New Emerson News
New Emerson School • November, 2021 • Issue 3
Need an Original Holiday Gift Idea? Check out the Art Fundraiser!
Behind the scenes, every student at New Emerson has been working on an art piece for our Original Works fundraiser. All learners worked hard to polish their piece making it eye-catching and worthy of recognition. Your support: Delivers funding to our art program. Builds your child's self-esteem. Rewards and encourages creativity. Provides personalized gifts for family and friends. Is a simple way to do a lot!
This year placing your order is easier than ever:
1) Visit https://store.originalworks.com/gallerylogin/ Enter school code: Neem.
2) Locate your child's work of art and place your order.
3) Orders will be shipped to the school and I will pass them out as soon as they arrive.
The best news is that we are on track to have orders delivered before the holidays.
The ordering deadline is Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me here at school. This program is very flexible and there are options to make your experience positive.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the arts. I couldn't do this without you.
Lora Quesenberry
From Ms. Terry
Dear New Emerson families:
Welcome to November. Colder weather means jackets. Please remember to send your child to school one, and let’s also take time to think about all of the things we are grateful for this month. I know I am grateful for our wonderful staff and our learners. Thank you for your support in helping us navigate through the first quarter. Also, thank you for supporting us on our journey, New Emerson Personalized Feedback Assessment Inquiry Project Explained.pdf . As you may have noticed, the area of Mathematics was left blank on the report card. Information from your child’s teacher supports where they are in mastering the mathematical standards and skills for the first quarter. Again, this is only in the area of math. I invite you to check with your child’s teacher or me if you have any questions.
To move our learners forward, our staff is also taking time on Friday during our learning community time to study student data, look for trends, and be responsive to the areas students need additional support or additional assistance in learning. Teachers are working harder than ever to make sure your students’ needs are being met.
In the area of reading, we are fortunate to have an Americacorp Reading Tutor available to us each day. Jacob Stewart is available to work with students in the area of reading comprehension, phonics, and fluency. Jacob was gifted to us through a reading grant. Please join me in welcoming Jacob to our New Emerson family.
At the next accountability/PTO meeting, I will be giving an update on our Priority Goals for this year. They are listed below.
Priority Goals | 2021-2022
Academic Focus - Math Growth
Priority Performance: Through the site-based implementation of Bridges Math Curriculum, students will improve in both achievement and growth of math standards.
Year-Long Learner Goal: 80% of students will meet or exceed grade-level norms for projected growth on Math NWEA in grades 2 - 5.
Year-Long Teacher Goal: 100% of teachers will use the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Backward Planning protocol one Friday a month and engage in a data-analysis of student math assessments one Friday per month to support differentiated and targeted math instruction using Bridges Problems and Investigations, Number Corner, and Math Intervention.
Culture & Climate Focus - School Engagement
Priority Performance: By launching each school day with a whole-class gathering (Morning Meeting), we will build a climate of trust, academic growth, and increase positive behaviors
Year-Long Learner Goal: 60% or more of students will respond positively to questions about the School Engagement subcategory at the end of the year Panorama Survey.
Year-Long Teacher Goal: 100% of teachers will engage in a root cause analysis of the problem. We will develop an action plan based on our findings and regularly progress monitor student perceptions. We will engage students in determining solutions in various ways, including the possibility of a PBL related to increasing School Engagement.
Thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to visit with me during Early Bird Reading or feel free to make an appointment with me.
Sincerely,
Terry Schmalz
Schoolwide Holiday Show to be Online
Hello, again New Emerson Families,
It has been much longer than I had intended or anticipated since my last communication, and I am so sorry for the delay. Each year brings new challenges, and this year is no different. For our audiences, we will still be required to encourage social distancing and mask-wearing, however, it is likely that we will all be able to enjoy individual grade-level concerts live and in-person throughout the school year! However, we have had to make some changes to our plans for the schoolwide holiday program.
We had originally decided to have a live and in-person holiday concert in December. But after much consideration, we have decided to alter our previous plan, and our program will once again be online this year. This was the best way to incorporate all of our families and to ease as many safety concerns as possible. I apologize for any confusion this has caused.
But please know that students in our music program are working hard to learn and refine their skills. Some classes have already begun working on concert literature and all classes have been working on a special project that we will soon be sharing with our families. We are off to a great start to a wonderful new school year!
Second grade is first up to start our in-person concert series. Our second-grade class opens on November 9th at 6pm and will be regaling their audience with tales of events so far this year as well as many of the things that we are looking forward to. Fourth grade will also be taking the stage in November. Their concert is on the 16th at 6pm This class will be showing off their dance and choreography skills as they perform movements to popular songs.
Kindergarten and first grade are doing very well. These young musicians are learning and experiencing new and familiar aspects of music every day. We are looking forward to each of their concerts this spring. Meanwhile, all grade levels have been hard at work learning new instruments this year. You might have heard from your learner(s) that they are working on special projects to share with all of you. I do not want to give away the surprise just yet, however, I can say that we are close to being ready to share our art with each of you. As we get closer to performance-ready, I will let you know when we will be recording. Like last year, I will then share a link that will take you to a video of the recording.
Third-grade learners will once again have the opportunity to embark on a wonderful and uniquely 3rd grade adventure: The Recorder! This will account for a large portion of their music curriculum. Speaking of recorders, it is now time for fourth grade to begin their recorder journey as well. It is unfortunate that they could not begin in third grade, however, I am glad that we will be able to catch up this year. Fifth grade will also need to dust off their old recorders, as they will be taking part in a recorder unit after winter break. It is possible that some may no longer have their recorders from two years ago and if so, don’t worry. Over the next few weeks, I will be sending out emails for each grade level regarding recorder purchases.
This Spring, grades three through five will once again begin working on concert material for the Carnegie Link-up program. This event, sponsored by the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, gives D51 students the opportunity to create music with the GJSO! This is always a wonderful performing, educational and entertaining experience for all participating students. During this incredible event, students will play instruments and sing with professional musicians in the Avalon theater. Unfortunately, this event is not open to the general public, as students from all over the valley will be filling up the rows of audience seats.
After winter break, select 4th and 5th-grade students will have the chance to perform in the D51 elementary honor choir concert. Honor choir students will learn advanced choir repertoire and perform it with other advanced elementary students from around the district. Auditions will take place in November. The honor choir concert will be held at Grand Junction High School on Saturday, February 19th. This concert is open to the public.
As always, thank you for all of your time and support. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to contact me. Jack.chipchase@d51schools.org
Stay safe, and Happy Holidays!
Jack Chipchase
Upcoming events:
Second grade concert-Tuesday, November 9 th @ 6:00M
Fourth grade concert-Tuesday, November 16 th @ 6:00PM
Holiday Program - Online. Details to Come.
D51 Elementary Honor Choir-Saturday, Saturday, February 19 th @ 3:00 PM (Grand Junction
High School)
Third grade concert-Tuesday, March 15 th @ 6:00PM
Fifth grade concert-Tuesday, April 12 th @ 6:00PM
First grade concert- Tuesday, April 19 th @ 6:00PM
Kindergarten concert-Wednesday, April 27 th @ 6:00PM
Carnegie Link Up-Thursday, May 5th (during the school day)
The Counselor's Desk
Hello, Parents —
October was bullying prevention month, so my classroom lessons were about helping students understand what bullying is and about the difference between conflict and bullying. Students learned that conflict is what usually happens between friends and bullying is mean behavior that is repeated, intentional, and involves an imbalance of power.
Students participated in discussions about why someone might use bullying behavior and what to do if they are a target of bullying. They were encouraged to use STOP, WALK, and TALK if mean behavior is directed at them. This involves saying stop to the person who is using bullying behavior, walking away, and talking to an adult to get help. Students also learned four ways to be an Upstander if they see bullying behavior:
Be a buddy – ask someone who is alone to sit with you or play with you
Interrupt – interrupt the bullying behavior and help the person targeted walk away
Speak out – say something to the person using bullying behavior (i.e., “That’s mean”)
Tell someone – get adult help
The 4th-grade learners had another session of Couragion in October. They are making progress with completing quests and learning about a variety of STEM careers. The 4th-grade learners can access Couragion at home if they want to complete more quests. They will find the Couragion app in Classlink.
I will be meeting with the 5th-grade learners in small groups over the next few months – in place of whole-class lessons. The small groups allow for more student interaction during my lessons. The 5th graders will be presented with SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) topics and they will get to choose which small groups they want to participate in. The groups are educational in design (not therapy groups) and will help the 5th graders build skills for learning, interacting with others, and managing emotions.
Please let me know if you have any questions about my classroom lessons or small groups.
Thank you,
Leslie Atchison
New Emerson School Counselor
Problem Based Learning for the Win!
The problem addressed for this unit was to create a prototype for new carnival booths to be used at the annual GJ Lions Club Carnival in February 2022.
Three guest speakers who visited with students included: Dan Sites from the Lions Club, Erin Mariner from the community Farmer’s Markets, and Jennifer Richardson from the Landfill and Recycling Center. They helped students to understand their mission and constraints for the project, how to make a booth sturdy and attractive, and how to use found materials and dispose of them ecologically in our builds. The learners then spent a few weeks writing up plans and building their booths before inviting peers to play.
PTO November in-Person Meeting & Online: Thursday, Nov. 11 @ 4:15 p.m.
Masks will be required for all parent participants as well as students staying in a mixed-cohort grouping for childcare in the Libratory during the PTO meetings.
Or you can join us mask-free online at 4:15 p.m.: https://meet.google.com/myz-qtaf-nhs