KES 2026 March Newsletter 🍀

It sounds like we can't put our shovels away just yet, however, as of today, our district calendar remains as scheduled for the rest of the school year.

Monday (2/23) was declared a state of emergency by NY State, so that did not count as a snow day. Tuesday (2/24) and Wednesday (2/25) were covered by built-in closure days.

If we must close school again, then Tuesday, May 26 will become a school day for all students and staff.

March is here, and with it comes a busy and exciting stretch of learning and activities. Be sure to take a close look at the upcoming Picking a Reading Partner (PARP) activities.

We want to thank the PTO for providing all of our students with a special program on March 16 called Improv 4 Kids. This program is described as... "a dynamic, 60-minute interactive show led by 3–5 professional actors. It starts with a warm-up to engage students, followed by improvised songs and storytelling games built entirely around student input. The format is fast-paced, fun, and encourages creativity, collaboration, and language play—without ever feeling like a lesson. The performance naturally reinforces narrative structure, listening skills, and language manipulation—all aligned with K–5 literacy goals. It’s an engaging way to support enrichment through humor and energy".

Thank you for your continued partnership and support — it truly makes a difference in our school community. We’re looking forward to a fantastic month together!

The faculty is excited about participating in a full day of professional learning on Friday, March 6 with a focus on our new literacy program, Fishtank, as well as diving deeper into the research on the Science of Reading with KLSD Consultant, Molly Ness.

A few weeks ago, our Grade 5 Student Leaders had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with KES alumnus Hudson Lutz, who currently serves as the BOE Student Liaison. Hudson was eager to learn about our fifth graders’ leadership experiences, interests, and passions. He also shared valuable insight into his own leadership journey at JJMS and now at JJHS.

Our students truly enjoyed hearing his perspective and appreciated the encouragement he offered as they continue to grow as leaders.

Families with a child turning five years old on or before December 1, 2026 are invited to attend our Kindergarten Orientation, held at KES on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 from 7-8 p.m. Snow Date: Wednesday, March 4. Information about Kindergarten Registration will be provided. This presentation is for parents/caregivers only.

This March, we’re excited to celebrate both Women’s History Month and Irish-American Heritage Month on our daily morning show, Good Morning KES!

Throughout the month, our students will learn about inspiring and influential women — past and present — who have made a difference in our world. We will be featuring leaders and trailblazers in science, sports, literature, and the arts, spotlighting stories of courage, innovation, and perseverance that continue to shape history today.

We’ll also honor Irish-American Heritage Month by exploring the rich history and culture of Ireland and highlighting notable Irish and Irish-American figures. Students will learn about Ireland’s traditions, contributions, and the important role Irish immigrants have played in shaping our nation.

We look forward to sharing these meaningful stories each morning as we celebrate heritage, leadership, and the power of making a positive impact. Be sure to ask your child what they learned on Good Morning KES!

The chilly weather is here!!! Please be sure your child comes to school in clothing that is appropriate for outdoor play.

If the temperature, including the wind chill, is below forty degrees, students should wear the following:

• Warm coats
• Long pants

On snowy days in order to play in the snow (including sledding) students will also need:

• Snow pants
• Boots
• Hats
• Gloves

All students will be going out for recess so please make sure that your children are dressed appropriately.

If the temperature, including the wind chill, falls below twenty degrees, the students will stay inside for recess. Dr. Louis A. Corsaro, the school district physician, has advised us in these matters.

• Due to NYS medication guidelines the health office cannot apply Vaseline or lotion- please apply before school.
• Please ensure that emergency contacts are local and aware they are listed. Students going home sick are expected to be picked up within an hour of notification.
• Please ensure that all K/1 students have an extra set of seasonally appropriate clothes.
• Cough drops are prohibited at school due to being a choking hazard.
• Please review the lice statement on the health services website HERE, it is important for parents to regularly check children for lice at home.

The Literacy Leadership Team (LLT) has selected a new literacy curriculum for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Fishtank Plus will be adopted for language comprehension in grades K-5. For word recognition, students in K-2 will use UFLI Foundations, while children in grades 3-5 will transition over different times to programs focused on morphology: Morphemes for Little Ones and Morpheme Magic.

The LLT spent the last three months researching, analyzing, and gathering feedback on many different options for our new literacy curriculum. Visit the literacy curriculum website to watch the Board of Education presentation (starting 51:05), read about the LLT's step-by-step process, and learn when grades will transition to the new curriculum. We are excited for this new chapter in our students' education and look forward to partnering with our teachers in its implementation.

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 continue to work towards reading for accuracy as they practice sliding through all the sounds in a word. They will enjoy working in partnerships to support each other in reading new words, as well as to discuss story elements. Kindergarten writers will explore persuasive writing and how they can use their words to make a change. They can see a problem, think about it, choose their audience and write a lot! In math, children will work with both addition and subtraction as they build fluency with both operations within 5, as well as explore ways to make 10. Then the counting sequence will continue with a focus on numbers 11 to 20, including multiple ways to represent this series of numbers. In science, kindergarteners will delve more deeply into our unit on Forces and Motion. Using an inquiry process, they will figure out how to design a pinball machine! In social studies, kindergarteners will continue to learn about their own identity and their role as a member of a community, such as KES. They will learn that children and adults have rights and responsibilities at home, at school, in the classroom, and in the community.

Students in first grade will continue developing independence as readers by practicing strategies to keep track of their understanding and using their phonics skills to decode unfamiliar words during our reading time. We will also focus on deepening comprehension so students can clearly understand and thoughtfully discuss the texts they read. In writing, students will begin sharing their opinions about their favorite things and practice supporting their ideas with clear reasons and details. In math, we will explore tens and ones in numbers up to 120. Students will practice finding numbers that are 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, and 1 less using a 120 chart and their understanding of place value. In science, students will continue their hands-on exploration of light and sound. We are especially excited to celebrate the 120th day of school on March 26th, when our first grade rock stars will spend the day building, writing, and creating all around the number 120.

Students in second grade will have an exciting month! We are diving into nonfiction reading and writing as we explore the fascinating world of insects. In reading workshop, students will use nonfiction text features to uncover interesting facts and practice putting their learning into their own words. In writing workshop, they will become nonfiction authors as they create their own bug-themed chapter books. This newer cross-curricular unit is always a favorite! In math, we will strengthen our understanding of measurement by solving problems that involve adding and subtracting length. We will also begin learning the important skill of telling time. In science, we are wrapping together all of our learning about erosion and landforms, while also exploring maps and discovering why they are such important tools for geologists. We can’t wait for a month full of curiosity, creativity, and growth!

Students in third grade will soon begin their reading and writing test-preparation units. While these units help students get ready for the New York State ELA assessment, they also strengthen the essential skills students need to become confident, lifelong readers and writers. In math, students will continue building their understanding of fractions. They will deepen their knowledge of fractions as equal parts of a whole, represent multiple copies of a unit fraction, and continue placing fractions—both less than and greater than one—on a number line. Through hands-on practice and problem solving, students will strengthen their fraction reasoning and conceptual understanding. In social studies, students will explore basic economic concepts and how they affect our communities and the world. They will learn about goods and services, how markets work, how scarcity influences decision-making, and the foundations of a free market economy.

Students in fourth grade will begin an ELA unit on reading and writing strategies in preparation for state test in April. Students will be reading fiction and non-fiction passages and practicing inferencing skills, supporting their claims with text evidence, comparing texts, and applying their essay skills to answer extended response questions. In math, students will continue their work with fractions and begin to explore the connection between fractions and decimals. In mid-March, students will begin their study of Energy Conversions. In the Energy Conversions unit, students take on the role of systems engineers for Ergstown, a fictional town that experiences frequent blackouts. Throughout the unit, they explore reasons why an electrical system may fail. Through firsthand experiences, reading, writing, and engaging with a digital simulation, students make discoveries about the way electrical systems work.

Students in fifth grade will commence an ELA unit on reading and writing strategies in preparation for the state test in April. Students will be reading fiction and non-fiction passages and practicing inferencing skills, supporting their claims with text evidence, comparing texts, and applying their essay skills to answer extended response questions. In math, fifth graders will be multiplying and dividing fractions, and solving more complex word problems. The students will also be continuing a science unit—on matter, taking on the role of food scientists to discover how atoms form molecules, attract, and create substances. In social studies, fifth graders will continue to study government, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and how bills become law.

This spring, all KLSD students in Grades 3-8 will be taking NYS ELA, Math and Science tests via Computer-Based Testing. The NYS ELA test will be on April 14th and 15th. NYS Math testing will be on April 28th and 29th. The NYS 5th Grade Science test will be on May 7th. (Note: The NYS Science Test is only taken in Grades 5 and 8).

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.

In March, the KES Library will be filled with exciting literacy adventures for every grade level!

Our PARP “Battle of the Books” bracket will kick off, as books go head-to-head in friendly competition. Featured titles and authors will be promoted throughout the month, and students will enjoy engaging read-alouds while cheering on their favorites.

Kindergarten and first grade students will enjoy classic fairy tales such as The Princess and the Pea and Rumplestiltskin. Through interactive read-alouds and retellings, they will build comprehension skills while exploring characters, settings, and story structure.

Second graders will dive into wordless picture books, using illustrations to practice sequencing and inference before creating a wordless book of their own.

Third graders will explore fractured fairy tales, discovering fun and creative twists on familiar classics while comparing them to the original versions.

Fourth and fifth graders will explore fables and folktales from around the world. From clever trickster tales to meaningful cultural legends, students will compare stories across countries and uncover important lessons and themes that connect storytelling traditions worldwide.

March is sure to be a month full of imagination, exploration, and a love of reading!

We would like to welcome our leave replacement Art Teacher, Stephanie Carpenter, while Mrs. Eckler is out on leave for a few months. If your child has Mrs. Altizio, they will continue to have her art class. We are shifting our Art Show date to June 8.

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 also reinforce their understanding of the role of a conductor and practice leading the class in simple quarter-note rhythms. Lastly, they will participate in and experience a variety of folk songs and dances.

First Grade
In first grade, students will continue developing their note-reading skills using xylophones, with an emphasis on incorporating dynamics to enhance their performance. 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 graders 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 within small ensemble settings. In addition, students will perform spring songs and learn multicultural folk dances.

Third Grade
Third graders will continue to advance their recorder skills by performing pieces using the notes B, A, G, D, C and F. They will incorporate bell sets to explore and transfer note reading from one instrument to another. Additionally, students will strengthen their singing skills by singing multicultural selections in two-part harmony, focusing on clear vowel formation and crisp consonants to improve ensemble blend.

Fourth Grade
Fourth graders will continue preparing for their production of Schoolhouse Rock 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.

Fifth Grade
In fifth grade, students will continue exploring improvisation and composition in the music classroom. They will expand their rhythmic and melodic vocabulary while studying the Blues and applying these skills in improvisational settings. Students will also explore the concept of Theme and Variations by composing original variations on familiar melodies. Finally, they will learn to play two major scales on the guitar.

We are bringing the excitement of March Madness to our PE classes! Throughout the month of March, students will participate in fun, age-appropriate basketball-related activities, stations, teamwork challenges, and friendly competitions to help develop their skills and sportsmanship while also continuing to work on their fitness.

Our version of March Madness is all about participation, effort, and learning the fundamentals of the game of basketball in a fun, supportive and positive environment. It's sure to be a slam dunk!! 🏀

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.