February Monthly Newsletter
Montgomery Elementary School
The translation feature is at the top left of this newsletter.
From the Principal
My request of parents, staff and students moving forward is that we always try to work together with the same understanding that we are doing our best, giving each other grace to help make MES the best place for everyone. MES is a very special place and being new here I see how special it is. Thank you for being so understanding and welcoming to the new principal.
Assistant Principal
Hello Bearcat Families! Can you believe we are already in the month of February? This school year is going by so quickly. February is the start of a few busy months of testing for our students. Some of our Kindergarten-5th grade students will be participating in TELPAS testing during this month as well as the month of March.
As much as we love to have parents visit for lunch, please remember that due to safety, medical concerns, and allergies parents visiting during lunch are only permitted to provide lunch for their child/children. Also, please do not order food for your child from outside vendors to be delivered to the school during the day. This is a safety concern as well. Thank you for your help in keeping MES safe!
Counselor's Corner
If you have any concerns about your child's social or emotional growth, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Click the link below for our lunch menu
Pre-K
Pre-K will continue to learn new letters and sounds; gG, vV, dD.
We will learn about all forms of transportation; cars, trucks, airplanes, trains and many more! Counting and forming sets with up to 9 objects help us get ready for addition, subtraction and equal! Students will be using words to name and describe people, places, and things! We will compare books, stories, and poems!
These learners are working to be kindergarten ready!Kindergarten
First Grade
First grade is excited to welcome February!
In reading, we will be identifying and describing events in a plot, determining the theme in our books, and making connections between words and their uses.
In Phonics, we will be learning about long e and long u (final e). We will also learn long a (a, ai, ay), long o (o, oa, ow, oe) and long e (e, ee, ea, ie). Plus lots of new sight words and word families.
In Writing, we will continue writing reviews!
In Math, we will be working on place value and number to 120. We will also be comparing and ordering numbers to 120.
In Science, we will be learning about objects in the sky and the seasons/day and night.
We LOVE learning!
Second Grade
Second graders are working very hard on their reading skills. Keep up the great work!
In Language Arts, we will finish up with Traditional Literature and spiral back to Informational Text. Students will be studying opinion text and learning how to write their own. We will also be learning how to use commas in our writing.
In Math, we will continue addition and subtraction using strategies to compose and decompose 10's and 100's.
In Social Studies, we are learning about rights and responsibilities we have as citizens and studying famous scientists, artists, and inventors, and the impact on their discoveries.
In Science, we will be observing and describing patterns of objects in the sky and identifying basic needs of plants and animals.
We will be observing Valentine's Day on Monday, February 14. Students may bring their valentines to pass out at the end of the school day!
Third Grade
Welcome to February! This month we are going to challenge our kids to recognize and show kindness. In reader’s workshop we will continue to build on skills previously taught. We will explore myths, fairy tales, informational texts, and personal narratives. We will apply our skills and grow in knowledge of these texts. In writing we will be exploring the difference between fact and opinion. We will write our own opinion writings. As mathematicians, we will explore fractions, shapes and solids. We will begin to understand measurement, perimeter, and area. We will apply these skills with hands on activities to see how math applies to our daily lives. In science we will explore weather, the sun and space. We will take learning outside multiple times and apply what we have learned. In social Studies we will explore budgets and create our own. We will explore American Ideas, and money as well as review what we have learned. We are learning big, exciting things this month. Your attendance is important to your learning. We love seeing your smiling faces each day. We are so lucky to be your teachers.
Fourth Grade
As we enter the month of love and friendship, the fourth graders are recognizing the friendships they have created this year and sharing kindness with each other.
In Math we are working with fractions. We will learn to create equivalent fractions, place fractions on a number line, add and subtract fractions with common denominators, and compare different fractional quantities. We will begin looking into area, perimeter and measurement conversions by the end of the month.
In Science, we are studying the water cycle and patterns on Earth. We will collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in shadows, tides, seasons, and the observable appearance of the Moon over time.
In Reading, we will be diving deeper into Literary Texts. We will study author’s voice and purpose, how characters change the dynamics of a story, plot, and other elements of drama. We get to spend time reading and having conversation about what we’ve read, developing and enhancing our vocabulary and communication skills.
In Writing, we will wrap up our opinion piece and have some fun with figurative language. Students will seek inspiration from their literary texts and the world around them to craft poetry.
In Texas History the students are learning how Texas maintained its boundaries with Mexico, the causes of the Civil War, and the role Texas played.
Fifth Grade
In Science, we will look further into Earth’s Rotation and Revolution, and the changes they cause on Earth. We will learn how the Sun and Moon affect Earth by focusing on changes in tides, shadows, seasons, the moon cycle, and a year on Earth. Then we will end this month studying the Interdependency of animals on each other and plants for survival.
In Social Studies, the students will begin looking into the Reconstruction of the United States after the Civil War. Then we will learn how Industry and Transportation change in the United States with the Transcontinental Railroad. We will end February with the Turn of the Century when the United States enters into the 1900’s and becomes a powerful country, women and African Americans gain rights, and mass production becomes common practice.
We are kicking off our sixth unit of study in Reader's Workshop, "Struggles for Survival." In this unit, we will read and compare selections about characters who are up against the wild and analyze how different genres approach similar themes. We will be reading a variety of genres, including a fable, drama, folktale, realistic fictions, historical fiction, and informational text.
This unit will allow you and your child to consider what drives a character to survive, despite being up against terrible odds.
We also will continue working on Argumentative (opinion) writing. We have had great fun diving into this type of text. Our fifth graders have loved sharing their opinions, as well as listening to others. February is sure to be a fun month of learning!
In math, students will use tables and graphs to help them organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas about situations involving equations of the form y=ax or y=x+a. Making the connection between patterns, input-output tables, and graphs will be an important focus for future work in algebra. Students will then move into two-dimensional shapes. We will learn that triangles can be classified by the lengths of their sides and by the measures of their angles, as well as quadrilaterals being described by considering their sides and angles.
Nurse's News
Physical Education
Wow! It’s February already! We are having fun and finishing our basketball unit. We have had lots of fun playing games like Basketbowl, Make It Take It and Dribble, Pass, Shoot.
Next up is our unit on jump rope and that is always great fun. We will be improving our cardiovascular systems and learning some great jumping skills!
We will end the month with Go Texan Day! We have been learning a dance each week. The kiddos need to wear their favorite cowboy attire on February 25th and come ready to dance away!
Art
We are gearing up for an absolutely stellar month in art! The students have been traveling around the world to study different cultures and art from across the globe. So far this year, we’ve visited Africa, Asia, Europe, Canada, and the USA. Next up, we’re headed to Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia).
Calling all doodlers: Have you ever seen the doodles on google? Your child’s doodles could be next!! If your kiddo wants to enter the Doodle for Google competition – they can pick up entry forms in my classroom. The theme this year is “I care for myself by…” They can bring their creativity to life expressing this theme. They can create their Doodle using any medium they choose (markers, crayons, paint, etc.) Be sure the form is filled out completely and signed by a parent/guardian. Then you can either submit it digitally at doodle4google.com or send it in to Miss Petty! Entries are due by March 4, 2022. The National Winner’s artwork will be featured on the Google homepage, and will win a $30,000 scholarship and a $50,000 tech grant for their school!
Lastly, does art make kids better thinkers…AND nicer people? Science says, Yes, it does! Science shows that children who are exposed to cultural institutions like ART museums and PERFORMING ARTS centers display a greater tolerance and empathy for others, and better memory and thinking skills! Read more here:
Science Says Art Will Make Your Kids Better Thinkers (and Nicer People - Fast Company “The changes were measurable and significant,” says Jay P. Greene, professor of education reform and a researcher on the study. In particular, a single museum tour was found to make “a ...
As always, thank you for your support of the ARTS!!
Sincerely,
Miss Petty, Art Teacher
Music
There is a lot of love going around in the month of February...and what better way to express it than through music! You will find a lot of musicians in the music classroom this month! PreK through 5th Graders are continuing to play and practice their basic piano skills on our keyboards from MISDEF. 5th Graders are delving into the String Family and preparing to add ukulele to their musical skills. 4th graders are beginning to learn the recorder after they present their production of "Making the Band". Shout out to the Lake Creek Royals for sharing their amazing choreography skills with us to make our show even more fun!!:-)) Come sing along with us and get your 80's groove going on Thursday, February 17th at 6:30pm on the MES stage! Speaking of fun, our 3rd Graders are exploring how fun dynamics can be in bringing music to life! 2nd Graders are learning to improvise with the pentatonic scale and are beginning work on their musical performance of "Go Fish!" which will be presented on March 10th at 6:30pm on the MES stage! First Graders are studying all about notes and rests (shhhh!). Rhythmic patterns and meter are the focus of our Kindergarteners and PreK is learning to perform expressively through music!!
The cast of "Seussical, Jr." is beginning rehearsals this month for their production at Montgomery High School in May of this year. We are super excited about this production, funded by the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation! Lone Star and Madeley Ranch Elementary students are joining us in the cast as well! What an amazing experience this is going to be for cast and audience alike!! Anything's Possible with Seuss!
Also coming up soon will be our MES Talent Show! Auditions are coming March 7th after school at 4:30pm, so right now is a great time to begin rehearsing your act!
There is still time to support the MES Bearcat Choir as they sing the National Anthem at the Texas A&M Men's Basketball Game at Reed Arena in College Station on Saturday, February 5th! Pregame begins at 2:30pm and tipoff is at 3:00pm. Please be sure to visit our link to purchase discounted tickets for our special MES Spirit Section! https://fevo.me/3bDopXt Gig 'em, Aggies!
We are always looking for volunteers to help with costuming, props, and set design for our programs. If you have ever thought about being in show biz, come join us! We will put your work in lights!!! Finally, if you happen to have...or know of anyone who might have....any old musical instruments that are no longer being used and you would consider donating, please let me know! In our study of instruments, it helps so much to have the actual instruments to observe and touch and experience. We are also in need of a drum set for our 4th Grade production! Thank you always for your support and for giving us the opportunity to share a love for music together!
“Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.” - Maria von Trapp
Library
February is a short month but we have a lot planned for our time in the library! Kindergarten will study a variety of authors and find similarity amongst the authors books. First and second grade will continue with non fiction text features and their research projects. Third grade will use non fiction books to learn about disgusting critters. Our hope it to be able to share their new information with everyone! Fourth grade will dive into Legends and Myths while fifth grade discovers different genres and titles they may not gravitate towards.
We are so excited to welcome the award winning author Alda P. Dobbs to MES. She will be presenting to our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students and students will have the opportunity to ask questions.
To order her book, Barefoot Dreams, please complete the order form and return to Mrs. Kojis by Feb. 4th.
Click here for the order form!
We have quite a few overdue books, please look for library books at home and return those! If the book is lost or damage, please let me know and we will work out a solution.
If you have any questions, please let me know!
MES Parent Teacher Organization
Please click the link below for the PTO Newsletter
Montgomery Elementary School
Website: https://montgomeryes.misd.org
Location: 13755 Liberty Street, Montgomery, TX, USA
Phone: 936-276-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mesmisd/
Twitter: @mesbearcats