1 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 Susick Elementary School Mr. Pat Cavanaugh, Principal Ms. Kim Teschke, Secretary Mrs. Amy Kovacs, Clerk Phone 586/825-2665 Fax 586/698-4376 Absence Reporting Line: 586/825-2665 ext. 2 DECEMBER 2014 12/8 PTO Meeting in Media Center – 6:30 p.m. 1st, 3rd & 5th grade Troy Fire Department presentations 12/9 ELL Parent Meeting in Conference Room – 9:00 a.m. Holiday Shop Vendor Preview 6-8 p.m. 12/10 - 12/12 Holiday Shop 12/11 1st & 2nd Grade Music Concert – 7:00 p.m. 12/15 - 12/17 Jump Rope for Heart during gym class 12/19 1/2 Day of School – 12:03 Dismissal Spirit Day – Wear All Red Day NO SCHOOL 12/22/2014 – 1/4/2015 JANUARY 2015 1/5/2015 Classes resume 1/12 P.T.O. Meeting in Media Center – 6:30 p.m. 1/13 ELL Parent Meeting in Conference Room – 9:00 a.m. 1/14 K-2nd Progress Reports sent home 1/16 1/2 Day of School – 12:03 Dismissal 1/19 NO SCHOOL – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 1/30 Spirit Day – Space Character or Alien Day 1/2 Day of School – 12:03 Dismissal Winter Blues Festival 4-8 p.m. 2 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 COLD WEATHER ALERT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT We are excited for our upcoming 1st and 2nd grade Music concert on Tuesday, December 11th at 7pm in the Susick gym. Our Music and Band Teacher, Mrs. Vickilyn Withrow, has been working diligently with our students and this concert will provide an opportunity for the students to showcase their talents. Also during the month of December, our 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders will have a presentation put on by Chuck Roberts from the Troy Fire Department. Mr. Roberts comes every year to teach our 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders about fire safety lessons and he is back to work with a new group of students. The students will learn about escaping fires, warning signs, smoke detectors, and other safety measures to prevent fires within the home. Mr. Roberts will also be here later in the year to present fire safety tips to our Kindergarten students. His Kindergarten presentation is very interactive. He will play the guitar, sing songs with the students and show off his firefighter uniform. With our holiday break coming up, I encourage our parents/guardians to ensure our students are reading over the holiday break. This two week break will be an important time for your child to continue his/her reading progress. Please set aside the time to read to or with your child. In addition, we also have schoolwide license for IXL.com that your child can access at home with his/her unique username and password. This program allows your child to practice specific math skills based on his/her ability level. If you have any questions about the IXL program or need your child’s username and password, please feel free to contact Mr. Cavanaugh or your child’s teacher. Please plan your child’s arrival time to school as close to the entrance time as possible. Students enter the building at 8:47 A.M. On inclement weather days (rain or temperatures below 15°), children will be allowed to enter the building through regular class entrance doors at 8:42 A.M. With cold weather almost here, students should dress warmly wearing hats, mittens, boots, etc. All children are expected to go outside on days that weather permits. This is especially true before and after lunch. The decision for going outside at lunch recess is made after 11:00 A.M. each day. Factors determining outdoor recess are temperature, wind-chill index and sun. In many cases, it is much colder when children arrive at school than what it might be at lunch recess. Just to be on the safe side, parents should dress students based on the event that it will be outdoor recess. Exceptions to going outside will only be made with a written request from your child’s doctor. SCHOOL CLOSING INFO PLEASE LISTEN TO AM RADIO STATIONS WJR 760 OR WWJ 950, WATCH TV CHANNELS 2, 4 OR 7, OR CHECK THE INTERNET AT www.wcskids.net FOR THE SCHOOL CLOSING LISTED AS: MACOMB COUNTY WARREN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS 3 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 WELCOME CLASS OF 2028! On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Warren Consolidated Schools will host an informational parent meeting for all families with children entering Kindergarten in September 2015. The meeting will begin at 6:00pm in the Performing Arts Center located at 12901 Fifteen Mile Road in Sterling Heights, attached to Sterling Heights High School. Parents attending will be provided with info about: All Day and Half-Day Kindergarten options Year-Round and Traditional School Calendar Kindergarten curriculum Health requirements to attend Kindergarten Breakfast and lunch options Transportation Before- or after-school Latchkey services In addition, student registration packets will be available as well as information on registration dates and times. Please plan on attending this important step in starting your child’s formal education in the Warren Consolidated Schools. For more information, please visit the WCS webpage, www.wcskids.net PRESCHOOL Susick’s 3 year old Preschool has openings in the P.M. session. Enrollment for January 2015 and general information is available online at www.wcskids.net To register, please complete the preschool online forms. For additional assistance, contact the preschool office (586) 698-4428 or email [email protected] RECOGNIZING SUSICK SERVICE SQUAD/SAFETY PATROL MEMBERS! Congratulations to the following students who were chosen as Safety Patrol members for the months of December and January: December: Dylan Davis George Werde Yasir Saleem January: Sam Tripon Kayleigh Stouffer Haadia Javed Congratulations to the following students who were chosen as Service Squad for the months of December and January: December Service Squad of the Month Adel Zekic Meredith Weir Alana Linville Natalia Zoma Ashley Horne Mateo Gonzalez Sabria Chowdhury January Service Squad of the Month Jatin Kaveti Selena Elias Ella Henson Julia Dahlerup Rory Fosbinder Olivia Wilson Victoria Khomyk Thank you for doing a good job boys and girls! 4 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 Our grade level poster contest winners: VOCAL CONCERT Susick Elementary is excited to invite you to a very special evening of music presented by the 1st and 2nd grade classes under the direction of our music teacher, Mrs. Withrow! Who is performing: All 1st and 2nd grade students What: Winter Vocal Concert Date: Thursday, December 11, 2014 Time students need to arrive & go to their classrooms: between 6:30-6:45 p.m. Time of Conert: 7:00 p.m.—Showtime! Where: Susick Elementary School Gymnasium Wear: Students need to wear clean, neat dress-up clothes and shoes. (Clothing does not need to reflect any specific holiday.) (Please make sure all clothing is school appropriate.) Cost: Free! Who is invited: All friends and family of our performers! To celebrate American Education Week (November 16 - 22), many parents and students collaborated to enter the Student/Parent Poster Contest. We have one grade level winner for each grade. These winners will be presented at the WCS Board Meeting on December 3 at the Performing Art Center. They will go on to compete in the district (Warren Consolidated Schools) competition. Good luck Susick Dragons. Congratulations to all the participants. Kindergarten: Rosell Arkan (Mrs. Koch) 1st Grade: Gurleen Kaur (Mr. Brandon) 2nd Grade: Ava Bunao (Ms. Marshall) 3rd Grade: Okisho Lazar (Mrs. Whiting) 4th Grade: Benjamin Matich (Mrs. Mutter) 5th Grade: Thasnim Ahmed (Mrs. DeGroot) KINDERGARTEN Our Kindergartners have been busy around Susick Elementary! We enjoyed learning about Thanksgiving traditions in the month of November, and especially wearing our Thanksgiving costumes. Our students also took their first IOWA test in November and December. The children learned a lot about living things in our first Science unit, including what is necessary for plants to grow and facts about worms. Our second unit is called “Senses.” It includes interactive activities where students will make scientific observations through their five senses. In Social Studies, the focus is on Communities and Community Workers. We have been practicing our Math skills with identifying and ordering numbers. Please continue identifying and writing numbers 020, and counting to 100. The Book-It Program has launched and many students have already earned their free pizzas—way to go! We encourage families to continue reading with your children each night. Teachers will be sending home students’ supply boxes to be cleaned and restocked before the holiday recess. Also, feel free to send in more Clorox/Lysol wipes, as germs continue to be spread. Have a Happy Holiday Season! 5 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 FIRST GRADE SECOND GRADE In first grade we are continuing to work on language arts daily. We have been focused on writing with capital letters and ending our sentences with periods. We have used a variety of learning experiences and been utilizing the Daily 5 model of organization. Second grade is really working hard at being RESPONSIBLE. We are remembering: our take home folders, reading at least 15-20 minutes every day, practicing our addition and subtraction math facts, neatly completing our sentences and bringing them back on time, and trying to do our BEST every day in everything we do. In mathematics we are learning about addition and have been using many different methods to reach the sum. These methods are not limited to but include; using counters, base ten blocks and other manipulatives to experience with a hands-on approach. Our Turkeys were well disguised! It looks like they made it through Thanksgiving. Our second graders spent quality family time disguising their turkeys so they would not be eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. Hope you had a chance to see them in the second grade hallway during conferences. In social studies we learned about the importance of rules both in school, at home and in our community. We will be learning more about our community in the upcoming months. In science we are studying how “Measuring Matters.” Students have been using standard and non-standard measuring tools. We had a wonderful experience at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. Thank you for all of your support. In science we learned about an Animal’s Life. Next, we will be learning about Sorting Things Out. We were able to see the life cycle of a Monarch Butterfly. Thank you to Mrs. Martz’s class for taking care of our friends. In math the students have learned to recognize coins, counting collections of coins to $1.00, and making change. Many students need a lot of practice…please help them at home and encourage them to take advantage of IXL.com to help their speed and accuracy with counting money. The students should be able to count to 1,000, know place value of hundreds, tens, and ones, and know order from least to greatest/greatest to least. Also practice counting by twos, fives, tens, and twentyfives. We are still working hard in reading. We are learning how to summarize, sequence, and find the main idea with second grade level texts. Enjoy getting together with your friends and family during this Holiday Season. 6 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 THIRD GRADE writing unit, students will work on personal essays. Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences It was wonderful to speak with all of our 3rd grade parents regarding each child’s progress. Remember to use Parent Portal to keep track of your child’s grades, missing assignments, etc. Thanksgiving The turkey feathers made a beautiful and colorful hallway display. Students loved reading about the many reasons their parents are thankful for them. The 3rd graders will celebrate the holiday season with a multicultural potluck. We are extremely thankful to all of the parents who have volunteered to help make this event a success. Everyone will enjoy delicious food which represents the diverse cultures that we have here at Susick Elementary. Reading All teachers have incorporated small guided reading groups in their Daily 5 rotations. These include: read with the teacher, read to self, read to someone, work on writing, and word work. In our Benchmark Literacy curriculum, we have learned about the various features of biographies, personal narratives and historical fiction. Students have been practicing comprehension strategies including: identifying the main idea and supporting details, analyzing character, and identifying sequence of events. Writing We finally finished our personal narratives unit. Students worked hard while writing these. In Writer’s Workshop, we are learning how to use our writing “voices”. These writing traits include: voice, organization, ideas, conventions, excellent word choice and sentence fluency. In our next Math All 3rd graders are currently working on multiplication. Students are learning about arrays and they are using repeated addition. Please practice multiplication facts on a daily basis. Your child should be logging in to IXL for additional practice with 3rd grade math concepts. It is required by all 3rd grade teachers. Don’t forget to utilize the Pearson website to access your child’s math book at home. All classrooms have incorporated math rotations. Students are also learning about the 8 mathematical practices. Social Studies All classes completed the first chapter in our Michigan Studies book. We studied the geography of Michigan. In addition to this, we spent some time practicing map skills. We have moved on to Chapter 2: Michigan’s First People. Students are learning about the various tribes which inhabited our state. Science We wrapped up our first unit about life science. Students took an assessment on the material we were able to cover. We have moved on to part I of our physical science unit: “Changes in Motion”. 7 The Susick Spotlight FOURTH GRADE This month in Reading and Writing students are focusing on summarizing significant events from a story in sequential order. For narrative texts in which characters have problems or conflicts the students are using the “Somebody-WantedBut-So-Then” framework. The students identify who wanted something, what they wanted, what conflict arose, and the resolution. Summarizing improves reading and critical thinking skills as students decide on the main ideas of the reading to include in the summary. The students are reviewing division and exploring ways multiplication and division are related. This relationship can be shown with fact families. A fact family is made up of multiplication and division facts that include all the same numbers. You can help your child develop his or her understanding of fact families by practicing at home. The ability to complete multi-digit multiplication is dependent upon mastery of the basic facts. It is important that your child knows all the multiplication facts through 12. We are starting a new unit in Science called Energy Transfer. We will be starting with heat energy. Each class will be conducting an exciting experiment with hot cocoa and marshmallows this month. This experiment shows how heat energy transfers from the hot cocoa to the marshmallows. The students are looking forward to this experiment! Later on in the unit, we will be working with the other types of energy: electrical and magnetism. December 2014 & January 2015 The students have been learning about the Michigan Territory in Social Studies. They studied how the land changed over time and discussed the differing viewpoints of the settlers and the Native Americans in the Michigan Territory. The students read about the exploration and opening of Michigan and how it affected the people involved. The students explored how the new settlers in Michigan adapted to and changed their environment. We also recognized Veteran’s Day by reading an article about this holiday and discussing ways to recognize those who served in our armed forces. FIFTH GRADE: Mrs. Dell and Mrs. DeGroot’s class are working on Reading Strategies to help the students with comprehension and critical thinking skills. We have a classroom board devoted to the strategies and the students are actively engaged in the process. Each month the students engage in ‘Reader’s Theatre’. As groups, the students practice a short play and present it to their classmates. In Writing, the students continue to work on personal narratives. Students are focusing on using transition words when beginning a paragraph. They are also learning to use 8 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 figurative language and making sure that conventions of good writing are being utilized. Darren B. – I am thankful for my family and friends. In Social Studies, students are finishing up on their examinations of famous explorers and moving into a study of the thirteen American Colonies. Soon, the students will be selecting a colonial occupation and researching the job for the upcoming Colonial Days in April. Sri Pavan C. – I am thankful for my great teacher. In mathematics the students are working on division, estimating and rounding off numbers to help the students do math mentally. Also, we continue to stress memorizing the basic facts to insure future mathematical success. In science class, we are finishing up our unit of Life Science. The topics we are studying are cell systems, animal classifications and the human body. Alyssa B. – I am thankful for food. Cosette F. – I am thankful for my friends and family. Fabio G. – I am thankful for the food they serve in the cafeteria. Anthony G. – I am thankful for having a dad that goes away and brings me cool things and that he loves me. Fran H. – I am thankful for clothes. Toby H. – I am thankful for God. Hannah H. – I am thankful for my family: Bradley, mom and dad. Alex K. – I am thankful for my family, health, my pet and my friends. Carlos K. – I am thankful for my dad, my mom, my brother and my cousins. Marsela M. – I am thankful for my family. Isabel M. – I am thankful for what I have because some people don’t have what I have. STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Mrs. Bailey’s Third Grade Students are Thankful for… Riveen A. – I am thankful for family. Gazelle A. – I am thankful for my mom, my dad, my sisters and my brother. Alexander N. – I am thankful for my family because I love them. Grace O. – I am thankful for mom and dad. Matthew R. – I am thankful for my life from God. Ashur S. – I am thankful for the kids back home. Mellana S. – I am thankful for my family and God and Jesus and Mary. Melissa S. – I am thankful for my mom and dad and my two sisters, Suada and Ally. 9 The Susick Spotlight Martina S. – I am thankful for my family, my cousin, my friends and my teacher. Eric S. – I am thankful for being smart and healthy. Helen Y. – I am thankful for my school. Annabelle Z. – I am thankful for my mom and dad and my sisters, Merna and Natalia. December 2014 & January 2015 Kayla K. – I am thankful for my family. Sarah K. – I’m thankful for my big sister because she takes care of me. Angelina M. – I am thankful for the food and drink God gives us. Kevin M. – I am thankful for my dad because he loves me and helps me with everything I am stuck on. Alexis N. – I am thankful for being alive. Kyra P. – I’m thankful for my parents. Mrs. Sahlaney’s Third grade students are thankful for: Mohammed A. – I am thankful for my cousin because he is the same age as me. Gisselle A. – I’m thankful that my parents always care about me. Breanna E. – I’m thankful for my parents because they are nice and care for me. Daniella P. – I’m thankful for my parents because they would do anything to keep me healthy and safe. Jasa P. – I am thankful for my mom and my dad. Geri S. – I’m thankful for my dad because when I was little he used to take care of me and he really liked me. Christian T. – I’m thankful for my mom because she makes yummy food. Paidros E. – I’m thankful for my parents. Hans T. – I’m thankful for Sundays because it is a day off of school. Dean F. - I’m thankful that I’m living and for the good life I have. Vanessa Y. - I’m thankful for the school; how it has bricks and we stay safe under it. Yuliya F. – I’m thankful for school, having a house, and food. Ronald F. – I am thankful for weekends. Chloe F. – I am thankful for food and water. Noah G. – I am thankful for food. Mrs. Whiting’s Third Grade Class is Thankful for…. Andrina G. – I’m thankful for my parents. * My mom and dad because they like me. (Kennett) Reneah K. – I am thankful for my Lord. * Having my cousin because she always stood up for me when I was little. (Raameen) 10 The Susick Spotlight * Working around the house because it helps our house to stay strong. (Brian) * My brother because he is always there for me. (Henry) * My mom because she buys me clothes and makes me food. (Arely) * Being in school because this is the greatest school ever. (Faith) December 2014 & January 2015 * My mom and dad because my dad plays basketball with me. I am thankful for my mom because once a week we sleep together. I am also thankful for my dogs because life wouldn’t be fun without them. (Ella) * My mom because she buys me everything and she gives me everything. I love to snuggle with her at night. (Rafael) * My mom and dad because they take care of me. (Moira) * My family because my dad and mom take me where I want to go with my sister and brother. (Joey) * My family because they make me feel happy and they do everything for me. (Jeenall) * My family because they are really nice to me, take me to special places, and they love me a lot. (Jayla) * My dad because he is the best dad. He gets everything for us and takes us everywhere. (Suzan) * That I have a house and roof to live under so I won’t freeze. (Jamie) * My mom for giving me the best birthday ever. (Selena) * My family because they love me and care for me. (Dharma) * This wonderful group of students I get to work with every day! (Mrs. Whiting) * My mom supporting me because if she didn’t have a good paying job we wouldn’t have a roof over our heads. (Xander) * My teacher because she teaches me everything and makes me learn every time and never fail. (Odisho) * My parents because they made me and my house because it is my home. (Diane) * My family because they care for me and they give me shelter and food. (Avery) * My family because they take care of me when I am hurt or sick. They give me food. (Jasmine) * My family because they take good care of me. (Erin) * My family because they take good care of me. (Emanuel) Many thanks to all the students, parents, guardians, family members, staff and other Susick community adults who supported our Susick’s students by visiting the book fair and making purchases. Many of the books in the Susick collection would not be possible without the book fair profits. Hope everyone had an opportunity to visit the book fair and help make it a success. Remember to read 20 minutes every night. 11 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 Notes from Nursing Happy and Healthy Holidays! The holidays are a time for friends and family to gather, sharing conversation, good food, and potentially the influenza virus and other contagious illnesses. Reduce the risk of Seasonal flu by getting vaccine protection. Children and adults who are vaccinated will also provide added protection for the infants and grandparents who might be at the holiday gatherings and have the highest rates of complications from the disease. It’s not too late to vaccinate!! Pertussis (whooping cough) is also on the rise in the United States and here in Michigan. The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated. Make sure infants and young children get their 5 shots on time. Protection from the childhood vaccine fades over time. Adolescents and adults need to be revaccinated, even if they were completely vaccinated as children. This is especially important for families with new infants. Pertussis is a respiratory illness that is easily spread by coughing and sneezing. The disease starts like the common cold, with a runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and mild cough or fever. After 1 - 2 weeks, severe coughing begins. Infants and children with the disease cough violently and rapidly, over and over, until air is gone from their lungs and they are forced to inhale with a loud “whooping” sound. The coughing can last for weeks, even months. Adults and adolescents typically have a milder form of pertussis; however, they can still easily spread the infection to others, including infants and young children. Pertussis is most severe for babies; more than half of the infants less than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. Norovirus causes about 20 million gastroenteritis cases a year in the United States. There is no vaccine to prevent it. Wash your hands often and follow simple steps to stay healthy. Noroviruses are a group of related viruses. Infection with these viruses affects the stomach and intestines and causes an illness called gastroenteritis; inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The illness often begins suddenly. You may feel very sick, with stomach cramping, throwing up, or diarrhea. People with norovirus illness are contagious from the moment they begin to feel sick until at least 3 days after they recover, some may be contagious even longer. Norovirus can spread quickly from person to person in crowded, closed spaces like schools, daycare facilities and shopping malls. Wash your hands carefully with soap and warm water, especially after using the restroom and changing diapers, and always before eating or preparing food. If soap and water aren’t available use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Enjoy your holiday break, Julia Lechtenberg RN, NCSN WCS School Nurse December, 2014 Used with permission: CDC 12 The Susick Spotlight December 2014 & January 2015 SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR 2015 HOME CALENDARS Please share important days for everyone’s planners January 5 Classes Resume January 16 Half Day – 12:03 p.m. dismissal January 19 No School – Martin Luther King Day February 11 Count Day – Be sure to attend school February 13 Half Day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal February 16-20 No School – Mid-Winter Break March 12 Half day – Parent Teacher Conferences March 27 Half Day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal April 2 Half Day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal April 3 - 10 No School – Spring Break May 1 Half Day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal May 22 Half day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal May 25 No School – Memorial Day Break June 11 Half day – 12:03 p.m. Dismissal Last Day of School Year
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