We are pleased to announce that our school has began the process of becoming a certified Maryland Green School. Schools that incorporate environmental education through authentic, project-based learning, consistently score higher on standardized tests than schools that do not include such lessons. Our Green School Team has received training and are equipping our staff with educational resources to promote waste reduction, environmental literacy, sustainable practices, and to help build meaningful relationships within the community. We will be celebrating our efforts with a school-wide Green School celebration on Monday, November 15th, on World Recycle Day. More details will be issued next month. A special thank you to the William S. Schmidt Center for their continued support and partnership! For more information on PGCPS’s recycling program, visit: https://www.pgcps.org/offices/building-services/recycling

Ms. Herbert

Happy Friday Dear 4th and 5th Graders, This info is only for the students who will be in in-person groups at this time. 4th Grade and 5th-grade students will have MCAP Early Fall Test. The Test will have Mathematics and English Language Art Sessions. Math Sessions will be on Tuesday and ELA Sessions will be on Wednesday and on Thursday. Please make sure that scholars got adequate sleep and be ready with fully charged Chromebooks. Again at this time, only the students who are in the in-person classroom groups will take MCAP Early Fall 2021 Test. Thank you

Fatih Metin Program Coordinator & Testing Coordinator

Hello everyone! We are now finished with our second week in school! Things are going great and we are moving right along into testing. Students took the MAP Math and the MAP Reading test this week in class, and teachers will be sending scores home to you early next week! Most students were able to finish, but for those that did not, we will pick up on Monday so everyone gets to finish. We will send the scores for both tests along with the average score for where students "should be" entering third grade so you can get a better understanding of how your child is doing. We will take these tests again in the winter and in the spring so we hope to see a lot of growth each time! For in person students, students should be bringing their "take home folder" to and from school everyday. Students will begin having homework next week, so it is important that students keep track of their folders. For virtual students, make sure to be checking Canvas for any homework. In person students will also be using Canvas, but we will have both physical homework and virtual homework. (The physical homework will always be made available online for any absent students. Please make sure to go onto our google site and fill out the student information form if you have not yet, and also fill out the media release form and send it back in students' folders as soon as possible. Here's the link to our google site: https://sites.google.com/pgcps.org/3rdgradeclasssite Students have been doing a great job keeping their masks on and washing their hands which we appreciate very much! We can't wait to continue learning and progressing in 3rd grade together! Please let us know if you have any questions! From your 3rd Grade Team! :)

Leah McDonagh Kylie Fleet Tamara Mathews Rashidah Balogun

Hello Tiger Family, We are so excited to be back with our amazing second graders! Getting to know them over the past two weeks has been a sheer joy. Seeing our scholars both physically and virtually in the classroom learning is the positive reminder that we needed to see. It gives us the sense of purpose and happiness to answer the call of being a teacher. We do not take being your child’s educator lightly and we are committed to providing rigorous instruction in a safe environment. Subject Highlights: · We have introduced and reviewed expectations and rules. · We have learned about our teachers, students, families, and school. · Students will be taking the MAP math and reading tests this upcoming week on Monday and Tuesday. Students should be coming to school with a charged chromebook each day, but especially these days, please! · This week in SCIENCE: Students will know the difference in each season and know the pattern that the seasons occur in. We have started our Generation Genius videos to visualize the change in each season. We will create a booklet for the seasons next week. Students will need crayons and blank paper to illustrate their drawings. · In SOCIAL STUDIES: Students will identify and describe characteristics of good citizenship. We have begun to use our classroom textbooks and will have a Kahoot next week to assess our knowledge of being a good citizen. · HEALTH: Students will identify how white blood cells react to fight off viruses in human bodies. This week in READING, we will be getting started with our Wonders curriculum on Unit 1, Week 1: Friends Helping Friends. Our essential question is, “How do friends depend on each other?” The strategy of the week is visualizing, the skill of the week is identifying key details, and the genre this week is fantasy. We will be looking at the short “a” and short “i” sounds as well as covering some new vocabulary words. Students will be participating in grammar, close reading, shared reading, and listening comprehension activities throughout the week in order to fine tune these skills! This week in MATH we will be continuing in lesson 2.0. An information packet was sent to all families at the beginning of last week. In this lesson, we are reviewing routines and procedures in math and reviewing previous learning in the meantime. We are focusing on MD Common Core Standard 2.OA where we are reviewing and building on addition and subtraction strategies to build fluency. Ways you can support MATH instruction at home: Flashcards with basic addition/subtraction facts through 10 and then extend through 20. Play games-- Example: Grab two dice. or a deck of cards, take turns rolling and adding (or subtracting). Have fun! Supplies needed: If you have not already done so, please ensure your scholar has a purple folder, blue folder, and at least 3 composition notebooks as well as pencils and crayons/colored pencils. Our purple folder is our take home folder and will be used across the grade level. Our blue folder is our math folder and will stay in school. Likewise, we will have a math notebook that will stay in class.

In partnership, The Second Grade Team -Ms. Phillips -Mrs. Valera -Mrs. Boggess -Mr. Rowland

Parents/Guardians, Now that we are settling in, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to class. By this I mean, jump in this school year and be a part of your child's learning experiences. However, jumping into class has limitations. For instance, give your child the space they will need to grow academically. This does not suggest removing yourself from academic activities; of course not, but giving your child the space to develop and use independent skills as learners. This is especially true for the virtual classroom. So ahead of time, plan to let your scholar do the asking and answering of questions. Please provide the space and support for the virtual class, but allow our scholars to sit, listen to the teacher, and follow the procedures and routines that are being established to support and give them the best online experience. Students need to learn to:- -listen to the teacher -practice each day-it will get better -ask their own questions about the learning, -taking the responsibility to write down homework -telling you about the project that is due -charging their Chromebooks -keeping workspace clean -sharpening the pencils. (on the point of pencils, encourage the sharpening of pencils at home, and send in at least seven sharpened pencils for the day. This is one habit that will help a child feel prepared, and save time. Please try- my students and I have done it over the years, it's a good start to a workday. -studying -a time to reflect and think -tell you about their day Of course, younger learners will need and should get more support. Remember, learning never stops. It is a continuous journey, so take every chance to use those teachable moments to help our scholars make corrections to work when they say ..."I'm done". Thanks for joining the class, but let our scholars do most of the work. Respectfully, Watkis, L

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)