IMES Family News

Each year, our goal is to make our vision statement come alive.

Our vision is to create an inclusive, collaborative, and welcoming community of learners who experience a kind, responsible, and safe environment and a sense of belonging. We believe in creating joyful and meaningful academic, social, and emotional learning opportunities, building a foundation for independence and lifelong learning.

As we begin the new school year, we look forward to getting to know our students and learning and growing together!

October

Thursday,, October 2: Schools Closed for Yom Kippur

Friday, October 3: School Sharing Assemblies K-2 and 3-5

Wednesday, October 8: Fire Prevention Day! Goldens Bridge Fire Department visiting

Friday, October 10: Reminder: Emergency Management Plan Drill Early Dismissal (15 min early)

Monday, October 13: Schools Closed for Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day

Tuesday, October 14 & Wednesday, October 15: School Garden Harvest Days

Thursday, October 15:: School-wide Soup Day!

Thursday, October 16: District ERJ Meeting at JJHS 6 pm

Friday, October 17: IMpact Meeting at 8:15 am

Friday, October 17: Grade 5 Pasta Night

Wednesday, October 22: Full Green Team for Kids Meeting/ 8:15 a.m.-9:10 a.m

Saturday, October 25: IMES PTO Halloween Fair 12 pm - 3 pm

Friday, October 31: Students wear orange, purple, and black!

Friday, October 31: Grade 2 Pumpkin Math at 9:30 am

November

Tues. November 4: Schools Closed/ Election Day/ Professional Development Day for Staff

Wednesday, November 5: School Picture make-up date

Thursday, November 6: Interim Reports/Parent Portal Opens

Thursday, November 6: Early Dismissal: 12:15 pm/ No lunch served/Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences from 6 pm - 8 pm

Friday, November 7: School Spirit Day and Sharing Assemblies: Wear your spiritwear!

Tuesday, November 11: Schools Closed: Veteran's Day

Thursday, November 13: PTO & Principal's Coffee at 9:30 am

Thursday. November 13: Early Dismissal: 12:15 pm/No lunch served/Afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences 1 pm - 3:45 pm

Thursday, November 13: Grade 5 Bingo at 12:15 pm (Grade 5 PTO event)

Friday, November 14: IMpact Committee Meeting at 8:15 am

Monday,. November 17: Early Dismissal: 12:15 pl/No lunch served/Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences 6 pm - 8 pm

Tuesday, November 18: Pre-K Panel at MPES at 9:30 am

Monday, November 24: Grade 1 Gratitude Concert

Wednesday, November 26: Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm

Thursday, November 27 Schools Closed/Thanksgiving

Friday, November 28 Schools Closed

On Friday, October 10, as per our District Calendar, all KLSD schools will dismiss 15 minutes earlier than their normally scheduled time in order to test the early dismissal response of the Emergency Management Plan.

• All students will be transported in accordance with their current dismissal information provided by parents/guardians. If this were an actual emergency, all students would follow their unscheduled early closing plan.
• Kindergarten students only: If an adult is not at the bus stop to receive the Kindergarten student, the child(ren) will not be left at the stop. The Kindergarten student(s) will be returned to Increase Miller to await pick up by a parent or guardian.
• Please make appropriate arrangements for the early arrival of your child(ren) as a result of this drill.
• If you plan to pick up your child(ren) on this day, please arrange to pick them up at 3:15 PM in the gym. Please enter this information into the Visitor Aware system.
• CCC STUDENTS WILL BE SENT HOME ON THEIR ASSIGNED BUS as there is no CCC after school on this day.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Kindergarten: In Kindergarten, students are drawing upon their growing knowledge of letter-sound correspondence to add letters and words to their writing pieces. In reading, students will begin working with reading partners and story-tell familiar Star Storybooks such as A Big Mooncake for Little Star, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Harry the Dirty Dog. In word work, students will be repeating rhyming words, catching first sounds in words, blending two words together to make a compound word, and segmenting compound words into parts. In math, students will compare numbers to 5 and then begin to explore numbers to 10. In science, our budding scientists are exploring nature using their 5 senses and distinguishing between living and nonliving things.

Grade 1: First grade, students are learning what it means to be part of a caring classroom community. They are practicing important rules and routines while also making connections to what it means to be a good citizen in our school and beyond. In reading, students are building strong habits such as increasing stamina, solving tricky words, and collaborating with partners. During word work, first graders are exploring digraphs—two letters that work together to make one sound—by segmenting, blending, and spelling words. Our young writers are beginning their small moment stories. They are brainstorming ideas from their own lives and practicing oral storytelling, touching and telling across pages, and sketching to plan their writing. In math, students are strengthening their understanding of addition and subtraction within 10. In addition to solving word problems, they are learning strategies such as counting on to add, counting back to subtract, and are noticing the important relationship between the two operations.

Grade 2: Students in 2nd grade will be working on reading and writing glued sounds in Fundations. They will also write complete sentences and use this skill while writing personal narratives. Building stamina and fluency while reading continues to be a focus amongst second graders. Understanding story elements and getting to know characters is also important work happening. In math, students are working on solidifying math facts through 20, even and odd numbers, and building arrays. Pumpkin Math is on the horizon and is a beloved 2nd grade tradition at IMES! Second grade scientists will become geologists studying landforms and erosion. Social studies will find students learning about communities. As always, being a kind, responsible, and safe citizen in our communities remains a topic of discussion in all the classrooms!

Grade 3: In October, third graders will become realistic fiction writers by creating short stories with characters who face challenges and find ways to overcome them. In reading, we’ll focus on building vocabulary and looking closely at the text. Students will practice finding evidence in what they read to explain their ideas and support their thinking. We’re also reviewing suffixes and learning the rules for adding them to words. In math, students are working with patterns and properties to build fluency with multiplication facts. In science, third graders will explore forces. They’ll create physical and diagram models and write scientific explanations about how the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train seems to defy gravity as it floats.

Grade 4: Fourth graders are continuing to work on building and strengthening their classroom learning communities. In ELA, students are selecting their own texts with a stretch, flex, and rest mindset. They are practicing their fluency while thinking deeply about complex characters, their traits, motivations, and struggles. They are working to interpret story elements, analyze author's craft, and practice word attack skills through interactive read alouds and independent reading experiences. In addition, students are applying newly learned spelling patterns, deciphering vocabulary meanings, and developing their grammar skills, which are crucial for clear and effective communication. As they continue learning, they are encouraged to apply these skills daily, whether in classwork, homework, or personal writing. In math, students are using strategies and properties to estimate sums and differences, fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers, as well as multiply by 1-digit and 2-digit numbers. Finally, students are beginning to bridge the connections between New York’s geography and the historic process of land formation. As geologists, students will make inferences about the past by analyzing data from the present. They will also begin to understand how small, gradual changes in an environment can lead to dramatic transformations in the landscape over time.

Grade 5: 5th graders will begin October by celebrating their growth and accomplishments in writing personal narratives. They will also launch their first reading unit focused on exploring theme and analyzing story elements such as character traits, character motivation, and setting. This work is done through whole class and small group shared reading experiences. The important work done in September to create a supportive learning environment will continue to be reinforced as students embark on realistic fiction book groups. Interactive read alouds will help students to continue to build their word attack, reading comprehension, and vocabulary acquisition strategies. Place value to the right of the decimal point will be further explored as students add and subtract decimals in math. Multi-digit multiplication will also be an instructional focus in October.

October is an exciting time in the music room at Increase Miller Elementary! As the leaves begin to change, our students are diving into vibrant musical experiences filled with rhythm, song, movement, and cultural celebration.

Kindergarten is off to a joyful start, learning welcome songs and practicing classroom routines. We’re exploring the steady beat using unpitched percussion instruments and helping students discover their singing voice while learning to match pitch. This month, we'll also explore the colorful traditions of Diwali through music and dance!

First Grade is enjoying a variety of seasonal songs while reinforcing their knowledge of standard rhythmic notation. They're working on using their head voice and building their understanding of quarter notes and eighth notes through fun, engaging musical activities. To celebrate cultural diversity, students are learning songs from Hispanic traditions, enriching both their musical skills and global awareness.

Second and Third Grade are continuing their musical journey by exploring songs from Mexico and Cuba in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. These students are reinforcing important rhythmic concepts and will also celebrate Diwali through music and dance. It's a dynamic month of movement, rhythm, and cultural connection!

Fourth Grade is continuing their exciting ukulele unit, focusing on the chords C, F, and G. They’re also strengthening their music literacy skills by reading notes on the Treble Clef. Hispanic cultural songs are also featured, giving students a rich and diverse musical experience.

Fifth Grade is diving into a high-energy African drumming unit. Each class begins with a drum circle, where students are learning proper drumming techniques and exploring improvisation. It’s a powerful and collaborative way to build rhythm skills and musical expression.

It’s a joy to watch our students grow musically each week. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Our new band students are focused on developing their foundational music reading skills by learning new notes- in September we learned Concert F and E♭, in October we will look to add D, C and B♭. As we learn to read music on the page, we work toward understanding important musical signs such as double bars and repeats, as well as new rhythms- the half note and half rest. By applying these new concepts students will learn to play their first full songs: “Hot Cross Buns” and “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie”.

5th Grade band students will be getting their second piece for the February concert “The Tempest” by Robert. W. Smith, as well as learning advanced concepts such as ties, dotted half notes, accents, accidentals, and key signatures. Additionally, all elementary band students will begin the “band belts” program, a reward system in which instrumentalists will receive colorful beads to decorate their cases after showing their lesson group the music that they have been practicing at home each day.

Last month, 4th grade students were introduced to Strings in Space, a reward system that encourages them to practice and rewards them with colorful beads for their instrument cases. In the month of October, 4th grade orchestra students begin their Strings in Space journey by taking their first planet test for the Sun. Students work hard practicing how to set up their instrument and playing on their open strings, and are rewarded with their first bead in the solar system!

5th grade orchestra students are busy working on their first piece, Dark Forest Legend by Eric B. Davis. Through this piece, they are learning about advanced concepts like tone and intonation on their instruments. This piece encourages collaboration as students learn to put different parts together to create a polished piece.

During the month of October, K-5 students are engaging in a variety of library learning activities designed to build foundational literacy and research skills. Younger students are exploring how to navigate the library space, distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction books, learning the parts of a book, and practicing utilizing nonfiction text features for research. Older students are diving into the Dewey Decimal System, using the library catalog, and learning how to locate books by their call numbers. Across all grades, students will be participating in sustained silent reading with print texts to help build reading stamina. The library space itself continues to evolve following renovations over the past year, with exciting updates like the recent arrival of brand-new furniture, further enhancing the learning environment for all students.

After reviewing art room procedures and expectations on the first day, students at Increase Miller Elementary jumped right into our first collaborative school community project! Each grade learned about color—primary, secondary, complementary, and even tertiary colors (those “in between” colors on the color wheel). Every student painted a colorful background and created a cartoon-style self-portrait using lines, shapes, and special details to highlight their unique characteristics. Once completed, all portraits were assembled together in a giant rainbow display to celebrate that we all matter and belong at IMES. Next time you are in the building, please stop by the art room hallway to check it out and find your child’s artwork!

In October, our physical education classes will focus on fitness evaluations, with a focus on push-ups. Students have been working towards proper push-up form to build upper body strength and endurance while tracking their progress. The push-up will serve as both, a skill to develop and a measure of overall fitness, helping students set personal goals and improve over time.

We will be adding Halloween themed games and activities throughout the month as we continue to incorporate cooperative activities into our program.

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction (OCI) has made some updates based on the special education and literacy audits from last spring. OCI Assistant Superintendent Julia Drake is joined by Maggie Konrad, Director of Learning. Maggie now oversees programs that have moved from Special Education to OCI, including English as a New Language, Universal Pre-K, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS, formerly RTI). Please see more information about our shift to MTSS below:

For more information and future updates, please visit the [http://#https://www.klschools.org/page/curriculum-instruction]KLSD OCI website.

This school year we are transitioning to MTSS (formerly RtI) which stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports.

MTSS is a framework schools use to make sure students receive academic, behavioral, social, and emotional support. Similar to RtI, our MTSS framework will include multiple tiers of support including Tier 1 (core classroom instruction), Tier 2 (targeted small-group interventions for students who qualify), and Tier 3 (more intensive (frequent and duration) targeted instruction). Liike Rti, this framework is also data-driven as we use assessments and progress monitoring to identify needs, track growth, and design instruction. While RtI mostly focused on academics, this framework includes behavior, attendance, and social-emotional learning.

Within this framework, we are transitioning to two new assessment tools. Click on each link for more information.

· NWEA MAP literacy assessments

· DIBELS reading and math assessments

In October, our teams will be administering these new assessment tools to decide on next steps: classroom instructional strategies and eligibility for Tier 2 and Tier 3 targeted instruction.

If your child qualifies for Tier 2 or Tier 3 services, we will notify you in advance.

This month, we are aligning our K-5 SEL common read, A Voice Like Yours by Frank Murphy with Bullying Prevention Month. The picture book A Voice Like Yours relates to bullying prevention by showing children that their voices have power and should be used to stand up for what is right. It encourages students to speak out against unkind behavior, support peers who may feel left out or unheard, and use their words to build others up rather than tear them down. By celebrating the many ways voices can make a positive difference, the book teaches children that they can choose to use their voice for kindness, inclusion, and fairness—key skills in creating a safe and respectful school community.

Beginning in October, all K-5 classrooms will learn about bullying. Lessons will define what bullying is and explain what it means to be a bystander and an upstander. Students will also learn what to do if they are being bullied and how to help others.

Students in grades K-2 will also learn concepts while reading “ One”, by Kathryn Otoshi. The story uses colors and numbers to learn about accepting each other’s differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count.

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be learning about the difference between bullying and harassment, including hate speech.. In each classroom, each term will be defined, discuss how these behaviors can make others feel, what they can do if they see or experience them, and potential consequences. We will encourage students to speak up, support others, and seek help from a trusted adult. These lessons are aligned with the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

Kerry Ford, Principal and IMES Dignity Act Coordinator 763-7155 or kford@klschools.org

Michael Weschler, Assistant Principal (designee) 763-7117 or mweschler@klschools.org

Kiri Ryan, Social Worker (designee) 763-7155 or kryan@klschools.org

We continue to seek opportunities to create a mirror (children see themselves, their families, and their experiences in what they read and learn) and a window (children learn about different cultures, backgrounds, or perspectives to help build empathy, respect, and appreciation for others) for all our students to foster a sense of belonging and community.

Each day, all our K-5 students watch our Morning Announcements hosted by our fifth grade students. These daily videos include a good day greeting, pledge of allegiance, birthdays, word of the day, and heritage month information, and holidays. In September, we learned about Hispanic Heritage month, and in October, we will learn about Filipino Heritage Month, Italian Heritage Month, German Heritage Month, Yom Kippur, National Indigenous People's Day, and Diwali.

Our October Sharing Assemblies this Friday, October 3 will highlight our heritage months too!

You may have seen our belonging learning board which features Hispanic Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month, German Heritage, and Italian Heritage Months. Thank you to our parents on our IMpact School Committee for creating this wonderful display!

Our classrooms also embed learning opportunities for students to learn and talk about cultural differences.

Finally, thank you to the PTO for helping us celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a performance by the Phyllis Rose Dance Company!

As a district, we are committed to fostering a strong sense of belonging and well-being in alignment with Pillars 2 and 5, ensuring that every student feels seen, heard, and accepted. For the seventh consecutive year, the district is reaching out to invite all interested middle and high school students, colleagues, community members, and parents to join the district-wide Equity and Racial Justice Committee (ERJC). Whether you’re someone who has attended ERJC meetings in the past, or someone who would like to join for the first time, please complete this linked form, RSVP for ERJC, so that they know you will be in attendance. Meetings will take place in-person again this year from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm and in collaboration with Keturah Proctor from BOCES, in the JJHS Library on the following dates: October 16, December 11, February 5, April 7, and June 9.

As part of our work to build a Kind, Responsible, and Safe community, we will continue the Start with Hello program this year. This program, developed by Sandy Hook Promise, helps guide our efforts to promote kindness, inclusion, and a positive school culture while providing leadership opportunities for our 5th grade students. Our 5th grade leaders will work with Dr. Weschler, Ms. Ryan, and Dr. Schwartz to train younger students, deliver lessons, share information at assemblies, and model positive practices during recess and lunch. The leadership group will meet monthly to plan activities that strengthen our school community.

Another school year and another year to BE GREEN!!!

At Increase Miller, we care about ”Being Green”! All students will hear messages about sustainability and “Being Green” during the morning announcements and at assemblies. Our K-5 Green Team members will also share projects with the whole school on the Green Team bulletin board, located in the front hallway.

The IMES Green Team is excited to begin soon!

The IMES Green Team is a K-5 morning Club that meets once a month, but twice sometimes in the Spring. The club meets before school at 8:15. Sometimes we meet as a large K-5 group, and sometimes we meet in smaller, grade level groups. The Green Team is led by Mrs. Burroughs (K teacher), Ms. Griffin, and Mrs. Emig (Gr 4 teacher).

If your child is interested in joining the Green Team, please use the QR Code on the flyer to sign up.

It will be open until Wednesday, October 10.

After October 10, families will be notified with the schedule and other information.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd at 8:15 am.

Considering joining IMpact for Kids if you want to help us create a sense of belonging at IMES! See the flyer from Ms. Fahy below.

In school, on Friday, October 31, your child may wear orange, purple, and/or black to recognize the day. Kindergarten students will have an opportunity to parade around the school outside (weather pending) in their costumes and grade levels will be planning learning activities in the classrooms. Kindergarten classroom teachers will communicate more details in the near future.

On Wednesday, October 8, the Goldens Bridge Fire Department will teach our students about fire safety. All classes K-5 will hear a presentation from the firefighters and have the opportunity to see two fire trucks and the equipment used. Thank you to our Goldens Bridge Fire Department for their commitment to providing these fun and informative experiences for our students.

Our Main Office is here to support you and answer your questions. You can reach the main office at 763-7155 or 763-7117. Our office staff members include Ms. Eden Ladd, Office Assistant and Mrs. Jennifer Ferentini, Secretary to the Principal.

A written excuse is required by New York State Law each time a child is absent or late. The excuse should be sent with the child when he/she returns to school or on the day of lateness. In addition to the specific dates, the reason for the absence or lateness should be stated in the note and signed by a parent or guardian.

Parents are requested to enter their child's absence in our new Visitor Aware System (see directions above). If a child is absent and you do not enter their absence in Visitor Aware, the school will attempt to contact the parent. This is done for the safety and protection of the child.

• Thank you to our students for already showing us you are Kind, Responsible and Safe!
• Thank you to our classroom teachers for hosting wonderful Curriculum Night presentations
• Thank you to our parent volunteers for your time on field trips, displaying student art work, and planning and organizing activities for the school year!