KES 2024 December Newsletter🧣

We wish you a holiday season filled with warmth, health and happiness. May you experience meaningful moments with friends and family, and time to reflect and relax.

We are thankful this holiday season for the opportunity to partner with so many caring KES families in support of our students.

Please save the date for John Jay Middle School (JJMS) Curriculum Conversations on Thursday, January 9 at 6:30pm in the JJMS Theater. At this meeting, JJMS faculty will share important information about the class selection process for your child for 6th grade as well as important information our your child's upcoming experiences at JJMS. As the date approaches, JJMS will provide additional details to keep you informed—stay tuned!

We have a GROWING Lost and Found. It is helpful when students have their names on their items so we can return them. Additionally, please have your child check the Lost and Found for missing belongings. All lost and found items will be donated in January!

This month, our focus is on Traditions and Celebrations with a focus on LIGHT, and how light plays a significant part in many cultural celebrations around the world. Candles, fireworks, and even the moon are just some light symbols used across the globe.

• Light is generally seen as representing positive aspects like knowledge, wisdom, goodness, and hope.
• Many cultures use light celebrations during winter months when daylight hours are shorter, signifying the return of warmth and light.
• Many religions incorporate light into their rituals and stories, often representing a divine presence or spiritual enlightenment.
• Lighting candles or lanterns together creates a sense of shared celebration and unity.

Examples of light celebrations across cultures:
Diwali (Hindu): The Festival of Lights, celebrating the return of Rama and Sita with the lighting of diyas (oil lamps).
Hanukkah (Jewish): The Festival of Lights, where each night of the eight-day celebration a candle is lit on the menorah.
Christmas (Christian): Decorating homes with lights and the nativity story symbolizes the "light of the world" represented by Jesus.
Kwanzaa (African American): Lighting candles representing the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

Lunar New Year (Asian): Using fireworks serves to ward off evil spirits and welcome the coming year with vibrant energy.

Sharing how we celebrate these holidays fosters a deeper understanding and respect among children and their peers. By learning about the various ways light is used in different cultural traditions, children can appreciate the diversity of the world around them. This exchange of traditions not only enriches their knowledge but also helps them to see their peers in a more inclusive light.

When children share their holiday celebrations, they bring a piece of their identity into the classroom. This act of sharing promotes a sense of belonging and respect, as each child's traditions are acknowledged and valued. It encourages children to take pride in their heritage and to see the beauty in the diversity of their community.

By celebrating the uniqueness of each child's cultural background, we can create a space where all children feel valued and seen. This inclusive approach helps to build a stronger, more cohesive community where diversity is celebrated, and everyone is encouraged to shine their light.

"Celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds brings his signature touch of love and kindness to this special, timely picture book, as families now, more than ever, are rediscovering and reevaluating what means the most: time together with one another.

Violet longs for the time when her family was connected: before life, distractions, and technology pulled them all away from each other. They used to gather at the table, with food and love, to make memories, share their lives, and revel in time spent together. But now her family has been drifting apart, and with nobody to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller. Can Violet remind her family of the warmth of time spent together, and gather around the table once more?

Exquisite, expressive watercolor tells a tender story, growing from monochrome into luscious, joyful color as Violet's family is reunited around the beloved table. An ode to traditions that unite families, Our Table brings readers together with a universal message of gratitude."

Here's a link to Peter Reynolds reading aloud his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10SoFlM4l20

"Kevin Maillard is Professor of Law at Syracuse University, a regular contributor to the New York Times and an author of children’s literature. He has written for The Atlantic and has provided on-air commentary to ABC News and MSNBC. He is the author of Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, a picture book illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, which won the Sibert Medal and the American Indian Youth Literature Honor, and the forthcoming And They Walked On (2025) and The Ones That Came Before (2026). An enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, he is based in Manhattan, NY."

Thank you to the KES PTO for sponsoring this enrichment opportunity for all of our students and for ordering a copy of Fry Bread for our classrooms!!!

KES Clinicians will continue visiting classes and discuss identifying emotions in self and others and how to manage our strong feelings using the song "STOP, Name Your Feeling and Calm Down."

Here's a link to the song for you to learn and practice at home:

https://youtu.be/q9lXrT4GwUQ

K-1st Grade

https://youtu.be/ilGtl2Ef75E

2nd and 3rd Grade

https://youtu.be/3JXbjK2icwQ

4th and 5th Grade

We will use role playing to practice and reinforce 'Calm Down Skills.' See "CLASSROOM COPING SKILLS- Calming Tools" chart below.

We anticipate much colder weather in the coming weeks. Jackets, fleeces and sweatshirts (not shorts!) are recommended for days that hover in the 40’s.

Once winter weather arrives, we will ask for more substantial articles of clothing like boots, gloves, and hats. Recess will continue to take place in cold weather and will remain outdoors as long as temperatures do not feel lower than 20 degrees.

It is recommended that you write your child’s initials or their name on the tags of outerwear items that come into school. This will allow us to return your child’s jacket or fleece if it is misplaced and brought to the lost and found. Thank you for your continued support.

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 pay attention to the words in books in order to develop pre-reading skills. Students will learn to read text from left to right, one word after another, and with one-to-one correspondence. They'll also draw on their growing knowledge of high-frequency words and of the alphabetic code to read familiar patterned books. In writing, kindergartners will explore how writers can “tell” about topics, like important places or things, by thinking about the parts of the topic and drawing and writing about them on pages in a book. They will write their own pattern books using a bank of familiar high-frequency words and their knowledge of the alphabetic code. In math, students will compare numbers to ten, as well as classify and count data. As we continue our science unit, Needs of Plants and Animals, the students will be given opportunities to form their own investigations examining whether plants need light and water to grow. Using the nonfiction book, Handbook of Plants, students find evidence about how plants use their leaves, stems, and roots to get the light and water they need to live and grow.

Students in first grade, the newly appointed Word Detectives, will take an even closer look at vowels and strategies for solving longer words. The Word Detectives will investigate silent 'e', the 'ee' and 'ea' vowel teams, vowel flexing, double consonants, and compound words. In writing, students will use mentor texts to guide their own how-to writing. Students will be encouraged to include comparisons, warnings, and tips for their readers. Math work will include learning strategies for subtracting numbers up to 20 and adding three numbers. In science, students will learn how Spruce the Sea Turtle’s offspring can survive where there are sharks. Students will gather evidence that some animal parents protect their young, but some animal offspring (including sea turtles, such as Spruce’s offspring) and all plant offspring survive on their own, without parental help. Our Social Studies time will focus on families as we prepare to write our “All About Me Books” in the new year.

Students in second grade will be strengthening their informational reading skills by looking closely at nonfiction conventions like an index, a glossary, and even captions. We’re excited to continue using strategies to help us become stronger readers! Students are also writing Nonfiction Chapter Books in writing workshop. The children are choosing their own focus and sharing knowledge through their writing. We have books about basketball, sewing, Cape Cod, Brooklyn, dancing… all kinds of amazing topics. In math, we are exploring subtraction. We’ll spend time learning all kinds of strategies to help us understand this important math skill. The second graders will also be finishing their investigation of Properties of Materials. As glue engineers, the students have explored different mixtures and ingredients to make a sticky, strong glue. We’ll be sending home a special project that was created using the glue students made that demonstrates all they learned in this unit! And in social studies, the 2nd graders will be exploring the basic foundation of economics. The holidays are a great time to think about the difference between wants and needs!

Students in third grade will continue their writing in Structuring Episodes: Writing Series Fiction. Students will learn to create fiction by turning their own experiences into stories with made-up characters. They'll focus on small, specific moments and learn to transform their personal challenges—like wanting something they couldn't have—into engaging stories with characters who are both similar to and different from themselves. In reading, third graders will begin the Mystery Unit in reading workshop. We will read mysteries closely to infer, notice clues and “Who Done It?” Mystery readers will need to wonder when characters are really telling the truth. We will be on the lookout for any Red Herrings. In Social Studies, students in third grade will learn about culture in other parts of the world. They will learn that culture is how people live their daily lives, including what they eat, wear, and do. While some countries have cultures like America's, others are very different, often influenced by their environment. In math, third graders will develop an understanding of the concept of area and a unit square. They will learn different ways to measure the area of a rectangle and relate area to multiplication as well as represent data on picture graphs and bar graphs.

Students in fourth grade will use their learning from the non-fiction reading lessons on text structures and work in groups to begin a research project on Indigenous people. In Math, students will continue to develop their understanding of multiplication by using models and working with multi-step word problems. We are wrapping up our Science unit on Earth's Features and will be reaching some exciting conclusions about how fossils and rock layers form! In Social Studies, we are learning about the Iroquois and Algonquin Indigenous groups. This learning will inform our ELA research projects!

Students in fifth grade will focus on reading non-fiction books and articles, noting different text structures and multiple main ideas. While fifth graders develop their calculation skills, applying multiplication and division with whole numbers and decimals, they will continue to work on solving multi-step word problems. In science this month, we will wrap up our exploration of the night sky, stars, and constellations. A field trip to the planetarium at the Hudson River Museum will culminate our study. Our next science unit, which will begin before the holiday break, is Modeling Matter. In social studies, the study of migration and settlement in the Western Hemisphere will lead to an exploration of the ancient civilizations of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec.

As part of the implementation of the new Computer Science Digital Fluency Standards,Technology Teaching Assistant, Tenesha Mezzo will continue teaching lessons in each classroom, K-5.

A topic summary of these Digital Citizenship lessons can be viewed HERE.

You can find the complete CSDF Standards HERE.

Kindergarten students will be "Reading, Reading as Much as They Can!" as they enjoy a variety of Gingerbread Man (and Gingerbread Girl and Friends!) stories. We will focus on sequencing and retelling these fun tales, and students will also have a blast participating in a gingerbread hunt throughout the library!

First and second grade students will be wrapping up their coding units while exploring holiday stories from Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. First graders will recreate important symbols and play games related to each holiday, while second graders will design a multicultural holiday bookmark to showcase all they've learned about these traditions.

In celebration of Hour of Code month, our 3rd - 5th grade students will dive into holiday-themed coding activities using Scratch. They'll code a holiday light show, along with other exciting coding challenges. Students will also get hands-on with Sphero Robots, learning to program them for a holiday lights mission! Along the way, they’ll develop foundational programming skills, create algorithms, and work collaboratively to solve problems.

A Quick Reminder: Please remember to return library books on time. Thank you for your continued support! 😊

In addition to the skills highlighted below by grade, students will be learning songs for our Annual Winter Sing Along.

Kindergarten:

• Establishing proper vocal tone production
• Experiencing longer rhythm patterns through speech, body percussion and unpitched instruments
• Experiencing dramatic play through song
• Demonstrating proper mallet technique

1st Grade:

• Maintaining a steady beat while singing and/or playing unpitched percussion instruments

• Performing quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth note rhythms

• Performing multicultural holiday songs

• Introducing note reading using Orff instruments (xylophones)

Second Grade:

• Identifying and perform Articulation such as staccato and legato
• Identifying and perform a “Coda” in music
• Developing a singing voice
• Performing vocal ostinato

3rd Grade:

• Introducing recorder technique

• Note reading using Orff instruments (xylophones)

• Singing two-part harmony holiday songs

• Using dynamics in music performance

• Producing and composing music on Garageband

Fourth Grade

• Developing a singing voice
• Performing songs in rounds by singing and playing pitched instruments
• Composing in GarageBand

Fifth Grade:

• Developing a singing voice
• Performing singing and 2-part harmony
• Identifying and perform sixteenth and eighth note rhythms
• Performing countermelody
• Labeling and perform 1st and 2nd Endings

It's December...do you know what that means in PE at KES? You guessed it...VOLLEYBALL!🏐

During the month of December, all students will participate in age-appropriate volleyball activities. The 5th graders will be working hard to prepare for our annual "5th Grade vs. Staff Volleyball Game" which takes place on Friday, December 20th. All KES students will have the opportunity to come down to the gym and cheer on their favorite teachers and peers!

3rd and 4th graders will also be practicing their volleyball skills as we focus on the forearm pass (bump), set and serve. They will practice these skills as they participate in a variety of lead-up volleyball games such as Air Square, Champ of the Court and Beach Ball Volleyball.

With the students in grades K-2, we will focus on the development of some basic, introductory volleyball skills. Students will get a lot of repetition using balloons and beach balls in class activities such as Keep It Up and 11 Pin Volleyball.

DASA seeks to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students, free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, taunting and bullying. If you are aware of an incident or have a concern, please contact one of us listed below. You will be asked to complete the BOE Incident Reporting Form (see "button" below for attachment).

Cristy Harris, Principal and KES Dignity Act Coordinator 763-7700 or charris@klschools.org

Kweon Stambaugh, Assistant Principal (designee) 763-7705 or kstambaugh@klschools.org

Jessica Fulton, Social Worker (designee) 763-7669 or jfulton@klschools.org.