newsletter dated April 7, 2015

April 7, 2015
Morgan Woods Elementary School
Looking
Ahead
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Tiger Talks
Apr. 9—PDQ Night
7001 Armand Drive
Tampa, FL 33634
Apr. 13—PTA Meeting, 4:30
p.m., Media Center, All are
Welcome to Attend
(813) 872-5369 - http://morganwoods.mysdhc.org
Apr. 13—Report Cards Go
Home
A Hillsborough County Public School
Apr.13-24—Florida Standards
Assessment, Grade 5
VISION: Morgan Woods Elementary School will develop individuals who are capable of successfully meeting
the challenges of the future.
MISSION: The Morgan Woods Elementary School community will provide opportunities for personal growth
and academic success for all students.
Volunteers
We would like to recognize the following volunteers that have served our students and teachers from January 7th—March 16th: Alma Acosta, Ruth Alboth, Tracy Berg, Irene Borjas,
Nancy Bosek, Ellen Bradbury, John Carey, Shavonté Carswell, Dania Corcino, Diana
Daneau, Rashonda Dennie, Amerika Gonzalez, Walter Halfmann, Lorielle Hollaway,
Debbie Hosein, Lois McLane, Josine McClanahan, Mary Rewick, Darlene Rodriguez,
Nancy Rogers, Izet Santana, Grace Stephens, Heather Stiber, Linda Weber, and Kristine Wells. Your time and dedication to our school is greatly appreciated!
Spring Is Here!
Spring arrived Friday, March 20, 2015. Participate in a variety of science activities
with your child at home during these warm days.

Go on a nature walk around your neighborhood. Observe and compare plants
you see while walking.

Observe plants with flowers, cones, and spores. Talk about how they are similar and different.

Observe the roots, stem, leaves, and flowers of a plant. Discuss the function of
each part of the plant.

Find two leaves to draw and describe. Talk about how they are alike and different.

Select a tree in your yard/neighborhood to observe. Use yarn and/or a tape
measure to measure the distance around the tree. Measure the tree one month
later to compare the difference.

Identify fruits and vegetables from the grocery store as leaves, flowers, or fruits.
Every Monday is Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 1:15 p.m.
Apr. 14—SAC Meeting, 7:25
a.m., Room 304
Apr. 14—Chick-fil-A Family
Night
Apr. 17—STEM Night, 5:30
p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 21—Awards Ceremony
Morgan Woods Elementary
Ms. Kilsys Garcia, Principal
Ms. Linda Swanson, Asst. Principal
9th Annual We Deliver
Award
It’s time again to nominate our
best employees for the We Deliver award. The winner will be
someone who delivers excellence every day beyond his or
her job description, who takes a
special interest in students or the
community, and someone who
“goes the extra mile.” This year,
we are looking for someone who
has shown incredible resilience
in spite of personal adversity. If
you know someone like that,
please go to the following website https://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/
doc/1390/we-deliver/documentsforms/ and fill out the nomination
form. The deadline to submit a
nomination is April 17, 2015.
Fifth Grade
Notes from SAC
Fifth grade has been working diligently preparing for the upcoming Florida Standards Assessment in Reading and Math and FCAT Science. These assessments will be given from
the middle of April to the end of April. In Reading, the students have focused on building
stamina as they are required to read three articles and answer comprehension questions. In
the upcoming weeks, students will continue to practice all of the reading skills and strategies
that they have learned so far this year. Some of the skills that are being reviewed more
heavily are text features and how to understand information in nonfiction text. We have discussed the importance of understanding the structure of nonfiction text and how it helps the
reader identify what’s important. JA BizTown was a big success. Thank you to all of the
volunteers who helped make it happen. We couldn’t have done it without you. Spring Break
has come and gone. Now it is time to make our final push towards middle school. We still
have a lot more to do, but we also have some time to stop and smell the roses. Our LEGOLAND field trip is coming up fast, and the fifth grade banquet will be here before you know it.
Thanks for all your support this year.
The School Advisory Council
met on March 17, 2015, with
seventeen members present.
The agenda items addressed
were: introduction of new assistant principal, A+ Funding update, AdvancED update, the
budget, Parent Involvement and
the Garden Committee.
ESE Department
All kinds of great learning is happening in the ESE Department!
The students in Mrs. Seda’s class are having a blast learning about being healthy.
They have learned how to sort vegetables and fruits, have learned about different
healthy foods and have enjoyed tasting them as well. The students have also
learned about the importance of healthy habits like brushing their teeth which they
did in class!
Mrs. Lash’s kindergarten students have been working on letter recognition and writing, her second grade
students have been focusing on finding messages or lessons in the stories they read, and her fourth and
fifth grade students have been learning about two dimensional figures in Math.
Ms. Frederick’s DHH pre-k students have been exploring the world by using their five senses. They have
been using their eyes, ears, hands, nose, and tongue to investigate various materials. The students have
had fun practicing conversational skills by taking turns and answering questions with each other.
Ms. Bancroft’s students worked hard to prepare for the SAT and FSA assessments! They have been
learning how to carefully read stories and articles to find the answers to questions. In Writing, the students
have been successful at staying on topic and selecting the right focus (opinion or elaboration) in their writing pieces. They are doing great!
Morgan Woods’ new assistant
principal, Ms. Swanson, was
introduced to the group. Mrs.
Halfmann shared that A+ Funding (merit pay for improving from
a C to a B on FCAT for 20132014) would be received in late
April to all staff members that
worked during the 2013-2014
school year.
AdvancED, the
national accreditation group that
visited HCPS District February
16-19, 2015, recommended
continued accreditation. Mrs.
Seda reported that all SAC
budget requests have been received or ordered. Mrs. Williams
provided information on the Parent Involvement surveys from Dr.
Seuss Night held in March.
Eighty one forms were returned
with two hundred one people
attending. Comments on the
activity were favorable and each
student left with a brand new
book! The Garden Committee
was commended for their work
on twenty four gardens which
are producing vegetables, herbs,
and flowers.
The next meeting is scheduled
for April 14, 2015, at 7:25 a.m. in
room 304. All parents are welcome to attend.
Mrs. Gucciardo’s Speech-Language students are ready for Spring! The students working on articulation
and pronunciation got lots of practice using their good “s” and “r” sounds with their St. Patrick’s Day activities. The third, fourth and fifth grade students came up with some very fun and creative word associations
with their St. Patrick’s Day Scattergories. The first graders have been working on a “parade of pronouns”
and understanding how to use them appropriately. Others have been working on identifying various parts
of speech and understanding how they use these words to build descriptive and detailed sentences.
Mrs. Purcell’s students have done an outstanding job with reading! Her students have learned how to
locate key evidence that helps them compare and contrast using informational and fictional texts. She
credits the parents for their support with the Read-a-Thon and helping their child reach their reading goal!
Her student’s reading skills continue to grow stronger and stronger every day!
Our second grade gifted student, Zaire Dennie, recently participated in the 2015 Black History Month Art
Contest inspired by the theme, “A Celebration of African American Innovators and Innovations”. She received a letter from Governor Rick Scott congratulating and thanking her for her participation in the contest. Ms. O’Farrell’s AGP students in fourth and fifth grade recently participated in a districtwide "SMATH
Fractured Fairy Tale" contest in which they selected a fairy tale of their choice to "rewrite". They conducted research that would make the fairy tale more realistic by including elements of Science, Math, and
Language Arts. Students were excited to submit their stories and will share their stories with second graders who have been learning about comparing and contrasting texts.
County School Board
Chair—Susan L. Valdes
Vice Chair—Doretha W. Edgecomb
Members— April Griffin, Sally
Harris, Carol W. Kurdell, Melissa
Snively, Cindy Stuart
Superintendent of Schools
MaryEllen Elia
Acting Superintendent
Jeff Eakins