Volume Issue 8
Volume Issue 8
102 E. Palm Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33602
813 347-4160
April 1, 2015
A Message
Your Principal
Welcome
Back tofrom
the 2011-2012
School Year
Mrs. Daphne Fourqurean
It is hard to believe we are already in the eighth month of school
and are in the last grading period. March 31st was the first day of
WEB SITE:
metministries.mysdhc.org
the final grading period for the 2014 – 2015 school year. The year
is not over and our students still have much to learn. The school
PRINCIPAL:
year has flown by and the last grading period will be full of activiDaphne Fourqurean
ties, so please make sure your child is on time and in attendance
ASSISTANT
every day.
PRINCIPAL:
The month of April is a huge testing month for our students, but
Melissa Craig
especially our 5th grade students. 5th grade students will be taking
Home of the Mustangs!
FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) ELA (English Language Arts),
FSA Math and FCAT Science. Students in grades third through
fifth will all take part in FAIR (Florida Assessment in Reading).
The Reading Comprehension sub-test of the Stanford 10 will be
Superintendent of Schools
administered to students in third grade and all of our students will
Jeff Eakins
be preparing for end of the year assessments in Math and Science
Chair—
in May.
Susan L. Valdes
Students will test every morning and will continue with lessons
Vice Chair—
throughout the afternoon. Learning continues every day students
Doretha W. Edgecomb
are in school. There are many standards yet to achieve to prepare
Members—
for the next grade level and the teachers utilize every minute of eveApril Griffin
ry day to ensure your child will be successful!
Sally Harris
Students will also be preparing for our end of the year perforCarol W. Kurdell
mance. They are working on learning their dances, lines and songs
Melissa Snively
for our performance on May 20th, so please mark your calendars
Cindy Stuart
and plan on attending.
It is a pleasure to work with the students who attend Metropolitan
Ministries Partnership School. We enjoy having the opportunity to
teach your child(ren) every day and thank you for being our partner
in their education.
Volume Issue 8
Page 2
April 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
Happy
5th grade ELP
GOOD
FRIDAY
Birthday
Senora!
NO
SCHOOL
5th grade ELP
5
6
HAPPY
EASTER!
7
8
9
SAC meeting
Happy Birthday
Birthday Falicia &
@ 3pm
Ms. Schardt!
Na’Shaon!
14
Happy
10
11
5th grade ELP
5th grade ELP
KG-2nd field trip to
the public library
15
16
17
18
Happy Birthday
Julian!
FSA 5th
grade Math
Happy
Happy
Birthday
Birthday
Destiny!
Amariha!
24
25
12
13
National
Library week
4/12-4/18
FSA 5th grade FSA 5th grade
ELA
ELA
Report Cards
Distributed
Return signed
report card envelopes
19
20
21
22
Administrative Professional Week
4/19-4/25
More Health
KG & 1st
5th grade
FCAT Science
EARTH DAY!
Happy
Administrative
Professionals
Day
Birthday
26
27
5th grade
FCAT Science
28
FSA 5th
grade Math
23
Ms. Sokol!
29
30
Happy Birthday
Dr. Hernandez!
April
birthday
celebration
4th grade
Florida Orchestra field
trip
Volume Issue 8
Page 3
A Message from Your Assistant Principal
Melissa Craig
Happy Spring!
Most of our students have finished the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) and the SAT-10. Thank you
all for encouraging your child/children to do their best. It can be a very stressful time for both students
and staff.
In the month of April fifth graders will be completing the FSA Reading & Math. These tests will be taken on the computer. The Science FCAT will be paper/pencil. Third graders will complete the SAT-10
Reading Comprehension on April 14th.
3rd
grade
5th
grade
5th
grade
5th
grade
SAT-10
April 14
Paper/Pencil
FSA Math
April 13-17
Computer
FSA English Language
Arts
FCAT 2.0 Science
April 20-24
Computer
April 27-28
Paper/Pencil
It is hard to believe that we have so little time left in the school year. The end of the 3rd nine weeks was
Friday, March 27th and Monday, March 30th was the beginning of our last nine weeks of the 2014-2015
school year.
We want the students to continue to work hard and be prepared for the next grade level. I am very
proud of all their efforts. We are working hard to make sure that every single child will feel pride in
achieving success.
Thank you again for all your support in making this year a success for our children.
Reading Coach Corner
Teachers have been working continuously to teach students how to read more closely. This skill will
prove useful during testing, but more importantly reading closely gives the reader a much deeper understanding of what was read. Students read closely to, “determine what the text says explicitly, to make logical inferences from their interactions with a text, and cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text” (National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010 , p. 10 ). Reading closely is equally as important
when writing in response to text. With fictional text it is important to understand the characters and
their motivations. When it comes to informational text, students must be able to identify important facts
and synthesize that information. You can help your child by asking them to talk about what they read
and share their thoughts/opinions about the text.
Volume Issue 8
Page 4
From Mrs. Hambrick, Kindergarten
Spring has sprung! Kindergarten students have grown by leaps and bounds over these last
few months, and I can’t wait to see all that they accomplish by the end of the school year.
Students are working hard in reading to increase their reading levels, increase the amount of
sight words they can recall and learn to pull evidence from text that will help them with
their comprehension and writing. In math, students continue to count by 1’s, 5’s and 10’s to
100. You can help your child by counting with them while doing tasks, when brushing teeth,
or even when walking. Kindergarteners are also learning to identify and compare two and
three dimensional shapes in the environment. In Science, students are observing plants and
animals to describe how they are alike and different. Social Studies concepts continue to be
practiced through the life of the classroom as students show kindness and respect to one
another.
Happy Spring!
From Mrs. Smith, First Grade
Happy Spring!! I am so proud of each and every one of my first grade students on the effort they
put forth in the Stanford Achievement Test. I am confident that each child tried their best and
positive results will be reflected! Great Job first grade! The month of April will be filled with rigorous learning as we all prepare for second grade. In Reading, we will continue to monitor comprehension and fluency. Our goal is to be reading at a level 18 or higher at 53+ words per minute
by the end of the year. First graders will continue to analyze characters, find the problem/solution, retell stories with a beginning/middle/end, make predictions and connections, and
identify the cause and effect in our shared reading. We will explore poetry this month as well.
Please continue to fill out the monthly book log- your child should be reading 20 minutes daily. In
math, we will move into time. At home, you can have your child identify the time on an analog
clock when you are leaving or arriving home. Thank you for all you do to support your child's education. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me, I am here to help!
From Ms. Bostwick, Second Grade
Spring is in the air and 2nd grade is moving right along with it. We are learning
about the Human body and what some of our organs do. In Math we finished
our money lesson and have started to tell time on an analog clock. Continue to
practice both skills at home. Then it’s off to our Measurement unit. In Reading,
we have completed our unit on “Cinderella”. The students enjoyed reading various versions of this timeless fairy tale. Ask your child and see what their favorite
was? We made it through our Stanford 10 (SAT-10) testing and we’re full speed
into the 4th and final nine weeks of school! Keep up the support at home with
reading 30 minutes and making sure homework is completed every night!
Volume Issue 8
Page 5
From Ms. Perez, Third Grade
I am very proud of all the hard work our students did this last week on their FSA assessments. While those are now behind
us we are still working to finish up the school year and complete the Stanford Reading Comprehension Assessment and all
of our district End-of Year exams.
In Reading, we continue to practice all of the comprehension strategies we have worked on. Next, Thursday we will have a
special lunch for our successes that we worked on over the last month. Please continue to assist us by having your student
read each and every night for at least 30 minutes. This should also continue throughout the summer! This will help maintain their stamina for reading independently, increase their vocabulary and overall improve their academics. As we begin to
prepare for the next grade level, it becomes more and more important to make sure your child is focused, prepared and
ready to face the challenges ahead. Please make sure you communicate this to your student so that our partnership is a
strong force for them to do well in all areas.
PLEASE continue to practice the times tables with your child daily, especially during the summer months. Your child will
confirm that each and every day we come across problems where multiplication skills are needed. Students who have not
mastered these will continue to struggle in the future with solving math problems.
Thank you for all you do and for your support…..
From Mrs. Wilcox, Fourth Grade
Hello Parents,
The 4th graders have finished their testing season. Everyone of the students worked very hard throughout the duration of the tests. We will now spend the remainder of the year preparing for the 5th grade. In
Math, we will review units and work on mastering critical math skills. In Reading, we will continue
strengthening our comprehension and other reading strategies. In Writing, our focus will remain on being
stronger informative and argumentative writers. In Science, will be wrapping up the year with Life Science. In Social Studies, we will continue our Florida studies by learning about Roaring 20’s, The Great
Depression and WWII in Florida. In addition to all the learning that will be occurring, we will be implementing more use of technology for the students. The students will begin using the computers to compose their assignments, take regular assessments, and create their own student work. Finally, please remember to use and check student planners for important communications.
From Mrs. Ferlita, Fifth Grade
I am truly impressed by how much each and every fifth grade student has grown academically this year. They have really worked
hard and it shows! We are getting ready to take the FSA and FCAT tests at the end of this month to show what we have learned
this year. We will test the weeks of April 13th (Reading), April 20th (Math) and April 27th (Science). If you have access to a
computer, please have your child working on FCAT Explorer for science. This site is very helpful to review and to practice the
style of questions that will be on the test. For reading and math, have them practice on any of the sites I have sent previously for
those subjects. Going over homework with your child daily will also help get them ready for the tests. Please have your child get
to bed early and eat a good breakfast during testing to help ensure success!
Please remind your child to practice the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, in every part of their day. This will help them
continue to be successful this year, next year in middle school, and throughout their life. Ask your child their goals for the future
and their plan for achieving. We are very proud of how much our 5th grade students have learned this year and look forward to
a focused, productive and successful closing to the end of their 5th grade school year.
Page 6
Volume Issue 8
Guidance Corner
Happy April, the month that we celebrate and learn about “Building Courage and Character” focusing on
honesty, influencing others, courage and leadership.
Growing Character: Teaching Children About Courage
By Jody McVittie, M.D.
Do superheroes have courage? I’d say, “Absolutely!” But if you ask superheroes in our community how they achieved what they did, courage will probably not be among the first words they utter. Instead they would be likelier to tell you that they just did what was “right,” or that they are just being
themselves.
We often think of courage as big — as something that is perhaps lacking in our own makeup. That’s because courage looks different from the outside
than it feels from the inside. Interesting, isn’t it? From the outside, the work that superheroes do looks courageous. From the inside it feels like “just
being me.”
Perhaps our confusion results from how we hold the word courage. The word itself is derived from the Latin cor, meaning heart. Maybe courage isn’t as
much about heroism as it is about moving in the direction of becoming our best selves: to be connected, contributing members of our community.
Sometimes that might manifest as a heroic rescue, or a bold and daring act. Most of the time, though, courage is quieter. Courage is welcoming a new
neighbor, cooking soup for a friend who is sick, cleaning up the traffic circle, speaking out when a friend is being taunted or hurt, sharing your sandwich
with a friend at school who forgot her lunch or picking up garbage not because you dropped it but because it is the right thing to do.
Because courage can be quiet, we tend to underrate or overlook our own acts of courage. I frequently work with teachers who can easily identify courage
in their students, but fail to recognize the kind of courage it takes to show up every day in the classroom, eager to share knowledge but expecting that
there will be unanticipated obstacles that will make sharing knowledge both challenging and rewarding.
Where do you see courage, in yourself and in others? How can we help our children understand what courage looks and feels like?
Here are some tips for teaching your children about courage:
Help them see their own courage. When you see courage in your children, identify it. “It took courage to stand up for yourself like that.” “It sounds like you
did the right thing even though it wasn’t easy. That is what we call courage.”
Make a family practice of connecting and contributing. Plan a short activity that gives back each week. Children have fun doing this as a secret. They can
deliver flowers anonymously to a neighbor’s doorstep, take a short clean-up walk around the block or write a note of appreciation to a teacher or friend.
Self-reflect in the presence of your children. “At work today I heard someone say, ‘That is so gay.’ I like this person, but didn’t like what they said. It was the
first time I’ve been able to stop and let someone else know that I thought the comment was hurtful.”
Model doing what is right for you, even when it isn’t popular with your child.
“Mom, can I stay over at Liz’s house?” , my daughter asked one day. “Will her parents be home in the evening?”, I asked. “Probably.” , she quickly responded,
to which I replied, “I’ll call.” “Nooo…! No one does that anymore!”, she exclaimed loudly. My response- “Well, I do. I trust you, and I think it is important for
parents to be home when there are friends over.”
Volume Issue 8
Page 7
April Birthdays!
Senora, Falicia, Na’Shaon, Julian, Destiny, Amariha, Ms. Schardt, Dr. Hernandez, & Ms. Sokol
*All Birthdays will be celebrated at the end of each month
Websites for your students to use when at home:
FCAT EXPLORER
The FCAT Explorer is a free, multi-grade, online practice program that supports the Sunshine State Standards and FCATlike practice questions that include incorrect and correct answer explanations. Your child can use FCAT Explorer for free on
any computer with Internet Access.
Website: www.fcatexplorer.com
Student account login:
Sign-in name: last name+first Initial
Password: 29+first 4 letters of last name+birth month+day
Example login: Smith, Michael
Sign-in name: SMITHM -> last name+first initial
Password: 29SMIT0108 -> 29(District #)+first 4 letters of last name+birth month+day
www.starfall.com
www.coolmath.com
Science:
www.myngconnect.com
National Geographic: On the Nat Geo home page click on For Students
Login: student number
Password: h + birth month + birth year Example: Feb 2003 (h22003)
Reading:
Renaissance Place
www.myon.com
Math:
Fastt Math http://elementarymath.mysdhc.org/FASTTMathStudentLogin
mySPOT, your online connection to HCPS resources
mySPOT is a rich resource for parents and students with links to important HCPS connections.

Volume Issue 8
Page 8
Regular school attendance
Information for parents:
Regular attendance and being at school on time are imperative to your child’s success in his/her education. Please
try to have your child at school on time every day. If your child is sick and will be absent from school, please call
us and let us know so we can excuse the absence. If something unforeseen occurs and you are late, please escort
your child in to the school to sign him/her in on the computer.
Thank you so much for partnering with us in your child’s education!
Did you know? Research shows higher student attendance is associated with higher student achievement.
Why is regular attendance important?
Regular school attendance will mean that your child will have a better chance at success both academically and in life.
Are you having problems getting your child to school?
If so, a set routine can help.

Have a set bedtime

Have a set time to wake up

Have school clothes and backpack ready the night before

Have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast

Create a set time for homework daily

Talk about school in a positive manner

Be consistent and send your child to school every school day, including their birthday
and the last day of school!
“Mustang Shop”
Our “Mustang Shop” is part of our attendance incentive we developed for parents. “Each day your child arrives to school on time you
will receive 10 points. If your child is present, but arrives late you will receive 5 points. Perfect attendance at the end of the semester
earns an extra 100 points per family!
The “Mustang Shop” is open every conference night for parents to shop and use their points. After the parent attends the conference,
the teacher awards the points earned to the parent. The parent then may go to the area designated for the “Mustang Shop” and spend
their points. Points do not roll over to the next conference night, so we encourage everyone to spend all of the points.
The “Mustang Shop” carries various products to choose from that include a variety of items: laundry detergent, student supplies, toiletries, jewelry, purses, toys, books, household supplies, etc. All items are donated by teachers, administration, and our business partners.
Items will vary according to availability.