The Cape St. Claire Gazette

Dear Cape St. Claire Families,

February was quite an eventful month! I am pleased that we successfully navigated two virtual learning days with relative ease. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers and staff for their preparation and effective delivery of lessons during our virtual learning days. Also, thank you to you, parents/caregivers who assisted your children as they logged in at home. Our success was definitely a team effort!

I would like to thank our student performers, and our PTO for the amazing Cape's Got Talent Variety Show which took place in February. A great deal of planning and practice occurred which resulted in an entertaining evening for all!

The month of March is a busy month at Cape St. Claire. The month kicks off with our Read Across America Week activities. We look forward to welcoming parents and caregivers in during our CKLA block to see our new literacy program in action. Please be certain to sign up to visit classrooms by February 28th if you would like to engage in a classroom visit. During Read Across America Week, students can also make purchases at the Scholastic Book Fair and of course have fun dressing up for our reading-themed Spirit Days.

We are also excited to have our annual STEAM Night hosted by the Cape St. Claire Elementary PTO on March 12th at 5:00 PM Please take time to come out an engage in fun activities rooted in Science, Technology, Art, and Math.

As always thank you for your support and partnership. Your efforts combined with ours truly make Cape St. Claire #TheFlockThatRock!

Educationally Yours,

Tamara Kelly-Molock- Principal

Rochelle Barrett- Assistant Principal

The School Counselor’s Corner

Kindness Week/Month:

Kindness week was a great success!  There are hearts with compliments all over the school.  Please encourage your child to continue random acts of kindness throughout the year!

Classroom Counseling Lessons:

The current classroom lessons focus on Preventing Child Abuse.  The lessons can be viewed by parents here https://www.aacps.org/documents/services/assistance-for-families/school-counseling/required-elementary-lessons/626222 Here is a copy of the Protect Yourself Rules:

Fifth Grade Parents: 

Thank you for returning the course selection sheets quickly. We are currently registering for classes online. If your child applied to a Magnet Program or AVID, you should hear soon. The middle school will automatically change your student’s schedule to accommodate these programs.

Mrs. Bachman

hbachman@aacps.org

410-222-1685

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. 

PBIS: Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports

We are off to a great start this school year! Students are excited about our Soaring Seagull of the Day initiative. It is great to see the smiling, proud faces of the students who earn them daily.

Children can earn individual recognition with a seagull feather for following the school rules. Classrooms can earn pompoms for their Class Respect Jar and earn group recognition. Classroom celebrations are occurring and students remain excited about them. Our quarterly event will occur early next month; it is extra recess. That is always a favorite event with our students.

The PBIS committee oversees spirit days too. We will have spirit days on the second Friday of every month. Here is a list of the spirit days for this school year!

· March 14th: Decade Day

· April 11th: Superhero Day

· May 9th: Mismatch Day

· June 13th: Beach Day

We are excited to promote school spirit and positive behaviors through our PBIS program. Cape St. Claire is truly #TheFlockThatRocks!

Did you know that as many as one in three students in the country misses 10%, or about 18 days, of the school year? This year, let's work together to make sure all kids show up and participate every day possible. Being in school supports students' social, emotional, and physical well-being and provides students with opportunities to learn and reach for their dreams. Let's show up together and make daily attendance a habit.

Cape St. Claire Overall Attendance (As of February 21, 2025) 94.3%

PreK 92.4%

Kindergarten 93.5%

1st Grade 94.2%

2nd Grade 93.9%

3rd Grade 94.8%

4th Grade 95.4%

5th Grade 94%

Parents and Guardians—If your student is late to school, please have them bring a note explaining their absence to the office. This can be from you or their medical professional if they were tardy due to an appointment. When they are absent, please submit an electronic attendance note through the Parent Portal, or you can write one.

Cultural Arts

Triple E: Global Studies

With the crazy weather, many of our project timelines shifted. Here’s what each grade level is currently focused on and/or finishing up!

PK-Harold and the Purple Crayon

K-Animal Puppetry

1-Global Grooves

2-Make Way for Ducklings

3-Fantastic Contraption

4-Water Harvester

5-Ruins Rover

Thank you to everyone who contributed recyclable materials for the multiple grade levels that were focused on building with the engineer design process!

Ask your students how they are learning to be better communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers in the Triple E classroom!

Mrs. Bathras and Mrs. Shattuck

tmbathras@aacps.org jshattuck@aacps.org 

Music:

PK, K, and 1st are working on melodic contour, long and short sounds, dynamics, rest, and steady beat to different tempos by singing, moving, and playing instruments.

Second grade focuses on the four instrument families, notation, and melodic contour through singing, moving, and playing instruments.

Third grade is performing songs on the soprano recorder with the notes B, A, and G by reading the treble clef and using the correct fingering.

Fourth grade is working on “Recorder Karate” and earning ribbons for each song they perform correctly.

Fifth grade is focusing on reading and performing chords on the ukulele.

Ms. Harrison and Mrs. Abbott

Media: 

We are looking forward to hosting our upcoming book fair in the media center. All classes will have time to preview and shop. In-school shopping will occur March 5th-6th. After-school shopping will be held on March 3rd and 5th.

Intermediate grades will begin to evaluate information to continue being responsible digital citizens. Primary grades will practice utilizing databases for research to gather information and strategies to record important information.

Mrs. Crocker and Mrs. Smith

Art:

Be on the lookout for Art To Remember fliers to come home during the first week of March! These fliers will let you know how you can access your child’s work of art and order a keepsake with their artwork printed on it! A portion of all proceeds will come back to our art classroom to help with the expense of supplies. Visit the link below to see all of the beautiful creations made by our students at CSCES!

https://arttoremember.com/artshow/44b27f 

Mrs. Morris’ Art Classes:

PK - March Lions

K - Shape Landscapes

1 - Rousseau’s Jungles

2 - Japanese Notans

3 - Primary/Secondary Color Crayon Paintings

4 - Hand Sewn Pop-Tart Pillows

5 - Contour Line Self-Portraits

Ms. Howe’s Art Classes:

K - BHM Alma Thomas Paintings/Collages

1 - BHM Gee’s Bend Shape Paper Quilts

2 - Scientist Self Portraits

3 - BHM Color Scheme Freedom Quilt Collages

4 - Gem/Crystal Value Paintings

Mrs. Morris and Ms. Howe

P.E.:

February was a great month in Physical Education. The students in grades 3rd - 5th began the month with a unit focusing on throwing and catching. During this unit, the students participated in our wall ball challenge. This individualized challenge begins in 3rd grade and continues through 5th grade. The students progress through different catching and throwing challenges at their own pace. The students also participated in a striking unit where they learned about striking a ball with their hands. The students practiced their striking skills in a game called flag ball as well as attempting 4 square skills.

Grades PreK - 2nd began the month focusing on overhand throwing skills. They participated in a variety of activities to practice the correct form for throwing overhand. These students also participated in a cooperative unit through the use of the parachute. The students had to work together through different challenges and skills to manipulate the parachute as a unit. 

We have some exciting units planned for March and are looking forward to another great month. Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Gillette and Mrs. Venturella

Pre-Kindergarten

In March, Pre-K’s theme will be the Middle Ages. That means dragons, castles, and fairy tales! The stories we read will have heroes, villains, magic and happy endings. In Math we will work on estimating how many, build more complex patterns (such as AAB and ABBC patterns) and will continue comparing lengths and using nonstandard measurement. To build our pre-reading skills, we will learn to identify the forms and sounds for letters Uu, Ww, Xx, Yy, and Zz. The social skill we will focus on is identifying the feelings of others.

Kindergarten

After a fun February, Kindergarten is excited to start an exciting month of March! Our students are learning so much! We also look forward to the fun spirit days for Read Across America Day.  Please read the information below and see how you can help your child at home.

Language Arts: In March Kindergarten will be finishing up Skills 7 and Skills 8.  Students will learn more trick words and more sounds.  Kindergarteners are working hard on reading decodable stories individually, with peers, and whole groups. In Skills 8, we will practice a lot of double-letter spellings (ex.  'mm' 'bb'. Etc.)  Please take the time to read the information coming home every day as it is very helpful!  In Knowledge, we will be finishing up our Kings and Queens Unit and starting our next unit: Weather. 

Math-  We just finished a unit on adding numbers and breaking down numbers up to 10.  Students have been drawing pictures, using objects, and writing equations to show different combinations that make 10.  Our next unit will focus on counting up to and combining 10 and "some more" to make numbers 11-15.  We will use counters, tens frames, pictures and write equations to show how we can build or break apart these numbers. You can have fun practicing at home with any small household items, snacks, or paper/crayons. Counting out a group of objects from 11-15, then make 2 groups to show how you can break it apart with 10 and some more. (IE.  10 + 3 = 13,  14 = 10 + 4.)

Science/SS: Science- In March, Kindergarten students will explore seasonal, and weather patterns related to the sun, clouds, and wind. Students will explore ways to be safe in different types of weather. They will recognize how the sun affects us on Earth by supplying heat and light. Then they will move onto living and nonliving and be able to recognize and sort objects or pictures as living or nonliving. They will identify the basic needs of living things and ask questions to learn more about plants and animals. 

Just a few reminders.  Our day starts at 8 am.  Please make sure your child is in line for the 7:45 opening with their folders, filled water bottles, and a small dry healthy snack.  Remember March weather can be a roller coaster(hopefully it doesn't come in like a lion), but we will go outside if it isn't raining and it is above 32 degrees.  They should dress in layers and be prepared for outdoor recess.

1st Grade

First-grade students are ready to welcome spring in March and to continue their Top Dog Reader competition. This is a special reading competition that began at Cape St. Claire Elementary. This is our 23rd year participating! Students have been aiming to read 100 or more books during the months of February and March. The Top Dog logs are due on March 31st.  

First-grade mathematicians will be adding within 100 during March. They will use mental math, place value blocks, number charts, and number lines to solve equations using one and two-digit numbers. During our science and social studies blocks we will be exploring the importance of sound and how we can create various sounds. Students will determine how sound travels, the relationship between volume and vibrations, and how different sounds make them feel. During our Knowledge block, we will be learning about the history of the earth. Students will study the geographical features of the earth’s surface and learn about the inside of the earth and the characteristics of its various layers. We will gain an understanding of the shape of the earth, the North and South Poles, and the equator. Students will discover how occurrences such as volcanoes and geysers give information about the layers of the earth. In Literacy Skills, we will continue to apply decoding strategies when reading one and two-syllable words. Students will be expanding on their knowledge of letters and sounds by learning about spelling alternatives for consonant sounds (/ch/ spelled “ch” and “tch”). They will also be formally introduced to how to form plural endings by adding -s or -es. Students will begin a new decodable text called Kate’s Book. It follows a Navajo girl named Kate who has various adventures during her summer vacation and eventually writes a book about them. Students will then participate in the writing process by writing  a letter to Kate, expressing their personal opinions about their favorite parts of her book.

2nd Grade

March brings a lot of fun and learning in all subjects!  We also have our first field trip to Ft. McHenry in the middle of the month.  

In Knowledge, we will be wrapping up our unit, Westward Expansion. Next, they will move into the new unit “Insects”. They will be introduced to the largest group of animals on Earth and learn the characteristics of insects.  They will look at their life cycles, how insects can be categorized as solitary or social, and how they are viewed as both harmful and helpful.

During Skills, we will begin our new unit in Skills. During unit 5 the students will be introduced to spelling alternatives for vowel sounds. They will start a new decodable book called “Sir Gus” and learn about the serendipitous undertakings of Sir Gus, one of King Alfred’s knights. Throughout the unit, they will practice narrative writing and rewriting the ending of a story.  

In our Math block, we will continue Unit 8 Money and Time where students learn to count money and to tell and write time on an analog and digital clock to the nearest five minutes while employing the skill of skip counting by 5s, 10s, and 25s.  Next, we will move into Unit 9, strategies to add 3-digit numbers. 

During Science, the students will begin the new unit, “We are storytellers”.  Students are going to investigate five different Native American Nations throughout the Storyteller Unit while focusing on the environment/habitat of different regions around the United States.

Looking forward to warmer weather and all the exciting activities ahead!

3rd Grade

The third graders continue to work hard and make great progress!  Everyone has been very flexible and maintained a positive attitude despite what the weather and illnesses have thrown our way this winter! Our Valentine's Day parties were fantastic, and we greatly appreciate all of the volunteers and donations.  

In literacy, we have started our astronomy unit.  The students have been learning many new pieces of information about our solar system, as well as comparing and contrasting texts on the topic.  We are even learning to take notes as we read!  

In math we are returning to division.  Students will be working with fact families in order to relate division to multiplication.  Keep practicing those multiplication facts at home!  

In science we are learning about animal adaptations and group behaviors.  We will be wrapping up our economics unit in social studies soon, which ends with a cardboard project.  Be on the lookout for a note regarding supplies for this project!

Please continue to remind your student of the importance of kindness and respect!

4th Grade

Math  

In Unit 10, students will be adding and subtracting mixed numbers. In Unit 11, students will use visual fraction models to multiply whole numbers by unit fractions and non-unit fractions. Students will solve word problems involving the multiplication of a fraction and a whole number. In Unit 12, students will begin by exploring and adding fractions with denominators of 10 and 100. Students will rewrite fractions with denominators of 10 and 100 using decimal notation, and then compare two decimals using visual models and by reasoning about their size.

Resources:

Math Unit Letters are linked below:

Unit 10 Family Letter

Unit 11 Family Letter

Unit 12 Family Letter

Social Studies 

Fourth grade will continue their exploration into the American Revolution, which will continue for the rest of the school year.  In March, our focus will be on the Declaration of Independence.  A fantastic family field trip opportunity exists just a few hops away in D.C. - the original Declaration of Independence is displayed in the National Archives museum.

Science 

In science, we are learning about Energy. We will be completing lessons on electricity in which the students will connect a circuit and figure out how to make a buzzer and switch work. Then we will be working on the impact energy has when two objects collide. 

CKLA  (Core Knowledge Language Arts)

We will continue Unit 6 “Contemporary Fiction” with a focus on the theme using excerpts from The House on Mango Street.  Then we will begin Unit 7 which encompasses the causes, major figures, and consequences of the American Revolution, as well as what significant ideas and values were at the heart of the revolution.

Resources:

CKLA Unit Letters are linked below:

Unit 6 Family Letter 

Unit 7 Family Letter

5th Grade

It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the third marking period.  We are currently planning our next field trip to Philly which is tentatively scheduled for early April.   Look for field trip notices to be sent home as soon as this trip is approved.  On March 4th and 5th students will be taking the MISA assessment.  Please make sure your child gets a good night sleep and eats a good breakfast on those days.  We have been helping students get ready for this assessment by utilizing the MCAP practice site and reviewing concepts learned.  In CKLA, students have completed the unit on The Renaissance and are now learning about the time period after that known as The Reformation.  In math, students have completed the unit on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Our next unit will focus on multiplying a whole number by a fraction and a fraction by a fraction.  Remember, you can view the newsletters on these units in Thrillshare.  We are learning about matter in science and in social studies we are learning about Maryland post-civil war.  Thank you to all the volunteers who made our Valentine’s Day parties great. 

Cape Families - Please keep in mind that domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, are not permitted on school grounds. Thank you for working with us to keep all students safe!

When visiting the school, please remember to bring your government issued photo ID