BEELINE

Catonsville Elementary October 2012

Linda Miller, Principal Laura Kelly, Asst. Principal

Principal’s Corner Principal’s Corner

Mrs. Miller would like to congratulate Abdullah T., Angelina B., Jaiden S. and Damari Mrs. Miller would like to congratulate Abdullah T., Angelina B., Jaiden S. and Damari E. for being the first “E. for being the first “Star StudentsStar Students” sent to the office to share and celebrate their ex-” sent to the office to share and celebrate their ex-cellent work! Each of their work samples now hang on the cellent work! Each of their work samples now hang on the Star Student WallStar Student Wall in the in the principal’s office!principal’s office!

Help us “Go Green!” Beginning in November, our newsletter will Help us “Go Green!” Beginning in November, our newsletter will NOTNOT be delivered be delivered in paper copies. Instead, it will be available monthly on the school’s website. Please in paper copies. Instead, it will be available monthly on the school’s website. Please visit our website, visit our website, http://catonsvillees.bcps.org/, for important information., for important information.

Coming this month! Each grade level will launch a grade level website in order to Coming this month! Each grade level will launch a grade level website in order to update parents on grade level units, activities and special events. Look for the links to update parents on grade level units, activities and special events. Look for the links to each grade level on the Catonsville Elementary School website.each grade level on the Catonsville Elementary School website.

DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR October

4 PTA Meeting 7:00pm

9 Volunteer Training 2:30pm

10 Walk/Carpool/Ride the Bus/Bike to School Day

19 No School for Students

25 Kids Helping Hopkins Kick Off/Celebration Event 4:30pm Cockeysville M.S.

November

1 First Marking Period Ends

PTA Meeting 7:00pm

2 Three Hour Early Dismissal for Students

5 No School for Students-Professional Development Day

6 Schools Closed-Election Day

14 Walk/Carpool/Ride the Bus/Bike to School Day

News from the Office….. October

Magnets

Today, each family will receive a calendar magnet in their child’s Thursday Folder. Important events, school

holidays and PTA meetings are noted throughout the year. It is our gift to each family for the 2012-2013 school year!

Fostering Independence

As we complete our sixth week of school, our students have learned the route to their classrooms and are very

comfortable in the building. We ask our parents to assist us in fostering independence in our students by allowing them

to walk to the classroom on their own. If you must walk to your child’s classroom (carrying a large project, for exam-

ple), please be sure to sign in as a visitor in the school office.

Fall Spiritwear Sale

We will be having a fall spiritwear sale beginning October 18th. There will be CES wear for students and fami-

lies. Samples of the items for sale will be available in the office window. Look for the flyer coming home SOON!!

Volunteers

Volunteers are important to our staff and to our students. If you would like to volunteer this year (including

chaperoning field trips), please be sure to complete the BCPS Volunteer Application. They are available in the school

office. Volunteer training will take place on October 9th at 2:30pm in the auditorium.

October 2012 Page 2

News from the Office continued….

Comcast

Comcast has a great deal for those receiving free and/or reduced meals. If you qualify, you can receive low

cost cable hook up and an inexpensive computer with internet training. If you think you are interested, review the link,

http://internetessentials.com.

School’s Out Notification

If there is a countywide closing of schools, parents are notified through the local media, Baltimore County

Public School website and through the BCPS information line (410-887-5555). In addition, you can register at

www.schoolsout.com to be notified directly by email. Please make sure that your child’s emergency informa-

tion is up-to-date. Just a reminder that if schools close early (for countywide early closing and/or Catonsville Ele-

mentary closing), or if BCPS cancels afternoon or evening activities the YMCA will be closed as well.

October 2012 Page 3

Instrumental Music Units of Study for October

5th Grade: The children have begun instrumental music lessons and they are very excited. We will be meeting on Mondays and

Thursdays for lessons. Please remind them to have their instruments and books with them when they leave for school.

4th Grade: Our 4th graders are doing a wonderful job on the trumpet. We have begun to use the method book and will be playing

with a CD accompaniment.

October 2012 Page 4

Music Units of Study for October

KG: Students will explore and perform various dynamic levels (volume) in many pieces of music through listening, singing, and

moving.

1st Grade: Students will explore melodic direction, high and low pitches, skips, steps, and repeated pitches through listening, sing-

ing, and performing on barred instruments.

2nd Grade: Students will analyze music in order to perform and identify the solfege pitch “Do” and the half note rhythm.

3rd Grade: Students will analyze music in order to perform and identify the 4-sixteenth note rhythm in a variety of songs, including

rounds.

4th Grade: Students will identify, define, and perform a new type of harmony, partner songs, and will discover a new rhythm.

5th Grade: Students will synthesize their knowledge of the staff, rhythm, and pitches by composing their own eight-beat melody for

the xylophone.

Notes from your favorite librarian

What a great fall it has been!

Kindergarten will be taking home books starting the week of October 9th.

Please share and enjoy these books with your child. They are all so excited!

1st grade is learning about nonfiction books and text connections.

2nd grade is learning how to use the library catalog.

3rd grade is learning how to summarize a book as well as, enter information in a story map.

4th grade is learning how to be safe in cyberspace.

5th grade is learning about cyber safety and bystander issues.

We will be starting our 4/5 grade after school book group on October 24th. I have handed out fliers to all

interested 4th and 5th graders. If your child is interested and misplaces the flier send me an email or look at my

website: http://teachers.bcps.org/teachers_elem/rkaufman2/

As always, feel free to come visit the library at any time, or send me an email if you have any questions.

rkaufman2@bcps.org

Pre-K Units of Study for October

The children are doing a wonderful job in Prekindergarten! They seem excited to be here each day and enjoy learning new things!

They are beginning to form friendships and building positive relationships with each other! We are going to have a great year!

Our next theme is, "Families Everywhere” and we will be working on the following skills and concepts in the upcoming weeks.

Reading:

*Learning about families ~ Developing vocabulary in our poems, songs and stories ~ Identifying ways that our families are special

*Practicing left to right directionality ~ Developing print awareness skills ~ Developing book awareness

*Singing rhymes and songs ~ Reading the Predecodable Book, “The Family” ~ Learning the “Open Court” Alphabet Song

*Starting to introduce the alphabet

Writing

*Tracing our names ~ Continuing to write our names using an uppercase letter for the first letter

*Continuing to become comfortable with a correct pencil grip ~ Drawing pictures to reflect family members

*Using shapes to draw pictures

Math- Our theme is, “My Family, My Community”.

*Counting by rote to twenty ~ Counting sets ~ Comparing sets ~ Making equal sets

*Using one-to-one correspondence to count sets ~ Introducing math vocabulary words

Upcoming Events

Sharp’s at Waterford Farm field trip- October 17, 2012-permission slips were sent home. Please return signed permission slip and money.

Walking field trip to the Catonsville Fire House-October 29, 2012-Look for details soon.

Reminders

Please remember to send your child one small snack and a drink each day. Please put it in a lunch container that is labeled with your child's name.

Our website is up and running. Take a look and see the information posted. It will be updated as needed.

Kindergarten Units of Study for October

The children are really getting into the routine of school. They all seem very happy and excited to learn new skills each day.

Open Court- We will continue introducing the letters of the alphabet. The children will work on identifying them in order. We will identify the

vowels, A, E, I, O, and U. We are identifying the letters of the alphabet in text and practicing writing them correctly. We will be playing word

games by putting word parts back together after we have broken the words apart. We will also look at words in order to identify which words are

long and which words are short. We will are working on rhyming words. We will read the first Open Court books, School , The Trip to

Grandma’s, and At the Zoo. The sight words in these stories are: I, see, we, and, are at and you.

Shared Reading- We will be reading the big books, In The Mirror, Waves, I Went Walking, I Like the Rain, and The Apple Tree. We will work

on using the cloze technique, using the meaning of the sentence to supply the missing word. We will develop the understanding that words are built

from letters. We will continue to work on developing the understanding that illustrations help us to build meaning of the sentences and story in

general. We will introduce the color words. We will look at words to observe the likenesses and differences in the letters and the order of them.

We will begin to look for punctuation marks; the period and exclamation point. Also, as we read the stories we will make connections about the

stories to our life experiences.

Mathematics- We will continue Our Everyday Counts Math Program for opening activities. Also during Math time we will move into the unit,

Counting and Comparing. This investigation works on developing strategies for counting objects accurately. We will also work on comparing

different amount sof quantities to find out which is a bigger number and which group has more. We will use the words more than, less than, most

and least. The children will be playing games and using manipulatives to develop these skills.

Upcoming Events: We will start our volunteers this month. If you are interested in volunteering and have not told your child’s teacher, please get

in touch with her to let her know. If you have not filled out a Volunteer Screening Form please let us know so that we can send one home with

your child.

School is closed for students on October 19, 2012.

Kindergarten Farm Day on October 31, 2012 (Information Coming)

October 2012 Page 5

1st Grade Units of Study for October

Reading/Writing/Language Arts: We will complete our Module: Growing and Changing by learning about growth and change in

animals and our own lives. We will write an opinion about a story heard or read. In Phonics we will practice blending and phoneme

segmentation by focusing on the letters Dd, Bb, Cc, Kk, Rr and the vowels Aa, Ii, and Oo.

Math: In math we will start Unit II: Making Shapes and Designing Quilts: Within this unit we will compose and decompose 2-D

shapes. We will describe and sort shapes by creating, modeling, identifying, defining attributes and developing visual images.

Social Studies: In Unit II: Living in a Family: The students are learning about being a member of a family group. The students will

explore the roles and responsibilities of family members and their interdependence as they make economic choices to meet their

wants. They will examine how family continuity exists across generations through the sharing of family customs and traditions.

Science: We are trying to solve problems with a hands-on mind-on approach. This unit, The Power of Magnets and Electricity is

designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of magnetism and electricity.

Health: Module 1: Personal Health/Family Living: The students will learn healthy ways to express needs and feelings as an impor-

tant part of growth and development. The family plays a key role in helping students learn and grow. The concepts of love, respect,

politeness, and responsibility are nurtured in the family setting.

2nd Grade Units of Study for October

Reading: We are currently reading Theme 2: Observing Nature. This unit explores stories about how nature can be observed and

enjoyed all around us. We will be learning the following reading strategies: Predict/Infer, Monitor/Clarify, Questioning, and Sum-

marizing. We will also be learning the following reading comprehension skills: Compare and Contrast, Fact and Opinion, and Cate-

gorize and Classify, Determining Importance, and Drawing Conclusions.

*We will be begin Book-It this month, please make sure your child is participating and reading each day.

Math: We started Chapter 2: Fact Strategies Addition and Subtraction. In this new unit, we will learn different ways to add and

subtract numbers that have sums all the way up to 18. Here are some math vocabularywords in this unit: count on, count back,

doubles, and doubles plus 1.

*Remember to work with your child on their math activities packet every Wednesday.

Science: Ms. Bert’s class for will be working on the STEM unit Budding Botanist. In this unit, students will learn about the plant

life cycle, parts and purposes of the parts, and the processes that plants utilize as they develop and grow. Vocabulary Words:

botanist, embryo, root, seed coat, shoot, germinate, nutrients, stem, vein, carbon dioxide, leaf, oxygen, and, photosynthesis

Health: Ms. Powell’s class will be starting the unit, Personal Health. We will be identifying healthy ways of expressing needs,

wants, emotions, and opinions to communicate care, consideration, and respect for self and others. Students will also identify behav-

iors that promote health to develop a plan for a health lifestyle. Vocabulary Words: different, special, stress, mistakes, antibacte-

rial, exercise, and energy.

Social Studies: Mrs. Stinnet’s class will study Unit 1: Geography of Neighborhoods in the Community. The students will be learn-

ing to describe physical and human characteristics of rural, small town, urban, and suburban communities. They will also use map

elements (key, title, compass rose, author, date) and learn how to read and interpret maps of communities. Vocabulary words:

citizen, symbols, community, geography, region, physical features, neighborhood, bird’s eye view, and physical and human

characteristics.

October 2012 Page 6

3rd Grade Units of Study for October

Language: Students will learn to write to sources. Students will research traditions that are celebrated differently among a diversity

of cultures. Students will research a tradition that they celebrate in their own family and describe how other cultures celebrate that

same tradition.

Reading: Theme 2 – Celebrating a Diversity of Cultures: Throughout this theme, students will work to develop an answer to the

following essential question, “How can literature provide clues about traditions and cultures?” Students will read a variety of sto-

ries and poems that celebrate a diversity of cultures and traditions from around the world. Additionally, students will determine the

main idea of a text, use text features as a tool and summarizing the story using sequence of events.

Math: Unit 2 – Place Value, Number Patterns & Money: The following skills are the “big ideas” that are developed throughout

this unit: addition properties, subtraction, using the inverse operation to help check your answers, rounding numbers to the nearest

10 and 100, estimating sums and differences using rounding. Please continue to have your child practice the basic addition and sub-

traction facts at home!

Science: Saving the Chesapeake Bay. During this unit of science students will discover actions that cause a negative impact on the

Chesapeake Bay. Students will also identify natural resources, the difference between an ocean and an estuary, and how people im-

pact the Chesapeake Bay.

Social Studies: What is a Community? Students will identify map elements and places on a map. We will discuss the people and

structure of a community. We will compare and contrast how communities are alike and different.

Health: Module 1 – Building Relationships: In this module, students will increase their understanding of who they are and how

they relate to others and the world around them. They will also develop awareness about the importance of respecting and recogniz-

ing their own feelings and the feelings of family members and friends. Finally, students will learn healthy strategies to resolve con-

flicts.

4th Grade Units of Study for October

Math

Unit 2: Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers and Money

Students will add and subtract money amounts and whole numbers through the ten thousands place. Student will also be introduced

to algebra concepts by solving equations to find the value of a variable.

GT Math

Unit 1: Multiplying Whole numbers and Decimals

Students will estimate and solve multiplication problems involving single and double digit factors. Student will also be introduced to

algebra concepts by solving equations to find the value of a variable.

Reading

Students will be exploring the Essential Question of “Who are Americans?” This first unit will incorporate various fiction and non-

fiction texts on the theme “We Are America.”

Language

Students will review the basic conventions of writing including complete sentences, capitalization, and punctuation. They will de-

velop and convey an understanding of texts read with a specific focus on opinions. We will continue to extend our vocabulary

through the use and review of Wordly Wise.

Science

Students will participate in a Fossil Detectives unit where the students adopt the role of a paleontologist through a series of explora-

tions and explanations.

Social Studies

Students will explore how the geography of the United States, and specifically Maryland, have affected the people living there. Top-

ics taught will include using maps, identifying landforms, and economic understanding.

October 2012 Page 7

5th Grade Units of Study for October

Reading:

Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Ruszkowski, and Mrs. Cohen:

Novel: Stone Fox

~ Fact and Opinion Author’s Tone

~ Sequence of Events Analyzing characters

~ Main Idea Close analytical reading

Mrs. Wilson:

Red Group- Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

~Author’s Purpose

~Summarizing and Synthesizing

~Problem/Solution

Language

All of the fifth grade classes will be working on grammar skills and writing to describe.

Math

Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Ruszkowski (green), and Mrs. Cohen:

Unit 2: Multiplying Whole Numbers and Decimals

Unit 3: Dividing One-Digit Numbers

Ms. Ruszkowski (blue): Unit 3: Number Theory and Fraction Concepts

Science/Social Studies Units:

Ms. Ruszkowski - Weather the Weather

Mrs. Wilson- Geology Rocks

Mrs. Cohen- 13 Colonies

Other

~October’s genre focus is mystery. Fifth grade will be presenting these on Oct. 31.

~Parent Teacher Conferences will be held for 5th grade parents on Oct. 9-11. Information has been sent home with your child .

~Your student should be bringing home their Math Note Book (math composition book) EVERY NIGHT!!

~All 5th grade students should know both their multiplication and division facts. Please practice them on a regular basis.

October 2012 Page 8

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE REPORT

CES is counting down the months until we can proudly fly the MAEOE Green School flag in June 2013. Although we can

see the light at the end of the tunnel we still have a lot of work to do. Next Wednesday, October 10 th we will reinstate The Walk,

Carpool, Ride Your Bike or Bus to School Day. Your child’s participation in this event will not only improve air quality, but give

them an opportunity to enter a contest to win a prize.

November will be the beginning of a new program entitled, TRASHLESS LUNCHES. Students will be encouraged to

bring their lunch in reusable containers and use a cloth napkin. This is part of the Green School initiative to reduce trash going to the

landfill. The Environmental Committee will continue to sell reusable sandwich bags and CES water bottles throughout the year. If

you would like to purchase either of these products, email Nancy Henderson at nhenderson@bcps.org. There will be more details

about TRASHLESS LUNCHES in the November Beeline.

Last Saturday the Environmental Committee, in conjunction with the CES faculty, staff, PTA, local and state environmental

agencies and many parents organized and provided support for the Second Annual Environmental Fair. The fair was attended by

over 250 students and their families, where they made paper, jewelry, napkins and weaving projects. They explored the local habita-

tion through a scavenger hunt, competed in a recycling relay race, examined land and sea turtles, peddled a bike to power light bulbs,

built a buoy, created wooden cars, investigated the invention table and partook in healthy food all while learning and promoting en-

vironmental awareness. The committee would like to thank EVERYONE that participated in the Environmental Fair. Without your

support this kind of event could never come to fruition. What a gift to our students.

Continue to think and live GREEN.

The Environmental Committee