May Events
5/01 NYS Grades 3-8 Math Testing
5/03 Cortland Free Library and K-12 Selected Art Show
5/06 Parker PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
5/07 Parker Art Show & Ice Cream Social, 6:00 p.m.
5/07 Parker Spring Concert Series and Title I Information Night, 7:00 p.m.
5/10 Muffins for Moms in Kindergarten, 8:00 a.m.
5/14 Early Dismissal for Students, 12:30 p.m.
5/16 Elementary Select Concert at CHS, 7:30 p.m.
5/17 Grandparents Day, 8:00 a.m.
5/24 No School for Staff and Students
5/27 Memorial Day, No School for Staff and Students
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Early Dismissal Dates
All K-6 students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. on May 14 and June 21. This is AFTER all students have had their lunch. Our faculty and staff will be using this time to prepare for the transition to three elementary schools. Please reach out to the principal with any questions. As always visit our
transition page
to see what the most up to date and current plans for students and staff are.
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Attention Cortland Alumni
The end of this school year will mean the closing of 2 Elementary Schools (Parker and Virgil) and the rearranging of our elementary schools into grade level centers. Since this is a big change for us all, we would like to celebrate the community and families who have made our Elementary Schools so great for the past many years. Our final concert at each building will be a celebration of everything that has made each building great. YOU ARE PART OF THAT HISTORY!! We would love to have you back to enjoy the final concert and perform with us on the final song at the elementary school you attended. Below are the dates of the final concerts at each building and the music teacher to contact if you would like more information. We hope to see you there and have you part of our special evening.
Parker Elementary - Tuesday May 7 -
athayer@cortlandschools.org
Randall Elementary - Wednesday May 8 -
hshelley@cortlandschools.org
Barry Elementary - Wednesday May 15 -
sbellamy@cortlandschools.org
Virgil Elementary - Thursday May 23 -
jkeefner@cortlandschools.org
Smith Elementary - Wednesday May 29 -
rharris@cortlandschools.org
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Title 1 Information Night
May 7th is going to be a busy evening at Parker School! We are hosting an art show, ice cream social and Title 1 Informational night!
Title I (pronounced “Title One”) is the largest federal aid program for elementary, middle, and high schools. Through Title I, the Federal government provides funding to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses its Title I money for extra educational services for children who are behind in school. Schools where more than half of all students are low-income can operate a school-wide Title I project. This includes all Cortland schools.
Local districts, schools, and parents know best what their students need to succeed. Title I allows them to decide how to use Title I money to help students who are behind. In Cortland, Title I funds are being spent in these ways:
- Reading specialists who help students to read and write;
- Math specialists who help students with their numeracy;
- A teacher who works with students for whom English is a new language;
- Professional development and training for teachers; and
- Literacy supplies and materials.
Title I money can also be used for different types of parent involvement activities, such as:
- Family literacy activities;
- Parent meeting, training activities, and; resource centers
- Transportation and child care so parents can come to school activities or volunteer; and
- Materials that parents can use to work with their children at home.
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Kindergarten Update
The kindergarten classes completed an author study of Eric Carle. We had the opportunity to read many of his books and create illustrations using Eric Carle’s techniques.
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Music News
Parker Orchestra members are busy preparing for the Parker Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 7th. Please arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. for tuning and warmups. We have been working on a dance called the samba, theme and Variations, and performing independent parts in our rehearsals and lessons!
We hope to see everyone on our final Parker Spring Concert for the year!
Upcoming Music Department Events:
- Thursday, May 16th: Select Orchestra, Select Band, & Select Chorus Concert at Cortland High School at 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, May 18th: Darien Lake Trip for all 3 Select groups
Parker Alumni: Please contact Mrs. Capano if you are interested in performing in the Parker Concert! Please pass the word!
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First Graders Run for President
First Graders explored some of our nation’s history this past month in Listening and Learning! We learned about the Founding Fathers, and the events that led up to the United States gaining their independence from Great Britain. As a way to celebrate our knowledge, on our culminating day we designed posters to persuade others why people should vote for us if we were running for president, just like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. We also got to apply our knowledge of Opinion Writing, which is a skill we are working on in ELA, when writing our sentences. This was a fun and humorous way to close out this Domain as we scoot into our next topic- Frontier Explorers!
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Fourth Graders Study Colonial Trades
Our own Mr. Perkins, was a blacksmith before he came to Parker School. He shared with us tools the blacksmith used and items the blacksmith made. We are fortunate to have him working evenings at Parker School. Thanks for all you do for our Parker community, Mr. Perkins! See blacksmith picture
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Fifth Graders Skype a Scientist
5th Graders talked to a scientist over video conference to learn about what it takes to be a scientist, the importance of mud, and how mud can tell us about the ecological and climate changes over thousands of years. This tied into our study of freshwater sources, conservation, and sustainability, and we had fun learning from a professional!
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Fifth Graders Study Water Conservation
Fifth Graders finished their unit on water conservation by participating in an engineering challenge. Students represented an individual city. Based on the priorities of the city, students created a water system that pumped and filtered water. Students then worked together to decide how to allocate the water to the stakeholders in the town. This challenge represented real world challenges that communities face.
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Sixth Graders Kick Off PBL Project
6th graders had a ‘kick off event’ for their new Project Based Learning in ELA. 6th graders have been challenged to contribute to a consumer awareness campaign around the problems of fish depletion. We have learned that scientists believe all the species of fish that we currently eat will be extinct within the next 38 years. We will also be learning about how this will affect all forms of life due to the interconnectivity of life on Earth. Students will study the impact of fish depletion, the causes of the problem and how people can help mitigate this issue. They will then choose their own medium to use and create their contribution to the awareness campaign.
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Math Update
Intermediate students in Mrs. Snyder’s math WIN groups have been working in the Mangahigh program to review for the State Math exams. This 4th grader proudly shows the gold medal she’s earned through perseverance and a winning attitude!
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May is Kindergarten
Meet and Greet Month
We will host two meet and greets this month for parents
and
students to meet our staff and do some fun activities. You can choose to attend one of the following dates:
Dates:
May 13th
or
May 22nd
Location:
Barry Primary School
Time:
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Please call 607-758-4130 to sign up for your evening of choice if you have not already done so. Ask to speak with Cheryl Loope.
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Our public library has many
offerings!
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