Principal Green Run Gazette Assistant Principal

Dr. Sheila M. Wynn Fall 2017 Joe Whiteside

(Richard P. Sidone)

Parent Newsletter

Principal’s Message As the first grading period comes to an end, I would like to express my appreciation to all of you for the support you have given Green Run Elementary. In my short time here, I have seen the great relationship that exists between the staff and parents. Those strong relationships will enable our students to reach their full potential this school year. Most of you have had an opportunity to conference with your child’s teacher, and all of you have received the first quarter report cards. Please continue to monitor your child’s progress at home and review all information sent home from your child’s teacher. It is essential that parent/teacher communication is ongoing. Our PTA continues to provide programs and activities for our students. If you haven’t joined the PTA, please consider doing so. Your membership helps to provide our students with family activities that help to build the home/school connection. Please watch for upcoming PTA events. As of now, Dr. Wynn is scheduled to return in early December. Thank you for making me feel welcome during my time here. It has been my pleasure to serve as your interim principal.

Literacy Corner Wow! On Literacy Night, we had the best Character Fashion Show in Green Run history! On October 26, Green Run students from preschool through 5th grade lined up to strut their favorite book characters across our stage. We had so many books represented. This was followed by literacy and math games played along-side one of our fabulous staff. We all had a great time! Again this year, Title I has purchased books for your child to receive throughout the year. Later this month, your child will be receiving a new book to add to your home library. Please take time to read it with your child and complete the activities provided.

We know one of the best ways to become a good reader... is to read!

Math News It was so nice to see so many of you at Literacy Night! We are glad you stopped by our math table to learn how to play Top It! Remember, you can use a standard deck of cards by removing the face cards and using the ace as a 1. We showed variations of the game for number recognition, addition, and multiplication.

Please encourage your child to get on the computer or iPad and engage in mathematics with TenMarks. Students can do Jam Sessions and Labs for practice at home. Please have your child leave the items in the “Your Work” folder so they can be completed at school. All grade levels work on Fact Fluency (addition/subtraction and multiplication/division). Encourage your child to work on flashcards and skip counting. Flashcards can be made from index cards using vertical and horizontal orientations. Also, the answer can come at the beginning of the equation or at the end. Looking ahead to the second quarter, most grade levels will be working on computation and estimation. You can play fun math games on your travels over the holidays. Keep your children learning and busy, so you don’t hear, “Are we there yet?”

Library News-Mrs. Atkins

The library has undergone a renovation to better serve the needs of our 21st century learners. An area was opened up for Makerspace and a comfortable Reading Nook. Makerspace is a space for engaging in activities with coding, crafting, and problem-solving. There are Lego wall challenges, robotic activities, and design projects. A beanbag and stool area makes a flexible seating area for students to read and interact with their peers. There are still shelves and shelves of awesome books for our students to select and read; fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and graphic novels. Stop by the library and view what is now a 21st century Learning Commons.

Counselor’s Corner- Ms. Pierre-Louis It has been a busy start to the year in the School Counseling Department, but I am ready for another great school year of learning!

During classroom lessons each month, I'll focus on a Blue Box skill (skills essential for healthy emotional development). This month, we continue lessons on Hopes & Dreams/The Power of Yet. I'll be using the books, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, She Persisted, and Bubble Gum Brain to remind students how a growth mindset can help their brain grow which can lead to school success! Please encourage your students to check the growth mindset selection of books in the library! The skill we will focus on next month is empathy. As we continue to work with you in supporting students’ social and emotional development, and maintain a learning environment that is safe and healthy for all students, Green Run Elementary is continuing All About the Be’s. All About the Be’s is a school-wide initiative to provide direction for students on how they can: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Ready, and Be Supportive while at school. Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) joined with the Department of Defense, the DoDEA, and the military community in celebrating November as Military Family Appreciation Month! On Thursday, November 2 we hosted our 4th Annual GRE Read with a Veteran and Military Member Morning! Retired and active duty members spent time at Green Run reading and sharing a little about their service. Thank you to all our amazing readers for their time and service! On Thursday, November 9, 2017 we recognized R.E.D. Day - Remember Everyone Deployed Day to show our support for military connected families. Parents of rising 5th grade students, believe it or not, middle school registration will soon begin. Please be on the lookout for information from Green Run Elementary, Larkspur, and Landstown Middle Schools in your student’s Tuesday Folders. I am excited to once again work with the students of Green Run Elementary and I look forward to making this year one of the best at Green Run Elementary! Please view my web-page for additional

updates from the school counseling department! https://sites.google.com/vbschools.com/gres-schoolcounseling/home?authuser=0

Music-Mrs. Holmes

Grades K-1 are learning rhythm patterns that include quarter notes, quarter rest, and eighth notes.

Grade 2 is reading and performing melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same,

along with accompanying songs with ostinato patterns.

Grade 3 is using pitched and non-pitched instruments to demonstrate range of tempos and dynamics.

Grade 4-5 receive weekly recorder instruction using the pitches B, A, G, C. Students are also learning

about the classical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.

3rd and 5th grade are preparing for the 2017 Winter Program. The program will be December 14th at

6:00 p.m. and will feature 5th grade strings.

Art- Mrs. Magee In art, the fall season has brought many artistic ideas for our students.

Kindergarten is exploring color mixing to make orange pumpkins and green leaves. Observing, drawing,

and painting abstract leaves has kept first grade busy. The second graders are creating a landscape with

the Lakota Indians in mind. Fall themed mandalas and pumpkins are just about complete from third and

fourth grades. Lastly, fifth grade is using metal embossing to create fall themed art.

Clinic- Nurse Fox We are off to a good start to the school year. Thank you parents for bringing in your child’s medication and proper paperwork that allows me to administer medication to your child. Thank you also for keeping your contact information up-to-date with the school; this allows me to quickly reach you if your child is not feeling well or has an emergency. If you need to update your contact information or emergency contact information at any time, please contact the school. The clinic has limited clothing for the students to change into if an accident occurs. If your child has borrowed clothing from the clinic, please return these garments as soon as possible. Parents please help all our students and staff stay healthy by keeping your child home if they have been vomiting, had diarrhea, a temperature of a 100 degrees F or greater, or diagnosed by their medical provider as being contagious. In addition, if you or your child have not received the flu shot, now is the time. See your medical provider to schedule an appointment today.

Ways to Stay Healthy in School: ~Frequent hand-washing is the most effective way to stay healthy. We should be lathering our hands with soap, washing up to our wrists, and soaping up for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. ~Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Encourage your child to use a tissue to or the crook of their elbow to cover that cough or sneeze. Then wash those hands! ~Keep your hands away from your eyes and out of your mouth. Your hands are covered in germs. Again frequent hand-washing will help remove the germs. ~Do not share food, water bottles, or other personal items.

Physical Education-Mr. Conger

As we enter the second quarter we are finishing up our units on cooperation and teamwork. We also had a great time working on our cup stacking and relays! Fitness has gone good so far and we will continue to focus on health and fitness throughout the second quarter. We have a variety of winter of units planned. We will be working on tumbling, dance, fitness, and many other larger group indoor units. Our first quarter was great and we look forward to having a great second quarter with the kids!

Technology- Mr. Baar

Tips

Learn the basics of Internet safety

Children use a variety of online services, and each of these services can have different safety concerns.

However, there are some basic tips which you can employ no matter how your children use the Internet.

Keep the computer in a high-traffic area of your home. Establish limits for which online sites children may visit and for how long. Remember that Internet technology can be mobile, so make sure to monitor cell phones, gaming devices,

and laptops. Surf the Internet with your children and let them show you what they like to do online. Know who is connecting with your children online and set rules for social networking, instant messaging,

e-mailing, online gaming, and using webcams. Continually dialogue with your children about online safety.

Discussion Starters Start a discussion with your child

What are your favorite things to do online? What is personal information? Why should you keep it private? What could you do to be safer online? What would you do if anyone online asked to meet you face-to-face? Besides me, who do you feel that you can talk to if you are in a scary or uncomfortable situation?

Gifted Resource-Ms. Vazquez Hello Green Run Families!

There is much going on with the Gifted Program. All fifth grade students were screened for gifted potential in October, and those results will be available on Parent Portal after November 15. First graders were screened on November 14, and their results will be on Parent Portal after December 15. The application deadline for general identification was November 13, 2017 for students in grades 2 through 4. Students who applied during this period will be tested at Green Run on December 12. Students in grades 2 through 5 applying for admission to Old Donation School, this includes the intellectual (full time), visual arts, and dance programs, have until February 1, 2018 to apply. Current first graders have until March 1 to apply. The application process for gifted testing is online, but I have a letter for parents with the instructions. If you would like these instructions, more information, or have any questions, please contact Jennifer Vazquez, Gifted Resource Teacher, at 648-2560.

Grade Level News

Kindergarten is hard at work! In reading, we are learning our letter sounds and how to ask questions about what we are reading. We are entering the world of nonfiction, which always lends itself to interesting conversations. It is so exciting to see books in their hands, watching them learn to read.

In math, we are working on recognizing patterns. By the end of the unit, your child will be able to extend, create, and describe patterns. When you are out and about, find patterns in the real world, in nature or man-made. We are also learning how to compare numbers using the words "more", "fewer," and "same.” Ask your child questions using these words, and then have them ask you questions. The more they hear and use these words, the more comfortable they will become using them on a daily basis. We look forward to the challenges and new concepts that are ahead of us this quarter.

Grade 1 Welcome to First Grade! Mrs. Calder, Mrs. Arline, and Miss Waugh are excited to be at Green

Run for another exciting year. We have been practicing our retelling skills with fiction and nonfiction books. This is a skill we will continue to practice all year long. Writing in first grade is coming right along, making sure we use capitals at the beginning, proper spacing, and punctuation in our sentences. Students will continue to work on adding more details to their writing with more sentences and adding describing words (adjectives). In math we have practiced our shapes, counting to 120, and patterns (both with numbers and shapes). Come December we will be moving into addition and

subtraction. Grade 2 We can hardly believe that the first marking period is over. We have learned a lot already. We

have worked hard to incorporate "All About the Be’s" in our room as we are being respectful,

responsible, ready and supportive. We have enjoyed getting to know each other and creating a

classroom environment where we can learn. In math we have been counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's, as

well as counting backwards and identifying ordinal numbers. In reading, we have been understanding

stories by visualizing and learning to ask and answer questions. We are all about technology as we

joined Google classroom, posted pictures of our work on SeeSaw, and let our parents know how we are

doing on Classdojo. It's turning out to be a great year!

Grade 3 has gotten off to a great start! We have been working on reading fiction and going back to the text to answer questions about main idea and story elements. Students are also reading nonfiction and using those nonfiction text features to go back to the text and answer questions. Making inferences and author's purpose are coming up! Students have made a lot of progress with their place value foundation up to six digits. They have become masters at rounding and comparing numbers up to 4 digits. 3rd graders are still developing their proficiency in adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers. Coming up next is counting money, making change, and measurement. We have learned our 0,1,2,5 and 10 facts for multiplication tables and will continue to learn more. In science we have finished our matter and physical property unit and will move on to animal ecosystems and adaptations. In social studies we are studying the world map and learning about the equator, prime meridian, continents, oceans, and hemispheres. Goal setting and taking responsibility is our behavior focus throughout this year. Parents, please continue your hard work with supporting your student at home. We look forward to helping our 3rd graders grow!

Grade 4 is off to an amazing school year. In language arts, the students have been practicing reading strategies like asking questions, making connections, and visualizing as they read fiction and practicing with text features and main idea in nonfiction. In writing, the students have been focusing on the writing process by generating ideas, writing drafts, revising and editing, and finally, publishing their hard work. In science, the students have been learning about weather and geography. They have been learning about weather, the tools used to predict it, and all about storms and clouds. Lastly, in math the students have been working hard on estimation and computing whole numbers using addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

Grade 5 is off to a great start this year as we have been working hard to meet our first quarter goals. During our reading time, we have been working on using text features to help us understand non-fiction. In fiction work, we have been making connections from the texts we read to see how they relate to what we already know. Remember to keep working in Achieve and reading at home every night! Math has been fun as we just finished up our unit in geometry. We are headed to decimals next! In science, we have built models of atoms and molecules, made mixtures and solutions, and have been working on several experiments using The Scientific Method. Make sure to ask your student about their roller coaster! For the second quarter, we are looking forward to learning more about Colonial Virginia as we move back into Virginia Studies. Our fifth grade classes are progressing very well so far, and we look forward to the rest of the year with your child!

REMINDERS FROM GREEN RUN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

For the safety of all children, students may not be dropped off or enter the building before 8:20 a.m.

Breakfast in the classroom is from 8:20 a.m.-8:40 a.m.

The student drop-off area at the cafeteria doors closes at 8:40 am. After this time, your student is tardy and you must bring them into the building and sign them in.

Parents, please be sure to keep your contact information up to date with the main office. This includes: address, phone numbers, emergency contacts, and email addresses.

Please remember to call the main office before 9 a.m. at 757-648-2560 to report your student’s absence.

When you must change how your child is to go home please send a note in with your child for the office. If it occurs during the school day, PLEASE let the office know by 2:30 P.M.

VBCPS REQUIRES THAT ALL VISITORS ENTERING GRES MUST SIGN IN AT THE SECURITY DESK AND PROVIDE A PHOTO I.D.

Office Hours 7:30 A.M. – 4 P.M. PH. 757-648-2560 Fax 757-427-6558