Cook Hill School - Wallingford Schools

[Pages:7]FALL 2015

Cook Hill School

57 Hall RD Wallingford, CT 06492 203-284-5400

Welcome Parents to Fall Conferences

Cook Hill Teachers welcome parents and guardians to the school for Fall Conferences. They will take place on Monday, October 19th and Monday, October 26th from 5-8pm. If you are interested in meeting to discuss your child's progress and haven't scheduled a time, please contact the classroom teacher or the main office as soon as possible. We know that children achieve at higher levels when parents and families join as partners!

Save the Date!

Veterans' Day Celebration!

November 12, 2015 Town Meeting at 2:00

PTAC

PTO

Join us in the Parker Farms Library Media Center! December 1st at 6:30 pm

Join us in the Parker Farms Library Media Center! December 1st at 7:30 pm

Welcome

Dear Cook Hill Families,

There is a chill in the air and the leaves are turning beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and red! The PTO held its annual "Trunk or Treat" and we are getting ready to reset our clocks again! Where does time go?

We are so proud of our youngest students at Cook Hill. Our full day PreK and Kindergarten students are adjusting well to the demands of a full day at school. Our cafeteria is a lively place and it is truly amazing to witness the independence the students have gained throughout these first few weeks of school.

First and second grade students are busy leading the way, reconnecting with friends and engaged in meaningful learning activities. We are looking forward to our second "Town Meeting" where we will use the Responsive Classroom structure to share our talents with one another. We all love our Cook Hill school song!

We celebrate our new staff members and continue to take pride in our school climate. We are learning so much from each other as we collaborate and share experiences.

Please stop by and visit us soon.

Yours truly,

Kristine

FALL 2015

Pre K News

Ms. Savalli and Mrs.Kell's classes have been working on becoming members of the Cook Hill Community. We have been practicing daily school skills such as; lining up, following routines and exploring other areas of the school by attending specials. We are now learning about the changes that take place in the season of Autumn; leaves changing colors, parts of a pumpkin and how animals prepare for Winter.

We are also learning the letters and sounds of the alphabet through Lively Letter stories and music. Our centers have us practicing fine motor skills, math skills, and social skills. Our school year is off to a great start!!!

Kindergarten News

The new Kindergarten students at Cook Hill School are

adjusting nicely to the full day schedule! Days are full

of new adventures and making new friends! Students

learned how to participate in Morning Meeting. New

greetings, activities, and messages have been shared

during this community building time. In Literacy, our focus has been on the concepts of print, learning the alphabet letter chant, and beginning to learn how to

Making new friends at school!

write letters of the alphabet using the Handwriting

Without Tears program. New power words were also

taught to the children. Students learned all about

different types of families and are now learning about

friendship. In Math, our focus has been learning all

about numbers 0-10. Math activities included writing

numbers correctly, counting objects, and comparing

numbers. In Science, the children are learning about

the five senses. Students looked at braille, did some

taste testing with different types of food, and tried to

identify some mystery sounds! Students will continue

to work hard since many routines are now becoming

mastered!

Students on a math

number hunt outside!

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FALL 2015

First Grade

Wow!!! The first grade teachers are very excited about all that the students have been learning this new school year. It seems so long ago that their beautiful smiling faces entered our first grade classrooms for the first time. During our literacy time, students have been exposed to sight words, word families and blends. Students are also working on strategies that they can use for unknown words. These strategies include catchy names like Chunky Monkey and Eagle Eye. Students are also working on retelling fiction stories. Retells include characters, setting, problem, beginning, middle, end, and solution. In writing, the students have been learning how to generate ideas as storytellers. They are working towards developing their narrative writing skills. In math, the first graders began the school year with an addition and subtraction unit to 20. They practiced using many different strategies to find the correct answer. They also are working on automaticity with their math facts to 10. In science, the students are enjoying their hands-on experiences with plants. They observed the cycle of a Brassica plant. They loved observing and "mowing" their grass. We are so proud of their progress and look with excitement for the rest of the year!

PFCHSPTO

Thank you to our PTO for sponsoring school activities and events!

On September 28, 2015 we welcomed Brian Chevalier to our school. He talked to our students about Mindfulness, feeling anxious, and strategies to handle difficult situations. He led our students with songs played on the acoustic guitar.

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Second Grade

FALL 2015

Our super second graders have had a wonderful start to the school year. They began the year by exploring our solar system and observing their shadows. They even enjoyed doing a shadow investigation! They will go on a field trip this November to a planetarium and learn even more about outer space. For the first research project this year, students will choose a planet that they want to learn more about. They will research it and create a project. This project will be shared with families and staff in November.

This October, second graders went on their first field trip to the Wallingford Public Library. They got a tour of the library and learned many interesting facts about the library. They learned about the many services that the library offers and are excited about going back with their families.

In writing, we have been focusing on narrative writing. Students are being taught how to take a small life moment and turn that into a narrative piece that has an entertaining beginning and an effective closure. In reading, our second graders have been focusing on all components of a retell; characters, setting, problem, solution, story events, and the author's message. As mathematicians, we continue to grow our knowledge of place value concepts and fact fluency. We are excited to continuing learning and growing!

ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL

Please help us to maintain safety for all as you enter the school parking lots, loop, and school. We will ask to see your photo ID upon entering the school and/or picking up your child. We do require advanced notice if you are picking up your child. In the case of an emergency, please call the office. Parents are not permitted to take students off the school bus for any reason. In addition, we ask that you follow the procedures for drop off in the loop area. There is no parking in the loop and you should not leave your car there for any reason, unattended. As you know, we do not have enough parking, so we try to accommodate you all by asking you to simply drop off on the sidewalk where supervised staff will be waiting, beginning at 8:50 am. If you have questions or concerns, please notify the office.

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FALL 2015

Reading and Math Intervention The interventionists work with Cook Hill's students to support their learning in reading and math. Students can qualify for academic intervention support, throughout the year. During intervention, students build their foundational skills in reading by building phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and word study. They work on reading power words quickly since power words represent "67 percent of the words encountered in text for students." In math, students work on developing number sense, place value and computation skills. During intervention students are engaged in active learning and scientifically researched based strategies. In addition to that, we are using a new math program called Moving with Math. All of this will help each child meet their goals. Please set aside 15-20 minutes each night to help your child practice letters & letter sounds, power words, math facts, and try to read with your child daily. Your support at home is an integral part of your child's success.

Carolyn Hall Liza Kennedy Stephanie Rubin

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein

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FALL 2015

Library Media News By: Anna O'Brien

September was Library Card Sign-Up Month! We hung certificates from the WPL and pictures of students holding their very first library cards in the hallway. What a big step in being responsible patrons of the public library! Pre-K classes have been enjoying their first library story-time visits. We are using props to retell the stories we read together. Ask them to retell the stories they have heard to you or bring them to the library to check these books out and reread them at home together. Kindergarten classes have been learning about library manners and proper book care. Ask them to name as many ways as they can to take good care of their library books. First graders had a review of book care as well as how to use a shelf marker to keep our library organized. We are practicing ABC order as we learn about how fiction books are organized in alphabetical order by the author's last name. As you read books together at home, ask them to decide under which letter would their book be found it the library. Second graders have been using the "I PICK" method for book choice. P (purpose), I (interest), C (comprehension), K (know most of the words). We also just started a unit on identifying fiction versus nonfiction books with a particular focus on nonfiction books that are illustrated. Many children assume that an illustrated book must be a fiction book. Students are encouraged to determine whether the book is fiction or nonfiction by using what they know about these genres. Fiction books are written to entertain the reader and have story elements such as a character with a problem and solution while nonfiction books are written to inform the reader and have text features such as a table of contents, glossary or index. Sometimes books seem like they are both, but we have been discussing how to determine which genre it is. The examples we used were Stellaluna, a fictional book about a bat, and Hello, Bumblebee Bat, an illustrated nonfiction book. Encourage your children to continue this thinking with the books they are checking out or reading at home. I recently started a Twitter account for the Cook Hill library where I have been posting pictures of things we have been working on at Mrs.OBrien@CookHillLib. Check it out!

Wallingford Public Schools are looking for Substitute Teachers!

If you, or someone you know, has at least 60 college credits and would like to be a per diem substitute teacher in the Wallingford Public Schools, there are two ways to apply:

1) 1) Go to the Wallingford Public Schools website wallingford.k12.ct.us ; click on District Departments ? Human Resources ? Online Applitrack Application Process

2) 2) Call the Board of Education Personnel Department for an application 203-949-6508

The substitute pay is a competitive $80/day. The best part of substitute teaching is the positive effect you can have on young people while their regular teacher is away. You can choose your own schedule, working every day, part time, or just occasionally. We look forward to hearing from you!

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FALL 2016

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our October Bus Safety Patrols! We are proud to announce that the following students were selected to represent Cook Hill and their bus community as a Bus Safety Patrol. Each student has reached out to support a younger student, served as a positive role model, and helped to maintain safety on the school bus.

Bus 1: Sofia Lopez-Valiente Bus 2: Elliana Bohn

Bus 3: Nyema Rivera-Burke Bus 4: Isabelle Hodum

Bus 5: Justin Barnes and Colin Westbrook Bus 6: Riya Garg

Bus 7: Endri Qeriqi and Bella Tomasello Bus 8: Ryan Brunelle and Logan Dubuc

Bus 9: Sebastian Lengyel Bus 10: Camilla Apuzzo and Bennett Marrero

Bus 132: Mackenzie Baker

Kristine Friend, Principal Cook Hill Elementary School

57 Hall Road Wallingford, CT 06492 203-284-5400

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