The Mammoth Mailing
March Issue
Monthly Events
March 5th- Food Give Away at Union Bethel AME Church10-12pm
March 9th- Virtual PTA Meeting - Login: wesptaMarch 14th- Southwest Area Educational Advisory Council Meeting 7-8pm
March 17th- Chuck E. Cheese Night from 4:00-9:00pm
March 18th- School Closes 3-hours Early
March 29th- IDENT-A-Kid Program comes to Winfield
Contact Us- New Phone Number for Winfield!
Website: https://winfieldes.bcps.org/home
Location: 8300 Carlson Lane, Windsor Mill, MD, USA
Phone: 443-809- 0766
Attention, 4th Grade Students... Girl Scouts is coming to Winfield!
Career Day
Food Give Away Information
Upcoming Testing information for Grades 3-5
Starting on March 7th, the MCAP- Science Assessment will be given to every Baltimore County student in grade 5. Additionally, beginning on April 21st, the MCAP-ELA & Math assessment will be given to every Baltimore County Student in grades 3-5. The MCAP Assessment is designed to measure a student's progress toward mastering the Common Core State Standards. Teachers use the results of this and other assessments to help tailor instruction to your child's specific learning needs and help prepare students for college and careers later in life. School administrators have developed testing schedules to meet the needs of their individual buildings. This year, MCAP will consist of four units of Math, English/Language Arts, and Science (5th grade only). No more than two testing units will be given on any individual day. Please rest assured that students with identified learning needs will be provided necessary accommodations per their individual plans (IEP, ESOL, 504). We plan to complete most testing by the first week of June. Make-up tests will be administered as needed.
We will inform you of the specific dates your child's class will be testing.
Parents can help their students by:
● Encouraging students to stay positive and do their best on these assessments.
● Making sure students get a good night's sleep before testing
● Eating a good breakfast each morning.
● Ensuring that students arrive at school on time (9:05 am) and remain in school the entire school day. Testing will begin promptly every day at 9:30. Students that do not arrive in time for their assigned testing session will be required to make-up the testing session. This is very disruptive to your student's schedule and could result in the loss of instructional time.
All public schools in Maryland are required by state and federal laws to administer the MCAP assessment.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.
A Message from Kindergarten
We have learned all our short vowels sounds in phonics, and most of our consonant sounds. The students are putting CVC words together, such as cat, hot, and lip. We have learned 30 of our 50 high-frequency sight words so far. Please make sure your child is practicing these words daily.
In math, we are learning to identify different shapes. Students are sorting 2-D and 3-D shapes by different attributes, such as color, number of sides/corners, and size. They are learning to skip-count by 5’s and counting backward from 20. We are also learning to compare numbers and quantities using the greater than and less than symbols.
We are beginning our new unit on Personal Financial Literacy in social studies. Students will learn about wants and needs in order to understand why people make economic decisions. Students will learn that people work to earn money, goods and services they need sometimes cost money, and that people must decide whether they will spend or save their money. These concepts will lay the foundation for Financial Literacy and will be built on in grade one.
Please continue to send to school your child’s device charged every day, folder every day, and homework every Friday.
A Message from First Grade
Dear First Grade Families,
Phonics: Unit 6 Long vowels. Students will continue to blend, spell, and read words with long vowel sounds.
Reading: Unit 5 Exploring the Concept of Change in Literature. In this unit, students will read, listen to, and view a variety of literary texts to explore and discover generalizations for the concept of change and to discuss the central messages of the texts. They will describe characters, settings, and major events while considering the different ways in which the concept of change is presented in the stories.
Writing: Letter writing - Students will write an informative letter to the Maryland Zoo by describing a unique animal to persuade them to include it in their exhibits. Students will start by researching an animal of their choice by listening and reading different nonfiction texts.
Math: Unit 5 Geometry -Throughout this unit, students use various tools and models to explore two- and three-dimensional shapes. Throughout, students will identify, describe, construct, draw, compare, compose, and sort shapes.
Content: Social Studies Unit 3- My state is a Community. Students have explored the basics of geography and examined their community. To continue their understanding of a community, students will explore their state community through the themes of geography, society, and culture.
Gentle Reminders:
· Masks are optional
· First in Math and Raz-kids are excellent online resources for home practice.
Thank you for your support at home!
A Message from Second Grade
In math, students continued to solidify their understanding of place value to 1,000. They practiced adding and subtracting in multiples of 10 and 100. Students calculated the value of a set of coins. We will continue to practice strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems.
In the upcoming unit, students explore measurement in the context of a giant’s world and have multiple opportunities to make conversions between inches, feet, and yards. The unit also introduces proportional reasoning in a manner that is intuitive to second-grade students (e.g., “The giant’s door is as tall as five bricks.”).
During phonics, students continued to read and write words with long vowels. Students will learn about and identify compound words, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and multiple-meaning words. Students are encouraged to read and respond to a text each night.
Please check your child’s supplies and replenish as needed (pencils, crayons, journal) and review the contents of your child’s homework folder each night. We try to have outdoor recess as much as possible. Please be sure your child has dressed appropriately for the weather.
Thank you for your support! Email the homeroom teacher with any questions or concerns. We will respond within 48 hours.
A Message from Third Grade
In ELA/Social Studies, our third graders are finishing up the Historical Perspectives unit, where students have been acting as historians and explorers as they study the significance of past events and how they have impacted the present. They continue to practice identifying the main idea, key details, and characters’ feelings, comparing texts, and describing cause and effect relationships among notable events. We encourage students to increase their reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary by reading more books daily in addition to completing activities on Raz-Kids. Please check and sign your child’s reading log to verify that they have read the books listed on their reading log, and they will earn an incentive for completed logs.
In Math, we are beginning the multiplication and division unit. Please help students increase their fact fluency by practicing their basic facts in First in Math, making flashcards, or playing various math games. Students will be recognized as they master each set of basic facts.
In Science, our little engineers will follow the design process and collaborate on a team to build a car. The third-grade team that designs and builds the safest car that travels the furthest distance will represent Winfield Elementary in the countywide competition. Thank you for all donated, recycled materials! Please continue to send in materials to assist with the Driving Forces unit.
A Message from Fourth Grade
A Message from Fifth Grade
A Message from Nurse Newmark
As the numbers of COVID cases begin to drop, and we are seeing fewer COVID cases in the schools, Beginning Tuesday, March 1, masks will be optional in all schools and on all buses.
Masks will be required:
- For persons who have returned to school from COVID illness or exposure after 5 days. They must continue to mask through day 10.
- For persons with COVID-like illness who are being seen in the health suite.
This change has been made in alignment with updates from the CDC. CDC modified its classification system and recommendations for mitigation because the risk of significant illness, hospitalization, and death is much lower. Immunity from the omicron surge, combined with expanded vaccination, has changed the landscape and therefore changed the plan for responding to COVID.
Please continue to monitor your children for signs of COVID or other illnesses, including fever, sore throat, cough, vomiting, and diarrhea. If they have any of these symptoms, please keep them home from school and check with their PCP if testing is warranted. Please continue to notify your child's teacher and Nurse Newmark if your child tests positive for COVID or if they will be home in quarantine for exposure to COVID.
See the following links for the updated CDC Guidance:
Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs | CDC
And please see the attachment for supporting emotional wellness as our response to COVID changes.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Nurse Newmark at Lnewmark@bcps.org
Math Corner
Reading Corner
March is National Reading Month!
There are many ways to engage your child in reading at home to celebrate National Reading Month! Here are some programs, resources, and reading lists that will help you and your child(ren) enjoy the magic of reading at home! Click the links to access more information.
- Read Across America 2021-2022 Reading Calendar- National Read Across America Day is March 2, but the excitement of reading can happen every day, each month. This reading calendar features three books each month, one each for young, middle grade, and young adult readers, that are diverse and inclusive.
- 1000 Books Before Kindergarten- Baltimore County Public Library's (BCPL) reading program for parents and caregivers to read with their children from birth to age 5.
- BCPL Student Accounts- BCPS and Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) partnership that gives all BCPS students access to library resources, including print, audiobooks, downloadable eBooks, and online resources. All BCPS students have access to Student Accounts. Students may check out up to 5 items on their Student Account. Student Accounts are separate from a regular BCPL library card.
- March Book of the Month- The National Education Association (NEA) has selected Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston, as the elementary book of the month for March 2022. More information and reflection questions for after reading are provided.