Arthur O. Eve #61
Home of the Arts & Gifted and Talented Program
🎃 October Newsletter 🍂
Dear Families,
October is here, and our school is alive with learning, creativity, and community! I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to make this year a strong one for all of our students.
We have a busy and exciting month ahead. Please mark your calendars for the following important dates:
Thursday, October 9 – Open House & Meet the Teacher (5:00–7:00 PM)
Join us for a welcome and presentation at 5:00, followed by classroom sessions where you can meet your child’s teachers and learn about classroom expectations.
Friday, October 10 – Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
We are excited to welcome a visiting actor who will share stories and highlight Hispanic culture and contributions.
Monday, October 13 – No School
Friday, October 17 – Picture Day
Friday, October 18– Parents’ Night Out
Thursday, October 23 – Mystery Reader
We have launched our Attendance Initiative with a school-wide goal of 90% overall attendance. To encourage consistency, students with perfect attendance will be rewarded with an ice cream treat each month. Thank you for supporting your child’s success by ensuring they are present and on time every day.
This month offers so many opportunities to learn, celebrate, and connect as a community. I encourage you to attend and participate wherever you can. Your presence makes a difference in the lives of our students.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we are building a school where every child’s gifts can shine.
Warmly,
Chelsea Bush
Principal
Arts Celebration!🎉 Hispanic Heritage Month: Peru🦙
We're very excited to announce that next Tuesday, October 7, the Bills Foundation in cooperation with GrassRoots Gardens WNY and Wegmans, will bring the Huddle for Hunger to A.O.E.! The event will include a smoothie bike, healthy snack prep and tasting opportunities, a planting demonstration with Greg Wilder, a DJ, Billy Buffalo and...maybe, just maybe, if we're really lucky, we'll get a visit from a Buffalo Bill! All students will participate. Due to time constraints, participation in the full program has to be limited to 90 students. These students will be our Grade 3 and 4 September perfect attendance students AND otherwise those selected by lottery! All other students will be given the opportunity to parade through and high-five Billy Buffalo and any visiting Buffalo Bill! Be sure to check back here in November for photos!
Character Counts! Trait of the Month: * Respect *
An introduction to Character Counts
Character Counts is built on the foundation of The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. When our students develop skills and character traits, all kinds of good things happen! They treat one another with kindness and respect, learning why this is important- and our school becomes a better place to be. Our students become happier and successful in all the ways that matter most.
Here at Arthur O. Eve School of Distinction BPS#61, we will feature a character trait each month. In September, we highlighted Responsibility throughout the school. For October, the trait is Respect. Students will learn the definition of respect and how it is displayed and practiced on a daily basis, in school and at home! We're keeping our eyes out for one special student who goes above and beyond to demonstrate respect this month. Then, they will be honored with an award and showcased right here in November's newsletter. Stay tuned!
Character Counts 🌠Student of the Month!
Congratulations 🎉 to Mrs. Fischer's 1st Grade student, True Hollamon!
We are very proud of the fact that you were nominated as a student who has demonstrated Responsibility during the month of September! You will now be a key student in helping us uphold quality "CHARACTER" within our school. Congratulations on being selected as the Student of the Month. You will be honored and acknowledged in the morning announcements. Keep up the great work and continue to strive for greatness!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bush, Principal
🍂October Read-Aloud!📖
Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Mendez; illustrator: Jaime Kim
This resonant picture book tells the story of a girl who is repeatedly asked a simple question lacking a simple answer. This story is a great conversation-starter!
When a girl is asked where she’s from—where she’s really from—she's at a loss to name a country of origin. Unsure about how to reply, she turns to her loving Abuelo for help. He doesn’t give her the response she expects. She gets a truly poetic and heart-felt one.
With themes of self-acceptance, identity, and home, this powerful, lyrical picture book will resonate with readers young and old, from all backgrounds and of all colors—especially anyone who has ever felt they don’t belong.
Try This @ Home!
Math ✖➗➕➖Matters!
👩🏻🏫From the Classroom 👨🏿🏫
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Its hard to believe that September is behind us.
There is so much to look forward to in October in Pre-K! Family Fall Fest at the Buffalo Zoo is taking place on Thursday, October 9 from 5:30-7:30. Free admission granted for all UPK students and their families. We will begin our monthly Mystery Reader in classroom on October 16th.
Picture Day will be on October 17th. Field trip to Kelkenberg Farm will take place on 10/22 (more info to follow). Pre-K classrooms will host a Fall Craft Party in their classrooms on 10/29 at 1:30. (More info to follow). We will send detailed information home in folders and on Class Dojo!
Our ELA theme is Marvelous Me, where we will learn more about our students and their families. We are focusing on beginning sounds, rhyming words, parts of a book, letters Bb, Tt, Mm, Ss and Aa. In Math, we are focusing on shapes and their attributes, patterns, making groups of two to five objects, rote counting, and one-to-one correspondence. Students are learning how to share, take turns, follow directions & procedures, and they really understand now that we are a school family!
~Miss Fisher, Mrs. Roberts, & Mrs. McGarvey
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Welcome to Kindergarten! Our first couple of weeks were a great success. The boys and girls have been doing a great job adjusting to the daily classroom routines. We will continue to review classroom rules and procedures.
Throughout this year, your child will embark on one of the most exciting adventures: coming into school and loving it! This is going to be a great school year for your child! Kindergarten is an important time to build a foundation for learning and social interaction. We are looking forward to working with you and your child this upcoming school year.
This school year your child will participate in the following subject areas: ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. In Math, we have already started learning about what math is and numbers to 5. In ELA, we have studied the letter Mm, and Aa. This week we will be learning about the letter Ll and the sound that it makes. Your students will also participate in Art, Music, PE, Theater, and Dance this school year.
Please remember to send in an extra change of clothes if you have not done so already. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us by phone, email, or Class DOJO.
~Mrs. Gentzler, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Simson, & Mrs. Vangelista
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The First graders are off to a great start! In Math, we have been learning how to identify and describe number patterns. Please have your child practice counting from 1-120 and ask them to share the patterns using the following vocabulary words: columns, rows, tens, and ones.
In Science, we are learning all about apples. The students identified and labeled the parts of an apple and we read the book “Ten Apples Up on Top”. The students were amazed with the results of our Apple Volcano science experiment and couldn’t wait to share the experiment with their family.
In ELA, we are finishing up our last few concepts from Kindergarten Review. We are covering the digraphs ch, sh, and the voiced th and unvoiced th. We are working on reading and spelling learned red words. We do word and sentence dictation weekly using the Orton-Gillingham pound-tap. Students are getting neater with letter formation, so please encourage neatness when writing their name and completing their homework.
~Ms. Balzer, Mrs. Fischer, & Mrs. Pritchard
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Happy October! We are excited to share what we are learning in Second Grade this month.
In Math, students will be learning about number patterns and meanings of addition and subtraction. In ELA, students are reviewing compound words, open/closed syllables, and three-letter consonant blends. Please remember homework has started and is a review of what we are learning in class. In Social Studies, students are learning about families now and in the past. In Science, we are learning about matter and properties of materials.
~Mrs. Bryant, Miss Graves, Mrs. Janas, & Miss McLaughlin
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Grade 3: In ELA, students are reading stories with a focus on folktales from different countries. We are working hard on writing descriptive paragraphs.
In Math, we are focusing on adding 3-digit numbers together, rounding to the nearest 10, and 100s, as well as noticing different patterns within our math problems to help us solve the problems.
~Mrs. Barrett, Ms. Kwiatek, & Ms. Zywar
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We are off to a great start in Fourth Grade! We have completed our beginning of the year DIBELs assessments and will be beginning our beginning of the year iReady assessments in both ELA and Math this month.
In ELA, we are working on our first unit with a focus on Networks. In this unit we are reading narrative non-fiction, magazine articles, and informational text. We have also been reviewing the Third Grade skill of responding to 2-point questions quite successfully.
In Social Studies, we began the year by learning about the geography, climate, and resources of New York State. We are currently learning about the Algonquians, Iroquois, and early European settlers in New York.
In Math, the Fourth graders are beginning the year working on numbers and operations. We are also working on place value, focusing on rounding to the millions place.
The Science focus in Fourth Grade is force and motion to start the year off.
~Ms. Gilmartin, Mr. Robson, & Mrs. Rosa
The Principal's Reading Challenge
Principal Bush knows what the researchers know: To strengthen literacy skills in our children, every child should be reading for 15 minutes, nightly. This can be in English and/or the student's home language! For our youngest learners in Pre-K and Kindergarten, we ask that parents read to them. Each month, any student who reads at least 10 books, or 10 chapters, will receive a “golden” coin and be able to select a book from our school’s beautiful, brand-new Book Vending Machine (pictured). To qualify, students must complete The Principal’s Reading Challenge form (sent home on Flyer Wednesday) and return it, signed, to their classroom.
For more information and tips on supporting literacy at home, visit the Literacy Coach's page!
Monthly Recognitions
Vania Masías Málaga, a dancer/choreographer from Peru
Daniel Torres, an actor from Buffalo
📝Author of the Month: Yamile Saied Mendez
👩🏾💻Gifted & Talented 🔬
Hello Families and welcome to a new school year! GT classes in September focused on group challenges, teamwork, and creative problem solving. As we head into October, each grade level will begin to work on longer-term projects.
The application window for next school year is officially open. If you child is already in GT, there is no need to do anything. However, if you are interested in having your child tested for GT, you need to apply to the Gifted and Talented Program at our school using the GAT program code. An online application is available through Central Registrations website. Click the link below to access the application.
~Mrs. Kristen Fischer
ENL 🌟 Highlights
Welcome Back!
We are all excited to be back and working with our students. Teachers and students are learning about each other this month, in hopes of building positive relationships as well as a sense of trust. I am returning for my fourth year as the sole ENL teacher here at AOE Home of the Arts & Gifted and Talented, so I have formed great relationships with many of our ELLs and I’m already forming relationships with our new butterflies as well. Here at AOE we have a growing population of ELLs across all grade levels, speaking various languages including Bangla, Swahili, Nepali and Spanish. As the ENL teacher I am here to support and advocate for our ELLs and also to support the parent teacher relationship. Many of our ELLs receive integrated ENL services in which I will collaborate with their homeroom teacher to help support and prepare them for this new school year. Others receive both integrated and stand-alone services which have a more detailed focus on language acquisition through all four domains: reading, writing, listening and speaking. If your student receives Stand-Alone ENL services during RTI be on the lookout for further documentation that will be sent home this month.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Mrs. Baldwin- Harris
716-816-3400 ext. 1101
💪🏽Wellness🤸🏽♂️
Language Development
Welcome Back! Here are a few tips on how to support your child’s language development as we start a new year!
Here are 3 strategies to help your child develop receptive language skills:
#1: SIMPLIFY THE MESSAGE: Break directions into smaller pieces. Remember to strive for success and increase confidence!
#2: PROVIDE VISUAL SUPPORT: Providing a visual support will give your child something to reference. Remember, receptive language has to do with understanding the language input – and language input can come from writing and gestures too!
#3: PICTURE BOOKS: While you are looking at the book, you can ask your child to find certain pictures on the page. For example: “Where’s the dinosaur?” or “Touch the dinosaur,” etc. You can target verbs by saying, “Who is jumping, running, etc.?” and pointing to a character who is jumping, etc. You can say, “Point to the biggest cookie (or smallest) etc.” Identify functions by asking, “Which one is for cutting/eating...etc.?” This activity provides practice for identifying objects, verbs, attributes, and categories.
~Karen Miller, SLP
Counselling 🤝🏻Corner
This month's character trait is RESPECT.
“Character is reveled by what a person says and what a person does.” – The Magician's Nephew
What is character? What does this quote have to do with character? What are our 6 pillars of character?
Character Trait🌠 Connection...
Your child will be sent home VERY SOON a copy of the application for 5th grade. Please, if you have not already done so, start looking into the BPS elementary schools for next school year. You will have up to five choices. If you are considering Performing Arts your child will need to audition. Please reach out to the school counselor for more information. If you wish to apply to Performing Arts an audition is required. Below is a flyer with the audition dates and Open House date.
Feel free to call or text Ms. Jillian Miller, School Counselor at (716) 393-8712 with any questions. Thank you!
AOE Garden 🍅 Gallery
The gardens at A.O.E. have been very busy since last Spring! Hopefully you've seen the veggie harvests we've been offering via the Arthur Farm Stand! Now that school is back in full swing, our 3rd Grade Garden Ambassadors have been selected (left), and our 4th Grade Ambassadors have rolled up their sleeves already! In the picture below, Maya Dudek and Tawheeda Seraj are assisting to prep our raised beds for a very special event next week! (See 'Huddle for Hunger.')
Notes from the Nurse
As we head into the fall season, please remember to keep your child at home if they have a fever, are vomiting, or show other signs of illness. A good rule of thumb is that students should be fever-free (without medicine) for 24 hours before returning to school. This helps keep our classrooms healthy and our learning strong.
Don’t forget flu season is right around the corner! Talk to your child’s doctor about getting a flu shot to help protect your family and our school community.
💊*Medications Notification*: Medications need to be brought in by the parent/guardian and given to the nurse to be held at the clinic. At that point of contact, all required forms can then be filled out. Thank you for adherence to this very important health and safety policy.
Parents, take a moment to ensure we have a current phone number on file for you. In the event of an illness, we need a working number to call. (See the 'Update Your Contact Information' button below!)
If you need to contact the Nurse's Office: 716-816-3406
🍌🥗October Menu 🧃🥪
Upcoming... 🗓
Oct. 6: Principal's Read-Aloud
Oct. 7: Bills Foundation Garden Event!
Oct. 9: Open House & Meet the Teacher (5-7 p.m.)
Oct. 10: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Oct. 10: Swag Sale Ends
Oct. 13: No School
Oct. 16: Gifted and Talented Open House
Oct. 17: Picture Day
Oct. 17: GT Virtual Q&A
Oct. 18: Parents' Night Out
Oct. 23: Mystery Reader
Oct. 31: Costume Parade