October Newsletter 2016 - Manatee Bay Elementary School

October Newsletter 2016 - Manatee Bay Elementary School

Mission Statement
We, the Manatee Bay
Elementary School Community,
pledge to provide a quality education
that focuses on high expectations
and achievement for all stakeholders
in a safe and supportive learning
environment.
Vision Statement
The vision of Manatee Bay Elementary
is to be a community of lifelong learners
who value quality and integrity as we
strive to create a nurturing environment
in which children will develop selfesteem and respect for themselves and
others.
October
10/3
10/5
No School
Walk/Bike to School Day
@ 7:30am
10/4
DelVecchio’s Pizzeria Night
@2:00pm to 9:00pm
10/5
Student Council Elections
for 4&5 Grades
10/7
Fun Run Collections Due
10/11
SAC Meeting
10/12
No School
10/14
Think Pink / Wear Pink
10/17
Dads & Donuts
10/17-21 PTA Book Fair
10/19
Family Fun Event @2:30pm
to 6:30pm
10/19
Fall Picture Day
10/27
Early Release Day @
12:00pm
10/28
Employee Planning/ No
School
10/31
Kindergartner Fall Festival
Manatee Bay Elementary School
Manatee Bay
Messenger
September 2016
Volume V Issue 2
Administration’s Message
Greetings to our Manatee Bay Community,
The 2016-2017 school year is off to a wonderful start! Our Open Houses have concluded and were a huge success. We hope that you were able to get to know your
child’s teacher a little better and that the information shared will help you in ensuring
your child’s success this school year.
As we enter the middle of the first semester, your child’s teacher will be sending home
interims and/or setting up teacher/parent conferences. You can also stay in contact with
your child’s teacher using the student planner or by email. As you all know our theme
this year is SUPER MANA Team and you as parents play a huge role on this team.
Together we can all make sure that your child’s school year is a successful one.
We would like to also thank all our parents for assisting us the first few weeks of school
as we were transitioning to a new dismissal system to ensure the safety of all students.
With your help this new system is running smoothly. Thank you again for your input
that assisted us in making minor changes that made the process even better. That we
were able to accomplish such a task shows what an incredible Super Mana Team we all
make.
Another success was our first Family Night at Cold Stone with a line wrapping around
for hours. Thank you all for coming out and showing your support.
The School Advisory Committee (SAC) had their first meeting a few weeks ago and
they talked about very important topics. This is a wonderful way as a parent or community member to find out what’s going on at Manatee Bay. We are always looking for
SUPER parents to join. If you would like to find out more about what SAC is and how
to join please check out our website for upcoming meeting dates.
On the other hand, we just finished wrapping up Boosterthon, our BIGGEST FUNDRAISER for the school year. The students, teachers, staff and parents alike all had a
wonderful time participating in the culminating activity on Friday, September 30 th at the
Fun Run. Thank you again for supporting our school.
If you need any assistance, please always reach out to your child’s teacher first. If there
is something above and beyond, please feel free to contact the administrative team.
Sincerely,
Ms. DeVaughn, Ms. Del Barrio & Ms. Dumervil
Saludos a Nuestra Comunidad de Manatee Bay,
¡El año escolar 2016-2017 tuvo un excelente comienzo! Nuestra jornada de puertas abiertas en los salones de clases ha concluido y fue todo un
éxito. Nosotros esperamos que ustedes hayan podido tener la oportunidad de conocer un poco mejor a el maestro de su hijo y conocer la información que le ayudará asegurar el éxito de su hijo en éste año escolar.
A medida que entramos a la mitad del primer semestre, el maestro de su hijo le estará enviando un reporte provisional y/o las fechas de las conferencias. Recuerde que usted también puede estar en contacto con el maestro usando la agenda o a través del correo electrónico. Como ustedes ya saben, nuestro tema éste año es “SUPER EQUIPO MANATEE BAY” y ustedes como padres juegan un gran papel en éste equipo. Todos
juntos podemos asegurar que el año escolar de su hijo sea exitoso.
Nos gustaría también agradecer a todos nuestros padres que nos ayudaron en las primeras semanas de clases, ya que estábamos en la transición del nuevo sistema de llegadas y salidas de los estudiantes para asegurar la seguridad de todos ellos. Con su ayuda éste nuevo sistema fue
llevado acabo sin complicaciones para todos. Gracias nuevamente por sus aportaciones; que nos ayudaron a realizar cambios menores que
hicieron el proceso aún mejor. Con eso hemos sido capaces de llevar acabo una tarea importante en el sistema de llegadas y salidas de los estudiantes que muestran que somos un increible “SUPER EQUIPO MANATEE BAY”.
Otro éxito que tuvimos fue nuestra primera Noche Familiar en Cold Stone, de tal manera que la línea de venta no paró por horas. Gracias a todos
los que asistieron y nos mostraron su apoyo.
El Comité Asesor de la Escuela (por sus siglas en Inglés SAC) tuvo su primer encuentro hace unas semanas y se trataron temas de gran importancia. Ésta es una manera maravillosa como padre o como miembro de la comunidad para saber que esta pasando en Manatee Bay. Nosotros
siempre estamos buscando a los SUPER PADRES para que se nos unan a éste comité. Si usted le gustaría conocer más en relación al Comité
Asesor de la Escuela y como formar parte del mismo, por favor visite nuestra página de Internet para que conozca las fechas de las próximas
reuniones.
Por otro lado, acabamos de finalizar Boosterthon; nuestro mayor evento de recaudación de fondos. Los estudiantes, maestros, personal de la
escuela y padres pasaron momentos maravillosos en la culminación del evento el día Viernes 30 de Septiembre con la “Carrera Divertida”. Gracias nuevamente a todos ustedes por el apoyo a nuestra escuela.
Si usted necesita ayuda, por favor diríjase primero con el maestro de su hijo. Si hay algo que no esta al alcance del maestro, por favor siéntase
con la confianza de contactar al equipo administrativo.
Sinceramente,
Ms. DeVaughn, Ms. Del Barrio y Ms. Dumervil
Manatee Bay has established
new procedures for car arrival
and dismissal. There are a few
important changes and we are
asking our families to watch this
short, informative video which
explains these changes in detail: https://splice.gopro.com/v?
id=j6bNvWR6y Together, we can
ensure a safe arrival and dismissal for our students.
Arrival & Dismissal
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School starts at 8:00am. Doors open at 7:30am. Students arriving to their
classroom after the 8:00am bell will be marked tardy.
Breakfast is open and free for all students (Breakfast Club Opens at 7:15am).
If your student is absent, please call the attendance line directly at 754-323-6452.
Lunch accounts can be reloaded at www.schoolpaymentsolutions.com.
Drive all the way to the front of the carpool line when dropping off your student.
Students may not be signed out between 1:30 and 2:00 pm. Please plan appointments
accordingly.
Office hours are from 7:30am—3:00pm.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
School Board Policy 5.5, Attendance, states both excused and unexcused absences along with tardiness and early sign-outs will continue
to be counted when determining a student’s pattern of non-attendance. A student has a “pattern of non-attendance” if he or she is absent
from school a total of 30 hours (5 days) in any one marking period or 60 hours (10 days) within 90 days.
The attendance policy is available online in the four major languages and can be accessed at www.browardstudentservices.com/attendance
-resources/. Parents are required to maintain current contact information at the school. If you have any questions, please call Geri Norris,
Guidance Counselor.
Students absences may be reported 24 hours a day by calling our Attendance Line at 754-323-6452 and leaving a message, or by sending
an email to [email protected]. Please remember to provide student name, teacher, date of absence, and reason for absence. For prolonged absences, please be sure to provide appropriate documentation. Any calls received after 12:00 pm will be
updated the following school day. Calls are encouraged before 12:00 pm. Thank you.
Kindergartner Corner
My goodness! It is hard to believe that it is October already. Kindergarten has finished giving all our beginning
of the year assessments and has begun settling into our
daily routines!
Disney on Ice was a great success and all thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Once again, the children from Manatee Bay showed excellent manners
yet still had a blast!
October is a month full of various themes and learning new skills. It will
all tie together on October 31st, 2016 with a Fall Festival. At this event,
we rotate through different classes learning and reinforcing skills
taught the entire month. Each class will need five parent volunteers so
check with your individual teacher if you’d like to help! Please remember to read nightly with your child and complete the nightly homework!
Fabulous First Grade!
Our students are adjusting nicely to first grade. Please continue to
check agendas and HW folders nightly.
October is a very busy month:
 School will be closed on Oct. 3 and Oct. 12.
 Our Fall Book Fair will be held Oct. 13-Oct. 21, in our Media Center
 Fall Pictures will be on Oct. 19.
 Oct. 27 is Early Release
 Oct. 28 is a Teacher Planning day.
We have started working on the computer for reading and math using
the AR and i-ready programs.
Please encourage your child to read for at least 20 minutes every night.
Thank you for your continued support. Together, this will be an amazing year!
NonDiscrimination
Statement
The School Board of Broward
County, Florida, prohibits any
policy or procedure which results
in discrimination on the basis of
age, color, disability, gender
identity, gender expression,
national origin, marital status,
race, religion, sex or sexual
orientation. Individuals who wish
to file a discrimination and/or
harassment complaint may call
Equal Educational Opportunities
(EEO) at 754-321-2150 or
Teletype Machine TTY 754-3212158.
Reasonable Accommodation
Statement
Individuals with disabilities
requesting accommodations
under the Americans with
Disabilities Act Amendments Act
of 2008 (ADAAA), may call Equal
Educational Opportunities (EEO)
at 754-321-2150 or Teletype
Machine TTY 754-321-2158.
Evaluation Input
In accordance with Florida
Statute 1012.34, parents have
the right to provide input into the
instructional/administrative
evaluations. To provide such
input regarding any Manatee Bay
employee, please address your
comments in writing to Mrs.
Heather
Hedman DeVaughn, Principal.
To provide such input regarding
your principal’s evaluation,
please address your comments
in writing to, Sandra Shipman, at
the Office of School Performance
and Accountability.
The opinions expressed in
this publication are not necessarily those of Manatee Bay
Elementary School or
Broward County Public
Schools.
Second Grade
The students have been easing into the classroom routines
as well as enjoying the learning and their time with their
classmates. The students have completed their STAR and
iReady diagnostic tests, so they are now able to choose
books within their AR level and begin completing iReady
lessons at home. We are encouraging students to choose
Good Fit Books, which are books that are just right for
them. Since not all books have an AR level we teach them
to use the IPICK acronym:
backwards by ones, fives, and tens. Please continue to
practice math facts with your child, on your way to
school, at the doctor's office, while making dinner. Math
fluency is a key skill to master during 2nd grade.
I choose books
Purpose - Why do I want to read it?
Interest - Does it interest me?
Comprehension - Do I understand it?
Know - Do I know most of the words?
Just like the shoes we wear, it is important to choose
books that are the right fit!
Please model and encourage reading at home and make
sure your child has a book in their backpack to read in the
mornings.
We have been busy exploring scientific tools and processes, using our senses and our inferencing skills, experimenting and recording our results. It's great to be back in
school!
We are also learning about responsible citizenship and
how our classroom rules are like our Constitution and the
laws of our country.
We have also been reviewing and practicing representing
numbers in different ways, using tens and ones, words,
and quick pictures, as well as counting forwards and
3rd Grade
The children had an awesome first month of school getting reacquainted with old friends and making new friends. We
have learned so many new things.
The testing format is very rigorous, something the students are not familiar with yet. Please practice addition and multiplication facts daily. They must have multiplication facts memorized. Timed test will be given regularly.
All students should have a daily quiet reading time at home. Students have the opportunity to take an AR test on the
books they have read. I-Ready is available online to help students with reading skills. Tenmarks is also available
online for math. Your child should have their user name and passwords where they can access them.
Make sure you check backpacks and agendas on a regular basis. Also please go over any work sent home with your
child to review with them.
We want to thank our wonderful parents for all of their help and support as we prepare the children to be lifelong learners.
Greetings
Grade!
from
Fourth
We have jumped in full
strength into our curriculum and are working on
fourth grade standards. The
students are learning about
types of rocks, both in
class and with Mrs. Tinsley.
Florida is a big part of our Fourth grade curriculum. Currently, we are learning about early Floridians and their impact on Florida's history. Place
Value has been wrapped up in Math and we are
moving towards multiplication of 1- and 2-digit
numbers. Our classes are transitioning into becoming more of a blended model with traditional
as well as digital lessons.
Keep an eye out for information about our first
field trip of the year to the Everglades.
We look forward to continued collaboration as we
work towards helping students meet their goals!
Fifth grade is SUPER excited with all of our new and
useful resources!
The students have made amazing progress on First In Math. We are hoping
to be National Champs again! Let’s all
work together to make this happen. Tenmarks, an amazing online math
resource is helping students acquire 5th
grade math standards through videos
and interactive lessons.
With Newsela, USAtestprep, and I Ready, students
are putting the Florida standards taught in the classroom to work at home. These resources help your child
prepare for FSA testing and are incredibly useful in
helping students increase their learning gains.
IND
The InD group was super excited to go to Disney on Ice with the Kindergarten Group on September 16, 2016!!!
We have been studying counting, adding and subtracting with a unit
called Math Club. We are making a Monster Munch Game to make the
learning fun. Next, we're looking forward to a unit which is science based and is called How Plants Grow - grass.
We're still collecting ink and toner cartridges to raise money for the playground. Send them in to the front office where we regularly collect
them. Our school efforts have raised over $1,400.00 so far! Let's keep up
the good work.
Several of our teachers participated in the Cold Stone fundraiser
night. Many, many people came out to snack on the sweet treat, and we
had so much fun serving you!
Attention!!! Our first Parent Enrichment Night, for InD parents, entitled
Extending the Learning At Home will be on September 27th from 6:007:00. We're looking forward to the opportunity to share with parents
some helpful hints/suggestions about how they can assist their children at
home. This is a cooperative effort that parents have been asking for help
with.
Parent/Teacher conferences are set-up for October 10th and 11th. The
Fall Festival gathering will be on October 31st from 12:00-1:45.
Speech / Language
What's the difference between a speech disorder or impairment
and a language-based learning disability?
A speech disorder or impairment usually means a child has difficulty
producing certain sounds. This makes it difficult for people to understand what he says. Talking involves precise movements of the
tongue, lips, jaw and vocal tract.
Language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) are very different from
speech impairments. LBLD refers to a whole spectrum of difficulties
associated with young children's understanding and use of spoken
and written language.
Canvas is now being used across the grade level to deliver grade level curriculum in an easy to navigate setting. This learning management system allows your
child to access school assignments, videos, websites
and other classroom resources quickly and efficiently.
LBLD can affect a wide variety of communication and academic
skills. These include listening, speaking, reading, writing and doing
math calculations. Some children with LBLD can't learn the alphabet
in the correct order or can't "sound out" a spelling word. They may
be able to read through a story but can't tell you what it was about.
With all these resources and tools available, fifth grade
Children with LBLD find it hard to express ideas well even though
is going to have a SUPERMANATEAM year!
most kids with this diagnosis have average to superior intelligence.
ESE Resource
What is a learning disability?
A Learning Disability is a condition giving rise to difficulties in acquiring knowledge and skills to the level expected of those of the
same age, especially when not associated with a physical handicap.
Homework hints:
- Your child may not be ready to do homework unsupervised. But having you right at the table with him can create too much pressure. Stay nearby and be on hand if he wants you. Having you nearby can help him feel that you're confident in him, but also that he
can reach out if he needs.
- All kids, not just kids with learning and attention issues, can feel overwhelmed at the idea of doing all of their homework straight
through. Encourage your child to take a few minutes off between subjects to build in a snack break or to get up and move around
when he starts feeling restless. Taking a little time to regroup and refresh can make his homework hours more productive.
Many new and exciting things are happening in the STEM Robotics Lab!
From Day 1 it has been all hands on in STEM. The excitement that the students have shown is extremely high and
the energy levels are through the roof! The students really enjoy the flexible seating and hands on learning.
In class, our students have all been working on creating and coding their very own Ozobot Pokémon Go game
boards. The students were given the task of creating their own Pokémon Go city. Then they had to Code their Ozobots (Poké Balls & Critters) to move around their track, spin and exit the game from a different gate. The students
had to collaborate in teams in order to complete their city. They also used their critical thinking skills to code the
track. Many of them were able to catch on that they would have to “borrow” a track from another coder on their
board. Just the conversations that the students were having to help each other problem solve was incredible! We
will be revisiting our game boards again later in the year as it was such a success.
I would also like to give a great big thank you Mr. Geno Reyes for installing our new Lego Wall! This is a fun and interactive wall where all students can learn and create. Thank you to amazing moms, Mrs. Maria Hartnett & Mrs.
Monica Carsten for coming in on Friday and helping to paint. What a difference a fresh coat of paint makes. At this
point we are anxiously awaiting the delivery of our new 3D Printers and other items for our Makerspace area but for
now, the classroom transformation is in full effect!
Manatee Bay’s dual language program is in its third year this
year now encompassing K-3 grade! In addition to our first
grade pioneering class with Mrs. Rosas and Ms. Kaufmann
we have second grade class with Mrs. Garcia and Ms. Malpica for its second year and we are now welcoming our newest members of the dual language team, Mrs. Lugassy and
Mrs. Osorio are our kindergarten dual language duo and
Mrs. Rosa and Ms. Cardenal are our third grade dual language teachers.
Our dual language program is an accelerated class where
students learn to become fully bilingual and proficiently literate in both Spanish and English. We have a spectrum of
students with all language abilities ranging from being completely monolingual to being bilingual when they start the
program. When students leave Manatee Bay it is expected
that most of our students will be fully bilingual and
biliterate. Many studies have shown the benefits of bilingualism and biliteracy like better cognition, better test
scores in both languages, future brain health, having many
advantages over peers in the workplace, and being able to
have a better more intimate understanding of other cultures
other than their own.
¡El programa bilingüe de Manatee Bay está entrando su tercer año ahora incluyendo los grados de K-3! En primer grado
tenemos las maestras iniciadoras la Sra. Rosas y la Sra. Kaufmann. El segundo grado inicia su segundo año con las maestras la Sra. García y la Sra. Malpica y nuestras maestras nuevas al programa son la Sra. Lugassy y la Sra. Osorio de kindergarten y las señoras Rosa y Cardenal en tercer grado.
El programa bilingüe es un programa en una clase acelerada
donde los estudiantes aprenden ser completamente bilingües y capacitados con habilidades de lectoescritura en los
dos idiomas. Tenemos estudiantes de todas habilidades lingüísticas en nuestro programa. Tenemos niños monolingües
a niños bilingües al iniciar el programa en kindergarten. Se
espera que cuando los niños salgan de Manatee Bay que los
alumnos en el programa sean bilingües y capacitados con
lectoescritura en los dos idiomas igual. Estudios nos indica
que el ser bilingüe tiene muchas ventajas, por ejemplo, tenemos mejores calificaciones en evaluaciones en ambos idiomas, mejor cognición mental, mejor salud cerebral en el futuro, tenemos más oportunidades en nuestra futura carrera, y
tenemos un conocimiento más íntimo con otras culturas además de la nuestra.
Special Area Classes
The students are up and running in Physical Education classes! K-2 classes are learning locomotor skills like skipping,
galloping, hopping, and shuffling and will have an opportunity to perform some Tae Kwon Do exercises when we are
visited by American Tae Kwon Do instructors from Weston at the end of the month. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are learning about the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness while doing exercises that will make their young hearts stronger! It's
going to be a fun and healthy year here at Manatee Bay!
Guidance
The Manatee Bay students and staff will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 23-31. We are asking everyone to wear RED on Wednesday, October 26 to celebrate Red Ribbon Day. During the week, students will be asked to sign a pledge promising to stay alcohol, tobacco, and drug free. Please talk to your
children about the importance of this campaign and remind them to wear RED on the 26th.
October is also Diversity Awareness Month. Manatee Bay is proud to have a diverse population and we celebrate our differences.
Geri Norris
School Counselor, NBCT
Student Council News
The 4th and 5th grade Student Council
elections will take place October 5th. The
representatives made amazing posters that
are hanging in the 4th and 5th grade hallways until October 4th. They all worked so
hard on their speeches and made a great
impression on their peers.
Upcoming Student Council Events:
Book Drive: 10/4-10/11 Bring new or slightly
used books and leave them in the boxes
outside of the media center. The books will
be donated to Croissant Park Elementary.
Harvest Drive: 11/1-11/11, a letter will be sent
out with information for items to be donated.
Manatee Bay Elementary School
19200 Manatee Isles Drive
Weston, FL 33332
Phone: 754-323-6450
Fax: 754-323-6490
Attendance Line: 754-323-6452
Volunteer Procedures
Keeping students safe is a priority. The STAR System (Security Tracking
And Response) continues to be used at all schools. The STAR System
provides schools with high-speed security checks against local, state and
national sex offender databases and against state and local law enforcement files. When parents, visitors, and volunteers come to school, the
office staff will swipe their driver ’s license into a bar code reader, verify
the name, take a photo and print a badge with this picture. All visitors
are asked to check out in the office when leaving school.
Volunteers must complete the on-line volunteer/ mentor application
before helping in school. Go to www.browardschools.com/getinvolved
to complete the online application. The first time volunteers come to
assist, the front office staff will ask for their social security number and
driver’s license. All returning volunteers must complete the online application. If you do not have access to a computer or you need
assistance, please contact the school.
Visit our website for
important information and
links to team web pages at
www.manateebayelementary.net