MKES BULLETIN
October 2022
From the Principal's pen
Happy October!
Thank you to the entire DLBE family: faculty and staff, children and families for beginning the 2022-23 school year with excitement and bringing an attitude of joy and enthusiasm to each day.
Each year brings forward new opportunities and learning. As I begin my 6th year as principal of MKES, I am excited to share that our work will be centered around the themes Creativity, Collaboration and Community as we promote our mission. Our Mission is to cultivate curiosity and a passion for learning by providing challenging educational opportunities for all students so they may achieve their full potential as productive and contributing members of society.
I am so proud of DLBE faculty and staff and the diverse pedagogical and linguistic repertoires each one transfers to enhance student learning styles. Each day talented faculty and staff bring approaches to instruction that address unique social, emotional, and academic needs. I continue to be impressed each day by how engaged our students are in meaningful work while developing critical skills, and becoming independent learners.
Our teachers are busy unpacking a new math program in grades K-2 and introducing Number Corner is grades 3-5. In the words of our District Math Coach, Michelle Grier, after spending a week in our classrooms, “Wow! What an incredible experience to see our youngest learners stretching their brains to the max by learning a third language; English/Spanish and Math. Congratulations to our MKES team, who are planning and orchestrating how to teach this program effectively in two languages!” We look forward to sharing more about the Bridges Mathematics program with you at 6:30 PM on Thursday, October 6th during Parent Math Night.
Lockdown drill
As part of our Safety Plan, we will be holding a lockdown drill at school on Friday afternoon, October 7th. The purpose of this drill is to practice standard procedure in the event that we would need to enclose teachers, students, and staff within the school. Myself and teachers will share with students about the drill and discuss its purpose in a developmentally appropriate way. If you have any questions, please contact me directly.
Bus Safety and Drills
It’s critically important to remind everyone of the importance of bus safety. Getting to and from school is the start, and the end of every school day. Please remind children to sit and not stand in the aisle. Children must respect boundaries, keep their hands and feet to themselves, and refrain from using inappropriate language. Children should not throw paper or any items, and they should not engage in dangerous behavior such as fighting. Student infractions will be followed by a conversation, a call home, and an opportunity for the child to reflect and correct the behavior. Infractions that are repeated will be followed by referral forms and possible bus suspensions. Your partnership is important. Thank you for joining us in reinforcing safety.
Fire Prevention and Safety Assembly - Wednesday, October 12th
The Fire Prevention Education was established 100 years ago to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire that occurred in 1871. Each year, MKES is presented with a program on fire safety by the Mt. Kisco Volunteer Fire Department during Fire Prevention Week. This year the life-saving message is centered in the theme, “Fire Won't Wait. Plan Your Escape,” which is the difference between life and death in a fire.
Hallo-Week
Hallo-Week is a tradition we celebrate at MKES that concludes with Halloween festivities. This year, Halloween lands on a Monday so we will have six days of spirit week. Please look for information in the next several weeks, and please help your child choose a school appropriate costume that is not scary. Please make sure it provides comfort, and ease. Please know that all participation is voluntary and optional. You will receive a flier with information.
I look forward to seeing you all soon!
With Gratitude,
Inas
First Graders Feel Many Ways
First graders have done a great job adjusting to the routines and schedule of first grade. They are participating in our classroom communities and creating rules and expectations for each other. First graders created a class charter and narrowed down three feelings they would like to feel each day they come to school. Be sure to ask your child what these feelings are. We have been learning about the Mood Meter and using it as a tool to check in with each other about how we are feeling. We are learning that it is okay to feel many ways and strategies to express our emotions.
Off and Running in Second Grade!
The second graders are off to a terrific start! Here are some highlights from the beginning of the year;
-Building community by having fun, playing games, and getting to know each other
-Establishing rules and routines
-Discussing feelings through the RULER program
-Kicking off our new Bridges math curriculum
-Reading fiction stories
-Writing small moment stories
-Practicing phonics
-Visiting the library and garden
-Working with computers
-Having fun and laughing a lot!
Please be sure to send your child with a snack each day. It is important that your child reads every day!
Thank you and we look forward to a fun and productive school year!
3rd grade has had a fantastic start to the school year!
We celebrated Hispanic Heritage month by studying Latin American countries, important Hispanic people in history, and traditional Latin American art, music, dance, and food. In reading, students learned to treat books like GOLD and pick books that are “just right” for them to read. We set reading goals and began to log our reading on a reading log. This helps to keep track of our progress towards reaching our reading goals. In math, we collected data by completing class surveys and created bar graphs to show our work. We learned about place value and base ten blocks. We compared numbers by using > or < symbols and ordered large numbers by least to greatest and greatest to least. We determined intervals on a number line within 10,000, identified missing numbers, and found the midpoint to any number line. We are looking forward to collaborating with our classmates and learning together!
With love,
The Third Grade Team
Ms. Rakoff, Srta. Espinal, Ms. Nigro, and Sra. Robinson
A Wonderful Start to Fourth Grade!
Fifth Grade is off to an amazing start. During the month of September we’ve spent time getting to know each other and building a sense of community. Each fifth grader has been assigned a Chromebook and will be using it daily in class. They have already begun utilizing Google Classroom, Drive, Docs and Slides. In Math, the fifth graders started reviewing fractions and decimals while using our new Number Corner. They are also learning about place value and working with large whole numbers. We have an upcoming trip to the Fox Lane Ropes Course on October 6th where the students will be challenged to solve problems working together as a team. It was great to meet so many parents at Back to School Night and share some of the highlights of the curriculum and events to come this year. To our parents - Thank you so much for all your support so far. The car wash was a great success. We can tell it is going to be an outstanding school year!
Coming Soon
Wednesday, October 5 - No school - Yom Kippur
Thursday, October 6 - Ropes Course Trip
Friday, October 7 - Emergency Practice 15 Minute Early Dismissal
Monday, October 10 - No school - Columbus Day
Friday, October 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences in the afternoon (half day for students)
Thursday, October 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences from noon to 8 pm (half day for students)
Friday, October 21 - Parent Teacher Conferences in the morning (no school for students)
Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (am) and 5th grade party (2:00 - 2:30 pm)
Notes from Mr. Filetto
Welcome to the band program! 4th and 5th grade lessons have already begun. Please help your child remember their lesson date and time. We only meet once a week and with holidays, special events, and field trips, we usually end up having about 3 lessons per month.
Ideally, your child should practice 5 days a week for 10-15 minutes a day. For most children, this will not happen without your input. Please make sure your child practices no less than 3 times a week to ensure steady progress. The more practice time your child puts in, the more progress they will see!
In addition to our lessons, the 5th grade band will be starting morning rehearsals on Wednesday, October 12th. These rehearsals will give us the opportunity to work on important skills such as listening and playing together, developing an ensemble sound, and cooperating to create a musical product that the students can be proud of! I know the 5th grade students are looking forward to sharing their music at our winter performance on December 15th.
5th grade parents, please be on the lookout for more information regarding rehearsals and performances. 4th grade parents, please make sure your children are continuing to practice the skills we are developing in lessons – this will make for a successful spring performance.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding the band program!
Mr. Filetto
And the CATEGORY IS…
By Donna Furphy and Wendyliza Gonzalez
Speech/Language Specialists
Organizing words into categories is a great way to retain and remember information. Putting words into categories helps children organize their thinking; activate prior knowledge when learning a new topic and link new information to past learning. When talking with your child about a particular content area or topic, brainstorm and list all the related words you can think of. For example, if your child is studying community helpers, start by brainstorming titles of all the community helpers he or she might know (fireman, librarian…). Create a list by writing the words in a notebook for future reference. Add to the list as new words are learned or remembered. You can branch off to related categories, such as fireman – all the words related to a fireman’s job. For younger children, pick a common household or environmental theme, such as furniture or weather words and start brainstorming. Once your child enters the list in a notebook, he or she can always illustrate to help lock in the meaning. A category list can be as simple as bugs or a little more complex like, synonyms for huge (gigantic, enormous, colossal). Grouping and listing words in categories is a great way to expand vocabulary for both speaking and writing, acquiring content information and connecting new information to prior learning. See how many categories you can find and name!
A message from the Clinical Team
Welcome back to DLBE@MKES! We do hope you and your families took time to enjoy the sunshine and create special memories over the summer.
As your DLBE@MKES clinical team, we strive to support each student’s social-emotional wellness throughout the school day. Our work includes helping students work through conflict, manage their emotions, and feel confident and secure in school. We work closely with teachers to help support the students in the classroom and throughout the school day.
School not only teaches academic subjects - it also gives children daily opportunities to develop and practice their social and emotional skills! At home, you can build on what your child is learning by:
Spending a few minutes each day to check-in with your child. Ask them, “What did you learn today?” or “Who did you play with today?”
Celebrate your child’s accomplishments! A simple cheer and positive words go a long way.
Acknowledge your child’s feelings and experiences. They still are learning how to express their emotions verbally. You can model this skill by sharing about your day in a calm voice, using appropriate vocabulary. For example, say, “I tried something new today, but it was so hard! I was frustrated at first, but I kept trying my best.”
Provide your child tips on how to manage social situations. Encourage them to say hello to their peers, teach them how to introduce themselves, and build their confidence expressing their feelings and preferences.
Join us on October 27th in the evening to learn more about the RULER program at DLBE@MKES. Also, ask your child about the mood meter or the class charter in their classrooms. Students are checking in daily on the mood meter, expressing their feelings and also sharing how they want to feel in the classroom and what behaviors are important to help them feel that way for their class charter.
Cultivating partnerships between home and school is the most effective way to provide a positive learning experience for your child! We encourage you to communicate with your child’s teachers with any questions or concerns. Feel free to connect with us with any questions about your child’s social and emotional functioning or to obtain resources on how you can promote social-emotional wellness at home.
Warmly,
Julie Austin, Bilingual School Social Worker & Jen Corcoran, School Psychologist
Meet the MKES Learning Specialists 22-23
Welcome back from summer break! We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the new school year of 2022-2023. Another school year means new wonderful memories. We, the Learning Specialists at DLBE @ MKES, are looking forward to an ongoing productive partnership with you. We believe in an ongoing collaboration throughout the year will make a positive impact on your child’s education.
Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding your child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or special education services.
We can be reached via e-mail or at 914-666-2677.
Dcarrozza0174@bcsdny.org, ext: 1507
Mgilbert4583@bcsdny.org, ext: 5708
Aweidmann1151@bcsdny.org, ext: 6303
Lviviano4745@bcsdny.org, ext: 5717
Bleslie3752@bcsdny.org, ext: 5705
We thank you in advance for your partnership and at home collaboration!
Who are your child’s ESOL and Bilingual Support Teachers this year?
Welcome back students and families to a new school year! We want to take this opportunity to introduce you to your child’s ESOL and Bilingual Support teachers.
In the area of Bilingual Support, Madelyn Ortiz is teaching second and fifth grade. Kelin Jimenez Martinez is teaching third and fourth grade.
On the ESOL Team, teaching kindergarten and second grade this year are Liz Callender and Leah Hamlin. Carol Ferraz and Rozana Velasquez are teaching first and third grade. Working and learning alongside Rozana Velasquez is student teacher Noelia Alexandre. Jennifer Conte and Emily Gerber are teaching fourth and fifth grade.
We are all so happy to be back in school and working with students face to face once again. We are looking forward to an amazing year developing our students’ reading, writing and vocabulary fluency in Spanish and English! Here’s to a great 2022-2023!