Almost the end of the Quarter.....

Can you believe we are almost through the second quarter? It feels like just yesterday I was meeting all the kiddos for 'Meet the Teacher', showing them where their cubbies were going to be. They have made a lot of growth from that first day and we have been working hard to master our quarter2 goals. Language Arts In reading, we have been working on identifying the story elements (character and setting) in fiction books. You can support this goal by asking your child to identify the character and setting in their favorite story. Heck, you can even ask them to identify the characters/setting in their favorite TV show! We have also been working on phoneme segmentation (being able to break a word into basic sounds) and nonsense word fluency (sounding out and reading made-up words). Your child will be assessed on these objectives at the end of the quarter with the goal for phoneme segmentation being 20 words a min and the goal for nonsense word fluency being 17 words a minute. In Letterland this week, we introduced "ck" words. In addition, we have been using the 'roller coaster trick' (using our shoulder, elbow, and wrist) to sound out CVC (simple 3 letter words made up of a consonant letter, vowel, and consonant letter). Sight Words: come, from As you know, the amount of sight words your child can read corresponds positively to the books they can read independently. To support this goal, ask your child to name all the sight words they can identify in a toy catalogue. If they name a specific amount (you can set an achievable goal), tell them you will put in a good word with Santa/grandma/grandpa about a special toy they want....just an idea:-) In writing, our focus is on creating 'pattern books'. That is, creating books that use the same language pattern (usually consisting of sight words) on each page. This week, we created books using the pattern, "I like to...". Math In math we finished up our following unit with numbers 11-20. Specifically, -identifying and correctly writing numbers 11-20 -creating groups that represent numbers 11-20 using our tens frame For example the number 16 would be XXXXX. XXXXX XXXXX. X -decomposing numbers 11-20 into a group of ten and some extra. For example, using the tens frame above, 16 would be 10 and 6 extra make 16 or 10 and 6 are partners that make 16. Homework I will not be sending a homework packet home this Friday. I will send some math activities to help reinforce concepts and continue reading to earn a book it certificate for a free pizza. These will be due December 2nd. The Most Wonderful Volunteers I just want to take a moment and thank the wonderful moms who help our class each and every week. They do everything from pulling small groups of kids to help them master various skills, to doing the down and dirty job of organizing/preparing all of our 'paperwork' .

Career Day

Updates

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We have been very busy in class working on daily five and reading groups. See previous post for more information on the daily five. Students will soon be bringing books home from our guided reading groups. These will need to be returned daily. Please make sure to be practicing sight words. I will be sending home a list that our grade level has worked on broken down by quarters. We have been reading fiction and non fiction books to compare the different elements. In science we have been working on properties and will finish up with this unit on Thursday with a pumpkin exploration. You can see from the pictures below that the students are actively engaged in our fall exploration using tools that scientists use. We read, discussed and wrote about what science is. In math we are still working with ten frames, ten sticks, and counting on to develop addition strategies. This week we had two students lead us in our math routines. They did a great job. I hope to have everyone be a math student leader.

Homework

We have started the homework packet one week early so that way students will not have homework the week of Thanksgiving.

Boo-Grams Send your Friends a Halloween Treat

Boo-Grams Send your Friends a Halloween Treat Look what the Student Council is up to! Which friends will you send a Boo-Gram to? October 28-October 31 students will be able to purchase Boo-Grams for 25 cents each in the morning from 8:45-9:15am either at a table in the upstairs 4-5 hallway or at a table in the main hallway for K-3 students

•Family Fun Fitness Night

Starts: 6:30 pm Ends: November 14, 2013 - 8:00 pm Location: BRES Multi-Purpose Room Description: This is a special event held in the gymnasium where we will be promoting a fun, safe and healthy lifestyle for the whole family. There will be plenty of FREE activities for all ages, door prizes, live demonstrations and more. We will also collect canned food at the door to help benefit families of BRES student’s and the Food Pantry of Fuquay-Varina.

Barnes and Noble Spirit Night

Our Barnes & Noble Book Fair is quickly approaching! It will be held on Thursday, November 7th at the Barnes & Noble store at Cary Towne Center! We have a great night planned! The Banks Boomers will be performing. A mystery reader will be hosting story time! The PTA will be selling BRES spirit wear and the Yearbook Club will open yearbook sales that night!

Important Dates

- Tuesday October 29th -Parents are connected reading night. - Thursday, October 31st- Book-It! due for the month of October. - Thursday, November 7th- Barnes and Noble Book Fair in Cary - Friday, November 8th- Early Release! School is dismissed at 1:15 - Monday, November 11th- Veteran’s Day- No School! - Thursday, November 14th- Fitness Night for PTA - Thursday, November 28th- Thanksgiving- No School! - Friday, November 29th- No School! - Wednesday, December 4th- Track out day

Introducing the Daily 5

For the past few weeks, I have been slowly introducing our Daily 5 reading structure to the students. Not familiar with the Daily 5? The Daily 5 is a structure that allows students to work on 5 components that will contribute mastering the end of year goal of reading on a level D. They include: -Word Work Students work in various ways with our sight words to help them improve their sight word mastery. Sight words (high frequency words) are common words that are found in the majority of texts. In order to master the end of the year goal of reading on a level D, students should be able to identify around 30-35 sight words by the end of the year. -Writing Students use their understanding of letters/sounds to create pieces of writing and convey their ideas. Generally, the writing prompts in this center are reflective of the writing genre we are currently learning about. For example, if we are working on opinion writing, then the activities in the writing center will ask them to share their opinion about a topic (Would you rather have a pet horse or a pet pig?) Again, the more a student uses their understanding of letters/sounds to create a pice of writing, the more likely they will be to master the end of the year reading goal of reading on a level D. -Listen to Reading Did you know that when a child listens to fluent reading, that it actually helps with their own reading? Well, that's where listen to reading comes in. In this center, students listen to a story on CD or tape (remember them, lol?) fluently and with expression. So, hearing a person read fluently/with expression will help the kiddos understand how their reading should sound when they are reading. Again, this supports the end of the year goal of students reading on a level D. -Read to self/Read to someone You know the saying, practice makes perfect. The more you read, the better they will get. At this center, the kids will have the opportunity to use their strategies such as using the picture/first letter of a word to determine unknown words, sounding out unknown words, opportunities to see (and master) sight words, etc... -Reading with the Teacher In this group, students will be pulled to work with me in small groups based on their reading needs for more strategic intervention. As you can see, all of these centers are geared towards making the most of your child's time during our literacy block. The goal being having all the students reading on a level D by the end of the year

October Happenings

We had a great first week back. I would like to welcome Mrs. Anderson to our class. She is our new teacher assistant that will help support Kindergarten and 1st grade track 1. Mrs. Rodger will still be working between both track 1 classrooms. We are very excited to have her. A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Wood (Lillie's mom) for putting together the basket for the fall festival. She did a great job for those NC State fans. Dates to remember: October 8th picture retakes, Election Day PTA spirit night at buffalo lanes in Garner October 11th Field Trip October 15th JDRF Walk October 16th Sports Team Day October 17th Crazy sock day October 18th School Spirit, Early release In Math we will be working on the following standards: -K.CC.3 Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects). -K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality. a. When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object. b. Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. c. Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger. -K.CC.5 Count to answer "how many?" questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects. -K.CC.6 Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies. -K.OA.1 Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (eg. claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations. During our Letterland time we have been learning how to blend sounds together to make words. We have also begun working in our Daily 5 Reading Centers in the afternoon.

NC State Fair Tickets

Here's an excellent way for you to get your advance gate tickets to the NC State Fair (Oct. 17-27) and help Banks Road Elementary School raise money. For every $7.00 adult advance ticket sold, two dollars will be returned to the school. For every children's advance ticket ($3.00), one dollar will be returned to the school. Please feel free to forward this email to relatives, neighbors, and friends. The more tickets sold from Banks Road Elementary supporters, the more money is returned to the school. To be sure the money goes back to us, you will need to enter our school code number, which is 325 and is also available from the advance ticket online site: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1742475&cobrand=ncstatefair13-wakecounty " Don't wait too late: Once the fair starts, the ticket price increases, and no money comes back to us.

Growing Forward with WCPSS: Information about the Bond Proposal

Growing Forward is the WCPSS campaign for the school bond proposal. If approved by voters on October 8, 2013, Wake County would issue bonds and provide funds totaling $983.7 million for WCPSS capital projects. Capital Improvement Program 2013 (CIP 2013) is the proposed new building program for Wake County to provide 16 new schools; 6 major renovations creating additional 1,343 seats; life cycle equipment replacement, technology, and security at most schools; and land acquisition for new schools. The 12 new schools include 11 elementary, three middle and two high schools. Green ES, Vandora Springs ES, Lincoln Heights ES, Brooks ES, Rolesville ES and Garner HS will undergo major renovations. Want to learn more about the bond? Find out more infomration by following this link: http://www.wcpss.net/growing-forward/index.html Thanks, Mrs. Graf

More Information on what students are learning.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has partnered with UNC-TV to produce an hour-long program, North Carolina Schools and You: What Changes in Our Schools Mean for Parents and Students. This program will be broadcast twice on UNC-TV: once on Thursday, September 19, at 10 p.m., and again on Friday, September 27, at 4:30 p.m. Featured in the program are segments taped in local public and public charter schools and questions from a studio audience to State Superintendent June Atkinson, Chief Academic Officer Rebecca Garland and Deputy Academic Officer Angela Quick. North Carolina Schools and You offers information and discussion around recent important changes in public schools and how parents can be more productively engaged in their children’s success. Specific topics include: - Teaching and Learning: What Students Are Learning and How; - Measuring Performance: New Assessments and Accountability Model; and - Parent Engagement: How Parents Can Support Learning. To enrich viewer's understanding about these topics, NCDPI has prepared the attached Viewer's Guide with additional background information and helpful links to supplement the program. We hope these materials are helpful to you and your team as you work with parents and community members to support student learning.

Report Cards

Dear Parents, This letter is to inform you that first-quarter report cards will be delayed for all year-round elementary school students. Students in tracks 1, 2 and 3 will receive report cards on October 11. Track 4 students will receive report cards on October 25. Report cards are delayed because of required software modifications to our new student information system, Home Base. The new system uses software called PowerSchool to track attendance, grades and assignments. The new software requires a change to accommodate the report card format. This issue affects elementary report cards only. We are currently working with the vendor to resolve the issue, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Teachers remain committed to keeping you informed regarding your child’s progress. If at any time you have questions regarding your child’s progress, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. Letters will be sent home informing parents of the change. Thank you for your continued support.

Good evening Trailblazers, Here is a reminder about upcoming events at BRES: • September 5th: Student Council Meeting Media Center 8:00 a.m. •September 6th-13th is Spirit Week •Friday, 6th: School Spirit-Wear your BRES t-shirt or school colors of blue and green to show school spirit. •Saturday, September 7th: Beautification Day-Come on out and help us spruce up our campus from 9-12. It’s a great way to show school spirit! •Monday, 9th: Hat Day! •Tuesday, 10th: Dress to Impress (Sunday Best) •Wednesday, 11th: Patriot’s Day-Wear Red, White and Blue •Thursday, 12th: Wacky Tacky Day- you don’t have to match! •Friday, 13th: School Spirit –Wear your BRES t-shirt or school colors of blue and green. •During Spirit Week bring in all of your loose change. All monies donated will go into Grade Level Fund to help offset the costs of field trips, specific classroom supplies such as subscriptions, etc. The class that raises the most money will win a Pizza Party, 2nd and 3rd Place will get Popcorn Parties. Looking on further into September here are three “Save the Dates”: •September 12th is School Spirit at McDonald’s from 5-8 p.m. •September 19th: Student Council Meeting 8:00 a.m. •September 27th is Early Release: 1:15 p.m. dismissal •September 27th is Fall Festival: Join us in celebrating the five year anniversary at BRES beginning at 5:00 p.m. There will be games, the dunk tank, face painting, silent auction and more!

Report Cards

Hot Off the Press...New Report Card Date for Track 1 Students Parents, WCPSS teachers are transitioning to a new computer-based reporting system. Track 1 first quarter report cards will be distributed when students return from track out to ensure teachers have time to learn the new system and load grade information. Thank you for your patience during this transition. If you have any questions, please call the school at 919-890-7333. My Banks Best, Mrs. Graf

Updates

Thank you for coming out to support our PTA and BRES at Pelican’s on 401 this past Thursday evening. Our next Spirit night is scheduled for September 12th at McDonald’s in Fuquay Varina from 5-8 p.m. Speaking of our PTA, the clothing drive has been extended. We are in need of specific sizes and items. Please call the school or visit the school website for this information. I appreciate your support with this drive. Early Release dismissal went smoothly for all of our students on the bus and carpool. I know the carpool was line was long, but we made it went quickly once it started moving. Thank you for adhering to our carpool expectations . Once we dismissed the students, our staff engaged in professional development related to best practices with Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and Teacher Leader Corps. Both of these sessions will result in direct positive work with our students in the classrooms! Mark your calendar for these upcoming events and dates: • September 2nd: Labor Day Holiday-No School *September 5th: Student Council 8:00 a.m. Media Center • September 6th-13th is Spirit Week Friday, 6th: School Spirit-Wear your BRES t-shirt or school colors of blue and green to show school spirit. o Saturday, September 7th: Beautification Day-Come on out and help us spruce up our campus from 9-12. It’s a great way to show school spirit! o Monday, 9th: Hat Day! o Tuesday, 10th: Dress to Impress (Sunday Best) o Wednesday, 11th: Patriot’s Day-Wear Red, White and Blue o Thursday, 12th: Wacky Tacky Day- you don’t have to match! o Friday, 13th: School Spirit –Wear your BRES t-shirt or school colors of blue and green. • During Spirit Week bring in all of your loose change. All monies donated will go into Grade Level Fund to help offset the costs of field trips, specific classroom supplies such as subscriptions, etc. The class that raises the most money will win a Pizza Party, 2nd and 3rd Place will get Popcorn Parties. Looking on further into September here are three “Save the Dates”: • September 12th is School Spirit at McDonald’s from 5-8 p.m. * September 19th: Student Council 8:00 a.m. Media Center • September 27th is Early Release: 1:15 p.m. dismissal & Fall Festival: Join us in celebrating the five year anniversary at BRES beginning at 5:00 p.m. There will be games, the dunk tank, face painting, silent auction and more!

Book Buddies and Read to Someone

This year we will be working with Mrs. Yanez's 5th grade class on reading and writing.  This is called book buddies and gives the students an opportunity to work with one another on reading and writing skills.   We will meet every Thursday afternoon at 1:30 for thirty minutes.  The students love this program and are so excited when their book buddy arrives.  This past week we worked on teacher the kindergarten students to EEKK while reading.  It stands for elbow to elbow, Knee to Knee I read to you, you read to me.  This is what we will do in Daily five when students are reading to someone.

Blazer Buck Rewards

This week a couple students turned in 10 Blazer Bucks to sit at the teachers desk.  As a class we have been making a list of ideas on what they can earn with their Blazer Bucks.  So far students were able to turn in Blazer Bucks to visit the treasure box, have ice cream for snack and sit at the teachers desk.

Open House

It was nice to see everyone at open house.  If you were not able to attend Mrs. Graf will be posting the power point presentations on the school website. I also sent home a list of what your child will learn this year and what our grading system looks like.   If you have any questions please email me.  I will also be holding conferences on September 11th all day so please look for this information coming soon.  This will give us some more time to discuss individual concerns and needs. 

Dates to Remember......

*This Thursday August 22nd is Spirit Night at Pelican's from 3-9pm.  Come out and enjoy a      tasty treat, a portion of the proceeds will go back to the school.

*Friday August 23rd we have our first early release day.  Students will be dismissed at 1:15. 

*Track ones last day is Tuesday September 10th, students return Monday September 30th.

Open House Agenda...it's this Thursday!

2013-14 Open House: Thursday, August 15th- Tracks 1 & 3: 5:00p.m. Principal Presentation in the Multipurpose Room then teacher presentation 5:30-6:30 p.m.  Session 1 & 2 Classroom Presentations (approximately 25 minutes) Tracks 2 & 4: Principal Presentation in the Multipurpose Room at 6:00 p.m. Classroom Presentations Session 1 & 2 6:30-7:30 p.m. (approximately 25 minutes) LEP Parent Academy Presentation 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the ESL Room AIG 3rd Grade Parent Presentation: Session 1 6:30-7:00 p.m. Tracks 1 & 3; Session 2: 7:30-8:00 p.m. Tracks 2 & 4: I hope to see you here Thursday night!

What have we been up to......??

We have been busy building our classroom community.  In math we have been working on building math concepts to 10.  Students need to be able to recognize the number and draw a picture to match the number.  I have introduced math stations slowly.  We will have four stations a day each lasting 15 minutes.  They will include a teacher station for guided math, computer/Ipad station, game station, and follow up station.  In writing students are drawing and labeling their picture.  They are using strategies to help then write words.  In literacy we are practicing the daily five routines.  Students will be introduced to read to self, read to someone, listening, writing and word work.  Homework went home this past week please return on Friday. 

Thank you so much for filling out the sheet about your child.  It really helps me to work with your child.  I am working on setting up a volunteer schedule.  If you have been cleared to volunteer I may need some help with laminating and cutting out materials later this week.  Please email me if you are available.  If you did not get a volunteer sheet please let me know and I will get you one.  Thank you to everyone who has donated items to the classroom!!!

Don't forget picture day is Tuesday August 6th and open house is August 15th from 5:30-6:30.

Have a great week!!!

Reminders

Our classroom was kind of cool today so you may want to send in a sweater.  Students will be able to go to the library in the morning before the bell and during our literacy block. 

Star chart

Students start on Ready and move up the chart.  By Friday they need to make it to purple to participate in Fun Friday.  This past Friday the students were able to choose movie room, game room,playdough ,arts n crafts and computer lab.  Those students who did not make it to purple had to go to the thinking room.  These students participated in a lesson teaching positive behavior.

Letterland

The students have been super excited about learning their letters and sounds through Letterland  This is a great website to explore and they even have an ipad book you can download from ibooks.  Check it out.....http://www.letterland.com/.  You can also click above to hear the Letterland theme song.

PTA Snack Drive and Picture Day

Our PTA is conducting a snack drive.  If you would like to donate snacks such as granola bars, applesauce or fruit cups, please send them in with your child or drop them off in our donation box in the front foyer.
Mark your calendars for August 6th.  Picture Day for students on Tracks 1 & 2 will be Tuesday, August 6th

Welcome to Kindergarten!

We are so excited to be working with your student this year in Kindergarten!

During this first full week together we have been learning classroom and school procedures as well as creating some classroom rules. These rules will help keep our classroom safe and orderly, allowing an environment for every student to learn.

We have been visiting one of our specialist each day. Please check the specials schedule and dress your child accordingly. If you have not sent an art shirt to keep at school please do, or dress your child in clothing that you do not mind getting messy on Art class days.

If you have not had a chance to look over the Kindergarten Packet please take some time to read over it and email me or write a note with any questions you may have a concern about.

Remember to check the Daily Folder and return to school daily. If your student is a bus rider please leave the bus tag on your child's backpack. Students in kindergarten and 1st grade wear the bus tags for the first 20 days of school.

Volunteering at Banks Road in 2013-2014

              

WCPSS requires all volunteers to register.  All NEW volunteers must register.  WCPSS will not require any approved 2012-2013 volunteers who plan to continue for the 2013-2014 school year to register for a new CRC;  however, any continuing volunteer must reactivate his/her status no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 31, 2013.
The following information describes the procedures for reactivation for continuing volunteers, the process for new volunteers to obtain CRC clearance, and a summary of the appeal procedures.
 Reactivation for Continuing Volunteers
All continuing volunteers approved for the 2012-2013 school year MUST reactivate as a volunteer no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 31, 2013 at a school site. Volunteers may go to any WCPSS site and register through the intranet.  Access to the volunteer system is:  WCPSS Intranet – Business Applications – Volunteer Registration.

• After October 31, 2013, individuals previously approved may not volunteer without a new criminal record check.  No later than October 31, 2013. 
• The volunteer system will be open daily for reactivation/registration from July 1, 2013, through October 31, 2013 for 24 hours a day. 
• From November 4, 2013, through May 19, 2014, the volunteer system will be open on Mondays only, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  However, during this time period, the volunteer system will be closed on the following Mondays:  November 11, 2013, December 23, 2013, December 30, 2013, and January 20, 2014.

Early Checkout Reminder

Checking Out
If parents need to check students out of school early for an appointment, the student must be checked out in the office by 3:00 p.m.. The office will be closed at 3:00 p.m. each day for student check out. The reason for this procedure is student safety. In case of an emergency, parents may call the office at 890-7333.  A staff member will return your call if necessary. We discourage early check outs and late arrivals but understand that they may happen a few times each year.

April is here!

Here are the important dates for Trailblazers for the month of April:

• April 1st: Book Drive begins
• April 9th: Picture Day for Tracks 1 & 2
• April 18th: General PTA Meeting and Family Bingo Night 6 p.m. We will also vote on Officer positions for the new school year.
• May 2nd: Parents Are Connected Night: Preparing for the EOG 6:30-7:30 for all families with students in grades 3-5

2013-14 Preparation Begins

 

Trailblazer Families,
We thoughtfully have set dates for the new school year and I want to share them with you so that you can plan accordingly. Please call the school at 919-890-7333 should you have any questions. Thank you.

• 2013-14 Kindergarten Orientation: May 9th Parent Information Session Only 6 p.m.-7:15 p.m. Multipurpose Room
• 2013-14 Meet the Teacher: Track 1- May 28th 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Tracks 2, 3 & 4- June 25th 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• 2013-14 Open House: Thursday, August 15th

Tracks 1 & 3: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Tracks 2 & 4: 7:00-8:00 p.m.