December 6, 2019

Parents,

Today your child took the i-station assessment in class.  The entire assessment was taken on the chromebook and took about 30 minutes for each student to finish.  If you have any questions about the assessment I am happy to meet with you before our next track out.  I am not sure yet when the scores from the assessment will go home but I will post on my blog when I know.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Winter break.  I will be sending home a math project next that will be due mid January.  I wanted to be sure to give the students plenty of time to work on it and also allow time after we return in case you will be traveling and unavailable to work on it over the break.  My hope is that it might keep them busy over the break if you are looking for something to do.  I will send home the copy of the assignment in their Wednesday folder next week but I am also posting it below this note.  It will be easier to use the links from this page rather than typing in the link from the paper.

Thank you so much,

Anne Simmons


Parents,

Thank you to all the parents that scheduled a conference this fall.  If there is anyone who missed the sign up and would like to meet with me please send me an email and I will do my best to accommodate your schedule.

Dates to Remember:

11/27-11/29  No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

12/3 & 12/4  IOWA Testing (for students who qualify)

12/18  Positivity Project Awards  (Look for invites coming soon if your child is nominated)

12/23-1/1 Winter Holiday Break

2nd quarter:

Math

Multiplication Timed Quizzes

After Thanksgiving we will begin taking timed multiplication quizzes twice a week.  The purpose of these quizzes are to motivate the students to practice their multiplication facts nightly.  Here are a few points regarding the quizzes:

We will take them every Tuesday and Thursday

- Quizzes will be graded THAT DAY or the NEXT and sent home immediately

- Your child will have one minute to complete 22 problems on one fact.  A "passing" score is at least 20/22. Once your child passes one fact, they move on to the next one.

- Third graders are required to be able to fluently state the facts 0-10 by the END of the year.

- We take the quizzes in the following order:  0s & 1s (together), 10, 5, 2, 4, 8, 3, 6, 9, 7, 11, 12

- If your child has extenuating circumstances that will not allow them to pass the quizzes in one minute, then I will allow them extra time.  This is something I do on an as needed basis.

- These quizzes are not part of your child's grades, they are purely a motivation to practice

- So how can you help your child be successful with multiplication?  Practice, practice, practice. - - Please invest in some flash cards (the Dollar Tree is my favorite place to pick them up), or have your child create them on index cards, create quizzes for your child.  If you "google" multiplication games you will find a plethora of online resources as well.  

Please remember that multiplication is the most important skill that I want your child to leave my classroom mastering this year.  It is the focus of this quarter, but beginning in third quarter we are applying the skill rather than practicing it.  

Solar System

We are in the middle of our unit on the solar system.  Our test will be before we break for the Winter Holiday.  We will have quizzes along the way to help them practice their skills.

Reading
This quarter we will be working on our reading and writing skills in Narrative writing and Informational writing.  We will continue to use the Painted Essay Template for our informational pieces and assessing on standards that address focus statements, main ideas, supporting details and figuring out unfamiliar vocabulary.

We will begin assessing the reading levels soon using the new system of i-station.  It is new to all of us this year and you may have seen some information in the Brassfield Bulletin about it.  We begin assessing soon after Thanksgiving.

Here is the post from the Bulletin-

Istation - Parents and Families of Students in Grades K-3 North Carolina has selected Istation as the state’s reading assessment beginning with the 2019-20 school year. Istation helps to identify students’ abilities in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Wake County Public Schools will begin using this assessment for the middle of the year benchmarking period which occurs in December for year round schools and January for traditional calendar schools. Brassfield parents will receive information in Wednesday folders this week.  Included in the information will be directions on how to access the parent portal as well as Ipractice, which allows students to choose activities at home that will help build early foundational reading skills. To learn more about the Istation School to Home Connection, please visit: https://www.istation.com/NorthCarolina/Home.

Dear Parents of 2019-2020,

I look forward to meeting you all at the Open House scheduled on Wednesday, July 17th, 2019 from 5:30-7:00.  If you have questions or concerns  prior to the Open House please feel to email me at asimmons@wcpss.net    Most questions can be answered at Open House and you can also sign up to volunteer in the classroom that night.  It is required to sign up in a Wake County building and must be renewed every year.

If your child received Free or Reduced-price meal benefits last year, those benefits will expire on the date below. Families must reapply for benefits each year. 

• Track 1 - August 19, 2019
• Track 2 - September 9, 2019
• Track 3 - September 10, 2019
• Track 4 - September 9, 2019

Families may complete an application online at www.MySchoolApps.com, pick up a paper application at the school, or request that a paper application be sent home with your child. 

BOG testing date is July 23rd.  Try to make sure your child arrives on time for testing that day.

Check back on my blog for updates after the 17th for any updates.

Sincerely,

anne simmons

Heads Up!!!  We are on the countdown to EOGs, June 17th and 18th.  Below you will find a letter to help you login to your child's IXL account.  They get their login information Friday, May 31st.  They have a free 30 day trial to the account and they should focus on Math and Reading for 3rd grade.  I recommend 20 minutes of practice every day until June 19th.  Please log on with your child at home and explore the website and see how it will explain any incorrect answers so they can learn and continue practicing.  Have fun! ;)

Dear Parent,

I am pleased to tell you that we will be using a website called IXL in our classroom this year. IXL is a comprehensive learning program offering unlimited math and language arts practice across thousands of skills—all of which are aligned to North Carolina Standards. One of the best things about IXL is that your child can access it from home, so you have a chance to see your child's progress!

To get your child started on your home computer, please follow these easy steps:

1. Go to https://www.ixl.com
2. Enter your child's username and password and click "Sign in."
3. Click on any skill to start learning!

IXL is designed to help your child learn at his or her own pace. The program is adaptive and will adjust based on your child's demonstrated understanding of the material. All of your child's results will be saved, so you can monitor his or her progress anytime by clicking on Analytics. For on-the-go practice, you can download IXL's free tablet apps for iPad, Android, or Kindle and sign in with your child's username and password.

I hope you'll encourage your son or daughter to use IXL regularly. Here's to a year of working together to make learning fun for your child!

Sincerely,

Anne Simmons

Dear Parents,

Please be aware that our schedule will change this week due to Track 1 is taking their EOG test.  This means that we will be working quietly in our classroom all morning learning our core instruction until 1:15 when we go to lunch.  Please pack your child a snack that will hold them until that time.  We normally eat at 12:20 and the extra hour might prove to be difficult without something to hold them over.  Thanks for your help.  ;)
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday our schedule will be:
Reading, Math, Science, ALL Block,  9:30 to 1:15
Lunch 1:15 - 1:45
Specials 1:50 - 2:35
Recess 2:40 - 3:10
Intervention time 3:15 - dismissal
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
anne simmons

Dear Families, 

Please help us plan for next school year by letting us know if your rising 1st through 5th graders will not be returning to Brassfield next school year. If you are planning on attending another school, please email Kathie Hill, data manager, at khill@wcpss.net.  Please include the name of the school your child(ren) will be attending, and whether or not it is in Wake County Public Schools.  If you have moved, in order to receive your new school assignment you will need to provide the school with an updated proof of residence (utility bill in parent's name or a newly signed lease).  Thank you! 

Stephanie Costa
Principal 
Brassfield Elementary School 

Please consider joining your classmates at the restaurant for Spanish Night.  Mrs. Lipetzky has put together a fun and wonderful event for the students.  Below is her letter that I am sharing on my Blog so all can be invited.

Good morning!

The students in 3rd grade have been learning how to order at a restaurant in Spanish class this quarter. It is time to put their skills to the test! You are invited to our Brassfield Spanish Night at El Tapatio (13200
Falls of Neuse Rd, Raleigh, NC 27614) on Thursday, 4/18/19 any time from 5pm-8pm. Students are encouraged to share their vocabulary with you at home so the whole family can enjoy using Spanish at the restaurant!  I will link our class Quizlet set at the bottom of this email, and they will be coming home this week with a practice menu and a list of vocabulary. 

*** 15% of all profits made on Thursday, 4/18/19 at El Tapatio will be donated back to our school!

***Families will be responsible for paying for their own meals. 

I am so proud of the kids for their hard work this quarter, and I thought this would be a fun way to get them out in the community to use their new vocabulary, and to share this experience with you! Please let us know if you THINK your family might be able to dine at El Tapatio on 4/18/19 so that we can give the restaurant a general number of what to expect. 

Link for restaurant night: https://forms.gle/kpzH8Xd8c8wtoMUG8

Ordering in Spanish Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/_3afu1w

Gracias! We look forward to seeing you there! Please send any questions directly to Senora Lipetzky (elipetzky@wcpss.net).

-Senora Lipetzky

Parents,
Please be aware of a few things coming up over the next few weeks.

April 5th     Spring Pictures
April 9th     NC Check In Assessment (9:15 sharp)
April 10th    Marco's Pizza Night
April 12th   Super Kids Day
April 18th   Track Out Day at 3:45 PM

Please check your Brassfield Bulletin for other announcements around our school.

Parents,

Don't forget we have a field trip Friday, March 22nd.  We are headed to Wakefield High School for a performance of Alice in Wonderland.  We will be back at school around lunch time.  Please make sure your child arrives on time to school so they don't miss the field trip.

Thanks so much!  

Happy Track in!!!

Welcome back,

I hope everyone enjoyed their time off and stayed healthy and safe during our track out.  Today we exchanged Valentines but it was not required.

We have a busy and exciting week ahead. Wednesday we have a Cultural Arts program, Thursday morning we have the creators of our Positivity Project Curriculum visiting to talk to the 3rd-5th grades, Thursday evening we have the Science Fair, and then Friday is our in-house Science is Fun field trip.

In ELA we continue to read from an adapted Peter Pan.  This unit we will be comparing an earlier work from J.M. Barrie to the Peter Pan we are reading.  

In Math we are starting our unit on Area and Perimeter.  We will be relating area to multiplication so continue to work on their multiplication facts at home!  the order for the facts are as follows: 0/1, 10, 5, 2, 4, 8, 3, 6, 9, 7, 11, 12, mixed facts.

We have a quick unit in Science on Force and Motion.  Next Wednesday they will switch to Social Studies with Mrs. Olynick.

You may have noticed that we have started cursive writing.  Please only practice with them the letters that you have seen come home in a small packet.  We currently have only learned the Rockin' Round Letters a, d, g, q, c.  We  will be moving into the next set of letters the Climb and Slide letters this week, l, u, w, t.

I am loving the volunteers for ALL Block Centers in the afternoons.  Tuesdays we have ALL Block from 2:05-3:05 and Thursdays from 1:00-2:00.  Look in your email for a Sign Up Genius from Laura McIlvaine for dates needed.

Thanks so much and have a great week!

Sincerely,
Anne Simmons

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday!

We will be practicing our writing skills the week of January 22nd with some assignments from the book Martin's Big Words.  You can view the story on a read aloud from Youtube linked below if you need to reread it with your child to better complete the homework.  

Martin's Big Words

Mark your calendars now for this event on Thursday, Feb 21st at 6-7:30pm.  The Extravaganza is a great opportunity for junior scientists and mathematicians to be creative, experience the scientific process and learn something that interests them. This is not a judged event and is open to all grade levels.  Registration should be completed completed online (preferred) or the paper form returned to the PTA mailbox (located in the school lobby) through Friday, Feb 8th. Please refer to the paper form for the full list of rules and guidelines. New this year: The class with the highest percentage of registered students displaying at the event will receive a FREE PIZZA PARTY, sponsored by the PTA M&SE Team!!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed their break and stayed healthy over the holidays.  We only have three and a half weeks before we track out and we will be working right up to the end.  Because of all the weather dates we missed we are still finishing our EL Frog Units from Quarter 2.  It is a mad dash to get that finished this week so we can complete the first unit of Quarter 3 before we track out.  

Report cards will be going home next week.  If you have not sent in your report card envelope from first quarter, please send it in so I can securely send home the new report card.  

January 16th is Spirit night at City BBQ.  You will need a print out with the bar code on it to participate and raise money for the PTA.  Look for that paper in the Wednesday folder next week.

We are starting cursive now!  There is an order to what letter we will be working on each week.  They start with the Rockin' Round letters a, d, g, q, c.  We will try to finish those letters by next Friday, January 18th.  If your child is interested in practicing at home we use the online papers from Kidzone.  https://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/ 

Drama Club will be having an informational meeting on Tuesday, January 15th and then auditions will be held the following Tuesday, January 22nd.  Look for information in the Wednesday folder.  We will visit the classrooms of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades on Track 2 and 3 this week.  Only students who express an interest will be given a permission form to complete and bring to the first meeting.

Our second quarter NC Check In testing date is January 24th.  Please make sure your child is on time that morning.  This is a math test and they will be taking it on the computer.  It should only take about an hour in the morning and then we will continue with our normal routine for the remainder of the day.

Sincerely,
Anne Simmons