September Newsletter
2023
EARLY RELEASE DAY
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2023, 02:00 PM
Watergrass Elementary School, Overpass Rd, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
PK,K,1,2 Open House
Thursday, Sep 14, 2023, 05:30 PM
Watergrass Elementary School, Overpass Rd, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
FALL PICTURES
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2023, 10:00 AM
Watergrass Elementary School, Overpass Rd, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
3,4,5 Access Open House
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2023, 05:30 PM
Watergrass Elementary School, Overpass Rd, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
All Pro Dads
Friday, Sep 22, 2023, 08:30 AM
Watergrass Elementary School, Overpass Rd, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
Administration Corner
Dear Families,
We've had a great start to the school year! Each month, we will send home a newsletter with information from our grade level teams and various departments on campus. We hope this helps you stay connected to WGES.
We are in the midst of collecting baseline data for student so we can ensure the correct supports for each child to be academically successful this year. FAST assessment data will be available soon in the parent portal. We will be sending home data sheets for each child monthly, so you are informed about your child's academic progress. You can request a phone or in person conference by emailing your child's teacher.
Open House is coming up! We scheduled two evenings to comfortably accommodate all of our families. Stop by and visit your child's classroom to meet the teacher and view work samples. Each teacher will have a sign up sheet for you to schedule a conference if you'd like.
Grades PreK, K, 1, & 2 - Thursday, September 14th at 5:30-6:30 pm
Grades 3, 4, 5, & Access - Tuesday, September 19th at 5:30-6:30 pm
The afternoon car line is running much faster now, and we are loading the last cars at 4:15 pm. Thank you for your patience and understanding during the first couple of weeks. Remember, in the morning two lanes merge to one right before the front of the school. It is recommended for cars to take turns merging from each lane.
We are looking for parent volunteers to help during lunch times on Thursdays between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. If you are interested, fill out the Volunteer Application and let us know your availability.
https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/comm/page/volunteer
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram as we share 180 Days of Joy. Each day, we post "The best part of today..." because we want our families and community to know about all the positive and inspirational moments that happen.
Thank you for partnering with us this year. We are here to help you, and please reach out to us at anytime.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Altman, Mrs. Wardell, & Mr. Symons
Security Section
Clinic
Kindergarten Corner
We are starting this school year with so much learning! Our ELA Module is “What will I discover in Kindergarten?” We have been learning about Characters, Setting and Plot as we read fiction books. We are also learning how to Identify Words in a Sentence as well as Identifying and forming letters Aa-Kk. We are learning both Uppercase and Lowercase letters. Please practice with your students at home writing their first name to help them identify letters. In Math, we are learning to count groups of up to 5 objects. Students are using three strategies (move and count, touch and count, and mark and count) to help them organize and count accurately. At home, you can practice these strategies with your student by counting objects. Lastly, we want to remind parents to please make sure to check your students' folders for any important information that the school wants to share with families. We look forward to a successful school year!
First Grade Corner
ELA:
We will be wrapping up Module 1: Nice to Meet You - How can making new friends and learning new things help us? We began working on short A and I CVC words, common nouns, and story structure. In the upcoming weeks, we will begin Module 2: My Family, My Community - How does everyone in my family and community make them special?
Math:
Second Grade Corner
During September 2nd graders will be learning about examining the world around us and making new discoveries. The month also has a great crossover of language arts into science as we'll be reading about and discussing states of matter. We will continue to focus on sight word recognition and work on writing skills.
Math lessons will focus on solidifying basic math skills in addition and subtraction. It's an exciting month in social studies as we dive into map skills and recognize Constitution Day on September 17.
Watch for our weekly classroom newsletters for more details.
Third Grade Corner
Science:
Close and careful observation is a fundamental part of science. Through observation with our senses and tools that can enhance our senses, we learn about the characteristics of the world around us. Throughout their exploration of matter, students will be learning how to quantify and describe the characteristics of solids, liquids and gases.
Learning Goals:
SC.3.P.8.1
Measure and compare temperatures of various samples of solids and liquids.
SC.3.P.8.2
Measure and compare the mass and volume of solids and liquids.
SC.3.P.8.3
Compare materials and objects according to physical properties. (Size, shape, color, texture, and hardness.)
SC.3.P.9.1 💡
Describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling. (using familiar scientific terms: melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.)
SC.3.N.1.1/1.3 (Embedded)
Raise questions about the natural world and record data while conducting investigations.
Math:
In module 1, students relate repeated addition, equal groups, and arrays to multiplication and division. With a focus on units of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10, students use the commutative and distributive properties as strategies to multiply, and they write expressions with three factors as a foundation for the associative property. They use their understanding of multiplication and division concepts to reason about and solve one- and two-step word problems.
Topic Goals:
Topic A: Conceptual Understanding of Multiplication
Topic B: Conceptual Understanding of Division
Topic C: Properties of Multiplication
Topic D: Two Interpretations of Division
Topic E: Application of Multiplication and Division Concepts