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FES Knightly News
Weekly Family Newsletter
Week of March 18th- March 22nd
New and Important Information
Book Fair is Coming!
The Book Fair is coming! This week students will create wish lists to bring home to share with their grown-ups! PLEASE, DO NOT SEND MONEY THIS WEEK!
Students will shop during Unified Arts time the week of March 25. Family night will be Thursday, March 28th from 4:30-7:30 (during the Circus Mojo family event, although the book fair will be closed during the show).
Don't forget to set up your student's eWallet account for cashless,
stress-less shopping. Friends and family can even contribute funds! Set oneup here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/fesrocks
Water Bottle Reminder
Students are allowed to bring water bottles to school, but due to the distractions they have caused they must be kept in backpacks while in class. For this reason, cups/bottles that do not seal (such as Stanley cups) are not allowed as they can't be kept in a backpack without leaking.
Beginning on Monday (tomorrow), if students bring these cups/bottles they will be required to empty them and put them in their backpacks. Please help us by reminding your student to only bring leak-proof water containers to school.
Mario Kart iReady Race
The current leaders of the iReady Mario Kart race are:
Kindergarten: Ms. Dodd's class
1st Grade: Ms. Bryan's class
2nd Grade: Ms. Reynolds' class
3rd Grade: Ms. Quinn's class
4th Grade: Ms. Boggs' class
5th Grade: Ms. Riffe's class
There are still two weeks left until our March winner is decided! Encourage your students to pass as many lessons as possible! The winning class in each grade gets a class party!
Repeats from Last Newsletter
From Mr. Dave, FES Lead Bus Driver (Bus 137)
Parents and students a friendly reminder that eating food and candy is not allowed on the school bus. If the student is eating the driver will ask them to put it away or throw it in the trash. Eating on the bus is unsafe and unsanitary.
If there are any questions please contact FES or the transportation department
Jolly Plumbing Teacher Award
Does your child's teacher deserve some special recognition? Nominate him or her for the Jolly Plumbing Teacher Award at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc971BfcdTmxbsuCWTgKa2wIXZTWwzZy84574dNPW-btjTXkQ/viewform
Zonar Card Information for Parents
Haga clic aquí para ver esta información en español
Cliquez ici pour voir ces informations en francais
Soon, Florence Elementary students will be issued a card to scan when they get on and off their school bus. This card works with the Zonar app to inform parents that their student is on the bus. Students will wear this card on a lanyard during the school day, and will also be able to use it in the library and in the cafeteria to easily access their accounts. Please encourage students to keep it in the front pocket of their backpacks when they are not at school. Please see the message below from the district about this program:
The Boone County School District strives daily to ensure the safety of your children in
everything we do. In our continued efforts, we are excited to begin the rollout of the new
ZPass student ridership program. This tool will aid the school district and parents in quickly
locating students and will provide transportation with real time rosters for each bus. This
program will be offered to all elementary school students and students grades 6- 12 who use
special transportation.
How does the card work? Each Zpass card contains a passive RFID chip which is assigned
a unique identifier when the card is issued to the student. When the card is tapped on the
scanner, the RFID is activated and automatically logs their entry or exit time and location. The
card does not offer any capability to track a student - it merely tells us when and where a
student scanned the card on and off of the bus. Parents can download the My View Parent
App and choose to receive information instantly and securely regarding when their child
boarded or loop exited a bus.
What happens if my child loses their card? Students without cards will still be permitted to
board the bus. If the card is lost or damaged, a new card can be requested by notifying your child’s
school. If the card was recently lost, we ask that you look for one day before reporting the card as
lost. If it is still lost after that time, please notify the school and a new card will be issued. If a lost card
is found please return it to school.
What information is stored on the card? The only information that is stored on the ZPass
card is the unique identifier that is only meaningful to the ZPass program. A lost or stolen
ZPass card does not put sensitive student information at risk. Parents will only have access to
their student’s information. Under our terms with the company providing this technology, all
student information is protected.
Students whose families opted out of this program will receive a NON-RFID card. The
NON- RFID card will still contain the student barcodes for use in the cafeteria and media
center but will be clearly labeled “NON RFID Card”. This student identification card will still
need to be presented when a student boards district transportation so that transportation staff
will be able to identify students who are present on the bus.
Still have questions? A list of frequently asked questions has been compiled using responses from
the parent survey and from other districts who have already implemented this program. This
document is found on the transportation page of the district website. If after reviewing this document
you still have questions, please reach out to the transportation department directly.
Transportation Department Phone Number: 859-384-5340
Transportation Web Address: https://www.boone.kyschools.us/transportation-department
Knights of the Week
The Knights pictured below were chosen as Knights of the Week because the ROCK! They consistently RESPECT themselves and others, OWN their actions, make the CHARACTER count, and KEEP expectations for themselves high!
Here's What We're Learning this Week
Kindergarten
Reading/Writing- We are starting our information writing and will be doing our animal research during this.
Math- We are starting our money units. What is a coin and what is it used for?
Science- Forces in motion
Social Studies- Communities
First Grade
Reading/Writing- Students will be reading and writing about Weather this week! We will be learning about different types of weather.
Math- Students will review shapes and learn about 3D shapes.
Science- Students will be learning about weather and weather patterns. We will be recording our daily weather each day this week.
Social Studies- Students will be wrapping up review over community helpers!
Other 1st Grade Information- We are hoping to organize another field trip before the end of the school year. Please stay tuned for details!
Second Grade
Reading/Writing- Students will begin a unit on a new genre- biographies. Students will be identifying the main purpose of the text, including what the author wants to answer, explain or describe, and how that purpose shapes the content of the text.
Math- Students will continue working on partitioning shapes and fitting squares inside rectangles.
Science- Students will be working on explaining how animals help with pollination and seed dispersal.
Other Information from 2nd Grade- 2nd Grade Field Trip to the Zoo on April 3rd.
Third Grade
Reading/Writing-This week in reading we are working on identifying and citing information to determine the central idea of a nonfiction or fiction text. We will be reading realistic fiction books. In writing, we will be identifying evidence and answering questions about a text.
Math-In math, we are comparing two fractions with the same numerator and denominator. We will also be using rulers marked with halves and fourths to measure length.
Science- The students will visit the mobile science van this week!
Social Studies- We will be practicing for the KSA during this time by reading passages and answering questions.
Fourth Grade
Reading/Writing- Students will continue learning text structure, specifically compare and contrast text structure.
Math-Students are learning how to compare fractions with unlike denominators.
Science-Students are learning the structure and function of plants and animals.
Fifth Grade
Reading/Writing- Students are working on integrating information from a text they read. In writing students are learning plural vs possessive nouns.
Math- Students will learn how to multiply fractions.
Science-Students will be learning about earth's rotation and shadow patterns.
Social Studies- Students will begin a unit on the United States economy.
Other Information in 5th Grade: We will be going on a field trip to RA Jones on Monday and the Florence Government center on Thursday.
Art
K and 1st will be making art with Flowers. 2nd and 3rd be creating Robots! 4th and 5th will be creating a new shoe design using their favorite candy!
STEM
We have had chicken eggs in an incubator for the past three weeks, and this week they will be hatching! Check dojo for a message about a live streaming link so you can watch the baby chicks!
Gym
Kindergarten is learning to follow a rhythmic activity leading up to a dance.
First grade is learning to move in various pathways and levels during a dance.
Second grade is focused on aerobic activities and Cardiovascular.
Third grade has started a learning a dance sequence and pattern leading to a dance.
Fourth grade is working on muscular endurance using plyometric
Fifth grade is learning how flexibility and muscular endurance can be beneficial in their daily life.
Music
All grades will observe and interact with new instruments daily. Participation includes briefly playing the instrument, learning about the history of the instrument and the related cultures, and clapping/dancing along with the performance. Instruments that will be discussed: (Jan.29-Mar.1) Djembe (West African Hand drum) Darbuka (Turkish Hand drum) Lekgodilo (South African Flute) Egg Shaker (America) Steel Pan (pitched percussion instrument from island of Trinidad) Students will also collaborate musically through singing songs, drumming on pads to notated rhythms, learning dance choreography, listening and analyzing music, and playing fun music related games.
Happy Birthday!
Birthdays this week include:
Students
- Evan D.
- Addyson F.
- Dakota W.
- Nova M.
- Aisha A.
- Jayla S.
- Archange W.
- Michelange W.
- Evelyn T.
- Heli O.
- Mason C.
- Hayven A.
- Elohim K.
- Cameron S.
- Monserrat S.
From the First Aid Room
Information from health services regarding Covid:
If your student tests positive for Covid and have no sick symptoms, please contact your primary care provider to obtain guidance and determine when your child can return to school. If your child is sick and tests positive for Covid please contact your primary care provider for guidance on care and when to return to school. Students should not return until they are recovered, and symptoms resolved.
Pictures from Our Past
This week's photo is from 1964. It is a portrait of Ms. Graham's 2nd grade class.
From the Cafeteria
These menus are accurate at the start of the week, adjustments may be required due to supply issues. If you have any questions about meals or food service, please contact the FES cafeteria manager at Melody.Linneman@boone.kyschools.us.
SBDM Update (UPDATED FROM LAST WEEK)
The School Based Decision Making Council at FES is made up of the principal (Ryan Burch), three teachers (Alicia Bachman, Abbigail Supe, and Megan Timmerding), and two parents (Alicia Coulter and Vee Miller). This group makes policy decisions and approves some of the school's financial and instructional activities. Meetings are usually held on the first Monday of each month at 4:15 in the FES library. Meetings are open to the public (except for occasional closed sessions).
CClick here to view the January minutes. At the February meeting, SBDM approved the hiring of two special education para-educators for the remainder of the year. They also reviewed and approved the family engagement policy for next school year. The full minutes of the February meeting will be available after the March meeting.
The March meeting has been rescheduled from it's original date of March 4th due to kindergarten registration. The meeting is now March 11th at 4:15 in the library. Click here for the March agenda.
All of our SBDM policies are available on the FES school website.
On the Calendar
Important January/February Dates
- March 26th; Boone's Beginners, 5:30-7:00, Burlington Elementary Cafeteria
- March 28th; Circus Mojo, 5:30-7:30, FES Gym
Click the calendar above to see the schedule of all events throughout the year.