VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1
WILDCAT NEWS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014
Chisholm Elementary
New Smyrna Beach, FL
PRINCIPAL’S NOTES:
Dates At A Glance
Sept. 8.……….Grandparents Day
Chisholm Wildcats,
The 2014-2015 school year is off to an exciting start! Embarking upon
a new school year is a time to set new goals and challenge ourselves to
reach higher than we have ever imagined. It is important to sit down
with your child and make a plan for a successful year. For some it
might be to get to school on time, for some it may be to learn more
about a subject area that is difficult and for some it may be to make
better choices! I once read that successful people set goals, read
every day and continuously learn. Students who are in school on a
regular basis will have an opportunity to read every day and learn new
things. These students will also very likely reach their goals as well.
Those are 3 things we all can do!
This year several people have joined our Chisholm Wildcat Family!
Mrs. Emily Evans in Kindergarten, Mr. Marvin Warren in Second Grade,
Mrs. Ashley Daughtry in Third Grade, Mrs. Debra Triplett in Third
Grade-Gifted, Mrs. Elizabeth Tucker in Fourth Grade, Mrs. Julie Reheiser in Fourth Grade-Gifted, Mrs. Susan Heming-Academic Coach
and Mrs. Kimberly Stevens-Assistant Principal. With all of these new,
energetic faces we are well on our way to having a successful school
year. Let’s make it a great one!
Sept. 12………….…..Picture Day
Sept. 15……...Student Holiday/
Teacher Work Day
Sept. 17…………......Open House
Sept. 17-26……............Book Fair
Oct. 20..……. Student Holiday/
Teacher Work Day
Oct.27-31 ……Red Ribbon Week
Oct. 27……………...Report Card
Distribution
Early Release Days
September 10, 17, 24
October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Here at Chisholm, "We are loving to learn, learning to grow, and
growing to succeed!”
-Ms. Carter
First Days
of School
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WILDCAT NEWS
KINDERGARTEN NEWS:
C RANDALL, EVANS, A., EVANS, E. AND ROOF
As October approaches, we are getting really busy in kindergarten. We have
begun settling into a regular routine. Here are some of the things we are
working on:
Phonemic Awareness: rhyming (cat, hat, sat), blending phonemes (ta + ble = table) and beginning
sounds in words.
Math: numbers to 10
A Reminder:
Letters and sounds: Mm, Ss, Tt, Aa and Pp– Please be sure
*We are collecting Box Tops at school.
your child can recognize, write, and produce the sound of the
uppercase and lowercase form of the letter.
Sight Words- see, the, you, can, me, and, we, isn’t, can’t and under
FIRST GRADE NEWS: BEVERLY, BOWE AND GOODKNECHT
First Grade
We are off to a GRRREAT start this year! As you know, the first weeks of school involve “getting to
know you” activities, classroom rules and routines, procedures, reviewing concepts, and assessments.
Please be patient as these evaluations take place.
Homework is due on Fridays. It is mandatory that you complete your homework activities. We are
practicing to look for patterns in words to become good readers and spellers. We also must review
our math concepts so that we can become super problem solvers. Don’t forget to read nightly and
have a parent sign that you read. Parents, please look over your child’s Daily Folder nightly and sign
where indicated. This is our most important means of communicating.
In October, we can look forward to our pumpkin carving lesson, Columbus Day Activities, and
Halloween! If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact us through your child’s Daily
Folder, e-mail, or phone here at school. Thanks for a terrific beginning to a brand new year!!
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V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 1
SECOND GRADE NEWS: GRANT, NAVARRO, ROOF AND WARREN
Second Grade is off to a great year. We jumped right into our reading series the first week of
school. We are focused on plot development, characters and settings, and making predictions. We
are working on short and long vowel sounds. In math, we are reviewing our basic facts and have
begun place value. We are working on reading skills with Waterford. This technology is a resource
to support your student’s reading. We are learning about the different types of science tools and
studying our great country. Please review all of your child’s work with them every Friday when it
goes home in their folder. Review any tests they may have taken. We appreciate you signing the
weekly reports every week. We have such a good Second Grade and look forward to a productive
year.
Second Grade Teachers
THIRD GRADE NEWS: : BROWN, DAUGHTRY AND FREY
Third grade is off to a great start this year. We adjusted to our new
teachers, classmates, and classroom. What a fantastic bunch of third
graders!!!
We have begun to complete some district level assessments. If you would
like to go over your child’s results, please contact your child’s teacher.
Reading is our main focus. We will work on fundamental reading skills constantly throughout the year. It is very important for you and your child
to read each night. We are writing personal narratives.
Third grade Math is proving to be a challenge to all. We have worked on
place value, rounding, estimation, adding and subtracting, and multiplication.
Science experiments are very exciting in third grade. We learned about
the scientific process and now we are moving onto our unit on Stars and
Gravity.
We are looking forward to a great year!
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V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 1
FOURTH GRADE NEWS: CIARAMELLA, DILL AND TUCKER
One of our many goals from year to year is to keep parents informed as much as possible and keep the
lines of communication open between everyone.
Homework folders are turned in and checked daily. Complete reading logs are a great way to earn pizza
certificates from Pizza Hut for the Book-it program. Homework folders are a great communication tool,
along with our school email address. Weekly reports with graded papers also go home in the homework
folder on Fridays. This is an excellent opportunity for you to see how your child is performing in the four
subject areas. Yes four now….Reading and Language Arts are combined! Then there is Math, Social Studies, and Science. Please review & discuss with your child the assignments that they were successful on and
assignments that they need to show improvement. Reading is integrated into all subject areas and comprehension is essential in being successful in all subject areas!
We hope you are all aware of our Reading Counts program. This program, directed by our media center,
allows students to earn points by reading books of all lexile levels and take quizzes on them either in the
media center or the classroom. Points for books are based on their readability level and can range from 2
points to 40 points. Our Harcourt stories each week are Reading Counts, which is an easy way for student
to earn a few points each week. We read numerous chapter books throughout the year too which are also
Reading Counts. Please encourage your child to read and check out books that are reading counts books.
Each day we cover many subjects such as reading, writing, language arts, math, and social studies or science. The reading process is ongoing as you know, and we build on our background knowledge weekly.
Language Arts concepts include pronouns, subject and predicates, verbs, the writing process, punctuation
and capitalization and much more! We have not yet mastered multiplication facts, and it is evident in students work. Keep encouraging students to work on multiplication!
FIFTH GRADE NEWS: HOPKINS AND MITCHELL-BUTLER
Our 5th graders are off to a great start! We have been reading some great stories. The
students have read about coniferous and deciduous forests, space camp, and some great
fictional stories. We have also been reviewing multiplication and division. Please practice
your multiplication facts every night. Our 5th graders know about the Scientific Method and
are looking forward to starting a unit on Space. Many of our students have been taking
reading counts tests. Please encourage your child to read every night and to take reading
counts tests when possible.
Many of our 5th graders are taking part in extracurricular activities
as well. We have Lady Cats, Safety Patrol, and SGA. They
are also participating on the morning announcements.
We are looking forward to a great school year!
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WILDCAT NEWS
GIFTED NEWS - KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADE: TRAUB
Our class has already gotten busy in all subjects! We have been studying about the rainforest and
making some of the animals we have learned about. It’s a jungle in our room!!!! In reading we have
been discussing characters and setting in many stories. For writing we have been working on conventions (spaces and punctuation) and also sounding out words. Math is all about numbers! Kindergarteners are practicing counting and writing numbers. My first graders are hard at work with
numbers up to 120! We all work on a number of the day each morning. This includes learning about
even/odd, place value, number lines, and fact families. In science we are learning about
science tools and investigating. Social studies is focused on rules, friendship, and responsibility.
Please remember to read nightly with your child and try to complete STAR homework. Our class is
focused on working together for homework
(and behavior) to create a sense of community in our
room!!! Thanks for all of your support!
GIFTED NEWS - 2ND GRADE: WEEKS
So far, we have settled into our second grade classroom. Students are getting acclimated and enjoying being
back at school. We have jumped right into to school work. We have just begun to read the book, Rules, by
Cynthia Lord. It is a wonderful book about understanding people with disabilities, accepting people for who
they are, and loving everyone.
We are working on simple mathematics and will be moving on quickly. Students should
know their addition facts without using their fingers. We are working on inquiry and
the scientific method. In social studies, we have exploring primary and secondary
sources. Please remember to encourage your child to be creative and to read each and
every day. I am enjoying getting to know your children. I can tell it is going to be a
great year!
GIFTED NEWS - 3RD GRADE: TRIPLETT
Third Grade Gifted is busy learning many exciting things! Currently we are
researching cave drawings and will be doing some drawings of our own. We are
practicing rounding of numbers in math, and are reading a great novel,
Dear Mr. Henshaw. We are also learning about types of maps, and are
beginning to write in our journals.
We are off to a great start of the year!
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V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 1
GIFTED NEWS - 4TH GRADE: JOHNSON AND REHEISER
We are off to a spectacular start to the 2014-2015 school year. We want to welcome all of our 4 th graders
back to Chisholm…we have a wonderfully exciting year ahead planned! We have taken the first weeks of
schools to reacquaint ourselves with each other and to welcome Mrs. Reheiser to our group.
This year we will continue to focus on improving academic skills in our core subjects through a multitude of
math resources utilizing problem solving strategies and Number Talks, Daily 5, Reading Counts, Literature
Circles, Science Fusion and investigations, and History Alive…as well as developing “open mindsets” when it
comes to our learning. We are thrilled to introduce some new technology especially the use of the Renzulli
Learning system online. As in past years, we will continue with monthly Literacy Projects throughout grade
levels for all the gifted students. The first project was given at the beginning of September (reading a
Newbury or Caldecott book & creating a visual and written representation) and will be due Tuesday,
September 30th. October’s project will be “Pumpkin” Book Reports!
In addition to our studies at school, we have already started planning field trips for our classes. Our first trip
will be in October to the Canaveral SeaShore. More information will be coming home in the near future.
GIFTED NEWS - 5TH GRADE: MCDONALD
Welcome back Chissy Cats!
You were missed!!! Hope your summer was restful & jam packed with family fun!
This year, as we embark into fifth grade…we are predicting smooth sailing!
In math, we are reviewing number sense as we are moving into decimals & division with a little algebraic
thinking for good measure! We are really focusing on patterns, making tens and complex problem solving. We
are using a variety of math resources this year with a concentration on problem solving; talking about
solutions; and using many different strategies to solve problems.
We are currently reading Scurvy Goonda—a crazy adventurous novel about a boy & his imaginary pirate! It’s
quite clever! We have also resumed our Literature Circles—this rotation we are focusing on quality “book
chats”. We have viewed some wonderful examples of kids talking about books—perhaps your family could
read a book together & practice “book chats” at home—it’s a fun way to connect with your kids and
literature!
In Social Studies we are studying African Americans and the history of slavery—we will soon be learning all
about the Civil War (novel will be Will at the Battle of Gettysburg).
We begin our year of science with the scientific process. We created some really cool cave drawings & used
our observation and data collection skills. We will continue to expand our knowledge with experiments, investigations and inquiries—sometimes a simple experiment can really make a big impact! Next unit in Science is
the Solar System!
In addition, we are practicing cursive handwriting; working on fluency with our math facts (5 minutes a day
& you got ‘em!); and our writing focus is personal narrative.
So happy to be together again! Here’s a wonderful year of learning, fun & friends!
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WILDCAT NEWS
ART NEWS: TAPPAN
Welcome back Young Artists and Family! I am so excited to start my 4th year at Chisholm
Elementary!
K-1 = We’re Kickin’ it with Kandinsky this quarter, as we learn about how this Russian artist used
shapes & colors to express his ideas. We are practicing the safe way to use scissors & glue for
collages, & soon will jump right into painting. All of this is helping develop not just our motor skills,
but also our problem solving skills!
2-3 = Let’s Go, Van Gogh! Easily one of the most influential & recognizable artists in the world, we
are looking very closely at the paintings of this Dutch post-impressionist. Using a combination of
problem solving skills, math & creative thinking, we’ll create a variety of art works inspired by Mr.
Van Gogh!
4-5 = Up Close with O’Keeffe introduces our students to the larger than life works of Georgia
O’Keeffe. Science & Art come together as we observe & explore shells, flowers & even animal
skulls to create our art work!
SCHOOL WAY CAFÉ NEWS: CURTIN
Welcome back! We are excited to be able to provide nutritious meals for
your child for breakfast and lunch. Our prices are as follows:
$1.00 for a full paid breakfast
$.30 for a reduced price breakfast
$2.00 for a full paid lunch
$.40 for a reduced price lunch
Check out MyLunchMoney.com to see how you can make payments, get notified of your child’s balance and
keep track of what they are choosing for their meal. Please call me at 386-424-2540 x 34899 for your
child’s individual ID number to set up an account.
Each meal includes healthy choices of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats and cheeses and low fat and
fat free milks. Students may choose up to 4 items at breakfast and up to 5 items at lunch. Small snacks and
water are available for sale each day at lunch. Please feel free to call with any questions you have about
your student’s account. I will be happy to help you in whatever way I can.
Pat Curtin, Cafeteria Manager
386.424.2540 x 34899
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GUIDANCE
We’re off to a great start and it’s good to be back!
As the school counselor for Chisholm Elementary, it is my goal to help your child get the best possible
education. A good education includes not only learning to read, write and do math, but learning social skills.
This means among other things, learning to get along with other children, making positive decisions, controlling
anger, accepting responsibility and being aware of strengths and weaknesses. Many of these skills are taught at
home. It is my intent to supplement learning that takes place at home with individual and classroom guidance.
Guidance Themes for 2014-2015
September: Character Education & Work
October: Decision Making Skills
November: Gratitude
December: Community Service
January: Skills for Learning
February: Relationships for School
March: School Success
April: Health and Safety
May: Career Success
Red Ribbon Week, a national drug awareness initiative, is October 27 – 31.
The theme for Red Ribbon Week is, “Paws-itively Drug Free”. Each day will feature an activity.
First Semester in Guidance
Guidance lessons throughout the months of September and October will focus on showing respect for self and
others and learning to look for the good in everyone!
BUCKET FILLERS!
I strongly believe that our school can be a nurturing and safe environment for all. One of my goals for the year
is to replace negative behaviors, thoughts and feelings with skills that involve treating others kindly.
Each classroom will have their own bucket to fill as they recognize one another’s goodness and celebrate
kindness as it takes place in their classroom community. Drops of kindness come from everyday acts like
sharing, giving complements, encouraging statements, contributing to a positive classroom atmosphere and
helping others. Classes will be recognized on the morning announcements for filling their buckets!
Bullying and aggressive behaviors do not have a place in school. On the other hand, acts of kindness should be
recognized and rewarded. Being “Bully-proof” is an ongoing lesson of resilience that requires everyone’s
participation – parents, teachers, students and administrators.
A note of “Thanks” to those who so generously gave school supplies and support to our school: The Jewish
Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties, Gentiva Hospice, Grace Manor, St. Peter the Fisherman Episcopal
Church, The Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 4250, Church Women United, Heart of Worship Church, Massey
Services, Inc., Kona Ice, First Baptist Church of NSB, Ms. Mary Ward, Ms. Marge Lamb, and Ms. Gladys
Bachman.
Best wishes for a great school year!
Marla DeLoach Griffin
School Counselor
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WILDCAT NEWS
Welcome back to school, parents!
This year, our school will be participating in the Box Tops for Education
program. Clipping Box Tops is an easy way for you to help our school buy what it
needs. Box Tops are worth $ .10 each and they quickly add up to real cash for
our school for Running Club, FFEA, SGA, Art Club, Lady Cats and the Chissy
Buck Store. This school year, our schools goal is $2,000.00.
To help our school, just look for pink Box Tops on products, clip them, and send them to school. For more
information on the Box Tops for Education program, including a list of participating products and our
school’s progress, visit www.BTFE.com. Be sure to become a member to receive exclusive coupons and
recipes and learn about extra ways for our school to earn.
Send your box tops in an envelope to your child’s teacher. The class with the highest amount of box tops
collected wins a pizza party. One class will win in December and another class in May.
Thank you for all your help!
GLEE: Gifted Learners Enrichment & Education, A Parent Booster Club
Welcomes back to our returning and new families for another exciting school year!
We would like to announce and welcome Stephanie Doster as the new GLEE Coordinator for the 2014-15 school
year. She may be contacted anytime at [email protected]. Last year we had a great time in clubs and we
can’t wait to get it started again! Mark your calendars; clubs will be starting September 25th. Please go to the
following link on our school website on the activities page
Look for our table at Open
www.myvolusiaschools.org/school/Chisholm/Pages/Activities.aspx
House where there will be
to print out a registration form to be turned in no later than
th
opportunities to sign up as a
September 12 . You can also expect a copy to be sent home with
volunteer.
your child.
Our Chissy Chess Team last year became the first Elementary Chess team
in Volusia County! Our entry into the Scholastic K-12 Championship was
also a first and we plan to return this year! Come be part of the fun!
CLUBS OFFERED THIS YEAR
THURSDAYS
- 9/25/15-12/04/15
2:10-3:05 WILDCAT WONDERS (Music Room)
3:10-4:05 Odyssey of the Mind (Think Tank)
FRIDAYS:
9/26/15-12/05/15
2:10-3:05 Chess Club (Think Tank)
2:10-3:05 French Club (Music Room)
3:10-4:05 Fine Art Painting Club (Think Tank)
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V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 1
MATH
LITTLE
Parents know to read to their kids at night,
but what about math?
Your child’s math skills at kindergarten entry are a better predictor
of school success than reading skills or attention span.
The top 15 highest-paying jobs all involve math skills.
More U.S. college students choose to major in “leisure studies” than
in all physical sciences combined.
Our kids need to read to succeed—but they
also need to do the math.
www.bedtimemath.org
MEDIA CENTER
Dates:
September 17-26
Times: 8:00 am-2:30 pm (Closes at
noon on the last day)
Special Events: Come to Open House
on September 17 from 6-7 pm
and visit the Book Fair!
Place:
Chisholm Media Center
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WILDCAT NEWS
LADY CATS
Lady Cats are off to a great start this year with 39 girls on the dance team, and our manager Susan Pacini.
We are thrilled to have Susan as our team manager and welcome her with open arms! Our team consists of
4th graders this year, who will be acting as an understudy in preparation for their 5 th grade year. I love all
the interest that girls in school are showing in our dance program which is why we want to welcome our new
girls. Lady Cats are doing a wonderful job learning drill commands, stretching, formations for warm ups, and
a hip hop routine in preparation for the Halloween Show. The Showdoll Halloween show at NSB High School
is TBA and only returning girls will be performing. New girls will make their debut soon!
Mark your calendars for the 1st Lady Cat Night at McKenna’s Monday September 22 nd from 5-9.
Bring your friends, neighbors, and family to share in a fabulous evening! We’ll be selling candy and chocolate
bars for our fall fundraiser!
In the upcoming months, we will be preparing for the NSBHS Showdoll Christmas Show and the NSB
Christmas Parade Saturday December 6th, NSBHS Homecoming Pep rally, and more each Tuesday from 2:15 –
5:15 in the dance room. Stop by and check us out!
Yours in Dance, Mrs. Dill
Congratulations to the 2014-2015 Lady Cat team:
Allen, Natalie
Alonzo, Natalie
Burns, Sienna
Coolbeth, Eylish
Farmer, Abigayle
Federico, Lily
Frey, Brooke
Gallagher, Thea
Grimaldi, Ava
Hankins, Dawntaysia
Hesselton, Cydney
Hesselton, Cymone
Jacobs, Isis
Landis, Shayla
Lawson, Tiana
McDonald, Toni
Norman, Emma
Osterman, Rylie
Shaver, Haven
Traub, Kendall
Traub, Sydney
Washington, Olivia
Hankins, Demeria
Rodrigues, Thayna
Bobbitt, Hannah
Green, Jayda
Simpkins, Myla
Murray, Paige
Grice, Amarie
Hope, Eli
Bradley, Janna
Metchick, Zoe
Michaux, Amanda
Richards, Amity
Norczyk, Haylee
Rogers, Riley
Darrisaw, Faith
Hendrix, Emily
Brodus, Ta’Mori
Pacini, Susan -manager
Coach – N. Dill
Assistant Coach – Emily Porcelli Kim Scherder, Catherine Tobin
Guest choreographer Coach Jen Grisell & Kim Ball
Community Support
People for the Drug Free Youth, Aaron’s
Heating & Air, Inc. , Chisholm Elementary
PTA, McKenna’s Place & Hottie Coffee
Chisholm’s Motto:
We Are Loving To Learn,
Learning To Grow,
and Growing to Succeed!
CHISHOLM
557 Ronnoc Lane
New Smyrna Beach, FL
32168
Phone: 386-424-2540
Fax: 386-424-2500
Kelly Carter, Principal
Kym Stevens, Assistant Principal
Doris Hayward, Editor
We’re On The Web
http://myvolusiaschools.org
Click on the Schools Tab
Click on Chisholm Elementary
Chisholm’s Code:
I Am Respectful!
I Am Prepared!
I Am Responsible!
I Am Safe!
Interested in becoming a Chisholm
Business Partner?
Please contact Sue Jones at 386-4242540 ex. 34700
Thank You To Our Business Partner:
First Baptist Church