Dear High Bridge Families,
Well we’ve just completed the first two weeks of school and the students are off to a great start! It was so wonderful to see so many parents out for our Back To School Night event. There is so much in store this school year and I am excited about the direction we are taking here at the school. We have a new Reading and Math curriculum. We are in full implementation of the new Common Core State Standards. The teachers as well as the students are “buying in” on the new way of teaching and learning. Our technology focus is coming to fruition as we gear towards PARCC Assessments that will begin for our 3rd –5th grade students in 2014. We have a technology teacher to assist in those efforts.
Our first school wide fundraiser for the year will kick off tomorrow with Claire’s Gourmet. Please participate in order to raise funds for the school. This will help with our efforts to enhance our educational program.
Please feel free to visit your child’s classrooms throughout the school year as well as volunteer to assist with classroom help, field trips or any other school wide events that will take place this year. Our teachers are doing a wonderful job with the students here at High Bridge. We need you. Remember: “It takes a village to raise a child.”
~ William J. Kelly
Assistant Principal’s Tips...By Mrs. McLaughlin
Hawk-Eyed Tips
Tip #1 – How was your day?
It’s hard to believe the Summer Break has come to an end! It is that time of year when school is back in session and we experience the
excitement (and a little anxiety) about what the new school year will bring – a new teacher, a new grade, a new school, new ways of learning, new responsibilities. It may not be the same for everyone, but we are all experiencing something new. It is important during this time that you reassure your child that new things and changes can be good things. Each day ask your child, “How was your day?” Many students tend to stop at, “It was fine.” Ask some of the following questions: “What was favorite part of the day and why?” “What was your least favorite part of the day and why?” “What did you learn today (ask about specific subject areas)?” “How is this year different from last year?” “Who did you play with at recess and what did you guys play?” Last, but not least, “What do you have to do for homework tonight? Let me see it.” These are just a few suggestions, but they can help to open daily communication and let your child know you are interested in his/her day and what they experience is important to you. Please don’t bombard them with all of the questions every day . That could shut good communication down.
Tip #2 – Home & School Routines
As with the start of every school year, the biggest challenge for most is getting back into home and school routines. To go from a relaxing schedule to a tightly structured, timed schedule is a shock to all of our systems (especially with us being an early school)! Nevertheless, there is great teaching and learning that has to begin and to do our very best, we have to be sure to establish and/or re-establish our home and school routines. Some helpful tips to get the year off to a great start is not new news, but important to remember:
Establish a bedtime and a wake up time and stick to it.
Make sure your child’s book bag is packed at night to ensure that he/she has all of the necessary belongings ready to go in the morning with no delay.
Allow enough time in the morning to slowly get up, get dressed, and follow the rest of your morning routine to come to school in a calm manner that is not rushed and overwhelming.
Make sure your child starts the day off right with breakfast at home or at school.
Make sure your child has all of the requested supplies needed to have a successful start.
Maintain regular communication with your child’s teacher and check SchoolMax regularly to stay on top of how your child is doing in school.
Learn the teacher’s classroom routines and expectations so that you can reiterate them and support them at home. A united partnership at the beginning of the school year makes a world of difference.
Read with your child every night. It’s great to take turns when you can.
These are just a few suggestions, but following them consistently throughout the school year will let our children know what to expect each day, what their responsibilities are, and it will guarantee a terrific learning year. Creating a checklist for your child at home can help you and your child ensure that the home routine is maintained. If absolutely necessary, they can create a checklist to follow in the classroom if you and your child’s teacher think it is necessary and will help.
I hope these tips get you off to a good start for this 2013-2014 school year! If you have tips that you think will help other parents, please let us know and we will share them in the future.
~ Mrs. McLaughlin
Principal’s Greetings…...
The Hawk Highlights……
September 6 , 2013
Volume 2 Issue 1
Welcome to the wonderful world of first grade! Thank you for coming to Back-to-School Night. It was great to see so many first graders and their families. We hope you found the information that was presented valuable and informative. Here’s a peek at what 1st grade will be doing this month. Reading/Writing: Students will identify the beginning sounds of words with consonants and blend words with short /a/. Students will work on the following reading strategies: predicting, summarizing and sequencing. For writing our focus this month will be on letter formation and using sight words to write sentences. Math: The class will continue to work on identifying and representing numbers with tens and ones. They will also learn how to compare numbers using <,> symbols and learn various strategies to add numbers. Science/Social Studies: In Science students will learn why land, air and water are important and how to protect earth’s natural resources. In Social Studies students are learning about school and home rules. The first grade class has quite a diverse population and we look forward to all students working together to succeed in their tasks. The inclusive setting at High Bridge makes learning exciting for everyone.
The Community Referenced Instruction (CRI) students have been practicing their routines so they will feel comfortable in the different environments outside of school.
Second grade is an exciting time for our bright young scholars! This school year will be filled with growth in many areas as students transition into becoming more independent learners. The focus for reading during the month of September will be on Silly Stories. In this unit we will focus on using reading strategies to help with comprehension as well as differentiate between fantasy and realism. Fundamentals of writing will also be incorporated into the reading block. As we engage in reading practices and strategies for all subjects, students will be able to make connections across curricula in math, science, and social studies. Our focus for math will be on place value, measurement, and building fluency with addition and subtraction within 100. For our unit in social studies, we will learn about the five themes of geography, citizenship, and the communities that we live in. During science instruction, we will continue to investigate areas of earth science as we engage in STEM practices that will help students learn about plant life and environments. Please continue to help your child at home by reinforcing the importance of following classroom rules and assisting with nightly homework.
Second Grade News!!!
First Grade Fun!
Kindergarten is off to a great start! We're very busy learning and comparing shapes and position words in order to better understand our world! We will begin learning numbers 0-10 after Labor Day, Parents can help by counting objects one by one at home, identifying more and less and writing to form numbers. This will help us with future lessons where we will combine numbers and begin adding. We're ready for a fantastic year of math! Social Studies: The children will explore who they are by taking a closer look at the places in which they spend most of their time – home and school. They will identify people who are important to them and see that both home and school are places for sharing, caring, helping and learning. In language arts this month, we are welcoming our newest students to High Bridge. We will focus on reviewing (or previewing for some) the names of the alphabet letters and the sounds that they make.
Our reading focus is on environmental print, or words all around us. Students will be asked to bring in examples of environmental print and using them to show that they are already doing some reading. Language arts formal assessments will also begin this month so that we can begin forming our small learning groups. Our science unit started out with investigating science tools and what good scientists do. We discussed using our five senses to make scientific discoveries. In September, we will move into Earth Science, which will cover landforms, different types of soil and rocks, and keeping our environment clean and safe.
Kindergarten Highlights!!!!!
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The Hawk Highlights……
WELCOME BACK to a new and exciting school year! We hope that you had a wonderful summer vacation and are ready for 4th grade. year will be full of new learning experiences and discoveries. We are looking forward to a great year.
The Fourth Grade TEAM!!!
Welcome to 5th Grade! This final year at High Bridge will prove to be an exciting time for both students and teachers. We are all rested and ready to take on the challenge of the 2013 – 2014 school year! We are embracing the Maryland State Common Core curriculum to allow students to be college and career ready upon completion of their academic journey. We are creating a paradigm shift in which teachers will act more as facilitators for student learning. Classroom teachers will be “guides on the sides as opposed to sages on the stages”, thus, allowing our diverse population of students to take greater ownership regarding their academic progress. Everyone’s unified accomplishments will foster achievement and self-esteem. Students will delve into a variety of expository texts as they become proficient in close reading and analyzing literature for evidence. We will also use mentor texts during our writer’s workshop to guide students towards mastery. The EnVision program for math infuses a multimedia approach allowing teachers to present concepts and strategies through varied types of technology. We have also discovered that “we can all be scientists” and must apply proper methods of discovery and safety to our investigations.
The 5th Grade Team
Fifth Grade News Flash!!!!!!
Fourth Grade Happenings!
Fourth Grade Happenings!
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September is Attendance Awareness Month. During 2013 through 2014 High Bridge Elementary School will participate in various school wide programs that focus on getting our scholars ready for careers and college readiness. However, we need the entire High Bridge community support. Here are a few tips that can make a difference:
Try to line up vacations with Prince George’s County’s School Calendar. The same goes for doctor’s appointments.
For younger scholars, you can set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Lay out clothes and backpacks the night before. Older scholars make sure that when lights go out, so do cell phones, all tech equipment, video games, cable and computers.
Get to know your student’s teachers, professional school counselor and administrators.
Above all, set an example for your student. Show him or her that attendance matters to you and that you won’t allow an absence unless someone is truly sick.
Counselor’s Corner
High Bridge Elementary School
7011 High Bridge Road
Bowie, Md. 20720
Phone: 301 805-2690
Fax: 301 805-2693
Technology
www1.pgcps.org/highbridge – great place to find the school calendar, frequently asked questions, current events, and websites for enrichment and intervention!
www.firstinmath.com – grades 3, 4, 5 can practice math skills including basic math facts, logical thinking, money, fractions, and much more!
www.studyisland.com – grades 1-5 can practice lessons set up by their teacher to reinforce what is taught in the classroom!
SchoolMax Family Portal – allows parents to track the grades of their child/children. If you do not have a logon, please email and request one today!
Third Grade Happenings…..
Dear Families,
As we get off to another great year, we are welcomed with new members to the third grade team. This year Mrs. Ciocon and Mr. Smail are accompanied by Mrs. Price and Ms. Malik. Mrs. Price is returning to 3rd grade and Ms. Malik is coming to us from Hartford County. Third grade is continuing Common Core! Project-based learning and hands-on learning are major parts of the common core curriculum. Students learn how to solve real-world problems through these experiences. Reading- Please read at home with your child for at least 20 minutes each night. You may choose to buddy read with them where you take turns reading pages or paragraphs aloud. You can allow them to read into a recording device and then listen to themselves. Make sure to locate a comfortable area to read. Make reading fun! It is a life-long skill. Math– Please practice multiplication facts at home. This is a very important skill. Students should master facts through 12 by the end of 3rd grade. We do weekly math facts in class. Ask your child which multiplication facts he/she have mastered so far! Ideas to foster stronger math skills at home: Have the students pay with cash when you go out; Have the students keep track of time for a given activity; Have the student help with cooking and measuring; Have the student calculate the miles of a trip. Science – We are working on the Scientific Method, identifying different science materials and are in the process of moving into Earth Science. Social Studies – Students are learning about communities and the different communities that can be found in the United States.