Cougar Cubs Are Special!

Fall Edition November 1 2017

Principal’s Corner Greetings Parents and Guardians! Thank you for allowing the faculty and staff of Surry Elementary School to serve your children. The Cougar Cubs are very special to us and it is our desire to make a positive difference in their lives. Our school theme this year is based on the Disney film Zootopia. “Welcome to Surry Elementary School’s Schooltopia; Where anyone can be anything!”

L. Bell, Editor

Please help us to encourage your children to:      

Attend school each day. Be kind to others. Take turns and share. Complete and turn in all homework assignments. Be accountable for his/her behavior at school. Obey school & bus safety rules by following the 3 Rs: Being Responsible, Being Respectful and Being Ready to Learn & Ride

We are proud to announce that Surry Elementary School remains fully accredited! Thank you for being our partner in your children’s education as we strive to build excellence…one student at a time. Respectfully, Principal

News from the School Counselor Tracey D. Gilchrist, M.Ed.

Cougar Cubs’ Paw Prints

SURRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Mrs. Ann Marie Nelin

Pennies For Patients Campaign Kick-Off

Our school has accepted the challenge of helping to find a cure for blood cancer by participating in the Pennies for Patients Campaign on November 1 – 21, 2017! We are joining over 29,000 schools across the nation to make a difference and raise as much money as we can! During that time, our school will be working to reach a goal of $700 - $1700. Our theme is “Cougar Cub Squad…Because Every Hero Needs a Squad.” A letter will be sent home that talks about the Pennies for Patients campaign. During the campaign, students are encouraged to bring in loose change. Remember that students should not go door-to-door asking for donations. They should only ask family and friends. The two homerooms that raise the most money will win a pizza party. LET’S HAVE FUN FOR A CAUSE! HELP US MAINTAIN A BULLY FREE ZONE Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Here at Surry Elementary School, we are serious about protecting our students from bullying. We need everyone’s help to make sure our cougar cubs are not bullied in school, on the playground, or on the bus. You can help by reporting any concerns to the school administration or school counselor.

S U R R Y E L E M E N T A R Y S C H OO L

News from the School Nurse 1600 Hollybush Road Dendron, VA 23839 (757)267-2558

The Mobile Dentist will be here Nov. 27th, 28th and 29th. It is not too late to turn in the application. Nurse Cowan

We are on the web— surryschools.net

CHARACTER COUNTS Each month we put focus on character building. September - Respect October - Responsibility

Pre-Kindergarten The Mighty Pre Kindergarteners went to the Pumpkin Patch at Darden Farms. It was a great field trip to include our theme ‘5 Senses’. The students used their senses to explore the farm. They saw goats, sheep, cows, hay and cotton. The farm animals gave them plenty to smell. The students were able to hear Mrs. Dee Dee tell them about the many household items that are made from soy beans. The goats, corn and cotton were available for the students to touch. For the sense of taste the students ate their lunch under the pavilion outside. It was a wonderful time had by all.

November - Trustworthiness December - Kindness January - Forgiveness

February - Love Kindergarten

March - Perseverance April - Honesty May - Sincerity June - Honor

Calendar of Events

Kindergarten has been very busy the first nine weeks! Our kindergarteners have worked hard these first nine weeks to learn routines, make friends, learn the school and classroom rules, and adapt to the kindergarten classroom. In addition to learning expectations we have been learning various things from our curriculum. In science we learned about our senses and colors. Reading is fun too! We learned our letters, letter sounds , and how to write sentences. Social studies is where we learned about citizenship and maps and globes. While in math we learned our numbers, comparing numbers, and even how to write the numbers. Our first nine weeks also brought us our first field trip of the 2017-2018 school year. In October, we went to Darden’s Country Store and Farm. The students had a great time riding the hayride, learning about the farm, and picking out their very own pumpkin! Thank you to all of the chaperones who came along on this trip to help! The second nine weeks will be busy too, but we will continue to do our best and make sure that we have fun while learning.

November

16 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

2 - Grandparent’s Picture Day

22-24 - Closed for Thanksgiving

6 - Beginning of the 2nd Semester

27-29 - Mobile Dentist

8 - PreK Thanksgiving Show at the REC Center

December

10 - Report Cards 13 - Closed for Veteran's Day 14-21 - Scholastic Book Fair in the Library 16 - Early Release 12:10

5 - K Field trip

Surry Elementary School is Fully Accredited! The school’s report card may be viewed at: http://www.surryschools.net/education/s chool/school.php

8 - 1/2 Day Professional Development

or on the VA Department of Education website:

18 - 4th Grade Field Trip

http://www.doe.virginia.gov

20-Jan 2 - Closed for Winter Break

First Grade News Fall is here and we are excited to learn all about the season. First graders are reading books about fall, engaging in writing activities based on fall images and vocabulary, and participating in fall themed activities with their classes. You can say we have “fallen” for autumn.

Second Grade NewsOn October 27th, the second graders participated in a fun morning of Harvest Activities. Students rotated to each 2nd grade class where they completed different Fall activities in Math, Reading, Science, and Writing.

Third Grade News - Metro Richmond Zoo On Friday, October 13, 2017, the third grade classes had the opportunity to visit the Metro Richmond Zoo. Mother Nature afforded the students and chaperones a rain-free day with mild temperatures to take a stroll on the zoo grounds. The students were very excited as they entered an amazing world of animal life. The trip began with an educational presentation discussing the differences between reptiles, birds and mammals presenting Ophelia (bird), Capri (penguin) Rosie (opossum) and an albino python. The presenter discussed the physical and behavioral adaptations of each. Afterwards, the students and adults were able to take a self-guided tour of the zoo. It was truly an experience to be able to get up close and personal with many of the animals. They were even able to feed some by hand- goats, camels, deer and giraffes. The most popular of the animals seemed to have been the giraffe (in which you were able to stand face to face with) and the new cheetah cubs that were recently born. We even got to see the “Blue and Gold” birds showing their school spirit! The overall trip was “zoo-rific”!!

Fourth Grade News - Parts of a Plant and Readers’ Theater The fourth graders have been learning all about plants in Science class. To support this skill, the students have had an opportunity to participate in "The Power of Pollination" reader's theater. The students enjoyed buzzing around like bees and learning about the importance of pollination. The fourth graders also learned about the different parts of the flower. All of the students worked in small groups to create a life sized flower diagram. Each of the parts were labeled and described by the students. What a fun way to learn and grow!

Physical Education (PE) Mr. Kinsman and Mr. Lashbrook would like to state that we are very happy and excited to be a part of Surry Elementary School. We would like to encourage parents and students to check out your Cougar Cubs PE website for information about what we will be doing in class and for exercises you can do at home. The website domain is https://sites.google.com/surryschools.net/222/home. You can also access the site by going to the Surry Elementary School website, click on teacher/classrooms and then click on either one of our names. We would like to encourage students to keep working on exercises at home that we do in class. Also remember to wear proper clothes and shoes, tennis shoes or sneakers and pants or shorts, on the days you have PE. Mr. Kinsman and Mr. Lashbrook are looking forward to having a fun and successful year!

Music Notes Our Music Program has gotten off to a really fun start this year! -PreK is working hard on preparing to perform some harvest songs at the Rec Center on November 8th. -Kindergarten has been playing a variety of instruments and singing songs about different farm animals. We are now preparing for our Winter program on December 5th. -1st Grade has been learning how to read simple rhythms. They will be singing at the Veteran’s Day Ceremony on November 10th. Some highlights so far have been “The Muffin Man” and “Big Black Cats.” -2nd Grade has been practicing reading music with three pitches. They recently learned the dynamic marks “forte” and “piano.” Some recent highlights were “Three Little Muffins” and “Who is in the Forest?” -3rd Grade recently learned the whole note and has experienced some basic improvisation while watching Bobby McFerrin videos. -4th Grade has been focusing on writing/composing our own music. Now that we have just received our recorders, we will start working on proper playing technique while reading music.

Library News Book Fair is coming! The Scholastic Book Fair will open Tuesday, November 14 and run through Tuesday, November 21. Your child will be coming through to make wish lists the first two days of the fair. The book fair will be open from 7:45 am to 3:45 pm and until 7pm on Parent/Teacher Conference Night. I am looking for volunteers to help throughout the book fair. If you are interested in helping please contact me at (757) 267-2558, email me at [email protected], or return the form below. Hope to see you at Book Fair Mrs. Bell

I would like to volunteer during the book fair. Below you will find my contact information. Name _____________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number _____________________________________________________________ Email Address ____________________________________________________________

Sense Media is a resource dedicated to helping kids and families make smart media choices. https://www.commonsensemedia.org /

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