KHS News
Friday, February 22th, 2019
In this week's newsletter...
Quick Announcements:
We do not accept deliveries of any nature for scholars. Parents are welcome to bring their scholar lunch.
7th Grade Field Trip to Science Museum money is due on Monday, February 25th and the
End of Year Field Trip 1st payment due Wednesday, 27th.
March 14th is Picture Day
This newsletter contains the following information:
- School News
- PTSO
- Lunch Menu
- Counselor Corner
- Sports at KHS
- Classroom News
- Community News
Upcoming Events:
- Board Meeting March 5th at 6pm in the 6-8 Campus
- March 14th Picture Day
- Career Day is March 22nd
- Spring Break March 25th-29th, 2019
- Soar Celebration April 5th
- Teacher Appreciation Week May 6th-May 10th
- Spring Performance May 16th: Grades K-2 @ 5:30 pm and Grades 3-5 @ 6:45 pm. See Classroom News section for additional information.
- The 3rd grade end of year trip has been scheduled for Friday June 7th! More Details to come!
School News
School Make Up Days
Kestrel Heights School will make up our inclement weather days as stated below. The NC State Calendar law requires school districts to provide either 1,025 hours or 185 days of instruction in a school year. Due to the length of our school day, we are able to utilize our accumulated instructional time to make up days missed.
- December 11th - makeup on May 24th
S.O.A.R. Program for Quarter 3
We have a few exciting updates regarding our PBIS program we would like to share with you.
For third quarter, the end of quarter reward is our DJ DANCE PARTY! This event was extremely popular with scholars last year and we are very excited to be hosting it again for our SOARing Hawks this quarter. In order to earn entry into the event, scholars will need to earn ten SOAR stickers throughout the quarter and have zero days assigned to ISS or OSS.
The dance party will be held on April 5. This means the last day to earn stickers for entry to the event will be April 3, in order to allow time to plan for the number of students who will be in attendance.
Thank you for your support!
Picture Day is March 14th!!!
Parent volunteers ensure Picture Day runs smoothly and help students capture their best school picture.
>> View a list of volunteer needs
Email Mrs. Gordon to help out!
PTSO News
Sushioki Spirit Night
March 13th from 5:00pm-8:00pm
Address: 4900 NC-55 #510, Durham, NC 27713
Lunch Menu
Counselor Corner
Scholars to College's Open House* 2019!
Program Description
Scholars to College is a free, four-year college-readiness program designed to assist ambitious, academically-focused, underrepresented first-generation students from Durham County for success at selective four-year colleges and universities. Scholars are supported to develop academic rigor, college-going competency, and to enhance their socio-emotional development and leadership skills.
Who is Eligible?
Students must:
- reside & attend school in Durham County, NC and
- demonstrate financial need as evidenced by submitting a copy of their most recent income tax return (2017 or 2018) with sensitive information removed to verify that their income levels demonstrate need according to federal income guidelines. Families may check for eligibility using this guide: http://bit.ly/S2Cincomechart2023 in English and http://bit.ly/SPANISHS2Cincomechart2023 in Spanish
Who Should Apply?
Applications open each February for current 8th graders in Durham County. Students that are a good fit and typically succeed in Scholars to College:
- are intellectually curious (bright, hungry, with high intrinsic motivation)
- enjoy challenge, rigor
- are historical high achievers in the classroom (grades and standardized tests-e.g. EOGs/EOCs)
- have parent support toward the goal of graduating from a four-year college
How Can I Learn More?
Visit our website at http://www.emilyk.org/programs/scholars-to-college/
Application Deadline: Thursday, March 14th, 2019
Qualifying families may access the application at
http://bit.ly/S2C2023app in English and in Spanish at http://bit.ly/S2Cespanol2023
*Open House attendance is not required in order to submit an application
Camille Wilson, Associate Director of College Readiness
(she/her/hers)
Emily Krzyzewski Center
904 W. Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701
(w) 919.680.0308 x 2004
(c) 919.672.4435
(f) 919.680.0309
Be a Game Changer for students in Durham. Learn more here.
CAREER DAY - MARCH 22nd
Hello Friends! Career Day is March 22nd and we would LOVE for you to talk to our students about your amazing profession! Volunteers presenting to K-2 students will present from 8:15-10:15. Volunteers presenting to 3-8 students will present from 8:15-11:05. Feel free to call or email Mrs. Kennedy or Mrs. Callahan with questions or concerns. Thanks for volunteering!
Volunteer Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4ba9ac28aafd0-khes3
Sports at KHS
Spring Sports Tryout Information
Spring Sports Tryouts begin this month!Track and Field tryouts will be 2/26 - 2/28. Visit https://kestrelhawks.bigteams.com/ for more information.
Softball (girls)
Canceled due to lack of Student interest
Co-ed Track and Field
Feb. 26-28
3:15-4:30
Kestrel Heights MS
Dale Edmonds
edmonds@kestrelheights.org
Classroom News
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten did a fantastic job on their 100 Day Projects! We have them displayed in the hall for all of our Kestrel Community to enjoy. Friendly reminder, that permission slips and payment for the Life & Science Museum are due no later than February 28th. We have been working on building our reading fluency, basic economics & shapes!
1st Grade:
We are learning about where food comes from in our reading curriculum this week and learning about greater and less than in math. We have also continued our studies on Black History Month is SS and plants and animals in science!
2nd Grade:
2nd grade shared their amazing Around the World Culture projects. The scholars did a great job presenting their wonderful work. The 100th day T-shirts were very creative, and the scholars loved showing them off. We are excited to start out new unit on the Earth's Surface and weather.
3rd Grade:
Hart's Hero
Pierce Sparkle of the Week: Siwaar
Peacock of the Week Oscar!
From Mrs. Ross in 3rd grade
Please check student planners for homework assignments, and book bags for completion of assignments. Some work may have been done in class. Friday Folders have work from this week-return on Monday please.. Please check and compare scores in Powerschool
Email with any questions.
4th Grade end of Year to Carolina Ocean Studies will be May 17th. Information and permission slips will be sent home in Friday Folders!
5th Grade:
Fifth grade scholars are starting on ecosystems in Science and finishing up their study of fractions with dividing fractions. For more information and important dates, please see the grade level website.
Middle School Blurb
6th Grade:
Do not forget to check power school and the 6th grade web page. The link is http://kestrel6thgrade.weebly.com/ and each teacher will be updating their class page.
7th Grade Math
Greetings Parents,
Field trip to Science Museum money is due on Monday, February 25th.
End of year field 1st payment due Wednesday, 27th
if you have any questions or have trouble signing up please email Mr. Allen at allen@kestrelheights.org
8th Grade:
Another great week of growth in the 8th grade! In Science, scholars are DIGGING into to fossils and the history of the earth. In math, look to hear more about the 'Wheel of Theodorus' as we being to discover and apply the Pythagorean Theorem. To coincide with our field trip this week and Black History Month, we are taking the time to Read about the incredible life of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. In Social Studies our scholars have studied and demonstrated their understanding of the amendments in the U.S. Constitution by creating mini posters soo to be displayed in the 8th grade hallway. As always, thank you to our parents for all you support and please keep your eye on social media for updates and pictures from our upcoming trip this week!
English Language Learners (ELL) Program/Programa de Aprendices del Idioma Inglés (ELL)
English Language Learners (ELL) Program - Ms. Rivera
Dear Parent or Guardian,
During the next 3 weeks, English Language Learner (ELL) students in grades kindergarten through eighth will take the ACCESS test. ACCESS provides a standardized measure of the efficiency of academic language for ELL students throughout the state of North Carolina, and in other states. With this information, we will be able to monitor annually the individual progress of each ELL student.
Aprendices del Idioma Inglés (ELL) - Ms. Rivera
Estimado Padre o Tutor,
Durante las proximas 3 semanas, los estudiantes Aprendices del Idioma Inglés (ELL) en grados de kindergarten hasta octavo, tomarán la prueba ACCESS. ACCESS proporciona una medida estandarizada de la eficiencia del lenguaje académico para los alumnos ELL en todo el estado de Carolina del Norte, y en otros estados. Con esta información, podremos vigilar anualmente el progreso individual del cada estudiante de ELL.
From the Spanish Corner
Buenos dias familia!
This quarter, we have been talking about "Afrolatinidad", what a wonderful topic and conversations we're having. We are celebrating each others backgrounds! We are also learning the "Alfabeto" and lots of new words to expand our Spanish Vocabulary. Please, practice with your child at home.
Our Spanish class is in need of a few items: Lysol spray, Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. Please send these items in with your scholar at anytime.
Please, email me with any questions: mariafoushee@kestrelheights.org
Gracias,
Mrs. Foushee
AIG News
This week in AIG....
A few sixth grade AIG students took a "field trip" to Lowe's Home Improvement of South Durham to spend some grant money awarded from the Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant. Kestrel AIG was awarded with $3,000 to spend on robotics kits, ipads, and building materials for regulation size First Lego League competition tables.
PE
K-5 PE is starting an adventure activities mini-unit, having tons of fun. Middle School students are learning about Team Handball, a game that is very popular in Europe and played all around the world.
Doctor’s Notes
If your scholar needs to be excused from physical activities, please provide a doctor’s note.
Gym Shoes
Your scholar will need gym shoes (sneakers, tennis shoes) to participate in activities. They must have a flat bottom (no heel) and the foot must be fully covered. Sandals, Crocs, clogs, dress shoes, boots and any heeled shoes are not appropriate for class.
Art News
As often as I can, I will highlight a student who has gone above and beyond in their work and/or their behavior. I'll call it, "Tell Me Something Good".
Tell Me Something Good...
In my sixth grade class, EVERY SINGLE student has turned in their first project on time. Way to go and keep it up!
Ms. Mohn,
Dance
Hello Dance Families!
In honor of Black History Month, the Elementary & Middle School Dance students will be "traveling" to the continent of Africa and visiting 4 different countries, learning the traditional dances and music from the different tribes.
We "safely" arrived to our first destination - Guinea, West Africa. We were greeted by people from the Malinke tribe, and they taught us the dance, Coucou. This is a dance of celebration for different occasions: Weddings, births, good harvests. With any "happy" event, there's a lot of energy that's required/needed for this dance. Have your dancer show/teach you at home. We are planning to arrive in Ghana on Monday, and meet with people from the Ashanti tribe to learn the dance, Kpanlogo (another celebration dance). We're so excited!!!!!
Additionally, please MARK YOU CALENDARS for the Elementary Spring Performance - May 16, 2019. Grades K-2 will perform at 5:30 pm and Grades 3-5 will perform at 6:45 pm. This a mandatory performance for all scholars.
Lastly, the Dance Dept. is in need of a few classroom supplies: Facial tissues, Disinfectant Wipes and Paper Towels.
Thank you for your support!!!! ;o)
Music
To all Recorder and Choir club parents and Scholars
Recorder and Choir have now started up for the spring summers
Choir is on Tuesday afternoons from 3:15pm to 4:00pm and recorder club is Wednesday afternoons 3:15pm to 4:00pm
Community News
Kramden Tech Scholars
Come Join Us
Website: kestrelheights.org
Location: 4700 South Alston Avenue, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-484-1300
Facebook: facebook.com/KestrelHeightsSchool/
Twitter: @KestrelHeights