The Croc Chronicles ~ Family Style

Bully Free Week ~ Dress like one of your trusted adults. Talk about bullying vs. tattling.

Bully Free Week ~ Wear red as a reminder to spot red flags that may be bullying.

Extended School Day ~ 3rd Grade Reading Camp 8:00-9:30

Kindergarten Field Trip ~ Glazer Children's Museum

BLAST Kids' Club ~ 4:00-5:30

Bully Free Week ~ Play kindness bingo for a bully free zone or make kindness links.

Great American Teach-In

Extended School Year ~ 3rd Grade Reading Camp 8:00-9:30

Connerton Calypso Band ~ 9:00-9:30 in cafeteria

Special Olympics ~ at CCHS

Wear Your Class Colors!

Chargers: Orange

Kindergarten: Black

First Grade: Yellow

Second Grade: Purple

Third Grade: Red

Fourth Grade: Green

Fifth Grade: Blue

Wind Down Wednesday ~ Join us for a live read aloud on our "Connerton Elem. School" Facebook page at 7:00 pm.

Bully Free Week ~ Be an upstander - "stand up" to bullying and unkind behavior. No name calling, pushing or leaving others out. Make your own upstander cards.

PVMS Presentations ~ 5th Grade 10:30-12:30

2nd Grade Field Trip ~ Pioneer Museum

Bully Free Week ~ Dress like a superhero and stand for a bully free school.

November Student of the Month ~ in cafeteria at 8:40

NO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK - November 25th-29th - Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great time with your families! See you in December!

Welcome back!

Kindergarten FAST Reading Testing this week

Extended School Day ~ 3rd Grade Reading Camp 8:00-9:30

5th Grade ~ PM2 FAST Reading Test

BLAST Kids' Club ~ after school 4:00-5:30

Extended School Day ~ 8:00-9:30 3rd Grade Reading Camp

Connerton Calypso Band ~ 9:00-9:30 in cafeteria

3rd Grade ~ PM2 FAST Reading Test

Wear Your Class Colors!

Chargers: Orange

Kindergarten: Black

First Grade: Yellow

Second Grade: Purple

Third Grade: Red

Fourth Grade: Green

Fifth Grade: Blue

Wind Down Wednesday ~ Join us for a live read aloud on our "Connerton Elem. School" Facebook page at 7:00 pm!

4th Grade ~ PM2 FAST Reading Test

1st & 2nd Grade ~ PM2 FAST Reading Test

Young Athletes ~ Special Olympics in Media Center

11/25-11/29 ~ Thanksgiving Break

12/2-12/20 ~ Testing Window: FAST PM2 Reading and Math, StarCBM fluency testing, and MAPS science testing (grades 3-5)

12/9 ~ 5th Grade MAPS (Science) & 1st Grade Math FAST testing

12/10 ~ 5th Grade Math - PM2 FAST Math Test, Culver's Scoopie Night

12/11 ~ 3rd Grade Math - PM2 FAST Math Test, Family Fluency Night 5:30-7:00

12/12 ~ 4th Grade Math - PM2 FAST Math Test, SAC Meeting

12/13 ~ 2nd Grade - PM2 FAST Math Test, 1st & 3rd Field Trip, 5th Grade Houses Tournament, Kindergarten Movie Night 6:00-8:00

12/16 ~ 3rd Grade MAPS (Science) test

12/17 ~ 4th Grade MAPS (Science) test

12/18-12/19 ~ Makeup testing

12/20 ~ Spirit Day: Ugly Sweater Day!

12/23-1/3 ~ Winter Break

1/10 ~ End of 2nd quarter and first semester

1/13 ~ Teacher Planning Day; no school for students

1/17 ~ Report cards released

1/20 ~ No School, MLK, Jr. Day!

Mrs. Fitzgibbons was named Connerton Elementary's Teacher of the Year! This awesome 3rd grade teacher is kind, hardworking, dedicated, flexible, reflective, funny, and compassionate. She has such a passion for making sure every student is successful (as well as everyone else around her)! We love you, Mrs. Fitzgibbons!

Ms. Lindsey Pahlck, our secretary in the front office, earned the title of both our school and DISTRICT SRP of the Year!! You will find Ms. Lindsey in the car line, managing Safety Patrols, running around the school helping teachers, making copies, answering phones, greeting families in the front office...basically she is everywhere all the time! We are so grateful to her as she keeps our school running!

This upcoming week celebrates being bully free! We want our school family to use kind words and kind hands. This week students will learn the Purple Heart Pledge to remind us to think about our words and actions. Classes will work together to earn Croc Cash when we resolve conflict with our words, keep hands to ourselves, and speak with kindness. We love our Crocs and want to keep our school bully free!

Thanks for coming out to our Fall Festival on Friday! The weather was perfect and Champ was excited to see all of our Crocs having a great time with their families!

The Great American Teach-In will take place this Wednesday, November 20th. If you are presenting, please plan to arrive 20 minutes early to find parking, get checked in at the office, and find your way to your classroom. Our secretaries will provide you with a map, your schedule, and a student guide (your child or a Safety Patrol) to take you around campus. Thank you for coming and making this day a huge success!

Due to technical difficulties, we had to create a NEW Facebook page. Please like/follow the new one and remember to check it often. That's where you'll find all the latest info! Go check us out at "Connerton Elem. School" Thank you!

You can look forward to live weekly read-alouds on our Facebook page on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm. Come join us!

Don't forget to log your minutes on Beanstack after listening to the story. Every minute with a book counts, and we want to beat our minutes from last year!

Our 2nd quarter Croc Cart Shopping Extravaganza is around the corner! Students will be able to shop the first week of December. If you would like to donate any items to the cart, please click on the link below. THANK YOU!!

Last year we reached our goal of reading for 1,000,000 minutes and this year we are looking to increase that number to 1,500,000!! All students and staff can participate in this year-long, district-wide reading challenge called R.A.C.E. to Read Pasco!

The goal for Pasco County Schools is to collectively read 15-million minutes. This goal can be reached if we all remember to read and log our reading minutes. Reading just 30 minutes each day will help us achieve our goal. Logging your minutes is easy!

Step 1 - Find the Beanstack app on the myPascoConnect dashboard.

Step 2 - Select R.A.C.E. to Read Pasco!

Step 3 - Select “Log Reading” to start the timer or use the calendar to log past minutes.

Step 4 - Enter the book title and log your reading.

Learn more about R.A.C.E. to Read Pasco! (Link to https://bit.ly/467mSDg)

Now that the school year is in full swing, our car rider pickup line is moving much faster than it did those first few weeks. Please be sure you are in the car line by 4:15 each day. Our contracted time for staff ends at 4:20. To respect their time, we ask that all cars are in line no later than 4:15 pm. That will help us get our staff members out of the hot sun and back to their classrooms to finish up for the day before heading home. Once car line has ended, you'll need to park and come inside to show your ID and sign out your child(ren). Thank you so much for your attention to this matter.

Be sure to check out the list of Sunshine State Young Readers (SSYR) book lists for primary and intermediate grades at the links below. Students who read all the books and pass the quizzes will be eligible to participate in a fun event at the end of the school year to celebrate! Last year, our SSYR students went to Main Event and enjoyed an afternoon of pizza and games! You can check out these amazing books from your local library or our media center.

Welcome to our family! We are thrilled to have you join us at Connerton Elementary. To celebrate and show your school spirit, we invite you to visit our exclusive spirit wear page by clicking the link below. There, you’ll find a variety of items perfect for students, parents, and supporters alike.

Feel free to browse and order from our fundraiser – there’s something for everyone! From t-shirts and hoodies to hats and accessories, you’ll find the perfect way to show your Connerton pride. By purchasing spirit wear, you’re not only helping us raise essential funds for our school but also joining us in creating a unified and vibrant school community.

Your support allows us to continue funding important programs, resources, and events that benefit all our students. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or community member, your involvement and enthusiasm make a significant difference.

Thank you for being a part of our Connerton Elementary family. Together, we can look the part, feel the part, and be an integral part of our wonderful school community.

Parent Edition

Our Mission- To enhance Algebra 1 outcomes for all students.

Our Vision- Empowering every Pasco County student to successfully apply mathematics in college, career, and life.

Current Reality- We have created a vision both as a district and as a math team that includes high expectations for all our students. The district vision has been ingrained within all aspects of work in our system. We continue to see more students accessing higher levels of math within their K-12 career. The goal of this work is to increase proficiency, provide opportunities for students to access higher levels of math and communicate a vision that includes high expectations for all students.

Our Current Math Identity- Starting in 2021, Pasco began looking forward to both the implementation of the B.E.S.T. Standards for Mathematics and new high quality instructional materials. A team was assembled to review the materials and craft a cohesive vision and framework for equitable mathematics instruction in Pasco classrooms.

Our Commitment

Pasco County’s Math Priority is to build teacher capacity to deliver high quality math instruction in K-8 resulting in greater student Algebra Readiness.

We will accomplish this by:

· Developing the belief of all stakeholders in the principles of growth mindset and that all students can learn and apply mathematics at high levels

· Providing a Parent Toolkit

· Feedback surveys and Focus Groups Structures for various stakeholders

· Consistent communication highlighting Algebra Readiness awareness

We define Algebra Readiness as: Demonstrating the foundational skills acquired to support proficiency at each grade level.

We define high quality math instruction as:

· Developing and implementing standards-aligned, grade level mathematical tasks

· Responsive to student needs

· Effective and intentional implementation of the math instructional framework

· Intentional and consistent integration of the MTRs

Expected Outcomes

· Enhanced Teacher Efficacy

· Improved Student Proficiency

· Increased Student Engagement and Ownership

Why is this necessary?

“Numerous studies show that algebra readiness is correlated with future academic success, including major benchmarks such as graduating from high school, attending college, and securing future employment.” Curriculum Associates https://www.curriculumassociates.com/about/press-releases/2024/03/new-curriculum-associates-

Families, please be sure to double check your Parent Bill of Rights in the portal. There is a section pertaining to the clinic that allows our nurse to administer aid if your child comes to the clinic. Thank you!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, parents are invited to join their child for lunch at a picnic table in our courtyard. Please note your child's lunch time below and plan to arrive ten minutes early to get checked in and to the courtyard on time:

10:55-11:25 Kindergarten

11:15-11:45 1st Grade

11:30-12:00 3rd Grade

12:10-12:40 2nd Grade

12:40-1:10 4th Grade

1:30-2:00 5th Grade

Please click on the link below to sign up!

We love a good celebration! Please be sure to order any cupcakes/goodies from our cafeteria when treating the class. Unfortunately, we cannot allow any store-bought or homemade goodies. Please note that any orders must be placed 10 business days ahead of the event. The link can be found below. Thank you!

Please make sure students are wearing helmets when riding their bike to school. Students under sixteen must wear a helmet that meets safety standards. If your child needs their helmet properly fitted, bring to school and we can fit them. Thank you!

Any students needing to leave before the end of the school day must be signed out through the front office by 3:15 pm. After this time, students will be dismissed at our regular dismissal time of 4:00pm as we prepare for dismissal.

For safety reasons, transportation changes cannot be made through your child. All changes in transportation must be made through the front office by 3:15 pm. Thank you.

This is a reminder that we do NOT have park and pick up during dismissal. Please do NOT park on the grass across the street or use the Primrose neighborhood. This creates a safety issue not only for our students, but also for the neighborhood. Emergency vehicles cannot get in and out when cars are parked along the street. Thank you for helping keep our Crocs and our neighbors safe.

Charger families, please plan for pickup at the gates at 9:40 each morning. Due to teacher contact time in their contract, we had to adjust the time that teachers open their door for students each morning. Please plan for teachers to meet you at the gate at 9:40 to honor their contracts. Thank you.

The District is making several changes to our volunteer requirements and application process for the 2024-2025 school year. Effective 7/1/2024, all volunteers will be required to complete a Level 2 background screening every 5 years. This background check will review records in the state of Florida as well as the national FBI database. The cost for this screening is $41.25 and volunteers will be responsible for paying this cost. The District will pay the yearly monitoring fee for each volunteer. To keep your prints current, you must complete the Raptor application yearly. If you do not reapply by the deadline provided, you will be responsible for the cost associated with a new background screening.

Before you can be approved to volunteer for the 2024-2025 school year, you will need to complete a Raptor volunteer application and this background screening.

You can access the 2024-2025 Volunteer Application on July 1st, 2024. This application will be posted on the Volunteer Programs page of our website at the following link: https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/hreq/page/volunteer/.

The District partners with Fieldprint for fingerprinting appointments and processing. Fieldprint has locations throughout the county and many sites are open outside of regular work hours, including weekends. The code listed below is now active. We would encourage you to be printed as soon as possible to avoid any delays once the application opens. Please use the following directions to schedule a fingerprinting appointment:

1. Go to the following link: FIELDPRINT SCHEDULING.

2. Select “sign up” if you have never utilized Fieldprint before.

3. Select “I know my code” from the dropdown menu when prompted to do so.

4. Enter the following code, “FPPASCOVECHSVol”.

5. After selecting your appointment, you will be prompted to make the payment.

The following is a list of offenses that disqualify individuals from approval. Disqualifying Offenses.

Any other felony offenses, crimes against children, and/or violence will be reviewed in accordance with the District’s Professional Review Committee. This committee is responsible for reviewing background screenings for employees, vendors and volunteers.

Please note the average processing time for reviewing and approving background screenings is 30 days. We encourage you to complete your volunteer application and background screening early so that you can be approved to volunteer for upcoming events and opportunities for the 2024-2025 school year.

We know this additional background screening places a financial responsibility on our volunteers, but the District believes this step is necessary to ensure we have up to date background information pertaining to all adults that interact with students and staff on our campuses. Our students’ safety is always our first priority.