Dear Families,
Our days are full of the hard work of learning and applying what we learn. As we journey to knighthood I know that family support is essential. Students will need to work on memorizing our Castle Rules so they can rank up to Page.
It should be noted that now is the time you can offer guidance on answering the text dependent questions. Homework comes home and students will need to keep it in their homework binder. Homework is due Friday and the binder stays at school on Fridays.
Remember that complete sentences are a must and details are required to attain the maximum amount of points needed to earn the reading challenge ribbon. I also encourage them to read on their own and to find reading material that really interests them. This is for fun, not homework. Find books that you can read with your child and share their interests. They are never too old to be read to, either.
Below are our subject areas and the main focus we will have in each of those subject areas. Please note that learning is fluid and there will be times that call for a new direction in the focus of the subject. This will not be announced. Additionally, assessments will be given as students are showing readiness. This can be a bit nerve-wracking for parents as this means that there will seldom be hard dates of assessments. If the pages are ready we will test. If they are not, we will not.
Ranking Opportunities: We continue throughout the year to assess the level at which the citizens/pages/squires are reading. This opportunity will be the students' first opportunity to earn their Squire rank. They must make half a year's growth, along with earning ALL of their character achievement beads to earn this rank.
Literacy: When we return from Winter Break we will be starting the Middle of the Year testing. To ensure students are ready, they should keep reading over the break. The Winter Break Reading Challenge is designed to keep essential skills sharp. While it is not required, this activity is highly encouraged.
In January in Reading, we will continue to dig deeper into characters and how they interact and react to the others around them, their environment, and challenges they encounter.
Writing: Writing is a very personal subject area with general and specific skills that will be taught and practiced throughout the year. Currently, and after the break, we will be working on writing gripping stories.
Math:Students will continue to practice their addition and subtraction facts. Many students that are struggling with adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers are struggling in part because they are not proficient with their basict addition and subtraction facts. Please keep working on these with them. We will be working with the subtraction algorithm for regrouping when we return. Students will be able to work in Frontrowed.com and Dreambox in addition to their homework for the year. Students will need to earn 250 minutes in Dreambox to earn their Math Stars Ribbon at our next assembly.
Social Studies: We will be taking the next few weeks to focus on character and rules. Students in the castle will begin their first check sheet once they have passed the rules test and will monitor their progress through their achievements and the beads they earn.
Science:
Online AccessFront Row- Your child will have HOME access to this math program and can earn coin values. This program is adaptive and has some really great tools and videos to help reinforce strategies. I can access this program and check in on how the kids are doing. This program does not have all students uploaded yet. I will let you know when it does.
Frontrowed.com Classroom ID=zow35z
Dreambox is also up. There is a specific way to access it on the school web page. Students will be getting their student id numbers (user name) and will need to know their birth year, month, and day (password) in that order.
RAZ kids is available as well. My teacher login is cknightaa.
ONE Access is a collaboration between the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools beginning Fall 2015. CMS students can now use their Student ID number to access and checkout CML resources. Their CMS Student ID number is their library account number. The PIN is the last 4 digits of the Student ID.
ONE Access allows students to borrow e-resources and access library databases just like any other CML library card. Students can also borrow up to 10 print or audio books (no DVDs or music CDs). There are no overdue fines for ONE Access accounts, but users are responsible for fees on lost books.
Also, there are over 50 online databases via NC Live for students to use for homework and projects. Login at cmlibrary.org.