MKES Newsletter
October 2019
From The Principal's Pen
The school year has been off to a wonderful start and now the hues of Autumn are descending upon us so beautifully.
Each day teachers and students are building community and addressing academic, social and emotional growth together. Your children probably shared that we have practiced seven fire drills together. The first one was announced in advance and teachers had the chance to review the procedures with the children. Your children are wonderful! I am so proud of them. They are quickly and quietly evacuating the building and returning safely to continue their learning. We have also had our first bus drill and we are planning for our evacuation drill. I always take time to explain what we are doing and why to the children so they understand the reason we are practicing these safety drills. I also want to thank you for your continued support with these important safety practices.
October is one of our busiest months of the school year; packed with so much for students, teachers and families.
Report cards will go home with students and be available for parents through our Parent Portal which you can access from our school website: MKES click on the Parent Portal underneath the Parent Section. You will receive an email from the school when the report cards are available.
1st Marking Period
Opens - 9/3/19
Closes - 11/15/19
2nd Marking Period
Opens - 11/18/19
Closes - 2/28/20
3rd Marking Period
Opens - 3/2/20
Closes - 6/26/20
I am looking forward to connecting with you as you come to the many activities planned this month.
In Partnership,
Inas
Go, MKES!
Important Dates for October 2019
Tuesday, October 1st - Rosh Hashanah - School Closed
Wednesday, October 2nd
- International Walk to School Day! - 8:40 am from MK Police Station - rain or shine.
- 1st Grade Garden Class - During School Hours
- Emergency Evacuation Drill - 1:40 pm - 2:40 pm
Thursday, October 3rd
- 3rd Grade Garden Class - During School Hours
- 1st Grade Parent Open House - 10:30 am - 11:30 am
- 2nd Grade Parent Open House - 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Friday, October 4th
- 3rd Grade Parent Open House - 9:30 am - 10:30 am
- 15 min Early Dismissal Drill - 2:45 pm
- Backyard Sports Community Family Night - 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, MKES Field, Gym and Cafeteria
Sunday, October 6th - Reach for the Rainbow 5K Color Run & Kid’s Fun Run - 9:00 am Registration; 10:00 am Race @ FLHS
Monday, October 7th
- Picture Day - All Day
- Principal's Coffee - 9:15 am - 9:45 am
- 4th Grade Parent Open House - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Tuesday, October 8th
- 5th Grade Parent Open House - 10:45 am - 11:45 am
- Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly - 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm
Wednesday, October 9th - Yom Kippur - No School
Thursday, October 10th - Catskill Puppet Theatre Assembly - During School Hours
Friday, October 11th
- Catskill Puppet Theatre Assembly - During School Hours
- Fox Night - MKES Celebrating Dual Language - 6:30-8:45 at FLHS
Monday, October 14th - Columbus Day - No School
Tuesday, October 15th
- 1st Grade Garden Classes - During School Hours
- Kindergarten Field Trip to Stuart’s Orchard - During School Hours
Wednesday, October 16th
- Kindergarten Brucemobile Enrichment Program (MKESA) - During School Hours
- 3rd Grade Garden Classes - During School Hours
- 1st Grade Field Trip to FireHouse - 9:30 am - 11:30 am
- Parent University: Healthy Nutrition Workshop - MKES Library - 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Thursday, October 17th - Boosterthon Launch Assembly K-5 - 8:50 am - 9:30 am
Friday, October 18th
- Student half day for Parent Teacher Conferences - 12:30 pm - 3:20 pm
- Backyard Sports Community Family Night - 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm - MKES Field, Gym and Cafeteria
Wednesday, October 23rd
- 5th Grade State Fair - 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- Parent University: Healthy Nutrition Workshop - MKES Library - 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Thursday, October 24th - Student half day for Parent Teacher Conferences - 12:30 pm - 4:35 pm and 5:45 pm - 7:45 pm
Friday, October 25th - No School for Parent Teacher Conferences - 9:00 am - 11:55 am
Monday, October 28th - 1st Grade Garden Class - During School Hours
Wednesday, October 30th - Boosterton Fun Run - During Encore Classes
Thursday, October 31st - Halloween Parade - 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Friday, November 1st - 3rd grade Garden class - During School Hours
Saturday, November 2nd - Pancake Breakfast - 8:00 am - 11:00 am, MKES Cafeteria
Monday, October 28th - Crazy Hat Day
Tuesday, October 29th - Pajama Day
Wednesday, October 30th - Favorite Team Jersey
Thursday, October 31st - Halloween
Friday, November 1st - School Spirit Day
What's Happening in Kindergarten
Our first month in Kindergarten was a great success! Our students have done a wonderful job adjusting to our daily routines. We continue to review classroom expectations and procedures. In Literacy, students listened to several engaging read alouds and responded to corresponding writing prompts! We practiced writing our names and are beginning to learn how to identify letters and letter sounds. In Math, we focused on numbers to 5 and learned about the similarities and differences between objects. In Social Studies, we studied class citizenship. Students were encouraged to use kind words, share, take turns, keep their community clean, and be active listeners each and every day!
First Grade Is Off to a Great Start
First graders have done a great job of 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 have been working hard to choose just-right books. You can help your first grader at home by reading with him/her for 15 minutes every night. This is an opportunity for your child to read to you as well as a time for you to read to your child. Together we can develop and encourage a love of books and reading in our children.
Welcome to Second Grade
We’re back and better than ever! The second graders are off to a phenomenal start to the 2019-2020 school year. We’ve already established rules, routines, and expectations to kick off the school year.
Fluency will be a common theme this year, as it will be at the forefront of both reading and math. Second graders will read to learn this year, and a key element to make this happen starts by reading smoothly, accurately, and with expression. Not only should your child be reading while at home, they should also be read to on a daily basis. Hearing fluent reading will only reinforce what they should be striving to achieve!
Fact fluency is a critical skill to master in order to achieve success in all areas of math. The second graders need to master addition and subtraction facts up to 20 this year. Please practice and reinforce facts often so fluency comes quickly.
We’re looking forward to a fantastic year!
Building a Reading Life in Third Grade
Our first reading unit is about being the best reader you can be! We have been working on reading within reach books, finding good reading spots and building our reading stamina. We are learning to talk about the books we are reading, as well as gauge our understanding of what we have been reading.
Please encourage your third grader to find a good spot to read. Ask them to tell you about their reading and congratulate them when they have completed a book.
Happy Reading!
A Wonderful Start to Fourth Grade
Throughout the first few weeks of school, the fourth graders have quickly become comfortable with their new routines and the expectations for the upcoming year. We have been getting to know one another and the students have set academic goals for themselves.
In math, we reviewed our basic facts, multiples, place value, and how to solve basic word problems. Please encourage your child to study their basic facts for five minutes each night. In literacy, we have already had many opportunities to read together as a class and individually. The students have been working hard to improve their writing skills. In the upcoming weeks we will be mastering the elements of a good sentence and ways to add descriptive language to our ideas. We will put these detailed sentences together to form paragraphs. Soon, the children will incorporate interesting leads, vivid language, story elements, correct punctuation, and descriptive sentences into a fictional narrative. We look forward to sharing our work with you!
What’s New in Fifth 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 this year and will be using it daily in class. They have already begun utilizing Google Classroom, Drive, Docs and Slides. They also composed powerful bilingual poems this month expressing who they are and what is important in their lives. In Math, the fifth graders are learning about place value and working with large whole numbers. In Social Studies, the fifth graders have been learning about the United States and have begun work on their state fair projects. Please be on the lookout for more information regarding our upcoming State Fair Celebration on October 23 - family members are invited! We had a wonderful trip to the Fox Lane Ropes Course on September 13th where the students were 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!
Friday, October 4 - 15 minute early dismissal
Friday, October 18 - Parent Teacher Conferences in the afternoon (half day for students)
Wednesday, October 23 - State Fair Celebration (1:30 - 2:30 pm in the fifth grade wing)
Thursday, October 24 - Parent Teacher Conferences from noon to 8 pm (half day for students)
Friday, October 25 - Parent Teacher Conferences in the morning (no school for students)
Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (am) and 5th grade party (2:00 - 2:30 pm)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ms. Desiree Beriguete - dberiguete3717@bcsdny.org
Ms. Elizabeth Condon-Kim – econdonkim1772@bcsdny.org
Ms. Michele Nigro – mscarpellinigro1998@bcsdny.org
Ms. Madelyn Ortiz - mortiz1728@bcsdny.org
Main Office – 914.666.2677
Our Beautiful MKES Garden
We are off to a great start this fall in the garden.
First graders harvested 22 pounds of produce for the Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry on Monday. They worked collaboratively to determine the largest eggplants and peppers and the ripest tomatoes. We left plenty more on the vine. And I heard that some lucky second graders also visited the garden to harvest tomatoes as well.
Third graders were thrilled to return to the garden this fall. They spent 6 weeks in the spring as second grade students. What a great set up! Some got to see what happened to our lettuce plants from last year- they went to seed, we pulled them out and composted them. One class got to harvest and have a taste of cucumber. Thanks to parent volunteer Mariana T. we watered our kale which will become a lemony kale quinoa salad in November. We did some seed saving with radishes that were planted last spring that went to seed.
Thanks to Anita Rivera for bring some Fox Lane Students by on Monday to help harvest and water. And thanks to Mariana T for helping out today for a few classes. We definitely need some more parent volunteers! Doesn’t have to be 1st or 3rd grade. Anyone who would like to be outside and learn more about gardening is warmly welcomed. Green thumbs are not required :)
The adventure continues next week!
Susan Rubin (aka SuRu)
Music Minute
General Music:
This September, in General Music, Kindergarten, First and Second Grade got creative working on their singing voices, and finding the beat. Kindergarten found their singing voices, First Grade enjoyed a fun acting/singing/dancing game called “Old Roger”, which incorporated the fall theme of apple picking, and Second Grade learned a challenging Norwegian stick dance. Third –Fifth Graders became proficient drummers, and learned an African drumming ensemble.
As always, any questions, please email Mrs. Rowan at cscimonerowan1839@bcsdny.org
Band with Ms. Di Grandi
5th grade band lessons have started! 5th grade flute, clarinet, and trumpet students will have a lesson every Monday following the lesson schedule. Low brass and percussion students will have a lesson every Tuesday following the lesson schedule. 8AM (before school) morning rehearsals for 5th grade band members only will begin on Monday, September 16th. All band lessons and band rehearsals are mandatory. Rehearsals are a time for the band to come together as one group to practice and prepare the Winter Concert music. Please make sure to always bring instrument and music to lessons and rehearsals.
4th grade band members have already had their first lesson! Musicians have started to explore how to make a sound on these new instruments as well as practicing proper posture when sitting to play. 4th grade trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion students have a lesson every Tuesday during the school day following the lesson schedule. Lessons for 4th grade flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, and trumpet students are every Wednesday during the school day.
ALL band members have received a band folder with a textbook, fingering chart, lesson schedule, and practice log. Please take good care of these folders and all of the music inside!
Thank you!
Mrs. Ring’s Strings
4th and 5th grade string players are off to a great start. We are working hard on our winter concert pieces which include “Like a Bird,” “Impulse,” and “Presenting the Strings.” Students should be attending their lesson during the school day on the assigned lesson day (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) AND come to our before school, 8 am orchestra rehearsals on Tuesday mornings.
3rd grade strings are starting on October 2nd for some violin students and all cello/bass students and on October 7th for other violin students and all viola students. Please check the letter that was sent home for the correct lesson times for your child.
I look forward to creating beautiful music with the students this year!
ARTrageous RULES!
Believing that there are really no mistakes (just new learning experiences) and that whatever the mind can imagine and the hands can create is OK in art was the 1st assignment for the 4th graders. They were challenged to make a hat that could be worn that would be ‘outrageous’ and ‘sculptural’ using materials such as plates, beads, pipe cleaners, tissue paper, tape, glue, staplers. The ingenious solutions were as varied as the students creating them.
Sheri Brown, Art teacher
Sports Section
By John DelFavero, Craig Henley, and Melissa Ponzio
Our students have been working hard and having fun in PE classes! Students have been exercising and engaged in a variety of fun and challenging games.
Our Kindergarten, First, and Second Graders have learned about and participated in the following:
- Cooperation Games
- CARE THEME Meaning
- Exercise of the Month
- Recess Games
- Tag Games
- Hula Hoop Games
- Rolling and Throwing Activities
Our Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders have learned about and participated in the following:
- Cooperation Games
- CARE THEME Meaning
- Exercise of the Month
- Recess Games
- Throwing and Catching Activities
- Tag Games
- Games that involve Offensive and Defensive Strategies
Homework and Learning
By the ESOL/Bilingual Department
As we begin the new school year, families can support their children’s homework habits at home. Children feel a sense of pride and build responsibility when they return to class with completed homework. To support students doing their homework, families can find a place for them to comfortably work. Sometimes the television or nearby conversations can be distracting, so finding a relatively quiet space can foster your child’s concentration. Having sharpened pencils ready to go is always helpful too! If your child does homework right after school, a break and snack can sometimes help him/her to unwind from the school day before beginning to work. Children may also need to take a break every 10-15 minutes, depending on their age and ability to focus while working.
All classrooms ask that students read every night as a part of homework. Classroom teachers will inform families of the number of minutes they would like for their students to read nightly. Research has shown that students who consistently read on their own become more fluent readers. Sometimes it is helpful and enjoyable for parents to do shared reading by taking turns reading with their child. The child can read a page or paragraph, and then the parent can read. Parents can model reading with expression by making their voices interesting based on what is happening in the text. If a part of the text is confusing, it is helpful to go back and reread that part to help with understanding.
Although many students in grade two through five are reading independently, parents can continue to read aloud to their children. Students’ vocabulary and comprehension can increase through listening to stories that they cannot yet read independently. Children young and old love to listen to stories! Although your child can check out and bring books home from our wonderful school library, all families can get their own library cards and check out many great books at our community library in town!
Although students officially only have homework on Monday through Thursday, it is always great to incorporate literacy activities on the weekend or during breaks. For example, your child can assist you in creating your shopping lists, write letters to family members in any language, or create a story about a special experience. When riding in the car, you can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division math facts. Younger students can also practice counting by 10’s and 5’s to 100.
With great homework habits and a strong home/school connection, we can ALL help our children to grow as learners!
Happy New School Year
From the Learning Specialists - L. Calandra, M. Gilbert, B. Leslie, J. Smith, L. Viviano
The new school year always brings a fresh start and a new opportunity to have meaningful conversations with your child(ren). It is a great time to assess their feelings about the new school year as well as support their emotional, social, and academic well-being. You can facilitate these conversations by asking questions that elicit more than a one-word response. Here are some examples:
- Tell me about the best part of your day.
- What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
- Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
- Tell me about what you read in class.
- Who did you play with today? What did you play?
We look forward to partnering with you in a successful school year!!
Language is All Around Us!
By: Donna Furphy & Tara Caglione, MKES Speech-Language Pathologists
With the end of one season, and the beginning of another comes an array of new vocabulary words and language opportunities. This can be found in the food we eat, changing weather, books we read, holidays and places we visit. Autumn is a great time to get outside and talk about the changes in our surroundings, including the harvest. It’s also a great time to do fun activities with our friends and families like apple and pumpkin picking, hay rides, and jumping in the leaves. You can even make your own scarecrow! Take a walk on a nice Fall day and discuss: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? Just talking about all of these activities and changes in weather during the fall will enhance your child’s language and literacy skills. In fact, oral language gives children the foundation for literacy development. Cooking activities are another great way to introduce new vocabulary words and help with sequencing (first, next, then, last). So next time you are on a fun family outing or cooking a new recipe in the kitchen, talk about it with your child!
Nurse Ronan's Notes
Happy Fall! I am excited to join the MKES Community!
Below are Health Office reminders for a Healthy school year for all!
Many parents ask, “When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?”
This is not always an easy question to answer! We hope that these tips can help!
A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. Please do not give children with a fever Tylenol/Motrin and then send them to school. Once the medication wears off, the fever may return and your child could be contagious to others in the school. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comforting place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.
Here are examples of reasons to keep your child home from school:
- Oral temperature 100 or greater within the last 24 hours
- Vomiting and/or Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
- Strep Throat (must have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school)
- Flu like symptoms (for example- cough, fever, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, chills, headache, sometimes diarrhea/vomiting)
- A cough that is not under control
- A rash accompanied by an elevated temperature or behavioral changes (an unexplained rash should be seen by the child’s physician to determine if the child is able to be in school)
- Active or live head lice
- Ear pain or fluid coming from the ear
- Severe headache
- Symptoms of bacterial/viral conjunctivitis (for example redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid, swollen conjunctiva, thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes, especially after sleep. Green or white discharge from the eye)
(Notify your child’s doctor for instructions on taking care of your sick child)
If your child becomes ill at school and the teacher or school nurse feel the child is too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called to come and take him/her home from school. It is essential that we have a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify MKES immediately.
Please call the school’s Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you for helping us keep each student healthy!