Martin Newsletter
October
Report Cards
Fall Picture Day Postponed
Welcome Back Car Parade
New Parking Lot
Brighter Bites
Re-Entry Safety Protocols
- All students and staff in the building will be required to wear a clean mask covering their nose and mouth at ALL times
- There are hand sanitizing stations around the building for staff and student use
- Classrooms and desks will be thoroughly cleaned daily
- Please remain 6 feet away from other families when you walk your child to school in the morning
- Please DO NOT congregate at the doors during morning arrival
- There will be NO visitors allowed in the building at this time and NO lunch drop off; Please be sure to send lunch with your child in the morning
- Students will eat lunch in their classrooms at this time
- If you must pick up your child from school early, you must first call the front office, your child will wait in the front office until you arrive, and then be escorted to the front office door
Our first priority is the safety of our students. Please respect the above guidelines and help us to keep your children safe as possible while at school.
Face to Face Instruction
Students who have selected to return to campus for face to face instruction will continue to utilize technology for submission of assignments. Please keep technology checked out to you at home, as we currently have enough devices for students to use at school.
During this reentry phase, students will:
- (or may) have a different cohort teacher
- remain in their same cohort classroom throughout the day
- return to a more traditional school schedule with modifications for safety
- eat their lunch in their classrooms
- be given movement breaks throughout the day
- participate in specials classes with our Block teachers daily, as they were in virtual learning
- have slight adjustments from traditional school to ensure staff and student safety.
For more information on the district safety plan, please visit the link below.
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications
Backpacks and Masks
Nurse Notes
Parents, our priority is to keep your children safe and healthy as we approach face to face learning. Continue to encourage your child to wash hands frequently, wear their mask (when appropriate), drink lots of fluids, choose healthy habits and outdoor exercise! Please continue to teach your child how to put on and take off their masks safely. They will be expected to keep their masks on while at school, except for drinking water and eating breakfast or lunch. Please be sure to fill out the emergency contact portion of the registration card. It is important that we are able to contact someone in the event of an emergency at school, especially during this time.
Immunization
All students must have their age appropriate immunizations current before returning to school https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-read/child-shell-easyread.html. Contact your family doctor to check if your child immunizations are up to date. Send the updated records to the school nurse at Kiana.shy@aliefisd.net. If you choose to opt out of vaccinating please provide the school nurse with a notarized Affidavit for Exemption.
Flu Season
Yikes, we’re still in a pandemic and flu season is almost here. Monitor your children closely for flu-like symptoms https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/index.html
Some Ways to prevent the flu are:
Get your flu shot
Wash your Hands frequently
Practice ways to prevent flu
Follow up with your family doctor when your child displays symptoms
Suspect COVID
If you suspect your child or a family member has COVID-like symptoms https://www.texaschildrens.org/notices/about_coronavirus contact your doctor immediately to get tested and remain at home and away from others for a period of 14 days, or until you receive a negative test. Please notify the school nurse at kiana.shy@aliefisd.net if your child tests positive.
Registration
Alief ISD Student Enrollment 2020-2021
Please ensure that all the information, especially contact information and student information, is accurate as you enter it. In addition, there are added questions regarding your family's technology needs.
For questions specific to Martin Registration, you can contact our Registrar, Mrs. Arreola at 281-983-8363, Monday through Friday from 9am-2pm.
Home Access Center
Student Residency Questionnaire
COVID-19 Resources
Safety Videos
Counselor's Corner
What a year 2020 has been so far! We have encountered a worldwide pandemic, faced hurricane threats, and challenged our technical skills in virtual learning. It has not been easy, especially for some Martin families who have dealt with health issues, job security, financial struggles, stress from being quarantined at home, etc. I applaud all parents for their hard work, patience, and flexibility as we figure out the best course of action to ensure that your child gets the best and safest education possible. We certainly have to work together to navigate this “new normal” and support each other each day.
I am here to support all students with their social, emotional, academic needs. It is so important to develop skills that will help them be successful not only academically but also in life. Skills such as:
- Making good choices
- Managing stress and emotions
- Taking responsibility
- Showing empathy
- Getting along with others
- Learning how to communicate in a healthy manner
- Identifying own feelings
- Developing skills for self-care
- Respecting diversity
- Respecting others’ opinions.
Students will have weekly lessons in these areas throughout the year. The easiest way students can talk to me is to tell their teachers. Teachers in turn will contact me and I will reach out to the students in person, via phone or through zoom. Here is the form students can fill out to get in touch with me.
I Need to See the Counselor:
2nd-4th Grade Counselor Form https://forms.gle/NrUKMMcgDVryvd8Q7
PK-1st Grade Counselor Form English: https://forms.gle/3qhQbnMjofQYanfX6
PK-1st Grade Counselor Form Spanish: https://forms.gle/X1PUA12tCKHpVkqm6
Parents can reach me via:
Phone 281-983-8363 extension 22577 (Martin Elementary)
Google voice call or text: 281-668-8953
Email: martha.sepulveda@aliefisd.net or mdsepulv@ga.aliefisd.net
As difficult as it may seem, it is important for adults to take a few moments each day to take care of themselves even if it is for 5 minutes. Below are some ideas to share with your family for self-care.
Pre-K
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
In literacy, we have completed Module 2: look around and explore, which focused on science and exploring the world. Students read about matter and read texts that inspired them to look at the details in the world around them to learn new things. In the following weeks, we will be working on Module 3: Meet in the middle. This module is connected to social studies and focuses on solving problems. In math, we worked on with place value and additions with 3 digits, regrouping most of the time. Students learned to represent the additions in multiple ways. Then, we will be working on subtractions up to 3 digits and regrouping. After that, we will start bar models which help students represent word problems to make them easier to comprehend. In science, we just completed the unit about matter. Students learned about physical properties, changes in heat, and changes in physical properties as well. After this, students will learn about energy, how it changes, and how it is found in nature. In social studies we have finished chapter 1: My community, my country. Students learned about the characteristics of a good citizen, rights and responsibilities, branches of government, our leaders, and the country’s symbols. In the next few weeks we will be working in chapter 2: Working to Meet Our Needs. Students will learn about the principles that rule the economy like needs, wants, goods, services, producers, consumers, and making good choices when it comes to spending money.
3rd Grade
In Literacy, students are finishing Module 2: Use Your Own Words by using verbs and adverbs to express their actions. We will be moving into Modules 3: Let Freedom Ring. Students will about connect historical events with present, past, and future tenses. In Math, we are currently representing addition and subtraction real-world word problems by drawing and labeling bar models. Students are reading each story problem and identifying whether they need to add or subtract to find the solution. In the coming weeks, we will begin Unit 5: Numbers to 100,000. A new place value will be introduced and students will show their knowledge of comparing, ordering, and representing numbers up to 100,000. Next, in Science we are introducing Unit 3: Force, Motion, and Energy. Students will start this unit by exploring the different forms of energy in everyday life such as mechanical, light, sound and thermal energy. We will close the unit by demonstrating and observing various types of forces such as push and pull, force of gravity and magnetism. Lastly, in Social Studies we will be learning about Earth’s Resources and how the environment influences how and where people live.
4th Grade
In literacy we have completed Module 2: Come to Your senses, which focused on informational text where students read a variety of text & media that presented information about the 5 senses. In our next module, we will focus on challenges encountered in the past- historical fiction & nonfiction. Students will Rise to the Challenge & have opportunities to build knowledge across different genres, & synthesize what they are reading. We will continue to learn about the writing process as we begin our next composition-an opinion essay.
In math we have been working on rounding, estimating, whole number multiplication & division. Over the next nine weeks we will work to represent the product of two numbers & the quotient of up to a four-digit number. Some strategies we will learn include: arrays, area models, & standard algorithm equations. Next in science, students will be able to explore & differentiate the forms of energy. We will focus on thermal and electrical energy as we learn about conductors, insulators, & how electricity travels. Students will also design an investigation to explore the effects of force on an object. In our next chapter of social studies, students will be able to identify, locate, and describe the physical regions of Texas. Students will be able to explain the geographic factors that influenced settlement and the ways people have adapted and modified their environment.
Block Rotation Schedule
Block Classes
In PE, students wrapped up the 1st nine weeks focusing on movement activities and incorporating items from home. In PE 1 with Coach D, students developed their juggling skills using two objects. Students were asked to come up with items at home to juggle with, such as Kleenex, paper towels, napkins and plastic bags. In PE 2 with Coach Ary, students worked on jumping skills (with and without a jump rope) and upper body strength. Coach Ary also showed students how to make their own jump ropes using items from home. Moving into the 2nd nine weeks, Coach Ary will introduce students to Yoga, which helps focus on cognitive awareness, flexibility, and strength. Coach D will introduce students to Golf, which helps establish a dominant hand and focuses on concepts of force, aim and accuracy. Students will also continue to develop their upper body strength and juggling skills. Last but not least, both Coach Ary and Coach D will continue to teach students about living a healthy lifestyle by developing proper nutrition and movement/exercise habits through our Brighter Bites CATCH activities.
Health Tech
In Health/Tech, we have been working on learning the importance of eating healthy and staying active as we progress through the school year. Nutrition is an important part of every child’s education. Now students are better able to make better choices about the foods they eat and take more responsibility for their health and their bodies. Also, keeping your body neat and clean is essential to good health as nutrition, exercise and sleep! Students will continue to learn about the different ways a computer can be a useful tool. Where would we be without them? We will learn more about the basics of how they work, their parts, and the different platforms that allow us to create documents and presentations. As we know, different students have different learning styles, technology helps our students learn in the way they're comfortable with. Many games, storytelling apps, online tools, etc., are introduced into the in class to engage my students more effectively. We are learning how to be connected, in this technology-rich society.
Art
In art we learned about influential artists such as Claude Monet, Vincint Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. We focused on the element of art, line and compared and discussed impressionist and post impressionistic line styles. In the next nine weeks, we will continue to explore the elements of art and make connections between art and the world. We will simplify our material use and utilize the basics such as but not limited to: markers, crayons, pencils and paper. We will learn how to paint with markers, build sculptures out of paper and also create keep sakes during the fall and winter season. Students that are on campus will be provided the material needed for the lessons and the remote students will need to use their own supplies, such as crayons, markers and paper. I look forward to creating art with my students both virtually and on campus.
Music
Maritn Musicians K-2 have been learning all about Dynamics (the loud and soft sounds in music). We have explored different ways we can use our voices to create soft, medium, and loud sounds. After getting more comfortable identifying loud and soft sounds, we worked together in classes to create our own songs of Whispers and Shouts. Each class helped compose a section of their Whisper and Shout song and performed together! Students also celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by learning more about instruments from the Caribbean and South America and singing songs in Spanish. Martin Musicians 3-4 have been exploring instrument families and music notation. They are working hard at identifying instrument sounds and memorizing music symbols to learn the language of music! As we continue our musical journey, students will be exploring rhythm and tempo. They will familiarize themselves with rhythm symbols and practice recreating rhythm patterns. Students will learn more about tempo (the speed of music) and will listen to music from the canon that is performed at various tempos. As we approach Holiday season, students will listen to music that celebrates various holidays and cultures and will learn more about the global community of music.
Library Happenings
Check out the Martin Interactive Library Space for Happenings in the Library!
And don’t forget our Zooms on Tuesdays and Fridays! Click on the link below for more information about "happenings in our library!".
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19kut8izc0sEKKwigQnrJ3XKJ-3QxSh4jsoe2C9gp1AU/edit?usp=sharing
Public Meeting and MC^2 Parent Meeting Links
Martin Elementary
Email: Martincontact@aliefisd.net
Website: aliefisd.net/Martin
Location: 11718 Hendon Lane, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-983-8363
Twitter: @Martin_Mustangs