KES 2025 April Newsletter 🌍
Building a Community of Belonging
Class Placement Forms Due April 30 at 4PM
We will soon begin the process of creating student groupings for class placement for the 2025-26 school year. This is an extensive collaboration that includes the classroom teachers, service providers, specialists, administration, and parents. If you choose to participate, please click the link below to access the Optional Class Placement Input Form for your child.
The only accepted feedback regarding class placement can be through the form which is equitable and in the best interest of all children. This optional online input form may be used to provide us with unique insights about your child, including strengths and needs. Additionally, if your family has twins, please indicate whether you want the children separated by class or placed together.
If you choose to provide input about your child, please know that we may not be able to honor requests for children to be placed with or separated from other students. Please refrain from making requests for preferred teachers and from making negative requests for specific teachers unless your family has had direct previous experience, in which case, the request will be considered.
The form should be completed by the parent/guardians of students currently in grades K-4 only. Also, please complete a separate form for each child in your family.
The online form must be submitted by 4 PM on Wednesday, April 30. The input form will no longer be available beyond this date. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
WEATHER RESERVE DAYS
Please note that school is now in session on April 11.
If there are no more unexpected school closures, KLSD will be closed on the remaining three (3) weather reserve days:
4/21, 5/27 and 5/23
SPRING BREAK
Monday, April 14- 21
School resumes Tuesdays, April 22.
The PTO is supporting the following enrichment this month!
Kindergarten: Nature Activities
Kindergarten/Grade 1 Author, Alyssa Capaculli
Grade 3: Westmoreland
Community Read: A Planet Like Ours
From School Library Journal:
This simple ode to the planet emphasizes its beauty and natural resources and the responsibility of the youngest generation to care for it in the future. Beginning by noting how our planet is particularly unique, the authors cover different features of Earth that are in danger of being destroyed: water, soil, trees, animals, etc. They write in the third person ("Our trees," "Let's protect our air,") to develop a sense of collective responsibility. A refrain familiar from John Lewis appears on most pages: "If not us, then who?" However, other than the statement that "we don't always take care of our planet," the cause of destruction is not placed on any group or entity. Likewise, the illustrations focus on the majesty of the earth, presenting digital depictions of the planet's striking beauty, along with fewer of its ongoing devastation. A group of children diverse in race and ability move through the pages on spreads and vignettes of landscapes and seascapes. The book finishes with an authors' note and an activity list, featuring basic conservationist suggestions such as replacing paper towels with cloth and turning the water off while brushing one's teeth. VERDICT A passionate love letter to Earth and a plea for environmental protection; light on actual steps, it's an important starting point and introduction to the topic.
JJHS Composting Presentation at KES
Our students will have the opportunity to attend and participate in an interactive presentation on composting, facilitated by several John Jay High School students. The educational program will model how kids and their families can learn how to compost at home. There will be games and hands on opportunities for students to identify and differentiate household food waste items that are "compostable and not compostable." Students will learn the foundational processes of how composting creates healthy soil, one of the critical features of a healthy environment.
Friday April 4th we will be conducting our last bus drill. This is a front and rear exit. Front half of the bus exits the front door and middle to back exits the rear. We will do them at arrival time.
New York State schools are required to conduct safety drills, including evacuation and lockdown drills, to prepare students to respond to emergencies. "School buildings must complete a total of 12 drills between September 1st and June 30th of each academic year, where 8 drills must be evacuation drills, and 4 drills must be lockdown drills." At KES, we have 2 evacuation drills and 1 lockdown drill to conduct before the end of the year, all of which will be announced.
VOCABULARY IS A FOCUS AT KES!!!
At the KES PTO General Member Meeting on March 19, 2025, Alison Porcelli, KES Instructional Coach presented on the topic of VOCABULARY. She shared the importance of vocabulary instruction and why vocabulary knowledge is crucial for reading comprehension.
“One of the most well-established findings of educational research is that reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are highly correlated with one another, and that knowledge of individual word meanings accounts for as much as 50-60% of the variance in reading comprehension.” (Adlof & Perfetti, 2014; Stahl & Nagy, 2006).
Whole school initiatives were shared, such as professional learning around this topic in grades K-5 through Faculty Meetings and Teachers College Advancing Literacy Site Visits and Special Topic Courses, highlighting a word of the week on ‘Good Morning, KES’ and an interactive bulletin board.
Strategies for fostering word consciousness at home and in the classroom were also shared, including the use of sophisticated language during daily routines, and engaging activities like word maps, word sorts, and games.
Please refer to the power point linked below for further detail about the presentation.
K-5 Curriculum Updates
Each month, we will be providing curriculum highlights from each grade level. Please know that these are snapshots and do not reflect all the curriculum and learning in the classroom.
Students in kindergarten will build on their reading knowledge of CVC words and include digraphs in their repertoire. In writing, students will continue to explore persuasive writing. We will use all of our strategies to hear more sounds in words, and begin to use writing conventions, like upper case letters at the beginning of sentences and punctuation at the end. Math will focus on extending number names and counting to 100. Children will practice both verbal and written patterns in the counting sequence and count by ones and tens, beginning from any number. A one hundred chart will be an important tool used for developing these number skills. In science, we will wrap up our Pushes and Pulls unit, and begin our next inquiry of Sunlight and Weather!
Students in first grade will take on the “big jobs” of decoding and reading fluency in their reading work this month. They will focus on decoding tricky vowel teams and diphthongs (ex. ou and ow). Students will also work on improving their fluency by reading with expression. In writing, students will write their opinions about places they love and things they like to do. They will also work on revising their writing, using new strategies to improve both their current and past work. In math, first graders will continue building their understanding of place value, using number lines and blocks to add and subtract tens and ones. In science, students will take on the role of Sky Scientists in our new science unit, Spinning Earth.
Students in second grade will be engaged in a cross-curricular unit studying insects. Our young entomologists will continue learning how to research and take notes in reading workshop to help us as we write nonfiction chapter books in writing workshop. To celebrate our work, the 2nd graders will be creating their own informational books modeled after the popular book series, “Diary of a Worm.” It's going to be an impressive way to finish off our nonfiction reading and writing in 2nd grade! In math, the 2nd graders will be mastering how to add and subtract triple digit numbers. Using models, the 2nd graders will utilize their understanding of place value to aid their efforts. In social studies, we’ll begin to explore how our government works and what it means to be a leader within our community. We’ll be starting a new science unit in April! We will be investigating the inter-relationship between plants and animals. As scientists, we’re excited to ask questions, take notes, investigate and learn more about the world around us.
Students in third grade will begin working in research clubs for reading and writing. They will learn to synthesize information across texts, organize what they are learning, and record the information into subtopics. In math, third grade students will learn to identify and describe quadrilaterals using attributes such as side lengths, angle measures, and parallel sides. They will develop skills to classify shapes according to these attributes, recognizing similarities and differences between various quadrilaterals. Students will analyze quadrilaterals and organize them into groups based on shared characteristics, building a foundation for more advanced geometric concepts. In science, third graders will begin the "Inheritance and Traits: Variation in Wolves" unit, exploring how organisms acquire their distinctive traits by examining patterns in wolf characteristics. The unit addresses fundamental questions about why individuals differ from relatives, such as variations in hair texture, height, or athletic ability. Through studying wolves, students develop understanding of inheritance principles that explain biological mechanisms determining physical traits and variations among living things.
Students in fourth grade will continue in the ELA unit on reading and writing strategies in preparation for state testing. Students will work on strategies such as annotating the texts, making inferences about character traits, identifying figurative language, as well as test-taking strategies, such as using the process of elimination, picking the best answer, and analyzing prompts to ensure we are properly answering written questions. At the conclusion of ELA testing, fourth graders will begin an exciting unit analyzing power and perspective in historical fiction texts. In math, students will be covering topics in geometry, such as area and perimeter, identifying patterns in shapes, and identifying and measuring angles. Later in April, students will begin our third science unit of the year. They will take on the role of environmental conservationists, investigating the role that animal senses, primarily vision, play in survival as they try to understand why the population of geckos is declining in the Philippines!
Students in fifth grade will be starting several new units. In ELA, fifth graders will read non-fiction books and articles about Civil Rights, as they strengthen their research and note-taking skills. In addition, they will start reading the novel, From the Desk of Zoe Washington. In math, fifth graders will be busily engaged in the exploration of data analysis, geometry, and volume concepts. To demonstrate their understanding, students will be creating a volume project involving the design of different size cereal boxes. In science, fifth graders will be continuing the science unit—Earth Systems. In social studies, fifth graders will be learning about the Triangle of Trade and enslaved people.
NYS ASSESSMENTS: GRADES 3-5
Test Calendar
Grade 3-5 ELA - 4/8 and 4/9
Grade 3-5 Math - 4/29 and 4/30
Grade 5 Science - 5/8
Test Format & NYS Rationale
All KLSD students in Grades 3 through 5 will be taking NYS ELA, Math, and Science Tests via Computer Based Testing. Prior to these tests being administered, deliberate steps are taken to integrate opportunities into our students’ learning experience to familiarize them with this testing platform. A simulation test was conducted on January 30th to confirm our readiness and to provide students with a no-stakes opportunity to experience CBT testing.
NYSED’s rationale for making the change is as follows: “Computer-based testing has been successfully implemented for elementary- and intermediate-level testing in 48 states and it is critical that New York now also transition to modern approaches to assessment that are in line with the 21st Century instruction and learning being fostered in classrooms … potential advantages include faster turnaround of student results, additional flexibility in administration windows, reduced administrative preparation, reduction or elimination of standalone field testing, an exploration of adaptive testing models, and fiscal savings for districts. Many of these options reduce burdens on teachers and school staff which can translate into additional instructional time for students.”
General Information
- Students should get plenty of rest the night before the tests
- Students should hydrate and have breakfast the morning of assessments
- Students should have at least two #2 pencils and a book to read after they finish the assessment
The tests themselves are just one measure of your child’s abilities, and do not define your child; we ask that you share this sentiment with your child. “Just do the best you can.”
If you have any questions about testing, please reach out to Kweon Stambaugh at kstambaugh@klschools.org.
This Month in General Music
In Kindergarten, students will continue to demonstrate proper technique while learning to play various non-pitched percussion instruments. Students will continue to differentiate and explore vocal qualities (speak/sing/whisper/shout) through song and dramatic play. Additionally, students will continue to learn several songs on the bell sets, reinforcing proper mallet technique with pitched instruments. Finally, students will experience and participate in various folk songs and dances.
In first grade, students will use Orff instruments and non-pitched percussion. They will focus on playing songs with eighth note, quarter note rhythms, and rests. Additionally, students will be introduced to Multicultural Spring and Earth Day-themed songs. They will continue developing their head voice and vocal technique, ensuring they sing in a healthy and strong manner.
In second grade, students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper mallet technique by playing various songs on Orff instruments. Students will explore and be able to differentiate between various time signatures. Additionally, students will explore the dramatic play. Finally, students will continue to learn new musical vocabulary such as “bar line, double bar and measure”.
In third grade, students will perform songs on the recorders and xylophones. They will continue to perform on the recorder using notes B, A, G, D, and C as well as incorporate xylophones to explore the harmonic content of songs played on the recorder. Additionally, students will sing partner songs with two-part harmony, continuing to work on vowel and consonant pronunciation to enhance ensemble sound blending.
In fourth grade, students will continue to prepare for the Fourth grade play “Of Mice and Mozart” by learning and practicing the songs in class. Additionally, students will explore “sharps” and “flats” and the 12-bar blues form.
In fifth grade, students will continue to explore composing music with classroom instruments. Additionally, students will explore music technology and recording using Garageband. Lastly, students will demonstrate mastery in conducting in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 time signatures.
This Month in Physical Education
We are excited to let you know that in April our physical education classes will be rolling into an amazing Disco Midnight Aerobic Bowling Unit! This fun twist on traditional bowling will take place in a darkened gym with black lights, glow in the dark pins and neon artwork made by KES students. Disco music will be playing in the background so students can get their groove on during class! Throughout the unit, students will practice proper bowling techniques including correct grip and footwork while engaging in games that promote fitness, teamwork and sportsmanship. Students are encouraged to wear white or neon colored clothing on their PE days to maximize the glowing effect under the black lights. This unit is always a fan favorite and we can't wait to share in the kids' excitement as they participate in Disco Midnight Aerobic Bowling!🪩🕺🎳
This Month in Library
April is Poetry Month in the KES library and we’re celebrating the power of words and the joy of poetry! Students will be immersed into the rhythm and creativity of poems, discovering a variety of forms from rhyming verses to free verse. Throughout the month, they'll learn about different types of poetry and even try their hand at writing their own!
A fun part of our celebration will be "Poem in Your Pocket Day." Each student will write or pick a poem to carry and share with friends, teachers, and family. We’ll also read poetry with partners and work together to enjoy the beauty of words.
April is an exciting month in the KES library, as we explore the world of poetry and celebrate the magic of storytelling through poems!
