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San Carlos Park Elementary Newsletter
Center for the Arts
17282 Lee Road, Fort Myers, FL 33967 ~ 239/267-1234 ~ 239/267-0057 (Fax)
Aida C. Saldivar
Principal
The School Board of Lee County, Florida: Cathleen O'Daniel Morgan, District 3, Chairman; Steven K. Teuber, District 4, Vice Chairman; Mary Fischer, District 1; Jeanne S. Dozier, District 2; Pamela H. LaRiviere , District 5;
Nancy J. Graham, Ed.D, Superintendent.
Breakfast Time:
Office Hours:
Teacher Hours:
Student Hours:
Kids Care Hours:
7:30 AM –7:50 AM
7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
7:25 AM - 2:55 PM
7:55AM - 2:10 PM
2:15 PM - 6:00 PM
Tammy Forkey
Assistant Principal
May 1, 2015
https://twitter.com/SanCarlosPkEle
From the Principal, Ms. Aida C. Saldivar
Dear Parents,
It has been a very busy month for us at SCPE. All our hard work
these last few years is starting to pay off. Our Arts Department put on an outstanding performance that had the audience
up on their feet cheering and crying with excitement! Our students are excelling as leaders and have really gone above and
beyond to help each other be the best they can be. In addition,
our school was recognized on April 28th at the School Board
meeting for earning “Lighthouse” status from the Stephen Covey
Foundation, one of only 120 Lighthouse schools in the world!
Great things are happening and it is all because of your lovely
children, our outstanding and caring staff, and your generous
support. As we wind down the school year, we are encouraging
students to focus on learning as much as they can to prepare
them for the next grade level.
In closing, I would like to inform you that our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Tammy Forkey has transferred to another school in the
district in order to gain more experience and prepare herself to
become a principal in the future. Mrs. Forkey will be sorely
missed and we thank her for the many years of service to our
community.
Announcing SAC & PTO New Board for 2015/16
SAC Chairperson
Tess Brennan
PTO Board
Math Coach, Ms. Abby Baker
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESS IN MATH
All grade levels have sprung right into measurement
standards. From telling time, to measuring oil for a recipe, to weighing ourselves, measurement is used regularly
in our daily lives. The more children are exposed to these
concepts, the better understanding they will have of
them. Below are some practical ways that you can reinforce measurement concepts with your child.
• Ask your child what time it is.
• After dinner, practice, homework, etc., give your child
the starting and ending times and ask how long it took
• Have your child pick out the milk by telling her that
you need a quart or a gallon
• Have your child weigh himself and discuss pounds,
ounces, grams, kilograms
• Measure your child and discuss inches, feet, meters,
and centimeters
• In the car, talk about how far you are driving in miles
and kilometers
President- Bobbi Leighton
Vice President- Christian Brandt
Secretary - Kathy Fraiser
We are pleased to welcome to San Carlos Park
Elementary, Mrs. Tera Sherman, our new
school counselor.
Treasurer- Carina Rubiera–Roche
SCPE Literacy Nook
April reading brings May celebrating!! That is what
we hope for, so keep on reading and logging those
minutes in order to meet our Million Minute Challenge!!! As for Thinking Maps, we love all the thinking and mapping going on around SCPE! Please be
sure to review the difference between the Circle Map (used to
define, brainstorm, discuss, identify, & tell everything you
know) and the Bubble Map (used to describe with adjectives,
name characteristics and qualities, outline use of vivid language
and observation, while using the five senses). Keeping the use
of these two Thinking Maps clear will help us think effectively
and map what we know efficiently. Keep up the great work!!!
Ms. Pineda/Mrs. Reid
Counselor’s Corner with Mrs. Sherman
Self-Talk Helps Your Child Say No
Whether it is joining in playground teasing or watching a
forbidden movie, your child may sometimes feel pressured
to do things to fit in. To help your child say no to things
that don’t match your family’s values, have her repeat to
herself:
• I can say no to things that would put me in danger.
• I can make good choices for myself.
• I can say, “You’re my friend, but I don’t choose to
do that.”
• It’s OK if I make choices that are not the same as
the choices my friends make.
Kindergarten: Kindergarten has all the building blocks from
the first three quarters, and we are ready to build a stair
case to First grade! Quarter four is all about mastering
those crucial learning standards that will ensure our students make a successful transition into First grade. We are
moving on to unit six in our reading series: Putting It Together. Our story selections include informational text,
animal fantasy, expository nonfiction and informational fiction. In Math, we are on the final two chapters of Go Math.
We have moved beyond 3-D shapes into measurement and
finally classifying and sorting data. They are doing great!
Kindergarten needs YOU! Please help us reach our Million
Minute goal by recording any and all minutes of reading with
your child. We are super excited to reach our goal and have
a hero day at school, but we can’t do it without you.
First Grade: First grade is off to a great start in quarter
4. At the end of April, all of First grade will be attending
the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. We are excited to
incorporate our Social Studies standards with past and present events throughout this field trip. In Math, we have
started to explore and learn all about 3-dimensional shapes.
In Reading, we are continuing to work on mastery of all
First grade skills as we prepare for Second grade. It is
going to be an awesome rest of the year!
Second Grade: Second graders have been working very
hard to finish the year strong! In reading, we will be focusing on author’s purpose, drawing conclusions, summarizing, facts and details, and comparing and contrasting. In
Math, we will be concluding our chapter on data collection
and graphing. Second graders will finish the year off with
fractions and geometry. Let’s end the year strong and help
to prepare ourselves for next year!
Third Grade: Third grade is excited to be finished with
testing! We have worked hard all year to reach this point
and we are happy to be finished with these important
tests. Third grade is excited for our field trip next month
to FGCU’s Kleist Health Education Department. We will
also be starting Science Fair soon, so start thinking of ideas! We are continuing to work on mastering Math and Reading standards. In Science, we will be learning about the
different forms of energy and getting more in depth with
light energy. In Social Studies, we will be learning about
the government. Please encourage your children to keep
reading for our Million Minutes super hero day. We are
half way there!
Fourth Grade: Fourth grade is excited to start Science
Fair projects! Students will explore, experiment, and investigate while working on a team. The investigations will
take place here at school. Each group will be responsible
for presenting information from their experiment. We
are currently working with geometry in Math as well as
working hard to master math facts for the end of the year
Math Bee! Don’t forget to log those Million Minutes!
Fifth Grade: April has been a great month for Fifth graders!
Students returned from Spring Break refreshed and ready to
work hard. We know we rocked the Reading and Math FSA
and are ready for the Science FCAT! We are also brainstorming in our classrooms, thinking of amazing Science Fair
project ideas. Students will be working in teams, with the
projects due on May 18th. We are also very excited for our
upcoming Busch Gardens trip on May 8th. Students have been
looking forward to the trip all year long. Although the end of
the year is approaching, remind your Fifth grader to stay focused and continue to do his/her best.
Gifted: This month, the students continue to refine
their research and presentation skills. Third, fourth
and fifth graders are learning Prezi, and they are excited about this way of being creative and sharing information. In STEM, the students most recently made
catapults out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands (and a
few other items)! These were very successful and the
students really enjoyed this project!
Art: In the final quarter, we are all becoming masters
at clay. All students are working on making pinch pots,
designing them, then painting them. We are learning
how to manipulate clay and form it into different
shapes.
Technology: Students are working hard to learn tenfinger typing from memory. Fifth grade is making a
graduation slide about themselves in PowerPoint.
Fourth grade is working on making a digital map of Florida, focusing on legends, directions, and placing symbols. Third grade is working on making a Tree Map in
Word , focused on the different levels of government.
Second grade is working on Thinking Maps and Paint,
focusing on the seasons and weather. First grade continues to make a map of Florida in Publisher. Kindergarten is enjoying learning the keyboard, and are becoming master digital painters!
Dance: Fifth graders are practicing technique to prepare for middle school level dance classes. Second,
Third and Fourth graders are creating their own dance
pieces
by
incorporating
elements
of
dance. First Graders and Kindergarteners are learning
ballet basics and beginning improvisation. All grade
levels are discussing dances from other cultures and
discovering how dance is a global language.
Music: We can’t believe the year is almost over! Third,
Fourth, and Fifth graders have finished presenting
their composer projects. They looked amazing! Fifth,
Third, and Second graders are now focusing on different genres of music. Fourth graders are learning songs
from Florida. Kindergarteners and First graders are
listening to music and describing how it makes them
feel.
Science: Third graders are making pendulums in their
investigation of mechanical energy. Fourth graders are
using table tennis balls to investigate force and motion.
In an effort to find the effect that an introduced
(exotic) species has on an environment, 5th graders are
creating a simulation to find out whether the new species becomes invasive.
Instruments: This month in Instruments, we are wrapping up the year by reviewing everything we have
learned. Fifth grade is sharpening instrument listening
skills. Third and Fourth grades are finishing recorder
units. Second grade is learning how to play polyphonic
music on the Orff instruments. First grade and Kindergarten are reviewing instrument technique, and beginning instrument sound recognition.
Physical Education: Thank you for your support of
Jump Rope for Heart. We raised a total of $4,342.72
for the American Heart Association. Students have
been playing the game of kickball and working on kickball skills (throwing, rolling, catching, fielding, and kicking). Field Day is at the end of May. If you would like
to volunteer on this day, please keep a look out for that
information over the next few weeks.