Weekly Connect

Check us out each week for tips to help your scholar succeed!

Quarter 4 week 7

Summer break is quickly approaching, One way to keep your child engaged in reading over the summer is to participate in the wonderful summer reading program offered by the Army MWR Libraries! "During the summer months, Army Family & MWR Libraries around the world will host a range of free activities for children, teens, and adults that encourage and support a love of reading. Participants also can earn incentives by reaching their reading and activity goals" (Army MWR website, 2024).

You can sign up online by clicking here or by visiting the local Throckmorton Library on main post. There is also a virtual program available. Get more information by visiting the Army MWR website. Happy reading!

Quarter 4 week 6

How to Beat the Summer Slide

Partial excerpts from article by Marie Rippel

Have you heard of the “summer slide”? Unfortunately, it’s not the fun kind of slide you’ll find at a water park or playground. This slide is different. It’s a slide that no mom wants her child to ride.

What Is the Summer Slide?

The summer slide is a decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn’t in session.

Although the summer slide may not affect every student, the general principle is one that can be observed in all sorts of situations. Skills that are learned, also need to be practiced to ensure ongoing proficiency in the skill. For example, if your child plays the violin but stops practicing for three months, his skills will decline more than the skills of a child who continues to practice and play the violin over the summer, right?

So what can we do to avoid this common problem?

How to Prevent the Summer Slide

Here’s the secret to preventing the summer slide: Keep learning all summer long. (Now, don’t panic, I’m not talking about year-round schooling, although for some homeschool families, year-round schooling may be a good solution.)

I’m talking about consciously striving to provide learning opportunities throughout the summer to keep kids’ academic skills sharp.

Kids deserve a break from the classroom, but not from learning. Countless research shows that students who stop all studying during the summer suffer a significant loss in knowledge and academic skills.

We encourage parents establish a regular summer study routine for their kids. 30 minutes a day will avoid learning loss and place your kids well ahead of the curve in September. Equally important, it reinforces to your children the importance of learning – it’s not something done just at school.

These resources can help to reduce the summer slide. Click the links below for great resources:

Incoming Kindergarteners:

Incoming First Graders:

Math

Reading and Math

Incoming Second Graders:

Incoming Third Graders:

Incoming Fourth Graders:

Incoming Fifth Graders:

Upcoming Sixth Graders:

Reading

Math

Quarter 4 Week 5

Have you registered your children for the 2025-2026 school year?

"The Student Re-registration window has opened. Parents should complete a re-registration for each currently enrolled student as soon as possible. During re-registration, parents must indicate whether their student will be withdrawing or returning for the upcoming school year" (https://www.dodea.edu/registration, 2024).

DoDEA recommends completing the online registration process using a desktop or laptop computer. The online registration process may not work on a mobile device.

If you already have a DoDEA Family Portal Account.

Click on the Login to Family Portal button
Log in with your username & password.
Once logged in, read the Announcement to get started.
Click the initiate button in the “New Student Registration” box to complete the DoDEA registration process.

If you Do Not have a DoDEA Family Portal Account.

Click on the Login to Family Portal button.
Click "Request an account" ONLY if you are registering a student(s) in DoDEA. If you have students currently in DoDEA, you already have a DoDEA Family Portal account.
Select "I am a parent/guardian registering my child online".
Follow the prompts to complete account setup.
Log in and read the Announcement to get started.

For more information and eligibility requirements click here: https://www.dodea.edu/registration

Quarter 4 Week 4

It's Registration Time!!!!

Parents,

It is our annual re-registration period and we want to share with you access to the Parent Portal and directions for registering for the new school year. ALL students must re-register each year!! Registration is extremely important to the school as the number of teacher slots, specialist and additional services are based on the enrollment of the school. A vigorous re-registration period cements the ability for the school to be fully staffed and provided with adequate supplies to begin the year effectively. Please see the information below to access the registration portal.

Go to the site below to re-register or follow directions on the pictures to the left of this post.

https://www.dodea.edu/registration

If you do not have your previously created Parent Portal account number or password, please contact school office for assistance.

If you have never created an account, follow the directions listed and choose to create an account from the login screen.

Quarter 4 Week 3

Did you know that our school has quarterly family STEAM/STEM challenges?

"STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking" (The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, 2023). Our STEAM challenges help our students to use the engineering design process to follow steps to find a solution to a problem. This is important for students, as it helps them persevere through challenges and create innovative solutions to solve problems. Please visit the STEAM tab on this page to participate in the challenges and to get more information on STEAM education.

Quarter 4 Weeks 1-2

Report Cards

Report cards come home today for the 3rd quarter. The DoDEA grading scale is below to help clarify grade codes and their meanings.

For grades K–3, achievement codes rather than letter grades will be used.

Code Description

Exceeds grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors independently without teacher support. Students at this level are exceeding the grade-level standards.

Meets grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors independently with minimal teacher support.

Steady progress towards grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors with teacher guidance and support.

Limited progress towards grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors in isolated or rare instances, or with a great deal of support. The performance is inconsistent and below the normal range of expectancy for a student at this grade level.

A traditional letter grading system will be used for grades 4-5 report cards. All parents of students in grades 4-5 have access through the Parent Portal to their child's weekly grades. Be sure to log in stay informed week to week.

Grade/Numerical Range/Description

90 – 100

Excellent: Outstanding level of performance

80 – 89

Good: High level of performance

70 – 79

Average: Acceptable level of performance

60 – 69

Poor: Minimal level of performance

F (failing)

0 – 59

Failing

When you have questions or concerns about grades, you can contact the classroom teacher directly via mail or phone.

Quarter 3 Week 9 Update

COGNIA Part 3

Dear Parents of Fort Bragg Community Schools,

As an ongoing focus on continuous improvement, our district, DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic, hosts an Engagement Review Team from Cognia, an international accreditation agency that conducts these on site reviews every five years. Our district will host this group of educational volunteers at Poole on April 30th, 2025.

Cognia team’s purpose is to rate our district on each of Cognia’s Performance Standards and give us feedback on our continuous improvement efforts. As a result of the on-site review, a report will be provided in which the Cognia team will give feedback specific to areas that need improvement as well as areas identified as noteworthy practices. Our district will file a Progress Report with Cognia two years (2027) after the review for any areas of improvement that may be identified.

Stakeholder perceptions of our district are a critical part of this review process, and we would value your input. The team will visit every school site in DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic and seek input from all our parents. The Cognia Team will be visiting Linden Oaks at Gordon ES on April 29th at 3:45 pm. To that end, a thirty-minute meeting has been scheduled for parents to meet with the Cognia team.

Also, the Cognia team will randomly select students in grades 3-12 to be interviewed in a group setting to gain students’ perceptions. A student may decline the offer to participate in the group interview.

If you have any questions, please contact your school administrator. Thank you for your continued support in helping us reach our mission.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Sally Hansen

Instructional Support

CSI Team Leader

Mildred B. Poole Elementary School

Fort Liberty Schools

Mid-Atlantic District/DoDEA

PART 2

Quarter 3 Week 8-9

COGNIA Part 2

READY..........SET........ACCREDITATION!!!!! PART 2

The Cognia Accreditation Team will visit our school in late April to evaluate the school's process, procedures, and policies. The team is comprised of educators and administrators well versed in academic organizations and necessary components needed for success. You will hear us talking about it around the school and in our school newsletters and information updates.

Cognia Teams will observe EVERY classroom in our building as well as have some in-depth interviews with teachers, students and parents. Please familiarize yourselves with the following terms so that you will be prepared for your or your child's possible meeting with the team.

Individual Support: Refers to opportunities for students to meet with educators to meet their individual academic needs.

Leadership Skills: Refers to all (personal or academic) activities that allow your student to shine in given areas whether in class, clubs, resource classes or through extra-curriculars.

Classroom Conditions: Are your classrooms designed to provide a warm, open, atmosphere where your child feels valued as a learner?

Expectations: Does your child know what is/her expectation are for class, school and Poole community?

Voice: Refers to students, parents and staff having the opportunity to voice their opinions in a safe environment. Also, refers to students being given options to help lead their academic journey.

Accreditation is coming in late April and we want to ensure all stakeholders (students, staff, parents, community members are aware of all that is being done to make POOLE the best we can be!!!

Pathfinders....Always on Point

Quarter 3 week 6-7

READY..........SET........ACCREDITATION!!!!!

1. Culture of Learning

School Culture - refers to the area of providing of respect, fairness, inclusion of all students and freedom from bias in the school.

Input - refers to you feeling your feedback and opinion concerning your views of school policy will be asked for and valued.

2. Leadership of Learning

Leadership School /Student Leadership Opportunities - refers to whether parents and children are given leadership opportunities. (I.e. PTA, participation, invitation to volunteer). Are your children given excel in their strengths?

3. Engagement of Learning

Fostering Life-Long Learning Skills - refers to whether the school is providing opportunities and activities that encourage creativity, curiosity, educational risk-taking, collaboration and critical thinking.

Feedback/High Expectations - Is the school informing you of you your child's progress. Are ther high-expectations, student-centered activities and engagement?

4. Growth of Learning

Connection - refers to making sure you are aware of your child's progress socially and emotionally. Also includes procedures put in place if students are not progressing as expected. You know and understand the process of the educational plan.

Please stay connected with our Parent University Weekly Connect and the Schoolwide newsletter for opportunities for parents to meet with the accreditation team to share your responses in all of these!

Quarter 3 Week 5

SEL (Social Emotional Learning) education is important because it equips students with the skills to understand and manage their own emotions, build healthy relationships with others, make responsible decisions, and navigate challenging situations, ultimately leading to improved academic performance, mental well-being, and overall success in life. Key reasons why SEL education matters:

Develops self-awareness:
Students learn to recognize their own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, allowing for better self-regulation and personal growth.
Improves relationship skills:
By teaching empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution, SEL helps students build positive and supportive relationships with peers and adults.
Enhances decision-making:
Students gain the ability to consider the consequences of their actions and make responsible choices based on ethical principles.
Boosts academic achievement:
Studies show a strong correlation between SEL skills and improved academic performance, as students are better able to focus, manage stress, and engage in learning.

You can support SEL learning at home too! Here is a great blog with free resources to use at home to support your child with their SEL education:

https://www.thepathway2success.com/10-sel-activities-for-home/

Quarter 3 Weeks 3 & 4

Fluent readers can read accurately, quickly, and with expression. They can recognize words automatically and group them into meaning without having to concentrate on decoding. Having good fluency helps your child focus on understanding the meaning of text, making connections between what they know and the ideas presented in the text, and helps them to identify the main idea and key details. Next time your child reads, help them to increase their fluency using the tips and strategies above!

Quarter 3 Week 1 & 2

Poole Elementary would like to welcome Mr. Timothy Harris to the PATH! Mr. Harris joins us as our Educational Technologist. He has been a part of DODEA for many years overseas, and joins the Mid-Atlantic District here at PES!

Mr. Harris has hit the ground running at Poole by creating a site for parents and staff to use to keep up with the classroom and school level events here at PES. The new site will keep you informed of all of the upcoming important calendar activities, it also contains newsletters for each grade. The newsletter site will provide notes from our admin, nurse, cafeteria and our PTA. It will offer helpful hints, and even redeliver the link to our own Parent University portal. Parents will love this site as it places everything we need......ALL in ONE PLACE!!!

Well done Mr. Harris and thank you!!!👏👏👏👏

We welcome you to the PATH and are excited to see the many helpful programs you create.

Take a look at our new school-wide newsletter: Poole Elementary School-wide Newsletter

Quarter 2 week 9

A way to encourage your child to improve their writing is to have them revise and edit their work. Here is a writing checklist using CUPS to help them enhance their writing! This strategy is great for all grades K-5. After revising, your child will write their final draft with the corrections. Make it a family activity by having them present their polished writing to the family. Happy writing!

Quarter 2 week 8

Does your child struggle to solve word problems? Using the CUBES strategy may help your child understand and break down a word problem. To use this strategy, your child will circle the numbers in the word problem. Next, they will underline the question and put a box around the action words that tell them how they are going to need to solve the problem. Then, your child will eliminate any information that they do not need. Last, they solve and check their work. For more information on how to use this strategy with your child, check out the Lucky Little Learner's blog at https://luckylittlelearners.com/cubes-math-strategy/.

Quarter 2 week 7

Academic slides can happen during extended breaks from school. Check out this blog for ideas on how to prevent your child from the winter academic slide during the break: https://www.learner.com/blog/how-to-avoid-winter-academic-slide

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2025 for more tips on how to help your child academically!

Quarter 2 Week 6

Looking for ways to help support your child academically at home?

Visit Classlink to access tutoring services via Tutor.com - Free for DoDEA students! Tutor.com representatives recently visited our school and showed many of our students how to use their services. One-to-one tutors are available 24/7 to assist your child.

Quarter 2 Week 5

Spotlight on Pre-K

The second semester for our Pre-K students went well according to our amazing Pre-K teachers and support staff. Students are well on their way to becoming proficient at a new set of standards. Our amazing Pre-K teachers, informed us that our Pre-K classes are moving on through the Creative Curriculum Program and as you know from the biweekly communication log for our classes. They have a great deal of information that is being covered this quarter. The focus in mathematics includes...number recognition, patterns, and shapes. In language arts, students are focused on comprehension of stories and retelling with a light immersion of phonemic awareness through weekly letter bags, songs, and chants. Students engage in daily Google classroom activities provided by classroom teachers. They interact with pre-mathematic and pre-literacy skills. Please take time to check the Google classroom daily to remain in the know for Pre-K. The current "Study" is Trees and Shapes. Students are gaining valuable experience in all areas and are excited for every new "Study" or concentration as they build their self-help skills through play.

Quarter 2 Week 4

Attention second - fifth grade parents...want access to your child's curriculum resources?

Visit Classlink by going to: https://launchpad.classlink.com/login and sign in with your child's student Google account. Once on Classlink, click the coordinating Classlink icons to access student materials.

Quarter 2 Week 3

Daily reading with your child is very important as your child builds their reading proficiency. Just like learning to ride a bike or playing a sport, reading takes practice! It is encouraged to take turns reading with your child so that they hear good fluent reading. When your child stumbles upon an unknown word, they may get frustrated. Encourage them to try these word attack strategies to sound out the unknown word when reading.

Happy reading!

Teachers at Mildred B. Poole Elementary School set SMART Goals to guide plans for student success. A SMART Goal must be: Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. Over the course of 6-8 weeks students receive intervention and enrichment to help them reach their potential and improve learning. You can help at home by asking your child about their 2nd quarter SMART goal and by encouraging them to do their best in achieving it. Be sure to look for the SMART goal celebration posts on the Mildred B. Poole Facebook page at the end of each quarter!

Quarter 2 Week 2

During the first quarter our SMART goals were...

PreK - By December 2024 Pre K students will increase meeting and following classroom multi-step directions independently from 42% to 55% as measured by teacher created assessment.

K - By the end of October 2024, the number of kindergarten students that are proficient with letter sounds will increase from 27% to 57% as measured by the Benchmark Phonics Screener.

1st- By October 24, 2024, students in first grade who are meeting or exceeding the grade level standard 1NBT.2: understand that 2-digit numbers represent tens and ones will improve from 12% of students to 38% of students meet or exceed standard as measured by Form B Reveal Math Unit 2.

2nd- By the end of October, the number of 2nd grade students that type a minimum of 5 words per minute with at least 85% accuracy for EduTyping will increase from 11% to 15% as determined by the EduTyping assessment.

3rd - By October 2024, students meeting or exceeding the grade level expectation of typing 12 or more words per minute with 85% accuracy (W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills)..." will increase from 29% to 70% as measured by EduTyping.

4th- By October 2024, the percentage of 4th graders not meeting or exceeding grade level expectations for correctly solving multiplication facts of 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s will decrease from 31% to 25% as measured using teacher created assessment.

5th - By the end of October 2024, 5th grade students will increase their multiplication facts knowledge in the met and exceeded categories from 10% to 25%.

Quarter 2 Week 1

What is math fact fluency? Math fact fluency is the ability to recall the answers to basic math facts automatically and without hesitation. Fact fluency is gained through significant practice, with mastery of basic math facts.

Fact fluency is a crucial skill in mathematics. It enables students to naturally solve problems with little conscious effort. This ease and usefulness are especially evident in math subjects. Fact fluency allows students to perform mathematical functions without extensive calculation or technological assistance, quickly and accurately.

In practical terms, fact fluency means mastering basic math facts so that students can produce answers rapidly and confidently. For example, with addition fact fluency, students can recall that 1 + 4 = 5 without hesitation. Building fact fluency goes beyond mere flashcards and drills; it involves engaging strategies that help students internalize these fundamental facts.

The basic reason why math fact fluency matters, cognitive scientists say, is that it frees up brainpower or working memory to do more complex mathematical work—like figuring out how to structure a multistep word problem, model a solution, or puzzle out systems of equations. It’s harder for students to do those things when they’re simply trying to work through basic arithmetic.

Also, being able to automatically recall math facts seems to be especially important for multiplication: Students have fewer rapid backup strategies to lean on in multiplication if they haven’t stored the times tables in their long-term memory.

Here are some great fact fluency games and activities to use at home to improve and encourage fact fluency: These websites have free games and activities that cover all four operations:

Xtramath.org – timed drills with data tracking for teachers
Math Fact Drill – allows you to select operation & difficulty level
SplashLearn Math Facts – select the number of questions and timed vs. untimed
Rocket Math – Free Trial (60 days)
Math Facts Pro – the Lite Version is Free (but doesn't track data)
Reflex Math – Free Trial (60 days)
Math Magician – offers fact practice with single & mixed operations

Addition Fact Practice

Subtraction Fact Practice

Multiplication and Division Math Fact Games

Beginning in third grade, students are expected to begin recalling basic multiplication and division facts. As they enter fourth and fifth grade, these should be mastered, meaning students can fluently recall the facts and their answers.

Here are my favorite games to allow students to practice their multiplication and division facts.

Multiplication Fact Practice

Division Fact Practice

Quarter 1 Week 10

Report Cards

We are reaching the end of the first quarter and that means report cards are coming! The grading period ends on Thursday, October 24, 2024. There will be no school Friday as that will be a teacher workday designated to prepare report cards.

The DoDEA grading scale is below to help clarify grade codes and their meanings.

For grades K–3, achievement codes rather than letter grades will be used.

Code Description

Exceeds grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors independently without teacher support. Students at this level are exceeding the grade-level standards.

Meets grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors independently with minimal teacher support.

Steady progress towards grade-level expectations: Student exhibits the skills/behaviors with teacher guidance and support.

Grade/Numerical Range/Description

90 – 100

Excellent: Outstanding level of performance

80 – 89

Good: High level of performance

70 – 79

Average: Acceptable level of performance

60 – 69

Poor: Minimal level of performance

F (failing)

0 – 59

Failing

When you have questions or concerns about grades, you can contact the classroom teacher directly via e-mail or phone.

Mr. Eugene Gregg, Principal

Quarter 1 Week 9

Principal's Note

Hello Pathfinder families,

I just wanted to reach out through our amazing Parent University site to welcome you! We are at the end of our first grading period and I am pleased and impressed with the progress our students are making this year. This is due to your support and dedication to their academic and social development. We thank you for keeping us on the PATH to success!

A few notes:

Please return to this site weekly to see important academic updates and resources available. The Parent University site is also a great avenue to have academic questions answered. Visit the homepage to complete the Parent Question Forum. The site facilitators will respond quickly to assist. This is for general academic or policy questions, not student specific concerns.

Report cards will be given out at parent-teacher conferences on October 31st and November 1st. I highly encourage you to meet with your child's teacher to discuss their progress.

Also, remember that you can take advantage of viewing up to date student progress through our Parent Portal. If you are unable to access the portal, you can visit the Poole Elementary School website to request access. See photo to the left for login information.

Once again, thank you for you support! Let's continue to make this school year amazing for all Pathfinders!

Mr. Eugene Gregg

quarter 1 Week 8

The RISE strategy is a great way to help your child solve math word problems and explain their thinking.

Have your child circle all important numbers and words in the word problem. Next, have them draw a picture to illustrate the problem. This will help them to see the problem they are trying to solve. Next, your child will solve the problem using a strategy of their choice. Last, your child will explain their thinking. Encourage them to use math vocabulary words they have learned (ie - sum, difference, product, quotient, greater than, less than, ect.) in their explanation.

Quarter 1 Week 7

Check out these vocabulary strategies to help your child build their reading vocabulary. The links below will provide you with a list of grade-level appropriate vocabulary/sight words your child will learn this school year. Happy reading!

Kindergarten 1st Grade

2nd Grade 3rd Grade

4th Grade 5th Grade

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