KHS News
Friday, September 7, 2018
In this week's newsletter...
Quick Reminders:
- All scholars must be picked up by 3:30 pm each school day. If scholars are being checked out early, they need to be check out before 2:30 pm. Students will not be called after 2:30pm.
- Pre-order lunch Account Setup Instructions , How To Pre-Order Instructions , Lunch Payment/Ordering Portal
- No School on Friday, September 21st Teacher Work Day
This newsletter contains the following information:
- Uniform Apparel
- School Fundraiser
- Lunch Menu
- S.O.A.R. (Supporting Our Active Recruitment)
- Classroom News
- Counselor Corner
- Sports at KHS
- Substitute Teachers Needed
- PTSO News
- Counselor Corner
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, September 11th KHS Board Meeting
Meeting will be held in the Band Room in the K-5 Building
6:30pm
Tuesday, September 11th from 7:50-8:30.
Breakfast with the Principal & General PTSO Meeting
Location: K-5 Campus in Mr. Moore's Room
Thursday, September 13th
Location: City BBQ – 208 West N. Carolina 54, Durham, NC 27713
Friday, September 14th Kestrel Spirit Night at Wheel Fun Park
6pm to 9pm
No School on Friday, September 21st Teacher Work Day
Breakfast with the Principal & General PTSO Meeting
Tuesday, September 11th from 7:45-8:30.
Breakfast with the Principal & General PTSO Meeting
Location: K-5 Campus in Mr. Moore's Room
Please join us after you drop off your student in the morning for Breakfast with the Principal. The PTSO will hold a general meeting to share upcoming plans! Everyone is welcomed!
Tuesday, Sep 11, 2018, 07:45 AM
4900 Prospectus Drive, Durham, NC, USA
Uniform Apparel
https://kestrel.egovpayments.com/egov/apps/payment/center.egov?view=form;page=1;id=259
Order will be submitted on twice a month on the 1st and the 15th. If the date falls on a weekend the order will be placed that following Monday. It will take 5-10 business days for the order to come in. Apparel will be sent home with student when it arrives to the school.
All sizes are available in both polo and fleece; in navy blue, black, and red.
Happy ordering!
Join us in our K-8 Fundraiser!
We are excited to announce we have partnered with City BBQ and we plan to hold multiple fundraisers with them throughout the school year. Our first one will be held on next week Thursday, September 13th and Kestrel Heights Charter School will get back 25%!
Please be sure to either print the flyer or bring up the barcode on your phone to be scanned (only available at the location provided). Without this information KHS cannot receive credit for your purchase. Please pass the word (family/friends/Co-workers) by emailing and/or texting the flyer-- there is enough BBQ to go around!
Kestrel Heights School Thanks You for your support!!!
When: September 13th
Where: City BBQ – 208 West N. Carolina 54, Durham, NC 27713
School Lunch Program
Pre-Ordering
Just a friendly reminder to pre-order lunch, otherwise a lunch WILL NOT be prepared. You must order lunch by today by 7pm to receive a lunch for tomorrow. If you have pre-ordered already please disregard this email, as it sends to all active school accounts.
What you need before you order:
1. Create your account and add your child to your account (See Guide attached or click here)
2. Review Menu with your child. A “complete meal” is the lunch meal posted on the menu. Menu is posted in the weekly school newsletter.
Here is How to Pre-Order:
Step 1. Log into your account. School Payment Portal
Step 2. There will be a new button to pre-order the meals. Click on Meal Pre-Order then on Select Meals to the left of their student(s) name.
Step 3. Select the date and meal selection from a drop down menu. “Complete Meal” is what is posted on the menu.
Step 4. Scroll down and click Save Selections.
Contact Maureen Gordon if you have any questions.
(919)484-1300 ext 200
September Lunch Menu
S.O.A.R (Support Our Active Recruitment)
We are thankful that you have chosen to be a part of our Kestrel Family! We would like to introduce you to our KHCS Referral Program!
With our newly implemented school-wide curriculum and textbooks, PBIS behavioral program, streamlined school times, and our small teacher:student ratio in classrooms, our students are engaged and excited to be at Kestrel! As we continue to build on programs put in place this year, we would also like to continue to grow our student population.
We hope you will assist our Kestrel Heights S.O.A.R. (Supporting Our Active Recruitment) team by:
Talking with your family, friends, church, youth or sports groups, or posting in neighborhood blogs and social media about the exciting things happening at Kestrel Heights Charter School! Refer them to our website at www.kestrelheights.org where they can find more information about KHCS, schedule a tour, and complete the new student application.
Classroom News
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
Tis the season to be testing! MClass is underway and moving smoothly. Monday we will have our BOG test. This is the beginning of the year benchmark for third grade students only. Please make sure your child is well fed, well rested, and on time.
Remember parents that all third grade teachers are using Class Dojo, if you have not signed up yet please do so ASAP. If you are having trouble please contact your child's homeroom teacher.
3rd grade Scholars in Mrs. Ross' class engaged in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
activity on Tuesday when they tried to "Save Fred" the gummy worm, when his plastic boat capsized and his gummy lifesaver preserver went under the boat!
All scholars worked feverishly with their only given tools to "Save Fred!"
Their written reflections showed they were surprised to learn what you can do with a paperclip, determination, and teamwork!
Thank you for all that you do for us!
4th Grade
5th Grade
Fifth graders are continuing to study and memorize the 50 states and their capitals. We are working on flashcards each day and will continue to review with the students through Bingo, team competition games, and partner review. We have also enjoyed the song "Tour the States" that many students have used to memorize their capitals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2CNZIlVIg&disable_polymer=true
6th Grade
Social Studies: We are currently working with geography and how geography related to the development of civilizations. From there we will connect early civilization development with economics and then civics.
One tool we are learning to help with understanding concepts is Document based questioning (DBQ’s).
7th Grade
8th Grade
8th Grade has been off to a great start in this third week of school. In social studies, students have been studying Native American history and they are working to tell their own stories by making totem poles. In ELA, students have been practicing writing skills with the use of writing prompts and are choosing their National History day topics this week. In science students are finishing the scientific method and in math students are practicing the use of graphing and using positive and negative numbers.
Pizza Friday is beginning this week, students may bring (cash only) to school to buy pizza from the 8th grade team. Pizza will be ordered regularly on Friday's and all proceeds will go to 8th grade promotion, the semi-formal year-end dance, and the year-end 8th grade trip. Pizza is $1.50 per slice.
AIG
The AIG Testing window is open for grades 4-8 in the 1st quarter. Any students interested in participating in the AIG program are required to qualify by taking the IOWA and CogAT assessments. Criteria for qualifying is normally the 90th percentile and above for AIG. More information on how to qualify for AIG can be found here:
Registration will be open until September 20th. Testing will occur the week of October 1st and new qualifying AIG students will be placed at the beginning of 2nd quarter. Mr. Love has already met with and given out interest in testing forms to students in grades 4-8 with qualifying EOG scores. Any other students interested in testing should complete this form and return it to Mr. Love by Sept. 20th:
Please contact Mr. Love with any questions: love@kestrelheights.org
Dance
They've ALL been working hard at listening, following directions, sharing the dance space and dancing safely around each other. Grades K -1 have been learning dances that emphasize these content areas, while Grades 2 -5 have been working on "sequencing." The scholars were paired (with a partner) to create a dance that focused on "connecting / linking" locomotor and non-locomotor movements. The dances were then shared in front of their classmates. It was amazing to see the creativity that was created! I'm looking forward to helping each scholar build a stronger dance foundation
Physical Ed.
Grades K-5 have started their kicking unit. The students are still learning the positive behavior expectations for PE as the start to work on kicking with different parts of their foot and kicking at targets.
Middle school students are through with the first week of their football unit. They have been working on learning different movement combinations used in football; throwing, catching, route running etc. They have began game play; focusing on sportsmanship, strategy and positive behavior expectations in PE.
Substitutes Needed
Substitute teaching can be an ideal way to supplement your income while setting your own schedule. It will also give you the opportunity to improve your classroom skills as you try out different schools, grade levels and instructional methods. And after proving your abilities as a substitute, you may even be offered a full-time job. Here are some other benefits to substitute teaching:
- Earn money while working toward a teaching certificate.
- Substitute teaching can help you decide whether to pursue further education, and in which subject area. Trying out different opportunities can help you identify your strengths and decide on a professional focus.
- You can network with other teachers and administrators, who can provide valuable advice and professional connections.
- If you’re retired from full-time teaching or another career, substitute teaching allows you to keep busy, stay involved in a profession, and continue earning some income.
- Unlike many permanent teachers, you’re not required to be certified in a specific subject area.
- Substitute teaching provides you with practical experience that you wouldn’t otherwise have. You can learn and experiment with different types of teaching styles and classroom environments.
If you are interested, please submit your resume and letter of interest to:
ATTN: Mrs. Breonna Buckholz, Business/HR
EMAIL: Bbuckholz@kestrelheights.org
Kestrel Spirit Night: Vamos a patinar a Wheels Fun Park!
El primer “Kestrel Spirit Night” va a ser en Wheels Fun Park, el viernes 14 de septiembre, de 6:00-9:00 p.m. Los boletos cuestan $7.00 por persona e incluyen el alquiler de los patines. Los padres no pagan si no patinan. Todos están invitados!
Wheels Fun Park : 715 N Hoover Rd, Durham 27703
Kestrel Spirit Night
Friday, Sep 14, 2018, 06:00 PM
Wheels Fun Park, North Hoover Road, Durham, NC, USA
Send In your Box Tops
Counselor Corner
Welcome back, Kestrel families! Your school counselors, Mrs. Callahan and Mrs. Kennedy, are excited for a great year ahead! Please see below for some important counseling updates.
Who is my counselor? Mrs. Kennedy is our counselor for "even" numbered grades - Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th. Mrs. Callahan is our counselor for "odd" numbered grades - 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th. 8th grade is shared between the two counselors due to the workload involved in helping our scholars transition to high school. Of course, scholars are welcome to speak with the counselor they feel most comfortable with.
504 plans: If you are new to KHCS this year and your child had a 504 accommodations plan at their previous school, please contact your child's counselor to ensure we have received their plan. Plans do not always arrive from previous schools along with the rest of the student records and we want to ensure we have your child's accommodations set up in a timely manner. If you are a returning family, your child's plan has been distributed to their teachers as of today (Friday, August 24) and we will contact you about annual review meetings at the end of first quarter. If you have concerns prior to that point, please contact your child's counselor.
Schedule changes: Please refer to the parent email regarding schedule changes. All schedule change requests must come to the counselors on the form and scholars should follow their plans as written until they receive a printed copy of a new schedule.
Uniforms and School Supplies: If your scholar is in need of uniforms or school supplies, please let us know as we do have some items available as needed.
Spirit Days
This year we will have PBIS Spirit Days throughout the year. Each grade level has been assigned a "grade level spirit color". On PBIS Spirit Days, we would like to see students from each grade level sporting their PBIS spirit color! Grade levels and/or classrooms with the most participation may be able to win a prize! Students have two options for wearing their spirit colors - they can wear a uniform shirt of that color, or wear their specially designed PBIS Spirit Shirt! The proceeds from the PBIS Spirit Shirts will benefit the PBIS program in purchasing stickers, items for rewards, and funding our quarterly PBIS celebrations!
PBIS Spirit shirts may also be worn with uniform pants on any Friday of the school year.
Grade level spirit colors are:
Kindergarten - white
1st grade - red
2nd grade - black
3rd grade - white
4th grade - red
5th grade - black
6th grade - white
7th grade - red
8th grade - black
To order your shirt, please visit the following link. Parents are encouraged to order shirts as well! The PBIS program will earn a significant amount from each shirt sold, funding which goes directly back to your students through the PBIS program. Ordering closes on September 17 and shirts will be delivered approximately 2 weeks later:
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/kestrel-heights-pbis-spirit-shirt
Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarship Program
Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code prepares local middle and high school girls with the problem-solving and computer science skills necessary to make an impact on their community and be competitive in the job market of the future. We offer free after-school programs to 6th-12th grade girls to join supportive peers and role models using computer science to change the world. In our programs, girls build character and coding skills as they learn, plan, build, and celebrate together to create a project they care about. Our curriculum designed for students with a wide range of computer science experience. We have activities for girls with zero computer science experience and activities that introduce college-level concepts. Students who wish to participate can choose to attend sessions on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings. They meet at the UNC Computer Science Department from 5:00-6:30pm. We anticipate beginning sessions around early September. To register, simply fill out the form here:
Sports at KHS
For game schedules and more information visit
Come Join Us
Website: kestrelheights.org
Location: 4700 South Alston Avenue, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-484-1300
Facebook: facebook.com/KestrelHeightsSchool/
Twitter: @KestrelHeights