources.baltimorecountymd.gov/Documents/Health/Mental_Health/cayaserviceoverview.pdf .
FOR EMERGENCIES
The Crisis Mental Health System helps individuals in crisis remain in the community by avoiding an unnecessary hospitalization or removal from the natural environment. To receive any of the services listed below, call 410-931-2214.
- 24-hour Operations Center
- Mobile Crisis Teams
- In-Home Intervention Team
- Urgent Care Clinic
- Non-Mental Health Emergency Housing
- Critical Incident Stress Management
May is Mental Health month, it was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental health is essential for one’s overall health. If you have concerns about your mental health, click on the resources link below.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health is the mental health authority for the administration of state-funded services for people with mental illness residing in Baltimore County and is available to help residents in receiving medication assistance, assist in completing applications for services, and provide resources for mental health services.
The Children, Adolescence, and Young Adults and Family Services (CAYA) Team in the Bureau of Behavioral Health and contracts for and monitors publicly funded services for children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral problems who are at risk for out-of-home placement and their families. Learn more about the services offered by CAYA at https://resources.baltimorecountymd.gov/Documents/Health/Mental_Health/cayaserviceoverview.pdf .
FOR EMERGENCIES
The Crisis Mental Health System helps individuals in crisis remain in the community by avoiding an unnecessary hospitalization or removal from the natural environment. To receive any of the services listed below, call 410-931-2214.
- 24-hour Operations Center
- Mobile Crisis Teams
- In-Home Intervention Team
- Urgent Care Clinic
- Non-Mental Health Emergency Housing
- Critical Incident Stress Management
Tuesday, May 3rd – School Closed
Friday, May 20th – 3 hour early dismissal
Tuesday, May 24th – 5th grade instrumental music concert
Wednesday, May 25th – 4th grade chorus concert
Friday, June 3 – Field day (rain date June 8th)
Friday, June 10 – 5th grade Farewell (rain date, June 13th)