Windermere Mustang Monthly
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Windermere Families,
Love and friendship are in the air here at Windermere Elementary. February is all about celebrating the connections, growth, and kindness that make the Windermere Elementary community so special. Between Valentine’s festivities and Black History Month, our classrooms and hallways are buzzing with energy and appreciation for the amazing learning and friendships our incredible students and staff demonstrate. Our students are the heartbeat of our school, and it is such a blessing to watch their curiosity and kindness toward one another as they learn together. It is our teachers and staff who create the environment and foster the curiosity and kindness as they work to create a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment for every child.
We love our WES students, staff, and families, and February is just another wonderful time to highlight what a blessing it is to be part of the WES family.
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Sincerely,
Janet Bittick, Principal
Windermere Elementary School
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Dear Kindergarten Families,
February started with so much excitement! Jack Hartmann, the famous Kids Music Channel musician, songwriter and singer, came and performed on our very own WES stage! The kids were so thrilled to meet and sing along with the popular YouTuber! Jack’s songs help children learn multiple skills in reading, math, science and social studies. We learned that he has written over 2,000 songs for kids! Wow! Music is the perfect way to engage the brain and help students learn and retain critical reading and math skills. Check out his channel at Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel!
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This month in first grade has been filled with several fun learning activities. The students were so excited to see Jack Hartmann perform for them and they also went to Orlando Family Stage and saw a production of Tiara’s Hat Parade. The children celebrated Valentine’s Day with gift and candy exchanges, as well as a few Valentine related activities in their classrooms. To complement the week, the children had fun practicing acts of kindness and love.
In Reading, students are working on informational text and learning about topic and details; visuals/text; text features and author’s opinion. In Math, they are adding and subtracting with 2-digit numbers. In Science, the children are learning about living and nonliving things and in Social Studies, they are learning about Presidents.
Our WES school carnival was a fun time for all the children. There were many games and activities for them to participate in throughout the day. Thank you to our awesome PTO for sponsoring this annual fun event at our school.
Your WES First Ladies,
Mrs. Beavin, Ms. Lipp, Mrs. Moore, Ms. Knight and Ms. Shreves
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In reading, second graders will compare and contrast important details presented from two texts on the same topic and theme. In addition, students will learn more about biographies and use text features such as headings, timelines, titles, photographs, and captions.
In math, students will understand hundreds, model 3- digit numbers, and name place values.
In science, students will describe the weather cycle. In social studies, students will continue learning how to use maps.
The students are excited for our upcoming field trip Friday, February 20 to the Orlando Family Stage!
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As we head into February we are excited for our “Walk to Windermere” field trip. For our ELA and reading unit, we are returning back to nonfiction texts. Students are able to look for text structure with text features and compare and contrast two different texts. The most important supports for the students are finding evidence in the texts. Students are continuing to build on their morphology and context clues knowledge. In writing, they are writing about women's rights in an expository nonfiction text. In science, students are learning about more forms of energy. In social studies, students are learning about Native American tribes. Finally, in math, we are beginning an exciting fractions unit! Ask your child what they know about fractions! |
Hello Fourth Grade families!
We’re looking forward to our field trip to the History Center later this month! We’ll be able to connect our experience to what we’ve been reading and learning about in ELA and Social Studies.
In ELA, we are looking at informational texts. Students should be able to identify text structures, authors’ perspectives, authors’ claims, and central ideas and evidence. In math, we are learning about decimals! A great way to connect this to the real-world is through money. Our learners will be able to calculate their own change by the end of this unit!
In science, we are going to be learning about the effects of weathering and erosion. In social studies, we’ll continue to study historic Floridian figures. We’ll be sending home information about our Famous Floridian’s project soon!
Yearbooks are on sale! Order forms were sent home. The deadline is April 10.
Lastly, please keep reminding your student to show all their work on their math homework. We reinforce this daily in the classrooms. As we move into more challenging concepts, it is essential that they are identifying key words.
Thanks for your help!
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We are celebrating empathy as we make Valentine’s Day cards to share in our community. A lot of hearts and love, paint, colored pencils, and markers. |
This Upcoming Week In PE
Students will be starting their basketball lesson this week! They will be learning skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting on hoops. These activities help students improve their coordination, balance, and confidence while learning how to work together and follow game rules. Basketball also helps students practice listening skills, taking turns, and showing good sportsmanship while staying active and having fun!
Staying Active at Home
Being active outside of PE is important for growing strong bodies and healthy habits. Families can help by encouraging:
- Playing outside and shooting hoops or tossing a ball (baseball, football, frisbee
- Practicing dribbling or passing with a family member
- Taking family walks, bike rides, or park trips
- Adding movement breaks during the day and limiting screen time
Even small amounts of daily movement can make a big difference. Staying active helps children feel happier, stronger, and more confident both in and out of school. Thank you for supporting an active and healthy lifestyle and for encouraging your child to move, play, and have fun every day. Together, we are helping build lifelong habits that support physical health, learning, and overall well-being!
Best,
Coach Caskey
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What a great month in STEAM/Gifted classes! All the students are becoming critical thinkers and diving into the winter season with research and creativity!
First and 2nd graders did a wonderful job with R U a Square! Problem solving at its best. Third grade is knee-deep in the winter Arctic doing research on winter animals and how they adapt. They created a winter wonderland with geo snowflakes. Fourth grade has made the giant step to outer space and are creating planetary posters. Thought provoking! Fifth graders are starting the human body unit; digestion is so much fun. So are creating analogies comparing the human body to random objects. The ways we can expand our thinking!
Don't forget to message Mrs. Tidmus if you would like to check out one of the Tidmus animals for the weekend.
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