Patriots Press
Final Edition
A Note from the Principal
Our Science Olympiad varsity and JV teams placed first this past weekend. Ms. Ferguson also received the Science Olympiad Volunteer award. Congratulations to all who were involved in this great event.
Report cards came home on Wednesday April 18th. Please return to your child’s homeroom teacher.
Our Annual Spring Fling will be Friday April 27th from 5PM – 7PM. All Patriot families are invited to come for hot dogs, chips, and drinks as well as kids activities across the school. Come out for an evening to come together and celebrate the great community that we have here at Patriots.
We will begin EOG testing on May 25th. We are in need of EOG proctors. Please consider volunteering and go to the Patriots webpage or contact your child’s homeroom teacher for details.
Sincerely,
Billy Davis
Principal
Patriots STEM Elementary
A Note from the PTO President
It's hard to believe that another year of school is coming to a close but as it does we must look forward to next year. The PTO works tirelessly throughout the year supporting our school through various fundraisers and activities. We are a volunteer based group and without those amazing volunteers we wouldn't get many things done.
Are you wanting to be more involved at Patriots? Do you want to help us to make Patriots the best school in the area?
If you answered yes to either or both questions the PTO is a great place to get plugged in. There's no secret initiation or crazy process to get started. You need to be a member of the PTO ($5 membership fee), be available to attend a meeting once a month (2nd Monday at 6:30pm), and be willing to volunteer in one of the many areas we do work in for the school. This isn't a full time job nor do we want to take all your free time!!!
The areas that you can get involved include:
Executive Board - President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary
Committee Chairs - Major Fundraising (Red Hawk Run), Minor Fundraising (Tasty Tuesdays, Skate Night, etc), Hospitality (Teacher Appreciation), Spirit Gear (T-shirt orders), Volunteer Coordinator, Dance Committee (Father/Daughter & Mother/Son)
At Large- members without specific titles but support the entire group
If you are interested in joining with us or need more information about any position or responsibilities please send me an email at president.patriots@gmail.com
Thanks,
Chad Maynor
PTO President
End of Grade Testing
Spring Fling
Hilbish Ford Teacher of the Month
Congratulations to Mrs. Stowe for being named CCS Hilbish Ford Teacher of the Month!
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad Volunteer of the Year
Ms. Ferguson
Red Hawk of the Month
Energy Kits
School Counselor News
In the Kindergarten through 2nd grade Counseling lessons, the students focused on establishing their Growth Mindset (working through a "I can't" mindset to a "I can't yet" mindset. We also discussed the value of friendship and how to be a good friend. Finally, we identified some skills and interests we can explore and possibly turn into a career.
Over the summer, there are a number of activities the students can do to reinforce their Counseling lessons from this year. We had a wonderful Kindness Challenge this year which most of the participating students had to complete at least 10 Kindness challenges in their home, neighborhood and school. Remind you student these Kind behaviors should continue. Some examples are being nice to their siblings, helping out, smiling at others, picking up litter, planting flowers and trees, and sharing.
There are a number of volunteer opportunities for children and their families. Websites for Harrisburg and Concord Parks and Recreations have volunteer opportunities. Hands on Charlotte and Share Charlotte are websites that organize what volunteer opportunities are available in your area. Some places, like Little Helpers and Loaves & Fishes allow students as young as 6 years old to volunteer, when they are accompanied by an adult.
Reading books from your public library this summer is a wonderful way to reinforce all of the Counseling lessons (Plus, it is free!). For younger students, reading aloud together and talking about what the characters in the book did well and maybe what were things they could have done differently is an easy, fun way to teach about character traits, such as respect, empathy and responsibility. With older students, reading the same book together and then talking about it on a walk or maybe while eating ice cream, can easily achieve the same thing. IN MAY, WE WILL BE TAKING DONATIONS OF BOOKS TO DISTRIBUTE TO PATRIOTS STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED SOME EXTRA SUMMER READING MATERIAL - PLEASE CONSIDER SENDING IN GENTLY USED BOOKS TO THE FRONT OFFICE.
Both Mrs. Furr and Ms. Laptos wish you a wonderful, relaxing and fun summer!
Kindergarten News
In Reader's Workshop we are working on making inferences when we read. We activate our schema and apply it to the information in a book to make an inference. We will also be working on how to synthesize while reading. When students synthesize they combine new ideas with what they already know to get something new and different. We will also be reviewing all reading strategies as we approach our last mClass reading test. Please continue to read nightly with your child!!!
In Math Workshop we are addition and subtraction Math Masters!!! We will also start to work on problem solving and word problems. We will be reviewing all learned math skills from the year. We are excited for our Math Playground PBL coming up!
In Writer's Workshop we having so much fun with our Persuasive Writing Unit.
We are writing about our opinions! We are learning to state our opinion, give reasons for our opinion and then to restate our opinion. Don't be surprised if you start getting some really good reasons why you should delay bedtime! :)
In Science and Social Studies we have just begun our Animal Unit. We are investigating living and non-living things. Next week begins adventures with pill bugs and sow bugs! We are planting seeds and learning about animals. We will also review learned units and apply new experiments to test our knowledge!
First Grade News
We will be beginning our next unit, Using Place Value to Add and Subtract. We will begin by reviewing our place value skills from the beginning of the year; we will review the idea of tens (rods) and ones (units). Students will be mentally and physically adding and subtracting ten more and ten less. We will be using a variety of strategies to add a two-digit number to a multiple of ten, for example: 23 + 20 = ___. We will also be using a variety of strategies to subtract multiples of ten, for example: 60 – 20 = ___. A review skill for this unit will be to work on comparing and ordering numbers.
Reading:
This month in reading we will be Reading Across Genres! In this unit, students will practice reading all of the genres we have learned about this year: Fiction, Poetry and Non-Fiction. While reading these genres, they will learn how to gather information from each genre to help them better understand a topic. We will also be working on collaborating with reading partners.
Writing:
This month in writing, students will be developing their own character and then writing their own realistic-fiction stories based on that character, using plot and story elements. We will learn how to take that same character into different stories to create a series of stories or chapters.
STEM & Social Studies:
This month in science, we will begin our unit on Living and Non-Living things. We are focusing on the characteristics of living and non-living things and looking deeply into the make-up of soil and plants. We will look at what makes a plant grow and the importance of each part of the plant.
Second Grade News
Our Reading and Writing focus is on Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Poetry. The children will focus on key elements of each genre, compare and contrast multiple versions of the same tale to better understand various cultures around the globe, and write their own fairy tales and poetry!
Students will complete multiple PBL’s in Science block related to the fairy tales being covered. They’ll choose materials to build houses that can withstand the “Big Bad Wolf” (a hair dryer) trying to blow the house down, as well as, construct the tallest, free-standing tower with Rapunzel’s braid of hair hanging down. Students will also finish up their study of insects in May.
In Math the children will continue to focus on regrouping and word problems. We will introduce multiplication using arrays and repeated addition, as well. Students will complete a zoo animal PBL, in which they build a zoo animal with Tangrams. After building and tracing the animal they will need to determine its height, length, and area. This information will be turned in to the engineers building the animal habitats at the zoo. Can’t wait to see what they create!
Once again, we would like to thank every family for all they do and have done to support our classrooms this year. We are so grateful. We couldn’t have had so much success without you!
Third Grade News
Hello 3rd Grade Patriot Families!
We all cannot believe the year is closing in. The teachers have truly enjoyed this year working with your children and watching their successes and growth. As we begin to wrap up the year, students are in final units before the review for EOG’s. Please encourage your children to not stress about the upcoming tests as they are just to show what they have learned throughout the school year.
In Reading: Students just finished the biography unit with an amazing Wax Museum. The teachers were beyond proud of the work of the students! The last unit is in fiction and covers the following: Social Issues Book Clubs with Inclusion of Poetry, Fables, and Folktales. Students will understand that… • Texts with social issues help us to understand how a person’s experiences shape their perspective. Students will know: • Social issues refer to issues that affect the people in our world, not just one character or a particular set of people • Social issues can be presented through a variety of books on many different topics • Social issues can be seen in fiction and nonfiction genres • Characters in stories faces similar issues that real people encounter • Authors can present a similar theme in various ways.
In Math: Students are currently working towards finishing the Measurement Unit. Students will understand that… • The duration of an event is called elapsed-time and it can be measured. • Mass and volume can be determined by using standard units of measurement including grams, kilograms, milliliters, and liters. • Charts, tables, scaled picture graphs, and scaled bar graphs may be used to display and compare data.
In Science: Students are beginning the Plant and Ecosystem Unit. Students will understand that… • Plant parts have specific functions. • Plants have a distinct life cycle. • Plants depend on their environments to survive. Students will know: • The names and functions of plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers). • Plants have special parts that perform special functions in order for the plant to survive. • How environmental factors impact the growth and survival of plants. • The life stages of seed plants (seed, germination, seedlings, adult plant). • Different components of soil (sand, clay, humus) influence the growth and survival of plants. • The properties of soil (texture and capacity to hold water) are important for plant growth.
In Social Studies: Students are beginning the Resource Unit. Students will understand that… · Humans will interact with their environment in order to meet their needs. · Resources often influence economic growth in communities. · Supply and demand affects the economic choices of individuals. (e.g. careers, types of cars made, etc.) · The decisions of people to locate, develop and make use of natural resources in particular regions will influence economic development. · Innovation and opportunity encourage people to take risks as entrepreneurs. · Successful entrepreneurs will increase their power and wealth. · Entrepreneurs often make business decisions based on the needs and desires of consumers. · The needs of consumers change from region to region. (e.g. Coastal Tourism, Fishing, etc. Piedmont-Research Triangle, etc. Mountains Lumber Industry, etc.).
Fourth Grade News
For the last quarter of school, our 4th graders will continue to analyze the government of North Carolina that includes rights and responsibilities, defining the amendments added to the North Carolina Constitution, and comparing and contrasting federal government and local government. We will then become aware of, and be able to identify, state symbols, statues, monuments, the culture and the heritage of our beautiful state of North Carolina. (We ask that if you travel anywhere in North Carolina this summer that you think to donate historical information you obtain to the 4th grade team.) In Science, we will utilize our Soap Box Derby car race and all we learned through our NASCAR theme into our unit of Forces and Motion and Energy. We will have many hands-on experiences with magnets, electricity, and light, heat, and sound energy. Our 4th graders enjoyed the annual field trip to Raleigh in which just about everything we saw and experienced was a part of our 4th grade curriculum.
Fifth Grade News
In reading, we still have a bit more learning to do before we start our EOG review. Please remind your child to study vocabulary words a bit each night. Another suggestion is to review his/her reader's workshop journal for a few minutes each night. In a few weeks, you can expect nightly/weekly reading passages with comprehension questions. Please have your child complete these and then take some time to go over the questions with them. We will be taking weekly tests to build stamina and refresh memories of skills learned earlier in the year. These tests are a good predictor of EOG performance so encourage your child to do their best. And, we will be mixing in some fun in our review that we think your child will enjoy!
If you are available to proctor for any of the EOG days, please let your child's homeroom teacher know so we can fit you in. Thanks in advance!
We want to be sure to thank each of our parents who took time out of their schedules to chaperone our field trip. The kids enjoyed having you and we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you so much!!
Skate Night
Thursday, Apr 19, 2018, 06:30 PM
Frye's Roller Rink, Poplar Tent Rd, Concord, NC, USA
Movie Night
Friday, Apr 20, 2018, 06:00 PM
Patriots Elementary School, Holden Avenue, Concord, NC, USA
Spring Fling
Friday, Apr 27, 2018, 05:00 PM
Patriots Elementary School, Holden Avenue, Concord, NC, USA
All Pro Dads
Friday, May 4, 2018, 07:00 AM
Patriots Elementary School, Holden Avenue, Concord, NC, USA
Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday, May 7, 2018, 08:15 AM
Patriots Elementary School, Holden Avenue, Concord, NC, USA
Patriots STEM Elementary School
Email: william.davis@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Website: www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/domain/17
Location: 1510 Holden Avenue, Concord, NC, USA
Phone: (704) 455-1882
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriotsElementary/
Twitter: @Patriots_Elem