Dr. Koop's Newsletter

Happy Friday! We did our very best to go outside for recess this week. Please remember to send your child to school prepared to play outside in cold weather. Schools are closed Monday, January 20, 2025 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Dr. King is highlighted in this newsletter. Have a fantastic weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. Kathy Koop

January 20, 2025 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Schools Closed

January 29, 2025 - Lunar New Year - Single Session 12:45 PM Dismissal

February 14, 2025 - Valentine's Day Celebrations - Staff In-Service Single Session 12:45 PM Dismissal for Students

February 17, 2025 - President's Day - Schools Closed

March 13, 2024 - KRS Reading Night 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

March 31, 2025 - Eid - Schools Closed for Students - Staff Only - In-Service Day

April 7-9, 2025 - Parent/Teacher Conferences K-8 Only

April 14 - 18, 2025 - Spring Recess - Schools Closed

The KRS annual STEAM Fair will take place on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM in the KRS multi-purpose room. More information about the KRS STEAM Fair will be shared with KRS families in the future.

The Kings Road School students will be immersed in activities to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and to learn about Dr. King’s life. The activities will begin in January and will continue into February during Black History Month and will include:

• KRS fifth graders will be conducting morning announcements in January about Dr. King’s life.

• The students will engage in grade specific activities in their classrooms. For example, students in second grade will have an opportunity to learn more about Dr. King while doing a little research about this great man. Students will also learn about leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, how to be a good friend to others, and will write letters to Dr. King.

• Kindness Chain - As a school, we will create a “Kindness Chain” where each student writes one thing they can do for someone else on a paper link. The links will be connected to form a chain that will grow throughout January and February.

• Peace Sign Activity - Every student will illustrate and write one way to promote kindness, equality, and peace on a peace sign. The peace signs will be displayed together in a KRS hallway to show unity and a school commitment for peace.

• Community Service Project - In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to helping others, school counselor Mr. Levine will organize and lead a school community service project involving the students.

• In library classes students in grades 3-5 will read pictures with themes and information related to Martin Luther King Jr., as well as other influential African American Heroes and civil rights leaders. After reading, students will identify theme statements that express the larger message of each story. Some books we will read include:

“Someday is Now” by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

“Sit In” by Andrea Davis Pinkney

“Back of the Bus” by Aaron Reynolds

• In library classes, students in grades K-2 will read pictures with themes and information related to Martin Luther King Jr., as well as other influential African American Heroes. After the interactive read alouds, students will be able to identify the message or lesson that each of these books portrays. Some books we will read include:

The Oldest Student - by Rita L Hubbard

Mae Among the Stars - by Roda Ahmed

The libraries have been busy in January! In addition to building our reading muscles around theme and honing our skills around reading nonfiction, we have also been preparing for Ross Burach’s author visits on March 6th (TJS and KRS) and March 7th (CAS) and reading books that celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

KRS Author Book Sale Flyer

Here are some resources that are available to all students at KRS, TJS, and CAS that can also be used at home!

• Our January Virtual Bookshelf has lots of great titles this month!

• Each student has access to the online reading platform, Sora! This platform has thousands of books that students can enjoy at home!

• Calling All Parents! We need your help! If you “catch” your child reading at home, please snap a picture and send it to your school librarian (email or hard copy). We want to display them in the libraries!

Please see this link for a letter including important Valentine's Day celebration information.

Pomptonian’s 6th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge, an initiative designed to treat the cafeteria as an extension of the classroom while celebrating National Nutrition Month. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get students involved in the kitchen and excited about creating healthy meals.

Here are key details:

• Students are invited to submit a healthy recipe by February 24th.

• Submissions will be divided into three categories: Pre-K through 5th grade, 6th through 8th grades, and 9th through 12th grades.

• For each category, we’ll select two Grand Prize Winners and one Super Grand Prize Winner.

We created a short video detailing the competition: 6th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge. Additionally, attached to this email are flyers with all of the details of the challenge.

MADISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

2024-2025

Academic Progress Reports

Trimester 1 (61)

September 3, 2024 First Trimester Begins

December 3, 2024 First Trimester Ends

December 20, 2024 Report Cards Available in Genesis

Trimester 2 (61)

December 4, 2024 Second Trimester Begins

March 12, 2025 Second Trimester Ends

March 21, 2025 Report Cards Available in Genesis

Trimester 3 (60)

March 13, 2025 Third Trimester Begins

June 13, 2025 Third Trimester Ends

June 13, 2025 Report Cards Available in Genesis

Conferences:

November 4 (Evening), 5, and 6, 2024

April 7 (Evening) 8, and 9, 2025

*The administration reserves the right to adjust these