Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 15
TOQUAM MAGNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dear Toquam Parents,
The start of the school year has been wonderful with everyone getting acclimated to school. We are grateful for our PTO who is recruiting heavily for classroom mom/dad, Executive Officers and chairpersons for upcoming activities. We welcome our new kindergarten parents who will be with us for the next six years, please get involved now to make a difference! We have so much going on with our Scholastic Book Fair starting on Monday, September 19th, please come with your child's class to select some books for your home libraries. Wednesday, September 21, we will celebrate International Night on the Field, please join in the fun. Thursday, September 29th is Open House from 5:30-7:30pm. Parents you will be able to pick the best time for you to visit your child's classroom. Open House will provide you with a general overview of classroom expectations, the daily schedule and what to expect for this school year. We are looking forward to 100% participation and we will have an in-school competition with the classrooms with 100% parent participation will get a surprise!!!
Hispanic Heritage Month is a national celebration that begins on September 15 and ends on October 15. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period . It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
Community Health Center - School Based Health Care
We are excited to share that Stamford Public Schools has added school-based behavioral health care services with Toquam through a partnership with Community Health Centers. These behavioral health services include individual counseling, group counseling, family counseling, and crisis intervention services. Please see the attached (English / Spanish) if you are interested in registering your child for school-based behavioral health care services you could visit our website, too.
First View Bus Tracking App (Update)
We know that while many of our families have been successfully using the First View App to track their children, many others have been frustrated during these first weeks of school due to their children’s bus not appearing, or not being tracked correctly. These issues are caused by the numerous route and driver changes resulting from late registrations and bus driver shortages. We are optimistic that the App will become more reliable and useful to all families over the next several weeks.
For information on how to access and use the app, please visit the SPS Transportation page: Transportation - Stamford Public Schools.
Pick Up Patrol is our new streamline dismissal platform that we will start using this week. Parents make sure that you are signed up. Pick Up Patrol (PUP) is efficient, so we could do dismissal with more ease.
Finally, Stamford Public Schools is participating with Aperture / DESSA Social Emotional Learning platform. The pandemic has left many of our children with social emotional needs and this program will help us to help them, as we assess their needs. We encourage you to click on the link and read all about it.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0APxzKwJDTaMuUk9PVA
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ECZVcCIIgAgsBxeL1p9UrksSQq3gvSKnzz7_pbkA7Bo/edit
A Special Thank You to our Staff who are energetic and excited to be teaching our scholars this year. We commend them for the work they have already done and all they will do to educate our future leaders for tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Principal Brooks
PS: International Night is Postponed to Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 6pm.
OPEN HOUSE- SEPTEMBER 29: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Come out and see your child's classroom, meet the teacher and learn about all of the engaging rigorous curriculum that will be taught this year.
Click on the Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bJQ1TYA55jEPAe_O6mFhFRngzUfgktg-menT5XBC_T8/edit?usp=sharing
Grade Level Updates...Read All About It
Hello families,
We hope all is well. September is going by so fast. Here are a couple of friendly reminders for the remainder of the month.
Attendance: please do you best to make sure you child is in school daily and on time. School starts everyday 8:45am.
Rules and Routines: Talk to your child about the rules and routines of school daily. Remind children that the rules were created to keep them safe. Please also talk to your child about being kind and using nice hands. Encourage children to talk through their problems rather than hit, push, kick, etc.
Curriculum: We have started the literacy curriculum. The first until focuses on teaching children about rhyming, sound discrimination and, line formation. As children are learning how to write and, hold the pencil it is important that they also know how to sit in a chair appropriately. Please practice sitting in a chair with your child. For example, their feet should be on the floor and, their bottom should be in their seat.
Weather: please be mindful that children go outside daily. Please be sure to dress them In Weather appropriate clothing.
Independence skills: In kindergarten we promote independence. Children should be able to…
Recognize their name in print.
Toilet and, dress independently.
Identify their bus number.
First Grade:
It has been great getting to know each student and they are
all settling into daily routines. An update on what we
have been learning:
Skills:
-writing letters correctly
-vowel and consonant sounds
-reading CVC words
Knowledge
-fables
-expanding their vocabulary
-story elements (characters, settings, plot)
Math
-review numbers 1-20
-counting skills
-1 more, 1 less
-calendar skills
Social Studies
-How school is like a family
Please make sure to check REMIND daily for updates
and sign up for Pick up Patrol. We look forward to meeting
everyone at open house on September 29th.
Second Grade:
It has been great getting to know everyone. We are working hard in CKLA Knowledge learning about Fairy Tales and TallTales. Students are currently having fun identifying exaggerations in the Tall Tale Stories. In math we are reviewing addition skills and establishing routines during our math block. In Social Studies we are learning about Citizenship in our Community and what a good citizen is at school, in the home and in the community.
Third Grade:
It is exciting to start the new year with the CKLA (Core Knowledge Languaga Arts) Reading Program. This is not a new program for our students. It is a continuation from last year. Our first unit is on classic tales and starts with the story, The Wind in the Willows This unit exposes students to classic children’s stories that use rich language and introduce students to a variety of vocabulary words. Students will be exposed by descriptive paragraphs and
memorable characters as they explore interesting themes and discuss character traits. As they go on
adventures with these characters, instruction will reinforce understanding of the elements of fictional
narratives, including dialogue, narration, characters, plot, and setting. Students will also discuss the
literary tools of personification, perspective, and point-of-view, as well as the themes of friendship,
loyalty, hospitality, responsibility, and irresponsibility. The students love listening to the Read-alouds and discussing the various themes. In math, the students are learning to solve word one word problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They are also learning to round off to the nearest tens and hundreds, read a number chart, make and read bar graphs, and standard mass. In social studies, the students are learning about maps, globe, continents, oceans, and will be making their own maps. September has been a great month in getting to know our students. "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." Michael Jordan. "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford
Fourth Grade:
Fourth grade launched our new reading curriculum and we are learning about personal narratives. Students will work to identify the elements of the genre. We discussed what makes a good paragraph and practiced our writing skills. We learned about character traits and how to use evidence from the text to support our conclusions. In math, unit 1 will focus on place value. We have been working on rounding to the nearest hundred thousands. In social studies, we are learning about the geography of CT. Chromebooks are being distributed. If your child has not received their chrome book, please check your email to fill out the proper forms in the parent portal.
Fifth Grade:
Hello Everyone! We've had a fantastic start to the school year so far! The 5th grade team has been implementing many different AVID strategies, as we continue to learn about Personal Narrative Writing and Area/Volume. We are taking as many opportunities as we can to practice two column note taking so that we can be expert note takers next year in middle school! Soon, we plan to practice THREE column note taking! This will really help us learn how to organize our thoughts as we begin our Native American studies unit in Social Studies during the coming weeks. Most excitingly of all, two of our fifth grade students have begun making plans to start an online school newspaper! The articles will appear on a student created website, and will include articles about current events that are happening here at Toquam, as well as elsewhere. Other 5th grade students are welcome to join! The club will meet after school twice a week to work on the blogs and articles. Staff and parents will be notified once more details are available. More information to follow!
You're Invited to International Night - (Postponed: See You on Wednesday)
Let's break bread together.. See you on the field on Wednesday!
English Language Learners:
name is Mrs. Wuite and we are so happy to have her at
Toquam. We have been pulling students out in small groups
as well as pushing into classes. We have begun instruction in
CKLA Language Studio and the students have been
familiarizing themselves with AVID strategies, claps, and how
to be a successfull student.
Esta semana presentamos una
nueva maestra a nuestro equipo. Su nombre es Sra. Wuite y
estamos muy felices de tenerla en Toquam. Hemos estado
sacando a los estudiantes en grupos pequeños y también
entrando a las clases. Hemos comenzado la instrucción en
CKLA Language Studio y los estudiantes se han estado
familiarizando con las estrategias AVID, los aplausos, y
cómo
ser un estudiante exitoso.
Physical Education (PE) / Gym Classes
I Hear Music in The Air...
Instrumental - Instrument selection forms are making their way home. Be sure to go over them with your child and have them return the completed form to their classroom teacher.
Filling in the Blanks: Ms Pearce & Mrs. Confident
What is Hispanic Heritage Month?
Celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Many Hispanic Americans trace their roots to the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas -- including the Arawaks (Puerto Rico), the Aztecs (Mexico), the Incas (South America), the Maya (Central America), and the Tainos (in Cuba, Puerto Rico and other places).
Some trace their roots to the Spanish explorers -- who in the 1400s set out to find an easier and less costly way to trade with the Indies. Other Latinos trace their roots to the Africans who were brought as slaves to the New World. For purposes of the U.S. Census, Hispanic Americans today are identified according to the parts of the world that they or their ancestors came from, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Spain, or the nations of Central or South America.
ELEMENTARY LEVEL RESOURCES & ACTIVITIES
Bilingual Books for Kids
Proud to be Latino Food/Comida | Hispanic Heritage | Books for Kids
¿Dónde está el coquí? | Hispanic Heritage | Books for Kids
A read aloud for children in English and Spanish that takes us to Puerto Rico, where we meet a tiny singing frog that is that is the national symbol of the Island.
Spanish Lullabies
Colorín Colorado celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with dynamic booklists, classroom activities, and multimedia resources. These are great materials for the curriculum year round!
For more great ideas, see our resource section on "Día," or Children's Day/Book Day (El día de los niños/El día de los libros).
To learn more here.
The Latino Americans
Learn more about the documentary here.
Visit the Smithsonian Latino Center
The Smithsonian Latino Center was created in 1997 to promote Latino presence within the Smithsonian. The Center is not represented in one physical location; rather, it works collaboratively with the Institution's museums and research centers, ensuring that the contributions of the Latino community in the arts, history, national culture and scientific achievement are explored, presented, celebrated and preserved.
The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire
View the online exhibition
Why do we say "Latino"?
Latino/Hispanic Resource Packet
Proud of our Past, Embracing our Future
To learn more here.
El CHULLITA QUITEÑO (Ecuador)
GUANTANAMERA (Cuba)
Expose your students to one of the great classics in Spanish, by the legendary Celia Cruz.
EL FAROLITO (Dominican Republic)
BALLET FOLKLÓRICO NACIONAL (El Salvador)
TRADITIONAL DANCE (Venezuela)
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to once again partner with Target and PBS to collectively celebrate and share the great promise, accomplishments, and cultural pride of the Latinx community through the 2021 Awardees and powerful tributes by great performers,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, HHF. “More than ever, it’s important to shine the spotlight on the tremendous value Latinos provide this great country we all share, and tell our own stories to America thanks to the partnerships we have with Target and PBS.”
To learn more about this event here.