Dates to RememberAugust 2019 26 OtisSpunkmeyerFallFundraiserBEGINS 29 SAC/PTOMeetings(6:00/6:30) GirlScoutNight(6:30PM) 30 PTOPalmaSolaShirtandJacketOrders

aredueSeptember 2 LaborDay-SchoolClosed 5 FamilySkateNightatAstroSkate(6:00–

8:00) 6 KonaIceDay 9 OtisSpunkmeyerFallFundraiserENDS

(allordersaredue) 11 ProfessionalLearningEarlyRelease

1:40pm 12 ProgressReportsGoHome 24 FALLPICTUREDAY 25 DonutsforDads(DadsTakeChildrento

SchoolDay) 26 SAC/PTOMeetings(6:00PM/6:30PM) 30 FireSafetyandPreventionWeekOctober 1 KrispyKremeSaleSTARTS 3 FamilySkateNightatAstroSkate (6:00–8:00) 4 KonaIceDay 10 SweetberriesDay KrispyKremeSaleENDS 11EarlyRelease-1:00pm 14RecordDay-NoSchool 17 ReportCardConferenceNight

(4:00–7:00) 18EarlyRelease-1:00pm 19 HarvestRoundUp(11:00–3:00) 24 SAC/PTOMeetings(6:00PM/6:30PM) 25 KrispyKremeDonutDELIVERYNovember 6EarlyRelease 11 VeteransDay-NoSchool25-29 ThanksgivingHoliday-NoSchool25-27 HurricanemakeupdaysifneededDecember 4 ProfessionalLearningEarlyRelease23-31 AlldistrictsitesclosedJanuary 2020 1 NewYearsDay-Alldistrictsitesclosed 2Alldistrictsitesclosed 3TeachersReturn/RecordDay 6DistrictInservice 7 Studentsreturn 20MLKingBirthday-NoSchoolFebruary 5 ProfessionalLearningEarlyRelease 17 Presidents’Day-Alldistrictsitesclosed

Palma Sola Elementary

Principal’s Corner

Assistant Principal’s Post

Home of the Panthers!

We are off to an amazing school year at Palma Sola Elementary School! I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing summer and is already in the “back-to-school” groove! I truly enjoyed seeing the smiles and

excitement of all the students on the first day of school – and our goal is to capture that excitement for learning each and every day of the school year!

The purpose of our Palma Sola Newsletter is to keep you informed of the many great things happening in our classrooms and on our campus. We ask that you take a few minutes to look at the information each quarter – the newsletter will primarily be published electronically through email if we have that on file, our website and via our social media apps. Should you prefer a paper copy, just reach out to your child’s teacher and we will gladly send one home.

Please help me welcome the following staff members to Palma Sola: Mrs. Janet Coleman – 2nd grade, Mrs. Christine France – 3rd grade, Mrs. Evelyn Baker – 4th grade, Ms. Gaby Ramirez – Special Education, Mrs. Mary Aksentis – Special Education, and Mrs. Kristen Castellini – Special Education. We also have Annie Day, Tracey Cusack, Amy Potts, and Melanie McLaughlin joining us as paraprofessionals and Miss Alexa Velez is our new head custodian.

NEW this year, all grade levels will be using ClassTag! ClassTag will make it easier for parents, teachers and administration to communicate. We ask that all parents sign up and look for text messages from your child’s teacher or the school. If you haven’t already received the information, your child’s teacher will be sending home information to assist you in signing up soon. We know the beginning of the school year is VERY busy, but please let us know what you think of ClassTag.

I feel very blessed to be part of the wonderful things happening at Palma Sola and am proud to be a Panther!

Jennie Grimes, Principal

Welcome back to an exciting new school year. The summer was a blast, but it was great to see the enthusiasm on all the student’s faces as they entered the building on the first day of school. I am honored to be returning to Palma Sola this year as your Assistant Principal. Last year was an amazing first year as an administrator in the district. I learned a lot and can’t wait to continue growing this year.

A little about what my role as Assistant Principal is here at Palma Sola. First and foremost, I am here for your children and their amazing teachers. I will support both of them in any way I possibly can to ensure success. This includes both academically and behaviorally. If at any time you have questions or concerns about either of those, you are always welcome to call me. You can also access, from our website, the Student Code of Conduct and the Parent Handbook. This are useful tools that will help answer most questions you might have.

Another part of my job is to work closely with our school business partners. This year, our school is working towards outfitting our classrooms with new smart technology. We have a hefty goal to reach to allow us to do this for all of our

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Volume 16 • Issue 1 • September • 2019

Welcome to Pre- K! We are so excited to meet all of our new Pre- K friends at PSE! We will begin this first quarter by exploring All About Me, Me, My Family and My School, and My 5 Senses through many hands-on activities. We look forward to beginning our Zoo Phonics curriculum in September as we are learning letters and sounds with this exciting curriculum. In Math we will focus on teaching students to count with meaning from 0 - 10. We will be participating with the Kindergartner classes who are learning "All About Colors". The teachers and students will dress up in the "Color of The Day" for 2 weeks. Each day we will learn things that are that particular color and how to recognize the color name. A BIG Thank You! to all the parents who came to Meet Your Teacher Night! We had 95% attendance!

It has been a magical beginning to the school year in Kindergarten! Our students have had a great time learning to read and write color words. They have loved dressing in all the colors of the rainbow and have enjoyed seeing friends all around the campus dressed in the color of the day!

During Reading, one of the skills we will be focusing on is the relationship between the illustrations and text of the stories we read. In the classroom, we will use big books and storybooks to look at the illustrations on the pages and what is happening in them. As we read the text, we will point out that the text tells what the illustrations are showing. When reading with your child at home, discuss the illustrations, read the text and talk about how they go together. One of the skills we will work on during Math is reading, writing and representing numerals from 0-10. During class time, we will use a variety of objects to count sets of items that match the appropriate number of objects to the correct numeral and write the numeral that tells how many are in the set. At home, use small items such as cereal, pennies,

Welcome to first grade! We are so excited to be making new friends while we demonstrate P.A.W.S. behaviors. Students will Practice Self Control, Act responsibly, Work enthusiastically, and Show kindness and respect. We will be working hard on our Standards of asking and answering questions about a text for Reading, and representing and solving problems using addition and subtraction in Math. You can help at home by asking your child questions about what the characters do and say in the text as you read together. Also, practice all the ways to make a number – 1 and 3, 2 and 2, 0 and 4…all make 4!

We will explore math, social studies, and science, while using technology to investigate our curiosities. Your child’s teacher will communicate via ClassTag regarding events and activities in your child’s classroom. Zoom on in for a magical year! Magic happens at Palma Sola Elementary!

dried beans, etc. to practice the activities listed above, that we are doing at school.

At the end of October, our Kindergarteners will be dressing up and participating in fun activities in each of the Kindergarten classrooms. As this event approaches, we will send information home about this special tradition!

We have had a smooth start to our school year thanks to the support from our amazing families. We are looking forward to a successful year of learning in Kindergarten here at Palma Sola!

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Second grade teachers welcome you to a new school year! We sure are excited about getting to know our students and are ready for a wonderful year together.

We’re starting our math curriculum with fact fluency so that our students are able to recall the answers to basic math facts automatically and without hesitation. We’ll concentrate on sums and differences up to 20. Working on this at home with addition and subtraction flashcards would be a huge help! In reading, we’ll be retelling stories as well as asking and answering questions to build understanding of those stories’ characters, settings and events. Asking and answering questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?) about the stories your child reads at home will help them to further grasp these skills.

We are looking forward to a fun-filled year in second grade! We’ll keep you informed as we make plans for field trips, holidays and other grade-level activities. Our students will be taking their first iReady diagnostic next week in the computer lab. Thank you to those of you who have already sent in headphones for your child. If you haven’t done so, please send them in as soon as possible. Thank you!

Sincerely, Ms. Chaney, Mrs. Coleman, Ms. Forssell, Ms. Ingram, Mrs. Sousa

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Third grade would like to not only welcome our new students, but also two new teachers to our team. Mrs. Jenna Russell has transitioned with her 2nd graders into 3rd and Mrs. Christine France has joined us from Mills Elementary. Needless to say, we are thrilled with the new editions to our 3rd grade team.

We would like to thank all of our students and parents for a great Open House night. We will be busy establishing routines and building our learning communities over the next few weeks. Please sign up for ClassTag if you haven’t already. ClassTag is a great way to keep communication flowing between home and school as well as keep track of your student’s nightly homework.

One of our 3rd grade standards is MAFS.3.OA.3.7 which states that by the end of Grade 3, students will know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. In order to teach this standard early on, our classes will be starting to learn our facts and have weekly quizzes. Parents can help at home by using multiplication cards, oral quizzing and using some of the many online multiplication games. Learning the facts at the beginning of the year, helps students as we get into division, fractions, and multi-step word problems.

Another 3rd grade standard is LAFS.3.RL.1.3, Students will describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. We will be using novels, picture books and our 3rd grade reader to look closely at characters and develop a deeper understanding of why characters make the choices and decisions that they do and how they effect the story. Parents can

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Extra, ExtraThank you for getting your child to school on time! We begin at 8:25 with learning. As always, we are available with any questions or concerns you may have! Each teacher may have different expectations for homework so please check your child’s agenda ask your child’s teacher if you are not sure what the expectations are.

help at home by reading with your children and asking them questions about the characters and events in the story, it can also be used when watching tv or movies by discussing the actions and outcomes of the choices that the characters make.

Finally, if you need to meet with your child’s teacher, we are available before and after school by appointment. We are looking forward to a great year and many successes from all of our students this year!

Mrs. Burt, Mrs. France, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Russell, Ms. Rankin & Mrs. Titsworth

Third Grade continued from page 3

Guess WhatWe are all so thrilled to have your children this year. It is going to be a great year in 4th grade. Thanks for all the supplies and support you have provided for our classrooms.

StandardsMath: We will learn 16 different math standards or topics. Before we begin each new topic, a parent letter will go home that will help you and your child understand what and how we will approach the standard. This quarter we will work on 4 topics: Topic 1 Generalize Place Value Understanding, Topic 2 Fluently Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Whole Numbers, Topic 3 Use Strategies and Properties to Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers, Topic 4 Use Strategies and Properties to Multiply by 2-Digit Numbers

ELAWe are working on building a reading community with independent reading, comprehension building, and standards practice. We will be working on main idea and details, prediction, character traits, setting, and problem and solution this quarter. Please make sure your child reads at home so he/she can practice using the strategies we learn every day. We will also begin writing opinion essays. We will be creating and building a writing environment in both ELA and in our writing blocks. Every quarter there will be a 2-week reading and writing text set to master the standards taught. We can’t wait to watch them grow into amazing writers!

EventsI-ready diagnostics, district writing benchmark, and common assessments will be given this quarter. SWAG will begin soon! This is a time where every student gets enrichment or remediation according to their needs. Each student will be in a small group with a teacher to assist and grow their learning. We will have 2 field trips this year! Our first field trip will be to the South Florida Museum sometime before Christmas break. Details will come home as soon time gets closer.

Hello from The Clinic

We would like to give our Palma Sola families a warm welcome. Parents, our goal is to keep healthy children in class. You can help us by providing your children with a spare pair of clothing for spills and accidents. Donations of flushable wipes and band aides are helpful to both the clinic and the teachers. The blue health service form will give you information about our services. One thing we ask of parents for the health of their children and others, is that they are free from illness for 24 hours without medication before returning to school. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the clinic staff with any questions. Have a wonderful school year. Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Michelson

The power of a smile....Wow! No matter what research you read about the muscles it takes to smile as opposed to how many it takes to frown, it is important to remember how contagious they are. Does a smile predict the success or the well-being of a child? Maybe. Maybe not. Consider this...Smiles cross boundaries of culture, have many health benefits, and they even make people look better, more beautiful! (Yes, I went there!)

It is a collective responsibility when the school doors open to greet old and new friends alike. Smiling let’s people know we care about their well-being and that we are happy to see them. It lets them know we are glad that they are present and ready to learn and work. No one should feel isolated or left out. Individuals who are isolated can become victims of bullying, violence and depression. As a result, many pull away from society, struggle with learning (and working) and social development or choose to hurt themselves or others.

We can change this with a smile and by.....drumroll, please.... saying “Hello”! Let’s jump in.

As the Sandy Hook Promise initiative continues at Palma Sola, our district will do all it can to promote the Start With Hello Week Call to Action this September 23–27, 2019. Start with Hello brings attention to the growing epidemic of social isolation and empowers young people to create a culture of inclusion and connectedness within their school, youth organizations and community. Start with Hello Week raises awareness and educates students and the community through Start with Hello trainings, advertising, activities, public proclamations, media events, student contests, and school awards. Be looking for these activities to roll out later this quarter.

A little kindness goes a long way. Let’s be the light. Let’s be the difference. “This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine.” (Now I know that I have you singing.) Why be a sour puss when a smile can be all the magic needed in the lives of others?

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School Support Specialist

No More Clipping. Scan Your Receipt.

www.boxtops4education.com

Thank You!

Now you can simply scan your store receipt with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to your school’s earnings online.

Download on the App Store or Get it on Google Play

Our students have had a terrific start to the new school year. Our first few days of school have gone by very smoothly and the students have adjusted well to “Life on 5th Avenue.” Fifth grade is set up so that our students will gain experience working with more than one teacher. This school year will bring many exciting adventures and new challenges. We look forward to a year full of learning and excitement and working with you to make this an exceptional year!

In math, students will be learning about the power of 10 and a whole lot about decimals. How to add and subtract them. How to round them. And how to compare them. If you’d like to help your child prepare for these, you can practice their knowledge of place values. Write 4 numbers and a decimal on 5 different note cards. Have your child rearrange them and say the number they see.

In reading, we will be reading many genres which cover various genres and topics this quarter. We will be getting started with our weekly vocabulary tests using Flocabulary.com. Students will be expected to learn 10 vocabulary words per week. Words and definitions will be sent home on Mondays. We will also be using Flocabulary.com for reading and social studies skills. Speaking of Social Studies, we will be starting out our year by learning map skills. Expect to see maps being sent home with your students. Students have accepted the 40 Book Challenge! Ask your child what is expected of them with this challenge.

Don't forget to sign up on the ClassTag.com so you and your child can receive class updates, homework help, and stay up to date on everything going on in 5th grade throughout the year. Thank you in advance for your continued involvement and support.

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Rockin' with Mrs. C's Art Room

Supply ListKindergarten 24 Count Crayola Crayons

1st grade 24 Count Crayola Colored Pencils

2nd grade 12 Count Crayola Washable Markers

3rd grade Box of #2 Pencils

4th grade 4oz. Bottle of White Elemer's Glue

5th grade Ream of Copy Paper

Thank you again for supporting the Art Department!

Safety RuleA bicycle rider or passenger under 16 years of age must wear a bicycle helmet that: is properly fitted; is fastened securely; meets a nationally recognized standard under Federal guidance

It would be greatly appreciated if you are able to donate any or all of the supplies to the ART ROOM. Since it is the start of a new school year and various items are being requested by teachers... please write "Art Room" on the items and have your child bring them to the art room. These items will be used by all of the students.

Just as we all have the basic supplies of pencils and pens in our homes for daily use the following items listed below are the basic needs and tools for a fabulous art room but add up quickly and significantly when it comes to budget for the entire student body. By donating the these items we will be able to focus our art budget on a magnificent and extraordinary art curriculum with materials and supplies such as various papers, paints and tools which will be implemented through various skills and techniques depicted through the elements and principles of two-dimensional and three-dimensional design.

Thank you again for supporting the Art Department!!!

"The world is but a canvas to one's imagination!"

Hi Palma Sola Family! It is great to back for another exciting year in the music room. We have lots of great things planned this year so stay tuned for the excitement for music your kids will bring home with them throughout the year!

Media News Welcome back! Hopefully everyone is excited to come back to the media center to check out some great books. For the second year the media center has an open schedule. This means that students can check out books at any time during the week. Teachers can also sign up to bring their whole class at once. During this time students can check out books, learn more about how the library works, or use the space for projects or group work.

We want students to be able to check out books whenever they need them, but for this to happen it is important for students to make sure that they are returning their books. Please remind students to keep books in a safe place. Students who do not return their books will not be able to check out new books until the books are returned. While we do not have late fees, students will be charged to replace lost or damaged books. Thank you for your help with this. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the library!

classrooms. If you or anyone you know would like to become a business partner, please call and I will walk you through the process. We are always looking for new businesses to partner with.

We do have a change in our morning procedures I would like to make all families aware of. In order to keep all children and families safe as they arrive in the morning, only the parents of Pre-K students will be admitted to enter and park in the front parking lot during arrival times. We will have a staff member located at the front gate to assist with this traffic change. All other students arriving on campus in a car will need to be dropped off through our car rider line. If you arrive after the car rider drop off is closed, you will then need to bring your child into the office and sign them in. The gates will be opened at this point.

Thank you so much for entrusting me with your children daily. If you are interested in becoming a business partner or need to contact me for any reason, feel free to do so at cherryh@manateeschools.net or my extension is 2002. Thank you for all that you do, and I look forward to an amazing year!

Assistant Principal’s Postcontinue from page 1

ESE GuidanceWOW, it’s time of the year again where another school year is underway, and for some of our students this is their first time entering a “big school”. As a parent we hope that our children’s days are filled with fun, learning and friendships. Often times, I find myself asking my children “How was your day” and I receive the same standard response of “Good” or even better “I don’t know”. So, I came across 50 questions on how to ask children how their day went. Here are some of my favorites.

1. What made you smile today?

2. Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw/showed?

3. What was the book about that your teacher read?

4. What is the most popular game at recess?

5. What was the best thing that happened today?

6. Did you help anyone today?

7. Did you learn something you didn’t understand?

8. What was your least favorite part of the day?

9. Was anyone in your class gone today?

10. What is something you heard or learned that surprised you?

11. What was the hardest rule to follow today?

12. “Is there anything on your mind that you’d like to talk about?”

13. What made your teacher smile? What made her frown?

14. If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would it be? And why?

15. If you switched places with your teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?

While focusing on the above questions, lead a conversation with your child about gratitude. Each family member can name at least one thing they were thankful for. Incorporating gratitude can create a positive attitude!

The full list of 50 questions can be found at https://herviewfromhome.com/50-questions-to-ask-your-kids-instead-of-asking-how-was-your-day/Ms. Murphy, LMHC, EdS, School Counselor

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PE Coach “Coldplay” Coleman

Coach “Stevie Nicks” Strawn

We are so excited to have EXPANDED our ESE department here at PSE! We still have our regular Self-Contained VE and resource teachers, but we have also welcomed 2 IND units from Sea Breeze! This year we welcomed Ms. Ramirez (Resource), Ms. Castellini (IND), and Mrs. Aksentis (IND)—we are so excited that they have joined the Palma Sola Family!

The beginning of the school year means reviewing a few concepts in Math and ELA from the previous school year! In the following weeks, students will be practicing math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Please practice math facts with your student at home to support the memorization process! Reading at home with your student is an amazing opportunity to spend time with them, but also to improve reading fluency—this benefits student reading levels and comprehension!

With the addition of the IND units, we get to experience special field trips! IND units take a Community Based field trip once per quarter in which students apply daily living skills (I.e, planning a party). The first CBI for Palma Sola will be 9/13! Students in the VE Self-Contained unit will have field trip opportunities with their grade levels!

Finally, the ESE department is aligning with the school goals, making communication and customer service the number one priority. We are joining our efforts towards excellence, by providing an outstanding customer service and maintaining effective communication. We want our students and their parents to know that we care about them, and that the reason for us to be in the school every day, is them. We are determined to make a difference by taking every opportunity to impact them positively and we are certain that strengthening the communication with parents and students, as well as servicing them in every possible way, will be the key to a very successful school year.

Engineering: Palma Sola Elementary School is Inspiring Elementary Engineering!

March 6 ElementaryEarlyOut 13 RecordDay-Noschool16-20 SpringBreak-Schoolsclosed 27 ElementaryEarlyOutApril 15 ProfessionalLearningEarlyReleaseMay 25 MemorialDay-Allsitesclosed26-28 EarlyReleaseALLSchools 28 LastDayStudents 29 RecordDay/LastDayforTeachersJune 1 SummerSchoolbegins(tentative)

RevisionII-06.11.19

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Stop Morning Madness“I can’t find my science book. Where are my shoes? I’m going to miss the bus!”

Sound familiar? It seems that middle graders are often looking for things at the last minute. This can turn your house-hold into a noisy mess on school mornings. Simple routines can help your child begin each day feeling calm and prepared.

The night before:• Gather books, homework, gym clothes, and other school items

in one place.• Lay out clothes.• Pack lunch.• Set the alarm.

In the morning:• Get dressed.• Eat a healthy breakfast.• Leave the house at a set time.

Dates to RememberReading Coach

Back to School Reading TipsReading at home is invaluable to your child’s education!! Children that are not given the opportunity to read at home often fall behind in school. However, a little reading at home can help them be more successful in reading, math, social studies, science, and beyond. Here are some ways you can help your child become a strong successful reader:

1. Set a Routine – Regular routines for morning and night, including nutritious meals and an early bedtime, help children feel comfortable and stable resulting in more cooperative behavior inside and outside of school.

2. Read at Home – Reading regularly at home provides the practice children need to become great readers, “The more kids read the better they read!!

3. Make a Special Reading Spot – Designating a special area with comfy pillows, blankets, and books provides a special spot for children to read with their parent/guardian.

4. Be a Great Reading Partner – Building trust and supporting a young reader is crucial as a reading partner…

a. Be patient, encouraging and gently correct mistakes

b. Give positive feedback and tell the reader they are doing a great job

c. Ask questions about the story while you are reading to help with comprehension

d. Never bribe, nag, criticize, or judge a young reader

e. Pick books that are the right level for your child, 5+ mistakes on one page is too hard

5. Surround Your Child with Books – Research shows that the number of books in a home is a strong indicator for reading achievement.

6. Bring Books Everywhere – Incorporating books into everyday activities will encourage everyday reading.

7. Set a Good Example, Be Caught in the Act!! – Children mimic the behaviors they see at home!!

8. Communicate with Teachers and Get Involved in Your Child’s School – Speaking with the adults that children talk to is a good way to relate to your child’s daily activities.

9. Set Learning Goals – Working with children to create achievable goals can encourage them to achieve their reading goals.

10. Be Enthusiastic!! – Positive attitudes are very important to you child’s reading development!! Additional Information can be found at https://readingpartners.org/blog/back-to-school-reading-tips/

Hi Palma Sola Families! I am very excited to share with you that our engineering theme for this school year is “Transportation”. We will be building cars, ramps, rockets, and boats! I can’t wait to see what you all dream up, design, and create. Welcome back and I can’t wait for this school year!