KESTREL HEIGHTS NEWSLETTER

We all know Kestrel Heights School is a great option for families!

Please assist our recruitment team by talking with your neighbors and friends about the great things happening at Kestrel Heights School! Refer them to our website where they can learn more and complete the online application.

A bonus for you! Each time you refer a family to our school, and their scholar enrolls, you will be entered to WIN Kestrel Swag!

www.kestrelheights.org/apply-now

We are still looking for 19 additional presenters to make Career Day happen. If interested, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4bafa82ba2fc1-career#/

Kestrel's Scholar of the Week - Celebrating scholars who SOAR above and beyond!

Kindergarten

Math: Chapter 9 Geometry

ELA: Cause and Effect

Social Studies: Neighborhoods

Intervention Math: Some of the kindergartens are working on measurements

First grade

Math: Scholars will be able to identify 2D & 3D shapes

ELA: Scholars will be able to understand the Author’s Purpose

Science: Scholars will be able to understand parts of a plant

Second grade

Math: We are learning about coins. We are working on identifying quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies as well as the dollar bill. We are counting change up to one dollar and past one dollar.

ELA: We are working on reading comprehension, comparing and contrasting, looking at adjectives, as well as focusing on writing stories using details.

Social Studies: We just finished up our unit on Black History and are starting back up on our Family Histories magazine.

Third grade

Math: We will begin Chapter 11: Measurement. Scholars will solve problems including perimeter and area. Additionally, we will continue analyzing and solving word problems.

Please continue to practice the multiplication facts. We have seen excellent gains in those that have been practicing nightly. Flashcards have been helpful in this area.

ELA: We will analyze details in a text and use questioning to determine the author’s purpose.

Please reinforce at home, the nightly homework, reading for 20 minutes, reading aloud for fluency and expression, and punctuation & capitalization in writing.

Social Studies: We continue with communities change. Essential Question – How and why do communities change?

Science: We continue with organisms and their environment. Essential Question – What Happens When Environments Change?

Fourth grade

Math: We wrapped up fractions (but we will continue to spiral back so it is not forgotten!) and we will begin Geometry.

ELA: This week we compared text to media using the drama piece “sorry wrong number”. Scholars were excited to watch the movie and look at the similarities and differences between the movie and the text.

Social Studies: This week scholars learned about the major causes of the Civil War along with the major events that brought it to an end. Next, scholars will review and quiz by Friday of next week.

Science: This week scholars learned about Newton’s Law of Motion and their application. Next, scholars will learn about energy and different forms of energy.

Fifth grade

Math: This week we wrapped up coordinate grids and graphing. We are moving into measurement next, using both customary and metric units of measure.

ELA: This week we compared text to media using the drama piece “sorry wrong number”. Scholars were excited to watch the movie and look at the similarities and differences between the movie and the text.

Social Studies: This week scholars continued working on their research paper by collecting sources for their works cited page. They will continue taking notes for their research project and start working on their outline for next week.

Science: This week scholars learned about physical, and chemical change and the conservation of mass. Next, scholars will work on a project about physical and chemical change with their daily life applications.

Sixth grade

Math: We just finished our mini-unit on decimals, and will be moving on to Expressions and Equations. This unit(s) will carry us into the end of the quarter. We are in full force into the end of the year. All spiral reviews (going over the material we have covered already throughout the year) will be completed in the daily warm-ups. Paper homework may also be on the horizon so scholars can get daily practice (1-2 problems each night) on concepts they have learned throughout the year.

Social Studies: This week scholars are studying Greece. Last week scholars learned about the Greek & African Fabulist named Aesop. Scholars are currently working on their Greek God & Goddesses project.

Science: (Ms. Chon) We are studying the Earth at this time. We have completed our exploration of the Earth’s seasons and what causes them. This week we are studying Moon Phases and Tides. Exploring what they are, how and why they occur, and the impact they have.

ELA: Last Friday (03/03), we traveled to the Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham to watch a play on Aesop’s Fables. The field trip was successful and the scholars enjoyed having a change of scenery while also witnessing the stories they had read be brought to life. Some pictures from the field trip can be found below! Additionally, we are finishing up Black History Month presentations. Each scholar has chosen a book on an event or individual surrounding Black History Month (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr. or the Black Lives Matter movement). Presentations will begin this week, where students will display the presentation skills that they have learned throughout the week. Scholars are learning valuable PowerPoint-making skills such as professional formatting and adding music to slides. Aside from this, scholars have also begun learning about Greek mythology through novels and Flocabulary. We plan to continue our journey into mythology when we explore the myth of Icarus, allusions, and themes in the coming weeks.

Seventh grade

Math:

Accelerated- We have begun our unit on Geometry with Scale Drawings, Similar Figures, Triangle Constructions, & Angle Relationships

Math 7- We are currently working on Inequalities, which will wrap up our unit on Expressions, Equations, & Inequalities. Next week, we will begin our unit on Geometry

ELA: We have begun our third and final book, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Within our novel, scholars will have the opportunity to create objective summaries and analyze how the author, Mr. Keyes, contrasts the perspectives of multiple characters within the novel. At the conclusion of our reading, we will review the movie and compare the novel to the adaptation.

Science: We have concluded our black history month Biography in a Bag project covering African American scientists, engineers, and inventors. The presentations went very well. This week we are continuing our studies of the Earth examining Clouds and the Water Cycle and how they impact our environment and what information we can gather about our environment based on their patterns.

Eighth Grade:

Math: We are doing some Statistics(Scatter plots and two-way tables) in 8th-grade Math. For Math 1, we are working on Quadratic equations. We have learned how to solve quadratic equations by Graphing, the Square root method, and the Quadratic formula.

ELA: We are in the midst of our study of The Legacy of Anne Frank. We have read multiple scenes from the play and will begin watching the film adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank this week. Once complete, we will take time to compare the production to the text and evaluate the mediums.

Here is the link if you want to order Kestrel Gear. The sale ends on the 7th of April and your stuff will come in after that, in about 3 weeks depending on what order and if it was customized.

https://fancloth.shop/LVBKE

Our Read-a-Thon fundraiser is now underway and will continue through March 17th! Please remember to register your scholar at: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/DQYBaH/1 Scholars will receive a prize just for activating their account!

Things to know:

• The classroom whose scholars log the most total reading hours will win a pizza party.

• Each scholar that raises $100 or more will be entered into our gift card raffle. Each increment of $100 raised will earn scholars an additional entry into the raffle.

• On Friday, March 17th we will have a Drop Everything and Read event. Scholars are encouraged to wear pajamas or to dress as their favorite book characters.

We've chosen Read-a-thon for our annual fundraiser because it will not take much of your time, gives your child a reason to read, and helps in the development of stronger reading skills.

We hope EVERYONE participates!

We are seeking volunteers to read to or with scholars during our Drop Everything and Read event for our Read-a-Thon fundraiser on March 17th.

We are in need of volunteers to read to our younger scholars; you may choose a favorite book or we can suggest one to you.

We are also in need of volunteers to read with some of our older scholars that may benefit from guided reading assistance.
Parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, friends, and relations are all welcome to volunteer.

If you are able to assist, please visit this link to sign up for one or multiple time slots: https://forms.gle/X6zpr9hHLVqVCPAg7
Thank you for supporting our school!

You can become a PTA member or make a donation to our membership portal: https://khcspta.square.site

Our next PTA meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, March 16th at 6 pm. You do not need to be a member to attend PTA meetings, so drop in to see what we're working on. We hope to see you there! https://meet.google.com/ogi-jwan-gdg

Make sure to follow us @khcspta on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for meeting recaps, news, events, and more.

We are excited to offer Camp Kestrel: a FREE Summer Day Camp experience available to all Kestrel Heights Scholars! This includes all newly enrolled scholars for the 2023-24 school year.

Daily activities will empower our Camp Kestrel campers to Sharpen Academic Knowledge with daily Adventures in Reading, Demonstrate Creative Expression with daily Arts and Crafts Activities, and Expand Leadership Abilities with daily Sports and Games.

Camp Kestrel will be held from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday each week from Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 28.

Questions or Concerns? Please contact Ms. Crystal Marrow, our Kestrel Camp Coordinator, at crystalmarrow@kestrelheights.org.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/iDfVDK9nfD9Mxyro8

The 2023-2024 School Calendar has been approved and may be found on our website at:

https://kestrelheights.org/calendar/

Greetings! Our staff would like to request supply donations as we approach the second half of the school year. If you would like to donate, here is a list of the most requested items by teachers:

• Tissues*

• Two-pocket folders*

• Disinfecting wipes*

• Whiteboard markers and erasers*

• Individual dry-erase boards

• #2 Ticonderoga pencils

• Pencil top erasers

• Sharpies

• Paper towels

• Crayola markers

• Colored pencils

• Non-latex disposable Gloves

*Most Requested Items

Thank you for all of your support!

Individuals interested in joining the KHS Board of Directors are encouraged to complete an application. https://forms.gle/iTE889LvqrokWcmJ6

Substitute teaching can be an ideal way to supplement your income while setting your schedule. It will also allow you to improve your classroom skills by trying different grade levels and instructional methods. If interested, please click on the link below and submit your substitute teacher application. https://kestrelheights.org/careers/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KestrelHeightsSchool/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/KestrelHeights

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kestrelheights/

NextDoor: https://nextdoor.com/pages//pages/kestrel-heights-charter-school-durham-nc/recommend/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/school/kestrel-heights-school

Tuesday, March 14, 6:30 pm

Kestrel Heights Board of Directors Meeting

Thursday, March 16, 6:00 pm

Kestrel PTA Meeting

Friday, March 17

Drop Everything and Read Day!

Friday, March 24, 7:50 - 11:00 am

Career Day!

Friday, March 24

End of Quarter 3

Monday, March 27-Friday March 31

Spring Break

Thursday, April 6

Q3 Report Card Day

Friday, April 7

Holiday - No School

Monday, April 10

Teacher Workday - No School

We are a small, diverse, and inclusive learning community in Durham that empowers our Scholars to sharpen academic knowledge, demonstrate creative expression and expand leadership abilities to prepare for success in high school, college, and beyond.

Email: Vargas@kestrelheights.org
Website: www.kestrelheights.org
Location: 4700 South Alston Avenue, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-484-1300
Facebook: facebook.com/KestrelHeightsSchool
Twitter: @kestrelheights