River Oaks Elementary Dolphin Gazette Responsible Learners Today Becoming Successful Leaders Tomorrow

Aer ica A. Wi l l i a ms , Pr inc ip a l

Geo f f rey Dea vers , Ass i s ta n t Pr inc ipa l

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Principal’s Message

Congratulations! Congratulations to Lexi Boateng, in Mrs. Mangrum’s 5th Grade class for

winning the “Snapshot of School Lunch” Selfie Contest. Lexi was the

winner of a Kindle Fire HDX.

Students were asked to draw a picture or take a selfie of themselves eating

their favorite school lunch and to write two or three sentences as to why

this is their favorite lunch.

Congratulations to the following participates, who received a key chain:

Michael Awuku, Lesley Boateng, Bushra Sajid, Caleb Mintah,

Aaliyah Courney, Sydney Knight, Iyanna Garcia Ross, and Achol Weil.

Regards,

Aerica A. Williams,

Principal

November/December, 2015

Upcoming School Closings

for November All PWCS Closed

*Wednesday, November 25, Thursday,

November 26, and Friday, November

25– Thanksgiving Break

Save the Date:

*Tuesday, December 10 – Fall Picture

Make-ups.

*December 21-January 1 – Winter Break

2015-2016

River Oaks Elementary

SCA Officers

Congratulations to our newly elected

SCA Officers!

Front Row: Angelina Barrientos, Secretary, Mathew Occansey, Mascot Back row: Jasmine Mohaupt, President, Lexi Boateng, Treasurer, George Tamakloe, Vice President,

December’s School Calendar will be sent home

next week.

Please see your child’s grade level homepage

Please

Blackboard Announcements If you are NOT receiving email blasts (Blackboard

Announcements) from River Oaks, please check

your Spam and then add us to your contact

list. Send us an email and we will add your email

address to our distribution list. Over 75 percent of

our families receive information, updates and

important announcements from River Oaks. We'd

like to make it 100 percent! Contact Carole Robinson @ robinscm@pwcs,edu.

Strings Mr. Dixon 4th and 5th grade students are learning all about

reading music in Strings class! We have learned

that all notes are written on a staff, that the staff

consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces, and different notes

are placed on the different lines and spaces on the

staff to indicate different pitches. At the beginning

of each staff, there is a special symbol called a clef,

which designates which notes are assigned to each

line or space. Violins have atreble clef at the

beginning of each staff; violas have analto clef at

the beginning of each staff; and cellos and basses

have a bass clef at the beginning of each staff. If

you have a child in Strings class, ask them to show

you the staff, lines and spaces, and clef on any page

of their music book!

Mark your calendar for our upcoming 4th Grade

Strings Concert on Tuesday, December 15 at 6:30

PM.

Field Day

Picture Day

Fall Picture Make Up/Retake Day is almost here, Thursday,

December 10th Information Packets will be sent home with your child and a

reminder will come home with your child the night before.

If you would like to have your child’s pictures retaken, you

must bring you the pictures with you on Thursday to give to

the photographer. If your child was absent on picture day,

they will be getting their picture taken on Thursday,

December 10. Order forms will be sent home to those

students who were absent on picture day. Order forms may

also be picked up in the office.

Payment for all pictures is due at the time your child is

photographed on Picture Day. New this year, is

“Lifetouch Portal”. Lifetouch will send email reminders

that picture day is coming and a link to order your

child’s picture on line. Please make sure the ROES office,

has your current email address, if you are interested in

this feature.

Field Day

World Language Elementary

Schools (WLES) with Sra. Lucas

Welcome to Spanish Class!

In Kindergarten, our students are learning simple songs

in Spanish about greetings, colors, the days of the week

and also numbers 1-10. Since the beginning of the

school year, we have read stories in both languages and

we have played games relating to the colors,

reinforcing what they learned in their classes.

In first grade, during the month of October, our

students have worked with both Miss Wade, a student

from the University of Mary Washington, and myself.

Our students are learning basic vocabulary in Spanish

following the SOL objectives for Spanish. We have

learned the color song, simple conversation

questions—“¿Cómo te llamas?” (What is your

name?)—and the vocabulary about the seasons, but

most specifically about Fall.

In second grade, we have reviewed the themes from

the previous year about the basic routine, days of the

week, months of the year, the numbers 1 through 31,

etc. We are also practicing the emotions in Spanish.

In third to fifth grade for the first nine weeks, we are

working on reviewing the vocabulary from the

previous year in Spanish. Right now we are focusing

on basic communication skills so that we can

communicate with our friends in Spanish. Fifth grade

specifically is learning about English and Spanish

cognates, which will benefit the students as they are

learning a new language.

DEAR Time (Drop Everything and Read)

Library News with Mrs. Vice The library is excited to begin offering a new

library lunchtime café! The café will be open to all

students in grades 3-5 and will begin in late

November. Library Lunchtime Café will offer time

for students to explore and use library resources.

Students will be able to participate in activities such

as reading in a cozy area of the library, using

library computers, and seeing a movie short

followed by discussion time. We are excited to

offer this new opportunity for students to Eat, Read,

Create, and Explore in the library.

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming in December!

The book fair brings exciting books to our school

and is a fantastic way to celebrate reading! The

book fair will take place beginning Monday,

December 7th through Wednesday, December 16th.

We will also be open on Tuesday, December 8,

from 5:00-6:30 PM. Please make plans to visit!

More information will be sent home in December.

PTCC (Parent Teacher

Connection Committee)

Thank you to all who came out and supported our

“Spirit Night” at McDonald’s, by dining in or drive

through. We hope to have another “Spirit Night” in

November, before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Please join us for our next meeting on

November 17th, at 4:00 PM in the ROES Library.

Art News with Ms. Brosnan We are off to a great start in the art room! We made

some wonderful fall projects. These fall creations will

be hung up throughout the school, so stay tuned for

those displays. You can also check them out online at

http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=82478

Some parents have signed their students up for the

online art gallery. If you have not, make sure you create

a parent account so you can continue to see your

student's amazing artworks! You need to have a parent

account by Nov.15th. If you have any questions please

contact me at brosnakm@pwcs.edu.

Magical Music with Mrs. Powell Fall is in the air with colors and fragrances that tantalize

the senses! So it is with music with the rhythms and

themes that remind us that the holidays are approaching

and family will gather together to celebrate once again. All grade levels: Will be singing songs about the

seasons and holidays and some grade levels will prepare

for winter concerts (more info will be forthcoming).

Each grade level’s lesson plan will include examples of

music from various genres that our students wouldn’t

normally be exposed to, such as classical, acapella, Big

Band, Country, Contemporary Christian, artists from the

1940’s, 50’s, 60’s 70’s 80’s and 90’s, and many, many

others.

Fifth graders: In the next 2 weeks, you will be

receiving information about the annual PWCS

Elementary All County Chorus. Those interested in

auditioning will be given a letter to bring home which

will outline the details for auditioning, the selection

process and the event itself, which is held on Sat., Feb.

27th, at Patriot HS. Please watch for this information.

Counselor’s Corner D. Wells & L. James

November’s Character Trait is:

Respect

Treat other with respect; follow the Golden Rule

· Be tolerant of differences

·Use good manners, not bad language

· Be considerate of the feelings of others

·Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone

·Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and

disagreements.

How to Help Your Child Feel Good About

School:

1. Find reasons to praise your child every day.

Help your child focus on his/her strengths. Make

sure your child knows he or she has the ability to

succeed.

2. Have high expectations for learning and behavior

at home and at school.

Help your child take responsibility for his or her

choices.

3. Encourage active learning.

This involves asking and answering questions,

problem-solving and exploring interests. Listen to

your child’s ideas and respond to them.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not

hesitate to contact one of us.

Mrs. Deborah Wells Wellsdc@pwcs.edu

(Monday- Friday)

Mrs. Lisa James JamesLX@pwcs.edu

(Monday, Tuesday,

& Thursday)

Nurse’s Notes Kathy Cobb, RN Flu season is just around the corner! Now is the time to

get a flu shot to protect yourself and all of your family.

Symptoms of influenza include fever which can last

three or four days, headaches, nasal congestion,

sneezing, and sore throat. It looks like a severe cold

with a fever. Talk to your doctor about the flu shot and

practice good hand washing to help prevent the spread

of influenza. Never give a child with flu symptoms,

aspirin or products with aspirin in them. Tylenol or

Ibuprofen is a safer choice for fever, aches and pains.

Please contact your doctor if your child has the flu.

Children with flu-like symptoms should stay home

from school until they are completely recovered.

Parent as Educational Partners

Program The Parents as Educational Partners Program (PEP) at

River Oaks will be offered in the Spring of 2016. This

program is free of any cost and part of the No Child

Left Behind Law of 2001- designed to provide parents,

who speak other language than English at home with

opportunities to become familiar with the regulations

and procedures in the Public Schools in Prince William

County while encouraging them to become involved in

their children’s education, which has been proven to

increase the students’ academic performance. More

information about the program will be sent home soon.

DEW Time (Drop Everything and Write)

School Meals- Convenient and

Affordable Did you know your school cafeteria conveniently offers

breakfast and lunch at an affordable price every school

day? A breakfast consisting of cereal, milk, Nutri-Grain

bar, a piece of fresh fruit and juice would cost you

approximately $2.50 at home. Students can get all of that

at school for just $1.45. That’s a savings of $1.05 a day,

or over $20 a month! If your student bought school

breakfast every day, you could save approximately $200

each school year, per student.

Your student is not a fan of cereal? Hot breakfast entrées,

such as Chicken Sliders, French Toast Sticks, and Ham

and Cheese Croissants, are offered each day.

Our healthy school breakfasts are definitely a bargain,

and so are school lunches!

On the low end, parents can expect to spend around $2.88

per packed lunch for a turkey and cheese sandwich, a

serving of fruit, a serving of veggies and a small juice

box. When purchasing a school lunch, elementary

students may select an entrée, two vegetables, one fruit

and a milk for only $2.45. That’s a savings of $0.43 per

day, or $8.60 per month.

What if your student is packing a leftover piece of pizza,

banana, chips and bottled water? Even if your delivery

pizza was purchased using a discount, the lunch total

would still cost approximately $2.95. In this case, school

lunches give you more food for your money and a total

savings of over $90 per school year. What if your student

brings half a leftover Chipotle burrito bowl, a bottled

juice drink and an apple? By purchasing school lunch

instead, you could be saving over $475.00 per school

year!

Besides the financial benefits of buying school meals,

parents can feel good knowing their students are fueling

up for the school day with plenty of fruits and vegetables,

and whole grain, low fat, low sodium choices. Entrée

salads and various vegetarian choices are also offered for

lunch every day. Plus, our dinner rolls, garlic bread,

cinnamon bread and fiesta cornbread are homemade right

in your school’s kitchen! Sound tasty? See below for

meal pricing, and visit MySchoolBucks.com to add

money to your student’s cafeteria account using a credit card.

Breakfast: $ .30 Student Reduced Price

$1.45 Student Full Price

$2.00 Adult Price

Lunch: $ .40 Student Reduced Price

$2.45 Elementary Student Full Price

$3.40 Adult Price

SCA “Spirit Week” Photos by Jasmine Mohaupt and Christian Esquilin

Kindergarten News In Kindergarten we are working on our letters and letter

sounds. Practice for this is part of your student’s nightly

homework. We have started working on our sight words.

We will be learning a new one each week. In Math, we are

counting sets of objects, finding that number, and writing

that number.

First Grade Our First graders have been on two exciting field

trips!! We have walked up to our local fire station, bank,

grocery/market, and we were given an ice cream cone treat

by Burger King!! We are learning about

community helpers, consumers and producers, goods and

services, saving and spending, and needs and wants.

We also went to the National Zoo. We got to see the

pandas and lots of other animals! We are learning

about different kinds of animal groupings, their body

coverings, and how they move.

During November, we will be studying how people lived

in the past and compare it to how we live, work,

and go to school today. We are very excited to keep

learning new things!!

Second Grade We are keeping busy and working hard in 2nd grade. In

language arts we have started our unit on sequencing. We

are looking at both fiction and non-fiction and talking

about the best way to sequence a story, and using

sequencing words to retell a story. In math we have

started our second unit on number sense. We have spent

a lot of time talking about greater than, less than and equal

to as we have been comparing numbers. We will also be

discussing place value and fact families before taking our

unit test. In science we have just finished up our unit on

adaptations and have started the next unit on

ecosystems. After we finish our units in science, we will

begin our next unit in social studies, which will be

economics. Our grade level newsletter will contain

important vocabulary for each unit we are currently

studying.

We really enjoyed our field trip to the zoo last month, and

are super excited about our next field trip to the

planetarium at Hylton High School coming up in

November. As a reminder, the reading calendar and

reading log need to be filled out nightly and should be

returned at the end of the month.

Third Grade For the month of November, 3rd Grade students will

be learning about;

Simple Machines (Science)

Holiday/Economics (Social Studies)

Data Analysis & Probability (Math)

Identifying Main Idea and Inference in Non-Fiction

Text (Reading)

Fourth Grade In fourth grade, we are studying Plants. In class the

students will be having hands on experiences dissecting

real flowers. They will get an opportunity to see the

reproductive and non-reproductive parts of a flower. The

students will draw and describe the function of each part.

In addition, the students will be creating a Parts of a

Flower/Plant project that will be due on November 18.

They can create a poster or a 3-D project showing all of

the reproductive and non-reproductive parts of a flower.

We are very excited to see all of the creative ways that

the students will express themselves.

5th Grade We are off to a great start in 5th grade thus far! All

students took pre assessments in reading, math, and

science in September. Teachers have been working hard

to meet the needs of all students where they are and help

them progress through remediation and enrichment. 5th

graders have numerous support systems at their disposal:

colored flash cards for each subject to review each night,

XtraMath fact fluency logins, Benchmark Universe

logins, and Sum Dog logins for math practice. We

encourage students to utilize all resources nightly for at-

home practice. Students who qualify for the Morning

SOL Tech Club also have access to RAZ- Kids/Kids A-Z

and iXL for reading and math practice. Science

Investigators' Club and Science SOL Review Sessions

are also underway afterschool. Please contact your child's

teacher for more information and/or visit our 5th grade

web page at riveroakses.schools.pwcs.edu!

Current units of study:

Reading- Main idea and supporting details

Math- Data analysis and statistics (mean,

median, mode, and range)

Science- Solar System and Characteristics of

Earth, Moon, and Sun (Grade 4 Science Review)

Geography- Characteristics of the South East

region

.

Field Day

River Oaks Upcoming Events in November Please use the information below to schedule important events for you and your children.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

No School for Students

PWCS

Teacher Professional

Development Day

2

No School for Students

Elementary School Parent

Conferences

3

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade

Morning Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

4

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club,

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Tech Club

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

5

DEAR Time! Drop

Everything and Read-

9:00-9:30 AM

9

National Young Readers Week

10

.Fall Pictures

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Club

Grade 3 CogAt

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

11 Veteran’s Day –All PWC

Schools Closed

12 Fire Drill

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club,

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Club

Grade 3 CogAt

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade Afterschool Club

13 5th Grade Field Tri[ to

the Planetarium

DEAR Time! Drop Everything and Read-

9:00-9:30 AM

3rd Grade Naglieri

Testing

16

2nd Grade Field Trip to the

Planetarium

17

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Club

Grade 3 CogAt Practice

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

18

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade

Morning Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL

Grade 3 CogAt Practice

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade Afterschool Club

19

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Club

Grade 3 CogAt Practice

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

3rd Grade Reading

Benchmark on IA

20

DEW Time! Drop

Everything and Write -9:00-9:30 AM

5th Grade 1st Quarter

Reading Benchmark

23

24

Fire Drill

7:30-8:20-3rd Grade Morning

Club

4th Grade Key Club

7:45-8:15 AM – 5th Grade

Morning SOL Club

3:35-4:45 PM -3rd Grade

Afterschool Club

25

Thanksgiving Break

26

Thanksgiving Break

27

Thanksgiving Break

30

Principals Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following students who made

Principal’s Honor Roll the

1st Grading Period.

Third Grade:

Ms. Carroll: Xavion Greene

Ms. Troupe-Williams: Deborah Jimenez-Bobea, Christopher Meich-Sams

Ms. Clark: Abigail Chuga-Camuendo, Aaliyah Courtney, Janfranco Espinoza, Kelvin Suadwa,

Timothy Ferguson, Yoseph Hailu, Susana Pacas

Ms. C. McIntyre: Lilian Berhane, Olivea Puller, Joseph Rodas

Mrs. Nabywaniec: Makaila Baker-Gray, Haley Nform. Antonio Benevides-Aragon,

Kristian Caldwell, Dorian Marshall, Stephanie Minero

Fourth Grade

Ms. Rogers: Camila Sousa-Castro

Mrs. Carter: Megan Boateng, Sara Cabezudo, Aya Demnati, Kavineeta Harris, Hao Bill Le,

Brooklyn Nuin, Cindy Perez, Sharharyar Saeed, Zoe Strachan, George Tamakloe,

Estrella Vaca-Pereira, Dalise Deville

Mrs. Chandel: Khristine Gomez, Stephany Monroy, Yaw Mensah, Achol Weil

Mrs. Chatman: Lindsay Boateng, Brianna DeVere, Mercedes Gomez, Nicolle Ramos Pereira

Ms. Hay: Sakina Ali, Christopher Beaumont, Anthony Manavian, Jada Jeter, Eric Kusi,

Vanessa Thomas

Fifth Grade

Ms. Francis: Jade Sharma, Keani Williams

Ms. Andresen: Katie Arias, Amani Littlejohn

Mrs. Mangrum: Lexi Boateng, Kyle Luong

Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following students who made

A/B Honor Roll the1st Grading Period.

Third Grade:

Ms. Carroll: Lesley Boateng, Nora Lafferty, Louis Marin, Leslye Pacheco Medina,

Ariel Quaynor-Apaw, Mashal Salahuddin

Ms. Troupe-Williams: Andrew Heinl, Adrianna Dixon

Ms. Clark: Stephanie Akowua, Ibtihaal Javeid, Noah Justiniano, Tera LaTour, Ezekiel Melvin

Ms. C. McIntyre: Mohammad Choudhry, Karla Gomez, Jose Moreira, Sendy Niako,

Keenan Noble, Jamal Peterson, Jimmy Ubeda

Mrs. Nabywaniec: Charles Berryman, Shanya Gardner, Patrik Holt, Sarah Poku,

James Popoolahigh

Ms. McKnight: Rayyan Abasi, Ania Berryman, Jack Brown, Alan Hernandez,

Barima Yaw Mensu Bonsu, Jose Rodriguez, Aleysa Sweeney

Fourth Grade

Ms. Rogers: Ja’Ky Bellinger, Ameena Deen, Dayton Hartwig, Jaidyn King, Kayla’Kelis McGill,

Branden Melvin, Dagem Nuradis, Lynell Parent, Jordan Simmons, Chamya White,

Cazlyn Zarsah

Mrs. Carter: Ivan Bonilla Ventura, Syleste Cole, Jailan Fletcher, Henry Hammond,

Anthony Jandres, Jewel Keels, Ronald Hage, Carmen Jones, Ivan Spigelmyer

Mrs. Chandel: Michael Awuku, Iyanna Garcia-Ross, Torriq Hedgebeth, Caleb Mintah,

Kasey Rivera, Bushra Sajid, Hilda Sanchez, Sa’Jon Swanson, Fabio Urrego, Chelsey Wireko

Mrs. Chatman: Samuel Barnie, Josiah Cornejo, Andy Flores, Hieu Nguyen, Ben Le,

Owen Luna, Christian Manetta, Raquel Salvador, Xachary Wiedner

Ms. Hay: Edmund Barimah-Sappong, Angelina Barrientos, Laverne Dennis,

Mariana Iverson, Sara Jerry, Ti”asia Lewek, Aniyah Pikalek, Onam Ramiez, Simon Teferi,

Rahsaan Shafeek-Francis

Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following students who made

A/B Honor Roll the 1st Grading Period

Fifth Grade

Ms. Francis: Ryan Adutwum, Paige Bell, Christian Felder, Bnyam Gebrekidan, Cierra Rosario,

Hasnain Younas, Jaedon Johnson, Kira LaTour, Marcus Lewek

Ms. Andresen: Elijah DeVore, Amari March, Christian Todd, Miah Justiniano, Micah Stewart

Ms. Jones: Josua Arce, Gabriela Asuako, Ashley Boateng, Charlene Chavez, Shakib Shahriar,

Cindy Villatoro, Fahrear Iftahin, Melanie Jefferson Stubblefield, Sydney Knight,

Victoria Mantari, Daniels Shannon, Tiffany Zambrano-Tejeda

Ms. Piazza: Marco Arana Escobar, Kwaku Bamfo-Debrah, Alex Berhane, Richard Copeland,

Gabriel Esquilin, Yonathan Hailu, Shania Harris, Amira Ibrahim, Abdualai Kargbo,

Naaki Marquaye, Ahnyana Mills, Jasmine Mohaupt, Khalil Parent, Tae’Yanni Sales

Mrs. Mangrum: Charlotte Awuku, Muhammed Malik, Abenaa Opoku, Brandon Holland,

Kyle Diaz, Ashley Hernandez-Guerra, Joshua Tamakloe, Kenedi Popoolahigh