Dragon Tales

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers over the past few months. We have had many events that required the support from our wonderful volunteers. You are very much appreciated for all of your hard work to make our school events a success.

During the upcoming week, we will be celebrating the Dr. Mudd staff for National Teacher Appreciation Week.

Our staff indeed deserve gratitude for their dedication and hard work in shaping the minds of students. Whether it's imparting knowledge, fostering critical thinking, or providing support and guidance, they play a crucial role in society. What makes a teacher special to you? Encourage your child to tell their teacher what makes them special.

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School families!

Our Dr. Mudd Dragon Run fundraiser is kicking off soon! Lookout for more information in the coming weeks. For now, mark your calendars with these key dates!

● REGISTRATION OPENS - 05/09/2024

Register on MYBOOSTER.COM

● Dr. Mudd Dragon Run Kickoff - 05/23/2024

● Event Day - 06/03/2024

Thanks for your support, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School families!

May 6-10, 2024 National Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6, 2024 Interim Reports Issued

May 7, 2024 National Teacher Appreciation Day

May 8, 2024 School Nurse Day

May 9, 2024 National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (WEAR GREEN)

May 10, 2024 School Communicators Day

May 12, 2024 Mother's Day

May 14, 2024 Primary Election Day Schools closed for students and teachers; Grille 13 PTO Fundraiser

May 16, 2024 Two-hour early dismissal for students; Community Resource Day at St. Charles HS St. Charles HS

May 17, 2024 National Speech Language pathologist Day

Please take a few minutes to complete the Annual Title I District Level Family Engagement Survey. Your answers will be used to plan future school and district-level programs so that we may better serve your child(ren) and family. Your feedback is very important to us, and we will keep your responses strictly confidential. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Bowling, Title I Family & Program Coordinator, at jbowling@ccboe.com or 301-392-5552. Thank you!

Le pedimos que dedique algunos minutos para responder esta encuesta sobre Encuesta Anual sobre Participación Familiar a Nivel de Distrito del Título I. Utilizaremos sus respuestas para planificar programas futuros a nivel de la escuela y del distrito para poder ofrecer mejores servicios a su(s) hijo(s) y familia. Sus comentarios son muy importantes para nosotros y sus respuestas serán estrictamente confidenciales. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con Jennifer Bowling, Coordinadora del Programa y de las Familias del Título I, escribiendo a jbowling@ccboe.com o llamando al 301-392-5552. ¡Muchas gracias!

Thank you to all of the families that came to our Community Schools Day event at JP Ryon on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Hello Dr. Mudd Families.

Just wanted to say thank you for an amazing Reading Night. It was great seeing the students and parents at this family event. Keeping students engaged in reading is important and leads to success in school. Kudos to our Reading specialist, Mrs. Fletcher and her committee for a fun filled learning night.

Parents, the weather is getting warmer. Here are some helpful tips for encouraging your child to stay hydrated:

• Make drinking water fun for your child.

• Use water bottles that can be carried anywhere.

• Add a lemon, a lime, a slice of orange or some fresh mint leaves to the water.

• Give your child water with ice cubes or crushed ice

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Parents, please mark your calendar for the following dates:

MAY 14, 2024- ALL CHARLES COUNTY SCHOOLS & OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED

MAY 16, 2024- 2 HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL FOR STUDENTS- STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED AT 1:15 PM

MAY 27. 2024- MEMORIAL DAY- ALL CHARLES COUNTY SCHOOLS & OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED

PBIS-Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, is a schoolwide systems program aimed at promoting and establishing positive behavior necessary to create a safe and effective learning environment for all students. Some motivational student activities held at our school included a silent disco, the five senses games and minute to win games. Our students are encouraged to display the 3 R’s, which are being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. A special thank you to Ms. Maria Ayers and Ms. Helen Reed for making these celebrations amazing!

Thank you to All of our amazing Volunteers. We appreciate your dedication. If you would like to be a volunteer or chaperone at any time, please feel free to contact Leslie Marie Smallwood at Lsmallwood@ccboe.com or call 301-753-1762

Please review with the child our playground safety pictures.

Please remember to bring lightweight jackets for the classroom if your child gets chilly with the air conditioning. Make sure to remember to LABEL ALL COATS/JACKETS!

Math - Practice adding and subtracting within 10 or 20

Reading- read for 15 minutes every day and practice the 4th quarter sight words

Here are all the sight words for the entire school year. Please continue to practice the words with your students. It will help students become fluent readers faster.

Here are some videos about time and shapes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmaKlT2Zrfk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFJLxia1kGE

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MaVgBjVh4b8

If you have any questions, please ask.

Mrs. Hayden, Mrs. June, Ms. Thompson, Miss Simpkins

Greetings Second Grade Families!

We are in the spring season! New opportunities for learning are happening along with the new life returning outside. Students are winding down as we get closer to the end of the school year. Please encourage students daily to work to do their best and stay on task.

In our new unit in math, students will develop an understanding of equal groups as the foundation for multiplication and division in grade 3 and beyond. This understanding builds on students’ experiences with skip counting and finding the sums of equal addends. Students will build on their personal experiences with sharing equal groups of objects and making pairs to define the terms odd and even. They will begin by noticing that some groups of objects can be made into two equal groups without a “leftover” and other groups can be made into two equal groups with “1 leftover.” They should notice this same pattern when pairing objects. After the terms even and odd are introduced, students focus on justifying why a group has an even or odd number of members by showing whether the objects can be made into two equal groups, whether the objects can be paired without a leftover, or whether they can skip-count by 2 to count the total number of objects.

In reading, we are continuing our unit where we are learning about the different cultures and traditions of people all around the world. We will read about the ways that people celebrate and honor their heritage, and we’ll see a video of the different lunches that children enjoy in other countries. Children will also write a thank-you letter to someone who taught them something about his or her culture.

Ms. Alexander, Ms. Bland, Mrs. Buitrago-Curtis, and Mr. Foster

Parents please remember:

• Check folders and agenda books daily
• Let the office know by 12:30 of any changes to dismissal
• Breakfast is over at 8:55 so please be on time for school
• Send a water bottle to school for your child

• The weather is changing please make sure we are wearing tennis shoes

• With the weather changes please check the county dress code

• Please if you can send in tissues, glue sticks and pencils. We are running low

• Your child should be reading daily for 20 minutes at home to help prepare them for fourth grade

• -Have your child practice writing by writing a letter to a teacher

• If you are able have your child, get on IREADY My Path at home for extra practice.

• We are starting Charlotte's Web in class. If you would like to read it home as well to help ask questions

Math Reminders:

• We are continuing to work on multiplication facts. Please work at home on facts and skip counting.

• We will be finishing up measurement and geometry

• Have your child work on adding and subtracting using expanded form

• If you are able at home, please have your child get on IREADY My Path for math.

Come Visit us

We always need help in the lunch room and at recess. If you would like to volunteer your time and stop by to be with third graders we would love to have you. Lunch is from 12:30-1:00. Recess is form 1:00-1:30.

MCAP

The week of May 15 we start our MCAP Math test. Please make sure your child is well rested and here for test taking. Remember your snack!!!

In math, 4th grade students are currently learning how to use a protractor to measure angles and draw angles of given measurements. Additionally, they are working on identifying acute, obtuse, right, and straight angles in various two-dimensional figures. Continue to prepare for the upcoming MCAP test at home by reviewing fractions and multiplication facts.

In reading, we will be working on asking & answering questions (before, during, and after reading) to check our understanding of a text as well as using ideas & support to determine facts vs. opinions. We will also identify media techniques and the central idea of a text. Additional information on vocabulary and spelling words will be sent home with students in black Tuesday folders for practice at home. Consider reading with your students to enhance their comprehension strategies as well.

We are continuing MCAP Testing. Students in fourth grade take ELA and Math. There are some things you can do to prepare your student(s) for testing. This includes helping them prepare by:

• Reading each of the answer choices before selecting a response

• Going back in the passage to look for the answer or clues

• Summarizing the text as you read (stopping periodically to make sure you understand)

• Using key details and what you know

• Double checking your answer in math to make sure you get the same answer each time

• Using the tools that are available (ruler, counters, underline tool etc.)

• Taking your time and reading everything fully

If you would like to practice the MCAP at home, please use the following resource:

https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/

MCAP | Practice Tests

Portal for all of the resources required by districts to administer the MCAP Assessment.

support.mdassessments.com

Most of our assessments are online, so you may want to have your child(ren) practice with the online tests, so they are familiar with the tools.

As the weather is getting warmer, it's essential to ensure our students stay hydrated throughout the school day. Kindly remind your child to bring a water bottle to school daily. Additionally, any donations of cases of water would be greatly appreciated to keep our classroom stocked for all students.

We had a blast on our field trip to Annapolis/United States Naval Academy! We received many compliments on our positive behaviors! Remember that we have two more upcoming field trips to show off how awesome we are. On May 7th we will be visiting Historic St. Mary's City, and on May 9th we will be visiting the Museum of Illusions.

Feel free to reach out to the team via email/Talking Points, or schedule a phone conference as needed.

Ms. Butler, Ms. Doss, Mrs. Forbes, Ms. Williams

Upcoming Nanjemoy Trips

May 13th – Ms. Greene

May 17th – Ms. Ford & Ms. Bommer

May 20th – Ms. Baker

Chaperones need to submit chaperone forms to homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

Students need to be at school by 6:30am. Students will return to school at 6:30pm

5th Grade Fun Day

Date: June 4, 2024, 9:00am-2:30pm

Parents are welcome to come.

Click here if you would like to donate any chips, cookies, juices, candy or popsicles for our day of celebration. 5th Grade: 5th Grade Snack Donations (signupgenius.com)

Art

The upcoming art activities are aimed at enhancing the creativity and fine motor skills of students across different grade levels. The Pre-K students will be making giant paper popsicles that double as fans, which will help them stay cool during the hot summer months. The kindergarten and first-grade students will be engaged in a flower craft activity that will help them develop their fine motor skills and cutting abilities.

Moving on to the second-grade students, they will be creating beautiful Chinese fans with watercolor painting designs. Meanwhile, the third-grade students will also be making hand fans using popsicle sticks and designing them in their own unique way.

The fourth graders will begin working on stitching using Burlap material as soon as they finish creating their colorful town masterpieces. Lastly, the fifth graders are currently putting the finishing touches on their Poster Message project. They have created their own letters and symbols to apply to the poster and will soon move on to create a vessel with a message. These activities are sure to keep the students engaged and help them hone their creativity and artistic skills.

Is Using a Calculator Cheating?

Many families have questions about when or if kids should use a calculator. That's especially true if their child struggles with math. Even if the school approved using a calculator as a support tool (also called an accommodations), they still worry it will keep their child from getting better at math.

In fact, it’s the opposite. When kids struggle with basic math, it slows them down in class and on homework. It also puts up a roadblock to learning more advanced math concepts.

A calculator is a support that helps bridge this gap. It lets students continue to work on the same things their classmates are working on.

But that doesn’t mean a calculator should be allowed in every situation.

When kids are practicing or being graded on doing an operation, they need to understand the process and show it step by step. So, in this case, for kids who get formal supports, I’d word the accommodation this way: “The calculator should be available for support unless the operation is the objective.”

Here’s an example. If kids are learning to multiply three-digit numbers, they wouldn't use a calculator for support. Instead, they can refer to a multiplication chart for basic math facts. That way, they still show they understand the step-by-step procedure.

But say a middle-schooler needs to solve for the area of two-dimensional shapes. In that case, a calculator should be available. The teacher is looking to see if students know the correct way to solve for area, not if they know their multiplication facts.

A calculator doesn’t take the place of learning. Kids need to continue to learn and practice math operations without it, too. This should be done in low-stress, non-timed situations, like small group instruction. That way, the focus is on progress, not on grades or finishing the task.

When you practice at home, start with facts your child has mastered. (Operations with 2s, 5s, and 10s are usually easiest.) That can help kids feel more confident when they move on to harder numbers.

If your child is working on homework that requires calculations, try offering tools like a multiplication chart, a number line, or a 100s chart.

Struggling with basic math skills can be very stressful for kids. Getting the right type of support at the right time lets them work on skills without too much stress. And that can boost confidence.