Oliver Beach Elementary Highlights

• November is a wonderful time to reflect on gratitude, celebrate learning, and strengthen the partnerships that help our students thrive. As we move through this month, I am thankful for the continued support, dedication, and collaboration of our families and school community.

  We are excited to welcome families into our classrooms during American Education Week! This year American Education Week will be held from November 17-November 20. This is a special opportunity to visit your child’s classroom, experience the learning taking place each day, and see firsthand the hard work of our students and teachers. Your presence and involvement make a meaningful difference in your child’s educational journey. The visitation schedule is below.

  I would also like to remind everyone about our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conference Day on Monday, November 16. These conferences are an important opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, celebrate academic and social-emotional growth, discuss areas for improvement, and work together to establish goals for continued success. A strong home-school partnership is essential to helping every child reach their full potential. Schools are closed for students on November 16 for parent teacher conferences, so I encourage all families to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to communicate, ask questions, and collaborate with their child’s teacher.

  As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope you and your families enjoy a restful and joyful break filled with special moments, laughter, and time together. May this season remind us of the many reasons we have to be grateful, especially for the opportunity to learn, grow, and support one another.

  Thank you for your continued partnership and for being such an important part of our school community. Wishing you all a wonderful November and a happy Thanksgiving!

In Kindergarten, we are working on becoming independent with daily activities such as tying shoes, putting jackets on, zipping/buttoning/snapping, and opening food containers and packages. We are working hard to build the stamina necessary to complete tasks with follow-through!

In phonics, we are matching letters to sounds. We are also adding to our heart words that we automatically recognize. It has been a joy to witness the students use what they know about rhyming words to read new words. For example, “What’s /at/, with a /c/ at the beginning? /m/? /s/?...etc”. We are using our phonics skills to write about a time we met a new friend.

In math, we are working on representing quantities in multiple ways. We have also worked hard to use numbers and symbols (+, -, =, <, >) to write equations and compare quantities.

I am proud of our progress. The kindergarteners are excited to start our Thanksgiving break countdown.

We have so much to look forward to and be thankful for.

First grade is thriving in the new HMH phonics program, Structured Literacy. They are reviewing previous sounds (phonemes) and letters (graphemes) and learning new ones. You may be seeing spelling tests come home, as this is a new component of the program. We encourage you to work with your child on the words they missed and to use the menu for heart words to continue to increase their growth in their reading and spelling. We also send home a decodable text and encourage students to practice reading out loud to increase their reading fluency.

We will begin Unit 3 of Bridges which works on student mastery of key number facts and fact strategies for single-digit addition and subtraction. This unit focuses on developing place-value understanding and solving addition combinations to 20.

Students are just about to complete their first Social Studies unit called Geography. We learned about maps, continents, oceans, physical and human made features and cardinal directions. As part of the unit, students are creating their own map with essential map features like the compass rose, a title and a key which includes symbols.

Hello families!

2nd grade will begin Module 3 in Reading next week. The focus of the Module is Meet In The Middle. We will be answering the essential question: How can people work out disagreements? Our academic focuses for our reading lessons with be: central idea, theme, synthesize, and point of view.

We are still in Math Unit 2. The focus of this unit is organizing and grouping objects and numbers by place value. We will be using these place value strategies when measuring with unifix cubes. Students will also learn to utilize the open number line for addition and subtraction. We will begin Unit 3 in two weeks. In this unit, students will be adding and subtracting within 100 using the open number line. They will also be solving story problems with values up to 100.

To help at home, please continue to work with your child to complete his/her homework each night. Practicing spelling words each week is becoming more important as we learn about more complex spellings. In order to prepare for subtraction, please have your child practice counting backwards from 100. Also, please have students read out loud to someone for 15 minutes each night.

Language Arts

In Module 3, students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media that present them with information about important U.S. documents and symbols. A genre focus on nonfiction provides students with opportunities to identify central idea, text structure, and media techniques in order to better understand unfamiliar texts. Students will also encounter video to build knowledge across genres. As students build their vocabulary and synthesize topic knowledge, they will learn more about our country’s history and how various symbols came to represent the values and ideals of the United States.

Math

Unit 3 focuses on developing efficient, flexible strategies for multi-digit addition and subtraction based on students’ understanding of place value. Students will review and extend their understanding of place value while rounding to the nearest ten and hundred to estimate and assess the reasonableness of their answers while performing multi-digit computation. Students review addition and subtraction strategies based on place value and are introduced to the standard algorithm for addition.

Remember:

*Practice your basic math facts each night!

*Read for 15-20 minutes each night!

Over the next few weeks, students will explore Module 3 and what it means to rise to a challenge through reading historical fiction and related videos. They will write an opinion essay about the character trait they believe is most important for overcoming challenges. Students will also complete weekly reading assessments to check their understanding of skills such as plot, theme, point of view, author’s craft, context clues, and more.

Families can support learning at home by encouraging their child to read each night, discussing characters and their challenges, and asking questions about the story’s theme and important events. Talking about real-life examples of perseverance, courage, and responsibility can also help students make meaningful connections to their learning.

In Math we will be finishing up Unit 2. Students will continue using the area model and ratio tables, as well as solving word problems involving area and perimeter. As we move into upcoming units, the math concepts and problem-solving processes will become increasingly challenging and involve more steps. To help students build confidence and be successful, daily practice of basic multiplication and division facts is essential. Students who have not yet mastered their basic facts may find the increasing complexity of math more challenging, as they will need to focus on multiple steps while solving problems. Even a few minutes of practice each day can make a big difference!

In Social Studies, we will focus on how geography impacted different Native American groups. Students will also participate in their first DBQ, which stands for Document-Based Question. During this process, students will examine multiple sources of information and use evidence to develop written responses and essays through an online program. This is an exciting opportunity for students to strengthen their research, critical thinking, and writing skills.

Thank you for your continued support at home. Working together will help our students build strong skills and confidence as the school year progresses!

Grade 5 Content- Students are actively engaged in researching life in early colonial days of the 1700s. They created group presentations and shared information about the geography, climate, resources, and specialized workers of the New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern colonies. Everything we saw and learned on our Jerusalem Mills field trip has been so helpful in this unit of study!

Grade 5 Math- Students will study skills & concepts related to place value, comparing decimals and examining decimal patterns, and multiplying and dividing numbers by 10. Please continue to review multiplication facts with your child at home to increase fluency and accuracy.

Grade 5 ELA- Students have finished the second module of the ELA unit focusing on different genres of stories and how they are unique in their own ways. Students wrote their own fictional stories in the genre of their choice (mystery, realistic fiction, historical fiction or fantasy). They focused on using descriptive details, dialogue and characters’ thoughts and feelings to bring their stories to life! Our next module starts this month into November. Students will focus on analyzing nonfiction stories on natural disasters. We plan to create public service announcements informing parents on how they can stay safe (stay tuned for the parent visit day to see this in action). By the end of the module, students will be able to answer: How can learning about natural disasters make us safer?

Library News & Updates

October is an exciting month in our school community! In addition to recognizing National Bullying Prevention Month, October also marks Digital Citizenship Week. In the library, these two themes go together as we teach our students how to be safe, kind, and responsible—both in school and online.

Digital Citizenship & Family Resources (Grades K–5)

Our Kindergarten through 5th-grade students is wrapping up their annual Digital Citizenship lessons! Because Baltimore County Public Schools utilize Common Sense Media, a non-profit dedicated to digital wellness—our school is recognized as a Commonsense School.

Throughout our unit, students learned about:

• Online Kindness & Respect: Preventing cyberbullying and standing up for others online.
• Privacy & Security: Keeping personal information and passwords safe.
• Media Balance: Building healthy screen-time habits at home and school.

A core part of being a Commonsense School is building a strong bridge between school and home by sharing helpful tools directly with our families. Common Sense Education offers free, research-backed guides to help you navigate media, tech, and screen time in your home. Check out their free resources by visiting: https://www.commonsensemedia.org.

There are great resources such as:

Age-Based Reviews: Unbiased ratings and reviews for movies, TV shows, books, video games, and apps, so you know what is appropriate for your child.

Family Tech Planners & Agreements: Printable templates to help your family set healthy digital boundaries and device rules together.

Parenting Guides & Tips: Quick articles and video tips on topics like cell phones, social media safety, gaming, and mental health.

What’s Happening in the Library by Grade Level

Pre-Kindergarten

Our youngest learners have been building essential foundational skills! Pre-K students are learning how to properly care for books, practice active listening during story time, and navigate our library center routines. They’ve also begun exploring the creative world of authors and illustrators who bring our favorite books to life. (Pre-K will dive into their own age-appropriate digital safety lessons later in the school year!)

Kindergarten Coding

Kindergarteners are diving into early computer science concepts using Colby, the Code & Go Robot Mouse! Students are learning how to program basic codes and sequence directions to help Colby navigate mazes and find his cheese.

1st & 2nd Grade Computer Hardware & Keyboarding

1st and 2nd graders are learning all about how computers work! They are studying networking, computer hardware, and software, as well as practicing logging into their devices more efficiently to build digital independence. To boost typing efficiency and hand-eye coordination, students are using the website TypeTastic, which offers fun, free keyboarding games students can practice.

2nd Grade Hands-On Project: Second graders took their learning a step further by building model computers to identify and explore the internal and external hardware components that make up their laptops!

3rd & 5th Grade Computer Science

Our 3rd and 5th graders are learning block coding using Scratch, a programming language developed by MIT. Students are applying computational thinking as they drag and snap code blocks together to animate characters, tell stories, and build simple games.

Kimberly Gill

Library Media Specialist

Computer Science & Innovation Teacher

Oliver Beach Elementary School

I hope you are enjoying this autumn season. In November, my classroom lessons will focus on improving the students’ relationship skills. The topics are prekindergarten – kindness, kindergarten – what to do when someone is bothering you, first grade – the difference between tattling and telling and adult, second grade – allowing people the right amount of personal space, third grade – the difference between joking around and being mean, fourth grade – having empathy for others, and fifth grade – types of peer pressure.

November’s virtue is Kindness at Oliver Beach. Our slogan is “Kind people are the best kind of people.”

With the holidays quickly approaching, please let me know if your family could use some assistance.

Our school is pleased to have two therapists meeting weekly with students individually. The companies they work with are called Tidemark Intervention and Balance Point Wellness. There are still openings. If you would be interested in your child receiving weekly counseling sessions, please either message me on Talking Points, email me at sstewart5@bcps.org or call the school at 443-809-5943 and ask to speak to me.

It is my pleasure to serve as the school counselor at OBES. I wish everyone a wonderful autumn!

October was an exciting month with the weather starting to change, the leaves changing colors and best of all Halloween. It just happens to be the National Dental Hygiene month as well. Just the right month when all the children are gorging on candy from parties, fall festivals and trick or treating.

Some tips for your children to keep good oral hygiene

· Brush twice a day for 2 whole minutes (once in the morning and the other before bed)

· Floss Daily

· Keep a consistent schedule with tooth brushing

· Children with caps and spacers should avoid hard candies and popcorn, chewy candies like taffy, caramel, gummies, and chewing gum

· Visit your dentist twice a year (every 6 months)

Please see attachment below if you need help acquiring dental care for your child

As a reminder, we are approaching Flu season. Now is the best time to get your child their Flu Vaccine. A yearly Flu shot helps protect not just your child, but their classmates, teachers and family members.

Your child should stay home from school if:

· They have a fever of 100 or higher (can return once they are fever free for 24 hours without acetaminophen or ibuprofen administered)

· They are vomiting, 2 or more episodes within a 24-hour period

· They have diarrhea, 2 or more episodes within a 24-hour period

· They have pink eyes, redness with crusty drainage from eyes

· They have head lice, live lice or new nits

Parents with children that require inhalers

Please get your Parent’s Request to Administer Medication in School Form filled out and bring to school with the student’s inhaler. Medication needs to be dropped off at school by an adult, form needs to be signed by a parent, medication needs to have the pharmacy label on the box and inhaler must be within the expiration date.

I still have many students that should have an inhaler in school that do not. I am concerned with the weather changing and lots of illnesses going around and not having an inhaler available for your child. Students are not allowed to carry an inhaler in their backpack in case of an emergency. They must have the medication form filled out and with a Drs. order saying they can self-administer to carry and inhaler on them. I have a stock albuterol for emergencies only that can be administered to K – 5th graders. Again, that is for emergencies only, a student must meet a certain criterion for it to be administered.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me. 443-809-6033

Parents of Students new to OBES:

Please remember to submit all health forms as soon as possible if you have not done so already. BCPS only requires one Physical and dental report for pre k – 5th grade; the lead form is for students in Pre k – 1st grade. These forms need to be submitted once and are not a yearly requirement.

Vision/ Hearing Screening:

Scheduled 11/23 & 11/24. Students in Pre K, 1st, 4th, and any new students to BCPS will be screened. If you have any concerns about your child and he/she is not in these grades, please let me or their teacher know so they can be added for screening. If your child is already under medical care for vision, please make sure they bring their glasses to school that day if they are being screened. If they are already under medical care, they do not have to be screened. Many kids will still get screened and do not speak up and let the screener know that they already wear glasses.

Borrowed Clothes from the nurses Suite

If your child comes home with clothing from the Nurse’s Suite, please wash and return. I have limited clothing available and this may cause me to not have something for another student that has a spill, falls in the mud or has an accident. This happens more than you think. I do not want any socks or underwear that are given out to be returned but would greatly appreciate it

if the clothing could be returned. Also, if anyone is getting rid of clothing please keep me in mind for donations. I’m in need of any size girl clothing and larger boy clothing. Mostly stuff like shorts, leggings, sweatpants, T shirts, long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts.

Please contact the school nurse with any questions at 443-809-6033 or email jsobieralski@bcps.org

Thank you,

Nurse S

We have been busy in Art this month!

Pre-K - Students have been learning about shapes. They have been rotating through a variety of centers to support their understanding of identifying, naming, and drawing shapes.

Kindergarten - Students have been mastering their cutting and gluing skills in a variety of art projects. They also have learned about primary colors and the artist Piet Mondrian.

1st Grade – Students have completed their first multi-day artwork of buildings while learning about geometric shapes. They started by printing with Legos, coloring in shapes with crayons, and painting.

2nd Grade - Students have completed their first multi-day artwork of castles inspired by the Disney illustrator Mary Blair. They have learned about geometric shapes and layering while practicing their cutting and gluing skills.

3rd Grade - Students have completed their first multi-day artwork. They learned how to paint a variety of values (mixing white paint with a color) and practiced their observational drawing skills to add sea creatures that looked “here, near, and far.”

4th Grade - Students have completed their first multi-day artwork. They were challenged to make a self-portrait in the style of director and animator Tim Burton. They learned about highlights, shadows, and making texture while painting with carboard.

5th Grade - Students have completed their first multi-day artwork inspired by the artist Charley Harper. They mastered controlling their paint to create textures that represent water and leaves. They also learned how to cut symmetrical leaf shapes and use a compass to draw concentric circles representing ripples in the water. The final step in this artwork was to add animals and insects to their artwork while practicing observational drawing skills.

Katy Preston

Visual Arts Educator

Oliver Beach Elementary / Hampton Elementary

3rd - Election Day - Schools and Offices Closed

9th - Lifetouch Picture Day

11th - Veterans Day

12th - Report Cards Go Home

16th - 20th - AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

16th - Conference Day - No School for Students

17th - Conference Day for Pre-K - No school for Pre-K students

23rd & 24th - Vision & Hearing Screening

25th - Schools dismiss 3 hours early. Thanksgiving Holiday begins at the end of the school day.

26th - 27th - Thanksgiving Holiday - Schools and Offices Closed