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FES Knightly News
Weekly Family Newsletter
Week of January 3-5
New and Important Information
FES Lego League
The FES Lego League team competed against other teams in the area at St. Pius on December 16th. See some photos of the competition below. Team members are:
Mohamed A.
Rahma A
Ava B.
Roland C.
Marie E.
Addyson F.
Andrew H.
Callie H.
Patrick H.
Charleigh H.
Ethen M.
Hayden S.
Jacob V.
Lynzie W.
Matelyn W.
The coaches for this year were Ms. Ziegelmeyer, Ms. Klette, Ms. Welden, and Ms. Speagle (Jr. Lego League). Ms. Klette won the award for best coach/mentor! Congratulations on this well-deserved award, Ms. Klette!
Archery Club Sign Up
The archery club is open to students in grades 3-5. Meetings will be once/week on Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00 (this time may change to 5:30 on some weeks).
Playground Fencing
Our School Based Decision Making Council has been working to improve student and staff safety over the last couple of years. Last year, council approved the purchase of 10 additional security cameras throughout the building. This year, the council prioritized fencing the entire perimeter of our playground. This work was completed over break. Our playground is now fully fenced, which will keep our students safer during recess.
The cost of this project was about $14,000. FES paid for half of it with SBDM funds, and the district facilities department paid the other half. Thanks to the parents and teachers on our SBDM council for prioritizing our students' safety and allocating the funds to make these projects possible.
Repeats from Last Newsletter
iReady @ FES
You may have heard your child or their teacher refer to "iReady". FES uses several components of the iReady program from a company called Curriculum Associates. iReady is a computer-based learning and assessment program that all of our students utilize in the classroom. iReady not only drives what we teach in the classroom, but also helps us to personalize instruction for each student. Please take a look at all of the different components of iReady and how we are using them to move all students forward in their learning.
Reading and Math Diagnostics and Personal Pathways
All FES students take an iReady assessment three times a year (beginning, middle and end). The assessments allow us to track growth and progress across the entire year. Each student is given a goal to reach that shows at least a year’s growth. A benefit of this assessment is that it is an adaptive assessment. This means that it keeps varying the difficulty of questions to determine each student’s exact placement, strengths, and next steps for instruction. Teachers then use this information to plan explicit instruction in the areas of growth. These assessments also create an online pathway for each student. This becomes part of their independent work in the classroom. The online pathway teaches students specific skills based on the areas for growth from their diagnostic assessment. Every student in the building has his/her own personalized pathway and no two are the same. Students are required to complete 15 minutes/day each in math and reading on their pathway.
iReady Classroom Mathematics
This component is the main instructional curriculum that we use for all math instruction. Students are instructed on their grade level standards. Every student has a math workbook that is their record of learning. Units are centered around a standard. Each lesson builds upon the previous lessons. All lessons encourage the students to problem solve, think critically and discuss their thinking with other students. Students explore not only the correct answers, but explore different ways to solve problems. Teachers also have access to additional resources and assessments online to monitor student achievement.
Magnetic Reading
This is a new addition to the iReady line-up here at Florence. This is used in our Kindergarten through second grade classes. Magnetic Reading is a comprehensive reading program that focuses on reading foundational skills and fluency through connected texts. This program works with phonics (letters and sounds) and fluency. Students are explicitly taught the different letter/sound patterns in the English language in order to read accurately and with fluency as well as to accurately spell and write. It is a great supplement to the other reading resources that we are currently using.
If you have any questions about any of the components of iReady, please contact Mr. Burch at ryan.burch@boone.kyschools.us or Sarah Nunn at sarah.nunn@boone.kyschools.us.
Reminder about Pokemon Cards
Please do not allow your child to bring Pokemon cards into school. They cause a lot of problems that disrupt the learning environment when students trade them or when they get lost.
Spring Sports Leagues from i9 Sports
i9 Sports offers organized soccer, t-ball, baseball, and flag football leagues for boys and girls ages 3-14. Spring seasons start April 20th. They offer:
- Age-appropriate instruction for each division
- Coaches background checked and certified
- All skill-levels welcomed; No tryouts!
- One day/week; practice held before game
Boone County High School Princess Tea Party
See the flyer below for more information about this event.
Knights of the Week
Congratulations! These students and staff were nominated by teachers because they ROCK!
Preschool – Tianah R. (Ms. Lobenstein AM)
Kindergarten – Harry H. (Ms. Oppen/ Ms. Howard)
1st – Amari M. (Ms. Speagle)
2nd – Jaxon F. (Ms. Groeschen)
3rd – Khloe W. (Ms. Shaw)
4th – Trevor P. (Ms. Bodenbender)
5th – Wyatt M. (Ms. Colby/ Ms. Riffe)
Staff – Ms. Chappell
Here's What We're Learning this Week
Kindergarten
Reading/Writing- We are working on 3 star writing using an uppercase letter, finger spaces and punctuation.
Math- We are working on finding different numbers to use to make 10.
Science- We are talking about changing temperatures.
Social Studies- We will learn about monetary incentives and scarcity.
First Grade
Reading/Writing-These next two days before break we will continue to read fun winter stories and write our own fun winter stories!
Math- We are continuing to spiral review content from the first half of the school year.
Social Studies- We are closing up our goods and services unit!
Science- We are learning about winter/holiday science topics!
Second Grade
Reading/Writing- Students will be reviewing skill taught so far this year. Skills include long vowels, using illustrations to help understand the text, discuss characters, setting and plots, etc.
Math- Students will work on comparing numbers and reviewing skill taught so far this year.
Science- Students are finishing their unit on Earth's Surfaces.
Third Grade
Reading/Writing- Students are finishing up their opinion writing.
Math- We are reviewing all math standards as students participate in an escape room!
Science-The students are understanding that force is a push or pull that cause a change in motion and involves an interaction between two objects.
Other Info from 3rd Grade- 3rd grade is having our Winter Celebration on Tuesday, December 19th. If you would like to send in any drinks, snacks, or goodies it would be greatly appreciated. The only restriction is that it must be store bought with an ingredients label.
Fifth Grade
Reading/Writing- In reading, students are learning about figurative language. In writing, students are learning verbs and shifts in verb tense.
Math- Students are learning about order of operations.
Science- Students will be learning about how we can protect Earth’s environments.
Social Studies- Students are exploring what influenced the founding of the United States and exploring the lives of two early presidents and the 4th of July.
From the First Aid Room
Information from health services regarding Covid:
If your student tests positive for Covid and have no sick symptoms, please contact your primary care provider to obtain guidance and determine when your child can return to school. If your child is sick and tests positive for Covid please contact your primary care provider for guidance on care and when to return to school. Students should not return until they are recovered, and symptoms resolved.
Pictures from Our Past
This week's picture shows the construction of the new Florence Elementary School. This image is from 2000 or 2001.
From the Transportation Department
From FES Lead Bus Driver, Mr. Dave Burton (Bus 137)
With the cold/wet weather here, it is encouraged that the students that ride the bus keep their coats on during the ride to and from school.
Meet our Bus Drivers!
From the Cafeteria
SBDM Update (UPDATED FROM LAST WEEK)
The School Based Decision Making Council at FES is made up of the principal (Ryan Burch), three teachers (Alicia Bachman, Abbigail Supe, and Megan Timmerding), and two parents (Alicia Coulter and Vee Miller). This group makes policy decisions and approves some of the school's financial and instructional activities. Meetings are usually held on the first Monday of each month at 4:15 in the FES library. Meetings are open to the public (except for occasional closed sessions).
The next meeting is on Monday, January 8th at 4:15 in the library.
All of our SBDM policies are available on the FES school website.
On the Calendar
Important December Dates
- January 8th- SBDM Meeting; 4:15-5:15
- January 8th- PTO Meeting; 5:30-6:30
- January 11th- Board of Education Meeting; 7:00
- January 15th- Martin Luther King Jr. Day; No School
- January 23rd- Boone's Beginner's @ Burlington Elementary; 5:30-7:00
- January 25th- Grandparent's Math Bingo Night (other family members invited as well); 5:30-7:00
Click the calendar above to see the schedule of all events throughout the year.