Charles E. Walters SchoolParent Newsletter

Erin Gibson Yvette Mercado-Tilley TBDAssistant Principal Principal Assistant Principal

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1

2 3Rosh HashanahSchools Closed

4Rosh Hashanah Schools Closed

5 6R.I.G.H.T. Rally

BOE Mtg LHS 7pm

7Class Parent Tea 10am

8SEPTA Resource Fair MS 11am-3pm

9 10Columbus Day Schools Closed

11 12Yom Kippur Schools Closed

13Dental Health ScreeningsGrades 1-3

14SEPTA Activity NightMS 6-8pm

15

16 17 18Fire House Field TripGrades K&1

19-Fire House Field TripGrades 2&3-Fall PicturesPC

20-Fire House Field TripGrade 4-Fall PicturesIC

21 22

23 24 25SEPTA MtgMS Library 7pm

26 27Safe HalloweenLHS 4-6pm

28 29Fall Festival12-3pm

30 31

*National Bullying Prevention Month

October

*Fire Prevention Week 10/9-10/15

Kindergarten October News

During the month of October, we will explore the season of fall and all of the changes that will take place!We will learn about Christopher Columbus, his voyage, and his three ships. We will listen to stories about squirrels, bats, and owls!October is Fire Safety Month. Please discuss with your child a family safety plan in case of a fire. We will be visiting the Yaphank Fire Department on October 18th.We will be working with your child on recognizing, counting and writing numerals 0-10.

Reminders:

As the weather gets cooler and jackets are required, please practice zipping, buttoning, and tying.

Be sure to label all of your child’s clothing as well as their backpack.

Review your child’s sight word list nightly.

Please send in a snack for your child every day.

Check your child’s communication book each night.

Return your library book each week.

Review and remove papers from your child’s backpack.

Mark your Calendar

October 3rd & 4th Rosh Hashanah (School Closed)October 6th R.I.G.H.T. RallyOctober 7th Class Parent TeaOctober 10th Columbus Day (School Closed)October 12th Yom Kippur (School Closed)

1st Grade October News

Reading:Our First Graders are completing Unit 1 “Building Reading Habits”. In this unit, we focused on reading “Long and Strong” and tackling tricky words. In October, children will be “Word Detectives” using all they know to solve words.

Writing:Our new writing unit, Informational Writing: How-To, is our first introduction to writing non-fiction texts. This unit helps students write procedures for completing a task. Our first grade writers will write instructions that illustrate steps in sequence, reread and revise, and use words such as “first, next, then and last”. Children love to be experts and write steps for all the things that they know how to do!

Fundations:Students are learning to read and spell trick words and one-syllable decodable words. They will learn word patterns of digraphs, glued sounds, and bonus letters. They are encouraged to use letter-keyword-sound relationships and to mark-up special sounds when spelling. Please be sure to review and reinforce the Fundations unit packets sent home to support your child’s reading and spelling progress.

Math:In math, students are using several strategies to solve addition problems and they are learning specific content vocabulary. Please regularly review math work sent home to reinforce the many addition strategies taught in class.

Social Studies:Students are adjusting to first grade routines and learning about the rules and responsibilities within their school community. The children have been introduced to the school wide PBIS and individual classroom programs which outline expectations, rewards, and consequences. Every day they are pledging to do it R.I.G.H.T. at C.E.W. by showing Respect, Integrity, Good Behavior, Helping Others, and Teamwork.

Health:Students are getting to know one another and learning about the importance of living healthy and safe lives, both personally and socially. We are discussing how to be mentally and physically healthy. Students are learning about feelings and the sense of belonging to a variety of groups. They are reminded to practice safety and to care for their bodies in many ways.

Science:First grade is currently working on our properties unit in science. We visit the science lab weekly and participate in fun learning activities. The students have the opportunity to examine objects and identify their properties through these lessons. They will be sorting, experimenting, and learning new vocabulary throughout this unit. In addition, classes are discussing seasonal changes that are occurring in fall/autumn.

Reminders:Remember to complete homework assigned by your teacher. Read and return leveled books sent home every day.

OCTOBER

Second Grade Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

C.E.W. R.I.G.H.T. Rally October 6Fire Prevention Week 10/9-

10/15C.E.W. Class Parent Tea October

7C.E.W. PICTURE DAY October 20C.E.W. Fall Festival October 29,

12-3pmSchool Closings: Oct 3rd, 4th,

10th, 12th

C.E.W. Does it R.I.G.H.T.!

RespectIntegrity

Good BehaviorHelping others

Teamwork

Overview of Reading WorkshopTaking Charge of Reading and building stamina

As readers in the second grade, your child will focus on thinking about main ideas, viewpoints and story elements. Students are developing confidence, excitement and stamina as readers who are becoming more independent!

Reading levels for beginning second grade:

I, J, K

Overview of Writer’s WorkshopImproving Personal Narrative Writing

Focus on small moments Capturing story ideas, tiny moments

Overview of Go-MathNumber Concepts

Building fluency with addition and subtraction

Writing numbers in expanded form Place Value Solving word problems

Science and Social StudiesOver the next few months we will be studying:

What is a Scientist? Beginning to take a look at communities Students should know their address and

phone number Fire Prevention, Columbus Day, Citizenship

3rd Grade October News

Math:To begin the school year, we will be working on understanding number patterns, rounding, and addition/subtraction with regrouping.

Social Studies:Students will work on cultivating map skills including creating a compass rose, being able to identify and understand different types of maps. Students will also be able to identify the different continents and oceans.

Writing:To get ready for the Third Grade writing curriculum, we will be reviewing the different parts of speech and writing a complete sentence with correct capitalization and punctuation. Students will also begin to work on crafting small paragraphs.

Science:Students will understand and utilize the scientific method by conducting classroom experiments.

Reading:We will work on establishing Reading Workshop routines and selecting books that are “just right.” Additionally, we will be working with the students on creating reading responses (these will be part of the children’s homework assignments throughout the year).

4th Grade October News

Writing:The first unit of writing ties in nicely with reading. Students will be generating opinion and/or persuasive writing essays. Students will use graphic organizers, like a box and bullet outline, to help keep their writing focused. As writers, the focus is to be able to write “long and strong”! Classes are reviewing basic sentence structure and mechanics, such as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and punctuation at the end of each sentence.

Math:Fourth graders started the year off working with basic math concepts such as basic addition and subtraction review. Place value, writing numbers in different ways, rounding and estimating are topics that were reviewed. All fourth grade students must be fluent in basic multiplication facts. Teachers ask that parents encourage their children to practice (memorize) basic multiplication facts 1-12 daily. Mastery of multiplication facts is essential for future math topics taught in fourth grade.

Science:This month’s topic is about birds and their adaptations. Students will be able to identify characteristics and traits of birds. In addition, they will learn how birds are adapted to the environment both physically and behaviorally. Students will also learn about food chains, food webs, and habitats.

Social Studies:The focus has been on geography. Students are reviewing geographic vocabulary and learning the location of New York’s, as well as its regions, landforms and important waterways.

Reading:The first unit of study in reading is nonfiction. During this unit, students will be identifying different text features and text structures to improve reading comprehension. Students will be able to recognize text structures such as compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, order and sequence and description within their nonfiction reading. Students will be able to identify the main idea and supporting details using strategies like boxes and bullets to organize their thoughts while reading and understand the author’s purpose for writing the text. All students should keep their reading baggies full and take advantage of visiting the library frequently. Students should be reading nightly as part of their homework. Students have a reading log which must be filled out and signed by a parent to indicate reading done at home.

*Fourth grade teachers appreciate your support at home to help make this a successful school year!

Special AreasART

Welcome Back to School!

In art classes for second grade, students will create buildings using shapes. They will make a community collage. Students will gain an awareness of community and what the art term “collage” means. Students will use paint, crayons, scissors, glue, and white paper to create their community collage.

In art classes for third grade, students will create African sunsets. The third grade curriculum studies countries around the world. Students in art throughout the year will create different paintings symbolizing different artists from various countries. Students will learn how to blend color creating their sunsets, through techniques of paint and pastels.

In art classes for fourth grade, students will learn about American History. Students will create American Flags through the artist, Jasper Johns. American artist, Jasper Johns, explores line, shape, form, color, and pattern in his work. Students will create an abstract flag using all these elements of design.

I am looking forward to a great, creative school year of 2016-2017.

-Mrs. CohenHappy Fall!

Third Grade artists will be kicking off the year by taking a tour of the famous Lascaux Caves in France. They will be learning about positive and negative space, while creating their own cave drawings. In closure, the third graders will be using their cave drawings to create a cave-like installation.

Fourth Grade artists will be learning how to draw animals using one shape at a time. These drawings will be transferred onto burlap and designed with a Native American theme. Artists will draw, color, weave and use symbols in their work.It’s going to be a fun year!! I can already see the talent!!

All the best, Ms. Bedell

MUSIC

Welcome back to school! All of our Kindergarten through 4th graders have been eagerly singing, dancing, and playing their way into our new school year, and we can’t believe it’s October already! In their music classes, all students have been reviewing fundamental rhythms and related activities through movement, speaking, and singing. They have also been warming up their voices once again after a fun and relaxing summer by singing a number of different short songs and involving themselves in other musical activities. This month, all classes will learn seasonal songs and music and will play various classroom instruments. We will also continue to review and build upon our existing knowledge of rhythms, note-reading, and musical form. In addition, all students will start to rehearse songs for our Veterans Day assemblies in November.

Our 4th grade Band and Orchestra students have had a very musical start to the school year as well! Throughout September, they began to learn about the parts of their instruments and created their first sounds. This month, they will continue to learn about their instruments, as well as how to read and play different notes and musical exercises. These musicians have been excited to practice and perform what they’ve learned! Best wishes to all students and their families for an Outstanding (and musical!) October!

Ashley Ockner Lee DashIC Music and Orchestra Director PC/IC Music and Band Director

Special Areas Cont’d

P.E.

What’s happening in Primary Physical Education?

We would like to welcome our kindergarteners and welcome back our first graders. We are looking forward to a fun filled year with all of you. For the month of October, the students will be doing The President’s Challenge Fitness Test, as well as, parachute play and adventure education. Throughout these units, the students will learn about personal fitness, teamwork, and cooperation. We will also be starting our muscle of the week. Please remember to be sure your child is prepared with

appropriate footwear on their Physical Education days.

We look forward to a fun year ahead.

-Mrs. Yovino & Ms. Richert

What’s happening in Secondary Physical Education?

During the month of October, students will be working on several units. The first unit will be our Yoga unit, emphasizing stretching. The second unit of the month will be our practice fitness testing. These scores will be recorded and sent home

so everyone can see what they can work on for springtime. Finally, we will end the month starting our city games unit which includes activities such as box ball, tether ball, and jumping rope.

-Mr. Riccio & Ms. Richert

LIBRARY

This month in the Primary Center Library, we will be reinforcing the good habits the children have learned at home: How to handle books carefully, to keep books in a safe place and to return books when due. We are also reviewing library vocabulary such as fiction, non-fiction, author, illustrator, etc. We do not charge fines for late books; however, we do charge for book damages. If a book is lost, we charge for the replacement cost.

I am looking forward to sharing my love of reading and books with your child. If you have any questions, please call me.-Ms. Hatem

It was wonderful to begin the school year with an announcement that C.E.W. students again won the Longwood Summer Reading Club contest between the schools. Hooray!!

In the Intermediate Library, our first lessons of the school year focused on the effective use of the library. An introduction/review was provided for all students as they learn about searching for books using the computer catalog, reading spine labels and locating books based on the call number. They also learned about using our Virtual Reference Collection.

During the month of October, our 2nd grade students will be learning about our Red Dot Reader Collection as they participate in a Reader’s Theatre presentation. Our 3rd grade students will participate in a Reader’s Theatre presentation as they review strategies for choosing a “just right” book. The 4th grade lessons will focus on good study habits, research skills, and strategies for getting organized for a good school year. They will also get information about working toward the Longwood Public Library Pals Award.

-Mrs. Hall

HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION

October 2016 FIRE PREVENTION & ANTI-BULLYING AWARENESS MONTH

Welcome back to our 2016-2017 school year! We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our health office staff. Ms. Denise Rosa, RN is the nurse is the Primary Center for Kindergarten and First grade. The health aide working with Ms. Rosa in the PC is Mrs. Beth Berkowitz. C.E.W. welcomes Mrs. Jeanne Lucero, RN working in the Intermediate Center heath office for grades 2-4 with Mrs. Donna Grun as the health aide. September has come and gone so quickly. We ask that you take the opportunity to settle in to the routine of October and see what our Health Office will be doing this year. Please refer to the Student/Parent handbook it has an abundance of information you may need related to your students mandated physicals, immunizations and other medical topics. The Longwood School District home page as well is a wonderful tool for you to utilize.

Throughout the school year, there will be a variety of monthly topics from the health office. Each month we will be sharing information on a topic related to Health, Wellness and/or Safety. It is our goal to have the student and their at-home grown up get involved in some healthy practices and gain some knowledge while doing fun activities at home.

National Bullying Prevention Month kicks off in October. During this time, you can help your student to learn about what bullying is through awareness, discussion and action. Give someone a nice compliment just to make them smile, help students to be involved in the cause and let them chose to wear the color orange during October in support of Anti-Bullying.

National Fire Prevention Week is from October 9, 2016 – October 15, 2016. The theme for this year’s fire prevention is “Don’t wait, check the date”. It is designed to raise awareness to safe practices in our home with smoke detectors. Look for information in your child’s folder related to this topic.

Thank you so much and we are looking forward to a great, HEALTHY 2016-2017 school year at C.E.W.!

Ms. Denise M. Rosa, RN Mrs. Jeanne Lucero, RNDenise.Rosa@longwoodcsd.org Jeanne.Lucero@longwoodcsd.org631-345-2840 – phone 631-345-2760 – phone 631-345-2044 - fax 631-345-2170 – fax

Wellness CornerMs. Indelicato: School Counselor

Ms. Abbate: Social Worker

Mr. Johnson: Psychologist

The new school year has started as a HUGE success! We welcomed many smiling faces to the Charles E. Walters family. This is a time where children may feel anxious and tired. Getting back into the routine can be very difficult. There are ways, however, to help your child overcome and handle anxiety.

Some ways to help your child, if they have difficulties with anxiety are:

Have a routine and stick with it. Assure your child that sometimes a change in routine is okay. Schedule relaxing activities to do with your child. Teach/Help your child how to problem solve. Teach relaxation strategies. Get a good night’s sleep.

As we begin October, please be reminded to check your child’s communication book on a daily basis. It is an excellent vehicle of communication between parents and teachers. Your child should be bringing it home every night.

We count on you, as parents, to keep us informed of any important information we should know regarding your child. By working together, we are sure to have a fun and successful year!!

C.E.W. DOES IT R.I.G.H.T.!!

Wellness CornerMs. Indelicato: School Counselor

Ms. Abbate: Social Worker

Mr. Johnson: Psychologist