Algonkian Elementary
February 2022 Newsletter
Principal Page
We have reached the 100th day of school . PTA ASAP classes are in full swing as we head to the mid point of the 3rd quarter. We continue our Covid mitigation strategies throughout the school, working hard to keep students safe and healthy.
Our Souperbowl food drive was a huge success.
Here is a message from Link "We appreciate Algonkian's continue support to LINK. Each of our three drivers made two runs to take all of the items you collected to Christ the Redeemer. We will distribute the food and other items to our brothers and sister in need within the community."
March is Music and Art month. We will have a Music or Art theme for each day of the week in March. We look forward to student participation.
Some parents have asked how to purchase a replacement charger. We have a link on your Algonkian Website - https://www.lcps.org/Page/234785
Here is the information on the website:
Replacement Charger – To purchase a replacement for a lost charger - students and staff in need of replacing a lost power adapter, stylus pen, or travel hub may do so through the DDI.
Technology store by visiting https://bit.ly/MySchoolBucks
- Visit MySchoolBucks
- Log in with existing account or make a new account
- Enter the Technology Store
- Find 300e Chromebook Student Charger (or item needing to replace)
- Charger will be mailed to you
Click here to view the flyer
Library
NEWS FROM THE ALGONKIAN LIBRARY
All students set a personal 3rd quarter library reading goal. Grades K-2 are recording the number of library books they read (or had read to them) each week and grades 3-5 are recording the number of chapter books they read each week. Ask your child what their personal reading goal number is!
For the month of February and in honor of Valentine’s Day, students have been able to choose from our “lonely books” display. All of these books haven’t been read in two or more years and need some love. Our display often has lots of holes because so many students are excited to take home and read a “lonely book!”
- Grades 1-2 focused on how to find the perfect book for them from the fiction chapter books shelves (when they feel ready). We now have small signs throughout the fiction section pointing out good choices for early chapter books.
- Grades K-2 learned about what makes a book a biography. We read the Virginia’s Readers’ Choice nominated biography, The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read.
- Grades 3-5 brainstormed different ways to go about choosing their next book to read. The next book in a series, another book by a favorite author, and asking for recommendations from Mrs. Whitehouse or Mrs. Spritzer were just some of their great ideas. We now have a digital “spin the genre wheel” available for when students want the wheel to decide their next kind of book! We read the Virginia’s Readers’ Choice nominated book The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read. As a class, we used funnel research and the GALE in Context database to learn interesting facts about famous African Americans.
READ ACROSS AMERICA CONTEST
Let’s celebrate reading with a fun contest during the whole month of March! Grab an old toilet paper roll and turn it into a book character. 2 winners per grade level…12 winners in all! The contest will be rolled out during library class next week and winners will be announced after spring break.
CHAT N CHEW
The trial run of our in-person Chat n Chew sessions was a success! Stay tuned for information on 1 or 2 more upcoming meetings for grades 2-5.
READING UNDER THE STARS
Thank you to everyone who participated in Reading Under the Stars! Special thank you to the PTA for putting together the adorable hot chocolate packet goodie bags.
SPRING BOOK FAIR
Mark your calendars for our WILD ABOUT BOOKS Spring Book Fair! April 4th - April 8th. A Sign-Up Genius will go out closer to the fair for parent volunteers.
BOOK DONATIONS:
The Algonkian library is happy to accept book donations from families as long as they are hardcover books in new to very good condition AND a fit for our collection. Please contact Mrs. Whitehouse to make arrangements if you have books you would like to donate.
LOST BOOKS
Occasionally checked out library books go missing. If you are unable to locate the book (or they are damaged beyond repair), you can use our convenient online school payment system (OSP) to pay for a replacement. Watch this video on how to use OSP here: tinyurl.com/OSPPurchase. E-mail Mrs. Whitehouse at susanne.whitehouse@lcps.org or Mrs. Spritzer at cortney.spritzer@lcps.org for the cost associated with your lost book.
PLAYAWAYS:
If you are interested in giving your student permission to check-out playaways during library, click here for more information and the permission form:
https://permission.click/gZ4pX/us
Feel free to email Mrs. Whitehouse with any questions: susanne.whitehouse@lcps.org
HAPPY READING!
Art
Hello Bobcat Artists!!!
I hope that you all are doing well and having an ARTASTIC Month!
This month students will be creating a variety of projects inspired by artists from diverse backgrounds.
Kindergarten- Snowed In Origami
1st Grade- Origami Mansions
2nd Grade- Weather Machines
3rd Grade- Space City Lanterns
4th Grade- Gargoyle Self- Portrait
5th Grade- Tom Fruin Glass House
Art Supplies:
students will be bringing their supply boxes with them to Art and will need the standard school supplies: pencil, eraser, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, and glue. We understand if your students need Art Supply assistance, if you do, please email Ms. Michael, Ms. Ryan, or Ms. Hansen the Parent Liaison.
If you have questions, please contact me at Caryn.Michael@lcps.org
Music
What is going on in the music room?
In Kindergarten students have been singing songs and creating movements that utilize their creativity. This month we will be continuing some wintery activities that include steady beat, singing, movement, playing instruments, and dramatization of a story.
In 1st Grade students have been working on the difference between steady beat and rhythm. We will continue working with quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rest rhythms for the remainder of the month. We will learn how to read and perform note values using a variety of percussion instruments.
In 2nd Grade students will work on Winter activities including singing, movement, and rhythm. We are going to be working on sol-la-sol- mi solfege, rhythms, singing and movement concepts the rest of the month. We will explore and perform a variety of percussion instruments.
In 3rd Grade students will continue to review a variety of note values. We will perform rhythms using body percussion and percussion instruments. Students will continue practicing naming notes on the music staff. We will read music and perform on barred instruments. We will learn a several music symbols needed to read and understand written music.
In 4th Grade students have been working hard on learning note values and naming notes on the music staff. We will continue to apply their knowledge of reading music by performing on barred instruments. We will learn a several music symbols needed to read and understand written music.
In 5th Grade students will continue to identify name notes on the treble clef, note values, and explore a variety of rhythms. We will continue to apply their knowledge of reading music by performing on barred instruments as an ensemble. We will learn a several music symbols needed to read and understand written music.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s music teacher, either Kim.comrie@lcps.org or Ronald.holmes@lcps.org.
Health Clinic Specialist
Strategies for a Healthy Spring:
Move more and sit less – Aim to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise. Try playing a new sport!
Get enough sleep – Kids ages 6-12 need 9-12 hours of sleep per night.
Eat a healthy diet – Make sure your plate/lunchbox is half fruits and vegetables
Rethink your drink – Substitute sugary drinks like soda and sports drinks for water.
Soak Up the Sun – Get outdoors but do protect your skin and eyes from damaging UV rays.
Watch for Allergens – Both indoors and outside
If you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at megan.tuma@lcps.org.
Parent Liaison - Ms. Hansen
Hello Bobcat Families! I hope you’re staying warm on these cold winter days. If your child is in need of a winter coat, hat or gloves, please contact me at casey.hansen@lcps.org. I keep several on hand and we want to keep our kiddos warm during these frigid temps!
Also, if your child is missing their hat or gloves, please have them check the lost in found located in my office, across from the Health Clinic.
The Loudoun Literacy Council is offering FREE ESL classes for Spring 2022. Classes run February 7-April 29, 2022. These classes are open to all adults, 18 and over, in Loudoun County. Classes are free and books will be provided. Online registration is required for all classes; www.loudounliteracy.org.
Beginning January 26-March 16, 2022 SCAN of Northern Virginia is offering a Nuturing Parenting Program where you can virtually join other parents and share in parenting insights, successes and challenges. You’ll learn how to help build your child’s self-esteem, how to set effective family rules and much more. This FREE virtual community series is led by an experienced Parenting Coach. To register, contact familyprograms@scanva.org or https://tinyurl.com/IntakeFormEnglish
If you are ever in need of additional resources for your child or family, please reach out to me at anytime! Casey.Hansen@lcps.org
PE
Kindergarten, First, Second and Third Grades
The following activities were completed the past few weeks:
- Bowling skills
- Scooter activities
- Circuit activities
Currently and in the near future:
- Parachute activities
- Cup Stacking
Fourth and Fifth Grade
The following activities were completed the past few weeks:
- Bowling skills
- Cooperative Games
- Circuit activities
Currently and in the near future:
- Volleyball skills
- Cup Stacking
Have a Great Month!
Technology
Algonkian Elementary has been a Common-Sense Media Digital Citizenship Certified school for many years. Our certification is up for renewal again. We want to continue our high standards and aim to continue to meet the requirements. Students in Grades 3-5 have received several lessons on being safe online as well as high-security password lessons. Students in grades K-2 learned about Media Balance and what to do if you feel uncomfortable when on-line. In the next few months, we will discuss student “digital footprint” and enforce that once something is out there in the digital world, it is hard to erase.
Following your students’ academic work is important but following your child’s online activities is just as important. Knowing where your child visits and what they do online is one of the most important parts of being an active and informed parent. Here is a site for tips and ideas for security settings and parental controls. I highly encourage parents with your students to look at the Family Media Agreement.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/family-media-agreement You can receive weekly newsletters from Common Sense Media. Go to https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ and click on the For Parents tab. Then look for the Parents need to Know tab.
Parents also need to know that the student accessed county-controlled devices are monitored through the LCPS Gaggle. For answers to frequently asked questions about student devices please visit our Deeper Learning tab on the Algonkian website https://www.lcps.org/domain/25836 or the Parent FAQ link. https://www.lcps.org/Page/207694
SEARCH/Futura
SEARCH, EDGE, FUSION
Bobcat families, please continue to support the FUTURA Fusion class’ collection of soda pop-tabs to support the mission of Ronald McDonald House! The FUTURA Fusion class will continue to collect the tabs once each month, so please keep saving them and sending them in! The need at Fairfax INOVA Hospital sadly never stops, so we shouldn’t stop either! Do you think we can fill the aquarium again?
After focusing on creativity last month, our recent SEARCH lessons have highlighted logic and reasoning skills. Kindergarten students have listened to clues to figure out how to form a set of colorful bears into lines - practicing ordinal numbers (first, second, third, fourth) and directional words (before, after, in between, first, last, in the middle). The bears will return in our next lesson as students listen to clues to place the bears into their caves. First and second-grade students listened to the book, Round Trip, by Ann Jonas. Ms. Jonas is also the illustrator of this special book. Her magical black and white illustrations tell the story of a family traveling to the city. When it is time to return home (their round trip!), the reader turns the book around (upside down), reading from back to front. The students discover that the pictures work in both directions - and clues were in plain sight the whole time. We discuss how the author misdirects our attention, so we look for what she tells us to look at, ignoring the other details in the pictures. Then the students work in pairs on the IZZI puzzle. The pieces are black and white squares. First grade students must build progressively larger grids (2X2, 3X3, 4X4, etc.) by matching the edge colors - black to black and white to white. Second-graders must match opposite colors (black to white and white to black). It sounds easy, but is quite challenging! First-graders will complete the Bear Cave activity for their next lesson. Second-graders will use their spatial reasoning to form sixteen cubes into illustrated patterns in the game Q-Bitz. Third-grade students have begun work on the four lessons that will form their student work portfolio for the spring identification process.
EDGE students have a rotating schedule of spatial, creative, verbal, and mathematical activities. This month we used the games Kanoodle Gravity and the IQ series for spatial reasoning. We played word games, such as Outburst Junior and In A Pickle for verbal skills, turned simple lines into pictures to stretch creativity, and worked on Marcy Cook Math Tile puzzles. It has been a busy month! Coming up are challenges with Math Dice and Math 24, reasoning challenges using the games Cat Crimes and Dog Crimes, and playing BOGGLE to build verbal skills.
The FUSION class has extended their understanding of the human resource leadership style through collaborative activities and reflective challenges. They have applied reflection to their personal learning experiences as they completed their semester “report card”. They were introduced to “Happy Cubes” - small cubes that must be formed from six foam pieces with different notches and hooks on each piece. Students then reflected on certain emotions or strategies they may have experienced. - frustration, perseverance, problem solving, risk taking. Students learned about the CEO of the WD-40 Company and his “no mistakes, just learning opportunities” philosophy and the “Maniac Pledge” new employees take, as an example of the human resource leadership style. We will now explore the Political Frame of leadership.
Algonkian Elementary School
Assistant Principal: Karen Shields
Bookkeeper:Gayle Cowden
Registrar: Peggy Franzen
Health Specialist-:Meg Tuma
Email: brian.blubaugh@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/algonkian
Location: 20196 Carter Court, Sterling, VA, USA
Phone: 571-434-3240
Twitter: @ALG_LCPS