KES 2024 September Newsletter

KES is a welcoming community where members feel valued in an inclusive, safe, and respectful learning environment. We build strong relationships to promote a sense of belonging and enhance our students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. We create engaging, relevant, and active learning opportunities promoting creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. We inspire, encourage, and support young minds to take risks, learn from mistakes, and be responsible for their actions.

This first week of school was PAWSOME; the days were filled with laughter, excitement, and joy!!!

We have truly enjoyed welcoming back our students these past three days. In the classrooms, teachers and students have been engaged in building community, developing relationships, discussing books, organizing their space and supplies, and practicing health and safety routines.

We hope to see many of you at tonight's PTO Back to School Celebration and tomorrow's 5th Grade Car Wash in the KES driveway! For details on these events and other important PTO information (After School Activities, Class Parents, Picture Day, Membership Toolkit and Label Daddy), check out the latest edition of Paw Prints, click here.

Curriculum Night is an opportunity for you to meet your child’s classroom teacher and learn about the routines, practices, expectations and academic program.

*Tuesday, September 24 for grades 3-5 from 7:00-8:30 PM

Monday, September 30 for grades K-2 from 7:00-8:30 PM

These evenings are planned for parents/caregivers only.

*We look forward to introducing you to our new Library Media Specialist, Jamie Nedwick, at the 3-5 Curriculum Night. We will also feature Mrs. Nedkwick in the October Newsletter for those of you who will not be in attendance that evening.

A final note... we must never forget to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11, 22 years ago, and honor the first responders and all who sacrificed in the time that followed.

We recognize the benefits for families to have the opportunity for their child to ride home on a different bus for the purpose of childcare as well as play dates. Starting on Tuesday, October 1, we will be accepting bus notes sent into school with children in the morning to ride home on a bus with a friend.

As always, if the need arises to change dismissal plans after the start of the school day, please call and email the school by 12:00 PM to ensure the information is relayed and followed.

If you haven't already done so, please click on the button below and complete the 2024-25 KES DAILY DISMISSAL FORM.

Evacuation and fire drills are important to practice in school so that children and staff know what to do in the case of an emergency. This afternoon, we will conduct our first evacuation/fire drill. Our kindergarten students will have the opportunity to sit and watch the building evacuate so they know what to do for the next time.

Throughout the year, we will continue to practice evacuation/fire drills as well as lock-down drills and dismissal drills. These drills are conducted in accordance with New York State Law under Project SAVE regulations. For further explanation of these drills, please join us at the upcoming PTO General Membership Meeting on Thursday, September 19 at 9:30 AM at KES.

This month, teachers will be reading to the students "The Magical Yet" which is a beautifully illustrated children's book written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez. It tells a heartwarming story that highlights perseverance, growth mindset, and the power of “yet.”

The story centers around a young child who faces various challenges and obstacles. Each time the child feels discouraged a magical creature called the "Yet" appears. The "Yet" encourages the child to keep trying, emphasizing that while they may not be able to do something "yet" with effort and perseverance, they will eventually succeed. The narrative takes the reader through various scenarios where the child learns to ride a bike, play an instrument, and solve tricky problems, always guided by the encouraging presence of the "Yet."

The central theme of "The Magical Yet" is the concept of a Growth Mindset, a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck. This mindset fosters the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. The book teaches children that failure is not a permanent state but a stepping stone to success. By embracing the word "yet" children understand that their capabilities are still in progress and that persistence is key.

Resilience is another crucial theme in the book. The "Yet" character teaches children that setbacks and failures are natural parts of the learning process. The story encourages children to view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. This resilience is fundamental to SEL, helping children develop the ability to bounce back from difficulties and persist in the face of adversity.

National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 in celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

At KES, we will be highlighting National Hispanic Heritage Month on our "Good Morning, KES" program and during regularly scheduled weekly visits to the Library.

In all K-5 classes, students and teachers will be engaged in a variety of fun and motivating activities that foster building relationships and a collaborative and inclusive classroom community. There will be a focus on establishing classroom routines and expectations for behavior as a shared responsibility within a safe learning environment. Providing students with tools to be productive and independent learners started on day one!

As we begin the year, here is what each grade is working on in reading, writing, math, social studies and/or science.

In Kindergarten, students will be exploring books and how to take care of them during reading. In writing, students will start the process of telling a story through talk, pictures and some writing. In kindergarten, writing can mean pictures, random letters and squiggles, or labeling with initial sounds! In math, we will be investigating our materials and learning how to use math tools. We will launch the math workshop and focus on numbers to 5. In social studies, we will be learning about our own identities and how we all join together to create our classroom community.

In First Grade, students will learn about habits readers develop when they start a book, while reading a book, and when they finish a book. We will practice these good habits during independent reading and interactive read aloud times. In writing, students will write pattern books about themselves, their school, and the world around them. Throughout this unit, there will be a focus on capitalizing names and the beginning of sentences, words you should know how to spell in a 'snap' as well as using conjunctions to add more to our sentences. Our math work will revolve around ways to make the numbers 1-10. Students will use number bonds and ten frames to show different ways to make these numbers. In Social Studies students will learn about Constitution Day, which will be recognized on September 17. We will also learn about school and classroom expectations throughout the month. In Science, we will begin our unit on plant and animal defenses.

In Second Grade, students are learning new strategies to support our reading. Enjoying interactive read alouds will help our 2nd graders learn new vocabulary, strengthen comprehension skills and expose our readers to new and exciting books with unique settings and characters. We’ll also be learning about each other through our own writing. Our writers will stretch out their memories with details and descriptive words to help their personal narratives come to life. In math, the 2nd graders will be solidifying number sense while learning the foundations of addition and subtraction. The 2nd graders will also be very busy investigating Properties of Matter in science. And, of course, we love kicking off the year learning about communities in social studies.

In Third Grade, students will be talking about making their “Reading the Best It Can Be.” The students will discuss finding their best reading spot at school and at home. They will also practice reading as if books were “gold” and not reading like a "curmudgeon". In writing, third graders will craft true stories and learn how to become storytellers by stretching out the heart of the story. In math, students will begin to explore and learn about multiplication and division of whole numbers. In Social Studies, third graders will discuss how a citizen is like being part of a large group, with rights and responsibilities. Good citizenship can be demonstrated at home, school, and in the community.

In Fourth Grade, students will spend their first weeks interpreting characters in reading. In social studies, students will be learning about the geography of New York State. In math, students work on generalizing their place value understanding and fluently adding and subtracting multi-digit whole numbers. In writing, students will be reviewing the conventions of writing and grammar. Towards the end of this month, students will begin our first science unit exploring Earth's features, in which students investigate how a dinosaur fossil found in the fictional Desert Rocks National Park formed.

In Fifth Grade, students will read with a focus on character development and themes as they explore realistic fiction books independently and in groups or partnerships. Home of the Brave, the first class read aloud by Katherine Applegate, will inspire discussions about the challenge of adjusting to new situations, perseverance, and belonging. Fifth graders will be expanding their understanding of place value and decimals in math. In social studies, fifth graders will be learning about world geography, with a focus on the Western Hemisphere. Students also become familiar with the process of electing a president. In science, students will be exploring celestial concepts including the size and distance of stars and seasonal constellations.

Class meetings in the cafeteria were scheduled for the first four days of school. Facilitated by Assistant Principal Stambaugh and in collaboration with our classroom teachers and lunch and recess supervisors, all K-5 classrooms had the opportunity to meet their assigned supervisors.

During these introductory meetings we discussed our "Core 4" expectations during lunch and recess:

1. Manners matter

2. Follow the directions of the supervisors

3. Clean up after yourself

4. Demonstrate good sportsmanship and self-control

As you may have learned, we made a few revisions to the way we structure our lunch sessions this year. Every class has an assigned section of the cafeteria. Teachers assign their students to one of three tables in their assigned section.

We will be keeping this organizational structure in place until further notice. Part of our rationale for managing lunch in this way is it affords students the necessary time to eat, it helps our supervisors keep track of the students/classes they are assigned to and serves as a predictable routine for our students. With 60-70 students attending each lunch session, this is an important factor.

There will be times during the year for children to sit with peers from other classes. Recess is also a time of the day for our students to interact with and enjoy the company of classmates and peers from all classes.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and support, as it pertains to maintaining and safe and orderly lunch and recess environment.

DASA seeks to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students, free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, taunting and bullying. If you are aware of an incident or have a concern, please contact one of us listed below. You will be asked to complete the BOE Incident Reporting Form (see "button" below for attachment).

Cristy Harris, Principal and KES Dignity Act Coordinator 763-7700 or charris@klschools.org

Kweon Stambaugh, Assistant Principal (designee) 763-7705 or kstambaugh@klschools.org

Jessica Fulton, Social Worker (designee) 763-7669 or jfulton@klschools.org.