March 2026 Newsletter

March 2nd - Board of Education Meeting @ 6pm

March 2nd - March 6th - Dr. Suess Theme Week

March 13th - Elementary Student Council Fundraiser to Support The Corinth Senior Center - PJ & Stuffy Day

March 23rd - Bingo for Books @ 6pm

March 27th - CES Drama Production @ 6pm

1st Place - Aubrey S. She sold 37 kits and raised $222.00. She won a stay at The Great Escape Lodge!

2nd Place - Emma D. Emma sold 32 pizza kits and raised $192.00. She got to be Principal for the Day!

CES is thrilled to offer our 2nd grade students an amazing opportunity to learn how to swim! Thanks to our partnership with the Saratoga Regional YMCA, students will travel to the Saratoga Springs branch for seven weeks of swim lessons.

As parents, we often hear about the importance of reading to our children every night, but did you know that early math skills are actually one of the strongest predictors of future success—not just in math, but in reading achievement too?

This isn't about rote memorization or flashcards; it’s about helping children understand how numbers relate to one another.

1. The Power of "Seeing" Numbers (Subitizing)

Before children learn to add, they learn to subitize. This is the ability to look at a small group of objects (like dots on a dice) and know how many there are without counting them one by one.

• Why it matters: It helps children move away from "counting by ones" and starts their journey toward seeing patterns.

• Try this at home: Roll a dice or show a "quick image" of dots for two seconds. Ask your child, "How many did you see? How did you see them?" (e.g., "I saw 3 on top and 2 on the bottom, so that's 5.")

2. The "Plus 1" and "Plus 2" Jump

Once children are comfortable with numbers, we help them understand that adding 0, 1, or 2 is just like skipping ahead on a number line.

• The Goal: Moving from "counting all" (1, 2, 3... 4, 5) to "counting on" from the larger number.

• Tip: Use a staircase or a remote control to show that adding 1 is just the "next door neighbor" and adding 2 is "skipping one."

3. The "Partners of 10"

In our math system, 10 is the most important number. We want students to know the "partners" (0/10, 1/9, 2/8, 3/7, 4/6, 5/5) so well that they become second nature.

• Why it matters: Knowing that 8 needs 2 to make 10 makes harder math (like 8 + 5) much easier later on (8 + 2 + 3).

• Game Idea: "I say 3, you say 7!" (to make 10).

4. Doubles and Near-Doubles

Children often find doubles (like 4+4=8 or 6+6=12) easier to remember because they are rhythmic and appear in nature (two hands of 5, a dozen eggs as two 6s).

• Near-Doubles: Once they know 5+5=10, we teach them that 5+6 is just "one more." This is called using a known fact to solve an unknown fact.

Why This Approach Works

Research by experts like Dr. Doug Clements and Dr. Julie Sarama shows that when children learn these "trajectories," they build a deep mathematical identity. As noted in recent research by Duncan et al. (2007), early math skills are the foundation for overall academic achievement.

How You Can Help:

• Talk about math during grocery shopping ("We have 3 apples, if we get 2 more, how many will we have?").

• Play games like Yahtzee, Dominoes, or Card Games that require quick recognition of patterns.

• Celebrate the "How": Instead of just asking for the answer, ask, "How did your brain figure that out?"

By focusing on these foundational steps, we are giving our students the confidence to see themselves as "mathers" for life!

Build it up engineering is a hands on and creative course where students get to solve problems using the engineer design process. Students in this class work collaboratively with peers and get to test and try out their models! So far they’ve made a bridge, a sled, marble maze, obstacle course, and are currently designing a playable board game.