December 2009
Justina Road Elementary
Student of the
Month
November Students of
the Month
✓ Wayneisha Wright
✓ Tiah Moody
✓ Keyrie Santigo
✓ Alex Gutierrez
✓ Serene Ramie
✓ Joe Cuello
✓ Jessica Bowens
✓ Jamal Duclos
✓ Ashley Chatmon
✓ Alliyah Spann
✓ Anthony Villar
✓ Indyia Lindsey
✓ Jeffrey Exavier
✓ Angelina Lugo
✓ Jai Williams
✓ Dante Lamoree
✓ Dashanelle Jones
✓ Tytiana Holmes
✓ Destiny Bradley
✓ Baju Bamigbetan
Contact Us
Justina Road Elementary
3101 Justina Road
Jacksonville, FL 32277
904.745.4909
www.duvalschools.org/justina
Connection
From Mrs. Maxey
St. Nicholas Visits Justina
Today our students arrived at Justina Elementary to find the classrooms and
hallways covered in gold tinsel. As they entered the classrooms, curiosity turned
to excitement. At each desk was a colorful backpack filled with books and toys
for our pre-K to 2nd grade students and wrapped presents of books for students
in grades 3-5. Later the students listened to a story that celebrates the life of
Saint Nicholas, a story based on the European tradition that celebrates
anonymous giving and kindness.
Each student received the book, The New Secrets of Saint Nicholas. Please
read this story with your child and discuss what kindness is and how we can
share this act with others. Volunteer Jacksonville helped coordinate this event
along with M.A. Healy Family Foundation, Roger Towers, P.A., and J.P. Perry
Insurance, Inc. Thank you to all who helped to make for a heartfelt day of fun
at Justina Road Elementary.
Saturday Academy
Justina Road Elementary School extends the invitation for Saturday
Academy to all students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Saturday Academy will
provide academic support in the areas of Math, Reading, Science and Writing.
In addition, we will offer parents and/or guardians educational workshops
informing you with creative ways to help your students academically. We will
offer weekly incentives for students and their families for attending. Also, each
student will receive 2 points extra credit for each session that they attend.
Transportation and Breakfast are provided. Please take the time to ensure that
your student attends. Again they will be receiving additional instruction in all
FCAT tested areas. This is a great opportunity for your child to receive
additional academic support and with breakfast and transportation provided…
what could be stopping you?
Saturday Academy is from 8:30am-11:30am
The dates are:
Dec 5th * Dec 12th * Jan 9th *Jan 30th * Feb 6th * Feb 20th * Feb 27th * Mar 6th
Thank you for your support. Feel free to contact us at 745.4909.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Maxey
Justina Road Elementary Connection
Keep Skills Sharp During Winter Break
Upcoming Events
Help your child stay at the top of his learning game during the holiday vacation -
Dec 1st : McDonald’s school
no flashcards involved!
support night
Winter break means a well-deserved reprieve from homework and daily
Dec 1st - Dec 9th : Holiday Gift
obligations. "Just as we adults cherish our vacation days, students need a break
Shop
from their routines to recharge," says elementary school expert Lawrence L.
Smith, Ph.D.. Still, before you know it, the holidays will be over and it will be back Dec 8th : PBS Ready to Learn
to the bus stop. To prepare for a smooth re-entry and a successful second Workshop
semester, don't let school skills like reading, writing, and math slide completely
during winter vacation. "We want kids to read, do some writing and some math," Dec 10th : Parent Workshop Home
says Smith. But not to worry: "All of these can be done in fun ways from shopping for the Holidays
to cooking to playing games." Try these family-friendly activities:
Dec 11th : Book Blast
• Read for pleasure. Whether your child is in the mood for holiday stories like
Dec 14th : Student of the Month
The Night Before Christmas or the newest installment from his favorite series,
winter break provides the perfect opportunity to stash schoolbooks and read for Dec 17th - Dec 22nd : Weather Day
fun. Encourage relatives to give books as holiday gifts or gather in front of the NO SCHOOL
fire (big kids too!) to take turns reading from classic tales. After reading, ask
questions such as, "What was your favorite part? What part didn't you like?" Dec 23rd - Jan 1st : Winter Break
Smith suggests. NO SCHOOL

• Cook up an easy lesson. Invite your child into the kitchen to help you whip up a
special dish - from Christmas cookies to potato pancakes. "Having a child help you with a recipe involves reading and
measuring," says Smith. All of those half tablespoon and quarter-cup measurements are great practice with fractions.

• Write thank-you notes. Penning notes of appreciation to gift-givers teaches gratitude and helps polish writing and
spelling skills. Tip: A mug of hot cocoa can make this task feel more festive.

• Make the most of car rides. Turn the drive to or from a holiday get-together into an opportunity to practice letters and
numbers. You can look for license plates from different states, try to find the alphabet on the license plates, or even
count the number of red (or white or green) cars you see. Try making this game even more meaningful by having your
child graph the results and draw a conclusion about his observations.

• Maintain reasonable bedtimes. With no school to get up for in the morning, it can be tempting to let kids become night
owls. A few days before school starts up again, ease back into the regular bedtime schedule so your child can start the
year bright-eyed.

• Ask for grocery list assistance. Have your child help choose what to buy, decide how much you need, check your
supplies to see what you've already got, write or draw pictures on the list, and sort coupons. Try posing math-related
problems: For example, say you need two eggs for one recipe and three for another. Ask her to determine if you
currently have enough in the fridge, or need to add eggs to your list.

• Let kids help with online shopping. Need a last-minute gift for Grandma or Uncle Joe? Log onto your favorite shopping
sites and let your child help you select presents. "This helps children work on their computer and research skills, which
are very important in school," says Smith.

• Have a family game night. Chances are many of your family's favorite board and card games reinforce skills such as
counting, reading, and drawing. Gather the group to play games you usually don't have time for on school nights.
By Kristen Finello - Featured in Scholastic Parents
Justina Road Elementary Connection

Building Kids of Character

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

It’s easy to tell children that they should be kind to others, that they should show compassion, sympathy, and
tolerance to all who come through their lives. The statement is one responsible adults repeat frequently not only to
children but also to each other, at least parroting the sentiment when socially required.
The harder question, and one that children often ask, is why? Why should we be kind, attempting to smooth the way
for one another in this walk through life? More succinctly put, what’s in it for us? It’s not a quick and easy answer, either,
is it? We can refer to a teaching of a particular belief system if that’s applicable to us, but even that can become rote and
meaningless through time if it’s not truly embraced and practiced.
Children need to be taught that in order to be kind we must first care for others. There’s a difference between the
emotion and the action. Perhaps it’s more easily grasped if we explain it from a more personal angle. If we appreciate
what is done for us by others and identify the feelings the kindnesses generate in our own hearts and souls, perhaps we
build a greater appreciation for caring for others. We are reflections of one another as we proceed through life. The
details of our individual lives may differ, but most of us will face similar difficulties and challenges at some point along the
way. We need each other if for no other reason than to lend a hand and a shoulder during those times of stress and
uncertainty.
To help our children with this, parents can:
• Teach them to express gratitude.
• Speak gratitude themselves; use details about why we appreciate what others have done for us personally. What
were the results of the kindness we received?
• Use words of caring about others rather than words of judgment and condemnation. It’s easy to tear each other
apart. It’s more difficult for some reason to celebrate and extol the positive in others.
• Teach the concept of putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. Talk about it whenever possible: “How do you think
Bobby felt when he was in the hospital for a week and no one came to visit him? How would you feel?”
• Make service to others a part of your family routine and make it fun. Join with other families to widen the
enjoyment as well as the effect.

By: Deborah Hanson

Babushka's Doll
Book of
the Month Learner Profile & Attitude: Caring & Empathy

When Natasha wants something, she wants it now -

not after her grandmother, Babushka, has finished her chores. Babushka
gets tired of this attitude, and finally goes off to the market, leaving
Natasha to play with a special doll that she keeps on a high shelf. The doll
comes to life and subjects Natasha to the same sort of insistent whining
that Natasha used on Babushka. The girl learns her lesson and turns out
“to be quite nice after all.”
Justina Road Elementary Connection
Academic Focus
Reading
K - Instruction continues in Theme 4 in the Comprehensive
Core Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and
Skills in Theme 4: Question, Text Organization and Summarizing;
Predict/Infer, Cause and Effect.
1 - Instruction continues in Theme 4 in the Comprehensive Core
Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in
Theme 4: Summarize, Drawing Conclusions; Evaluate, Compare &
Contrast; Monitor & Clarify, Sequence of Events.
2 - Instruction continues in Theme 2 in the Comprehensive Core
Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in
Theme 2: Question, Compare & Contrast; Evaluate, Fact & Opinion;
Monitor and Clarify, Categorize & Classify. Begin instruction in
Theme 3. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in Theme 3:
Summarize, Making Judgments; Question, Topic, Main Idea, Details;
Predict & Infer, Problem Solving; Evaluate, Making Inferences.
3 - Instruction continues in Theme 2 in the Comprehensive Core
Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in
Theme 2: Evaluate, Author’s Viewpoint; Question, Categorize and
Classify; Monitor and Clarify, Noting Details; Monitor/Clarify, Topic,
Main Idea & Supporting Details; Understanding Trickster Tales.
Begin instruction in Theme 3. Targeted Comprehension Strategies
and Skills in Theme 3: Evaluate, Fantasy & Realism; Questioning,
Following Directions; Predict/Infer, Drawing Conclusions; Monitor/
Clarify, Story Structure.
4 - Instruction continues in Theme 2 in the Comprehensive Core
Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in
Theme 2: Summarize, Story Structure; Predict/Infer, Author’s
viewpoint; Monitor/Clarify, Text Organization; Question, Noting
Details; Understanding Mysteries. Begin instruction in Theme 3.
Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in Theme 3: Monitor/
Clarify, Noting Details; Questioning, Compare and Contrast;
Evaluating, Fantasy & Realism.
5 - Begin instruction in Theme 3 in the Comprehensive Core
Reading Program. Targeted Comprehension Strategies and Skills in
Theme 3: Evaluate, Author’s Viewpoint; Summarize, Cause and
Effect; Question, Topic, Main Idea, and Supporting Details,
Following Directions.
Writing
K-2
Instruction continues in the Functional Writing
Genre.
3-5
Instruction continues in the Report Writing
Genre.
Mathematics
K - Copy, build, extend, and record growing
patterns. Recognize numerals and number
names. Develop strategies for counting and
keeping track of quantities. Represent
quantities with pictures, numerals, or words.
1 - Observe, describe and compare 2-D
shapes. Group shapes according to common
characteristics. Compose, decompose, visualize,
and represent 2-D shapes.
2 - Identify triangles and rectangles based on
the number of sides, the number of corners, and
the number of square corners. Visualize,
construct, draw, and compare rectangular arrays.
Design and construct rectangular regions that
are divided into halves, thirds, and fourths.
3 - Develop familiarity with the factors of
100. Develop strategies to solve problems in
multiplication and division. Estimate quantities
that are close to 200, 300, and 400.
4 - Organize data. Find the median and the
mean of a set of data. Use the median to
compare two sets of data. Explore number
relationships in the context of money. Develop
strategies for combining numbers, particularly
money amounts.
5 - Represent decimals on grids. Read, write,
and order decimals. Divide to find decimal
equivalents of fractions. Add decimals on a grid.
Organize and represent data as fractions,
percents, and in circle graphs.
K - Explorations of motion of
objects and gravity.
Science
1 - Explorations of water, rocks, and
soil found on Earth’s surface.
2 - Explorations of magnetism and gravity and a
performance task about motion.
3 - Explorations of water as it changes state.
4 - Electricity and the flow of energy in a system
exploration and performance task.
5 - Explorations of energy flow in living systems.