Parent Communication

Dear CHAMPS Families,

As we welcome the month of March, we are excited to reflect on the progress our students have made and look forward to the opportunities the remainder of the school year holds. It’s hard to believe we are already coming to the end of the third marking period!

This month, we will continue to emphasize growth and learning, both inside and outside the classroom. Our teachers are working hard to challenge students with engaging lessons that spark curiosity, while also providing the support they need to succeed. We are especially excited about Family Night Thursday, March 13th 5:00pm and our monthly PBIS incentive that will celebrate student achievements and foster a strong sense of community.

As we move into the final stretch of the school year, I encourage all families to continue partnering with us in supporting their children’s learning. Whether through reading at home, encouraging good study habits, or simply staying engaged in school activities, your involvement makes a world of difference.

We look forward to a fun and productive March, and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you for being an essential part of our school community!

Reminders

• Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial for your child’s academic success. Please ensure your child arrives on time and attends school consistently. If your child will be absent, please notify the school office in advance.
• Winter Weather: Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the cold weather. Be sure you are receiving messages from SCSD regarding school closings and other important information.
• Health & Safety: As we continue through cold and flu season, we kindly ask families to keep students home if they are feeling unwell. Please remind your child about good hygiene practices, such as washing hands regularly and covering coughs and sneezes.

Principal Thomas

C.H.A.M.P.S.: Courageous Hardworking Accountable Motivated Persistent Safe

Van Duyn is an inclusive learning environment where everyone is respected, empowered, encouraged, and supported to thrive and succeed as responsible global citizens while being held to a standard of excellence in academic achievement and personal character

We are an inclusive community that believes all students can learn.

This month in preK we have been learning about our strong feelings. We are learning how to take a deep breath and use our words. Try taking deep breaths at home with your kiddo when they are having strong emotions. We have also been learning about different types of animals and that sometimes animal babies have a different name. Such as a calf for a cow. Also remember counting to 20 or higher is always encouraged (remember don't forget 15) and read, read, read!

Keep up the good work from the PreK Staff!

Thank you!

In the month of March, we will begin Math Module 4: Number Pairs, Addition and Subtraction to 10. Students begin to harness their practiced counting abilities, knowledge of the value of numbers, and work with embedded numbers to reason about and solve addition and subtraction expressions and equations (K.OA.1, K.OA.2). We will introduce number bonds and use the terms whole and part. Within this module you will see addition facts as 2+3=5 or 5=2+3. Please pay attention to where the equal sign is.

In ELA we will begin Skills Unit 6. This unit we will introduce words with blends. We are still practicing reading words without sounding them out. This is called automaticity.

In Science we are finishing up with our Materials and Motion unit. In the middle of March, we will begin Social Studies unit on Families of All Kinds.

😊 Ms. Fagan, Ms. King, Ms. Allen, and Ms. Bridges

1st grade has been learning about sound and light. We have been working on retelling a story that we have read in our own writing. For math we are working on comparing numbers, identifying 10's and 1's and working with addition and subtraction withing 40.

😊 Ms. Glover, Ms. Acevedo, Ms. Peneston and Ms. Floyd

In 2nd grade we are in the middle of a math unit that is continuing to focus on place value and other strategies to help solve math problems within 1,000. In ELA, we are also continuing to build our reading skills and shift our focus to informative writing. Lastly, we are in the middle of a new science unit in which students are learning all about pebbles and rocks.

Student shoutouts:

Hawa K. in Ms. Garcia and Mrs. Napolitano’s class for always doing the right thing and being a great remodel to other students. She shows she is courageous and motivated by her engagement and participation in class.

Dayquan R. Jr. in Mrs. Tzetzis class for being personable and kind to others. He is patient, motivated to do his best, and he perseveres through difficult task. He is always willing to help his classmates out.

😊Ms. Garcia, Ms. Napolitano, and Ms. Tzetzis

Humanities:

We have just begun our Activist Biographies unit this month. Students are learning about various activists and events during the Civil Rights Movement that has made an impact throughout history. Students are crushing it and becoming quite the inquiring historians thus far. Please ask your scholars questions about this, and they will tell you all about it! We are now in the middle of the year, meaning our new reading goal is 105 words per minute. Please practice reading with your scholars each night to continue to develop their reading fluency skills as well as comprehension.

Math:

In math we are concluding Module 4. Students have learned the meaning of area and how to use multiplication to find the area of a rectangle. Multiplication fluency continues to be our focus for this year, please continue to practice this with your scholars as we move into Multiplication Madness this March.

Science:

Students have just begun our Motion and Matter unit in science. In this unit they are learning about the many forces that make something move or stay in place. They are having lots of fun with the investigations we have been using to discover these different forces.

😊Ms. DelaCruz, Ms. Kendall, and Ms. Perez

Humanities:

In this unit, we will explore the immigration experience of Asian individuals and families who arrived in the United States through Angel Island. Students will learn about the historical background of Angel Island, which was used as an immigration station from 1910 to 1940. They will discover the challenges and hardships faced by immigrants during their time at Angel Island, including long waiting periods, language barriers, and interrogations. Through various activities, such as reading personal stories, analyzing photographs, and discussing the impact of immigration policies, students will gain a deeper understanding of how these experiences shaped the lives of immigrants and contributed to the diverse fabric of American society. By the end of the unit, students will be able to express their thoughts and feelings about the immigration experience and reflect on the importance of empathy and understanding in our communities.

Math:

In Grade 4, Module 5 of Eureka Math, students focus on the concept of fractions. This module helps students to deepen their understanding of fractions as numbers. Key topics include:

• Understanding Fractions: Students will learn to recognize and represent fractions on a number line and understand the meaning of numerator and denominator.

• Equivalent Fractions: The module covers how to find and generate equivalent fractions, including using visual models to support their understanding.

• Comparing Fractions: Students will learn strategies for comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators, including using common denominators.

• Adding and Subtracting Fractions: The module introduces the addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators and eventually extends to fractions with unlike denominators.

• Real-World Applications: Through various problem-solving activities, students will apply their knowledge of fractions to real-world situations.

By the end of Module 5, students will have a solid foundation in fractions, enabling them to tackle more complex mathematical concepts in future modules.

Writing:

In The Literary Essay unit, students have the opportunity to transfer all they learned about essays in Boxes and Bullets to crafting arguments about literary text. Students will do high-level reading work of interpreting texts with a focus on big ideas about characters, lessons, author’s message, and theme. Their interpretations/opinions become their claims in their literary essays. The claims will be supported by reasons and times when from the reading. In addition, students will learn how to provide specific evidence from the text in the form of examples, quotations, and mini-stories.

The SCSD implementation of this writing unit will highlight interdisciplinary connections, specifically across the reading (IFL’s Paper Son Unit) and the social studies inquiry (immigration). To support these connections, we will substitute the touchstone text in The Literary Essay unit with Fiona’s Lace by Patricia Polacco. By integrating across content areas, the hope is to provide a more cohesive learning experience for students with opportunities to synthesize knowledge, vocabulary, skills and strategies as readers, writers, and historians.

😊Ms. Huynh-Boyle, Ms. Newton, Ms. Markland, and Mr. Montgomery

MATH:

Hi Family! Spring is almost here! We're almost out of the cold! I hope you were able to enjoy your winter break! I loved resting up but I'm also super excited to get back into math! Shoutouts to those of us passing our Core Set Fluency Assessment: D'lani, Jazmine, and Nyiasia. Please make sure you are practicing your math facts every night.

This month we are moving into Module 4, multiplication and division with fractions. We just started completed topics 1 and 2, fraction measurements and interpreting fractions as division. We will close the month out with multiplication of a whole number by a fraction. As always please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. - Mrs. Marquis

HUMANITIES:

Happy almost spring!! We have just finished up our Westward Expansion unit. Ask your student about the point of the settlers and Native Americans during this time period. They should be able to tell you lots about how each group felt and experienced Westward Expansion.

We will begin The Study of the Americas unit. The first part of this unit focuses on the geography of the Americas; we start with using maps and it then goes into examining the geography of North America, Central America, and South America, ending with Mexico, giving students an understanding of space and place. This allows students to understand the context of anything that they may read or research in the future regarding this part of the Western Hemisphere. Having such a foundational understanding; students then dive deep into historical lessons on the cultural contributions Mexicans made that still influence life in the United States. The unit wraps up with the book, Between Us and Abuela, a link to the novel in the following unit, Esperanza Rising.

SCIENCE:

Hello Families, in science our champs are completing the New York State Science Investigations.

😊Ms. Dewey, Mrs. Marquis, Ms. Grady and Mr. Simmons

Physical Education:

March is here, and that means we are celebrating march madness this month! In the month of March in Physical Education we are going to focus on our basketball unit. Students will develop fundamental skills, learn teamwork and have fun participating in engaging activities. Students will participate in skill-building drills, cooperative activities and modified games that encourage participation and confidence while showing what they have learned! We cannot wait to see the students improve their skills and enjoy the fun of March Madness in PE!

Art:

In Art students are:

4th and 5th grades are working on the element of color.

3rd grade is working on a community Mandala.

2nd and 1st grade are working on a crayon resist painting.

Kindergarten is learning about pattern.

Music:

In Music this month, students in Grades Prek- 2 are learning about different instruments in the orchestra and experimenting with creating music in various ways.

3rd Graders are continuing to sing, play songs on recorders.

4th and 5th Grade Are learning about different genres of music and creating music on Ipads.

Spanish:

Students in 4th and 5th grade are reviewing common phrases in Spanish and practicing having conversations with other. 2nd and 3rd grade students are working on beginning to learn about the different countries that speak Spanish.

Library:

March will bring our Scholastic Book Fair! The book fair will be open during library classes on March 10-March 14th. There will also be time for students to purchase things during lunch and breakfast. Look for flyers coming home soon. In class, Kindergarten and first grade are going to be using non-fiction books to learn about different animals. 2nd graders will begin their re-told fairytale unit, where we learn about Fairytales around the world. 3rd graders will be learning more about biographies and creating their own autobiography about themselves!

😊Ms. Talham, Ms. Hurne, Ms. Hernandez, Mr. Zawadzki, Mr. Grecco, Ms. Kailer

School attendance builds a strong foundation for learning that helps students succeed in the future. It's difficult to make up for too many absences with homework or take-home assignments.

Each month we put all the names of the families that have 95% or better attendance into our attendance raffle.

Each month we also do a class attendance contest. Daily we track classroom attendance, and the classes that have 95% or better get a token on our attendance matters board. At the end of the month, the classes with the most tokens win!

• March 10-March 14th - BOOK FAIR
• March 13th - FAMILY NIGHT - Book Fair is open!
• March 31st- Eid-al-Fitr - NO SCHOOL

• PFO meetings are once a month: March 17th

Please enter door 3 (by the playground)

• All Champ family members are welcome to join PFO. If you are interested in joining PFO please join our meeting. If you cannot attend the meetings and still want to be involved in Van Duyn PFO reach out to Ms. Monique Hill or Ms. Richardson by calling the number listed below.

Contact information:

Van Duyn PFO President Monique Hill

Email: vanduynpfo@gmail.com

Phone: 315-435-5406

ARRIVAL:

• Doors open at 9:05am.
• At 9:15am Door 2 will close and all students must go through Door 1. All late students who arrive between 9:15am-9:30am will enter Door 1 and be signed in.

DISMISSAL:

• Dismissal starts at 3:35pm.
• Parents picking up children in K-5 may pick up their child outside Door 1. Parents picking up a PreK student may pick up their child at Door 3. (By the Playground).
• We do not dismiss between 3:15pm and 3:35pm. If you need to sign your child out before that, please call the main office and let them know.

Before school arrival time is 7:45am. Students cannot enter before school after 8:35am. They will have to wait until the start of the school day if arrive after 8:35am. After school dismissal time is 5:40pm. Student pick up for afterschool will be at door 1. There is no after school on Fridays and for the month of February. There will also be no afterschool on February 13th and February 25th

The Office of DEB along with the Office of Family Engagement will be hosting a few sessions to get feedback from families and community members on whether or not uniforms should be required for the students in grades K-8. Please see the attached flyer for dates and locations. The flyer invites families from your schools to attend meetings within your quadrants to lend their voices. This important work of engaging families and community to make equity-minded decisions will have lasting impacts on your students so we want to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Due to the Snow Days, student council will be meeting during school the week of March 3rd to discuss student leadership roles. Students in student council will begin the process of interviewing "Students of the Month" for April's Newsletter!

Website: https://www.syracusecityschools.com/vanduyn
Location: 401 Loomis Ave Syracuse NY 13207
Phone: (315)435-4660
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanduynchamps

Principal: Amanda Thomas

Vice Principal: Nicole Heath

Dean of Students: Zakia Richardson

Social Worker: Molly Phelps

Guidance Counselor: Sharon Boatwright

Board of Education Officers

Tamica Barnett-President

Twiggy Billue-Commissioner of Education

Nyatwa Bullock-Commissioner of Education

Karen Cordano-Commissioner of Education

Mary Habib-Commissioner of Education

Gwendolyn Raeford-Commissioner of Education

Ranette Releford-Commissioner of Education

Administrative Staff

Anthony Q. Davis, Superintendent

Pamela Odom, Deputy Superintendent

Britt Britton, Chief Academic Officer

Rob DiFlorio, Chief Operations Officer

Timothy Moon, Chief Accountability Officer

Laura Kelley, ED.D., Chief of Student Support Services

Scott Persampieri, Chief Human Resources Officer

Michael Puntschenko, Chief Financial Officer

Monique Wright-Williams, Chief of Staff

Katie Moulton, Assistant Superintendent