KES 2025 May Newsletter 🌸
Building a Community of Belonging
We recognize Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, a federal holiday honoring and mourning the U.S. Military personnel who gave their lives while serving in the Armed Forces.
Schools will be closed May 23-27.
The PTO is supporting the following enrichment this month!
Grade 1 Pencil Project; Zoom to the Moon
Grade 2 Westmoreland
Grade 3 Wolf Conservatory
Grade 4 Katonah Museum of Art
Grade 5 Author Janae Marks
Grades K, 3 and 5 Chris Rowlands
Grades 3-5 author Lauren Tarshis
Grades K-5 Mexican Dance Assemblies
Lost and Found
If you are here for events in May and June, please come and check the Lost and Found. There are many, many items that will be donated by the last day of school if not claimed!
Community Read: I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Our focus this month will be on DIGNITY.
Heritage Months
Throughout the month we will be highlighting information about Jewish American Heritage and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Reading books together and highlighting role models in our daily morning announcements are just some of the ways we acknowledge heritage months as part of our ongoing belonging work.
By embracing diversity and creating a mirror and window for students, we foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued.
Cinco de Mayo Celebrated at KES on May 12!
This holiday is observed on May 5th and commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. However, we have the amazing opportunity, afforded to us by our PTO, to have Vivo Mexico! performed by the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company at KES on May 12!!!
This is a dynamic group of performers presenting a colorfully costumed, engaging and passionate repertoire representing indigenous Aztec Purepecha and Hispanic dances. World influences including African (coastal Veracruz), European (Northern Mexico) and South American (inland Guerrero) are illustrated in this Mexican dance tradition. The performance also includes the popular Mariachi music. A narrator explains the historical and cultural background of each dance suite and leads exciting interactive workshops with the audience.
Students will continue developing problem-solving skills using STEP.
Say the problem without blame
Think of solutions
Explore the outcomes/consequences
Pick the best solution
These problem-solving steps incorporate previous lessons including empathy, identify and manage emotions, stay calm skills and perspective-taking.
Lockdown Drill: May 28-30
As we approach the end of the school year, I wanted to inform you that during the month of May, our faculty and staff will be conducting one last final lockdown drill. This drill is essential to ensure that we are all prepared and know the procedures to follow in case of an emergency.
The drill will take place outside during K-5 recess times. Similar to our past recess drills, I will be working closely with our team of lunch and recess Supervisors to ensure that the exercise is carried out safely and orderly.
Additionally, our School Resource Officer, Brett Schlosser, will be on-site to informally observe and support us during the practice exercises. His presence will help us ensure that everything runs smoothly and that we are following the correct protocols.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Grades 3-5 NYS Testing
The Math test will be given on May 7 and 8.
The 5th graders will take the NYS Science test on May 20.
If you have any questions about the tests, please email Kweon at kstambaugh@klschools.org.
Spring Benchmarking
As part of our Response to Intervention Plan, we are administering our last round of benchmarks in reading and mathematics starting on May 19. This is part of the Response to Intervention (RtI) process as per New York State. This data is useful as it informs us about student growth and identifies students’ needs.
If your child is receiving services, exits services, or qualifies for services, you will receive a communication from one of our Interventionists in late June.
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 have learned so much about reading that they are ready to become - avid readers - people who love reading so much they can barely stop! While focusing on phonics and decoding, children continue to explore digraphs and blends as they build and read longer, stronger words. We are well into our persuasive writing unit and seeing how we can use our words to make a change. Students can see a problem, think about it, choose their audience and write a lot! In math, kindergartners will continue to learn about the decade numbers and count the decade numbers in order. They will also explore counting forward from any number on the 100's chart, a skill which is foundational for the addition strategy of counting on. We will begin our new science unit entitled Sunlight and Weather. This unit challenges the students to discover how the sun warms the Earth using hands-on investigations and models. We will use our own playground, as well as some fictional playgrounds, as the settings for learning about different kinds of weather!
Students in first grade will continue to grow as readers by discovering that each book offers a unique adventure filled with new characters to meet along the way. As they enjoy these new adventures, students will refine their skills in predicting story events and retelling key details. Our phonics work will focus on r-controlled vowels (such as air and ore), applying the suffix -es, and learning strategies to decode multisyllabic words. In writing, students will create their own characters inspired by the stories they read, place them in interesting settings, and write stories where the author uses their imagination to solve problems and bring the story to an exciting end. In math, students will explore two- and three-dimensional shapes. We will end the month learning about non-standard measurement tools, time, and coin values. In science, our “Sky Scientists” will observe and explore how the sky changes throughout the day in relation to the sun’s position. As we approach the end of the school year, we will celebrate the final 26 days of first grade with a special ABC Countdown, featuring a different themed activity or event each day.
Students in second grade will become authors and create their very own book series. We’ll brainstorm everything from main characters, to setting, to problems and solutions! It will be fun to create multiple books based on the fictional characters we create. To help our efforts, our focus in reading workshop will be “Stepping into the World of Stories.” This unit will help us solidify our understanding of story structure. We’ll also enjoy exploring all kinds of series in our classroom libraries. In math, second graders will be learning about shapes and their attributes, as well as tables and graphs. Practicing addition and subtraction will also remain a focus as we continue to master these important skills. In science, the second graders will study the interdependence between animals and plants. The KES Butterfly Garden will help us observe and document how plants and animals work together to create a beautiful habitat. At the end of May, we’ll head to Westmoreland Sanctuary to take our learning to a new level. It will be fun to investigate a different habitat and apply all we’ve learned in science. In social studies, we will begin our exploration of USA symbols. We’re excited to learn more about important USA monuments/memorials and the history behind them!
Students in third grade will work in research clubs in reading and writing to learn how to synthesize, organize, and record information from texts. The research skills and strategies will also be applied to the science unit, where the students will learn about how animals inherit and vary their traits. In math, third graders will focus on perimeter. We will find the distance around shapes and recognize that this distance isn't the same as the space inside. We compare rectangles that have the same distance around them but different space inside, or the same space inside but different distances around them. In social studies, third graders will learn that community helpers like mayors and council members solve different problems in your town, like fixing parks or keeping streets safe. Our country has three big teams of government—our local town team, our state team, and the big national team in Washington—and they all follow the same important rulebook. Different leaders have special jobs depending on whether they work for your town, your state, or the whole country.
Students in fourth grade will continue to read books to grow ideas about characters, settings, and themes but also looking at issues of power and perspective, and thinking about those issues in our social studies unit, examining the Industrial Revolution, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and immigration in the early 20th century. In writing, students will begin to put their skills to use when writing their own science books. In math, after our state test, fourth graders will begin a unit on understanding and comparing decimals. Our science studies will resume this month with a unit looking at Vision and Light! Students will become conservation biologists, examining the impact of environmental changes on a group of geckos in the Philippines. Thanks to our fabulous PTO, we are excited to be partnering once again with Katonah Museum of Art for the museum's program Thinking Through the Arts. The program supports and enriches the learning standards in visual arts and our ELA curricula.
Students in fifth grade will be starting a new ELA unit on the Civil Rights Movement. Students will be reading, researching, taking notes, and transferring their notations into expository writing. After state testing, 5th graders will apply their math skills in various ways to design creative projects. Later in May, Janae Marks, the author of the fifth grade read aloud-- From the Desk of Zoe Washington--will be visiting to discuss her book and writing process. In science, the fifth graders will continue their study of Earth Systems and, towards the end of the month they will have a Great Body Shop health unit on changes during puberty-- human growth and development. After a visit with a JJMS guidance counselor and sixth grade student “ambassadors,” the fifth graders are starting to get excited about 6th grade!
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 and playing together in an ensemble. Finally, students will experience and participate in various folk songs and dances.
In first grade, students will prepare for their End-of-Year Concert by performing a variety of multicultural songs. They will continue to develop their head voice, ensuring proper pitch and tone quality throughout their performances. In addition, students will incorporate expressive movement and dynamics to create contrasts in loudness and softness, adding more emotion to their singing. They will also work on following musical cues from the conductor to stay in sync with their peers. These experiences will help children build confidence and stage presence.
In second grade, students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper mallet technique by playing various songs on Orff instruments. Students will explore the scale tones “So, La, Mi and Do” through singing various multi-cultural songs and instrument playing. Finally, students will experience and participate in various folk dances.
In third grade, students will continue to explore both instrumental and vocal music to enhance their musical skills. On the recorder, they will continue to perform a range of songs, focusing on incorporating dynamics and expressive elements to add depth to their playing. Students will also perform various rhythmic patterns, including dotted notes, quarter notes, half notes, and rests. As part of their ensemble training, they will learn to perform rounds and harmonize, developing collaborative skills. In preparation for the End-of-Year Concert, third graders will continue to sing multicultural songs featuring two-part harmony, adding dynamics to their vocal performances to ensure they are as expressive as possible.
In fourth grade, students will begin to work on their Composer research project. Using reliable sources to find information about their composer they will create a keynote presentation to teach the class about their specific composer. Additionally, students will learn about music from the modern era.
In fifth grade, students will continue to explore music technology and recording using GarageBand, working to create pieces that tell a story through the instrumentation and sound. Students will also begin to learn repertoire for the 5th grade Moving Up Ceremony.
This Month in Physical Education
As we are sure you are aware, a new geothermal HVAC system installation project has begun at Katonah Elementary School. As a result, we are unable to use the upper field for the remainer of the school year which means we will not be able to take our classes up there this spring. Consequently, we have modified our curriculum a bit as we have our classes in the gymnasium. During the month of May, our focus will be on cooperative games. These activities are designed to help students build teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills, and most importantly - have fun while being active! Throughout this unit, students will participate in a variety of games that encourage working together to complete different tasks. These games include Battleship, Let's make a Deal and The Island of Zork.
This Month in Library
This month in the KES library, students are diving into exciting projects and activities that will enhance their creativity and skills!
K-2 students are immersing themselves in the works of beloved authors like Mo Willems, Jon Klassen, and Mac Barnett, exploring their unique styles and discovering similarities across their books.
Third graders are wrapping up their poetry writing unit and will be showcasing their work on Padlet (a versatile online platform that serves as a virtual bulletin board where users can create, share, and organize content), collaborating with their third-grade peers to celebrate their words.
Fourth graders will tap into their creativity by creating book trailers for their favorite books using Canva Video (an online design platform used to create visually engaging materials and collaborate on projects)-a fun way to share stories!
Fifth graders will be sharpening their note-taking and research skills as they explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
