BROOKLYN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Staff, Students, Families and Friends

BPES are off to a good start!

NOVEMBER 2017 VOLUME 2

PATRIOT

Note from Principal Walker

Hello BPES Community,

The month of November is upon us and the first

few months of the school year have flown by

quickly. The month of November brings the ex-

citement of the holidays, cooler weather, and the

close of the 1st Quarter. I encourage you to be

involved in your child’s education by checking

their grades, communicating with their teachers,

and asking about their daily instructional day.

During the month of November, we also cele-

brate American Education Week. I want to thank

the dedicated staff and teachers that work at

BPES. Many arrive early in the morning, stay late

and work on the weekends to provide the best

education for the BPES community.

In partnership we have created a wonderful

school community and I look forward to the 2nd

Quarter and the holiday season…

Happy Thanksgiving from the Walker Family and

BPES Family.

Dedicated to the BPES Community,

Mr. Walker

Brooklyn Park Elementary

200 14th Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21225

(410) 222-6590

Rodney Walker, Principal

ERWALKER@AACPS.ORG

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PATRIOT

Our Mission: In partnership with the school community, we will provide a safe, positive, and nurturing learning envi-ronment focused on PBIS and developing positive student relationships. Instruction will be aligned to rigorous standards that will focus on the whole child which includes cultural arts and arts and humanities. We strive to ensure that all stu-dents receive quality instruction and enriching experiences that develop responsible, productive, and respectful citizens for the next generation.

Our Vision Brooklyn Park Elementary will be a place of excellence; in which we believe all students can succeed. We believe all students will achieve their full potential in their academic, creative, and moral development with the support of parents, staff members, and the community.

November

9 Two-hour early dismissal.

No P.M. Pre-K

10 Two-hour early dismissal.

No P.M. Pre-K

15 Open House 9:00-11:00

Pencil Sale a.m.

17 Chuck E. Cheese’s Night

4:00-7:00

20 Report Cards go home

22 School Closed

23 Happy Thanksgiving!

24 School Closed

To Volunteer at BPES

please call the school

office at (410) 222-6590.

Thank you!

Important Dates This Month

Teacher of the month is Lacy Calp. People who nominated her said that

she was helpful and supportive. They said that she always puts forth

110%, coming in early and leaving late. She encourages students and

supports them with serious challenges. She also holds her students to

high expectations throughout the entire building.

Congratulations, Ms. Calp!!

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VOLUME 2

PBIS/MTSS

November is the month to be Thankful. It is an opportunity to

take the time to look around and see the leaves changing

and reflect on the year before. Think about all of the bless-

ings that surround you and your family. Reflect on the

amount of growth your children have made over the last

year. Some of them have grown a few inches, others have

learned to read, still others have learned how to play an in-

strument or strategies to solve math problems. Take the

time to celebrate your children and their growth. Talk about

their stories and remember the family events and activities

of 2017. Be thankful for the relationships, opportunities and

growth evident in your life.

Karyn Chisholm

BPES

Do you know about Mackin Via? This is an exciting app that

allows you to access our Ebooks, and the county databases

from home. The children were introduced to it during book-

fair week and will be getting more information in the com-

ing weeks.

Here is how it works:

Tablet or phone: Download the free app from your

appstore.

Fill in the log in information:

School name: Brooklyn Park Elementary

Username: The student’s lunch account number.

Password: The last four digits of the student’s lunch account

number.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Email Chare@aacps.org

Phone 410-222-6590

Or on Class Dojo.

Mrs. Hare’s Media Corner

CLASSROOM NEWS

Prekindergarten In math this month we are learning how to count to 5, identify the numeral 1 and create our own

patterns. In language and literacy we will be 'meeting' the letter people Hh, Mm, Aa and Bb

and learn how to listen for words that rhyme. We will also learn about our five senses and how

they help us.

Kindergarten Kindergarten students have been learning about the school community and how we can be re-

sponsible citizens. We have started guided reading groups. A majority of our students are

now reading leveled texts! In math, we started counting and writing numbers to

20. Reminder: November 13th is our first field trip of the school year. We will be going to

Camp Woodlands. We are looking forward to an exciting trip!

First Grade Reading : Read and review High frequency words: can, I, like, we, see, the, go, to, a, have,

play, you, he, is, and, she, are, said, do, this, for, what, here, little, my, was, has, look, where,

with, me, jump, not, up, it, over, too, be, ride, run, come, down, good, pull, help, now, use,

very, her, our, they, too, eat, no, of, some, who.

Math:

Science/Social Studies: We will learn to observe and describe how all living things change and

the response to that change • To observe, describe, and predict seasonal patterns: sunrise,

sunset, and weather • To describe the connection between the environment and how we live,

work and play.

If you haven't signed up for class dojo yet please sign up as soon as possible. This is a great

way to see what is happening in your child’s classroom and for you to keep in contact with your

child’s teacher.

Second Grade Second grade has exciting things in store for November! We are having ZooMobile (from the Baltimore

Zoo), will be coming in to our classrooms on the 13th with actual animals from the zoo! Students will get to

learn more about how different types of animals live in their habitats and what they each need to survive.

In Math we are wrapping up with measurement and are going to be moving back into addition and sub-

traction; now using 3 digit number and regrouping. Be on the lookout for Parent Math Newsletters in your

child's folder for help. Our students are making progress in reading. Thank you for all of your support!

Third Grade

Third grade is busy learning this month! We are investigating the forces of motion in science and are ex-

cited as we learn all about the ways things move and why things move certain ways.

This month in Math we have been keeping up our practice of our multiplication and division skills, but

also working on our rounding skills and determining when and where estimation is a good strategy to

use. We have explored real life situations that show the students that math is everywhere around us! We

have also been working on how to take apart word problems and "making them messy"!! Please continue

to work on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and rounding skills at home.

In Language Arts we have been very busy with determining meanings of words we may not always know

by looking at the context clues. We have been working hard on using the text for evidence and help

guide our understanding. We are working on using all parts of the text including; illustrations, headers,

sidebars, the glossary and index and the characters to better understand the things that we are reading.

Please continue to read for at least 20 minutes everyday and asking your child about what they are read-

ing. Ask them questions that make them think beyond the text, as well as what is actually happening in

the text. Message your child's teacher if you would like a better understanding of questions you can ask

your child to help strengthen their comprehension! We are always here to support your child's learning at

home!

Thanks for a great start to the year! We are looking forward to growing and learning with your child!

Fourth Grade

Reading is the foundation for everything we do! Your child visits the media center each week and has the

opportunity to select two books of their choice to read for enjoyment and practice the reading skills they

are learning during their Guided Reading lessons. Encourage your child to share the books they select

with you. A great time to do this is just before bed. It allows for some quality family reading time and can

help prepare children for a good night’s rest. Have your child read a chapter out loud to you and ask

them about their favorite part or ask them to make predictions about what they think will happen in the

next chapter.

The second marking period starts on November 13th. In the month of November, students will be listen-

ing to and reading a variety of informational and literary texts that have a common theme of Collabora-

tion. We will focus on reading strategies like identifying main idea/details, theme, and text structures.

We will also write to source using words and phrases from the text to explain our answers.

Writing: The students have worked diligently on their personal narratives! A small moment from their

life has become a full story. We are very proud of the work they have done! During the second quarter,

the students will be working on personal and persuasive essays. This will give the students a chance to

state their opinions and provide reasons to support their explanation. Please continue to encourage your

child to practice their best handwriting, and to use appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Math: Building off of their introduction to division in grade 3, students in grade 4 use the area model and

partial quotients as strategies for division with up to four-digit dividends. Students also solve division

problems that result in remainders and interpret what the remainder means within the context of the

problem. Students identify formulas for finding perimeter and area in solving real world problems.

Fifth Grade

Math: Students will be learning different strategies to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions

and apply these strategies to solve word problems.

Reading: We will continue daily Explicit Comprehension instruction with follow up assignments

as well as small group reading instruction.

Writing: For Quarter 2 long term writing project students will conduct a research paper.

*Drown proofing will be held December 11-14. If you are interested in chaperoning please con-

tact your child’s teacher. Additional information will be sent home with further details about the

trip. Thank you.

Physical Education

Students participated in a gymnastics unit in October. They improved their balance, coordination,

strength, and endurance by practicing animal walks, stunts, and rolls. Students in grades 2-5 cre-

ated and performed their own tumbling sequences showcasing their favorite skills. In November,

all students will participate in a soccer skills unit. We will also have a brand new unit called

Drums Alive, where students will be able to create different rhythms using yoga balls, buckets,

and rhythm sticks. They will be able to drum along to popular songs as well as create their own

rhythms.

Media News

The fall bookfair was a success for the PTA. This is a much enjoyed event for the students. Thank

you for your support in this. In November, we will be continuing to review library routines. We

will also be utilizing our new chromebooks to enhance research in all grade levels. Kindergarten

through 2nd grade will be starting a great program called Code.org. It teaches computer coding

in a fun way.

Music

4th and 5th grade music will be starting a new unit on Form. 3rd grade music students are learn-

ing recorders. Every students has a recorder that stays at school, so they can be used during mu-

sic class. Second grade students are going to be creating shakers in music class. We need a cou-

ple adult volunteer to help. Please contact Ms. Hess at squinzi@aacps.org if you would like to vol-

unteer. First grade music classes are adding on the basic music concepts of rhythm, form, and

melody. Kindergarten students are learning about rhythm (short and long sounds) and melody

(sounds getting higher and lower).

Cafeteria News

A free or reduced lunch form must be completed each school year. Please go to the AACPS website to complete the application process online for the school year 2017-2018.

From our website:

All students may apply to receive free or reduced price meals at AACPS. Effective August 2016, paper ap-plications for free or reduced-price meals will no longer be available for all students.

Previously, a paper application was sent home on the first day of school to all students and online appli-cations were accepted. The online process has proven to be faster and more accurate, is available in Eng-lish and Spanish, and can be completed on a computer or smart phone .

We will continue to provide paper applications for parents without access to smart phones/computers. Please note that the amount of paper applications is limited.

Instructions To Apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals Apply online any time during the school year after August 7, 2017. Go to https://applyformeals.aacps.org/

All information is confidential Once the on line application is submitted and validated, the eligibility status of your child(ren) will be

sent home Online meal benefit applications are fast, easy and determined within a few days

Also remember that free milk only comes with the free lunch. If your child brings in a bag lunch from home, he will need to purchase a milk.

Students at BPES receive free breakfast.