Kindergarten students have been busy working on letters, sounds, learning how to use their iPads for their personalized learning, writing their name, color words, learning a few basic sight words and more!

Our first-grade students have been busy since the start of the school year! Students have been practicing, with the help of our Scholastic News Magazines and stories about the different seasons and apples, identifying different text features in a non-fiction piece such as the caption, label, and header. Students have been practicing using many different reading strategies such as predicting, inferring, retelling and sequencing. In writing, students have been working on personal narratives. We are practicing doing what good writers do; using a capital at the beginning of the sentence, using punctuation at the end, and including a detailed picture.

In second grade, we are focusing on different genres in our reading. We have explored realistic fiction, narrative non-fiction, expository text and more. Some of the grammar rules we are working on include subjects and predicates, adding -s and -es to words to make them plural, closed syllables, and the four types of sentences (statement, question, command and exclamatory). We will continue to incorporate our school improvement strategies into our weekly lessons.

3rd & 4th Graders have been busy diving into our new Wonders series. We have been reading stories from various genres and practicing different comprehension strategies such as sequencing, visualizing, and compare and contrast. We have been working hard at using text evidence from the stories to help answer comprehension questions.

The fifth-grade readers and writers have been busy this fall! The students are learning a variety of reading strategies that provide them with the tools to comprehend a variety of texts. We are also working hard on novel studies. The students are enjoying these novels and are doing well with incorporating their new reading strategies. In Writer's Workshop we are beginning our personal narrative. They have learned about the author's purpose, task, and audience. We are practicing expanding details while staying on topic. We are looking forward to reading their final copies.

6th grade is working on the different components of a narrative story. We discussed the importance of including the time frame, setting and main events. In addition, we stressed the sensory details that need to be added with a strong plot and takeaway ending. In English we are reviewing the four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory with the correct punctuation for each. We are also reading the novel Hatchet. The story is about a young boy stranded in the Canadian forest by himself after his plane crashes.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday, November 7th, 2022 @ 5:00pm-8:00pm

November 10, 2022 @ 1:15 – 4:15 PM & 5:00-8:00 PM

It may be hard to believe, but we are near the end of our first card marking period. Since the start of school, we have worked together to navigate some of the challenges of our environment but also celebrate real successes of the connections being made between teachers and our students. It is now our opportunity to schedule Parent-Teacher Conferences. Conferences are an important part of our partnership to make sure students are meeting our shared expectations.

We will again be using a web-based process this year to schedule and virtually meet with your child’s teachers about their progress. The system we are using is called School Soft Conference Manager and it will allow you to check our teachers’ conference schedules and book an appointment on-line. You will use the same system for you and your student’s teacher to have a virtual conversation about academic progress.

The first time you use the Conference Manager you will be required to register and create a parent account. (If you already have an account from previous years, you can skip this step).Setup only takes a minute or two. You will continue to use this same account for the duration of the time you have children in the school, so please record your password where you can reference it later.

More details with specific signup times will follow in our next few the weekly newsletters...stay tuned!

The UCS Wellness team is happy to announce the seventh episode of their podcast series. The team worked with community members to create a podcast regarding different areas of physical, mental, and social health for UCS staff, students, and families. These podcasts are available on the UCS Wellness page. UCS Wellness - Utica Community Schools (uticak12.org)

The seventh podcast in the series is titled “Our Youth and Vaping.” Below is a list of the podcasts available on the Wellness page:

• Mental Health with guest, Nancy Buyle
• Grief and the Grieving Process for Children
• Family Communication
• CARE of Southeastern Michigan
• Discussing Dating Violence with Turning Point
• Tackling Tough Topics with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office
• Our Youth and Vaping

Any cell phones must be turned off and out of view during school hours or while on the bus OR IT WILL BE CONFISCATED and an adult must come up to school to pick it up.

Students should NOT bring toys, game boys, Nintendo DS or any hand-held electronic games, CD players, MP3 or IPods, PDA’s, memorabilia, special cards or other collectible or expensive items to school.

Havel Elementary School is not responsible for personal items that are lost or damaged.

Such items will be collected and kept in the office. A parent must come and retrieve any items they wish to have returned.

Remember ... it is very important that you report your child’s absences to the school. The attendance line answering machine is on 24 hours a day for your convenience.

The Attendance Line number is: (586) 797-5299

Please indicate when you call: Your child’s name, teacher’s name, & the reason for the absence.

We are asking for your assistance to ensure that our security procedures during the school day are effective. As many of you know, our school has a security camera, intercom, and buzzer at the front entrance for use during the school day. To help us assist you when you would like to enter the school:

1. All guests must enter through the main office door

2. Please press the buzzer to speak with someone in the office

3. You will be asked to state your name and reason for visiting

4. Each time you come to the office you will be asked to show your photo ID into the security camera above the outside door

5. Office staff will assist you.

6. Guests must have an appointment to meet with a staff member during instructional hours

In addition, we are asking you to not let any visitors in the door as you enter (and they come up behind you) or as you exit the building.

Finally, all exterior doors are to remain locked and secure daily. Teachers will not prop doors open and any door that is open is to have a staff member monitoring it at all times.

The teachers and staff are committed to student safety and security and we would like to thank you for your assistance in helping keep the students of Havel safe.