rodgers forge chronicles · rodgers forge chronicles volume 1, issue 1 v k k k k k k wk g...

From the Principal’s Desk

Calendar of Events

2 Fall Parent Work shops & Student Fun Night 6:30-8:00 PM 5 Spirit Day 6 RFES Color Run 8:30-10:30 AM 9 School Improvement Team 3:45 PM 10 Peacemaker House Party 11 Interim Reports distributed for Grades 4-5 16 Yearbook Signing for 6th Grade 18 Generations DayAM 19 Schools Closed for Students / MSTA for Teachers 31 PTA Pre-Parade Parent Breakfast 8:30-9:15 AM 31 Halloween Parade 9:15 AM

2 Spirit Day 6 Election Day School Closed 7 Coffee w/Counselor 5:15-6:00 PM 7 PTA Meeting 8 Individual Picture Make-up 9 3-hour Early Dismissal 1st Marking Period 12-16 American Education Week 19-30 STAR Lab 22-23 School Closed Thanksgiving Holiday 26 Distribution of report cards 29 PTA Greens Pickup 30 School Closed for Students Elementary Conferences

October 2018

Rodgers Forge Chronicles Rodgers Forge Elementary School empowers students to be lifelong learners and

globally competitive citizens.

Dear Rodgers Forge Families,

It has been a very exciting and “colorful” Back to School! Students and teachers have all been sorted into

their Peacemaker Houses and we are focused on an environment that promotes kindness and a sense of

belonging. We are very proud of all the publicity our colorful character education program has received over

the past few weeks. In case you missed it, you can click on the following links for the coverage: Towson Times

Article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/towson/ph-tt-mcgee-column-0912-

story.html WMAR2 News:https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/peacemaker-houses-gives-

students-a-sense-of-belonging

Pinwheels for Peace was a unique opportunity for students to

parade with pinwheels created in art class in order to share their

commitment to be a Peacemaker as they assembled with their

color houses in the shape of peace signs. Drones captured the

aerial view of the excitement. Click on the link to check out the

event! https://youtu.be/HFdfE9an7ZY

More exciting events are coming up in October! Students in

grades 1-5 will be taking the online MAP assessment in math and

reading. This data will assist teachers in planning a responsive instructional program for each student.

Students will take the fall MAP assessment again in the winter to determine if students met their projected

rate of academic growth. Testing will take place throughout the month of October. Tuesday, October 2nd we

will offer Parent Workshops on Grading & Reporting, Tech-Tools at Home & School, Schoology/BCPS One, and

Guided Reading. Parents can select three of the four sessions while students rotate through fun sessions

connected to literacy run by RFES staff. The evening begins at 6:30. Later in the month we are looking

forward to welcoming many visitors on Thursday, October 18th for Generations Day! This RFES tradition is a

very special day for our students, as well as our teachers, to engage visitors of all ages in 21st century learning

opportunities. Just a reminder that this event is strictly for “special friends and grandparents”. Parents are

welcome to visit during American Education Week in November. Finally, we hope to see many parents, families,

and friends along our Halloween Parade route the morning of October 31st. The fun begins with a

“Wicked Good Time” PTA sponsored parent get-together, complete with coffee and baked goodies for those

who arrive early to watch the procession at 9:15. Please remember to submit the permission slip for the

Halloween Parade so your child can participate. A hard copy of the permission slip will go home with students

and there is also a copy in the Chronicles. I wonder what the teachers will dress up as this year??

For more exciting RFES news and events at RFES, like our Facebook page or follow us @missyfanshaw or

@RodgersForgeES !!

Missy Fanshaw

Principal

RODGERS FORGE CHRONICLES

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

RODGERS FORGE CHRONICLES VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1


VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

SGA Red Ribbon Week

October 22-26, 2018

Students at a Rodgers Forge are getting ready for a week full of healthy

choices. Red Ribbon Week is about learning to be healthy and kind to

others.

Monday: Students will make an interactive chain of healthy choices.

Everyday after the chain has been made, students will pick a healthy

choice to discuss and demonstrate.

Tuesday: PJ Day! Promotion of getting a good night sleep!

Wednesday: Crazy Hat Day! “Hats off to Good Choices!” Your child will

have fun representing good choices and being kind!

Thursday: Twin Day! All of Rodgers Forge will be twinning up to

promote empathy and kindness!

Friday: Athletic Day! Promote exercise by wearing your favorite sport’s

team. Teachers will lead students in an extra movement breaks and a

school wide walk at the end of the day!

Red Ribbon Week will be filled with fun and your child will soon be

clambering for new ways to be kind and healthy!

Brought to you by your RFES Student Government Association!


Wow, I can’t believe it is October already! I hope your child has been telling you about all the exciting activities we have been doing in Physical Education!

NFL Play 60 kicks off October 1st and runs through October 28th. During this four (4) week period, students will track both their physical activity and minutes for each day using the attached Student Game Planner (student activity log for the entire four (4) week program). Parents will need to sign off at the bottom of each weekly column. Students must hand in completed and signed Student Game Planners to Mrs. Celenza, the R.F.E.S. Quarterback, on Monday, October 29, 2018. The quarterback will compile the number of participants and activity minutes. If R.F.E.S. finishes in the top 2 schools of Baltimore County in the categories of Total Number of Participants and Total Number of Activity Minutes, we could be awarded an assembly with the Baltimore Ravens. The top 15 students with the most activity minutes will be placed in a drawing to be named our Top NFL Play 60 student ambassador! Each student, who returns a completed log sheet, will be entered in raffles for other NFL Play 60 prizes.

A few final reminders: 1. Cross Country Races for 4th and 5th graders are:

-October 4th @ Riderwood Elementary -October 11th @ Stoneleigh Elementary -October 17th @ Hampton Elementary -October 23 rd @ Timonium Elementary Races begin at 4pm! 2. Please remember to wear tennis shoes on Physical Education days, if not your child will not get to experience the lesson.

Stay Healthy, Mrs. Celenza


VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

eacemaker ouse eeting ates

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Ice Cream Social and Cakewalk….. Huge Success! Cake and Ice Cream! A wonderful

combination… and a wonderful night it was

as students and their families and school

staff gathered on September 21st for the

PTA Ice Cream Social and the Rodgers

Forge Annual Cakewalk. The evening was a

huge success, as teachers and staff

contributed their time and creative

energies to bake sweet treats for the

event. As a show of gratitude for all the

PTA does for students and teachers, all

proceeds from the Cakewalk were donated

to the PTA. A check in the amount of $1200 will be presented to the PTA. Thanks, PTA!

And… a huge thanks to the Towson University ield Hockey Team for helping to “scoop” at

the event!


During October, classroom lessons will address the topic of bullying. One of the most common observations school

counselors, teachers, and administrators notice is the misuse of the word bullying by students and adults. There is a

difference between peer conflict and bullying.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS REFERRAL PROCESS

I wanted to provide some information on private school referrals. For those of you who are interested in having your student apply to a private school, I will be responsible for processing records and referrals for our students. It would be very helpful if you could follow the procedures below. These steps will help expedite the application process for you and your child.

Please submit the application and the permission to release information forms to Mrs. Ludwig for processing (do not give the form directly to your child’s teacher). The Common Referral Form is not to be completed by our staff until after December 1st. This referral form is sent with your student’s academic transcript so that the private school receives one complete packet of information.

After December 1st, your student’s teachers will complete the Common Referral Form, which is a confidential document used by most private schools. This form requests information about academic ability, classroom performance, school behavior, and personal abilities.

Please include a $5.00 check made payable to Rodgers Forge Elementary. This fee will cover the cost of duplicating records, the large mailing envelope, and postage to mail the completed application (please do not send stamped envelopes). In the interest of your student’s privacy, we do not e-mail or FAX transcripts to private schools.

Please be patient. Allow at least two weeks for our staff to process your application package.

In order to ensure that your application is to the private school by the appropriate deadline (for most schools that is January 15th), please send in your request by December 15th. All requests that are turned in after December 15th cannot be guaranteed to be sent out by January 15th.


MAGNET SCHOOL INFO.

The Magnet School Application deadline is November 16th, 2018. All applications must be postmarked by this date. All

fifth grade students were given brochures in September. Applications can be found online at the Office of Magnet

Programs website (www.bcps.org/offices/omp). Additionally if you would like more information about the middle

school magnet programs, please visit their website.

Thank you for turning in your Box Tops. We are still counting but will be making our fall box top winners announcement soon.

Remember to be saving box tops for our January homeroom contest.

Keep collecting!

Thank you for supporting Rodgers Forge Music!

Save the Winter Concert date on your calendar now:

Tuesday, December 11, 2018 @ 6:30 pm


Musical Greetings,

We are developing our music skills and knowledge. Through singing, playing, moving, and

listening, we’re growing as musicians.

We had a great time when we performed our Teaching Peace song as part of our Pinwheels

for Peace celebration on September 21st.

K and 1st grade have been learning about steady beat and have become familiar with the

metronome. We are exploring opposites in music including loud/soft, fast/slow, up/down,

and high/low.

2nd and 3rd grades are reading rhythms and learning about melodic direction. We have

been singing many new songs and using rhythm instruments to accompany our music.

4th grade will be using recorders now through December. Students need to come prepared

to class with their recorders. We are singing rounds and creating harmony with ostinati.

5th grade has been learning about our voices, performing music full of syncopated rhythms,

reviewing dynamic and tempo markings and learning the fifty states in alphabetical order!

Sing-cerely,

Mrs. Lisa Tierney

[email protected]


VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1


October already? Wasn’t it just the first day of school last week? Time marches along ever

faster, waiting for none of us. But already this school year, time has shown us such growth and maturity

among our students: kindergarteners find their way around the building with confidence, first-graders

occupy their spots on the second floor as if they’ve been there for years, fifth-graders handle their

leadership roles with great responsibility.

And as we get to this time of year, most of us begin to think of the ways we can prevent and

mitigate illnesses associated with cold-weather months.

The best way to prevent the spread of contagious illness is by regular and thorough hand

washing. Beginning in kindergarten children are taught the correct methods and times to wash their

hands. Our teachers vigorously monitor this.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill most, but not all germs. Students are encouraged to use

hand-sanitizer when water for hand washing is not available. However, washing hands with soap and

water is the single most effective method of preventing someone from becoming sick.

As you all know, cough and sneeze etiquette is also important. Students are taught to cough

and sneeze into the bend of their elbow and to properly use and dispose of tissues.

Students with signs of contagious illness are excluded from the classroom and sent home.

Children must be free of symptoms (or cleared by a health care provider) and fever-free (without the

use of Tylenol/Ibuprofen) for 24 hours before returning to school.

Parents can certainly support our efforts in several ways:

Keep children home if they have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Do not send the child

back to school until symptoms have been gone for 24 hours.

Report any unusual illnesses to the school nurse.

If your child has a condition that requires special monitoring or care (eg., your child

takes medication that affects his or her immune system) notify the school nurse so that

we can work with you and your child’s health care provider on necessary means to keep

your child safe at school.

Reinforce and model good health habits, like proper hand washing and cough/sneeze

etiquette.

Be sure to keep your child up to date on immunizations, including annual flu shots.

Thank you to those of you who have remembered to call or email me regarding

absences of your children; please continue to do so.

As always, it remains my privilege to be your children’s nurse.

Gail Shapira, RN

410-296-2437

[email protected]


The Reading Corner

Guided Reading What is Guided Reading?

Guided reading is an explicit small group instructional

approach, in which a teacher supports each reader’s development of

effective strategies for processing new text at increasingly challenging

levels of difficulty. Guided reading is a teaching approach that leads

to independent reading. The idea is for students to take on new texts, read them first with minimal support

and read many of them again and again for independence and fluency. Meeting a variety of needs within a

small group of readers, guided reading will allow teachers to: Continually inform teaching decisions; Systematically assess student strength and drill down to their reading needs; Find out what students can do both independently and with teacher support ( instructional); Increase reading stamina; and Improve students’ self-esteem by reading orally with other students at the same level.

What is a Guided Reading Level?

A guided reading level indicates the degree of difficulty of a text and is based on a number of text

analysis. Your child’s guided reading level is considered an "instructional" level. This level is your child’s

ability to read certain texts with adult guidance. While the level is reported as a single letter, your child

reads books that vary within a range of difficulty. Books are assigned guided reading levels based on a

number of characteristics. As the levels progress, the books become more difficult. Each level is based upon

the increasing complexity of ten benchmark characteristics that readers encounter at all stages of the

reading process. These guided reading categories are:

o Genre: The type of the book o Text Structure: The manner in which the book is organized and presented o Content: The subject matter of the book o Themes and Ideas: The big ideas that are communicated by the author o Language and Literary Features: The types of writing techniques employed by the writer o Sentence Complexity: The level of syntax within the sentences o Vocabulary: The frequency of new words introduced in the book

o Words: The ease at which the words in the book can be figured out or decoded by a reader o Illustrations: The correlation and consistency of images and pictures in the books to the words

printed on the page o Book and Print Features: The physical aspects of the printed word on the page


Why Guided Reading? Students’ guided reading level will be indicated as ABOVE, ON, or BELOW grade level on each report

card. If a child is below grade level, the child’s guided reading instructional level will also be indicated on the

report card. We will be using the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System leveling system to

determine guided reading levels throughout the year. These levels, along with other data points, will guide

teachers in their small group instruction to customize learning for students.

How is my Child’s Guided Reading Level Assessed and my Child’s Progress Monitored?

Using the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, the standard is set by the Benchmark

Assessment book a student reads aloud and talks about during an assessment

conference. The books and conference style assessment will help to identify a

child’s independent and instructional reading levels. The instructional level text is

one that is more complex than the student can read independently but one that

can be read proficiently with the support of teaching. Finding an appropriate

instructional level allows the teacher to teach the student “at the edge” of his

current understanding and then to reach and go beyond it. Benchmark Assessment

conferences provide information to help:

Determine the reading levels for each student: Independent and Instructional;

Provide data to recommend a placement level for instruction;

Form initial groups for reading instruction;

Select texts that will be productive for a child's instruction;

Plan efficient and effective instruction; and

Identify children who need intervention and extra help.

Administered three times per year the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (concurrent with

MAP growth) can also document student progress across a school year and across grade levels.

Leveled Book Lists

Parents often request suggested books or lists of books what will help

their children grow as readers. Using your child’s INDEPENDENT GUIDED

READING LEVEL (provided above), you can access the following website to find

guided reading levels for many, many books -

http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/. Please also check our school website

for lists of leveled texts. The included reading level conversion chart is also an approximate and can be used

for a guide to helping your child choose just right books based upon their individual guided reading and/or

Lexile levels. Lexile levels are given on both MAP scores and iready (grades 1-3). However a book’s Lexile

measure does not always correspond neatly with its guided reading level. In fact, there can be wide

variations. ~Karrie Cook

Reading Specialist

[email protected]

@Cookreading


Grade Level

Guided

Reading

Instructional

Levels

Kindergarten A

Kindergarten B

Kindergarten C

Kindergarten D

Grade 1 D/E

Grade 1 F

Grade 1 G

Grade 1 H

Grade 1 I

Grade 1 J

Grade 2 J/K

Grade 2 L

Grade 2 M

Grade 3 M/N

Grade 3 O

Grade 3 P

Grade 4 P/Q

Grade 4 R

Grade 4 S

Grade 5 S/T

Grade 5 U

Grade 5 V

Grade 6-8 W,X,Y,Z


Library News and Notes:

Off to a Fantastic start! Our students have done a fabulous job finding books that are perfect for their own tastes

and interests. In addition, they have done a great job returning library books on time!

Encourage your child to bring their books back on time so they can check out more great

books! The rules for checkout are –

5th Grade – Can check out 3 books

2nd – 4th Grade – Can check out 2 books

Kindergarten and 1st Grade – Can check out 1 book

These limits help to ensure there are wonderful books for everyone, and encourage

responsibility.

Reading Relay 2016

What is happening in library? Kindergarteners have started their year learning the routines of the library. They have

worked diligently to learn the rules of the library, how to find their books, the

organization of the Everybody section, and how to be responsible library citizens! They are

working so hard and have done such a great job with all of the new library rules and

routines.

Students in grades 1-5 have been engaging in a variety of lessons that address how they

can practice digital citizenship in school and at home. Students have participated in a

variety of online and offline activities that address how to demonstrate respect and

responsibility online, how to prevent cyberbullying, how to leave positive digital footprints,

and how to show appropriate netiquette while online. Students are demonstrating strength

in knowing how to take our RFES Code of Conduct and apply it online.


A GREAT parent resource is https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. This website

provides many great articles and resources for promoting safe use of media in the

lives of kids, families, and schools!

Self-Checkout

All students are checking out their own library books and it is going fabulously! During

book checkout, students are able to select materials and visit the self-checkout counters

to scan their BCPSOne card and library book barcodes. This new routine allows students to

learn the responsibility of checking out books, while making the most time to circulate

materials and enjoying their selections. They have done very well with this routine, which

was introduced 2 years ago. This is teaching students to manage their time effectively and

to take responsibility for checking out their own books!

BCPS Database Spotlight

Looking for a great online resource that can support your emergent reader? Well, try the

FREE BCPS database PebbleGo. This database features “expertly-leveled text and

navigation specifically designed for your beginning researchers. Enriched with spoken-word

audio, text highlighting, and audio/video media, PebbleGo builds a foundation of research

skills for ever learner!” Check out information in the fields of animals, earth and space,

biographies, and social studies! To visit this site, just log onto BCPSOne, and click on

Digital Content and Instructional Tools. and click on the PebbleGo link. on’t forget to

have a copy of the BCPS login information to gain access. Need another copy? Just contact me at [email protected]


News

A lot of great things are happening in the Art Room!

Grade 5 students will begin creating their personal compositions using RADIAL SYMMETRY. Each design

is very unique and amazing, just like the students here at RFES. The students have free choice as far as

the subject and content of their drawings. They haved learned how to create a composition with Radial

Symmetry. Ask your 5th grade child to explain the difference between mirror

symmetry and radial symmetry.

Grade 4 students are beginning to learn about colors, color relationships, and the

color wheel by painting a unique composition that uses each of the colors of the

colorwheel. They are using the primary colors to create the secondary colors as well

as the tertiary colors. Later, we will create a self portrait silhouette to add to ue

colorwheel.

Grade 3 students will be using observation and oil pastels to

create their compositions of close-up views of flowers.

Georgia O’Keeffe is the feature artist they are learning about

for this unit of study. They have just started creating two thumbnail sketches of

their chosen flower using observation.

Grade 2 is learning the secrets of how artists create the art element of space by

creating trees in their foreground, middle ground, and background of their

landscape paintings. By making some trees appear farther away and some appear

closer they have created the illusion of space. Students in 2nd grade also learn

about the differences between cool and warm colors as

they incorporate them in their landscape paintings

also. Grade 1 is students are learning about the famous

artist, Piet Mondrian as an inspiration for their own painting. We will be

learning about horizontal and vertical lines, and what shapes these two types

of lines create. Students will be using the primary colors to complete their

wonderful Nonobjective Compositions.

Kindergarten is learning about different types of line to create different

patterns. We are using line and color to create 3 different types of patterns.

We are also learning about Symmetry as we create our symmetrical vase

compositions.

Looking forward to an exciting year in Art

at Rodgers Forge Elementary School

Ms. Kotapish

[email protected]

rodgers forge chronicles · rodgers forge chronicles volume 1, issue 1 v k k k k k k wk g...

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