UCCS NEWS

In This Issue

CEO and Principal Updates

Halloween Fun

Camp Cory

Field Day

Open House

Monthly Awards

Hispanic Heritage Month

Health News

Colin F. Kennedy Foundation

Counselor Corner

Urban Choice Charter School Newsletter SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019

Words from Ms. McCarthy, UCCS CEO

UCCS would like to warmly welcome everyone back for another

great school year. We have worked hard in the last few years to

strengthen school-to-home connections. Please check out our

Facebook page and the school website, which contains many

helpful resources. We also utilize Robocalls to keep everyone

updated with last minute messages. Please ensure that phone

numbers are kept up to date. We wish to remind parents,

guardians and students alike of the importance of regular school

attendance and on-time arrival. Even once-monthly absences

have a profound impact on student outcomes. Encouraging

regular school attendance is one of the most impactful ways that

you can bolster the work we do in the classroom. You are doing

so much to help your child develop healthy habits that will last a

lifetime. It is the mission of UCCS to help each and every

student realize a level of preparation and success to thrive in the

world.

Principal Updates Welcome to our first newsletter! As new Co-Principals, we have

had a wonderful time over the past weeks getting to know your

children. The favorite part of our day is seeing our students

arrive at school with smiles on their faces and enthusiasm for

being here. The positivity and warmth of this community is truly

special. Our focus every day is ensuring that your children are

safe, happy and have every opportunity to discover and

develop their gifts and fulfill their potential. Academic success

for all of our students is our highest priority. We look forward to

working with you all to support your children and hope to meet

all of you in the coming months.

Important dates:

Nov. 6 Picture Day

Nov. 7 Minute to Win It

Family Night

Nov. 11 No School for

Students

Nov. 14 BOT Meeting

Nov. 21 Half Day/ Parent

Teacher Conferences

Nov. 27 - 29

Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 12 BOT meeting

Dec. 16 Holiday Concert

Dec 23-Jan 3

Winter Break

Urban Choice

Charter School

545 Humboldt St.

Rochester, NY

14610

585-288-5702

Fax : 585-654-9882

Camp Cory

On September 18 and 19, our sixth, seventh and eighth grade students along with

12 teachers and staff members went on an overnight leadership and team building

experience at Camp Cory on Keuka Lake. The goal of the trip was to foster strong,

trusting relationships among students and staff, build confidence and cooperation

through participation in various challenges and activities, have fun and develop a

true sense of community. Last year students had requested more field trips and

were especially interested in an overnight trip. We wanted to start the year off with

a positive, fun trip that gave students a chance to

experience new things, work together and

support each other in overcoming challenges.

Students were split into four teams with a mix of

6th, 7th and 8th graders. Each team participated

in four team building challenges– and then had the opportunity to try different

camp experiences: swimming and kayaking down at the waterfront, climbing the

rock wall, zip lining, playing gaga, and jumping on the giant bounce pillow. After

dinner, students enjoyed s’mores around a campfire before heading to their

cabins for the night. The next morning, a number of students and staff got up

early for the polar bear swim, enjoying the refreshing water of Keuka Lake before

breakfast. After breakfast, groups switched their activities to get a chance to try

the fun camp activities that they didn’t get to try the day before. The trip ended

with pizza for lunch and the ride back to school on the buses.

Field Day Urban Choice Charter School hosted an amazing and successful Field Day

to kick off the school year. All of our K-5 students went to Ellison Park for

the day where they participated in a variety of activities at different stations,

ranging from team building to physical challenges. The Rock/Paper/

Scissors Hula Hoop Challenge had students navigating through hula hoops

and challenging other students in a rock/paper scissor game. Duck, duck,

sponge involved students using a sponge full of water to soak their peers.

Luckily it was a beautiful, warm sunny day. Students also enjoyed a picnic

lunch. Thank you to everyone who helped ensure a fabulous day for our

students, especially Mr. Croce and Mr. Rizzo. The children were super

excited to get to know their classmates and enjoyed the time away from the

classroom.

Open House

Thanks to all of the teachers, staff, families, students and

community partners who came together

to welcome in the new school year at

Open House on Sept. 26. It was great to

see so many people meeting and getting

to know each other, signing up for library

cards and health insurance, shopping at

the curbside market, learning about the after school program and scouting

options and finding out more about our math and reading curriculum and

what will be happening in school this year. We look forward to seeing every-

one at our other family events throughout the school year. We could not do

what we do without the support and partnership of our families!

Hispanic Heritage Month

Señorita Maldonado and all of our students, kindergarten through eighth grade had lots of fun learning about and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Spanish class this fall. Kindergarten through 8th grade learned so much about the different cultures and traditions that many Hispanic/ Latino people participate in on a regular basis.

Our kindergarten, first and second grade students learned about all different types of foods, holidays, music and dances. They loved listening to and discussing the different types of music. They learned this special dance called “La Cucaracha”, which has the kids actively dancing and jumping up and down to the different beats of the drums and trumpets. This dance was one that was important in Señorita Maldonado’s own childhood. When the students were asked to describe three things they loved

about Hispanic Heritage Month, they talked about the different types of dances that they enjoyed very much. Each Spanish class ends with a dance party called “Baila, Baila” which means ‘Dance, Dance’. Since the students love this so much, Senorita Maldonado says she will continue this be-yond Hispanic Heritage month. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 discussed the cultural differences among the following 21 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Savador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The students also watched a YouTube video of how kids in the United States celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and discussed what they saw with a partner. One of their favorite things was listening to Spanish music; the different types of music students were exposed to throughout the month included: Bachata, Merengue, Salsa, and Raggaeton. Students were asked to identify the different instruments they heard and were able to tell that the drums and trumpet were the leading instruments in most of the music. Two of their favorite songs were “Vivir Mi Vida”, which means Live My Life, by Marc Anthony and “Mi Gente”, meaning My People, by Nicky Jam and J Balvin. Spanish class now ends with Spanish music and the students love it! The Middle School students, grades 6, 7, and 8, worked in groups of 4-6 students on Hispanic Heritage Projects, researching different countries. They had to find information on the food, money, historical facts, famous people, government structure, attractions and any other fun facts they could find. While the students worked, they listened to different types of Spanish music

with lyrics posted as they worked. Many students learned the songs and sang along with excellent pronuncia-tion as they worked. Each grade level had a different poster color: 6th grade used white, 7th grade used blue, and 8th grade used red. These colors were chosen to represent the flag of Puerto Rico since Señorita Maldonado is 100% Puerto Rican. The students really enjoyed presenting to their peers. They all did an amazing job! Thank you Señorita Maldonado for ensuring all of our students had an opportunity to learn about, acknowledge and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

September Students of the Month for demonstrating

TRUSTWORTHINESS

Kindergarten: De’Asia Brown and Jodhveer Singh

First Grade: Skylar Manigault and Samoya Davis

Second Grade: Demetrius Greer and Amelia Sercu

Third Grade: A’layha Floyd and Jeremiah Rodriguez

Fourth Grade: Destiny Johnson and Daveion Lewis

Fifth Grade: SaHarr Curry and Kayla Griffin

Sixth Grade: Dwayne Greer and Jeylani Muktar

Seventh Grade: Quanayzia Carter and John McManus

Eighth Grade: Jazzmyn Joseph and Malique Peterson

Monthly Awards

On October 10, we celebrated students’

character, efforts, attendance and

academic achievement at our first

awards celebration of the 2019-2020

school year. Congratulations to all of

our students who earned awards and to

the three classes that won the class

attendance award: Ms. Bergin and Ms.

Flynn’s 2nd grade, Ms. Perkins and Mr.

Jones 5th grade and Ms. Jarquin’s 6th

grade. Next month we start the reading

awards for students who do their SFA

homework. All students need to read at

least 20 minutes every night.

Health News

Tausha Kelly, LPN, will be happy tending to your child’s needs in the Health Office this year. Please call 445-8802 with questions.

It has been a great start to the school year so far, thanks to you!

Please continue to send in copies of physicals, immunizations, and dental visits as they occur.

If your child needs medication during school hours, please contact the Health Office for information. We can help make this a simple process for you. We ask that you do not send medica-tions to school with your child. A parent/guardian must hand deliver the medication to the Health Office directly.

Parents, please remember to get your child's yearly physicals completed!

Prevent the Flu from getting to you… Seasonal flu viruses are most common during the fall and winter.

Preventative steps, according to the CDC, are;

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

And, get your flu vaccine yearly

***Please note: Your child’s fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine before returning to school.

Counselor Corner

Happy Fall! We hope your school year is off to a great start! We understand that the start of the school year can be hectic and a tough transition for students, par-ents, teachers and staff. We wanted to provide some self-care tips as we transi-tion to busier days and less daylight.

Eat Healthy - Delicious fruits, vegeta-bles, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products make healthy meals.

Move More, Sit Less - Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate, intensity aerobic activity every week, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days a week.

Rethink Your Drink - Substitute water for sugary drinks to reduce calories and prevent a "sugar crash."

Check out https://rochester.kidsout and about.com/ which provides free to low cost events throughout Rochester and Monroe County. You can also ac-cess this via app on your Smartphone

Sleep - Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. This includes limiting screen, video game, tablet and phone time. The blue light emitted by screens restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep/wake cycle or circadian rhythm. Reduc-ing melatonin makes it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Recognize your limits and listen to your body’s need to rest - This may include saying no to an event that you are asked to attend or not watching a 5th episode on Netflix.

Wash Your Hands/Use Hand Sanitiz-er - Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds. Re-member to cough and sneeze into your elbow to reduce the spread of germs.

Get Your Flu Shot - An annual flu vac-cine is the best way to help protect against flu, especially for cancer survi-vors.

Be proactive about the upcoming hol-idays – Don’t wait until the last minute to be prepared and think about giving back to others by volunteering or donat-ing.

Check in with your loved ones – Offer support to those who appear under a lot of stress and as always, if you see something, say something!

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/

resources/infographic/healthy-fall.htm

Urban Choice would like to give

a huge thank you to the

Colin F. Kennedy Foundation

for generously donating $1000 to

purchase uniform items for our

uniform closet.