Colt Crusader
A newsletter for the families of CFES students
February Edition
2828 Pleasant Acres Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
757-648-2240
http://www.christopherfarmses.vbschools.com
Follow us on Twitter @cfescolts
Principal: Robyn Backer , @Robyn Backer
Asst. Principal: Patti Porter, @sunsetzzz15
Message From Ms. Backer, Our Principal
I can’t believe that we are coming up on the 100th day of school (Feb 11th) and moving into the 3rd quarter! We are so proud of how hard our students have been working as they completed their mid-year assessments. Please take a moment this week to review your child’s report card that went home yesterday. We have seen so much growth in our students not only in their academics but in their character growth as well.
One thing that makes Christopher Farms stand out from other elementary schools in Virginia Beach is our high level of parent support and community volunteerism. There are so many ways to volunteer at CFES. We are always looking for volunteers in the PTA events, cafeteria, Colt Cafe, and library just to name a few. Also, our teachers are always looking for help with different projects in the classroom and some of the volunteering opportunities involve things that you can do at your home. We would love to update our volunteer database with your email. If you are interested, please fill out this short form - https://forms.gle/uNQcX4vG7k23Ltip8
Once you have signed up by the Google Form, it is very important to log your hours. Starting this week, we will have a laptop set up in the foyer for your convenience to log in your hours by going to www.vbschools.com/getconnected. Remember If you have volunteered August through December it's not to late to log those hours! You can make it easier on yourself by going to the website and click log hours and instead of doing individual, click organization. Pick just one date ( you do not have to enter each date you volunteered) and you can enter ALL your hours at one time. In addition, there will be a folder at the front desk where you can record your hours as well. Mrs. Sandy Mealer is our volunteer coordinator and is a wealth of knowledge on this subject and is willing to help you in anyway. We have copies of the cards that are shown below at the front desk. If you are interested and would like one of these cards please email your name, students name, and students teacher to vie4cfes@gmail.com.
We can't wait to have the best month ever as we celebrate Reading Month with our One School, One Book choice "Frindle" Thank you for all that you do to support our students and staff. We truly couldn't do without our amazing PTA and outstanding volunteers! You make our community the best at the beach!
-Ms. Backer
Message from Ms. Porter, Our Assistant Principal
Welcome to February with an extra day this month due to leap year day! Beginning next week, teachers will be acknowledging other classes for positive PBIS structures when they are following the Colt's Code within the classroom or specialist areas. So, teachers in the building may notice a class of students showing respect, being ready and being responsible during a PE lesson or just working in the classroom. We know the students are really excited for their next school wide incentive so we sent a survey to students to receive their input on the next goal for this school wide reward. Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and a fabulous February!-Ms. Porter
Did you know that you now can watch our student-run morning announcements everyday from home or work?
You can find them by:
*Going to our homepage - https://christopherfarmses.vbschools.com/
*Click on the CFES social media graphic
*Click on the link for our YOU tube channel.
You can, also, find them on our CFES Twitter channel as well - https://twitter.com/cfescolts
February Upcoming Events
February 3rd- "One School, One Book" Kickoff
February 3rd-7th: National School Counseling WeekFebruary 3rd-12th- Candy Gram Sales in the Foyer, 7:55-8:20
February 3rd- SCA Meeting, 2:45-4:00
- Report Cards Issued
February 4th- Watch Dog Dad
- Introduction of "One School, One Book"- Frindle
February 5th- Watch Dog Dad
- Read Chapter 2 of Frindle in class
- Colt's Store, 7:55-8:20
- Newspaper Club, 2:45-4:00
February 6th- Robotics 2:45-4:00
- Read Chapters 3 & 4 of Frindle in class
February 7th- Watch Dog Dad in the Building
- Read Chapter 5 of Frindle in class
- Citizen of the Month Lunches
February 10th-14th- *** Grandparent's Week ***
February 10th- Read Chapters 6 & 7 of Frindle in class
- 1st Grade Gifted Applications due by 4PM
February 11th- Read Chapter 8 of Frindle in class
- Gifted/ODS Testing, Grades 2nd-5th
February 12th- Read Chapter 9 of Frindle in class
February 13th-Read Chapter 10 of Frindle in class
- Robotics 2:45-4:00
February 14th- ** Spirit Day ** - Wear Red, White, or Pink
- Read Chapter 11 of Frindle in class
- Watch Dog Dad in the Building
- "Parent's Night Out" 6:00-9:00
February 17th- No School for Staff or Students- Presidents' Day
February 18th- "Sweat it Out Day" - Wear your comfy clothes
- Read Chapter 12 of Frindle in class
- 4th Grade Field Trip to the Planetarium- Kesner, Dorbin, and Cucuzza
- Zoup Cashola Night @ Landstown, 5:00-8:00
February 19th- Colt's Store, 7:55-8:20
- Read Chapter 13 of Frindle in class
- Newspaper Club, 2:45-4:00
February 20th-4th Grade Field Trip to the Planetarium- McNeely and Nicolosi
- Read Chapter 14 of Frindle in class
- PTA Meeting 3:00, Library- All are welcome to attend
- Robotics 2:45-4:00
- Reflections Celebration @ Cox High School, 6:30
February 21st- Book Character Dress Up Day from Frindle
- Read Chapter 15- the final chapter- of Frindle in class
February 22nd- PTA and Vendor Fair @ Landstown High School 9:00-12:00
February 27th- ** Spirit Day ** - "Think Snow/Blizzard Bliss"
- Robotics 2:45-4:00
February 28th-"New Word" Parade. Dress or wear something explaining their new word.
- Watch Dog Dad in the Building
- 2nd Grade Native American Program
- Mother/Son Dance "Wild, Wild West" 6:00-8:00
Coaches Needed
Lost and Found
Kids Heart Challenge
Pre-K Information for the 2020-2021 School year
February Counseling Corner
Kindness certainly counts at CFES! Thank you to all of the students, parents and staff who participated in our Great Kindness Challenge last month. CFES Colts affirmed that kindness and respect are always welcomed and so important in all that we do, not just in January, but throughout the year at home, school and in our community. Take a look at our Citizens of the Month for Kindness below.
Student guidance lessons for the month of February will focus on Problem Solving. We will learn and practice the components of the STEP It Up approach of:
S-Stop, Think & Cool Down
T-Talk It Out
E-Evaluate Possible Solutions
P-Pick a Realistic Solution
This first week of February is National School Counseling Week, an opportunity for our counselors to share their career choice, remind students of the components of our program and how we can be a resource in our school community. If you have a unique, exciting or interesting career that you would like to share with our students, please consider joining us for our Career Day on Friday, April 3, 2020 from 8:15-10:00am. We are currently recruiting speakers for this event. The kids LOVE hearing about your job experiences, and they get especially excited when they see a familiar face. Download the Paper Career Day Speaker Form or enter your information directly into this Google Career Day Speaker Form
Pre-K and Kindergarten Citizens of the Month
Juliana Nixon
Richard Olphert
Denley Hosseinipoor
Francesca Berney
Yazmin Arellano Severiano
1st Grade Citizens of the Month
Serenity Strickland
Samuel Mealer
Elliott Skinner
Geno Martin
Michael Hall
2nd Grade Citizens of the Month
Finnley Conrad
Gabriella Good
Robert Johnson Jr.
Grayson Silva
Jaliya Smith
3rd Grade Citizens of the Month
Gianna Rendall
Jamesyn Hong
Avery Cody
Levi Lowe
Gabriella Maldonado
4th Grade Citizens of the Month
Orion Carter
Alexander Rivers
Kayden Meaden
Kaiya Smith
5th Grade Citizens of the Month
Emilie Burleson
Erika Childers
Desiree Overton
Amiyah Shields
James Winfield
Welcome to CFES!
“We are excited to announce we will have a School Counseling Intern helping in our counseling offices for the next few months. Please take a moment to welcome Mr. Chaka Diarrassouba to our Farm Family.”
I am Chaka Diarrassouba, a second-year graduate student at the illustrious Hampton University, studying to attain my Master's Degree in counseling, with a concentration in school counseling. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia by Sindou Diarrasouba and Aminata Fofana. In my free time, I like to read books and go to the gym to workout. Upon graduation from Hampton University, I aspire to be a full-time school counselor within the state of Virginia.
Library Notes
January has seen ‘breakouts’ all over the place in the library. Third-graders have participated in breakout box lessons for Ancient Egypt and Ancient China. Second-graders use their science skills to ‘breakout’ and show their knowledge of matter. First-graders have used Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes to breakout using reading, math, research, and their knowledge of animal habitats and their adaptations.
Breakout box lessons foster collaboration, cooperation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They also teach students perseverance, working with their strengths, and brainstorming ideas with their peers. Here is a picture of some of our first-graders enjoying their first experience with this type of lesson.
Bowman's Bytes
Parents/Guardians,
I am excited to announce that VBCPS is presenting the Digital Citizenship Rocks Design Challenge! Being a responsible and knowledgeable digital citizen is one of the most important skills our children will learn in their lives as technology becomes more and more integral to everyday life. Students are being challenged to show how they rock digital citizenship in their own creative way!
Students can create projects that include photos, videos, stories, podcasts, animations, posters, songs, infographics, or anything else they can come up with! Entries should be related to the theme "Digital Citizenship Rocks!". Students will then vote for one entry from our entire school that will be entered into the citywide challenge. Citywide winners will receive a plaque, recognition in the Superintendent's report, as well as other prizes. The timeline is listed below:
2/21 - Students must submit their entries.
2/28 - We must submit our 1 school entry.
3/3 - The top 3 school entries will advance to the final round.
3/13 - the citywide winner is announced!
Check out these resources for more information:
If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Bowman at Travis.Bowman@vbschools.com
Literacy News
February is Reading Month on the Farm! This year we will be participating in One School, One Book with the whole school reading the book, Frindle. Be sure to ask your child about the happenings of the main character, Nick, starting Tuesday, February 4.
Thanks to the generosity of the many Farm families and these local businesses, we were able to purchase a book for every student to keep:
· Code Ninjas
· Delta Airlines
· Diaz Diamond Auto Care, Inc.
· Diaz Resume Company
· Frieden Agency
· Made In the Shade
· Old Dominion Soccer Club
· Soccer Shots
We are excited to jump into this story. Be sure to listen closely for some “new-fangled words” you may be hearing!
Math Minutes
We LOVE math in February! In kindergarten, students are counting up to 50. You can reinforce this skill at home by counting various objects: beads, macaroni noodles, and pennies. In 1st grade, students will create and interpret graphs. Have your child take a survey of family members for their favorite snack (salty or sweet) and create a picture graph of the results. In 2nd grade, computation is the focus. Work on addition and subtraction word problems at home, focusing on the context of the problem rather than key words.
In 3rd grade, geometry takes center stage. Students will learn the names of various polygons and explore combining and subdividing them. In 4th grade, students will continue to explore rational numbers by adding and subtracting decimals. Finally, our 5th graders are diving into measurement and learning about equivalencies in the metric system. One thing is for sure, Math = Fun at CFES!
Gifted Information
Attention First Grade Parents:
The gifted application deadline is rapidly approaching.
The following link is used for all gifted application services to include identification for a gifted cluster classroom at CFES and/or Old Donation School.
Link to more information about gifted programs at VBCPS: https://www.vbschools.com/academic_programs/gifted
Application Deadline:
Grade 1 February 10, 2020 4:00 p.m.
Please submit applications well in advance prior to the due date to allow for any issues. No late applications will be accepted.
The application forms can be accessed using the following link:
https://giftedapplication.vbcps.com
User Name: (Your child’s student ID #)
Password: (Password assigned to your child by homeroom teacher to log onto Chromebook)
Link to frequently asked questions about the process: https://giftedapplication.vbcps.com/FAQ.pdf
Nurse's Notes
February is National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM), providing a great opportunity to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, adults, and caregivers. Attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life. We will have someone coming to our 1st grade classes to do a presentation on Oral Hygiene.
Daily preventive care, including proper brushing and flossing, will help stop problems before they develop and is much less painful, expensive, and worrisome than treating conditions that have been allowed to progress. In between regular visits to the dentist, there are simple steps that each of us can take to greatly decrease the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. These include: Brushing thoroughly twice a day and flossing daily, eating a balanced diet and limiting snacks between meals, using dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste, rinsing with a fluoride mouth rinse if your dentist tells you to and making sure that your children drink water.
Talent Show Update
February PTA Events
Love is in the air here at The Farm! The CFES PTA has many ways this month you can show how much you love our school!
The fun begins this month with celebrating Grandparent's Week, February 10th-14th.
Parents Night Out is scheduled for February 14th, from 6pm-9pm. Deadline to register is 2/10. Check your child’s blue Tuesday folder or the electronic email to reserve your spot. Dinner and games will be provided. All proceeds from this event will benefit the 5th Grade classes end of year celebration. If you have questions, please email Lisa at teamreddawn@yahoo.com.
5th Grade Parents, please click the link below to see what donated items are still needed to make this event a night to remember.
What better way to celebrate a month of love than to take your loved ones out for a warm bowl of soup at Zoups. Our cashola event will be on February 18th, from 5pm-8pm at the Zoup Landstown Location. 25% of your total will come back to the school. Fill up and share the love.
The month of love will end with a BANG! Saddle up for our Wild Wild West themed Mother/Son Dance on February 28th, 6-8PM. Keep your eyes peeled for flyers and RSVP information.
Congratulations to Melanie Crate, The PTA volunteer of the month for January! Enjoy your parking space all month long.
Looking ahead... mark your calendar for the next 5th Grade Parent Volunteer meeting. It is on March 26th, at 3:00 in the CFES Library.
Link your VIC card to Christopher Farms
The “link” program that Harris Teeter has is called Together In Education. The below link has all of the information on it. The school gets money for programs every time you shop at Harris Teeter.
https://www.harristeeter.com/together-in-educationWAYS TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH CFES HAPPENINGS:
- Check our website weekly: https://christopherfarmses.vbschools.com
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfescolts
- Download the VBSCHOOLS app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Make sure the school has your updated phone number and email address in order to receive Alert Now communications
- Follow your child's progress on Parent Portal: https://www.vbschools.com/parents/parent_portal
Proud Principal
Email: robyn.backer@vbschools.com
Website: https://christopherfarmses.vbschools.com/
Location: Christopher Farms Elementary School 2828 Pleasant Acres Drive Virginia Beach, Virginia 234
Phone: (757) 648-2240
Twitter: @RobynBacker