COLEBROOK SCHOOL
MAY NEWSLETTER
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Families,
I hope you are finding time with your family to enjoy the warmer days as they bring many opportunities for walks through the park, early spring bike rides, and playdates on the playground. At school, our students are enjoying more time outside during recess, albeit still in winter coats! The end of the school year is almost upon us, and I encourage you to refer to the upcoming events listed in this newsletter for your planning purposes.
As we head into the last months of schools, I want to let you know about the summer plan for your child’s laptop and some of the processes to support your child as they transition to the next grade level.
Summer Plans for Devices
Where possible, students will keep their laptops over the summer, giving them continued access to educational and enrichment materials (such as online books) while school is out. The exception will be students exiting kindergarten. These computers will stay in the classroom for the 2023-2024 group of kindergarteners. Students completing kindergarten in June will leave their devices and chargers in their classrooms at the end of the school year and will receive a new device through a central deployment process at the start of first grade. Kindergarten students participating in Extended School Year or Summer Lab programs will use loaner devices to support their work in these programs.
Students completing first, second and third grade will keep their laptops and chargers until the end of fourth grade (including summers). Any students leaving the district at the end of the school year can turn in their laptop/charger at their building on the last day of school. Students leaving the district over the summer can turn in their laptops/charger at District Office, 321 List Avenue, prior to August 30, 2023.
Processes to Support Your Child’s Transitions to the Next Grade
Across our district, K-3 teachers and staff have a variety of ways to support and transition students to the next grade level. While transitions from kindergarten to first grade and third grade to fourth are quite structured, informal and formal transitions occur for all students towards the end of each school year. The following points describe specific transition process by grade:
Kindergarten, first, second and third-grade teachers work together to either visit various grade-level classrooms or have students visit their upcoming classroom. During these visits, teachers often deliberately seek out and talk with students from the lower grade that they may have in their class the following year.
Third graders in each neighborhood school will have an opportunity to either visit Rogers Middle School or Iroquois Middle School via an in-person tour. Preparations for this visit usually include writing questions in advance for fourth grade staff and students. The comprehensive visit usually includes viewing a video of classrooms as well as informal meet-and-greets with fourth-grade staff members. Students will learn about various clubs and other formal school activities, homework expectations and lockers.
As the end of the school year draws near, I look forward to celebrating this special time with you and your child.
In partnership,
Brenna Farrell
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: 210 Colebrook Dr.
Principal: Brenna Farrell | brenna_farrell@westiron.monroe.edu
Main office: 585-336-1600
Fax: 585-336-0866
Secretary: Melanie Maloney | Melanie_Maloney@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: westirondequoit.org/colebrook_school
Health Office: 585-336-1608
· Nurse: Lona Cornell
Transportation: 585-336-2992
District Office: 585-342-5500 | District website: westirondequoit.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
May
5/12- PTSA Playground Night
5/16- District Budget Vote/BOE Election, 6 AM - 9 PM
5/25- Parent Orientation for Incoming 4th Graders at Iroquois 6:00-6:30 PM
5/29- NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
June
6/5- Sports Day
6/13- Third Grade Recognition 9am
6/13- Kindergarten Celebration 12:30pm
6/14- Flag Day Celebration
6/19- NO SCHOOL- Juneteenth
6/21- Last Day of School K-6
6/21- Report Cards Available
Link to full calendar: westirondequoit.org/colebrook_school
UPDATE ON MATH PILOT
As you may remember, through our curricular review process it was determined that our K-6 Math resource requires an update. In response, a K-6 Math Pilot Committee was assembled at the beginning of the school year. That committee narrowed down the search to two resources that aligned with our criteria. These resources are Math Expressions and Ready Math. Since then, the selection process entered the pilot stage. This means that participating teachers will be trying out both resources as part of their math instruction to get hands on experience and better determine which resource best meets our needs. Teachers will implement two instructional units based on the piloted instructional resources.
While instruction in pilot classrooms may be different from other classrooms during two instructional units, we have worked with teachers to ensure high quality mathematics instruction continues and that every child’s needs are met. Students in every classroom will be working toward the same NYS math standards no matter which resource is used. After completion of the pilot, teachers will provide feedback and the committee will make a final recommendation to the Board of Education at the end of the month. We look forward to sharing more with you once an official selection is made.
CKLA AT K-2 UPDATE
Las fall, we began our implementation of our newly adopted foundational literacy resource, CKLA Skills Strand for grades K-2. The Skill Strand of CKLA program is anchored in science of reading practices, bringing to our students tools and protocols that are aligned with research-based best practices for fostering reading and writing skills. This program has been integral in ensuring that every student is accessing technically proficient literacy instruction. Research informs us that reading instruction requires direct and explicit instruction in order for students to construct accurate knowledge to support their ability to decode, or read, unknown words. Some of the topics and concepts students may have studied this year include letter names and letter sounds, breaking words down into the individual sounds, finding the right letter/letter combinations that create those sounds, and decoding new words by applying their knowledge of letters and sounds. As students master these and other reading skills, they become more fluent as they read sentences and even whole books.
One of the most important aspects of this learning is ensuring students have texts in which they can apply it. The CKLA Skills Strand program provides our teachers with beautifully illustrated decodable texts. Students are excited to be reading decodable texts that look like chapter books. The stories are engaging, and students are making real connections with the diverse characters represented across the many stories. This is the first and very important step our students take in developing their identity as a reader, and our youngest learners are finding success and joy in this pivotal learning. We are so proud of all of their hard work this year!
Helmer Nature Center logo contest!
Our district’s outdoor classroom, Helmer Nature Center, is turning 50 during the 2023-2024 school year and we'll be witnessing a total solar eclipse in Rochester on Monday, April 8th, 2024. To celebrate both unique events, HNC is holding a contest to design a special nature center logo for next school year. We are asking any West Irondequoit CSD students to help us design this once-in-a-lifetime logo! Click here to learn more and see the submission form and read Helmer’s Spring newsletter at this link.
THREE SEPARATE VOTES
The annual District Vote is Tuesday, May 16th and there are three separate areas to consider that require three separate votes:
The District budget for the 2023-24 school year
The Board of Education election (2 candidates for 2 open seats)
The R.I.S.E. Capital Project
You can read more information on each by going to the May 2023 District Vote page at our website and click on the appropriate links. You also are welcome to attend our School Budget Hearing, 7 PM on Thursday, May 4 at District Office, 321 List Ave. Candidates’ Night for our two Board of Education candidates, Mr. John Vay and Mrs. Victoria Bournival, is 6:30 PM on Monday, May 8th in the Campus Center (small cafeteria) at Irondequoit HS. The session will be recorded and later published on our YouTube channel.
CLICK ABOVE READ MORE ON EACH
MARCH MUSIC MADNESS
The month of March was an exciting time in music which was focused on our March Music Madness competition! During this time, students were listening to music from different decades and voting on their favorites. I love seeing how these relevant music experiences increase student interest and engagement. Students were cheering for their favorites, starting to develop their own musical preferences, and gaining an understanding of voting and community choice. They realized that how those musical preferences relate to identity and who we are. They recognized that they can have their own opinions of music that may differ from those of others. And I ESPECIALLY love the family component – many of you emailed me about how you were continuing the listening and researching at home - how cool it was that your students were listening to (and talking intelligently about) music from your generation(s) and how much you were able to connect over that! Most importantly, it reminded us of the greatest of music’s superpowers: bringing people together. That’s what it’s all about!
In case you’re curious or would like to continue with some listening (and maybe even dance??) parties at home, this year’s full bracket is below. Thank you, as always, for your support of our music program!
Rob Line
Music Teacher
Third Graders Shining Bright During NYS Testing!
MRS. BEATTY'S FIRST GRADERS PRESENTING THEIR CKLA ANIMAL DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPHS
MAKE IT MONDAY
Make it Monday! Mrs. Beatty's first graders discovered different ways to make 25 using addition and subraction.
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO
Do you:
Have a new cell phone number or email address?
Have a new work phone number?
Need to update your emergency contacts?
Be sure to keep your child's school informed of any changes to your phone numbers or emergency contact information. Update info directly on the Parent Portal or send in a note with your child. Thanks!