Shuttle Express

SHUTTLE EXPRESS

April 2017 edition

Challenger Families,

We hope you are all enjoying a happy spring. Hopefully, you have been able to spend time outside enjoying the nice weather we had at the end of February. March was a busy month. We celebrated March by with "Read Across America Day." It was fun seeing all the Dr. Suess character look alikes arrive to school on Thursday, March 2. Please check our Facebook page for pictures. We also had a field trip to the Hylton Planetarium, Fitness Night and the Spring Book Fair. Some of our older students competed in the " Battle of the Books" at Ashland Elementary. Our students read many books throughout the school year, met with Ms. Jampole, created a T-shirt and then competed. We are proud of their accomplishments.

Chuck E. Cheese Night sponsored by our PTA is always a big hit. Students have the opportunity to eat dinner with their families and play games with their friends. The PTA also sponsored a March Dance. We also want to thank our PTA for sponsoring author Kalli Dakos. We were able to have an author come and speak to our students because of the support of the PTA. Thank you.

Our Creative Writing Club run by Ms. Zapien is going strong. Students are developing ideas and stories as they hone their writing skills. Ms. Zapien already has great plans for next year developing. We cannot wait to see the masterpieces the students are developing.

Our students finished February trying out for the McAuliffe School Variety Show. We want to thank all of our wonderful McAuliffe staff who are organizing this event. I know we have many talented students. Hope to see you out at the show on April 6.

In language arts, students in grades 3-5 will be working on making inferences and drawing conclusions. You can help your child develop these comprehension skills by asking them, "What do you think might happen next?" and "Why do you think?" questions. First grade is reviewing retelling stories with a beginning, middle and end and then focusing on the main idea. Kindergarten is also working on story retelling. I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe, restful fun-filled Spring Break.

Volunteer Opportunities

PTA Board- in the spring we vote for new board members. Please consider running for the PTA board. The board meets on the second Tuesday of the month to prepare for the PTA meeting and then members also come to the PTA meetings. Board members help organize special events at school and supports special days during the school year.

Advisory Council Members- we are looking for parents from the community who would like to serve on the Advisory Council. The council meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm. The council is responsible for providing input and monitoring of the School Plan, reviewing the school budget and providing input and feedback to the school.

Field Day- is schedule for June 9. If you can help with field day, please contact PE teacher, Ms. Stewart at .

Career Day- is scheduled for June 6. Mr. Emejuru is looking for parents and community members who would like to share their career and job passions with students.

College Day- is June 12. Write to your college and have them send in banners and posters to be used in hallway displays. Please contact Mr. Emejuru, if you would like to help with College Day.

Thank You for Volunteering

On April 25, 2017 at 5:30 pm, McAuliffe staff will be hosting a Volunteer Ice Cream Social for all our special volunteers. Invites will go out soon. We want to thank everyone who gives of their time and support to McAuliffe. We are very fortunate to have some regular volunteers who make each day special. I would like to take a moment to recognize them.

Mr. Collins holds the door for students every morning and in the afternoon. He greets students with a smile and a friendly welcome. Mr. Collins supports our library by helping shelve books and working check out. He has helped with small groups in kindergarten this year, gone swimming with second graders and changes our outside sign. He does many wonderful things throughout the school with a humble heart. We are truly grateful for everything he does. Ms. Lewis and Ms. Costello are our PTA President and Vice President. They help run PTA meetings, set up special events, helped second grade teachers move into their new rooms, and jump in to support wherever needed.

Ms. Dawson our PTA Treasurer and former PTA President, has helped teach and guide the new president and vice president on the PTA board. She also helped second grade move, gives a helping hand where needed and helps run and set up special events.

Ms. Franklin, who organizes and creates the newsletter, our partnerships with families and volunteers helps all students learn and achieve. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Many hands working together.

Standards of Learning (SOLs)

May is SOL season. We are including the current schedule in this newsletter. We ask that students get a good night of sleep before the SOL and eat a nice healthy breakfast the morning of the SOL. Please make sure your child arrives on time and that they don't have any doctor's appointments during SOL's. Please be aware, this schedule is subject to change.

May 5: Fourth Grade Virginia Studies

May 9 and May 10: Fifth Grade Reading

May 11 and May 12: Fourth Grade Reading

May 15: Fifth Grade Science

May 16 and May 17: Third Grade Reading

May 18 and May 19: Fifth Grade Math

May 22 and May 23: Fourth Grade Math

May 25 and May 25: Third Grade Math

June: Expedited Retakes

Transfer Students

If your child is already attending McAuliffe on transfer for child care or work reasons, please remember that the deadline to submit transfers for the 2017-2018 school year is April 28. Transfers are only good for one year and must be renewed each year. Applications can be picked up at any PWC school. Failure to get applications in before the April 28 deadline, may result in your child returning to their base school.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten Registration opens this month. Registration will be on April 6 from 10:00-6:00 and April 20 from 9:00-3:00, by appointment only. If you have a student entering kindergarten next year or have a neighbor with a student entering kindergarten next year, please call Ms. Robertson at 703.680.7270 to schedule an appointment. It is very important to have our upcoming Challengers register early. Please don't wait. We are so excited your child will be joining us and we want to prepare for them. If you will be moving out of the McAuliffe Area please let the office know as well.

Janice Herritt / Principal

McAuliffe Elementary School/ 703.680.7270

CALENDAR OF EVENTS for April

WHAT'S NEW FOR THIS MONTH!

Kindergarten News

March started off with the kindergarten classes celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday for Read Across America. We had guest readers and reading buddies. At the end of the day, we donned our red and white striped hats and read in the hallway. In language arts we finished up our unit on fairy tales. The students enjoyed the big book, Mrs. Wishy-Washy. Oh lovely mud! We also had a visit from that pesky leprechaun who wreaked havoc in the classrooms but provided a worthwhile writing activity as the students had to report the facts that occurred. We have been working on short vowel sounds and writing words with these sounds. Writing sight words independently will continue to be an important focus as our students must be able to read and write 30-40 by the end of the year. In our math unit on time and money, we have learned to tell time to the hour and identify coins and their values. This will be assessed for the next report card. Adding and subtracting using manipulatives and story problems is quite exciting for them. Keep practicing counting by ones, fives and tens to 100. In social studies, we are learning about Pocahontas and Powhatan as we continue our study of famous Americans. Our science units have focused on human growth stages and development, spring seasonal changes and the life cycle of plants. The students are hard at work on nonfiction writing. Don’t forget to sign the reading log every night! The more you read the better reader you become. Practice makes perfect! Happy spring!

Fifth Grade News

This month in fifth grade math we will be using real world scenarios to apply, create and evaluate measurement skills including perimeter, area, volume and elapsed time. Students should continue practicing their basic multiplication facts at home and practice using their strategy of choice (lattice, algorithm, area) to solve 3 by 2 digit multiplication problems. Students will continue to use the UPSC strategy to solve word problems. In fifth grade science we will be moving onto the Properties of Matter Unit! Through hands-on inquiries and experiments students will know that elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world, that all matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form molecules, each element is made of one kind of atom, elements can be combined to form compounds, and matter can changed due to heating, cooling, and mixing. The concepts in this unit build upon the basic understandings of matter as introduced at Grade 2 (measurement of mass/volume of solids and liquids; phase changes with addition or removal of energy) and Grade 3 (objects are made of materials that can be described by their physical properties).

Physical Education

The weather is finally starting to warm up and we are able to go outside. Please remember to have your students dress accordingly. We will have lessons both inside and outside so they need to be prepared for either. This means sending in a labeled water bottle, applying sunscreen in the morning and some days dressing in layers when it may be cooler in the morning. March was National Nutrition Month. We spent time covering the food groups and discussing the foods that are good for our bodies. We also talked about how exercise and rest are an important part in staying healthy. As we move into April we will be working on chasing, fleeing and dodging. We will also begin to visit some outdoor leisure pursuit games. These are games that you might play as a family in your backyard in the summer. Field Day will be here before you know it and we need volunteers. Be on the lookout for more information.

WELLNESS CORNER

As the weather gets warmer, and we start to become more active let’s not forget about our wellness zip code 95210. Each of these numbers are a reminder of the components of healthy living. The 9 reminds us that our bodies and minds work best with nine hours of sleep a night. The 5 tells us to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to fuel our bodies with the energy we need for an active life style. The 2 shows us to limit our screen time to no more than two hours a day. Remember this includes all screens TV’s, computers, phones, etc. Since we are rested, have energy, and need something to do besides look at a screen; the 1 reminds us to get at least one hour of exercise a day. Be creative and mix it up: walk, jog, play soccer, bicycle, or play basketball. You choose! When we get thirsty from all that exercise the 0 tells us to stay away from sugary drinks. The best way to quench our thirst is water. Remember the zip code for healthy living 95210.

Our Spring Fitness Night will be on March 30 from 6:30 – 8:00.

PTA Information

Board Meeting:

Date: 18 April

Location: Library

Time: 6:30pm

General Members Meeting:

Date: 25 April

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Library

What's Happening in the Library

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