Sycolin Creek Chronicle
April Edition
Principal's Corner
Dear Parents and Students,
April promises to be a very busy month! Please make sure to review the school calendar so you can learn about all of the exciting events that will take place in the next few weeks.
In the upcoming months, students in grades 3-5 will be administered standardized tests. I have included a schedule that details exactly when your child/children will be administered these assessments. Teachers are reviewing the curriculum, as well as presenting new information, which will be needed for students to be successful on these tests.
It is very important that students attend school regularly during the last quarter of the year. We ask that you make this a priority and try to schedule all appointments for your child outside of school hours. Please do not schedule vacations on school days. Summer will be here before you know it with lots of time off!
Sincerely,
Derek Racino, Principal
Art News
Currently the art room is looking for some donations of recyclables. We are looking for buttons, yarn, fabric scraps, ribbons, raffia, and miscellaneous fabric trims and notions.
Our 3D unit has gotten off to a great start. Puppets, birds, and origami should be showing up at home. We got started a little later than expected so clay will begin by the middle of April. After clay, students in grades 2 - 4 will be working on weaving. Fifth grade students will be weaving baskets toward the end of April or the beginning of May, depending on how quickly we get through a few other important art lessons. Kindergarten and first grade will be working on some exciting painting lessons.
Star Art Classes for March
Kindergarten - Mrs. Hose
First - Ms. Bowns
Second - Mrs. Winn
Third - Mrs. Duis
Fourth - Mrs. Jacques
Fifth - Mrs. Comins
Enjoy the spring weather, get outside and make some art. It’s a great time to sketch from nature, make radial designs with organic found objects or create a mobile with things found in nature.
Dr. Bennett
Music News
March was a very exciting month in the Music Room! Thank you to all the parents who have come to visit for Music In Our Schools Month! We really appreciate your support. Students have been playing instruments, reading rhythms and singing our favorite song, The Rattlin’ Bog. The most exciting moment was when Mr. Hicks came and played Bagpipes for us! Also, congratulations to the Sycolin Creek All-County Chorus team for a beautiful performance at the Matball Game!
April will continue with lots going on. Fourth and fifth grade students will continue playing recorder. Fifth grade students will be preparing for their DARE Graduation in May. Fourth grade will be continuing to play instruments. Third and second grade students have several music games and activities planned which focus on treble clef pitches. Kindergarten and first grade students will be singing melodies and learning rhythms for spring.
The Sycolin Creek All-County Chorus Team will be preparing for their performances in May.
Our Rock Star Music Classes for March are:
Kindergarten – Ms. Whittaker; 1st Grade – Mrs. Diehl; 2nd Grade – Ms. Kulak; 3rd Grade – Mrs. Henretty; 4th Grade – Mrs. Forrester; 5th Grade – Mrs. Comins
Star Salamander Students for the Month of March in P.E.
5th grade - Vibhav Pinisetti & Mia Torres
4th grade - Ethan Dlesk & Bria Davidson
3rd grade - Carter Louis & Keyri Martinez Villalta
2nd grade - John Kingsolver & Claire Segalini
1st grade - Vinay Boylan & Elena Douroupis
Kindergarten - Gunnar Rose & Haylen Duis
PE Star Classes for the month of March are Mrs. Jacques' 4th grade and Mrs. Brosan's 2nd grade.
Updates from SEARCH
During the month of April, Kindergarten students will use their visual-spatial thinking in a lesson using tangrams to form ocean animals. First grade students learn about pentominoes as they use square tiles to discover the different shapes of the pentomino pieces. Second grade students will use their reasoning skills in a lesson about combinations of animal legs. Third grade students will examine three different 2-D perspectives to create 3-D structures with Keva planks. Third grade portfolio lessons have been completed, and gifted eligibility notifications will be sent to third-grade families in late-May.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Becker
Solar Eclipse
The National Science Teaching Association has a variety of free resources for teachers, administrators, and families for the upcoming solar eclipse. The resources are designed to make learning about solar eclipses both engaging and safe. The next solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, between about 2-4:30 p.m. Virginia will experience a partial eclipse between about 80-90% totality, depending on which part of the state you live. Each student will be provided with a pair of safety glasses that they will be able to take home to watch the event. We hope you enjoy the eclipse as a family!
Family Support Request
At Sycolin Creek, we have a kindergarten student that is undergoing radiation treatment 5 days a week. Her family is doing everything they can to support her and her treatments, however they could use some additional support. A community member has created a gift card donation drive to help the family in need. Any support you are able to provide would be greatly appreciated by the family. The gift cards can be sent into school and dropped off in the main office. If you send the card in with your student, please clearly mark the purpose of the donation. Thank you!
The gift card donation document can be found here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F45ABA628A0FB6-48650758-help
Attendance Reminders
Sycolin Creek Elementary School
Email: derek.racino@lcps.org
Website: lcps.org/sycolincreek
Location: 21100 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg, VA, USA
Phone: (571) 252-2910
Twitter: @Sycolin_Creek