Chestnut Street Parent Newsletter

The West Hempstead Union Free School District recognizes the unique value of each student. It is dedicated to the success of each student based on the highest standards of excellence in education. Each student will be challenged to achieve mastery in all subject areas in an educational atmosphere that strives to build positive self-esteem, mutual respect for others, and a life-long quest for learning.

#RamPride #RamFam

Please be sure to revisit this newsletter throughout the month for updates!

• Please complete the Parent University Input Survey below to offer to present a workshop or to express what workshop topics you would be interested in!
• Photo Retake Day is Friday, December 3, 2021.
• If your child will be absent, please call Nurse Angela before 8:30 AM at 516-390-3155
• If there will be a change in your child's afternoon transportation, please write a note or email to the teacher. For last-minute changes, please call Ms. Leto before 2:00 PM. 516-390-3150.
• PTA meeting Monday, November 29th at 7:30 PM in the George Washington cafeteria.

As you talk to your child about their day, consider asking him or her to explain more about what they learned, why it is important for them to know, and how they know they have mastered it. These questions are part of our Visible Learning work.

We are pleased to offer our families and staff the "Parents as Partners" webinar series with Educational Consultant and Trainer Dr. Jennifer Bashant. Dr. Bashant is a founding member of Building Better Futures, L.L.C. The focus of Dr. Bashant's work is to provide different opportunities for parents and staff to support their child's/students' success in school as well as one's own well-being through self-care.

Please note in order to access the webinar series, you must register via email at kristen@buildingbetterfuturesllc.com . Upon registration, you will receive the virtual link and password to the workshop session. Even if you are unable to attend a live session, by registering you will automatically receive the link to the recorded session. See detailed information below and on the district website here: https://www.whufsd.com/page/parents-as-partners-webinar-series

Please be sure to read at home with your child every night in whatever language you are comfortable with.

We are winding down in our We Are Reader's Unit. We have learned all the foundational reading skills that we will build upon as we grow as readers! See the images below to know more about each skill we've learned or will learn by the end of this unit. Each colored post-it note is a different lesson from the unit. You can use these at home to support your child's literacy!

Continue to read your books from the library, the sight word readers, and the guided reading books as well as the books your child borrows from the classroom library!

In December we will be publishing our first pieces of writing - our List/Label books! We will write about our favorite foods or our favorite people. Stay tuned for our published pieces!

Please be patient with your child! Encourage them to listen for the beginning sound of the word they want to write. They are not expected to spell words correctly. Phonemic awareness is the goal- matching letters to their sounds.

See below for some big ideas from our writing unit!

Some of the 'Non-Negotiables' that you can expect from your child's writing include:

• Use more than one color when drawing

• Use real-life, appropriate colors

• Figures have shapes for body

• Sketch matches the “label” (word, letter, etc.)

In December we are exploring making shapes, filling hexagons, and 2-D Geometry!

Students will answer the essential questions below. Be sure to ask your child these questions!

• What are plane shapes?

• How do you describe 2-D shapes?

• What are solid objects?

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Students will work on the following skills:

• Describing, identifying, and comparing 2-D shapes

• Counting and representing quantities

• Composing and decomposing 2-D shapes

We are also using ST Math to support deep conceptual understanding via personalized learning. You must use ClassLink to access ST Math. The link is below.