Cannon Road Elementary School
www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/cannonroades/
Norman L. Coleman, Principal Elise M. Burgess, Assistant Principal
Principal’s Newsletter
December 5, 2012
Upcoming Events
December 6 & 7 / Final Days of the Scholastic Book Fair – Hours 9:30 – 3:45 – Room 166December 12 / Winter Choral Concert - 2:30 and 7:00 p.m. – Multi-Purpose Room
December 13 / Springbrook High School Art Show – Open to Public 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
December 14
December 19 / PTA Sponsored Assembly
Grade 4 Field Trip to Smithsonian – Natural History Museum 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
December 21 / PBIS Event – Craft Projects
Dec 24– Jan 1 / Winter Break – School Closed
January 2 / School Re-Opens Students and Teachers return to school
Dear Parents,
As we come to the close of this year, we want to encourage you and your families toenjoy your time off during the Winter Break. Whether you are traveling or staying home, this is a great opportunity to reflect on this past year and identify some goals you would like to achievein 2013.
One of the goals I have for us as a school communityis to have at least one member of each student's family volunteer at the school.Family memberscan includeparents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, cousins, or neighbors.No matter what time constraints you may have, we can finda valuable way to utilize yourtime.
In addition, I have been out of school with a leg injury for the last week and look forward to returning the week of December 10th. Thank you to all who have express their concerns and well wishes for a speedy recovery.
Thank you for all your efforts and support of our school and its programs.
Mr. Coleman
Principal’s Newsletter Grade Level News
Kindergarten
We hope you and your family enjoyed the Thanksgiving break and got to spend some time relaxing with family and friends. As we look forward to December, kindergartners will continue comparing numbers and using math language “greater than,” “less than” and “equal.” We will count every day (many students have learned to rote count independently by tens to 100, and are practicing counting by fives and ones). Students will also learning to count on from numbers less than 100 and ordinal numbers. We will be learning addition number sentences and practicing addition math facts to 10.
Our kindergartners are improving in their reading and writing, and we will continue to develop their knowledge and increase fluency in uppercase and lowercase letters, letter-sound, and sight words. We will be learning word patterns –at, -an, and –am and making many rhyming words! Thank you for taking the time to make sure children are returning their guided reading books each day and library books each week!
In Social Studies we will continue to explore landforms and physical features of Earth, as well and natural-made and human-made features. We will also be studying and creating maps. In Science, we’ll be analyzing and comparing needs of living things (plants and animals) and their life cycles. Please continue to talk with your children about what you see around your neighborhood and community and make connections to our Social Studies and Science units!
The kindergarten staff wishes you and your family a very happy holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous 2013. We thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us each day!
First Grade
The weather is getting cold so please remember to have your student dress in layers. It is also important to check your child’s backpack each night for important reminders.
In reading we are still continuing to read in small groups. Students are becoming better readers as they practice their accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Students will describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
In math we will continue to practice our addition and subtraction within 20. We will learn strategies such as counting on and making ten. Basic facts are something parents can help with at home! We will learn about equations with missing parts and continue to review story problems. We will also do some addition of three whole numbers at the end of the quarter.
In writing we have noticed that some students are forgetting to begin sentences with a capital letter, use finger spaces, and end the sentence with proper punctuation. This is a skill that can be practiced at home each night. We will be writing informative/explanatory pieces. Students will also participate in shared research activities.
In science we are learnibg about motion and the ways that different objects move.
In social studies we are doing the Culture Adventure Project. We will be learning about different cultures. Stay tuned for some more information on this inquiry project!
Second Grade
The second graders have been working hard! In math, students have been adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers with and without composing and decomposing a ten. They also are working on showing multiple ways to solve a problem. The last couple of weeks in the marking period, students will be working with money. They will need to know the value of each coin and be able to count mixed amounts. This is a great concept to start practicing at home now. We are continuing to take our addition facts quizzes twice a week. Please be sure your child is practicing their facts daily!
In reading, students are currently reading fables and folktales. These stories often have a central lesson. We will be reading several versions of known folktales and comparing their characteristics. Students will also be writing their own folktales in Writer’s Workshop. In a few weeks, we will revisit informational texts where we ask and answer questions, locate the main idea, and use text features to help us gain information.
During the month of January, the 2nd graders will be taking their Winter Reading Assessments. They are individual tests given three times a year that tests your child’s reading accuracy as well as their oral and written comprehension. The goal for this round of testing is a text level K. During this testing, reading groups will be meeting less often. Please continue to have your child read at home nightly.
In science, students are working with physical properties of objects. They are investigating how changes made to objects affect its structure as well as designing an object made out of different parts. Later, we will move into a description of minute features of objects. In social studies, students are learning about the Native American tribe, the Wampanoag. They are learning about their culture and how geography affected their lifestyle. We will continue with this topic for several weeks.
Please be sure to initial your child’s Book It! Calendar each night. At the end of each month your child could earn a coupon towards a free personal pizza at Pizza Hut!
Third Grade
Our readers and writers are examining how events unfold in narrative poems. They have discussed how poets convey point of view or theme and engage the reader using literal and non-literal language. They are using what they have learned to write their own narrative poems during our writing time.
In math, students are continuing to develop an understanding of the meanings of multiplication and division through problems involving equal-sized groups, arrays, area models, problem situations, and equations. By the end of 3rd grade, students need to be able to multiply a single-digit number by a single-digit number fluently in their head. Any support you can start to give at home for this skill would be wonderful!
We have been studying observable properties of objects and materials in science and discussing how different materials change when heated or cooled. In social studies, students have been identifying physical/natural and man-made features. Students are studying the wonders of Maryland! January 9th will be our field trip to Baltimore Museum of Industry where we will tie in the history component of our social studies by observing how technology has changed from the past as well as integrating a hands-on science engineering task.
Fourth Grade
As the weather turns chilly and everyone’s thoughts turn to snow days and holidays, please remind your child to come to school every day Ready to Learn. Fourth graders have a busy month ahead, with lots of learning to do!
We are continuing Math Unit 2 until Jan. Please continue to practice basic facts every day, even through Winter Break, so your child can quickly and accurately complete the timed tests. In reading, we will continue our study of historical and realistic fiction genres. Reading at home is a continued expectation, and we would like to check the Reading Home Journals for two more recommendations before winter break. Our emphasis in writing this quarter is writing to inform, and we have combined this with our social studies curriculum’s study of MD – past & present. We are also working in the computer lab to create Flip Charts to show what we learned. Ask your child to tell you about this exciting project!
Interim reports are being sent home Wednesday, Dec. 12th! Please review and discuss this report with your child, and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Also, please send in money and permission slips as soon as possible for our Dec. 19th field trip. Thank you to all the chaperones who have volunteered!
Please remember to continue math and reading routines with your child during the winter break. Remind your child to read every day and continue to write recommendations. Practice basic facts, allow your child to use fractions by helping with the cooking or baking, and involve your child in problem solving everyday math situations that arise. Have a safe and happy winter break, and we will see you all next year! Happy New Year!
Fifth Grade
Important Announcements
· Poetry Café—Thursday, December 20, 2012 from 9:30-11am
· School is closed from December 24-January 1 for Winter Break
Reading and Language Arts
Our poetry unit is in full swing. Students are learning about figurative language in poems. Ask them to tell you what personification is or to give you an example of a hyperbole. Similes, metaphors, and idioms have also been a focus of our poetry unit.
Starting next week, we will revisit informational text. Students will use what they learned first quarter about text features to help them read a variety of genres. We will incorporate Social Studies into our Reading/Language Arts curriculum by learning how to debate. We may even delve into literature circles towards the end of the month. Literature circles are a great way for students to discuss the books they read with other students.
Writing
This month we are writing a poetry anthology. Students are composing a group of poems and publishing them into a book. Then, they will read their poetry to an audience of both children and adults (you!) at our Poetry Café on Thursday, December 20. Please join us! The students are looking forward to the opportunity to exhibit their knowledge and creativity. You will be able to hear similes, metaphors, and hyperboles embedded in poetic forms including haiku, diamante, and acrostic poems.
Social Studies
The focus of Social Studies this month is the Revolutionary War. Students will learn about the causes and the effects, as well as start in on a research project about a particular war figure; either a loyalist or a patriot. Learning about the particular players in the Revolutionary War will give students a better sense of what that time period was all about.
Math
In math, we are just now finishing up circles and angles. Soon we will head into three-dimensional figures. We will review faces, edges, vertices. Students should be able to distinguish between a pyramid and a prism. They will classify shapes according to their properties.
Science
Electricity and magnetism is thrilling for the students. They are creating their own circuits and determining materials that attract and/or repel magnets. In addition, students are learning about the correlation in Social Studies in terms of Ben Franklin’s experiments involving electricity. What a fun time to be a 5th grader studying science!