The Gator Gazette
February 4, 2022
Gator Greetings
• Feb. 1-4 – Changemakers & Civil Rights Leaders
• Feb. 7-11 – Inventors
• Feb. 14-18 – Renaissance/Arts
• Feb. 22-25 – Modern Day Activist
We are thrilled to welcome Patrice McLaurin, African American author of the Have You Thanked An Inventor Series, to Allisonville on February 8th to talk with students in grades 2-5 about her books. Families can order signed copies of these books by completing the order form found later in the Gazette. We will also have a Black History Month Dress the week of Feb. 14-18 so be on the lookout for more information next week about how students can participate.
We also kicked off the BE.KIND.CHALLENGE this week as students are encouraged to show kindness to each other. Students and staff can earn a special pink Gator Gold that will go into a weekly drawing to win a BE.KIND t-shirt. In the month of February, we celebrate Valentine’s Day, so there is no better month to show our love, care, and kindness for one another in an extra-special way!
Calling all Allisonville Talent! The Dad’s Club Talent Show is back this year, and we are so happy to be able to have it in person! The Talent Show will be held on Friday, February 25th in the Allisonville gym. The show will start at 6:30pm with doors opening at 6:00 pm. The cost is $3.00 to attend and concessions will also be sold. We can hardly wait to see all of the amazing talent that AV Gators have to share this year! Talent Show tryouts will be held on Feb. 8th after school and Feb. 9 in the evening. The sign up link can be found later in the Gazette.
Don’t forget to order your tickets for the Pacer’s Game next Friday, February 11th to be part of the special Allisonville cheering section. A $20 ticket gets you a ticket to the Pacers vs. Cavs game, plus a hotdog, chips, drink, and a hat. What a deal! Visit with Allisonville friends while cheering on the Pacers in hopes that they can get a WIN!
Finally, I wish you a Happy Chinese New Year! Chinese New Year began on Tuesday, February 1st with the Lunar Calendar’s new moon and will be celebrated until the next full moon mid-February. This is the Year of the Tiger, which symbolizes strength, clearing away evil, and bravery. Gong Hey Fat Choy!
We Are The Gators! WE ARE AV!
Mrs. Reffett
Principal
Calendar of Events
2/8 & 2/9 – Talent Show Tryouts
2/11 – Pacers Family Night
2/14 – Valentine’s Parties
2/14-2/18 – Black History Month Spirit Week
2/18 – Midterms
2/21 – President’s Day – No School
2/23 -- Dine to Donate
2/24 – Early Release
2/25 – Gator Gathering with BHM Showcase
2/25 – Talent Show
Author Visit
3rd and 4th Grade Families
Grade 3 and 4 CogAT Testing Request Families of students in grades 3 and 4 may request for their child to participate in CogAT testing. The testing window for students in Grades 3 and 4 is February 14-25. If you would like for your child to be tested, please reach out directly to your building principal. To learn more about CogAT and how MSDWT uses results to inform high-ability programming, click here.
Math Curriculum
Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Community Members: While we are continually reviewing and revising our curriculum to be responsive to the needs of our students, every six years, we participate in a more formalized process of curriculum evaluation and resource adoption. This year, central office administrators, instructional coaches and teachers have researched and studied our math curriculum and resources in preparation for a new math adoption beginning in the fall of 2022.
We are pleased to present to you two strong programs for potential math adoption in SY22-23: Eureka Math2 (from Great Minds) and STEMscopes (from Accelerate Learning). We are excited about both programs and are confident that they will help us further the growth in math that we have seen this year. As part of our process, we seek your feedback on these programs. We invite you to look at the programs (information below) and complete this feedback form. Thank you for supporting your students’ learning through your voice in this process. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with you!
Eureka Math2 features the focus, coherence, and rigor you expect from Great Minds curricula and adds engaging and inclusive elements to support the learning needs of every student. Through a consistent use of models, coherent lessons that build across modules and grade levels, and an engaging digital experience that provides more moments of discovery, EM2 taps into every student's exponential power to learn and achieve greatness.
Every EM2 lesson is organized into four distinct but complementary sections that promote balanced and rigorous instruction and provide teachers with a clear, structured plan for the day’s learning. The fluency section opens each lesson and provides practice with previously learned material. The launch section creates an accessible entry point to the day’s learning. The learn section presents new math, and the land section provides time for a closing discussion. Learn more about Eureka Math2 at https://edu.greatminds.org/eurekamathsquared
STEMscopes is built on an instructional philosophy that centers on children acquiring a conceptual understanding of mathematics through hands-on exploration, inquiry, discovery, and analysis. Each lesson includes a series of investigations and activities to bring mathematics to life for our students so they can learn by doing and fully engage in the process. Intentional cultivation of concepts and skills solidifies our students’ ability to make relevant connections and applications in the context of the real world.
Lessons are built by using the research-based 5E+IA model, which stands for Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate, Intervention, and Acceleration. Each one of these components of the lesson cycle features specific resources to support not only our students’ understanding of mathematical concepts, but also that of our teachers. STEMscopes Math features many resources for our educators, including Math Stories, Math Today, Writing in Math, Interactives, Online Manipulatives, and much more! Learn more about STEMscopes at https://www.stemscopes.com/math/national/.
· Preview login URL: https://n11061d165107.acceleratelearning.com/login
· Password: mathmath!
· Username: MetrScho1
AVPTO Update
What is the PTO up to the next few months?
Valentine's Parties
It's almost time for our annual Valentines Parties. Each classroom will be having a party organized by the room parent but we can always use more volunteers. If you'd like to attend your child's party, please contact their teacher and let them know. Every teacher will be sending a class list for Valentines cards. Just a reminder that if your child will be celebrating the day, by bringing in cards, there does need to be a card for every student in the classroom. Happy Valentine's Day!!
Everybody Counts
As part of disABILITY Awareness Week (March 21-25), Allisonville will again have various activities and/or speakers to celebrate that Everybody Counts. Please be on the lookout for how you can participate and encourage your children to participate as it gets closer. For additional information, please contact the PTO at allisonvillepto@gmail.com
Trivia Night
We are excited to have Trivia Night come back for 2022. Please mark your calendars for the evening of Friday, April 29th at Liter House in SoBro. Additional information will be forthcoming.
Allisonville Spring Celebration/Carnival
We have a fun new event coming on Friday, May 13th so be sure to mark your calendars! Hope to see everyone there to celebrate spring and the end of the school year. More specifics to come but it is sure to be a very fun night!
AV Family Night at Pacer's
AV Dad's Club Talent Show
Here's the link to sign up. https://bit.ly/2022AVtalentshow
Books and Bundts
Keep up the great work on the Nothing Bundt Books program to reward students for READING! January's reading challenge is over, and ALL students were given a new Reading Tracking form for February.
- Read anything you want (at least 20 minutes a day).
- Write down your minutes on the Reading Tracking form.
- When you reach 400 minutes in the month, take your form to Nothing Bundt Cakes to choose your FREE Bundlet cake!
Dine to Donate
WT Youth Football League Volunteer Info
Great North Run
https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=136302
Honored Schools
Visit this link to recognize a teacher!
WT Vaccine Clinic
Eastwood Middle School, 4401 E 62nd St. from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Westlane Middle School, 1301 W 73rd St. from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
North Central High School, 1801 E 86th St. from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.