Greetings Wildcat Parents,

We hope that you had a wonderful break and had the opportunity to hear about all the wonderful things your child has been learning in school. In conversing with the students it is very exciting to share in their enjoyment of connecting the focus standards to real-world activities. From using functional text to make tasty treats to building rockets, it is through these vicarious experiences that promote an extended understanding of the content while making learning fun.

Parents, as you are aware attendance plays a very critical role in how well our students perform academically. Research shows that attendance is a key factor of how well students perform in school. Therefore, it is imperative that the students are present and on time each day in order to take part in the rigorous lessons and learning activities that have been planned in order to prepare them for the next school year. If your child is out please send in a note the following day. Also, if your child eats breakfast at school, please be advised that they must arrive to the cafeteria by 7:35 to allow them time to eat and report to class by 7:45.

As a reminder, our students in grades 3rd-5th will be taking the Georgia Milestone assessment during the month of April. Our teachers have been working very hard to ensure that they are readily prepared for this end of year assessment. You can also assist by providing extended opportunities for your child to demonstrate their understanding of concepts through writing: justifying their answers to presented math problems and responding to open-ended comprehension questions after reading. Additional strategies have also been included on the school’s website under the Instructional Teachers’ link (reading & math).

To extend the amount of support in preparing our students for the Georgia Milestone, we will be offering Saturday school during the month of March. Students in grades 3rd-5th will work closely with certified teachers in which to review previous taught concepts in order to develop an extended understanding of the concept. If you would like for your child to participate in the program, please contact Mr. Brown the school counselor at 770-957-5416.

Finally, I would like to take the time to thank you for your support in encouraging the students to meet their Wildcat Fest goal. Those that attended worked very hard in demonstrating positive behavior both at school and on the bus, completing all assignments and being present at school. It was very exciting to see the large amount of cowgirls and cowboys that were able to attend this exciting event. We are looking forward to 100% attendance at the final fest in May. As always, thank you for your dedication and support.

Educationally yours,

Dr. Scott

Our Kindergarteners are really starting to bloom. We are becoming more and more independent in our reading, writing, and math skills. We are looking forward to sharing your child’s progress with you during our PAWS conference this month. Our conferences will be on March 28th. Please be looking for more information on this important opportunity to share in your child’s growth.

This month we will continue working on addition and subtraction strategies. It is our goal for all students to be fluent with their math facts to 5 and have strategies to solve problems up to 10.

In reading we are focusing on decoding words, building our sight word vocabulary, and comprehension skills. In writing we will be reviewing all the genres we have introduced this year (opinion, informational, and narrative).

We appreciate all that you do for your child in support of their education. Some skills that you can focus on at home are counting backwards from 30, reading with and to your child nightly, asking questions about what they are learning, and practicing sight words.

Remember that students must earn 75 Paws to go the last Wildcat Fest of the year. This Fest will be the best yet! Students can earn Paws by demonstrating positive behaviors, doing homework, good attendance, and helping others. If you have any questions about the Wildcat Fest or the progress of your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. Thank you for all you do!

March is full of exciting events and activities! In science, second grade will conduct a variety of experiments on pushing and pulling, night sky, and seasonal changes. We will continue to practice narrative, informational, and persuasive writing which will be embedded in content areas.

In reading we will review the main topic and key details, character, setting, and plot, ask and answer questions, and point of view. You can help your child grow in these areas by asking high order thinking questions throughout the book. One area we focus on at Locust Grove Elementary, is citing the evidence. Asking questions such as, “How did _____ feel when ____ happened? Why did he/she feel that way? How do you know? Prove your answer,” will help their comprehension skills. You may further their understanding by having them write about what they are reading, citing the evidence along the way. Ask your child what ‘RACE’ stands for, and have them give you an example.

In math we are focusing on adding and subtracting three digit numbers with and without regrouping with numbers to 1,000. By allowing your child to help you buy groceries or run general errands, that will bring addition and subtraction with real life situations. We will soon learn about geometry and fractions. We look forward to many fun activities with plane and solid figures, and dividing them into equal groups.

Second grade will soon have an exciting field trip coming up. Stay tuned for more information to come home soon.

Well, the month of February flew by quickly! Third grade students are working hard to meet various standards and learn new concepts!

The students have concluded a fun unit on Geometry! We are currently exploring the concept of fractions. The students will identify and

compare fractions through various tasks.

Third grade students did a great job writing Narrative Pieces that included dialogue and a description of their characters. We are now reading paired passages and writing Opinion Pieces based on information

presented in these passages.

The students enjoyed our unit on Rocks and Minerals! We will soon begin creating communities within our classrooms. The students will create their own products to sell at the end of the year. This will give

them an opportunity to learn about personal spending and saving choices.

Please make sure your child is completing activities on First-In-Math, math homework, as well as reading at least 15 minutes every night!

Fourth grade is gearing up for the GA Milestones test! We are practicing everyday by writing, explaining, inferring, justifying, solving, thinking, proving, sharing, and more in EVERY subject. For example, in Reading, we are reading non-fiction and fiction paired passages. With these paired passages, the students must see connections between the two stories, make inferences, and show text evidence when answering questions. We will be working on this skill heavily since this is a big portion of the expectations in the Reading section of the GA Milestones test. Then, in writing, we will continue to use paired passages. Students will use the paired passages to respond to a given prompt. In their writing, they must cite text evidence to back up their response. This is a higher level skill that our students our working on! Parents, you can reinforce these skills at home. As you read stories with your kids, ask them deeper level questions and have them show you where the answer is found in the text. Your child could even compare two stories they have previously read with you!

In math, we are still working on decimal numbers. We are reading, representing, comparing, and ordering them. The students are really enjoying this unit! We are still reinforcing reading word problems, making sense of the problem, and explaining how we got to an answer. While out shopping, ask your child to estimate the total cost of three items in your cart! Then, have them explain how they got their answer.

In Science, we are working on our light and sound unit. The students are having fun with conducting various activities in Science lab that go along with this unit. Along with this, they are reading passages to find the key information they need to understand the topic. As we wrap this unit up, we will go back to Social Studies with our unit on Westward Expansion. Why do you think people started settling west?

Fourth grade has a field trip scheduled for May 10 th . We will be going to the Rock Ranch! We will participate in fun activities that will review concepts we have learned this year. More information will come later!

Students should continue to keep working hard and showing what they know! We’re excited to see their progress!

We could use a refill of sanitizer, tissues, and pencils! Thank you!

The field trip was the only thing on our mind last week. So here it is:

We just returned from our field trip and had a blast! We took some great classes.

Herpetology was one of the favorite classes! Everyone either touched or held a turtle, a baby

alligator, and even a snake! Mrs. Majors was the only class that actually got to canoe and do a

little unintentional swimming. Some of Mrs. Pace’s class got to canoe for about five minutes

due to the weather, but Mrs. Pope’s class got on the life jackets had paddle in hand, with rain

coming down, then the thunder kept us from canoeing. We hiked to the Rock Eagle effigy,

studied an old cemetery, learned how pioneers lived and even participated in a historic

campfire, where we sang, showcased some talent and heard some neat stories from our

instructors.

Finally, some of us got to play some fun games with our instructors. All in all, we made lots of

incredible memories at Rock Eagle.

Back at school, we are working on Geometry in Math by classifying two-dimensional shapes by

different criteria. We have been studying constructive and destructive forces in Science. We

just finished up a narrative writing unit. In Reading, we have been reviewing text features and

figurative language.

We are getting into the home stretch of this school year so encourage your child to always do

their best and give 100% effort in all that they do.

Monthly Math Minutes -

GA Milestones is approaching quickly for our students in 3rd – 5th grade. Have you

been to one of our GA Milestones Parent Sessions? If you couldn’t make it to the

January or February Title night and still want to learn about it, please do not

hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Rainer or Mrs. Hall. In addition to the trainings, you

can also find information about the GA Milestones on Mrs. Hall’s webpage:

http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/domain/3791 or find “Math Coach” under the

Academics tab on the LGE webpage.

Continue to work with First in Math at home. Thank you to our PTO for providing

trophies to the Team of the Week for First in Math. The trophies have helped to

ignite competition between the homerooms.

Also, talk math and numbers with your student every day. How much rain fell

today? Is that over an inch or less than an inch? How many degrees did the

temperature drop between yesterday and today? There are so many questions

you can ask or better yet, allow your child to ask questions!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Until next month,

Mrs. Hall, Math Instructional Lead Teacher

We had 85 students turn in their Six Flags Read to Succeed reading logs. These students should receive their free Six Flags ticket sometime in May. Please continue reading with your child every day.Our LGE “Read Across America” week was a huge success! All of the students and teachers enjoyed dressing up and having special activities during the week. We appreciate all of the guest readers who took the time to share their love of books with our students. Congratulations to the LGE Reading Bowl team and Mrs. Shirah. Our team competed in the Henry County competition on February 6, and placed 7th out of 24 teams. Team members include BJ Parker, Jonathan Villagomez-Meza, Kaylee Currul, Damiah Atkinson, Summer McCranie, Ayanna Perrier, and Mikiya Hughes.

The Science Lab is in full swing. Students have enjoyed learning about animal needs, animal groups, characteristics of light, the night sky, constructive and destructive forces of the Earth, and rocks and minerals. Classes have been earning rewards, such as film canister rockets and making slime. The lab needs donations of several items in order to continue our fun scientific learning experiences. Please send donations of the following items:• straws• plastic cups• plastic zipper bags• food coloring• paper plates• film canisters • bottles of glue• pencils• reams of copy paper

Don't forget that the school "Science Fair" is open to all students. Please check the school website for more information.

LGE’s Afterschool Program is “SUPER”! That’s right…we have a SUPER Staff, lots of SUPER Activities and the kids say it’s… SUPER FUN! WELCOME to our new and returning ASEP families. Our largest group is our 3-5th grade group with almost 30 students! Not far behind is our K-2nd group with almost 20! Ms. Loretta, Ms. Bethany, Ms. Donna, Ms. Ciera, Ms. Lindsay and Ms. CeCe have been working hard to make sure our kids stay engaged and entertained. Afterschool is a special place at LGE and we are excited to see what the year holds!

WISH LIST: Our students read every day and our books have had a good life but are showing their age. We would love to refresh our book library. Please consider donating your gently used (or new) books to the LGE ASEP Library. We can use books on any level, but prefer no “board” books. REMINDERS: • Anyone picking up a student from ASEP should be ready to show identification. Sometimes we have instructors cover the office and they are required to ask for I.D. Please understand that this is for the safety and security of our students. We appreciate your patience and understanding. • PLEASE be sure we have current contact info, including names of authorized people who can pick up your child on file. • Tuition is $50 per week (5 days). We operate every day that school is in session. • You can pay online at myschoolbucks.com (small service charge applies).• Our program runs from 2:30 pm until 6:00 pm. After 6:00pm there is a $1.00 per minute late charge. • Currently we do not offer “Drop In” service.

ASEP INFO: LGE’s After School program is offered through Henry County Schools and gives families/students the opportunity for after school care and the students don’t have to leave the building. We are here every day that school is in from 2:30pm-6:00pm. Students have a nutritious snack, complete homework, and have at least 2 enrichment classes per day, as well as gym and/or recess time depending on the weather. Cost of the program is $50 per week, per student. If you are looking for reasonable and fun after school care, with qualified professionals, contact Mr. Lavon Brown @ (770) 957-5416 or Lavon.Brown@henry.k12.ga.us for more information.

LGE Jr Beta News,

The members of the LGE Junior Beta Club returned from their 5th

grade Rock Eagle field trip to do service at the Dance to benefit

Muscular Dystrophy, LGE Student Council, and Jr Beta Club. We

also had another successful Borrow-a-Jr Beta service project!

Young Men of Distinction had a meaningful field trip to The Dr. King Center

in Atlanta this month. We paired with Tussahaw Elementary’s Young Mens’

Club. Not only did we tour The King Center, we had lunch at The Varsity, an

Atlanta tradition that most of our Young Men had not experienced, but we

were sung a song by a street musician on the property!

We are busy as bees in the Computer Lab. Many of our students are really making progress and have advanced from the beginners lessons to the intermediate lessons in typing.com. I am very proud them. Their names will be posted here in the newsletter and also on the board or the wall in the computer lab.

In addition as the students’ progress through the lessons and complete them, they will be presented with a certificate for each level they complete at the awards program. Each student has the opportunity to be awarded three certificates. Again we are very proud of the progress our students are making, as typing skills are very much needed in this tech savvy world. Let’s Keep Typing! Students that have completed the beginners lesson:

Student TeacherRoderick Raines Ms. Garner 3rd grade

Hallee Stokes Ms. Gregory 3rd gradeIvory Martinez Ms. Gregory 3rd gradeMahkel Perrier Ms. Gregory 3rd grade

Jada Mudd Ms. White 3rd gradeAlexis Luke Ms. Reda 4th grade

Azaryiah Hill Ms. Majors 5th gradeSamyra Freeman Ms. Majors 5th gradeTyRin Mason Ms. Majors 5th gradeAmber Watts Ms. Pace 5th gradeBrenda Riley Ms. Pace 5th grade

CONGRADULATION TO YOU ALL ON YOUR HARDWORK!

Title I provides federal funding to schools that have high poverty levels. The funding is meant to help students who are at risk of falling behind academically. The funding provides supplemental instruction for students who are economically disadvantaged or at risk for failing to meet state standards.

The Title I program originated as the Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. Its primary purpose was to ensure that all children were given the opportunity to be provided with a high quality education. Title I is the largest federally funded education program for elementary and secondary schools. Title I is also designed to focus on special needs populations and to reduce the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

States that have Title I schools have several requirements to keep the funding. Schools must have a child poverty rate of at least 40% to operate a school wide Title I program. A school wide Title I program can provide benefits to all students and is not just limited to those students who are considered to be economically disadvantaged.

LGE TITLE I FAST FACTS: Locust Grove Elementary is a School-wide Title I School ALL LGE Teachers and Paraprofessionals are Highly Qualified Parents/Guardians may ask for teacher/staff qualifications at any time LGE has no designation from the state Schools can be labeled as Focus, Priority, Reward All families were invited to participate in the Family Input Team meeting where we discussed,

received input, reviewed and revised our Parent Involvement Plan and School Compact for Student Success for 2015-16.

Title I Funding provides: Math & Literacy Coach (Ms. Hall and Ms. Rainer) Parent Liaison (Ms. Kim) Family Resource Room (Room #1) Technology and Resources Additional Teacher Training Parent Engagement Budget 1% (Approx. $3000) Academic resources in Math, Literacy & Science to be used at home to support student success. Family Nights / Academic workshops to provide families with understanding of math, literacy and

science standards so they can help children at home.

My Name is Kimberli Stone and I am the Parent Liaison for Locust Grove Elementary. As a Parent Liaison my goal is to keep parents/guardians informed of school activities and volunteer opportunities. I also operate the Parent Resource Room located in Room 1 directly across from the main office.The Parent Resource Room was allocated by Title I to provide free academic resources to the parents to help assist students at home. Everything in the Resource Room is FREE to check out with no time limit! The Room has activities that are also used in the classroom and games to help with family bonding while building academic skills. There is a wide arrangement of Parent Power books that are available for checkout.

The Parent Resource Room is open from 7:45 AM – 3:00 PM. If these times are not convenient for you, please give me a call and we can schedule an appointment.

I am very excited to be here at Locust Grove Elementary and eager to help our parents help our students! If you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact me by e-mail at Kimberli.Stone@henry.k12.ga.us or 770-957-5416.

I look forward to serving you!!Kimberli StoneLocust Grove Parent Liaison

We are proud to have community partners that support our school and more importantly our student’s success! If you are interested in becoming a Partner in Ed, Please contact Ms. Kim Stone or Mr. Brown for more details on partnership!

Mar 11, 2016 – PTO Movie Night “Hotel Transylvania 2” 5:30PM – 7:30 PM

Mar 14, 2016 – No School – Professional Learning Day

Mar 18, 2016 – PTO Father & Daughter dance 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Mar 21st – 25th - LGE Book Fair 8:00 AM – 2:00PM; Friday 8:00 AM- 12:00PM

Mar 22, 2016 – LGE Picture Day

March 25th – Mar 31st - PAWS conferences will be scheduled through your students’

teacher!

Mar 25th – 4th grade conferences Mar 28th – Kindergarten and 5th grade conferences

Mar 29th - 1st grade conferences Mar 30th – 2nd grade conferences Mar 31st – 3rd grade conferences

Mar 31, 2016 – Student of the Month 8:30 AM