The Patriot Parent Newsletter
April 2022 Brooklyn Park Elementary School
Mr. Walker's Desk
Dear Brooklyn Park Community,
Hopefully, Spring has arrived, I know yesterday's rain did not feel like Spring weather. Although the weather has been a challenge, our students have been doing amazing work and I'm looking forward to the rest of the school year. Below are a few reminders....
Absences
Although my message is similar to prior communication, our school's attendance needs improvement. Eighty students were absent on Thursday and sixty- seven were absent on Friday. Please help me improve our attendance by sending your child to school every day.
Field Trips
Teachers and staff have been working to secure field trips. If you are interested in being a chaperone, please visit https://www.aacps.org/Page/1869 to complete a background check. Additionally, please reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions about upcoming trips.
Have a wonderful Spring Break..
Mr. Walker
Lost and Found
Attendance Matters
During second marking period, Second grade had the highest attendance percentage with 88.96%. We are already halfway through the 3rd marking period! Please make sure your children are in school every day.
If your child misses school, please contact the main office or your child's teacher and let them know the reason. If your child is absent for more than 3 days, he/she will need a doctor's note when they return. You can contact the office at 410 222 6590 between 8:45-2:45, Monday-Friday.
Before & After Care
Here is a link to our website where it walks the parents through registration processes. Parents will need to create an account to sign up for the program.
6 Phrases That Will Transform Your Relationship With Your Child
Classroom News!
Pre-Kindergarten
We are going to begin our second to last unit in Pre-K! It is hard to believe how fast the year flew by and how much our students have learned. They have mastered so many topics and we are so proud of them! Our new unit is all about Science. We will be learning about science, what scientists do, how objects are the same and different, and how objects can change. We will be exploring science through a variety of experiments and hands on experiences. We will be learning about our final four letters; Uu, Qq, Jj, Xx. We will continue reviewing the other 22 letters through upper and lower case matching, letter sound games, and handwriting. In math, we will be reviewing 2D shapes. We will focus on describing attributes of 2D shapes, creating 2D shapes, and building using shapes. Please keep an eye out for our fieldtrip permission slips to the Maryland Zoo (April 21st) and Maryland Science Center (May 18th). Thank you for your continued support! Mandatory end of year Pre-K conference information will be coming in May.
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten we have been having a lot of fun learning about plants and animals and their life cycles. In April we will begin to learn about humans and how our lives relate to other living things.
In Math, we will learn to count to 100 by 10’s and 1’s. By the end of April we will all be pros at counting!
In Fundations we are getting ready to begin capital letters. By the end of this unit, we will know all of our uppercase and lowercase letters!
In PWS, we are continuing to build on our knowledge of word formation. We are identifying sounds in words and learning how to build words on our own.
In Writer’s Workshop, we will be completing our How-To Unit and moving into Persuasive Writing. We have been doing an amazing job with our writing skills!
We want to commend all of you for working so hard with your children, the hard work is paying off as your children continue to try their best in school! Pointing out letters and words in your everyday environment is a great way for you student to connect to the information they are learning in the classroom. Spend some time reading to your child before bed- or better yet, ask them to read something to you. They may need some help but with a little encouragement, they will quickly succeed.
Just a reminder that we will be taking our field trip on May 6. If you have not turned in your permission slip or lunch request as of yet, please do so ASAP. If you have signed up to chaperone or be an activity leader, please make sure that you have completed all of the steps(you have to respond to an email) for the background check. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! Happy Spring!
First Grade
As we move into the fourth and final marking period, we are changing the units of study that we are focusing on in our curriculum. We are now focusing on changing the world by taking action.
In math we will be working on addition and subtraction word problems as well as adding within 100. Even though we have moved on from telling time, please still practice this life skill with your child whenever the opportunity presents itself. In reading, we will continue to meet in guided reading groups to practice tapping out unknown words. In writing, we will continue working on expanding our ideas and making sure we write in complete sentences. Please continue to complete homework and practice reading with your child at home. As always, reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
Second Grade
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are beginning the fourth and final quarter. The students are doing amazing. Thank you for your support and communication. Please encourage your children work on I-Ready, this is when your children are receiving individualized instruction based on their specific needs. In Math we will be learning measurement, data collection and introduction to Multiplication. Please reach out if you have any questions, we know Math looks a lot different from when we were in school. Writing is a fun unit. We are working being poets. Take the opportunity to ask your student to share some of their creative work. As the end of the school year approaches, we are digging deeper into our reading text. The students should be asking and answering questions about the text. As always please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns
Third Grade
Reading
Please continue to encourage your child to select e-books from Scholastic Digital Manger to read independently. Your child has access (Classlink, Scholastic Digital Manger, Literacy Pro) to this platform 24/7. They can select books of their choice to read for enjoyment and practice the reading skills they are learning during their Reading lessons. Encourage them to make a mind movie (picture the words they are reading in their head) and try to determine the central message (explain what the author is trying to teach them through the character's words and actions).
Writing
When writing, third graders should consistently capitalize the first letter of a sentence, the pronoun I, and proper nouns like the names of cities, states, days and months. They should consistently end each sentence with punctuation and decide if the sentence requires a period, exclamation point or question mark.
Math
This month our Mathematicians will explore using models and fraction tiles to compare fractions. Students will use their prior knowledge about fractions when comparing fractions with like denominators and like numerators. They will then learn to use symbols such as the greater than (>), less than (<) and equal to (=) symbols to show the comparisons between two fractions. We will continue focusing on fact fluency. Students should be fluent with the 0s, 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 10s facts. This is such an important skill. Please ensure they are practicing daily. They can use First in Math to help them practice. Thank you for your support.
Science
Our upcoming science unit is all about weather! Students will learn how weather is formed and we will explore the ways in which humans respond to weather and weather-related hazards like tornadoes and hurricanes. We will continue to conduct research, collect data, and form hypotheses as we progress through the unit. Spend time with your scientist outside in different types of weather and discuss the impacts weather has on people, animals and the environment.
Social Studies
We will continue to focus on economics for the beginning of the month as we talked about scarcity, production and resources. We will end this unit with our culminating project where students will design and build a good or service and develop a business plan considering factors like resources needed, time for production, costs of production, and profit. Continue having discussions about finance and find ways to engage your student in monetary practices.
Fourth Grade
April is an exciting month in 4th grade! We will begin the month debriefing from our exciting trip at Arlington Echo! Then will move into Social Studies where will be exploring the American Revolution! In Math we will be doing problem solving with measurement, geometry, and hands on equations! Language Arts we will continue exploring fictional texts and even getting into fictional writing! This will be a very exciting month for 4th graders! Please be sure as the weather gets warmer children are wearing correct shoes for gym and no flip flops should be worn during the school day. Also, please ensure your child has a water bottle for school that they can have in the classroom! As always, if you ever need anything please don't hesitate to reach out to us!
Ms. Nauman, Mr. Sheehan and Ms. Dacus
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade students are continuing to learn and grow. Students should continue to work on I-ready daily at home. This is one tool used to help students and meet the students directly. This is a daily homework assignment that should be done at home. Fifth grade is excited to announce 2 fifth grade field trips. The fifth graders will go to the Baltimore Zoo on May 23rd. Chaperones will need to meet the buses at the zoo. Lastly, fifth graders will attend Water Ready. Mrs. Richmond and Mr. Murray's classes will go on June 15th and Ms. Mundaca's class will attend June 16th. Chaperones will need to be at Arlington Echo at 9:15 for a mini lesson prior to the students arriving. Please let the 5th grade team know if you could help chaperone both days. If you would like to chaperone any field trip, please make sure you have fingerprinting and background check completed.
Promotion will be held on June 23rd at 10 am. Students and families will meet at the Chesapeake Art Center. More information will be sent out when we get closer to June. Please in the meantime, send Mrs. Richmond your child's pictures. She needs one picture of when the student was small and one recent picture.
Reading: Students are going to continue to focus on poem structure, theme, and determining meaning through multiple accounts. Students should continue to focus on this while reading at home.
Math: Fifth grade students are finishing up operations with decimals (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Students will focus on solving problems involving volume and then coordinate plane.
Social Studies: Students will explore the United States Consitution. Students will look closely at how the government was created by, for, and with the people.
Science:- Fifth grade will wrap up physical and chemical change and move into engineering by design their own experiment of how we can purify water/water consumption. Students will receive a hands-on experience of human impact on Earth.
ESOL
- Kindergarten ESOL- How-to- writing
- First Grade ESOL-Reeding fluency
- Second Grade ESOL-Working on a Kindness Quilt
- Third Grade ESOL: Book Study
- Fourth Grade ESOL-Spelling and Reading Fluency
- Fifth Grade ESOL- Spelling and Reading Fluency
Tracy Burke, P.E.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Kids Heart Challenge. Our school raised $1,584.58 to help the American Heart Association fight heart disease and stroke. The checks have been submitted, and I am hoping the thank you gifts will arrive shortly after spring break.
In March, students had a blast participating in our bowling unit. Students will be bringing home certificate that has a coupon at the bottom for a free game of bowling at Annapolis Bowl, Severna Park Lanes, or Greenway Bowl. Students also learned how to play several recess games including kickball, 4-square, Around the World, H.O.R.S.E., Red Light, Green Light, and What Time is it Mr. Fox? Our upcoming units include volleyball skills and throwing and catching activities.
Physical Education Reminders:
Please remind your students to wear sneakers on the days they have PE class. It is for their safety and required by AACPS. Please also make sure to send only clear water in their water bottle for PE class. There have been many spills recently, and other drinks stain the floor and make it sticky.
Water Bottles
Carolina Montenegro, Bilingual Facilitator
Crisis Response System
Laura E. Wells, LCSW-C School Social Worker
(410) 222-6590.
Title I News
Here is our Schoolwide Title I letter that was sent home with students earlier in the school year.
Here is our School Wide Title I Plan for you to view. The plan is also located on our school website.
After you have viewed the Title I Plan, you are able to leave feedback.
The feedback will be used to help us improve our Title I Plan in the future.
Thank you!
Brooklyn Park Elementary
Connect, Engage and Discover
Email: erwalker@aacps.org
Website: https://www.aacps.org/Page/4088
Location: 200 14th Avenue, Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone: 410-222-6590
Twitter: @BParkElemAACPS