PKMS 6.21.21 Newsletter
A Close Look At How We Did & Will Do Our Work
Attendance Matters Each Day
In-Person & Virtual Learning
I can't believe we are now in the Last Week of the 2020-2021 School Year.
We thank you students for being present and trying your very best. Families, we thank you for your continued support. Staff, thank you for your hard work, dedication, advocacy, care and concern for students and families, your colleagues, and your craft. Thank you to our fantastic Nurse Eve, Custodial Staff, and administration for their flexibility, focus, and accuracy managing all things Covid related.
HELLO, PKMS FAMILY
Together We Are Stronger!
During the month of June, we celebrate PRIDE and all the ways in which we demonstrate, illustrate, and display our PRIDE.
Our Commitment to Character theme is PRIDE. To support this work, our weekly quote:
“Love Yourself."
Our appreciate continues for your engaging learning environments, dedication, planning, collaboration, assessment of students, focus, and hard work.
Remember, to SMILE (Show My Infectious Lovable Energy) as it is the first thing students, families, and colleagues see.
Let's Keep These Thoughts in Mind:
- Laugh a little. Laugh a little more.
- Gladden the heart of a child.
- Always operate from a honest place.
- Give a soft answer.
Notes of Gratitude
Thank you to Katie and Nicolette for their AMAZING School Spirit and PRIDE - The building looked beautiful and the energy was incredibly supportive and inclusive - Thank you to the staff for dressing with the themes and decorating your doors and environment - Thank you to Student Government and Emily for Spirit Week Themes
Thank you Doug Brown for live streaming our Grade 6 & Grade 7 Awards Ceremony
Thank you to our Grade 6 staff for presenting the Awards
Thank you to Paul, Jackie, and Lurana for our Awards Ceremony
Thank you to Grade 6 Staff, Frank, and PE teachers for organizing Field Day
Thank you to Emily and Debbie for all things Grade 8 Dance - It was a fantastic event because of you - Thank you to our 31+ staff members who attended and assisted - Thank you to Mike and his brother for being paparazzi - Thank you to Parketha and Andrew for nourishing our students - Thank you to custodial team for trimming the branches and the amazing clean-up job
Thank you to staff for entering quarter four grades and thank you to Paul, Jackie, and Jose for monitoring the grades, reaching out to students and families, and finalizing summer school and moving-up lists
- Thank you to our custodial team, led by Tim, for sanitizing our building and maintaining the cleanliness all year long
- Thank you to Lurana, Nancy, and Debbie for making things run smoothly!
- Thank you to Ms. Simon and Dr. Campolongo and leading the way
- Thank you to Chemay, Nigel, and Merriweather for maintaining the safety of our building
What does the data say - NYS Exams & Unit Exams
Unit Assessments
- Please ensure that you are administering them with students supports built in
- Analyze Student Performance
- Share Students Performance with your Grade Content Colleague
Collaborative & Department Work
virtual-age learning
Arts Live Here
Learning about the Pop Art movement, focusing on sculpture artists and the use of repetition and emphasis - .Creating their own Pop Art inspired work of art
Learning about a traditional Japanese Netsuke sculpture and then Sculpting their own
Learning quarter, half and whole notes
Practicing how to read treble and bass clef
a health-conscious mind & body
- Listening to an article called "5 Ways to Prevent Stress Buildup" - Writing a 2 paragraph letter to a friend or someone students care about describing what they learned
a humanities lens
Continuing to learn about the struggle between the plebeian and patrician classes of ancient Rome and how their conflict led to the beginnings of their government: The Republic
Understanding the Civil War Generals & Battles
Discussing the Tulsa Race Massacre and Modern-Day Implications
Identifying key events & personalities of the Cold War Era
English Language Arts:
Discussing background information on William Shakespeare and his work
Reading about and Discussing Japanese Internment Camps - How does this relate to current events
Continuing to work on final project for foodtruck menu. - Using figurative language to describe their dishes and brand their food truck. Will also use creativity and design features on Canva website to personalize and customize menus
Analyzing the methods authors use to develop and reveal character - Using indirect characterization identify how characters are similar
Analyzing and identifying examples of foreshadowing by the author
Language Other Than English:
Using reading, writing, listening and speaking to review the past year of instruction
Working on the final project for the year
stem is just the beginning
Using a combination of CAD skills learned to create a 3D model of a coffee cup/latte
Using the engineering design process to create a plan for a device that will keep an egg safe when dropped from a great height
Using problem solving strategies to debug a program
Creating programs of precise location on the screen.
Math:
Combining Like Terms on the Same Side to Solve Equations Sides
Solving Equations with Variables on Both
Reviewing for Final Exam
- Converting decimals to Fractions
Science:
- Exploring Ecosystems
- Preparing for Final Project
Spirit Days & Week
June 14 - 18 - Final Spirit Week of 2020-2021
- Monday, June 14 - Camouflage Day
- Tuesday, June 15 - Tie Dye Day
- Thursday, June 17 - Peekskill Pride Day: Wear your Peekskill Pride Gear Rainbow Colors
- Friday, June 18 - Honor Juneteenth in Social Studies Classrooms - Wear Red, White, Blue
STUDENT ASSISTANCE SERVICES
For more information or if you, or someone you know, has a family member living with addiction please reach out to your Student Assistance Counselor:
Ms. Geider - KGeider@peekskillschools.org
Margaret's Place
The Margaret’s Place program at PKMS delivers school-based intervention and prevention services to children exposed to violence and trauma, facilitates school-wide violence awareness campaigns, and provides training to staff and families on these issues. Margaret’s Place is administered by WJCS in partnership with The Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation.
Maura Rawlins- Program Coordinator/Social Worker
914-737-4542 Ext. 2551
MRawlins@peekskillschools.org
Important Dates
- June 21 Grade 7 Field Day - Details have been communicated
- June 21 - Classroom diagram for how you want you room set up for September must be submitted to Mr. Lewis by this date
- June 21 - 22 - Collection of District-Issued Chromebooks for In-Person Students
- June 22 - Moving-Up Ceremony Rehearsal - Front Lawn Period 7 (Team 8N) & Period 8 (Team 8S)
- June 23 - MS Moving-Up Ceremony on Front Lawn - 10AM 8 North and 1PM 8 South
- June 24 - All classroom boards covered by this date
- June 24 - Full Virtual Day of Instruction for All Students
- June 24 - Staff Celebration on Lawn
- June 25 - Last of Day of School for All Students
- June 25 - All District-Issued Chromebooks to Staff must be returned to Tech TA to be inventoried
- June 28 - July 2 - Collection of District-Issued Chromebooks for Virtual Students
- July 6 - August 5 - PKMS Virtual Summer School
- Jump Start
- Mon, 8/23
- 10am A-M
- 12pm N-Z
- Tues, 8/24
- 10am A - M
- 12pm N - Z
- Mon, 8/23
Some Reminders
- Take attendance for each of your instructional periods
- Ensure 504 and IEP Plans are being supported
- Ensure grade content colleague planning - reflecting Rubicon Atlas
- Ensure Gradebook and Teacher Webpage/Google Classroom reflect current information and assignments
- Communicate with families and maintain that communication in PLP
- Data Driven Instruction Model
- Always Ask: Have They Learned? How Do You Know?
- Training One Another
- Discussing Student Performance Information
- Designing Tiered Instruction
- Reflecting on Daily Practice
- Reviewing Assessments from All Content Areas (Formative, Summative, Interim)
- Discussing Progress Monitoring Efforts
- Pacing through Rubicon Atlas
- Lesson Plans Should Be Designed with the following in Mind
- Questions Posed - What is the level
- Tiered Instruction
- Guided Instruction
- Driven By Data
- Clear and Articulated Assessment Throughout (assessments must contain spiraling back questions)
- Groupings (Fluid)