Kennedy Connection Volume 8 Issue 5 December 8, 2016 Ryan Butcher Principal Dr. Gale Jordan Assistant Principal Jan. 6 Report Cards Go home Jan. 7 & 8 Awards Ceremonies Thursday 7th Kind: 8:45-9:45 2 nd : 10:00-11:00 1 st :11:10 12:00 Friday 8th 4 th : 8:45-9:45 3 rd : 10:00-11:00 5 th : 11:10-12:00 Jan. 18 MLK Day No School Jan. 25 School Governance Meeting @ 5:00pm Parents, As a school, we try our best to welcome parents into the building and value the time that you have with your child. That is why we do allow parents to walk their children down to the classroom if they choose to do so (after checking in the office and getting a visitor pass). With this being said, we also put an extremely high priority on instructional time. Instructional time starts at 7:55am every morning. In order to keep this time as a priority, teachers cannot hold parent-teacher conferences during their instructional times unless scheduled by the teacher and parent. We will continue to allow parents to walk their children down to the classroom as long as this is to just drop them off at the classroom. If you use this privilege as an opportunity to try to conference with your child s teacher or to go to other places in the building, we can revoke your privilege to walk your child down to the classroom each morning. I am sorry that this needs to be addressed, but we do need to make sure that safety, security and instructional time is prioritized each day at KES. Thanks for your support. As a part of our TITLE I plan, we will be providing parents with monthly Family, Math, Science and Social Studies Activities that we encourage ALL families to do together. Below you will find an English Language Arts family activity. Please do these with your child and return them to your child s teacher upon completion. Have fun and thank you for your support of our TITLE I plan. TITLE I TOPICS: ELA It s the beginning of the year and this is a really good time to talk about goals. Discuss your goals or New Year s Resolution with your child. Next, have them write out a New Year s Resolution for 2016. This is also a good time to have your child hand write thank you cards to Santa or anyone who purchased a gift for them for Christmas. Contents P.1: Calendar/ELA P.2: Science/Math/ Social Studies P.3: TITLE/Teacher P.4: Other Below are some reading tips to help your child become a better reader. 1. Choose a quiet time 2. Make reading fun 3. Be positive 4. Visit the library 5. Practice regularly 6. Communicate with your child and your child s reading teacher 7. Talk about the books after you have read them with your child 8. Help your child choose a variety of books. Above information adapted from http://www.topmarks.co.uk/parents/ten-tips-on-hearing-your -child-read 200 Matthews School Road Winder, GA 30680 770.867.3182
As a part of our TITLE I plan, we will be providing parents with monthly Family, Math, Science and Social Studies Activities that we encourage ALL families to do together. Below you will find a Science Activity and some math problem solving activities. Please do these with your child and return them to your child s teacher upon completion. Have fun and thank you for your support of our TITLE I plan. TITLE I At-home Science Activity Nickels that Won t Budge What you'll need: Nickel & Index card What do we do? 1. Place the index card on a table so that half of it is resting on the table and the other half is extended over the edge of the table. 2. Place the nickel on the half that is on the table. 3. With your thumb and index finger quickly flick the card off the table. Practice doing this until only the card moves. What do we see or hear? If you practice flicking the card quickly, the card will move off the table and the nickel will remain in the same position on the table. What does it mean? Moving the card and not the nickel demonstrates the law of inertia. Newton s First Law states that objects at rest remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force, and objects in motion continue to move unless acted upon by an outside force. TITLE I: Social Studies Event of the Month: The month of January is a time to celebrate a new year filled with dreams and goals. It is also a month to recognize a special American Hero. This hero dedicated his life to equality for all people. This hero is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 18 th this year. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He led non-violent protests to fight for the rights of all people including African Americans. He hoped that America and the world could become a place where race would not impact a person's civil rights. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to organize the famous "March on Washington". Over 250,000 people attended this march in an effort to show support for the civil rights bill. Some of the issues the march hoped to accomplish included an end to segregation in public schools and to get laws passed that would prevent discrimination in employment. You can view this speech at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. The March on Washington was a great success. The Civil Rights Act was passed a year later in 1964. Activities Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for a better future and he worked to achieve his goal. Ask your child to think about their own dreams for the future. Then have your child draw an outline of a cloud, inside the cloud write a sentence or two that tells about their hopes and dreams. To learn more about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King you can enjoy the Biography about Martin Luther King Jr. on www.myon.com. Have older students create a timeline that shows the important dates in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Have younger students create a picture timeline of important events in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. craft have your child create a picture of themselves using a variety of household materials then have them explain their creation to you and why they chose the materials they used. Express the importance of everyone being different physically, mentally and emotionally and explain how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted acceptance for all people. TITLE I: Math What Are the Coins? Grades 2-5 What you'll need: Some coins What to do: Ask your child the following questions: 1. I have three coins in my pocket. They are worth 7 cents. What do I have? (a nickel and 2 pennies) 2. I have three coins in my pocket. They are worth 16 cents. What do I have? (a dime, a nickel, a penny) 3. I have three coins in my pocket. They are worth 11 cents. What do I have? (2 nickels and 1 penny) 4. I have three coins in my pockets. They are worth 30 cents. What do I have? (3 dimes) 5. I have six coins in my pocket. They are worth 30 cents. What could I have? (1 quarter and 5 pennies or 6 nickels). This problem has more than one answer. It is challenging for children to experience problems like this. 6. I have coins in my pocket, which have a value of 11 cents. How many coins could I have? You get the idea! Give your child a few coins to figure out the answers. Page 2
Spotlight on our FLP and Reading Programs This year we are using several online programs to supplement our ELA and Math instruction at the school. As part of our Focus School designation we have created a Flexible Learning Program (FLP) for all students that has a Literacy and Math focus to it. A vital part of the FLP is the use of Study Island for 3rd 5th Graders and Reading Eggs for Kindergarten 2nd Grade. Both of these programs are web-based programs that focus on the academic skills needed for each grade level in the areas of literacy. We also provide 2 web-based programs that provide students with the opportunity to show their comprehension skills. The first is Accelerated Reader which allows students to take tests on books they have read. As they take the tests they earn points After the first month of implementation, here are our leaders for these programs: Study Island Blue Ribbon Leaders (Passed Lessons with a cumulative average above 70% & minimum of 10 questions) 3rd Grade ELA Kentrollis Swan-43 Math Tyler McAllister-27 Total Kayla Chiwandire-78 4th Grade ELA Samantha Moore 54 Math Caitlyn Collins-18 Total Caitlyn Collins-84 5th Grade ELA Carter Loebl 40 Math Stephen Gibson 23 Total Carter Loebl 76 Grade Level Total: 3rd Grade 2,354 4th Grade 3,602 5th Grade 4,838 Reading Eggs Usage (Completed Lessons) Kindergarten: Leo Glenn 61 Lessons 1st Grade: Julianne Greeson 85 Lessons 2nd Grade: Brandon Dover 89 Lessons Grade Level Total: Kindergarten 1977 Lessons 1st Grade 1940 Lessons 2nd Grade 2121 lessons Accelerated Reader Top 3 Point Leaders: 1) Morgan Jones: 378.3 2) Keaira Lewis: 291.8 3) Kyra Lewis: 96.4 Top Classes per grade level: 1st Grade: Petersen 36.7 pts 2nd Grade: Thompson 277.4 pts 3rd Grade: Piner 315.9 pts 4th Grade: Scott 694.5 pts. 5th Grade: Chupp 870.8 pts. MyOn Reader Books Read/quizzes taken/average Kindergarten 554books read/ 251 quizzes taken/ 76% average score 1st Grade 785 books read/ 503 quizzes taken/ 58% average score 2nd Grade 650 books read/ 471 quizzes taken/ 64% average score 3rd Grade 1900 books read/ 1088 quizzes taken/ 70% average score 4th Grade 2353 books read/ 1655 quizzes taken/ 68% average score 5th Grade 1555 books read/ 716 quizzes taken/ 72% average score Top Readers by grade Kindergarten: Katya Slavik 148 Books read 1st Grade: Christian Clapp 88 Books read 2nd Grade: Justin Wright 51 Books read 3rd Grade: Kira Clapp 120 Books read 4th Grade: Judy Brady 114 Books read 5th Grade: Neveah Kinney 61 Books read Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming GA. Milestones Dates April 12th April 21st April 12 ELA 1 & 2, April 13 ELA 3, April 14 Math April 15 Math April 18 Science, April 19 Social Studies, April 20 & 21 Make-Ups Page 3
On April 12, 2016 our 3rd-5th Graders will begin taking the Georgia Milestones Assessment. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students in grades 3 through 8 will take an end-of-grade assessment in each content area, while high school students will take an end-of-course assessment for each of the eight courses designated by the State Board of Education. Features the Georgia Milestone Assessment System include: open-ended (constructed-response) items in language arts and mathematics (all grades and courses); a writing component (in response to passages read by students) at every grade level and course within the language arts assessment; norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses, to complement the criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison; and transition to online administration over time, with online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-pencil as back-up until the transition is complete. Starting January 25th, we as a school will be assigning practice tests using the GOFAR system. The GOFAR system is designed to give students the opportunity to get used to some of the format of the assessment that they will be taking in April. These are questions that have been evaluated by state personnel responsible for creating the Ga. Milestones and have been approved as effective practice for all students in the state of Georgia. Each week students in grades 3-5 will be assigned 3-5 practice tests which consist of 6 questions (2 ELA, 2 Math, 1 Science, and 1 Social Studies) that will all be selected response (multiple choice). These tests should take no more than 15 minutes to complete and will effectively expose your child to the format of the Ga. Milestones and should help your child be more comfortable and confident when the assessment comes in April. Teachers will also be giving students practice tests that include the constructed and extended response type questions each week. We strongly encourage ALL students to complete each of these tests each week. The Student Quick Start Guide is to the right and should help you access the tests starting Jan. 25.
Nurse Bell-Matthews is such a great help in our school, so let s help her. The clinic is in need of the following items: 3 oz paper or plastic cups large and small band aids rubbing alcohol children's Benadryl disposable gloves sandwich bags baby wipes saltine crackers ginger ale Our media center is in dire need of volunteers to help check books in and out. We also would love help in reshelving the books after they are returned. Ms. Dubnik would appreciate anyone who has time to give to the media center. If you are interested please contact the school. Don t Forget Your Headphones!!! Please make sure that you send your child in with their own set of earbuds or headphones to use in the computer lab. Just send them into school in a Ziploc bag with your child s name on them. We will maintain these at the school and will not allow anyone else to use them but your child. Thank You!!! As a part of our TITLE I plan, we will be providing parents with monthly Family, Math, Science and Social Studies Activities that we encourage ALL families to do together. After completing these assignments as a family, please turn 1 or all of them in to your teacher and your child will receive a free slushie at lunch. Jan. 6 Report Cards Go home Jan. 7 & 8 Awards Ceremonies Thursday 7th Kind: 8:45-9:45 2 nd : 10:00-11:00 1 st : 11:10-12:00 Friday: 4 th : 8:45-9:45 3 rd : 10:00-11:00 5 th : 11:10-12:00 Jan. 18 MLK Day No School Jan. 25 School Governance Meeting @ 5:00pm Page 4