Parent Newsletter

Kindergarten just finished our non-fiction unit in literacy. They have been working on reading and writing informational texts and being able to learn facts and teach information to the readers. Next, we will be working on persuasive writing to convince our reader to agree with our opinion. Maybe Kindergarten will be able to persuade new students to come to Jamaica Children's School! In math, we have begun our shape unit! We are learning about flat and solid shapes and looking for shapes all around us. We will also start a social studies unit about our community and be able to use our shape knowledge to create a 3D community!

KDK students have been so busy working on meeting their learning goals! Students have been continuing to work on using their reading strategies while decoding books. They have also been working on comprehension strategies to help them connect to book in a meaningful way and be able to debate and discuss with a partner. Students should continue to use their learning programs like LEXIA, EPIC, and iReady to help support and foster the skills that are taught in school. In Math, Kindergarten is learning about different shapes and where we see them in the environment. First Grade is learning how to tell time. Second Grade is learning about measurement. In all grades, we are working on using academic vocabulary to help support answers. Please make sure that your child is attending to all live sessions on Fridays.

First graders have been busy at work learning all they can about our country of study Bangladash. They have been strengthening their independent reading by applying strategies to solve words and make meaning of the stories they are reading. They have also been working as investigators in science to test and try out how light and sound are made. They can talk about where the source of a sound comes from and create their own sound sources using materials from home. In math they have been reviewing place value by working on solving larger 2 digit equations. They are also getting ready for second grade by exploring the concept of regrouping when adding and subtracting. In ELA, first graders continue to develop how to add on to a friend's thinking and working to explore and deepen the conversation through close read, read alouds. We are proud of the continued growth we are seeing in our Little Jaguars.

2nd grade has continued their learning about NYC overtime with a focus on Henry Hudson, Manhattan, and the Munster Indians. In math, students will be focusing their attention on subtraction while compensating (adding or subtracting on both sides) to find the difference. This is a difficult concept, so please remember, patience is key! One thing that will help students master this concept is by having them remember that using friendly numbers makes subtracting much easier! Friendly numbers are numbers that end in 0 - In compensation students need to get to a friendly number by either subtracting or adding. As a grade, our Guided Reading focus in small group instruction is to cater to students individual reading needs. Those needs can be categorized into decoding, comprehension, and critical thinking. We have been doubling down in our guided reading blocks and we are seeing improvement! Please continue to support your child with daily reading, sight word practice, and engaging in book talks (asking your child what they read about, what made them think of those ideas, and where in the text did they find their information).

3rd grade has plans to end the school year strong. In reading we are going to finish the year with a nonfiction unit about the importance of water on Earth. We are going to focus on identifying the main idea, text structure, and the meaning of unknown words. In writing, we will continue to develop paragraphs which include a topic sentence, 3-5 details, transition words and a concluding sentence. As for math, we will explore adding, subtracting, and rounding 3-digit numbers.

5th Grade is excited for the month of June. To close out the school year, the Jaguar Elites will continue to study Jackie Robinson by reading Promises to Keep. They will close read informational texts and watch videos to analyze and compare multiple accounts about which factor was most important in Jackie Robinson’s success. They will also listen to a speaker and watch videos, taking running notes and using these notes to summarize the points made. In Math, students will determine the meaning of volume of a solid and find the volume of a rectangular prism. They will also continue to review content from the beginning of the year. In Writing, students will complete writing their own opinion speeches on the pros and cons of social media. In Social Studies, students will study Flag Day and the history and significance of Juneteenth. Finally, in Science, students will continue to study Ecosystem Restoration, focusing on what animals need from their environment in order to not just survive, but thrive.