The Falcon Flyer
NOVEMBER 2023
Greetings Falcon Families!
We are truly thankful for you, and we appreciate all that you do. Please be reminded that Tuesday, November 7th, is reserved for parent-teacher conferences. We hope that you will schedule a conference with your child's teacher(s) so that you can learn more about their guided reading level, Lexile level, and academic progress in all content areas. We want you to know that we continue to be grateful to you for partnering with us this school year so that C.J. Hicks will remain a great place for everyone to work, learn, and grow. We wish you a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones.
Dr. Erica Wakefall
LEAD | LEARN | LOVE | GROW
CJH PARENT INFORMATION GUIDE
Our school is using Beanstack this year to monitor our reading. This program allows our students to log their reading daily to earn badges and rewards. Our goal with this program is to promote an authentic love of reading.
Please remember each C.J. Hicks student is expected to read for 35 minutes. Some of this reading (about 20 minutes worth) should be done nightly at home. Please support your child’s reading by making sure they meet this expectation daily.
You can help your child with logging by using the Beanstack mobile app. Directions on using it are available here. Students can also access Beanstack from their ClassLink login.
Thanks for supporting your child’s reading!
GREETINGS READY FAMILIES!
In November we will continue our fall theme as we talk/sing about the leaves changing colors and falling. Thanksgiving, and fruits. We will also discuss how the weather is changing and why we need jackets, coats, and sweaters when we go outside. Our color of the month is BROWN, and our shape is RECTANGLE. We will talk about brown being used for the turkey an orange for its feet. We will review many colors as we make colorful turkey crafts. Our book of the month is RUN TURKEY, RUN! We will talk about how turkeys say “gobble, gobble, gobble” and their heads go wobble, wobble, wobble.
RUN TURKEY. RUN!: https://youtu.be/W0JY_ljO6-w
Brown Color Song: https://youtu.be/0CNGo7OAM0o
Thank you!
The READY Team
GREETINGS PRE-K FAMILIES
The students really enjoyed the pumpkin exploration activity. They observed and discussed the inside of a pumpkin, counted the pumpkin seeds and tasted pumpkin fluff dip. The trip to the pumpkin patch was amazing! Thank you, parents, for all your support! The themes for the month of November will be Apples, Thankful and Transportation. The children will be doing many activities with apples, discussing the things they are thankful for and the many different forms of transportation we can use to travel. We are very proud of the students in Pre-K. Just about everyone has learned all their uppercase letters. Please continue to work with your children on the following: Upper and lowercase letter recognition, number recognition 1 to at least 20, and writing their first and last name.
Thank you!
The Pre-K Team
GREETINGS KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES!
This month we will have parent conferences on November 7th. Please watch for a message from your child’s teacher on how you will sign up for a time. This will be a time to discuss your child’s academic progress with their teacher. If you have any questions during the conference, please do not hesitate to ask.
This month in Reading we are using the knowledge students have learned about characters, setting and events in order to retell familiar stories. You can practice having your child retell them stories they have read at home. Have your child share how they can use their retelling hand to read a story. In Social Studies we are learning about how people have a job to earn an income. They can use that income to purchase goods and services and sometimes we have to make choices about what we can purchase. We will also learn about the holiday, Thanksgiving this month.
This month in Math, students are learning to count objects up to 20 and write the number to match. Students are also learning to count backwards from 20. You can practice this with your child at home with household objects. In Science we are continuing our unit about the differences between what we see in the day and night sky.
Please make sure to check your child’s binder every day for graded work and updates about their day. There is also often communication about different events going on in the school. As always please let us know if you have any questions or if there is any way we can support you.
Thank you,
The Kindergarten Team
GREETINGS 1ST GRADE FAMILIES!
The month of November brings Parent-Teacher Conferences and our Thanksgiving Break. We are looking forward to meeting with you to share your child's progress. Mark your calendars for:
- November 7th: Parent/Teacher Conferences *Please be sure to sign up! *
- November 20th - 24th: Thanksgiving Break
The fall season brings out sweaters, jackets, and coats. Please remember to write your child's name on the tag of the garment. Most students remove their articles when they enter the classroom and many of them have similar clothing. So, for everyone's safety, please label their personal belongings.
In Literacy, scholars will be learning how to retell stories and demonstrate their understanding of the moral/lesson in a story. They will also learn how to use illustrations and details to describe characters, settings and events. In Writing, scholars will be working on their informative writing skills while learning how to use simple and compound sentences, and affixes. In Social Studies, students will be learning about historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Sacagawea. In Science, scholars will be using their meteorologist skills to learn about the weather and study different weather patterns. In Math, students will engage in explorations with shapes involving sorting, sifting, shifting shapes and patterns. As a result of students’ engagement within this unit, students will identify, describe, build, and compare shapes based on attributes. They will also partition circles and rectangles into two (halves) and four (fourths/quarters) equal parts. Students will also identify and describe real-life patterns based on the attributes of the pattern. Students will explore repeating patterns, inclusive of number strings, shapes, and operations, define and describe attributes, as well as create repeating, shrinking and growing patterns based on attribute, or repeated addition (by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s). In addition, please read with your scholar daily and ask comprehension questions such as who, what, when, where, why and how. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your scholar's teacher.
Thank you,
The 1st Grade Team
GREETINGS 2ND GRADE FAMILIES!
We have a busy month. We will have a field trip to the DATE academy. The cost of the trip is $18. Please help us be able to go by providing money for your student and possibly a donation to help another. STEM activities, lunch and transportation will be provided for this trip. It is going to be FUN!
Thanksgiving Break is forthcoming, and we are excited to be moving into the holiday season.
This month, in reading, we will continue to work on informational text features. In writing, we are practicing with informative writing and in language arts, we are studying shades of meaning. Examples of verbs: toss, hurl, throw. Examples of nouns: thin, skinny, scrawny. In math, we are learning to extend place value to 1,000. In science, we are learning about force and matter. In social studies, we are learning how Georgia becomes a colony.
Thank you,
The 2nd Grade Team
GREETINGS 3RD GRADE FAMILIES!
Happy November! We are halfway through the first semester. Please talk to your scholar about actively engaging and participating in class to ensure your scholars understand and grow throughout the school year. Please be reminded that all scholars will have homework nightly and it should be completed nightly to review material learned in class. Please make sure your scholar returns their laptop to school daily.
Important Dates
- November 7th - Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please check your students’ red folders for all communication from teachers.
- November 8th - Extended Day starts for grades 3-5 (for selected students)
- November 30th - All Field Trip money is due for Fernbank Trip
November Classroom Learning:
Math: Students will use part-whole strategies to solve real-life, mathematical and division problems with whole numbers within 100.
Science: Students will learn how to obtain information about the physical attributes of rocks and soil.
Social Studies: Students will move into learning Colonial America.
Reading: Students will learn about asking and answering questions from an informational text.
Writing and Grammar: Students will work on wrapping up opinion writing and starting informational writing.
3rd grade has 1 field trip coming up:
December 15- Fernbank Natural History Museum
Please be sure you have submitted a signed permission slip form for your scholar to be able to attend.
Daily Reminders:
To ensure a successful and productive month, here are some important daily reminders for both students and parents:
1. Attendance: Please make sure your child attends school regularly and arrives on time. Consistent attendance is essential for their academic progress.
2. Homework: Encourage your child to complete their homework assignments promptly. If they ever struggle with a particular assignment, don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance. All assignments will be on Canvas.
3. Communication: Open lines of communication between home and school are vital. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact me via email or on Remind. Also, Red folders will be sent home every Wednesday. Please review all material inside and send it back signed on Thursday.
4. Healthy Habits: Encourage your child to get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, and engage in physical activity. These habits contribute to their overall well-being and readiness to learn.
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education. We are looking forward to a productive and rewarding month of learning and growth. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your students’ teacher. Together, we can make this school year a success for your child.
Thank you,
The 3rd Grade Team
GREETINGS 4TH GRADE FAMILIES!
We just recently finished Quarter 1 and we are looking forward to Quarter 2. To better assist your child, please have them practice multiplication facts for mastery and read nighty for 30 minutes. Please be advised that homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday. During the month of November, we will be continuing with learning about moon phases, telescopes, and attributes of stars and planets in science. Our writing instruction will focus on Informational Writing. In reading, we will be working on point of view and identifying theme. In social studies, we will be focused on economic development. On November 17th, we will be attending a field trip to the Georgia Aquarium.
Thank you,
The 4th Grade Team
GREETINGS 5TH GRADE FAMILIES!
Our day begins at 7:35 am and attendance is very important. Thank you for helping the students arrive on time. We have been very busy this past month. The students have been learning many new concepts and reviewing some old ones. During our reading block we have been working on comparing and contrasting skills and finding reasons and evidence to support writing opinion papers. In math we have been working on adding and comparing decimals. In science we have been learning about inherited and acquired traits and learned behavior.
Please encourage your scholar to do their best on all assignments. Please also encourage your scholar to read at least 35 minutes every night. Encourage your scholar to practice math fluency in “MobyMax” and practice multiplication facts daily.
This month, we will have parent conferences, our fall book fair, and we will also enjoy Thanksgiving break. Have fun and get plenty of rest so that we may finish the semester strong. With your help, we look forward to a great 2nd quarter.
Thank you,
The 5th Grade Team
The CJH Front Office is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 am - 3:00 pm. The dedicated front office staff members look forward to assisting you throughout the school year.
We will always be happy to meet the clinic needs of our students. Please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Berlinda Alexander, if you have any questions regarding the clinic.
RCPS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs and offers free or reduced-price meals to eligible students. Please contact our cafeteria manager, Mrs. Kimberly Barrett, if you have any questions regarding school meals.
Effective, Thursday, September 14, 2023, students with over $10.00 in negative balances will receive alternate meals. Students who were approved last school year are required to complete the application prior to Thursday, September 14, 2023, to maintain their eligibility status. Parents can apply via paper application or online at MySchoolApps - Getting Started. Applications are available in English and Spanish.
CJH Cafeteria Manager
Mrs. Kimberly Barrett
We look forward to supporting our students and families throughout the school year. Please contact our Parent Liaison, Mrs. Dawn Smith, if you have any questions about school policies and procedures.
Mrs. Dawn Smith
C.J. Hicks Elementary School
Email: cjhes@rockdale.k12.ga.us
Website: cjh.rockdaleschools.org
Location: 1300 Pine Log Rd NE, Conyers, GA, USA
Phone: 770.483.4410
Twitter: @CJHicksElem