Crozet Connection
School Quarterly Newsletter - November 2014
Putting Ideas into Action Principal - Ms. Crummie
Our new 2014 - 15 school year began with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies. First in late August with the opening of our 3 student-size tennis courts - built from a $65,000 donation of QuickStart Tennis of Central Virginia. Second, in late September, the opening and recognition of our Rain Garden Habitat as an official school yard habitat by Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Both additions to our school environment and community takes learning beyond the walls of the classroom. It provides experiences in strategic thinking, problem-solving, environmental stewardship and creativity.
This first quarter of school is full of ideas and innovative approaches by our teachers and staff to create a collaborative school community of life long learners and enrich our students with learning opportunities that support 21st century skills of communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking that embodies our school's Design 2015 projects. As you read this quarterly school e-news, take notice how we put our Design 2015 ideas into action.
Stay informed by checking out our school and PTO's web page with the calendar events
and student activities. Follow our school's and students' twitter feed which also gives on-going announcements and student reflections about their learning experiences. Your continued support of volunteering, monetary contributions, participation in our PTO's community-building fundraiser events, food contributions to our teacher/staff appreciation lunches, supporting our PTO Eagle Time afterschool enrichment program and establishing routines at home with your child to come to school prepared and ready to learn is essential to our continued success.
Being a season of thanksgiving, we thank the PTO Executive Board and PTO for their amazing support to our school as well as many other parent leaders, volunteers and community helpers such as; Miller School Tutors, WAHS Teacher Cadets and Henley Helpers. Thank You for making Crozet a wonderful school and have a safe and restful holiday season!
Clinic Notes - Nurse Hajek
The Fall season is always a busy time for school clinics, and here at Crozet we have been seeing an expected increase in colds, coughs, strep throat and stomachaches. We have had no reported cases of the flu at this time, and if you are planning on getting the flu vaccine for your family now is the time. I am in the process of completing vision screening on all of our third grade students. This screening is routinely done in the 3rd grade, but can be done anytime upon request. I will notify parents/guardians if I screened your child and they did not pass. As always, please call the clinic at 823-4800 if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's health at school.
School Counselor Corner - Mrs. Joyner
What an exciting start to the year! We just wrapped up a successful Red Ribbon week where we focused on staying healthy and making good choices! It was great seeing everyone dress up for our spirit days! We also had great participation for “Orange you glad you’re kind” on Unity Day on October 22nd! Thanks to everyone that participated. Students have also really enjoyed our kindness bulletin board! They love sharing compliments and kind worlds with each other! I am excited to see what the next nine weeks will bring!
Art with Ms. McReynolds
This fall, the students have been working hard on their Square 1 Art. Square 1 Art is our fundraiser for the art program this year at Crozet. The students have finished their artwork and are anxiously waiting for their personal catalogs to arrive at school. The catalogs will let the children see what their artwork might look like on a keychain, mug, garden flag, etc. I will be sending home their catalogs as soon as they arrive at Crozet. The art program appreciates any support for this program, as it will let us buy supplies and other resource materials for your children to use in the art room.
Kindergarten has been working hard on several motor skills this fall. They have created pictures by tearing, cutting, painting, gluing and they are off to a great year in art! 1st graders have made castles, self-portraits, leaves, and most recently a “snatchabook”. Ask your student about a “snatchabook”. 2nd graders have enjoyed making an origami owl collage, a bubblegum machine still-life, and most recently a self-portrait painting. 3rd graders have made Picasso dogs, a jungle cat collage and are now working on a fall leaf painting. 4th graders have been learning about abstract art and have made abstract line tree drawings and they also made some very creative one-eyed monsters. This fall, 5th graders have made a mandala, a cityscape drawing and our currently working on a fantasy space art picture. I have enjoyed working with your children and I am amazed at how creative they are in the art room!
PE with Ms. Laine & Mr. Maynard
We had a Buddy day and celebrated Columbus Day and Halloween. All grades have tried out the new tennis courts during PE time. Kindergarten is learning t-ball skills with equipment and coaches provided through a grant from the Carson Raymond Foundation. Kindergarten, first, and second graders have been working on spatial awareness, soccer skills, and throwing. Third, fourth, and fifth graders have done their fall wellness tests as well as worked on kickball, soccer, and football skills.
As the weather gets colder and students start to wear jackets, hats, and gloves, consider putting your child’s name on their outdoor clothing. If it gets found by someone it is easy to return if it has a name on it. If your child lost clothing, come look in the lost and found bins near the elevator and the gym.
Library with Ms. Anhold
The book fair at the end of September created a lot of excitement at the school. We sold over $7400 in books, not counting our online sales. Out of that, we had a profit of $1100 in new books for the library and $1300 cash to help pay for more books, supplies, and events. I’d like to send a special thanks to the volunteers who helped with set up and the selling of books. It would be very difficult to run the book fair on my own.
The new furniture arrived in the library the beginning of October, right after the book fair. The kids are really enjoying the higher chairs and being able to draw right on the tables. The tall white tables can nest together to create one big table or can be turned upright to use as a white board.
Our online encyclopedias are available for home use. You can access these databases through the school’s library homepage. The Britannica user name is crozet07 and password is albemarle. For World Book – username: albemarle, password: albemarle. The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library also has wonderful databases that can be accessed with your library card.
Music with Ms. Brown
KG Grade
During the first nine weeks, the kindergartners learned how to use some new technology tools, such as iPad mini, iPods and laptops appropriately and safely to become digital citizens. We have had many community helpers visit kindergarten. The students have enjoyed learning about their jobs and have been practicing questioning skills.
1st Grade
First Graders are becoming equine experts this year! Our visit to Camp Friendship included a hayride, grooming theory, and care theory! "I miss Mokie already!"-JG, 1st grade
2nd Grade
On September 30th, Carol Heiser from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries presented Ms. Crummie with a plaque recognizing the Crozet School Rain Garden as a certified school yard habitat! In addition to the current second and third grade classes, many members of the community were present including representatives from Albemarle County Public Schools and the Crozet PTO. Work in the habitat has just begun! This wonderful learning lab is being used school wide as students interact with nature.
3rd Grade
This quarter 3rd grade is working on making book recommendations to other readers in the community as part of our Design 2015 partnership with the Crozet Public Library. Students will be selecting a Fiction book of their choice, reading the book and then creating an original book cover and writing a review of the book. Our book covers and recommendations will be on display at the Library the entire month of November, we hope you are able to stop by and check them out!
4th Grade
Fourth graders have been participating in the Global Read Aloud! We are reading The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer L. Holm, along with over 200,000 other students from around the world. Each fourth grade classroom connected with a classroom from another school in a different state. Students are sharing responses to the book through the educational website, edmodo.com, and commenting on blogs from all over the country. We have enjoyed interacting with our fellow readers!
5th Grade
Fifth graders enjoyed some cool field trips. We also tested the Scientific Method with a Mentos/Diet Coke experiment that was a blast. We entered our writing into two contests in Charlottesville. We are about to embark into the American Revolutionary War and we have some background knowledge from George Washington’s Socks (you have to ask a fifth grader to explain). "Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly!"
Mark your Calendars
November 26th-28th: Thanksgiving Break
December 22nd-Jan. 2nd: Winter Break
January 16th: End of 2nd Nine Weeks
January 19th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (NO School)
January 20th: Teacher Work Day (NO School for Students)
January 26th: 5/6 Henley Transition Student Meeting (1:15-2:00 @ Crozet Cafe')
January 28th: Assembly for Students: Dance Around the World (1:15-2:15 pm)
January 29th: Henley 5/6 SPED Parent Transition Meeting @ Henley (6:00-6:30 pm)|
January 29th: Henley 5/6 General Parent Transition Meeting @ Henley (6:30-7:30 pm)
Albemarle County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, national origin, pregnancy, or marital status. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §§1691 et seq., prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal funds, including discrimination in employment and student admissions. All Albemarle County Public Schools students, applicants and employees are covered by this law. Questions or concerns regarding compliance with the School Division’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: Director of Human Resources, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901, 434-296-5827)
Our Vision: All learners believe in their power to embrace learning, to excel, and to own their future.
Our Mission: The core purpose of Albemarle County Public Schools is to establish a community of learners and learning, through rigor, relevance, and relationships, one student at a time. www.k12albemarle.org