FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
June 2015
428 South Alvord Street• Syracuse, NY 13208
Phone 315•435•4550
INSIDE
Dear Franklin Families,
We are so proud of the accomplishments of every single Franklin student this
school year. They all have worked extremely hard. 90% of our students have
made significant growth this year in math and reading, therefore please congratulate them on our behalf as we are very proud of their academic successes. As the
school year comes to a close we ask that you please remember the following, if
you come to visit the school for any of our end of the year events, please ensure
that you sign in as a visitor and go directly to your destination. Your child will be
so excited that you are coming to visit while maintaining the safety of the school
community! Secondly, some of our families received an invite for their child to
attend the summer school program that will be held at Dr. Weeks Elementary
school July 1-July 31. If you did not receive the invite from your child’s classroom teacher and you want you child to attend; go to
www.syracusecityschools.com and click on the summer school link. Please understand that your child is not registered until the online registration form is complete.
Pre-K
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Kindergarten
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First Grade
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Second Grade
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Third Grade
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Fourth Grade
3
Fifth Grade
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ESL
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Library
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Music
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We look forward to seeing our fifth grade students move on to their next educa- Gym/Art
tional experience in middle school and we wish everyone a safe and relaxing sum- Dress Code
mer vacation.
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Opportunity Culture
If you need any assistance over the summer or if you change your address or con- 10
tact information, please feel free to contact the main office at 435-4550.
June Dates
Sincerely,
Katrina Allen
Kimberly Coyne
Principal
Vice Principal
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Our Mission
At Franklin we are
successful because
we read, reason,
respond, write and
strive to be lifelong learners,
citizens, and
friends every day!
GRADE LEVEL NEWS
Pre—K
We are having a wonderful time in
Pre-K. We are finishing our unit of
study on animals. Students should
now be able to identify at least ten
animals by name, state that humans
are animals, state that animals have
three basic needs (water, food, shelter) and pair pictures of mother and
baby animals that look similar to each
other. Skills that have been introduced to our young learners are clap-
ping out syllables in words, prewriting strokes (diagonal lines, crosses, curves), as well as letter/sound
identification /m/ and /s/. Within the
month of February, we will focus our
attention on the season of winter, Important People Within US History,
and Friendship. We would like to
encourage all families to spend some
time each day after school where the
child can hear a story read to them.
Further, after hearing the story, ask
your child specific questions, such as,
“Who was the story about?” or “What
happened first? Last?” or “Tell me
what you remember about that story.”
On a last note, if your child gets sick,
please keep them home for their
health and the health of the school
community.
Kindergarten
Welcome warm weather! We hope
you are enjoying the sunshine and
warmth as much as we are! With that
being said, we have started using the
playground again, so please send
your child to school in sneakers.
Sandals and flip flops can be dangerous on the playground equipment!
In ELA, we have been reading Fairy
Tales and paying close attention to
characters’ feelings, actions, and
voices. While reading at home,
please ask your child how the characters are feeling and why they are feeling that way.
In Math, we have been working on
Even though the end of the school
addition to 10 and subtraction within year is approaching, please try to get
10. While out and about, make up
your child here on time!
number stories and see if your child
can solve them. For example, there
are 4 red flowers and 3 pink flowers.
How many flowers are there altogether? Ask them to show you how they
solved the number story.
We celebrated Earth Day in Kindergarten by discussing ways to keep our
world clean. We talked about Reusing, Reducing, and Recycling. Ask
your child to tell you ways they help
our world stay clean.
First Grade
The first graders had an exciting experience taking a fieldtrip to Morrisville College on April 23rd. While on
campus, the students saw what a college classroom looks like. They were
shown different buildings such as the
Fitness Center, the IcePlex used by
the Morrisville hockey team and skating club and they saw many different
kinds of plants in the Arboretum
(greenhouse). After touring the campus, the first grade classrooms had
lunch in the Dining Hall alongside
the college students. They even got to
meet a Morrisville student who went
to the Syracuse City School District.
He even took the time to sit with and
talk to the students. Finally, we were
treated to tractor hayrides around the
campus and a maze made of hay
bales. All the students did an excellent job and we are so proud of how
they represented Franklin School!
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In ELA, we return to narrative reading and writing. Students look at
character’s feelings, traits, thoughts
and motivations. Readers learn more
about a character by using the author’s words and phrases to help
identify the character’s feelings at
different points in a story. Also, students learned to compare and contrast
ideas across the text.
GRADE LEVEL NEWS
Second Grade
This month we welcome Summer!
This marking period in ELA we will
be reading different series of texts to
study a character across a series,
study the depth of characters’ traits,
feelings, compare and contrast points
of view from different characters and
so much more! In Writing, we will be
working on a narrative about a special occasion or event with the focus
on one specific part.
In Math we are continuing to compose and decompose numbers up to
1,000 using such methods as regrouping or borrowing and carrying over,
as well as measurement, shapes, and
arrays (multiplication).
Please make sure your child is appropriately dressed for the weather, it
can become very warm in the afternoons. Homework is a reinforcement
of what we learn in the classroom on
a daily basis. Therefore, it is imIn Science we are learning about Liv- portant that your child completes
ing and Nonliving things while we
their homework and returns it. Your
compare and contrast them. We are support at home is needed and apprealso learning about the life cycle of
ciated.
animals and plants, as well as how
people grow and change.
Third Grade
Hello Third Grade Families! In ELA,
third grade students are currently
working on reading articles, books,
and online sources on nutrition. They
are focusing on healthy habits such as
school lunches, the types of milk we
drink, and the types of meals they eat.
important to not bully.
up. Students are engaged by planIn Math, we continue to explore con- ning and carrying out investigations
and are seeing a connection between
cepts such as line plots, bar graphs
math and science. They are analyzand pictographs by taking data and
putting it into these types of graphs. ing and interpreting the data gathered
It continues to be important that stu- and are sharing with others. Please
dents continue to practice their multi- ask your child about what we are
learning.
In Writing, we are working on a Pub- plication and division facts for at
lic Service Announcement. We are
least 20 minutes nightly.
Once again, we thank you for your
expanding on what we learned from In Science, the students are so excited continued support throughout the
the last unit. We are taking a stance to be learning all about water. They school year!
on something we believe strongly on discover what happens when water
such as no bullying in school, and
falls on different surfaces and how
persuading an audience on why it is much water a dry sponge can soak
Fourth Grade
April was a busy month for 4th grade.
Students completed both the New
York State ELA and Math tests.
They worked diligently and stayed
focused throughout testing. In Science, we have been working on hands
-on activities. Students have practiced measuring the volume of objects, creating electrical circuits, and
working with an inclined plane.
These activities will prepare students
and give them confidence to do their
best on the 4th Grade New York State
Science test. Thank you for your
ongoing support throughout testing.
We also visited the Erie Canal Museum at Chittenango Landing to culminate our Social Studies unit on the
Erie Canal. Students had a great time
visiting this historic site and saw examples of what life was like on the
Erie Canal. Remember to try to keep
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your child on a good sleep schedule
for the remainder of the year. Have
students dress in appropriate clothing
now that the weather is getting warmer. We are still working hard learning about Immigration and decimals
and preparing for 5th grade. Students
need to continue to complete their
homework and come to school with
pencils and other appropriate learning
tools.
Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade Learning
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3rd and 4th Grade Learning
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GRADE LEVEL NEWS
Fifth Grade
English Language Arts
We are currently implementing our
sixth unit in ELA. In this unit reading
and writing skills intersect. Students
are reading non-fiction texts as they
research natural disasters. They are
learning how to craft arguments to
state a claim that is evidence- based
from multiple sources: Should people
live in known disaster areas? Students
have been reading and chunking texts
as they record notes on cards. Each
student is expected to provide background information on their choice of
a natural disaster. However, the student must also research a specific natural disaster that has occurred in the
Western Hemisphere.
Math
Students have explored volume of
rectangular prisms by engaging in
building prisms, conducting investigations to understand the relationship
between a cubic centimeter and a milliliter. They have also composed and
decomposed layers of prisms to further their understanding. Some classes
used the concepts of volume to design
and create sculptures made of rectangular prisms. Each creation had to
adhere to specific guidelines. Students
are currently drawing special quadrilaterals to clarify their attributes and
come up with definitions based on
those attributes. Part and parcel of
every math lesson is connecting the
learning to prior knowledge and the
real world. Students must have good
reading and comprehension skills as
well as good math skills in order to
understand and solve word problems.
Science
Students are currently studying ecosystems. The essential question is:
“How do organisms interact with each
other and their environment?” Students have completed projects on
Food Chains, Food Webs, and the
Energy Pyramid. They will build terrariums and learn about the relationships between living and non-living
things on earth. Students will participate in The Nature in the City program. At the end of the program students will be able to describe the flow
of energy through a food chain you
would find in Syracuse. They will be
able to illustrate an energy pyramid
for this food chain, and correctly
identify common plants and animals
found in Syracuse as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Commendations:
Our students visited SUNY Cortland
and were very well behaved. They
represented their parents and the
Franklin community well! We will be
visiting Hughes School soon for the
Social Studies Fair and we know they
will represent Franklin again!
Tips for Fostering Success
*Encourage students to research the
natural disaster they have chosen.
*Practice math multiplication and
division facts.
*Homework is assigned regularly
and must be completed with integrity.
*Attendance on half days is important. Teachers continue with a regular academic schedule.
ESL
During the first couple weeks of May
Franklin English Language Learners
worked hard completing all four subtests of the New York State English
as a Second Language Achievement
Test (NYSESLAT). First students
took speaking tests individually with
an ESL Teacher. Then on three additional days they completed subtests
which gave them opportunities to
demonstrate listening, reading and
writing skills. The NYSESLAT is
one way we measure a student’s progress learning English. The scores on
this assessment will help determine
the length of time and type of English
as a Second Language Instruction students will receive next year. Everyone worked very hard to complete this
testing. We are proud of the students’
efforts and the progress they have
made this year.
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Throughout the remaining weeks of
the school year we will be helping
students learn strategies and create
plans for maintaining the language
skills they have developed. We will
be recognizing and celebrating group
and individual accomplishments as
well!
News from the Special Areas
Library
Hello, Franklin friends!
“Bookworm”!
I must send out a big
“Congratulations!” to the students at
Franklin for their hard work over the
last several months. Together, they
have submitted over 100 Bookworm
Book reviews. I am both impressed
and encouraged by the enthusiasm
shown and quality of work evident in
these reviews. It is our goal to have an
even higher number of students contributing to our ever growing
One of my goals this school year was
to develop the collection in the Franklin library to meet the needs of our
students, teachers, and community. As
I continue to work toward this goal, I
am gathering information from these
stakeholders to ascertain what resources are needed to hit the ground
running next year. I look forward to
gaining feedback that will inform the
decisions I make moving forward, so
that we can more effectively meet the
needs of each of our students.
Music
General Music: Spring has sprung
and there’s music in the air! Kindergarten has been learning to write music notes while First grade has been
making rhythm instruments and Second grade is learning about the Band
instruments they might want to play in
the future. What an exciting time!
Instrumental Music: You should be
hearing even more practicing going
on at home as we prepare for our end
of year concert. The concert will be
Thursday, June 11th at 9:15 am for
grades Pre-K-2nd and at 2:15 pm for
grades 3rd-5th.
playing badminton.
Our Pre-K through 2nd graders have
been working on striking. They have
hit a ball off a tee with a baseball bat.
They played miniature golf using a
pillow polo stick and kicked soccer
balls. Next up for our K through 2nd
graders is cooperative relays.
This time of year many students wear
sandals or flip-flops to school. We ask
that you please remind your children
to wear sneakers on their PE day.
Physical Education
Our 3rd through 5th graders have just
finished a unit in volleyball. They
learned the volleyball skills bump, set
and serve and then played games.
They are currently learning how to
use a lacrosse stick to pass and pick
up a ground ball. Next we will be
Art
As the year is coming to an end, students will be bringing home lots of
projects they have been working hard
on over the last few months. Take the
time and ask them to explain how
they created their work. In June, we
will continue to draw, paint, and explore clay techniques. Remember to
keep checking for any art events in
the community.
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5th Grade Learning
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Music and Library Learning
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Dress Code
Now that the spring weather has arrived we need to remember to dress appropriately. A safe, healthy and productive
learning environment has been established for all students at Franklin. We ask for the support of parents and students.
Students may not war the following in school:
 Any clothing with gang related colors, emblems or objects.
 Hats, Headbands, bandanas ort other head gear.
 Any clothing with sayings or pictures that have sexual overtones or support drugs, violence, weapons or guns
in any way (or inappropriate language).
 Clothing that allows either boys’ or girls’ underwear to show.
 Clothing that bares the midriff or is inappropriately low or short (the finger tip rule for all shorts and skirts).
Any questions as to the appropriateness of clothing, administrators will make the final decision.
Opportunity Culture for the 2015-2016 School Year
For the 2015-2016 school year things at Franklin are going to be a little different. We are going to continue our strong
focus on reading, writing, and mathematics. We will continue working towards our Mission of reading, reasoning, responding, writing, and striving to be life long learners, citizens and friends everyday! In order to do this and reach our
academic goals we are going to make some changes in our classrooms.
 For grades 2 through 5, teachers are going to teach writing and one other content area such as ELA, math, or
content (Science and Social Studies.) This means your child in these grades will have different teachers for
ELA, math, writing and content.
 Our grades will also be teaming together to best meet the needs of our students. Kindergarten and first grade
will work together, 2nd and 3rd grade will be a team and 4th and 5th will be a team. This means your child
may have a teacher who teaches both grades on the team. This allows teachers to know exactly what each
needs to know to be successful in the next grade.
 Students will have 1 day of Art and Music, 2 days for PE, and now will have library or research time.
 We will have extra teachers in the building and extra support teachers in order to meet the needs of students
and staff.
 We will be implementing lessons via technology (on the computer) to support students at their level.
We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide our students and staff with the opportunity to be taught by an expert in
the subject area. This is best for students and staff alike and will help our students progress to becoming the college and
career ready students they can be!
We will be having an information night about Opportunity Culture in the near future. Please look for more information
to come as the we get closer to the end of the school year.
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JUNE
Sun Mon
31
1
4th grade Science
Written Test
Tues
Wed
Thurs
2
3
4
Student Forums Swierk/Schneider to Kindergarten to
during AIS
White Branch 2-3
The Wild 9-2
Fri
Paris to White
Branch 2-3
6
4-5 Drummersto
Inner
Harbor
1:20-2:30
11
12
13
Spring Concert 9:15 am
(PK-2) and
2:15 pm (3-5)
5th Grade
to Hughes
for SS Fair
9-10:45
Seidman to White
Branch 2-3
5
4th Grade Picnic
9-2
Sat
SLO’s BEGIN
7
14
8
9
DeRycke to
White Branch 23
Hair to White
Branch 9:30
15
5th Grade Star
Luncheon 1-1:35
on Stage
1st Grade Picnic
on Playground
9:30-12
Pomeroy/Neimeie
r to White Branch
9:30
10
Enders Road to
Franklin for 3rd
grade Visit5th Grade to
Schiller Park
9:30-2:00
16
A-Net Testing
17
A-Net Testing
Serrao to
White Branch
9:30
Pre-K Picnic on
Playground
10:45-1:00
Donegan to
White Branch
11:30
3rd Grade to
LeMoyne College
23
2nd Grade
Awards 910 in Auditorium
24
Pre-K Moving
Up/Awards 9:00 in
Cafeteria
18
3rd Grade to
Elmwood Park
2nd Grade
picnicSchiller
Park 12:453:00
19
5th Grade Picnic 9-2 Playground
Enrichment
Program Assembly at 2:30
and 6:00 pm
4th grade
Awards 9:00 in
Auditorium
(1st grade Picnic
rain date 9-2
Playground)
4th Grade Movie 11:30-3:00 in
Auditorium
25
5th Grade Moving Up/Awards
9-11 in Auditorium
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20
Frost to White
Branch 11:30
21
22
1st Grade Awards
9-10 in Auditorium
3rd grade
picnic
12:00-3:30
Playground
3rd Grade Awards
10:15 in Auditorium
(3rd Grade rain date
for picnic 12-3:30
Playground
½ DAY FOR
STUDENTS!!!!
LAST DAY
FOR STUDENTS!
Kindergarten
Moving
Up/Awards at
1:45 in Auditorium
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NO SCHOOL
FOR STUDENTS!
HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!!!!
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PRESIDENT:
VICE PRESIDENT:
Michelle Mignano
Derrick Dorsey
COMMISSIONERS OF
EDUCATION:
Patricia Body
David Cecile
Mark D. Muhammad
Maxwell Ruckdeschel
Stephen Swift
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:
Sharon L. Contreras, Ph.D., Superintendent
Jaime Alicea, Chief Operations Officer
Cheryl Atkinson, Ed.D., Chief Ombuds Officer
Kim Bradley, Chief of Staff
Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management
Brandan Keaveny, Ed.D., Chief Accountability Officer
Paula Shannon, Chief Academic Officer
Suzanne Slack, Chief Financial Officer
Marie Perkins, Director of Elementary Education
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Syracuse City School District hereby advises students, parents, employees and the general public that it is
committed to providing equal access to all categories of employment, programs and educational opportunities,
including career and technical education opportunities, regardless of actual or perceived race, color, national
origin, Native American ancestry/ethnicity, creed or religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender
identity or expression, disability or any other legally protected category under federal, state or local law.
Inquiries regarding the District’s non-discrimination policies should be directed to:
Executive Director of Student Support Services, Civil Rights Compliance Officer
Syracuse City School District
725 Harrison Street • Syracuse, NY 13210
(315) 435-4131
Email: [email protected]
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