Dear West Annapolis Families,

Happy New Year! We welcome 2021! What’s the old saying, “Out with the old and in with the new!” I’m sure we were all happy to say goodbye to 2020! December and the winter break just seemed to fly right by. As we continue with virtual learning this is the time to review student online etiquette and replenish some school supplies for your children. Students should be seated in a learning area with their cameras on so we can see their smiling faces and so that they may participate in class. We also want to remind students to dress appropriately, as cameras are on and students are visible to their classmates. Being on time and prepared each day is also a “respect for learning” expectation. Good attendance is also important. We want to ensure that our retriever students are continually learning and progressing. Please encourage your students to go onto their iReady learning paths in reading and math each week. Research shows that 30 minutes a week in each subject will help students make progress and close some of the learning gaps created by the challenges to learning during the pandemic.

As we have officially entered our winter season, please pay special attention to the new inclement weather school closings or delays in put in place by AACPS in our virtual learning setting. The link can be found here http://aacpsschools.org/pressr/?p=6279 . Copy and paste the link for a full explanation of codes. Announcements are decided by the county and posted on various media site, as well as, calls, texts and emails. Be sure to have your contact information up to date to receive messages. May the new year bring your families much joy as we work together for the success of all of our Retrievers! Stay warm!

With Pride,

Jennifer Bennett Principal, West Annapolis E.S.

Mark your calendars... January: 4th School Reopens for virtual learning 12th Virtual PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.

18th SCHOOLS CLOSED, MLK’s Birthday observed 28th-29th 2 Hour Early Dismissals

A Look Ahead to February:

1st SCHOOLS CLOSED, Professional Development Day

for elementary and middle schools 2nd Beginning of 3rd marking period

9th Report Cards available on Parent Portal 10th 2 Hour Early Dismissal

15th SCHOOLS CLOSED for President’s Day

*Be sure to watch Superintendent Geroge Arlotto’s weekly reopening updates for more information on

AACPS School Operations.

~Cultivating Life Long Learners~

Page 2 Retriever Newsletter

December V.I.R’s– Very Important Retriever

We are continuing the V.I.R. recognition program at WAES this year. Each month, classroom teachers will pick a trait or a behavior that the class will concentrate on for that month. Some examples are perseverance, cooperation, and responsibility. The classroom teacher will then pick a student that has exemplified that trait throughout the month. This student will be named a V.I.R. -Very Important Retriever. The students will be recognized with a certificate and a Spirit Stick. They will also have their names announced on the morning announcements and in the monthly newsletter. We are proud to announce the following V.I.R.s for the month of December: Classroom Teachers: Raelyn R. Miss Carroll’s class Ariana A. Mrs. Ganey’s Class Charlotte K. Mrs. Giaimo’s Class McKenzie W. Mrs. Riley’s Class Eleanor K. Mrs. Stanley’s Class Giuliana G. Mrs Kegley’s Class Jett R. Mrs. Spear’s Class Greg M. Mrs. McLaughlin’s Class Parker W. Mrs. Thorn’s Class Orion D. Ms. Galyon’s Class Brock R. Mrs. Taneyhill’s Class Jaidyn F. Mrs. Jeffries’ Class Abby C. Mrs. Portocarrero’s Class

Cultural Arts Teachers: Ronin B. Mrs. Moran Gemma G. Mrs. Robbins Jude S. Ms. Rodriguez Sebastian L. Mrs Shuey Chloe V, Mrs. Stein Aubrey R. Mrs. Rogers

Page 3

Kindergarten Chronicles

We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! Language Arts – We are reading with a combination of sight word knowledge and simple blending. We are continuing to learn short vowel sounds. Please continue to read with your child each night. They need to practice what they are learning at school! Math – We will continue to explore different ways to make 10, as well as explore addition and subtraction concepts using concrete and verbal representations. Social Studies – We will learn about Martin Luther King and his con-tribution to our country. We will discuss how we can help in our com-munity and the importance of rules. Science – We will learn about how things move and how they move safely. Remember to login to iReady for math and reading practice a couple times a week!

First Grade Features

First grade is working on a Theme titled “I Am Curious How Things

Are Connected”. We will complete units on how problems are solved, how

living things are connected by traits they share and how culture

connects people through shared beliefs, traditions, and experiences. Please remember to keep your child reading this month. Use the

colder weather as a great excuse to cuddle up with a good book! In Math, students are working on Place Value. They will understand

the importance of a digit’s position in a number and the correlation to

its value. Students will represent greater than, less than and equal

to. Students will represent the value of a number in various ways

and understand the relation. Please practice math facts with sums

through 20 (0+0 to 10+10) with your child each night or have them log on

to their iReady Math Path or First In Math. The extra practice is

invaluable. Please take some time each day to have your child complete a

Sight Word Practice activity. It helps the students build responsibility

and practice their learning. First graders tend to go through or lose their school supplies. If

needed, please refresh their crayons, pencils, dry erase markers and/or glue sticks.

Finally, a big "Thank You" to the adults working so hard to support the first graders and teachers during virtual learning. YOU ROCK!!

Page 4 Retriever Newsletter

Third Grade Highlights

Language Arts: In writing, we are continuing to write our nonfiction texts. We have been studying mentor authors and adding details to make our stories more interesting to the reader. We also are continuing to focus on conventions. In reading, we will be reading historical narratives and comparing ideas across multiple texts. Math: We are solving addition and subtraction problems involving measurement including elapsed time, liquid volume and grams and kilograms. We are continuing to study and practice our multiplication facts to attain fluency and the relationship to division. Students need to be practicing at home as well. Don't forget the many websites that are available for prac-tice. In addition, we have set a Weekly Goal of 30 - 45 minutes on iReady Math. We will try to do this during class time as much as possible, but students may need to do some of this on their own. Science: We are beginning our study of Life Science for the remainder of the 2nd marking period.

Fourth Grade Features

Math—Students will shift their thinking of using multiplication with arrays to looking at

multiplication as a statement of comparison. Students will explore how values can be compared with

multiplication as well as differentiate between additive and multiplicative comparisons. Students will

use tape diagrams to help visualize the comparisons being made.

Writing—Students are continuing their work on an influential person to research and their impact.

They will be responsible for finding trusted and relevant sources they can use for note-taking. After

the note-taking process, students will begin to design the structure of their essay and begin drafting.

They will be creating a mini history book.

Reading—We will begin our new unit called Literary Reflections, with a focus on the concept of

change. For explicit comprehension, our focus is on nonfiction. Most specifically identifying main idea and

details, text structure, and synthesizing multiple accounts about the same topic and writing about it.

For explicit comprehension, our focus is on nonfiction. Most specifically identifying main idea and details,

text structure, and synthesizing multiple accounts about the same topic and writing about it.

The students have set great goals for themselves! I am looking forward to helping them reach their

goal for the next assessment end of January. For this assessment, they will have to write an

informational essay. Ask your students to see their explicit comprehension work and their writing

checklists if you would like to help them at home.

Social Studies—Students will describe Maryland colonists' reactions to changing economic policies

from England using events that led to the American Revolutionary War.

Science—Students will make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of

weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. Students will identify evidence

from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a

landscape over time.

Second Grade Scoop

Second graders have been learning to write like a scientist. We will soon be writing informational books.

In math this month, students are working with telling time to the nearest five minutes. Please continue to practice basic addition and subtraction facts with your child. Our goal is for every second grader to have their facts mastered by the end of the school year!

Please encourage your child to continue working on their iReady lessons in both reading and math.

Thanks for your continued support. Happy New Year!

Page 5

Fifth Grade Flash

Reading: This marking period we will continue exploring non-fiction texts and using them for various strategies such as examining text features, multiple main ideas and summarizing a text.

Writing: Students will continue working with writing essays and informational texts. We will be focusing on using 2-3 articles and synthesizing the information into an essay.

Math: Students will make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. Students will identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

Science: We will continue our exploration of "Earth's Place in the Universe" by gathering evidence, through exploration and experimentation as well as utilizing

graphical displays to refute or confirm our claims.

Social Studies: We will be learning about the key events and people leading up to the Revolutionary War utilizing both primary and secondary sources.

Music Musings

General Music: This month we will be continuing work on form and beginning to explore melody and reading notes on the staff. Thank you for your continued support in making sure your student has a space where they can move and make sound! We will also be exploring protest songs and music from the civil rights movement.

Chorus: We hope you enjoyed our Winter song sharing! We will be amping up our work on vocal technique and reading. Please make sure your student is completing their weekly Wixie practice reflection assignment.

Strings: 3rd Grade strings has been working hard! We are quickly mastering the left hand and are playing more recognizable songs. We will begin working on the D- major scale and possibly introducing the bow. Intermediate and Advanced: We will be doing increasing work with sight reading and bowing technique. Please make sure your student is completing their weekly Wixie Practice reflection assignment.

Band with Mr. Ritenour: I've been so impressed with the work ethic and progress of our WAES Band Students! It was certainly weird to not have a holiday performance as we do in normal years. However, students have been hard at work not only learning how to play their music, but to record their performance. We hope to have a virtual performance put together by the end of January, so be on the lookout for a virtual performance then! Keep up the practice and the great work!

Page 6 Retriever Newsletter

Art Adventures

Congratulations to Reagan S in 5th grade-

her art was selected to be featured in the AACPS elementary Art Exhibit. Insert link into your

browser to see exhibit. https://www.aacps.org/Page/950

January is going to be "Ketchup Month" for some classes in art. It's the time when we

catch up on all incomplete work, then start new works.

5th: Kirigami Aboriginal dot painting mask or Virtual landscape/ Geometric Gem paintings

4th: Kirigami Japanese Dragon mask or Virtual landscape/ Geometric Gem paintings

3rd: Kirigami Calavera mask or Virtual landscape/ Geometric Gem paintings

2nd: 3D Winter landscape/ Virtual Paul Klee composition in google slides

1st: 3D Winter landscape/ Virtual Paul Klee composition in google slides

K: Windy Winter Wonderland/ Lois Elhert Shape animal in google slides

Physical Education Fun

Grades 3-5 Target Activities and other ball skills Propelling objects with hands Rolling a ball Tossing Throwing

Grades K – 2

Ball Skills: Rolling a ball at a target Dance and Rhythms (This was moved from Dec. to Jan.) Move to a beat Count and Move

Counselor’s Corner

Happy New Year!

School Supplies Supplies are your student’s "tools for school”. A great way to start the new year is with a school supplies check. Please have your child check their county-issued backpack and make a list of supplies that are low. Please contact me if you are unable to get your supplies.

Counseling- At this time, Elementary school counselors can provide virtual counseling for a limited number of weeks. If you would like me to work with your child, please contact me at mrogers1@aacps.org or on my Google Voice #302.464.8868. You may also leave a message with the office. This year of 2021 will be a great year for all of us!

During the month of December we began an exciting new project…Arctic Survival

Structures! All of the students have been enjoying learning about the Arctic, from

the animals that live there to the people and the extreme temperatures and weath-

er they face daily. We began by discussing and determining the best survival tools

to take while exploring the Arctic, and then we discussed and determined the best

survival structures that would protect and sustain life. Between the “How to” vide-

os we have watched, web cams we have viewed, and articles we have read, we have

settled on three specific survival structures: an igloo, a snow cave and a snow fort.

The students have each selected the structure they think is best and have sketched

an example of their survival structure. Next up…designing and constructing a

model. I can’t wait to see all of their ideas come together!

One last thing, and I mentioned this in last month’s Newsletter, I will be bringing

back our monthly STEM Challenge beginning in January! It is a great opportunity for

your child to engage in a fun, creative, challenging STEM activity outside of the

classroom. The STEM Challenge will be announced at the beginning of the month

and all the details will be posted in your child’s STEM Google Classroom. At the end

of the month a winner will be announced for grades K-2 and 3-5 and both of those

students will receive a Tinker Crate mailed directly to their doorstep. How cool is

that?! Keep your eyes peeled for more information in January!

Media News:

from Mrs. Robbins & Mrs. Stockett...

In January the students at West Annapolis will be completing Hour of Code tutorials

on Code.org. These tutorials provide an introduction into Computer Science and

Coding. Check out the links if you are interested in learning more! In addition

students will be reviewing how to stay safe online and what it means to leave a

digital footprint.

Page 8

Special Education Highlights

We hope you all had a happy, healthy holiday season! Now is the time to reflect and

think about the new year. The start of a new year is a wonderful time for students to

reflect on all the places that a person has been, the things he or she has done, and all

that was experienced during the previous year and this year was different from all

other years. The New Year is also a great time to look forward to new opportunities,

changes, and goals for the coming year, and elementary writing via journaling is the

perfect tool for the task! Why not make a New Year's Resolution that includes

journaling, finding time to read for fifteen minutes a day or time to practice your math

facts. The new year is a great time for students to look at their accomplishments and

feel pride, to reflect on what they have mastered and what they need to do and allow

them time to be excited about the year to come.

Reading Highlights It’s almost that time of the year…. for our annual Reading Incentive Program! I am excited to an-nounce that we will have a new theme this year which will be announced later this month! Our read-ing incentive will run through the month of February and close on Read Across America Day. Alt-hough our reading incentive will look different this year, we will still track and log minutes spent read-ing for chances to earn special prizes. There will also be 4 weekly challenges for students to partici-pate in. Stay tuned for more exciting details and start collecting ideas for some good books to read!

Speech Highlights During the cold winter months, you might be spending more time inside. Here

are some activities to keep your children entertained, and also stimulate

language growth:

· Build an Indoor Fort. This a great activity to elicit action words (e.g.,

hide, throw the pillow, drape the blanket) and build on spatial concept

knowledge (e.g., ‘Put the pillow under the chair. Put the blanket on the

table”). Additionally, you can sequence the steps using the words first, next,

and last.

· Bake cookies or a family meal. Cooking/baking provides many

opportunities for children to follow directions, understand sequential concepts

(first, next, then, last), and increase vocabulary (e.g., spoon, spatula, whisk,

scoop, ingredients).

· Play a board game. Board games encourage turn taking, increased

attention, cooperation, and social skills. You can also ask your child to explain

the rules of the game to exercise their expressive language skills!

Stay

tuned!

Page 9

PTA Highlights

Happy New Year! PTA will kick off the new year with our virtual Parent Info Night on January 12th at 6:30 pm.

On January 19th visit either Chick-Fil-A in Annapolis for Take Out Tuesday.

The PTA is looking to host a virtual magic show with our favorite magician, Joe Romano! Look for information soon with details.