Robert Boateng

IDYLLWILDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

We Believe in YOU!

December 2012 ~ Volume 1 Issue 4

Cooperation Honesty Expectations High Express Respect Responsibility

Principal’s Message

Season’s Greetings to our Idyllwilde Families! Report cards for the first twelve weeks of the school year went home on November 19th.  Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns.  A strong home/school partnership is vital for the success of each child.  We celebrate our students and staff for their giving spirit.  Our Student Council is involved in the canned food drive to help our families this holiday season. Students and staff are also involved in our 10th annual Variety Show. Proceeds will go to the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children.   I would like to announce that Mrs. Kim Rodriguez has been selected as our School-Related Employee of the Year.  Mrs. Rodriguez is a paraprofessional in one of our autistic classrooms. She will do an outstanding job representing Idyllwilde Elementary!We embrace all students, all cultures, and all traditions at Idyllwilde Elementary, and we extend our best to all of you for a wonderful winter break and a safe and joyful holiday season.  Until next month…..

Carol Ann Darnell Principal Idyllwilde Elementary

Principal:Carol Ann Darnell

Assistant Principal:Keaton Schreiner

430 Vihlen RoadSanford, Florida(407) 320-3750

Visit us on the web at:www.idyllwilde.us

December Events4th Variety Show at Seminole High

School - 6:00 pm

6th SAC Meeting - 6:30 pm

11th Sonny’s Family Night - 5:00-9:00 pm

14th PTA Movie Night - 6:30 pm

18th Winter Chorus Performance - 7:00 pm

Papa John’s Family Night

19th-21st Early Dismissal Days - 1:00 pm

24th- Jan. 8th School Closed

Jan. 9th School Resumes

Lunch Menu available at:http://foodservice.scps.k12.fl.us

Falcon ForumCongratulations to the following students for reaching an AR

point level!10 POINTS 25 POINTS 75 POINTS

Estrella Acevedo Carson Casler Courtney HaTacoreia Babcock Jennifer Ebberhart Micaela HernandezCorey Camacho Joshua Figueroa Joshua KrausmanMia Cruz-Nesci Allen Guillen Malik RodriguezTydarius Jones Brooke Johannes Samantha Tanner

Michael Maldonado Anthony MarinoAniya McClary Jayden Matheny 100 POINTSEthan Randall Devesh Patel Robert Boateng

Faith Riley Ana Peralta-GuerreroNatascha Rivera Ashlynn Wise 150 POINTS

Andrea Rivera-Maldonado Ofa GableJulio Roman 50 POINTS Alex Kolb

Preston Shadrix Gabrielle HuffmanK’Juan Simms Jaden RuskNyssa Then Yaritzel Ramirez-Rogel

Endure Williams

Idyllwilde Business PartnersSeminole County Sheriff OfficeCrossing Guard CornerDid You Know…

Pedestrians shall not walk in the

roadway if sidewalks are provided. This is one important law that students and parents alike need to pay attention to. It is so dangerous to be walking in the street. Many motorists are distracted while driving. So make sure to use the sidewalk to keep yourself in the “Safe Zone.” Also, parents, please pay extra attention when you are driving in and around school zones. Our School Crossing Guards are watching out for our students who are coming and going and we want to keep everyone safe for the holidays.

Extra! Extra!

KindergartenWelcome to December! In kindergarten this month, we will learn about music and art during our reading block. Students will explore different genres of music and different modes of art. In math, we will explore 3D shapes. Students will learn which shapes can roll, slide, and stack. We will dig deeper by sorting shapes by attributes. We will also explore the many holidays celebrated during the month of December. Don’t forget to check planners daily and to send in a list of books your child has read for a free pizza coupon! From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

First GradeHappy Holidays! As we approach this festive time of the year, we are encouraging our fantastic first graders to express compassion towards family and friends as a Fabulous Falcon! In language arts, we continue to explore the various types of nouns. We will learn the importance of capitalizing names of days and holidays. We will also learn how to discriminate between the proper use of “I” or “me.” Our focus in writing will be on word choice. Our students will learn how to creatively choose words to enhance their writing assignments. The continuance of proper penmanship will be highlighted as an imperative skill. In reading, we will continue to build our students’ ability in how to identify key details in text, along with identifying the main idea of text. Our focus has shifted in math from addition and subtraction problems through 18 to reading and representing two-digit numbers as tens and ones. In social studies, the students will learn about “My Country, My Heroes.” They will study about the history of our country and how the fifty states represent the United States of America.

They will also learn how the fifty states share commonalities such as laws, symbols and celebrations. Our time in science will be utilized in investigating how forces can change the direction of an object. As this time of the year comes to a close, it is our hope that your child has been equipped to take on the challenges that await them in the new year!

Second GradeWe are getting ready to head into the second part of the year. Doesn’t time fly? Our sensational second graders are becoming more and more responsible and working on getting ready for third grade! They are working hard to achieve this by mastering skills and maintaining a high level of responsibility. Thank you for your continued involvement. Please continue to sign planners nightly and check for notes or information. Homework is given daily. It is practice for a skill that we have studied in class and your child should be able to explain the concepts to you. Please check his/her homework and provide assistance as needed. In reading, we are using questioning strategies. Questioning serves as a comprehension check that helps monitor the students’ understanding. Please remember that your child should be reading for at least 20 minutes nightly as well writing a brief summary about what was read. In math, we are adding numbers with regrouping through the hundreds place value. We want our students to be able to use a variety of strategies. Ask your child to explain their reasoning and how a problem was solved when checking their homework. In addition, please continue to study and practice basic facts daily. In writing, we have been working on writing expository pieces. Our students must “explain to the reader…” or “give reasons why…” in their work. Over the break, have your child keep a journal in order to keep his/her writing skills sharp! In science, we have been studying the different forms of energy.

We have learned how we use energy and how the sun warms our homes. Our next unit will focus on forces and motion. In social studies, we are studying Native American culture. We continue to be so grateful for all the help and support you give us with your children. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Third GradeOur third graders are working very hard in all academic areas. As they learn about text features, such as captions, sub titles, headings, illustrations and photos, please use your reading times at home to find these and discuss why the author uses them in a story. Even though this is a great time to celebrate the holidays and relax with our family and friends, please encourage your child to continue to read nightly and keep a daily response, with at least 3 meaningful sentences, that they can show their teacher when they return. Our math wizards will be venturing into fractions. Here they will learn parts of a whole and parts of a group. They will need to understand the difference between equal and unequal parts. We have also begun the Everglades curriculum (math) which reviews all essential skills and prepares the students for the upcoming FCAT. Have a safe and festive holiday break. See you in the new year.

Fifth GradeWe are so thankful for our 5th graders and the progress they continue to make.  You can ask your child how he/she did on our latest round of the DE testing (reading, math, and science).  Many of our students made significant gains, and we have been celebrating with the students.  There is still much work to be done, however.  In reading, we will continue to focus on plot structure in narrative texts and text features in expository texts.  We have also been working on components of main idea, which is a broad concept that encompasses many important skills.  In math, we are working through division and will head into fractions next.  Your child has been working on subtracting money amounts, so feel free to have him/her calculate change to get back when you are out shopping!  We are heading into forces in science and then will begin our unit on the structure of living things.  Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions about the curriculum we're covering or grades/comments on the recent report card.  Thank you again for helping your child succeed in school! 

ChorusThe Idyllwilde Chorus will be performing a “Night of Music” on December 18th in our multi-purpose room. The concert will begin at 7:00 pm. The chorus students will be singing holiday music with other selections included. Ms. Sacci would like the chorus members to dress up in holiday clothing or their Sunday best. Singers need to be at school by 6:45 pm. Our Recorder Ensemble will also be in the concert. Our chorus will also be in the Variety Show on Tuesday, December 4th. Singers need to wear their Idyllwilde chorus shirt and arrive at Seminole High School by 6:15 pm.

Student CouncilStudent Council is currently sponsoring a canned food drive that will run until Dec. 20th. We are collecting non-perishable canned food items which will be used to assist families within our school community. Collection boxes are located in classrooms and in the front office. Please send in any items with your child for the food drive. Thank you for your help with this project!

Fourth GradeStudents are in full swing and working hard to succeed. In math, the students are doing an excellent job with multiplication and are moving on to division and fractions. Since math skills build upon one another, please make sure your child does their best in completing their math homework daily. Students should be fluent with their math facts (addition, subtraction and multiplication). Fluency is demonstrated when the student can recall an answer without any hesitation. Please practice a few

moments each night to increase your child’s success in math. Students are developing into true authors as they write narratives about their personal experiences. We are now moving into expository writing in order to be prepared for the FCAT Writes in February. Students are learning the key elements of expository writing and how to develop it with supporting details, such as facts, explanations, evidence, examples and anecdotes. In science, we are exploring how the earth and the moon move and how that movement affects our lives. Finally, in social studies students are learning about the early exploration of Florida and the early settlements that resulted. We appreciate all of your support as we work together to achieve success this year.

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