Good evening, Stallion Country!

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health and high spirits. As we settle into the 2nd Quarter of this school year, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the critical role that regular attendance plays in your child's academic journey. Remember, our cafeteria opens at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and classroom instruction begins promptly at 8:00 a.m.

At Stirling Elementary, we believe that every day of learning counts. Each class, lesson, and interaction contributes to the growth and development of your child's knowledge, skills, and character. Consistent attendance not only helps students keep up with their studies but also fosters a sense of responsibility, discipline, and perseverance that will serve them well throughout their educational journey and into adulthood.

Here are a few key points to consider:

1. **Maximizing Learning Opportunities:** When students are present in class, they have the opportunity to engage with their teachers, participate in discussions, and ask questions. This active participation is crucial for deepening their understanding of the subjects they are studying.

2. **Building Strong Foundations:** Elementary school is a foundational period in a child's education. It lays the groundwork for future learning. Regular attendance ensures that students do not miss out on essential building blocks that are necessary for success in later grades.

3. **Social and Emotional Development:** In addition to academic growth, school is a place where children develop social skills, build friendships, and learn important values like teamwork, empathy, and respect. Consistent attendance allows them to fully engage in this crucial aspect of their education.

4. **Preparation for Future Success:** Punctuality and attendance are skills that will benefit students long after their time in elementary school. These habits are valued by employers and are vital for success in any future endeavor.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may occasionally lead to absences. In such cases, please make sure to notify the school as soon as possible. We are here to support you and your child in any way we can.

As partners in your child's education, we greatly appreciate your efforts in prioritizing attendance. Together, we can help create an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to your child's education. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Have a great evening!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Arnaez

Water Safety Resources

Water safety is so important for everyone raising children in South Florida. This is why we are sharing resources from Water Smart Broward, a joint effort between Children services Council of Broward County, and Every Child a Swimmer, whose goal is to achieve and sustain a zero-drowning rate among children in Broward County. Below are links that will direct you to their website for instructions on how to secure your free Swim Lesson Coupon, locations swim lessons for your student, and additional water safety resources. These resources were created and provided by WaterSmart Broward and Every Child a Swimmer.

Free Swim Coupon: Kids’ Swim Coupon - Water Smart Broward

Every Child a Swimmer: everychildaswimmer.org

Additional Water Safety Resources: Brochures & Handouts - Water Smart Broward

As we kick off the 2nd Quarter, we are excited to continue our journey of fostering a love for reading and literacy at Stirling Elementary. Our students are actively engaging with books, are being exposed to different genres and authors, and are developing essential literacy skills. Please continue to support their love of books at home by reading with your child daily and by encouraging them to read for 20 minutes a day. Reading at home can make a huge difference to a child’s success at school. We are excited to embark on this reading journey with you and your child this school year. Remember that literacy is the key to success, and reading is a lifelong adventure. We are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need reading recommendations, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Here are a few of our exciting literacy initiatives taking place this quarter at Stirling:

Read for the Record – On October 26th, our VPK and Kindergarten students joined the rest of Broward County in reading With Lots of Love by Jenny Torres Sanchez. Our classes had special guest readers for this event. All of our VPK and Kindergarten students also received their own copy of the book to keep.

New Worlds Reading Initiative – New Worlds is a FREE at-home literacy and book delivery program to help advance literacy and a love of reading among students who are not yet reading on grade level. The program is free and simple—here is how it works:

· During each month of the school year, a book will be mailed to
your preferred address, completely free of charge. That’s 9 free
books per year! Your child will continue to receive books through the end of 5th grade.

· Selected books will be high-quality, age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction texts based on your child’s grade level with genres and topics that appeal to their interests.

· You can select in English, Spanish, books Haitian-Creole or Braille.

· You will also receive literacy resources and activities to support you in sharing a book with your child, and help build their confidence and conversation skills.

· Enrollment is easy: Visit newworldsreading.com to enroll your child today.

Accelerated Reader- Accelerated Reader (AR) is a reading program that helps students improve their reading skills. Students choose books to read on their individual reading level, take quizzes to check comprehension, and earn points based on their performance. This program encourages regular reading, allows students to choose books that interest them, and sets reading goals for them to reach. Parents can support their child by helping them select books and by creating a reading friendly environment at home.

Literacy Leaders Club – Selected Fourth Grade students will be gaining leadership skills as they help support Kindergarten and First Grade students before school with their foundational literacy skills.

We have been working so hard! We have been discussing all kinds of Rules and Routines, Making Friends, Character Development, and Do's & Dont's at Stirling Elementary. We are continuing to explore literacy by learning our letters, sounds, and even numbers including ZERO! This quarter, we will take these areas and follow through the entire alphabet, making words, reading sight words and using numbers for all kinds of counting and making groups. We love to see OUR little ones growing and progressing. PLEASE discuss behavior every night. Promote a calm and mindful start every morning when they leave your side.

We would like to welcome you as our PARTNER in educating your child and look forward to working with you this year!

EASY & IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO:

• Keep in touch with your child's teacher.
• Get your child to school on time, especially if you would like them to have breakfast here at school.
• READ all communication
• Attend school events
• BE PROUD OF YOUR KID! Happy parents make happy kids!
• Let us know if you have any needs or concerns.

We are now settled into First Grade with our little First Grade families. Our classrooms are a safe place of love and learning where we are pushing ourselves to be our very best.

We began the year learning about Whole Body Listening and being part of a classroom family. We talked about the importance of taking care of ourselves, taking care of each other, and taking care of our classrooms. We also focused on kindness and following directions as well as being a good classroom citizen.

In reading, our students completed important beginning of the year assessments. First grade students should know all letter names and sounds and be practicing their sight words nightly. Students can also access useful websites at home by visiting Clever.com. They can use Scholastic and i-Ready reading and math for excellent reinforcement of first grade skills.

Nightly reading of 15-20 minutes helps your child develop their reading ability, increases their vocabulary, helps them to become a better writer, and is a great way to bond with your child. After reading a fiction book you can ask questions such as: Who are the main characters? What is the setting of the story? (where the story takes place) What happened at the beginning, middle, end? Is there a problem in the story? How are you and the main character alike? Different? Did you like the ending of the story? If it is a non-fiction book, ask your child to tell you two facts they learned from the text.

Our students are also working hard in math. We are working to help our students become fluent with addition and subtraction facts to 20 and well as using a variety of strategies to help solve the problems. Some strategies are: Using their fingers, drawing manipulatives, using counters, counting on and back, and/or using a number line. Thank you for practicing math facts at home with your child. Many assessments are now completed online so please make sure your child has headphones to use at school.

Thank you for all you do to support your child at home. We make a fabulous team

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It has been a very busy start to the school year! Your child has adjusted quite nicely to our expectations and procedures. Here are some ways we can make our students successful this year:

1. Attendance is Key: It is crucial that your child is present and on time every day.

2. Class Dojo: Communication between teacher and parent is necessary and Class Dojo is a quick and efficient way to receive important reminders and notices. This is also a great way to express concerns or questions you may have.

3. Binders/Planners: Please check your child’s backpack and binder daily for homework, school flyers, returned tests and classwork.

4. Daily Practice: In addition to homework, your child should be reading, studying their Spelling words, and practicing addition facts.

5. Parent Involvement: There are many ways you can be involved at our amazing school!

• Join PTA

• Volunteer at school events

• Chaperone a field trip

We are extremely excited to be a part of your child’s academic journey. Together we can make it happen!!!

Second quarter is already here! We have learned so many great things so far, and it's just the beginning!

In reading, we have wrapped up Unit 1 in our Benchmark Advance reading series. We gained great information on animal adaptations and the special features they have to help them survive, along with identifying the central idea and relevant details of various texts. We are now in Unit 2 learning about characters - their feelings, traits, actions, and motivations. We are also determining the theme and lesson of stories, such as fables and folktales. Our essential question for this unit is - "How do our actions influence our lives?"

Our third graders are also busy becoming scientists, learning the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. We are now getting into all things plants! This will be something we will spend a lot of time on this year, transforming our scientists into botanists!

We are also getting into geography in social studies, learning and interacting with different kinds of maps.

In math, we are still tackling multiplication and division. We are currently in Topic 4 of our Envision Math series. Continue to practice multiplication and division at home. You can also help your child get ready for our next math topic at home - quadrilaterals, area, and perimeter!

We are so proud of our third graders so far. Let's keep this teamwork going to get our students to succeed!

It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of our school year has already finished. Our 4th graders have grown in leaps and bounds academically and socially! As scientists, our kids have become expert geologists studying classifications of rocks, the rock cycle, properties of minerals, and changes to Earth’s land. In Social Studies, we have explored the basics of geography and have delved into Florida’s geographical features. Our mathematicians are tackling higher level multiplication algorithms, putting those basic times tables facts to work! In Reading, students are analyzing complex texts in many genres, focusing on inferences, summaries, and character development. As writers, students are developing essays that are expository and opinion based. Having fun, learning together, and sharing our successes, makes us look forward to the wonderful months to come.

Learning is in full bloom in fifth grade! The children are working diligently applying reading strategies, such as visualizing, making connections and making inferences to help them comprehend the fictional stories they are reading in the classroom. They are also learning to analyze plot, identify character traits and summarize what they have read. Please have your child read for 20 minutes daily and practice their strategies.

During writing, students are learning to analyze opinion prompts and write an essay with reasons to support their opinions.

In math, the students are beginning to learn how to multiply and divide decimals. To help your child at home, please practice memorizing basic multiplication facts.

In science we are studying functions of the human body systems. Which will be followed by the structures of living things.

The annual fifth grade field trip to J.A. Biztown is quickly approaching! The date of the trip is November 9th, and we would love to have parents volunteer alongside their children at J.A. Biztown for the day! Parent participation is crucial to the success of this trip. If you are interested in chaperoning, please complete a volunteer application at getinvolvedineducation.com.

If you have not done so already, please join our Class Dojo app to receive important information regarding conferences, field trips and other fifth grade activities.

Our Special Program Classes worked hard during the first quarter. Our Quarter 1 monthly units focused on learning school rules and routines and learning about the way things move. Students had fun learning and playing with movement words like up and down or fast and slow and engaging in various types of movement through a kinesthetic approach to learning.

In the month of November, we will explore the past and present. In this unit, students will learn about how people got what they needed in the past. Throughout the unit, students will be provided with opportunities to compare what life was like in the past to what life is like in the present.

In the month of December, we will explore the traditions of families from diverse cultures during the winter holiday season. Through stories and hands-on activities, students will learn about a variety of traditions and explore opportunities for civic participation by learning about ways they can help the local community.

In addition, we are excited to announce that Stirling Elementary will be participating in Special Olympics Little ELITES again for the 2023-2024 school year! Special Olympics offers an inclusionary sports play program that allows students to work on sport specific skills (Track and Field) through structured school-based means of participation. Please keep your eyes open for registration forms that will be sent home the week of October 23rd.

Thank you for your help and support. Please continue to read to your child nightly to help develop your child’s reading ability, listening skills, print awareness, and vocabulary. In addition, and most importantly, make time to play with your child. Research indicates that play is essential to development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.