february 2020 horizon elementary comet courier · information from teachers, gathering student work...
TRANSCRIPT
Horizon Elementary FEBRUARY 2020
Comet Courier FEBRUARY EVENTS
Monday, February 3
•2nd Grade Field Trip to GMU tosee Rosie Revere
•Online Yearbook Sale Opens
Tuesday, February 4 RBMS Rising 6th Grade Instrument Test Drive, 6:00
Wednesday, February 5 5th Graders to DHS for Cluster Concert, 12:30
Friday, February 7 Majest Korean Team Demo Assembly
Monday, February 10 5th Grade Middle School Visits to SRMS and RBMS
Tuesday, February 11 PTA Exec Board Meeting, 8:00 PTA General Meeting, 3:00
Friday, February 14 Spirit Night at Chuck E Cheese
Monday, February 17 President’s Day, No School
Tuesday, February 25 Poetry Masters Recitations
Wednesday, February 26 Music and Emotions Assembly
Thursday, February 27 3rd Grade Bazaar
Friday, February 28 PTA Bingo, 6:30
Saturday, February 29 Last Day to Buy Yearbooks
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL…
Greetings Comets!
Congratulations are in order for Lilly Fernandez and Ranson Thayambath - Lilly was the winner of the Horizon Geography Bee conducted on January 10, 2020. She will take an online exam to qualify for the state-level competition. If Lilly qualifies she will participate in the state bee in Washington, D. C. this spring. Ranson was the winner of the Horizon Spelling Bee conducted on January 29, 2020. He will represent Horizon Elementary School at the Loudoun County Spelling Bee on March 5, 2020 at Stone Bride High School. We are so proud of both students for an excellent job! Way to go!
UPCOMING LCPS PARENT SURVEY We want to hear from you! Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will be sending the Annual Parent Survey to all parent email addresses in ParentVue in the first two weeks of February. The window for participating in the surveys will be February 18-March 6. The survey asks for feedback about the learning environment here at Horizon Elementary School to help staff in future planning. Parents will receive an email message from [email protected] via mail.questionpro.com with a link to the online survey. Your opinion is important. You should be able to answer the questions in approximately 10 minutes. All responses are anonymous. If you do not receive a survey link to participate, please contact the LCPS Research Office at [email protected]. Staff and 4th/5th grade students will also be surveyed in February/March so that we can obtain an overall picture of our school climate. Positive comments as well as suggestions are important to us!
I wanted to take a moment to thank our Comets for the special gifts, cards, notes, and other recognitions during Virginia School Principals Appreciation week (January 20-24) through the Horizon PTA Staff Relations and the school. I am truly blessed to be serving such an amazing community!
I’d like to encourage all Horizon Comets and their families to participate in the Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 16-20. See the calendar on page 6.
Warm Regards,
Jennifer Ewing
Horizon Elementary School 46665 Broadmore Drive • Sterling, VA 20165 • Telephone 571.434.3260 • Fax 703.444.7418
Absentee Line 571.434.3261 Absentee Email [email protected]
Horizon Elementary School website: www.lcps.org/horizon Principal: Mrs. Jennifer Ewing Bookkeeper: Mrs. Holly Buehler
Assistant Principal: Mr. Maxwell Merick Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Katie Wright We’re on the web! www.lcps.org/horizon Follow us on twitter: @HorizonElem
and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HRZSterling
Spirit Night at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday, February 14, 2020
Conscious Discipline Workshops started 1/22/2020Every Wednesday from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Horizon Elementary School until 4/1/2020
Please RSVP at https://horizonplta.ptboard.com/
Next PTA GeneralMeeting
February 11, 20209:00 AM
at Horizon
Past Events…
Current Events…
Future Events…
• May 2, 2020 – Auction • May 4 – 8, 2020 – Teacher Appreciation Week• May 11 & 12, 2020 – Donuts with Divas• June 5, 2020 – End of the Year Cookout
More details to follow. Please stay tuned for ways you can help or reach out to Volunteer Coordinator, Jenn Simpson at
Join us at the next PTA General Meeting!• 3/10/2020 @ Horizon (3:00 PM)• 4/14/2020 @ Horizon (9:00 AM)• 5/12/2020 @ Horizon (6:00 PM)
Questions?Contact [email protected] in getting involved?Contact [email protected]
Stay up to date with the PTA on Facebook Twitter Instagram
Spirit Night5/1/2020
Chuck E. Cheese
B•I•N•G•OFebruary 28, 2020
(snow date 3/6/2020)
Stay tuned for details and information on ways to helpmake this event a success!
Election of the New PTA Board will be held during
5/12/2020 General Meeting
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
JANUARY
Congratulations to the following students who were
selected by their teachers for consistently showing the
3 C’s (Courtesy, Care, Cooperation) in school:
Dettmer: Valentino Ratiu Abney: Lubna Khan
Toynbee: Maximus Ruskin Briskin: Addilyn Tully
Wright: Caleb Beattie Nichols: Mohammad Alobaidi
Yang: Ali Babar Parker: Symone Johnson
Wallace: Grace Fedigan
Fornatora: Dylan Hardin Johnson: Hamza Hazique
Perka: Hayley Starr Strohl: Zoe Whitehead
Seufert: Adrian Malapira Wasser: Natalie Fedigan
Rooker: Mohamed Abdelkhalig Zahid: Elianna Davis
Gruehn: Penelope Perez
Drury: Rayna Shah Tate: Christopher Prickett
Griffith: Ashana Hormillada Estacio: Amber Garcia
Jeffers: Nate Avoletta Harrison: Sophia Fraim
Maher: Tommy To Mueller: Sofia Bousselhami
Rohrbach: Sahil Reddy
LCPS GIFTED ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Spring, 2020
Elementary Gifted Eligibility Referral Window - January 27 - February 7, 2020
If you are interested in referring your child to be evaluated for gifted services, please
submit a referral form to the gifted resource teacher at your child's school during the
referral window mentioned above. Parent/Guardian Referral forms can be printed by going
to LCPS Gifted and Talented Education page and scroll down to the 2019-20 Gifted
Eligibility Information link.
Determining eligibility for gifted services begins with a referral. The process of gathering
information from teachers, gathering student work for the portfolio, and testing (if
necessary) takes time. Since the division level committee reads the portfolios in March and
April, SEARCH teachers will not have enough time to prepare the portfolios for students
whose referrals are received after the February 7 deadline. Referrals must be submitted
during the established referral window.
For Parents of 3rd Grade Students
District Referrals - Students with qualifying test scores on the CogAT and/or NNAT will
receive a district referral via US mail in the end of January. With parent permission (via a
signed referral form returned to school SEARCH teacher), these students will be evaluated
for gifted services.
Parent Referrals - Parents of students who do not receive a district referral letter, but
who wish to have their children evaluated for gifted services, may submit a parent referral
form to their child's SEARCH teacher from January 27 – February 7, 2020.
For Parents of 4th and 5th Grade Students
Parents of 4th and 5th grade students who wish to have their child evaluated for gifted
services, may submit a parent referral form to their child's SEARCH teacher from January
27 – February 7, 2019. 5th Graders who are found eligible will begin services in Middle
School.
Click here to Order Your Copy Beginning 2/3/20!
*Last Day to order is February 29th!*
*Any remaining books will be sold on a
first come, first serve basis in June.
The price will be higher at that time.
Order yours now to guarantee you receive a yearbook!
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK
Kindness Challenge Calendar - Elementary
FEBRUARY 16 Leave a Note Leave a nice note for someone to find today. Examples: -You have a nice smile -Thank you for being a good friend. -You’re fun to play with.
17 Random Act of Kindness Day Do an act of kindness for someone & encourage them to pay it forward.
18 Be Inclusive Invite a classmate you don’t really know to join you in an activity.
19 You First Let someone go down the slide first.
20 Dance with Me Put your favorite song on and invite a friend or family member to join in on the dancing.
21 Compliment Someone Today give someone a genuine compliment. Examples: -I like your hairstyle today. -I like how you’re helpful.
22 Double Duty Go for a walk with a parent/guardian and bring a plastic bag. Pick up paper or trash you see along your walk.
La Semana del Acto de Generosidad Inesperado
16 Deje un mensaje Deje un mensaje a alguien para encontrar hoy. Ejemplos: -Tienes una sonrisa bonita. -Gracias por ser un amigo bueno. -¡Eres muy divertido!
17 Dia del acto de generosidad inesperado Haz un acto de bondad por alguien y anímelos a pagarlo.
18 Sea inclusivo Invite a un compañero de clase que no conoces bien a una actividad.
19 Primero Deja que alguien baje primero en el tobogán.
20 Baila Conmigo Pon tu canción favorita e invitar a un amigo o familiar a bailar.
21 Hacer un cumplido a alguien. Hoy, haz un cumplido a alguien. Ejemplos: -Ese peinado te queda bien. -Me gusta como eres tan atento.
22 Doble el deber Ir a dar un paseo con un padre o tutor y llevar una bolsa de plástico. Recoge el papel o la basura que ves a lo largo de tu paseo
© 2020. SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators • www.shapeamerica.org• 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191 • 703.476.3400 • Fax 703.476.9527 • [email protected]
Calling all Poetry Masters!!! The next Poetry Masters of 2019-2020 school year is here! Students in grades 1-5 are invited to participate in this fun and challenging activity that celebrates poetry of all kinds. Recitation Day is Tuesday, February 25!
How does it work? Once each month, the Poetry Masters’ Flyer presents a choice of poems that vary in difficulty. The flyer will be available the first week of October in the front office. The challenge is for students to memorize one poem and recite it to the poetry listeners on the designated date. This is a fun, confidence building activity that students can work on at home by practicing their poem aloud. Poetry listeners are here to support and encourage students in their efforts!
Options for recitation: 1. Students can choose a poem from the Poetry Masters’ Flyer, from their class poetry units, or a favorite poem of their own. Come with a copy of the poem you will recite. 2. Students may write their own original poem beforehand and recite it from memory but must bring a copy to school with a parent’s signature. Students who correctly recite the poem will receive a Poetry Masters prize and see their names in the Comet Courier! In addition, our “POET-TREE” in the school will showcase the names of participants as well as original poetry! We look forward to seeing and hearing these Courageous Comets on 2/25!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING COURAGEOUS COMETS WHO RECITED POEMS IN DECEMBER:
Braxton Haas Yarelis Rosado Lopez Hayley Starr Adam Gamal
Caroline Downs Nina Daignault Zoe Whitehead Liam Tully
Evie Whitehead Addison Dudenbostel Emma Keller Samheetha Vasan
Bella Holloman Leah Kidwell Saira Kumar Mallika Gandhi
Malia Abney Karthik Madireddy Madeleine Downs Miranda Reese
Lilly Fernandez Antoni Bejnarowicz Hamza Hazique Lydia Yang
Autumn Bernier Kami Cerniglia Katelyn Luke Alexa Barry
Abby Goldsmith Adriana Wagoner Eva Bhatnagar Andy Nguyen
Sydney Dolese
for More Content!
Attention Parents and Guardians of 2nd Grade Students:
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a group-administered assessment
intended to estimate students' learned reasoning and problem-solving
abilities through a battery of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal test
items. Horizon 2nd grade classes will be taking the CogAT 3 consecutive
days in February. Tests are administered online, and teachers will do practice
tests with students the week prior to testing. Students need to do nothing to
prepare other than getting a good night sleep and arriving at school on
time. Testing days vary for each class.
A February note from PE…
Promoting heart health is something that we do year-round, but February is officially dedicated to
highlighting and promoting the importance of heart health. This third quarter we will definitely get
our heart rates up starting with the following units: jump roping, basketball, fitness stations, state
fitness testing as well as volleyball too. We take pride in our program and are committed to giving
the students the best instruction possible. We develop and improve students’ personal fitness and
motor skills by providing developmentally appropriate activities through purposeful, creative and
enjoyable instruction. By incorporating challenging yet achievable tasks, our Comets will attain
positive attitudes about physical activity and movement. Every child is expected to participate to
the best of their ability each day they attend class. Please send a written note or doctor’s note
explaining lack of participation. Lastly, this time of year we see an increase in students who are not
wearing sneakers. We are ALWAYS concerned about your child’s safety and for that reason; we ask
that they wear athletic or running type shoes. Shoes with heels, boots or sandals make it difficult for
children to participate safely. We strongly encourage students to wear socks with their shoes and
girls that choose to wear dresses or skirts should wear shorts underneath their clothing.
Welcome to the Library!
Attention Horizon Families:
The Spring Book Fair is April 13-17. Please email Jennifer Christiansen ([email protected]) if you’d like to volunteer. Thank you!
Music Notes
Attention Parents of 5th Graders:
• The Dominion High School Cluster Concert is Tuesday, February 4 at 1 PM • The River Bend Middle School instrument test-drive night is Tuesday, February 4
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The make-up day is February 11. • Seneca Ridge Chorus Night- Wednesday, February 12 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Attention Parents of 4th and 5th Graders:
• 4th & 5th graders are studying the recorder during the 3rd grading period (ending
on March 26).
• Students should be practicing 45 minutes per week, getting their practice log
signed, and bringing their recorders back to school on the day they have music.
4th & 5th graders will receive four different grades this quarter: 1) their response to the usual daily listening example 2) participation during class (effort) 3) remembering to bring their recorder and method book (hopefully in a folder) 4) getting their practice log signed every week.
Attention Parents of 2nd Graders: We've starting rehearsing for the upcoming musical, "Jukebox Time Machine" which is coming up on May 6th. Please stay tuned for more information that will be sent home from your child’s teacher in the coming weeks. As usual, please stay up-to-date by visiting the Horizon music website at https://www.lcps.org/domain/7132
Spring Clothing Drive Coming in March
Spring will arrive soon, and you may be cleaning out your closets. Horizon
will be collecting clothes for distribution to families within the Sterling
community during the month of March. Start gathering your gently used, out-
grown clothing and shoes that are still in great condition now. More
information will be coming home soon!
Save the Date!
Plan to attend Multicultural Night on
Wednesday, April 29th!
Our Multicultural Event will include performances and displays that showcase and share your unique culture or country of origin.
More information coming soon.
A note from the Art Room...
• Please follow @hrz_artroom on Instagram for more updates on current projects! • Check out the following link to see awesome creations by 5th grade students using
Adobe Sparks program!
https://padlet.com/clara_yoon/3x052xjgcuf7
Mrs. Yoon & Mr. Freeman
PLASTIC BOTTLE TOPS NEEDED FOR GARDEN PROJECT! Hello! Last school year we began a new project of updating our courtyard. We are in the process of
creating an interactive outdoor learning space and garden. To make the space more inviting and eye-catching, we will be working on a few outdoor art pieces. But, we need your help! The garden team is
collecting plastic bottle tops. We would love bottle tops ranging in color and size. We will begin collecting these on Feb. 3rd and collection will run until March 6th. Thank you for your help with this
project! Please send your bottle tops in a baggie labeled Garden Project. THANK YOU!
Donate Used toys! Do you have any gently used toys that you could pass onto the preschool students in need? The Early Childhood Special Education- Autism (ECSE-A) class would love to have those preschool toys (Age: 2-5 years old) of all types. We also need crayons, washable markers, playdough, etc. Please drop off toys to the Front Office (attn: Room 4), or feel free to send them in a bag in your child’s backpack. Contact Su Ji Park, ECSE-A teacher, with any questions at [email protected]. Thank you!!
Read Across America!
Read across the United States! Did you know that it is 2,680 miles
across the U.S.A.? Let’s celebrate Read Across America at Horizon
Elementary School the week of March 2-6, 2020 by reading 2,680
books!!
Each class will be given miniature book cutouts for students to write
the title of the book they finished reading. There will be a basket
outside of room 36 to put the completed cutouts. Then look around
the school to see the books mapped out from New York to California!
This is going to be a challenge!! We need everyone to read in school
and at home. Cutouts will be sent home to write the books that you
are reading and bring back to school. Read-alouds at home and school
count too! If we can read all the way across America, our principal,
Mrs. Ewing will dress up as the “Cat in the Hat” and read all day on
the roof of our school on March 11th!!
Read Across America
Spirit Week
Dear Families,
Dr. Seuss week is March 2-6, 2020! In honor of one of our
favorite authors, we are going to have a Dr. Seuss Spirit
week to celebrate reading! Each day will coordinate with
one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books.
Monday: Cat in the Hat—wear a fun hat
Tuesday: Oh, the Places You’ll Go—wear a
college jersey or t-shirt
Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday—wear wacky
clothes, such as mismatched or backwards
Thursday: Fox in Socks—wear crazy or fun
socks
Friday: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
–wear a red shirt or blue shirt
Grades K–5 Family Tips
Help Kids Make Friends and Interact Safely Online
Soon after kids start reading
and writing, they often
begin interacting with
others online. Whether
they're chatting within
games or texting family
members, kids need the
skills to interact
respectfully. These skills will
help kids -- and the people
they're communicating with
-- have positive experiences
online.
Check out these 4 tips
1 Give them the right words.
Kids learn about appropriate verbal and physical communication from watching you.
But online conversations can be invisible. Occasionally, narrate as you're writing texts
or social media comments when your kids are in earshot.
2 Play a game of telephone.
Discuss how a message can change depending on the person delivering it or the
delivery method. Read a question like "What are you doing?" with different tones of
voice. Talk about how emoji and punctuation can help communicate tone and emotion
in text messages.
3 Help kids navigate online friendships.
In the beginning, you might limit all communication with strangers online. As kids get
older, you can monitor any online chatting. And once they're more independent, you
can discuss which methods of communication are appropriate as well as which types
of information to keep private from online-only friends.
4 Develop their instincts.
Help kids trust their guts so they can exit iffy or inappropriate online conversations.
Discuss different scenarios and ask how they would feel and what they would do.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/family-tips/k-5-relationships-and-communication
© Common Sense Media 2018. Lessons are shareable with attribution for noncommercial use only. No remixing
permitted. View detailed license information at creativecommons.org.
OFFICE REMINDERS
Students are permitted to enter the building each morning at 7:30 am. Those students ordering breakfast may go straight to the cafeteria. All other students will go straight to their classrooms to start unpacking and start their morning routines. The start bell will sound at 7:50 am. The school day begins promptly at 7:50 AM. Students MUST be in their classrooms at 7:50 AM; arriving after that time results in an UNEXCUSED tardy, unless a doctor’s note is provided. Students coming in after 7:50 AM must be escorted into the building by an adult. School dismisses at 2:35 PM. Parents picking up students prior to dismissal are required to sign them out in the main office. All visitors to the building should begin their visit in the main office. Once in the office, a staff member will sign you in using our visitor management system. Any forgotten items should be brought to the office. This will cut down on interruptions to the class.
ABSENTEE/TARDY Please email the Horizon absentee email at [email protected], or call the absentee line at 571-434-3261 to report the absence or late to school information for your child.
AFTER SCHOOL PLAN Anytime your child has a change in his/her after school plan, please send a note in with your child in the morning. The office cannot redirect children after school on the basis of a phone call. If an emergency necessitates a change during the day, you may fax the instructions to us at 703-444-7418. Please call the school to verify we received your fax.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in any of our school programs, please contact Mrs. Ewing, Principal at 571.434.3260 at least five working days prior to the activity.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)
The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.
The 2019-2020 SIP can be found on the Horizon website and will be updated soon.
LOST AND FOUND
Horizon Elementary has areas designated for lost items such as lunch boxes, and clothing. Students who misplace their belongings can check in the Lost and Found that is located outside the cafeteria by the water fountains. Items of value or importance such as glasses, jewelry, and keys are kept in the front office. If your child has lost an item, please encourage them to check in the Lost and Found or with the office secretaries. Items that go unclaimed will be donated to a local charity at the end of each quarter.
SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
Atoosa Reaser, Algonkian District – [email protected]. You can also follow her on Facebook, “Atoosa Reaser, Vice Chair, Loudoun County School Board” Brenda Sheridan, Sterling District - [email protected]
Denise Corbo, At Large – [email protected]
HORIZON IS ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER!
Visit Horizon's Facebook page to keep up to date on school events and happenings! Check us out at: facebook.com/HRZSterling and be sure to Like our page to get your updates.
We are also on Twitter. Click the links below our calendar to follow us!
https://www.facebook.com/HRZSterling https://twitter.com/HorizonElem