January/February 2012 Volume IV, Issue 3 LANGFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Happy New Year! We are looking forward to a positive and successful 2012! I want to thank all the parents/guardians who attended their child’s Parent Teacher Conference during the week of December 5-9. Our teachers had a great opportunity to share student’s strengths and identify areas for improvement as we work toward the next marking period ending in March. Our goal is to continue to meet individual student needs and increase student achievement for all students. Principal Fox’s Corner We had an AMAZING Winter Concert held on December 5 th. Our students in band, strings, and chorus all did an outstanding job on this night. Thank you to our wonderful music teachers -Mrs. Moren, Mr. Bosco and Mr. James. We are looking forward to the Spring Concert in May. I would like to thank all our students and staff members for their donations for our “Support the Troops” collection in early December. Thanks to your generosity we were able to send a total of 18 boxes to our adopted soldier, East Hartford resident Captain Joe Socolosky and to the Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division in eastern Afghanistan. Items sent included: student cards and letters, candy canes, powder drink mixes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, snacks, and homemade baked goods. Our staff and students appreciate the sacrifice of our men and women who serve our country in the military. Some of the supplies received in Afghanistan are given to Operation Care which provides supplies to Afghan kids in nearby hospitals. Please take a look at our calendar section for important dates to remember. On behalf of the entire Langford Staff, we’d like wish you a very Happy New Year! Mr. Fox Principal IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES –Mark Your Calendars Thursday, December 23rd – Monday, January 2 nd – NO SCHOOL Sunday, January 1, 2012 – Happy New Year Tuesday, January 3, Welcome Back – Students Return to School Friday, January 6, NO SCHOOL – Three Kings Day Monday, January 16, NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King’s Birthday Friday, January 20, Brown Bag Lunch – come have lunch with your child Friday, February 3, Donuts for Dads – 8:30 a.m. in the Cafeteria Monday, February 20, NO SCHOOL – Washington’s Birthday * Tuesday, February 21, - This will be a regular school day for students * Dr. Zito wanted to make all of you aware of a change in this year's school calendar. At the Dec. 19th Board of Education meeting, the Board voted unanimously to schedule school on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 thereby eliminating the vacation day originally scheduled. Dorese Roberts – East Hartford Board of Education Member is Langford School’s “Adopt A School” representative. Her contact information: Voice Mail: 860-622-5016 email: roberts.d@easthartford.org UNIFORMS Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year,), all students will be required to wear an approved school uniform to school each day. Policy 5132 and the regulations pertaining to “Student Dress” are posted on our website (www.easthartford.org) for your convenience. Required Uniforms include: Polo Shirt (short or long sleeve) with EH embroidered logo (colors include: black, yellow & grey). Note: Uniform shirts MUST be purchased through the approved vendor-CT Shirtman. Pants in colors of black or khaki (Approved vendor style sized to fit the student) can be purchased through the vendor or at a local store of your choice. PLEASE NOTE: As the cooler weather approaches, please know that ONLY district approved accessories can be worn in school. (EH LOGO sweaters/fleece). STUDENTS MAY NOW WEAR A WHITE OR BLACK LONG SLEEVE SHIRT UNDER THEIR SHORT SLEEVED UNIFORM SHIRT. Uniform information and a link to our uniform vendor, Connecticut Shirt Man can be found at www.easthartford.org PLEASE HELP US KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE AT ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL All students who are dropped off in the morning MUST enter through the Alps Drive ENTRANCE. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.) All students who are picked up at dismissal MUST exit through the Alps Drive ENTRANCE. (students dismissed at 3:20 p.m.) Students should always be picked up from the sidewalk in the half circle driveway. Students are not allowed to cross the parking lot. Parents please stay in line and wait your turn as you enter the half circle. The Harvard Drive ENTRANCE is for BUSES ONLY! Thank you for your cooperation. SCHOOL HOURS FULL DAY SHORTENED DAY 90 MINUTE DELAY 8:45 a.m.—3:20 p.m. 8:45 a.m. -1:20 p.m. 10:15 a.m.—3:20 p.m. STUDENT HOURS -It is very important to your child’s education that he/she be in the classroom by 8:45 a.m. and remain in their classroom until the 3:20 p.m. dismissal. Please try to schedule medical appointments when the student is not in school. If you must schedule during the school day please send in a note. STUDENT ARRIVAL: All Entrance Doors to the school are locked until 8:30 a.m. Students are not permitted in the building before 8:30 a.m. as there is no adult supervision before this time. Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. must report to the main office and receive a Tardy Pass. STUDENT DISMISSAL – Walkers and students who are picked-up will be dismissed through the main entrance of the school (Alps Drive). Parents/Guardians picking children up for dismissal must pick them up at 3:20 p.m. If your child normally is a bus student and you will be picking them up you must send a note to the office. Only Bus Students will be dismissed through the back exit of the school (Harvard Drive). If your child is absent for any reason, please call the nurse at 860-622-5703 to report the absence. You can call this number 24 hours a day and leave a message. SCHOOL BREAKFAST/LUNCH PRICES Reduced Full Price Breakfast . 30 cents $1.25 Lunch . 40 cents $2.05 What can you do at home to help your child succeed in school and in life? Read to or with your child everyday! Take time out of your busy schedule to read with your child for 15 minutes daily. Ask your child what books they are reading in class and encourage your child to find books that match their interest. Visit EH Public Library on Main Street…It’s FREE ! ART – Mrs. Bates As usual the art room is bustling with activity. Kindergarten continues to work on alphabet art where what they create coincides with a letter of the alphabet. First graders have been learning about the primary and secondary colors, types of line and line direction. Second graders are working on a unit about cool colors. Very fitting for the winter season. Third graders have learned about Vincent Van Gogh and his famous "Starry Night" painting. They created beautiful starry night landscapes. Fourth graders have been busy designing their own personal crests. Our fifth graders provided wonderful decorations for our winter concert and the lobby of our school. They have gotten many compliments on their work. Our sixth graders completed a unit on Egyptian art and will begin working on a unit involving positive and negative design. PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Mr. Craig January is the month for educational gymnastics where all grades will learn skills including balancing, rolling, inverted movements, climbing the net, and vaulting. Students will get to create their own gymnastics routine by the end of the unit. It is hard for students to practice on the balance beam with boots. If your child comes to school with boots please bring sneakers in his/her backpack in order to be prepared for physical education. All students will be excited about the unit in February, basketball, as students will learn the many skills used in the game. 5th and 6th grade students will practice before they have a chance to play the teachers and parent/guardians in March Madness. The curriculum is expanding as Grades K-2 will be introduced to Heart-E-Heart a health program incorporated into physical education. 4th and 5th graders will begin to use pedometers to be able to learn about the benefits of physical activity and how much activity we need each day in order to be healthy. Mrs. Moren, Vocal Music Teacher We have had a great couple of months in music! The fifth graders did an AWESOME job at their winter concert! I can’t wait to see what they can do for the spring concert in May! The fourth graders learned about Native American music and how people from different cultures celebrate the holiday season. The third graders have been continuing to learn how to read and write music. They have started a music composition which they will play on the recorder at the end of the year. The second graders have been continuing to learn about instruments of the orchestra. They also learned how to play the xylophone. The first graders have been learning how to play simple percussion instruments as well as holiday songs. The kindergartners have been learning holiday songs as well as different ways to use their voices. The kindergartners have also been learning different ways to move to different kinds of music. SPECIAL EDUCATION – K-3 Time flies when there is lots of learning to be done. It is hard to believe we are into winter and almost halfway through the school year. I have been watching the kindergarteners grow in leaps and bounds in such a short time. They are continuing to learn their letters, sounds and sight words. It is amazing to see how far their writing has come since September. The third graders have begun to prepare for the CMTs with power hour. Skills are introduced and practiced every day. They are working hard and I know it will pay off come March. Please remember to read with your child or have your child read each and every night no matter what grade they are in. You will see the results! Mrs. Farr, Resource Teacher SPECIAL EDUCATION – Grades 4-6 The students at Langford from grades 3 – 6 have begun the POWER HOUR to help prepare for the upcoming CMT assessments. These students are giving their all and they continue to show what hard work is all about by making Langford School the best School in East Hartford! The marking period just ended and school conferences were held, I was quire impressed at the amount of involved parents at Langford. The questions were insightful and pertinent which showed how concerned our Langford parents are with the progress and future of our East Hartford youth. The 4 th graders went to the Science Center December 16, 2011 and had a blast. The entire 5th Grade continues to work diligently with inferencing, creating summaries and finding similarities and differences in their Language Arts work. While the 6 th Graders are immersed in the Ecology, the Ecosystem and a project about endangered animals among the many other educational activities. Again I want to take this time to thank you for always supporting our school as we move forward into a better and more successful future. Mr. Cerone, Resource Teacher KINDERGARTEN Our kindergarten scientists have been exploring weather and seasons. Be sure to look outside and talk about the weather at home. Kindergarten is also excited about the field trip to the science museum. There is so much to see and do at the museum. After finishing our number unit in math we will spend the month of January learning about 2-D and 3-D shapes. Look around your home and find some of these shapes and talk about them. Our blossoming readers and writers are using strategies to read and write tricky words. We are so proud of the progress they are making. Keep up the great work and remember to do plenty of reading at home! Mrs. Bedell, Ms. Citino, Ms. Ferreira and Mrs. Peck FIRST GRADE NEWS Our first graders continue to grow as readers! Students are practicing how to make connections to what they read, as well as tell the sequence of events. Soon first graders will identify and use the features of nonfiction books. As writers, students are working on writing All About Books. Ask your student to tell you what topic they chose for their own All About Book. In math, your first grader has been working hard and working with numbers up to 100! Students have practiced showing numbers as tens and ones, and adding larger numbers. We have also started a new social studies unit. Students are learning all about their own neighborhood and community, as well as communities around the world. They are also learning about the features of atlases, maps and globes! Please continue reading to and with your child each night! Mrs. Dupont, Ms. Pensa, Mrs. Todd SECOND GRADE Happy New Year! Second grade students are making great progress. They are finishing up writing fictional narratives. Our next writing unit will be How To stories. Students will explain how to complete a procedure of their choice. In reading, students will be finishing up Making Text connections. We will be giving the DRA reading assessment in mid-January. Please make sure you are reading with your child nightly. In science, the students are learning all about Nutrition and the five food groups. Please encourage healthy eating at home. In math, we will begin a new unit on Money, Time, and Data. Please practice telling time and counting coins with your child at home. Have a great winter! Keep warm! -Mrs. Jewett, Ms. Johnson, and Mrs. Ciccarillo GREETINGS FROM 3RD GRADE We have just concluded our third reading unit, “Determining Main Idea.” Students have been working very hard to use nonfiction text features likes headings, the table of contents, maps, charts, and glossaries to figure out the important ideas and supporting details in an informational text. Our next reading unit will involve locating the theme of fiction text. In writing, students have been working hard to learn and practice the 5 different expository text structures. So far, they are able to plan and write descriptive and sequential paragraphs that have a main idea sentence, supporting details, and elaboration. Way to go! Their writing is truly elevating. In math, students have just concluded a unit on using different strategies to solve word problems. They are currently working on estimation strategies, including rounding. Thanks for your continued support at home with math facts and skills! We have just started our CMT Power Hour, a daily block of time in the morning devoted to practicing the reading skills students will need on the Connecticut Mastery Test in March. All students are involved and they are working very hard, especially on organizing and elaborating their open-ended responses by using text details to prove their answers. You may see CMT related homework appearing for practice after the Holiday Break. As always, thanks for your continued support! We appreciate all you do to help your child reach his or her academic goals. Have a wonderful holiday!! Mrs. DiBiase, Mrs. Kalafus, Ms. Irvine, Ms. Simonek FOURTH GRADE NEWS It’s that time of year again…..time to start off the new year right! Fourth graders will be involved in a special learning engagement called Power Hour. This Power Hour of instruction focuses on math, DRP, reading comprehension, writing and editing/revising skills for the last hour of each day in order to better prepare our fourth graders for the upcoming CMT in March of 2012. They love it! The fourth grade had a field trip to the CT Science Center . The discovered many different aspects of science. They were able to see, hear and touch the many different exhibits on hand that gave the students an actual account as to how the real world works. Lastly, all of our students will be embarking on the study of colonial times to give them a perspective as to how life was in the, “Olden Days”……they will study how people lived in their day to day lives and be able to compare/contrast those similarities and differences to their own lives today…sorry students, no video games in colonial times…You actually had to make your own games..let the adventure begin! Mrs. Musgrave and Mr. Martocci FIFTH GRADE Our fifth graders have been working hard! In language arts, students have been working on a new unit focusing on summarizing, finding similarities and differences, nonfiction text features and text structure. Students have been working to apply these strategies in all of their reading across content areas to enhance their understanding. We encourage them to use all of their strategies when reading independently each night. You can help your child by asking them what strategies they are using and how the strategies are helping them to understand at a deeper level. Our next stop in social studies is learning about the United States Constitution and branches of government. Your child may have shared with you that CMTs are just around the corner. We have been working rigorously in order to prepare them with the strategies necessary for success. CMT Power Hour is a time during the day that we emphasize DRP, reading comprehension, math, editing and revising and writing test strategies that will help increase student achievement. As it gets closer to CMTs, please encourage your child to get to bed at a reasonable hour, eat a good breakfast and be on time for school! With your help, we know each child can be successful! Thanks for your continued support! Ms. Houghton and Mrs. Fieldhouse SIXTH GRADE The sixth graders have been hard at work studying Ecology. We are reading Living Things and Their Environments in Language Arts, and focusing on generating main ideas and details while we read. With these notes, the students are creating chapter summaries so they can better understand the text. We just began our research unit, where the students have chosen an endangered species to study. Our focus in this unit will be note-taking using an outline format. The students are very excited about putting it altogether in a PowerPoint presentation when they are finished with their research. CMT Power Hour is in full swing! The sixth graders are receiving instruction on DRP strategies, reading comprehension strategies, as well as working on the Math strands that the students will be tested on in March. It was nice meeting the parents/siblings at conferences. The home/school connection is crucial to a student’s success in school, so I appreciate all the support. Mrs. Sagendorf ATTN: ALL 6th Graders CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS Each student MUST have a Physical AFTER July 1, 2011 and turn in a BLUE HEALTH FORM to the school nurse! If your child does not have a physical he/she will not be in compliance with the requirements for 7th grade. Call your doctor early, as these Appointments will fill up quickly! Please make sure we have your current home, work and cell phone numbers on file. If you have a change in any of your contact numbers please notify the office. We are implementing the School Messenger service which will automatically call a student’s guardian in case of any unscheduled school closing or delayed opening. 860-622-5700 Tips from the School Nurse – Please be sure to keep your child home if he/she has: o Fever over 100°F in past 24 hours o Vomiting in past 24 hours o Diarrhea in past 24 hours o And if he/she has been GIVEN fever reducing medication, such as Motrin or Tylenol in past 24 hours Call my office & leave a message if he/she is out. 860.622.5703 If you receive a call from the Nurse’s Office to pick up your child, please do so as SOON as possible, so as not to expose other healthy children in the Nurse’s Office to an illness. Vision and hearing screenings have been completed. If you receive a referral, you are encouraged to contact your child’s doctor for an examination. Please then, return the completed referral. This is LICE season, please check your child’s head if you see excessive scratching, or call my office and advise me that you need me to check your child because you have suspicions. Advise your child to NEVER SHARE hats, scarves, headbands, etc. If you child needs ANY KIND of medication – prescription or over the counter – it MUST be delivered by an adult. Medication may NEVER be in a child’s back pack to deliver to school. A Medication Authorization Form is also needed from the doctor. As always, if you have questions about your child’s heath or wellness, call my office. Have a Healthy Day! Mrs. Teri A. Walsh, RN SUMO WRESTLING – LANGFORD SCHOOL VS MAYBERRY SCHOOL WAS HELD AT EAST HARTFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL ON NOVEMBER 30 TH. LANFORD SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS WHO WRESTLED AGAINST MAYBERRY STAFF MEMBERS WERE: MR. CRAIG, MS. CITINO, MS. FERREIRA, MS. PENSA, MS. JOHNSON, NURSE WALSH AND PRINCIPAL FOX. LANGFORD SCHOOL TOOK HOME THE TROPHY FOR THE 2011 SUMO WRESTLING MATCH --- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! LANGFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RRAP RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY CARING – DECEMBER 20, 2011 The following students were recognized for CARING at our RRAP assembly on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Congratulations to all of our recipients TEACHER Mrs. Bedell Miss Ferreira GRADE Kindergarten Kindergarten Mrs. Peck Ms. Citino Mrs. Dupont Ms. Pensa Mrs. Todd Mrs. Jewett Ms. Ciccarillo Ms. Johnson Mrs. DiBiase Mrs. Kalafus Ms. Irvine Ms. Simonek Mrs. Musgrave Mr. Martocci Mrs. Fieldhouse Ms. Houghton Mrs. Sagendorf Mrs. LePape Mrs. Farr Mr. Cerone Ms. Bates Mrs. Moren Mr. Craig Mrs. Walsh Kindergarten Kindergarten 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 Art Music Physical Ed School Nurse STUDENT Angelis Gonzales Samuel YeboahAnsong Tayla Lupacchino Sabian Lopez Jayleen Marrero Makhiy Jordan Kelis Terry Roshad Thompson Brianna Lawson Alaysa Ortiz Naidelin Valerio Limaryis Herrera Kailani Sheff Gianna Corrado Rose Supersad Salma Manu Celina Velez Imani Charles Karissa Museau Omar Ochoa Lopez Yarieliz Santiago Emmanuel Tovar Leonidas Fabian Jessica Wlochowski Brian Martinez RRAPers November/December RRAP RULES Grade Five Charisse Blade Nazahria Mitchell Be ResponsibleUnique Osei-Antwi Olaja Brooks Boatemaa Ennin Elian Pensa Be RespectfulAliyah Ramos Blessing Evans-Cook Samuel Ghunney Nallelys Santiago Uyen Le Emmanuel Tovar Be an Active Learner Yarielis Diaz Leon Celina Velez OCTOBER RRAP WINNERS SUNDAERyan WITH MR. FOX Micelda Lott Williams Be Ansong, a Positive Role Model K –Samuel Yeboah Leslie Adjei, Salma Manu Jessica Wlochowski Malvins Charles, Daworin Harding, Jr. Daniel Melendez 1 – Monique Davis, Orion Brooks, Jose Davila Retamar 2 – Tony Dewees, Adrian Jimenez, Jaylee Carles 3 – James Carrillo, Jiovanny Grade Solivan,Six Jaden Alicea 4 – Jose Valerio, RafaelXavier AlduenFebus Imani Charles 5 – Joseph Boakye, Daniel Melendez-Cruz Isaac Delgado Rasuade McFarlane 6 – Rayjaniell Brown Heidi Parker Elenaliz Rivera Yarieliz Santiago Sandra Valerio DONUTS FOR DADS, MUFFINS FOR MOM 2011-2012 SCHEDULE WE WILL BE HAVING OUR DONUTS FOR DAD/MUFFINS FOR MOM PROGRAM AGAIN THIS YEAR. COME AND SPEND TIME WITH MR. FOX, PRINCIPAL, YOUR CHILD AND OTHER PARENTS. A SCHEDULE FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR IS LISTED BELOW. MONTHLY REMINDERS WILL BE SENT HOME WITH YOUR CHILD. BREAKFAST HOURS ON THESE DAYS: DONUTS FOR DADS – is a special breakfast event where dads are invited to come to school early to enjoy breakfast with their children, other dads, the principal and other staff members. 8:30-9:00 A.M. MUFFINS FOR MOM - is a similar event in which moms are invited to come to school early to enjoy breakfast with their children, other moms, the principal and other staff members. DONUTS FOR DAD SCHEDULE MUFFINS FOR MOM SCHEDULE Friday, February 3, 2012 Friday, April 13, 2012 (new date) Friday, May 4, 2012 Friday, December 2, 2011 Friday, March 2, 2012 Friday, June 7, 2012 (new date) BROWN BAG LUNCH FRIDAY 2011-2012 schedule PARENTS ARE INVITED TO JOIN THEIR CHILD FOR LUNCH ON THE FOLLOWING FRIDAYS DURING REGULAR LUNCH HOURS BRING A BROWN BAG LUNCH LUNCH TIMES 11:10– 11:40 = KINDERGARTEN 11:20 – 11:50 = Grade 1 11:45 -12:15 = Grade 5 11:55 – 12:25 = GRADE 3 12:20 - 12:50 = Grade 2 12:30 - 1:00 = Grades 4 & 6 2012 Friday, January 20 Friday, MAY 18 th th