Weekly Newsletter 1/27/25 - Week 19

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians. We are in the final week of January. Our moral focus trait of the month is perseverance, which is fitting as the students are entering a week of interims. Here is our weekly newsletter for the week of January 27th, 2025 (Week 19 of instruction):

Interims: As mentioned, our second set of interims begin this week. We will take our interims Tuesday-Friday. Please be advised, ALL INTERIMS MUST BE COMPLETED BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 31ST. There will be no exceptions. That being said, please ensure your child is present EVERY DAY this week. Students may need a full day to test, so please be sure you utilize early dismissals only when absolutely necessary. Please ensure your child is getting a good night's rest and has breakfast in the mornings. As a reminder, Laurus serves breakfast to all students from 7:35-7:55 am. As a reminder, interim scores make up 40% of the student's grade in that subject. Let's set them up for success! 

Homework Packets: Due to interims, there will be no homework packets or spelling lists this week.

Winter Tutoring: Tutoring begins this Tuesday, January 28th. Tutoring runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 3:30-4:30 pm. Dismissal is at 4:30 pm sharp. Tutoring is by invitation only. Students who miss two days of tutoring (except dance/karate students) will be removed from the program. Please ensure your child is present every day to maintain their spot in tutoring.

Curriculum: This week, we will review for our interims on Monday. The interim schedule for the week is as follows:

Tuesday- ELA 

Wednesday- Math

Thursday- Science

Friday- Social Studies

If you know your child will be absent any day this week, please let me know so I can arrange for them to take the interim on a different day.

Birthday Celebration: This Friday, January 31st, will be our classroom January birthday celebration. If you would like to send in treats to celebrate our January birthdays, please feel free to do so on this date. There are 33 students in the class. Please be advised, we have nut allergies in the classroom. Thank you!

Blue Ribbon Society Induction: The Blue Ribbon Society Induction Ceremony will be on Monday, January 27th, at 8:30 am. Students must be in school uniform for the ceremony. Congratulations to our inductees: Darius Whiting, Jayla Dillard, Arianna Morris, Lisa Givens, and A'Niya Steward! I am so very proud of all of you!

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Monday, January 27 - Blue Ribbon Induction 8:30 am; National Junior Honor Society Induction 10:00 am

Tuesday, January 28 - Winter Tutoring begins 3:30-4:30 pm on T/W/TH

Friday, January 31 - January Birthday Classroom Celebration

Thursday, February 6 - Lions Gear Dress Down $ 2.00

Friday, February 7 - Regional PD Day; No School for Students

Monday, February 10 - LATE START DAY - School begins at 10:00 am for students.  Doors open for students at 9:35 am;  Staff reports at 8:00 for Regional PD Planning Work Time

Thursday, February 13 - Westfield Dancers Black History Assembly  9:00 am.

Friday, February 14 - Monday, February 17 - MID-WINTER BREAK No School Friday or Monday

Friday, February 21 - Wayne State Dancers

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a great Sunday and let's get ready to rock these interims! 

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 1/20/25 - Week 18

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians! Here is our weekly newsletter for the week of January 20th, 2025 (week 18 of instruction):

No School Tomorrow: In observance of MLK Jr. Day, we will NOT have school tomorrow, January 20th.

Cold Weather Advisory: Due to extreme cold temperatures, there is a possibility we MAY NOT have school on Tuesday. Please stay tuned to your NHA School Connect and be on the lookout for school closure. In the case that we do NOT have school on Tuesday, interims will be moved to the following week (January 27-31). 

Curriculum: If we have school on Tuesday, we will take our interims as scheduled. If we do not have school on Tuesday, we will begin week 19 curriculum when we return. The curriculum would be as follows: In ELA, students will continue to work with poetry, determining the theme of poems and how the theme develops throughout the poem. There will be a comp and grammar quiz on Thursday and a spelling test on Friday. Spelling words went home with students last Friday. As all students were in attendance, all students received a spelling list. In math, students will work on division of two or three-digit numbers by a one or two-digit number. There will be a math quiz the day after we return which we will review for the day we return. The math quiz will be on material students learned last week. In science, students will begin exploring our stars and sun. We will investigate the brightness of the sun compared to other stars in our sky. For social studies, students will learn about the American Revolution and the consequences from the war. We will also continue to investigate our great state of Michigan!

Homework Packets: Due to interims, students will NOT receive a homework packet this week. Instead, please make sure students are getting a good night's rest, eating breakfast in the morning, and are alert and ready to test each day this week. As a reminder, Laurus serves breakfast to ALL students between 7:35 and 7:55 am. Students who are fed and well-rested perform better on tests. Let's set them up for success!

Tutoring: Tutoring invitations were due on Friday. New invitations will be sent next week based on availability. Spots are limited. If you are interested in your student attending, please sign and return their invitation immediately. Tutoring begins January 28th and runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:30 pm. Tutoring is by invitation only.

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21 - Interim 2 Testing Begins; K-2 Numeracy Testing Begins; 

Thursday, January 23 - MLK Movie Night 4:00 - 6:00.  Sign Up is in the school office. Students must attend with a parent.

Monday, January 27 - Blue Ribbon Induction 8:30 am; National Junior Honor Society Induction 10:00 am

Tuesday, January 28 - Winter Tutoring begins

Friday, January 31 - January Birthday Classroom Celebration 

Thursday, February 6 - Lions Gear Dress Down $ 2.00

Friday, February 7 - Regional PD Day; No School for Students

Monday, February 10 - LATE START DAY - School begins at 10:00 am for students;  Staff reports at 8:00 for Regional PD Planning Work Time

Thursday, February 13 - Westfield Dancers Black History Assemble 9:00 am.

Friday, February 14 - Monday, February 17 - MID-WINTER BREAK No School Friday or Monday.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a great Sunday and enjoy Monday off! Be sure to keep your alerts for NHA School Connect on!

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 1/13/25 - Week 17

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians. Here is our weekly newsletter for the week of January 13th, 2025 (week 17 of instruction):

Interims: Our interims begin next Tuesday (January 21st). As such, this week of instruction is our final chance to prepare for these tests. Please ensure your child is present each day and all day long. Our lessons continue up until dismissal, so early dismissals impact student learning. Please only utilize early dismissal when absolutely necessary. Also, please ensure that your child is rested and has had breakfast, especially during the week of our tests. Setting them up for success with a good night's sleep and breakfast is the best way to ensure student success on these interims! Students who achieve a 3.0 or higher on BOTH their math AND ELA interims will be rewarded with a trip to C.J. Barrymore's! I would love to see everyone be able to attend!

$2 Dress-Down: Friday, January 17th is a $2.00 "White-Out" Dress Down. If your child would like to participate in dress down by WEARING SOMETHING WHITE, please send them in with $2. Again, the theme is "White-Out". Please do NOT send students in dress down if they are not participating in the theme. Per the deans, they will be asked to call home for a uniform if they are not participating in the theme of "White-Out". Thank you!

Grades: Updated grades are available on Mondays at 8am. This Friday (1/17) is a progress report Friday. Please be sure to check your child's grades by Friday! If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Again, please wait until Monday at 8 am when updated grades are available.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Next Monday (January 20th) is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will not have school on this day. School (and interims) will resume on Tuesday, January 21st. 

Curriculum: This week, we will continue to prepare for our interims. In ELA, students will continue to work with poetry and determining the tone of poems. There will be a comp and grammar quiz on Thursday and a spelling quiz on Friday. In math, students will learn and work with different strategies for multiplying two-digit numbers. Students will not have a math test this week. In social studies, students will investigate our great state of Michigan and discover different traits that make our state unique. In science, students will explore mixtures and the creation of new substances. Students will take a quiz on Mixtures on Friday.

Winter Tutoring: Winter tutoring will begin on January 28th. It will run from 3:30-4:30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Invitations to tutoring will be handed out this week. Tutoring is by INVITE ONLY. Students who miss 2 sessions will be removed from tutoring, so please be sure to sign up only if your child can attend ALL days. If your child receives an invitation, please be sure to sign and return it ASAP. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Friday, January 17 - "White Out" Dress Down $ 2.00; Progress Report Day

Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21 - Interim 2 Testing Begins; K-2 Numeracy Testing Begins

Monday, January 27 - Blue Ribbon Induction 8:30 am; National Junior Honor Society Induction 10:00 am

Tuesday, January 28 - Winter Tutoring Begins (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays)

Friday, January 31 - January Birthday Classroom Celebration

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a great Sunday!

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 1/6/25 - Week 16

Happy New Year parents and guardians! I hope everyone had a relaxing break. We are back at it this Monday. Here is our weekly newsletter for the week of January 6th, 2025 (Week 16 of Instruction):

Birthday Shout-Outs!!: Happy January Birthday to Marley Irving (January 12th)! We will celebrate Marley's birthday as a class on Friday, January 31st. If you would like to send in treats for the class celebration, please send them in on this date. There are 33 students in the class. Also, please remember we have a nut allergy in the classroom.

Homework Packets: Winter break homework packets are due on Monday, January 6th. Please be sure students bring these in with them. I will be sending home the new homework packets on Monday. I will not be sending home new spelling words, as I will be repeating the spelling list from our last week in December. Student performance was poor on this spelling test, and I would like them to learn the words, not just fail the tests. If your child is in need a of spelling list, I am happy to send them home with another copy. Please just let me know. Again, the spelling list for week 16 will be the same list as week 15.

Interims: Our second interims begin January 21st. As such, these next two weeks will be even more crucial for student success. Interim scores make up 40% of the student's grade. Absences greatly impact a student's ability to learn the foundational material we are covering. Please be sure students are in attendance every day and all day. Unnecessary late arrivals and early dismissals greatly impact student learning, as well. Please ensure you avoid these whenever possible. Remember, Student Attendance Matters and is crucial for success.

Curriculum: This week in math, students will continue to work on multiplying and dividing decimals using different strategies. There will be a math quiz on Tuesday. We will have a review for the quiz on Monday. In ELA, students will continue to analyze poetry and be able to explain how specific stanzas in a poem contribute to the meaning of the poem as a whole. There will be a comprehension and grammar quiz on Thursday and a spelling quiz on Friday. In science, students will finish investigating changes to matter and begin exploring mixtures. I am excited about this section, as we have some fun experiments to help aid in student discovery! In social studies, students will draw conclusions about the role of the environment in economic specialization in the New England, Southern, and Middle Colonies. They will deepen their understanding of how geography promotes specialization and shapes regional identities.

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar): 

Monday, January 6 - School Resumes

Tuesday, January 7 - Moral Focus Assembly 8:15 Gr. K-5, 1:35 Gr. 6-8

Friday, January 17 - "White Out" Dress Down $ 2.00; Progress Report Day

Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21 - Interim 2 Testing Begins; K-2 Numeracy Testing Begins

Monday, January 27 - Blue Ribbon Induction 8:30 am; National Junior Honor Society Induction 10:00 am

Friday, January 31st - January Birthday Classroom Celebration

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. I hope you all enjoy the last few hours of break. I look forward to seeing everyone back tomorrow. Go Lions!!

-Ms. Winter