Rockland Review
December 19th, 2024
December 19th, 2024
A Letter From Mr. Cieciwa
Dear Rockland Parents and Guardians,
It is hard to believe that Winter Break is already here. It has been so much fun at Rockland the past two weeks, and we will miss all of our Raptors over break. The Marriott Theater Field trip was fantastic, and the students did a wonderful job representing Rockland. Later that afternoon, our students were treated to the sounds of the HMS Orchestra. It was a wonderful performance and inspirational for our young musicians. The Talent Show was also incredible, and we have some very gifted 4th and 5th-grade students! The whole school had an opportunity to see the show on Thursday and loved it. We also had a storm science STEM assembly this week where students experienced engaging and hands-on science demonstrations to explain weather and natural phenomena. A huge thank you to the RFA for their funding of the Marriott trip and Storm Science assembly. Finally, I would like to wish all of our families a happy holiday season and a wonderful winter break. We can’t wait to see our students return, ROARing with pride in 2025!
Events and Reminders:
School Calendar Community Input:
D70 is polling families this week on setting up future calendars by collecting data to assist the D70 Calendar Committee in creating the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school district calendars. Your voice is important. Please complete this form by noon on Monday, Dec. 30th. Thank you.
Emergency closures and eLearning:
Winter weather is upon us and there is always the possibility of heavy snow or low temperatures making it dangerous to attend school. If this occurs, the district will determine if we will take an emergency closure day or an eLearning day. In the event of an eLearning day, please refer to the eLearning section on the D70 website, which is linked below. This will provide information and tutorials on helping get your student started and what to expect on an eLearning day. Please take a look and review the information at your earliest convenience.
Families Learning Together Events in January:
Don’t forget to check out the Families Learning Together for some amazing opportunities. We have three events in January alone. Use the link below to find out more and register.
24-25 Families Learning Together Catalog
Cold Weather and 5 Points:
With our first dusting of snow and colder temperatures on the horizon, here are some important reminders.
Pick-up and drop-off will take longer as more students are being driven to school in the colder months. Circle Drive is busiest 8:00-8:10 and dropping your student off then will most likely take additional time. Please plan accordingly.
When the snow begins to stick, students need to be properly dressed to be allowed to play in the snow. Students must be wearing their “5 Points.”
Coat
Gloves
Hat/Hood
Snow Pants
Boots
Students who are not wearing their 5 Points can still go outside for recess, but must remain on the blacktop.
Students will go outside for recess and have outdoor arrival if the temperature is above 10 degrees with a windchill above zero.
Dates to Remember:
Friday December 20 - No School Winter Break begins
Monday January 6 - Classes Resume
Tuesday January 14 - STAR and Aimsweb testing begins
Monday January 20 - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Wednesday January 22 - Early Dismissal 1:15
Monday January 27 - Board of Education Meeting 6:00 at the ERC
Sincerely,
Jim Cieciwa
Principal
Nurse's Notes
Winter Break is the perfect time to clean your students lunchbox, coat and gloves!
Also, it is a great time to label all of their belongings before returning to school. Be prepared for snow (maybe) and cold temps with “5 Points for Recess”- Coat, hat, gloves, boots & snow pants.
Chapstick:
It is chapped lips season! Please send a plain chapstick with your student in their backpack or one to keep in their desk. Try to avoid one with menthol as it is drying and compounds the problem.
2nd Grade Dental Forms:
Please schedule an appointment with your dentist now for your second grader. The office has the required blank form and will provide that for you. The form is also available on the D70 website under Health Forms. Thanks to those who have already returned the form to me.
Reading and Math Intervention News
Mrs. Reichart - Kindergarten Reading Interventionist
Mrs. Wittenberg - 1st - 5th Grade Reading Interventionist
Mrs. Williams - Math Interventionist
A Few Suggestions to Motivate Your Child to Read!
Download audio books to your device: Public libraries have thousands of free audio books that you and your child can listen to at home or in the car. Listening to books models good fluency, and exposes children to rich vocabulary. Plus, they can access books that might otherwise be too difficult to read on their own.
Utilize search engines on ala.org (American Library Association), Amazon, Pinterest, Barnes and Noble (to name a few) to find really great books: Use key words like Newberry Books, Caldecott Winners, Must-Reads, Favorite Children's Books of 2024, Favorite Books for Boys/Girls/age etc. You can also search for what your child is interested in, whether it is sports, music, mystery, adventures, etc.
Pick a family read aloud: Cut down on TV or video game time by 20 minutes and have the entire family enjoy a book together.
Read a book before you see the movie: Each year movies based on books hit the theaters...why not read it first? Whether it's Diary of A Wimpy Kid, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Boss Baby, Holes, Chronicles of Narnia, Hugo, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, there are literally dozens and dozens to choose from, and more on the way!
Incentivize at home reading: What child doesn't enjoy staying up late? Offer to let your child stay up an extra half hour to read quietly. Have your child earn extra electronics time for every 20 minute block of reading they accomplish.
Fill your home with books: Children are more likely to read when they have choices right in their home. Make frequent trips to the library, take advantage of scholastic.com for affordable books and ebooks, and give books as birthday and holiday presents.
Happy Reading!!
Current Fifth Grade Families
We are continuing to collect pictures for the Rockland Memory Book to capture all the wonderful memories from your student's time at Rockland!
We are still in need of baby pictures and first day of kindergarten photos.
At this time please help us by sending Rockland Elementary school event photos from First AND Second Grade 2020-2022:
Some ideas are:
100th Day of School (from KINDERGARTEN if you have one)
Flat Stanley pictures (where they traveled with a note of location - if needed)
Reader’s Celebration (1st grade)
In-person & E-learning spaces
Any RFA event: Fishing Derby, Pattycake Breakfast, Back to School Picnic
Bell Ceremony (beginning and end of school year)
Spring Sing (2022)
Bowling Field Trip (2nd grade)
Field Day 2022
Send any and all first and second grade photos
in one of two ways by Friday, January 10, 2025.
What's Happening in Second Grade
Now that we are in the thick of second grade, we have kicked it into high gear and are learning so many new and exciting things!
During our CKLA block, our students traveled back to the ancient times of Asia and Greece. Second graders have spent time learning about different cultures as well as learning about Greek gods and their myths. We also learned all about the War of 1812 and how that shaped America as a young nation. Second graders are also working really hard on learning long vowel sounds to decode multisyllabic words as well as learning about parts of speech and how to write a complete sentence.
We will continue to flex our math muscles by practicing double-digit addition and subtraction as well as learning all about measurement. We will use non-traditional measurement by measuring items with an inchworm ruler, teacher’s foot, and a giant’s foot. We will also practice measurement using a ruler and a yardstick.
Things will be heating up in science as we learn about quick and slow changes to our planet Earth. Second graders will learn how volcanoes quickly can change a landscape as well as how over time, erosion can change an area’s landscape.
As you can see, it might be cold outside, but Rockland's second graders will be keeping warm as the learning continues!
RFA News and Events
A Message from the RFA :
The RFA would like to thank all of you for supporting our association this year. We have successfully hosted assemblies, funded field trips, and planned many social events for students . We have a lot more planned for 2025 and encourage new volunteers to get involved in order for us to be able to continue doing great things for our school. Happy Holidays to all of our Rockland Raptors from the RFA.
5th Grade Legacy Gift:
5th grade raised $500 at their last fundraiser and plans to do another fundraiser after the holiday break. The committee wants the fifth graders to start thinking about what they would like to purchase and hopes to finalize it by Feb 1st.
Rockland Cares:
We would like to thank everyone who came out and caroled at Storypoint with us. The residents loved it! Stay tuned for future events next year!
A Look Ahead:
Feb 5: Next RFA meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Learning Center.
