wesley school january/february...
TRANSCRIPT
PTA News: Next Meeting Tuesday, March 1, 2016
SPIRIT GEAR
We appreciate all your Spirit Gear purchases and look forward to seeing our students and parents in their Wesley Spirit
gear.
UPCOMING WESLEY PTA EVENTS
BUTTERBRAID FUNDRAISER
Flaky pastries with mouthwatering fillings!
Gourmet frozen cookie dough!!
Fundraising has never tasted so good!!!
Watch out for the forms coming home mid-February.
FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT
The Wesley PTA is hosting its first Science Fair on Tuesday, March 8, from 6:00-7:30pm. We
invite your child to participate in this spectacular event. Please direct your questions to
‘FEELING GROOVY BOOK FAIR’ - PEACE, LOVE & BOOKS!
Be sure to check out Scholastic’s spring book fair coming up March 8 -11, with our ice
cream social on Tuesday, March 8. To volunteer, please email
[email protected]. In conjunction, we will be holding a used book drive until
March 10. Book donations may be dropped off in the school office.
MOVIE NIGHT
It's time for our "free" Family Fun Movie Night at Wesley School! Save the date for Friday, March 18.
A flyer with all the details to follow soon.
WESLEY YEARBOOK
The Wesley Yearbook committee needs your help in making the 2015-16 yearbook a success. What we need from you are
PICTURES! Pictures of class field trips, Halloween Bingo, the holiday concert and any other Wesley School/PTA events.
The easiest way to get pictures to us is by putting them on a CD labeled with the event name and sent to the attention of
Wesley Year Book Committee. If you have any questions please email [email protected]. Thank you!
SUPPORT WESLEY SCHOOL
Recruit your family, friends and neighbors to support Wesley School. Here are a few ways:
STOP & SHOP A+ REWARDS PROGRAM: Thank you to all the parents/ guardians/ family and friends who signed up to support Wesley in the various school rewards
programs. So far we have 141 supporters and $641 earnings in the Stop & Shop A+ Rewards program, and 65 supporters
and 8480 points in the Price Chopper Tools for Schools program.
These programs run through end of March, so there is still time to enroll and show your support and increase our school’s
earnings.
Register for Stop & Shop by calling 1-877-275-2758 or at http://www.stopandshop.com/aplus and Price Chopper card at
http://www.pricechopper.com/savings/tools-for-schools.
WESLEY SCHOOL JANUARY/FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
BOX TOPS: The February Box Tops contest just ended on February 12. Please continue collecting, clipping and sending
in all the Box Tops you can find! - Inez Richardson, Box Tops Coordinator.
Remember to also send in those “Labels for Education” to add to our school’s earnings. We have 8357 points so far!
MY COKE REWARDS
Drink Coke products? There is a code on cans, bottles and in boxes of soda. Visit http://www.mycokerewards.com to
enter your codes (select “schools” then “donate to a school” and search for Wesley by ZIP code). It's free and every point
really makes a big difference for our school. You may also send in your codes to your child’s teacher. Direct any
questions to chairperson Chrisy Fletcher at [email protected].
Notes from the Principal: Mr. Tom Cannata 100
th DAY
We celebrated our 100th day of school on February 2
nd. Many classes completed activities throughout the day and the rest
of the week to celebrate our 100th day. Some activities included:
Building things with 100 cups, 100 legos, etc.
Counting different ways to make 100
Making pasta necklaces with 100 pieces of pasta grouped in 10s
Estimating how far 100 steps would be and then counting 100 steps in the building
Class activities to earn 100 Reading Counts points and do 100 acts of kindness
Completing 100 piece board puzzles
Find multiplication facts that equal 100
Thinking about what you would look like when you are 100 years old
Making a picture with 100 pieces of macaroni
Doing physical activities throughout the day to 100 - i.e. jumping jacks, steps, clapping, etc.
Singing the 100th Day song
Doing 100 small acts of kindness as a class
These activities were a fun way for students to use and apply math skills, develop their number sense and have fun
celebrating our 100th day of school.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
The Parent Teacher Conferences will be coming up in the second week of March. The dates for conferences are:
Wednesday March 9th
Thursday March 10th
Friday March 11th
There will be a 1:15 dismissal each of these days and conferences will be scheduled throughout the mprning, afternoon
and early evening. This is a great time to meet with your child’s teacher and review their progress and any questions or
concerns you may have.
During the week of Parent Teacher Conferences, the PTA will be holding a Book Fair and on Tuesday March 8th, there
will be an Ice Cream Social and Science Fair event in the evening.
There are many exciting things planned for March!
FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE
The PTA held our 2nd
Annual Father Daughter Dance. This was a very special night for the female students of Wesley
School as they were treated to an evening of dancing and
The female students of Wesley School were treated to a special night with their father or male guardian. There were
plenty of beautiful outfits, dancing and snacks. The girls (and dads) enjoyed getting all dressed up for the event!
SMARTER BALANCED STATE ASSESSMENTS
All of the 5th, 4
th and 3
rd grade students will be participating in the Smarter Balanced Assessments in March and April.
This is a state test that is taken online in the academic areas of Language Arts and Math.
The following dates show the testing window for each grade level:
Grade 5 March 21st-23
rd, April 7
th-8
th
Grade 4 March 24th-29
th, April 11
th-12
th
Grade 3 March 31st-April 4
th, April 13
th-14
th
The district’s website offers many valuable resources for the Smarter Balanced Assessments. You can see tutorials and a
practice test that will help you gain a better understanding of the test format and types of questions and tasks students will
asked to complete. Please use the following links for additional information:
http://www.middletownschools.org/page.cfm?p=10061
Kindergarten The Kindergarten classes continue working hard with all Kindergarten skills. The children are now writing both their first
AND last names. We have been adding new sight words weekly, and are building up our vocabulary! We practice these
at school, and are using them in our writing. And of course we are always listening for the sounds the letters make, so that
we can write a sentence independently.
Please help your child by continuing to review the sight words AND the letters every day. When reading with your child,
encourage them to read the sight words and sound out words. We are also working on asking questions when reading.
Here are some ideas of questions you might want to ask: Why do you think the author wrote this story? Why do you
think the illustrator drew that picture? What did you like about this story?
February 2, 2016 was the 100th day of school! In math we’ll be working towards counting to 100 and beyond. Remember
when counting up from 100, we want the students to say one hundred one, NOT one hundred and one. We will also be
working on addition and then subtraction. When counting out objects at home, it is important for them to slide or move
the object while they are counting. We have been using ten frames and Rekenreks to show an amount in different ways.
We will also be doing lots of winter activities and projects, focusing a lot on learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and
the contributions he made to our world.
Mrs. Anderson & Mrs. David, Kindergarten Teachers
First Grade The first grade classes started off the month of January by celebrating the new year and making New Year's resolutions!
In reading, we are working on answering “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why” and “how” questions about nonfiction
texts. We are also learning about how we should support oral and written responses with evidence from the text. Please
encourage your child to answer in complete sentences when speaking to you rather than answering with a “yes” or a “no”
and encourage children to give a reason to explain their thinking. Also students should be reading at home and practicing
the sight word lists daily, especially on snow days or over vacations to retain what they've learned.
In math we are learning about numbers in base ten: counting and place value. Understanding these concepts will help
when adding and subtracting. All students should practice counting and writing numbers to 110 as well as computing
accurately and memorizing the addition and subtraction facts.
The children also studied about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream. Then they wrote about their hopes for
the world today. Emphasis is being placed on writing related sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation. In
February before the break we will learn about Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Abe Lincoln and of course Valentine's
Day through the use of books, songs, writing and art projects. We will end the month with a study of George Washington
and dental health. We will even have a special visitor to teach us about the importance of brushing our teeth and heating
healthy foods!
Mrs. Tine, Mrs. Thomas & Mrs. Young – First Grade Teachers
Second Grade Grade 2 would like to wish all of the Wesley community a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2016! We’ve resolved to keep
learning and growing, and the New Year has gotten off to a great start.
This month, we have been working on a variety of topics in the classroom. In mathematics, we will be finishing up our
study of money. Families can continue to support children’s learning at home by providing frequent opportunities to
count change. It will also be beneficial to have your children keep practicing their basic addition and subtraction facts at
home (to know them from memory, without using their fingers to count on or count back).
We’re currently learning about Black History Month. Our grade level is exploring a wide variety of literature, including
biographies that detail history’s invaluable African American accomplishments. For instance, did you know that the traffic
light and gas mask were invented by African Americans, and that the first person to perform open heart surgery was Dr.
Daniel Hale Williams, an African-American man, who also founded Provident Community Hospital in Chicago, Illinois?
We look forward to meeting with Grade 2 families early next month during Parent/Teacher conferences, and sharing your
child’s progress with you!
Mrs. Cecarelli, Mrs. Scheer, Mrs. Francis-Reilly
Third Grade Children and teachers alike are well rested and ready for a great new year after our holiday break. We extend our best
wishes to all for a happy healthy 2016.
In January, we read books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the contributions he has made. During the cold and flu
season students appreciate a sturdier tissue. Third grade teachers welcome any classroom donations.
Both third grades will be preparing for the Smarter Balanced assessments, which have replaced the Connecticut Mastery
Test. The Smarter Balanced assessments are based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that were fully
implemented in Middletown. Third grade will be taking the Smarter Balanced language arts assessment the last week of
March. The math assessment will be the second week of April. Visit www.SmarterBalanced.org to learn more about
Smarter Balanced.
All students are beginning to memorize the multiplication facts. By June, all third graders should be able to quickly recall
all of the 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 family multiplication facts. Please help your child with memorizing the facts. In
February, students will also start learning how to tell time and how to figure out elapsed time. We will work on our
measuring skills as well. Any opportunity to practice telling time or measuring items or liquids will benefit your child.
Real world experience will make a huge difference.
We would like to remind all parents that students should to be reading at home for at least twenty minutes each day.
Reading every night will help students maintain and improve their fluency skills. Third graders should also be mastering
their addition and subtraction facts, as well as, multiplication and division.
Mrs. Pawlak and Mrs. Price -3rd
Grade Teachers
Fourth Grade Happy winter- we are pleased with the milder weather we are having compared to the last few years.
The fourth grade will continue with their guided reading novels and the anthology in their classrooms. These books are
used for instruction of reading skills. In conjunction with our reading program, your child has a pleasure reading book for
independent reading. As you are aware, the children are choosing books from the Reading Counts Program. In this way,
the classroom teacher can monitor their appropriate reading level and the amount of time they are taking to read these
books.
Please make sure that your child is reading every night for 20 minutes. You can read with them, they can read to you, or
they can read independently. Students should continue to practice their facts. The children are finding that if they do not
know their facts with speed and accuracy it hinders their progress in division, fractions, and other concepts they are
learning. There are some wonderful fact practice sites on our school web site.
We continue our unit in math on fractions. We will be determining equivalent fractions, comparing and ordering fractions,
locating fractions and their equivalent on a number line, and finding lowest common denominators. Our next unit will be
working with decimals and their relationship to fractions, as well as adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions. In
Language Arts, we are still working on reading biographies of famous people and writing summaries of non-fiction text.
Children were very interested in learning about Sadako, Anne Frank, Meiko, Louis Braille and others. We will be starting
our Science unit on erosion this month. In Social Studies, we will continue our study of Connecticut and learn about our
dynamic history.
We continue to have high expectations and appreciate your support at home. We look forward to seeing you during spring
conferences in March.
Ms. Nolan & Mrs. Lewonka
4th Grade Teachers
Fifth Grade Fifth grade students are working on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.
Knowing math facts is especially crucial to this topic and in our next unit of multiplying fractions. Students who have not
passed all operations with a score of 90% or better should be practicing math facts daily with flash cards, Envision, online
websites or Xtramath.
We are using novels in reading groups focusing on character development and author’s purpose. Students are also
learning how to effectively plan and write main idea paragraphs on specific topics including opinion pieces.
In science, we finished a unit about the ear and sound. In health, students will be studying the senses and learning how
the brain receives signals. The thirteen colonies are being explored as part of our social studies unit.
Book reports for Black History month have been turned in and portraits are hanging in the fifth grade hallway. Don’t
forget to check them out at our March conferences.
Independent reading is a nightly homework assignment; students are expected to read an on-level (just right) book for 30
minutes each night, including weekends. Student progress for independent reading is monitored by Reading Counts
quizzes. Quizzes are to be taken in a reasonable amount of time. Smaller books can be read within a week and longer
books should be completed within two to three weeks.
We are noticing a lot of Reading Calendars are not being signed and many homework assignments are carelessly
completed with little or no effort. Students need to set higher standards for their work. In addition, the Reading
Calendars should be signed daily to indicate you are aware your child reads each night. Sustained independent reading is
a skill students need in order to make expected yearly growth and we appreciate your support in providing reading time
outside of the classroom.
Don’t forget the Fifth Grade Curriculum Breakfast (8:15 am) followed by the D.A.R.E. graduation (9:15 am) are on
Tuesday, February 23. Hope to see you all there.
Mrs. Carrano, Mrs. Cooke
5th Grade Teachers
Art News from Mrs. Fernandes Our annual art show is coming up soon. Invitations for students who were chosen to have their artwork displayed will be
handed out sometime next week. Reception will be on Saturday, March 5th from 5-7pm at the Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan
University in Middletown. The Art Show will run for one week from March 5th through March 13
th. Please make sure you
support our students and plan to visit. Show hours are:
Saturdays and Sundays 1:00-4:00 pm
Monday through Friday 12:00-7:00 pm.
Don’t forget to leave a positive note for our young artists.
Hopefully we’ll see you all there.
Sincerely,
Kinga Fernandes Art Teacher
Music News from Mrs. Westbrook Happy New Year! So far this year, all grades have been reviewing what they know about the instruments of the orchestra
and building on that knowledge. Kindergarteners have been listening to the musical selections from Disney's "Fantasia"
and identifying the instruments they hear. First Graders will soon begin studying a piece of music called, “The Carnival of
the Animals”. Second Grade will begin studying a piece called, “Peter and the Wolf”, and Third Graders will play a
classical music piece on their recorders. Fourth graders will begin their study of Jazz, and Fifth Graders will begin their
study of Musical Theater and Opera. Select fourth and fifth graders have begun preparing for this year's All City Music
Festival which will take place on Saturday, April 2nd.
SAVE THE DATE: We have selected May 25th for our spring concerts.
Jeannine Westbrook General/Vocal Music Teacher
Instrumental Music News from Mr. D’Amato Our bands are back into the swing of things. New notes, rhythms, and songs are filling our homework assignment charts.
Practice daily, check your chart, and improve your playing is our motto. Hope you can hum along while we play and bring
a smile to your face. Practice daily for success.
Fourth graders need to memorize their notes by name, fingering, and playing. Fifth graders need to memorize their scale
by name, fingering, and playing. We will be starting our All City Music songs soon, so please keep up with homework
assignments.
We are learning new songs and being tested on them to show improvement. This can become very challenging. Enjoy
being able to play and try to do your best. Do not get stressed over the challenge. You are only expected to do what you
can do. So always be happy and enjoy playing.
Sincerely,
Mr. D