IMES Family News
March 2026
Kindergarten Orientation for Incoming 2025-2026 Kindergarten Families
Families with a child turning five years old on or before December 1, 2026 are invited to attend our Kindergarten Orientation, held at IMES on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Snow Date: Wednesday, March 4. Information about Kindergarten Registration will be provided.
This evening presentation is for parents/caregivers only.
March: PARP: Pick a Reading Partner!
In celebration of Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) month this March, Increase Miller is excited to introduce our 2026 theme, “Imagine, Invent, Inspire.” During PARP, students throughout the school will take part in an engaging book bracket featuring narrative nonfiction stories about real inventors throughout history.
Over the course of the month, all K–5 students will enjoy being read aloud 12 carefully selected books that bring to life the true stories of visionary thinkers — from dreamers and tinkerers to trailblazers whose ideas changed the world. These powerful read-alouds are designed to spark curiosity, highlight perseverance and creativity, and inspire a lifelong love of reading.
After each book is shared, classes will vote for their favorites, narrowing the bracket round by round until one inspiring story is crowned champion! Parents are invited to join in the excitement by following the bracket’s progress online, staying up to date on each round, and celebrating the power of imagination, invention, and reading right along with us.
K-5 March Curriculum Highlights
Kindergarten: In the month of March, Kindergarteners will continue to dive into learning experiences that build on their growing skills and curiosity! In reading, they continue to develop their foundational skills and begin to tackle texts with greater complexity. Children will continue reading decodable texts and practice rereading to build fluency and comprehension. In writing, students will study mentor texts and try out techniques from authors to help them write their own “How-To” books. In math, students will continue their study of addition and begin exploring subtraction. They will enjoy hands‑on math activities and games that help them practice and strengthen their addition and subtraction skills. This month Kindergarteners will continue to learn about the Zones of Regulation. They will practice identifying the size of the problem and identifying their feelings. They will also learn to find solutions to problems and learn how to use various calm-down strategies.
Grade 1: Our first graders are continuing to grow as strong, independent readers. As books become more complex, students are working on monitoring their reading to notice when something doesn’t make sense and using strategies to fix it. They apply their knowledge of phonics and phonemic awareness, draw on vocabulary and background knowledge, and reread when needed to keep their reading smooth and meaningful. Fluency and comprehension remain an important focus as students strengthen their confidence and skills. This month in Writing Workshop, students are beginning a new unit on writing reviews. They will share their opinions about a collection of items and learn how to convince their readers by clearly stating their opinion and supporting it with strong reasons. During Fundations, children are learning about closed syllables (syllables that end in a consonant and contain one vowel sound), practicing common vowel teams such as ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, and oy, and adding suffixes to words to build their decoding and spelling skills. Math lessons are focused on developing a deeper understanding of tens and ones. This work strengthens students’ knowledge of place value, which is essential for two-digit addition and subtraction. Students are learning multiple ways to model and write the same number and are using place value to compare two-digit numbers. In Social Studies, students are building their geography skills by working with maps and directions. They are learning how to read simple maps, use map keys, and follow cardinal directions to locate places. We will also begin exploring basic economic concepts, including goods and services and the difference between needs and wants.
Grade 2: Second grade mathematicians are just about finished telling time and counting coins and will begin working with place value for numbers up to 1,000. Writers are learning ways to support their opinions about books they’ve read by writing letters to peers, family members, and even authors. Learning to include details and use varying sentence structures is important work happening during workshop as well as checking their writing pieces for correct capitalization and punctuation. During reading workshop students are tackling longer books with longer words using varying decoding strategies while reading unfamiliar text. Yet another syllable type will be revealed in March: double vowel teams! Students will be introduced to different ways to spell long vowel sounds.
Grade 3: In math, students will deepen their understanding of time by practicing estimation and solving problems involving elapsed time, liquid volume, and mass. During our reading and writing workshop, they’ll draw on strategies from previous ELA units as they engage in close reading and respond to text-based questions using evidence. Students will explore characters and themes and examine how different parts of a passage connect to one another. In Fundations, we will continue our work with suffixes, introducing a new spelling rule for words that end in “y.” Finally, in social studies, our focus will shift to the economy. Students will learn how goods and services move through a marketplace and investigate how supply and demand influence what is bought and sold.
Grade 4: Fourth graders will revisit both fictional and informational texts in March. Their goal is to practice close reading, answer text-dependent questions, form literary essays, and draw conclusions and inferences grounded in text evidence. In math, students will finish their line plot unit by using data displayed in line plots to solve problems. They will use their knowledge of adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators. Then, they will learn how to calculate area and perimeter by solving real-world problems, like designing a garden, building a fence, or planning the layout of a bedroom, to see how math connects to everyday life. In social studies, students will study the perspectives of patriots and loyalists as they dealt with the changing atmosphere in the colonies after the French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War). Students will learn about New York’s crucial role in the American Revolution, discovering how its strategic location, key battles, and influential leaders shaped the fight for independence. Finally, fourth graders will begin their energy unit in science. Students will make sustainability connections, learn about different forms of energy, and understand how one form of energy is converted to another.
Grade 5: The month of March will find 5th graders wrapping up their social studies unit focused on how the first civilizations developed in the Americas. They used their geography skills and maps to gain information. They also examined artifacts and made predictions about how early civilizations developed and survived in the Americas. Once this unit is complete, we will begin to study matter in the science unit Modeling Matter. In this study, students take on the role of food scientists. They engage in two investigations, one to identify a potentially hazardous food dye in a mixture, and the other to create a good-tasting and visually appealing salad dressing that does not separate into layers and contains no sediment. Both investigations offer the opportunity for students to delve into understanding the particulate nature of matter. In math, students will continue to work on multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers. In ELA, fifth grade writers will sharpen their pencils and start the work of writing literary essays. This work will focus on organization, introductory phrases, and determining meaningful text evidence.
Social Emotional Learning
The focus for March is growth mindset and the power of YET!
We are connecting this work to our March common read Trying by Kobi Yamada.
This text connects to growth mindset and the power of yet by showing that making mistakes and facing challenges are part of learning and creating. The story follows a boy who wants to become an artist but feels afraid of failing. With encouragement, he realizes that every expert once started as a beginner and that effort, practice, and perseverance help us grow. The message of the book reflects the power of “yet”, which is the idea that even if we can’t do something now, it doesn’t mean we’ll never be able to. Instead, each attempt brings us closer to improvement and success.
Ms. Ryan will also continue to teach SEL lessons related to our monthly theme: Growth Mindset and the Power of Yet! See some of her slides below that you may also use when speaking with your child!
Belonging at IMES
March is Women's History Month and Irish Heritage Month. We will recognize the contributions that women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. During our March sharing assemblies, we will welcome musicians (one of the bagpipers is one of our parents!) who will teach us about Irish music and perform traditional songs.
Sustainability: A Challenge from our student Green Teams clubs!
The Green Team will be announcing our “Waste Free Wednesday” challenge to the IMES community at our March assemblies. The Green Team will share information about why and how we do this.
We are hoping for 100% participation on Wednesday, March 18!
We are asking students and families to discuss, plan, and show responsible decision-making by having a waste-free snack and lunch on this day. Imagine a day with no waste!
Monitors and teachers will be on the lookout for this and reward ‘Green Eagle Eyes’ to students participating.
All students will be encouraged to continue this practice for the rest of the year.
Thank you for your support and participation!
Mrs. Emig, Mrs. Burroughs, Mrs. Griffin
Music Notes from Increase Miller!
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students will continue developing proper playing technique while exploring a variety of non-pitched percussion instruments. They will further differentiate and experiment with vocal qualities (speaking, singing, whispering, and shouting) through songs and dramatic play. Students will focus on the percussion instrument family and learn to distinguish between short and long sounds. In addition, they will perform a variety of spring-themed songs.
First Grade
First-grade students will continue developing their note-reading skills using xylophones, with an emphasis on incorporating dynamics to enhance their performances. They will perform spring-themed songs and learn multicultural folk dances while focusing on proper head voice production and building strong, healthy vocal technique.
Second Grade
Second-grade students will expand their work on Orff instruments by performing songs with multiple parts and strengthening their note-reading skills on the staff. They will perform independent harmonic parts in small ensemble settings. In addition, students will perform spring-themed songs and learn multicultural folk dances. As part of the celebration of Women’s History Month, students will also learn about renowned women in the world of music.
Third Grade
Third-grade students will continue to strengthen their recorder technique and overall playing ability, performing songs using the notes B, A, G, D, and C with an emphasis on producing a clear tone and playing together as a unified ensemble. Students are encouraged to review and practice at home. Recorders and books should be brought to each class.
Fourth Grade
Fourth-grade students will continue exploring the Classical and Romantic periods through the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. They will also continue their work on the ukulele, mastering chords through song performance. As part of the celebration of Women’s History Month, students will learn about renowned women in the world of music.
Fifth Grade
Fifth-grade students will continue preparing for their production of Matilda the Musical Jr.. As they become more confident with their musical numbers and spoken lines, they will begin refining stage positioning, choreography, and expressive movement to enhance their overall performance.
Mrs. Higgins & Mr. Vazquez
Orchestra with Ms. Willet Grades 4 & 5
4th and 5th grade orchestra students celebrated a fantastic winter concert in February. In March, many students are preparing their solo pieces for the NYSSMA festival. 4th graders are also learning their first 3 major scales, and 5th graders are starting to work on their spring concert repertoire.
Band with Mr. Partee: Grades 4 & 5
4th and 5th grade music students put on a fantastic concert last month. Looking ahead, many students will start working on solo music for the NYSSMA festival. Both 4th and 5th grade band students will also start working on their music for the Spring concert. In the upcoming concert, 4th graders will be learning to play 8th notes, while 5th graders will be learning to play in 3/4 time.
What's Happening in the Art Room at IMES!
February was an exciting and creative month in the art room! With Winter Recess and a number of snow days, students will continue to work diligently on their special pieces for our fundraiser with Square 1 Art through March. I am so proud of their focus, flexibility, and perseverance as we navigate our winter schedule.
Students are creating original works inspired by artists such as Jeff Koons, Heather Galler, Ted Harrison, and Jen Aranyi, while exploring color value and creative expression in their art pieces. These artworks will be transformed into special keepsake products for families to purchase this spring. More information about Square 1 Art will be shared in the upcoming weeks!
Physical Education
As the spring hopefully approaches, March is a great time for our students to take the fitness concepts they have learned and share them with their parents and families. We will encourage, and practice methods for all grades to create a fun family fitness workout at home. The children will be excited to lead exercises that they have been working on in school. Parents can expect to participate in an AMRAP or Fitness Ladder, accompanied by music. No worries parents, they will explain the AMRPAP and Ladder to you. Your children are proud of the work they have been doing in class! It is time to “Spring” into fitness and make movement a fun part of every day!
Shout Outs!
Thank you to our music teachers, Mrs. Higgins and Mr. Vazquez, for the Kindergarten Kindness Concert!
Thank you to the PTO' for our STREAM board and IMpact committee for creating beautiful bulletin and learning boards!
Thank you to our Instrumental Music Teachers, Mr. Partee and Ms. Willett, and Mr. Vazquez, our Chorus Teacher, for amazing Winter Concerts!
Thank you to our students for demonstrating Kind, Responsible, and Safe behaviors and for working hard each day!
Our Kindergarten Kindness Performers!
Bravo to our Musicians!
Green Team Leaders
Play at Work
IMpact Leaders highlight Black History Month!
100 Days!
100 Days!
