February 2026 Newsletter

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If February feels heavy, you’re not imagining it. Shorter days, full schedules, and nonstop demands can add up to real winter burnout—for students, families, and staff alike. This time of year often requires extra grace, extra patience, and a little more rest than usual.


As we move through these final winter weeks, consider a few gentle resets:

  • Step outside for a few minutes of fresh air and daylight

  • Keep evenings simple (one less “thing” is still a win)

  • Prioritize sleep and steady routines

The good news: spring is coming, and with it, longer days and renewed energy. Until then, we’re taking it one day at a time—together.

  


Coming in March, students will be doing ITBS testing.  Standardized tests are just one snapshot of a student’s learning—but being prepared matters. Preparation helps students feel confident with the format, manage time, and show what they truly know without anxiety getting in the way. When kids practice skills like reading questions carefully, using strategies, and checking their work, they’re building habits that transfer far beyond test day: focus, perseverance, and problem-solving.

Our goal isn’t “teach to the test.” Our goal is to teach students how to walk into any challenge ready.

✅ Early practice = less stress
✅ Familiarity with format = fewer careless mistakes
✅ Confidence = stronger performance

Let’s set students up to succeed—calm, capable, and prepared. 💪📚

News from the Science Classroom:

Falcons & Eagles: Atoms, Elements, and the Periodic Table

This month, Falcons and Eagles are taking a deeper dive into the building blocks of matter as we explore atoms and the Periodic Table. Students are learning that everything around us is made of atoms and that atoms are made of smaller parts—protons, neutrons, and electrons—each with an important role. We’re practicing how to interpret an element square by identifying atomic number, atomic mass, and chemical symbol, and we’re using these clues to understand how elements are organized.

As January progresses, we’re also investigating why the Periodic Table is arranged the way it is. Students are spotting patterns across periods (rows) and groups/families (columns) and learning how elements with similar properties tend to cluster together. We’ve been using models and class discussions to build strong foundations for vocabulary like element, compound, mixture, reactivity, and properties of matter—and students are gaining confidence explaining their thinking using scientific language.

Owls: Kingdoms of Life and How Living Things Are Classified

Owls spent January exploring how scientists organize living things using the Kingdoms of Life and other major groupings. Students learned that scientists classify organisms to help us understand the incredible variety of life on Earth. We focused on important characteristics used to sort organisms, such as whether they are single-celled or multicelled, how they get energy, where they live, and whether they have structures like cell walls.

We also talked about “divisions of life” that students often recognize in everyday science—like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish—and connected those familiar animal groups to the bigger picture of classification. Students compared what makes a mammal a mammal (hair/fur, milk for young, warm-blooded) versus what makes a reptile a reptile (scales, cold-blooded, most lay eggs). Then we zoomed out to include less familiar but equally important groups, including protists, fungi, and bacteria, discussing how many living things are microscopic and still play huge roles in ecosystems and human life.

Throughout the month, students practiced observation and comparison skills as they sorted organisms and justified their choices with evidence—an important science skill that strengthens critical thinking.

Robins: North American Geography

Our Robins practiced their geography skills this month by identifying and locating the states in the West, the Midwest, and the South. Students worked on recognizing state shapes, names, and regions, and they’re gaining confidence reading maps and using geographic vocabulary.

We also connected our map work to major U.S. bodies of water. Students learned that the Pacific Ocean borders the western United States, the Atlantic Ocean borders the eastern United States, and the Gulf of Mexico borders the southern coastline—helping them understand how oceans and gulfs relate to where states are located.

To expand our “big picture” understanding of where the United States sits in the world, we also reviewed our neighboring countries: Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Students practiced identifying these countries on a map and discussing how borders help define regions and locations.

In February, we’ll build on this strong foundation as we expand our focus to the East Coast and the Northeastern United States, continuing to strengthen regional awareness and map-reading skills.

Special Announcement: Artemis Moon Mission Excitement!

Our students are buzzing with excitement about NASA’s Artemis program and the upcoming missions designed to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future exploration. We’ve been connecting our science learning to real-world space exploration—discussing how understanding matter (atoms and elements) and living systems (what organisms need to survive) plays a role in space travel, habitats, and life-support systems. January has been full of curiosity, big questions, and lots of “What if…?” conversations as we follow the Artemis journey together!

Notes from the ELA Classroom:

♥️💕❣️

Robins:

The younger Robins will continue to be assessed on knowing each letter/sound of the alphabet. From there, we will continue practicing sight words and CVC words in short reading passages. They will write brief sentences to ensure their comprehension, as well as make sure they remember how to make each letter using proper letter formation. When reading at home, please remember to STRETCH each sound into the next, rather than to say them in isolation. This will greatly aid their reading ability! My veteran Robins will continue to fluently read passages and answer questions that boost their comprehension. They will advance to more challenging passages as their proficiency grows. Additionally, I will provide enrichment with various literacy work stations. Remember to practice your sight words and complete your Reading Log at home Mondays-Thursdays...I look forward to a fantastic February with my Robins! 🥰

Owls:

The Owls just turned in incredible writing projects that summarized their Free Reading Choice Book—their writing has greatly improved since the beginning of the year! We will continue our novel study, “Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. I feel confident that they will enjoy this classic book that cleverly intertwines literary elements as Milo embarks on the adventure of a lifetime! Vocabulary and writing activities are embedded into each chapter. Additionally, students will complete Spelling practice work–with tests on Fridays– and continue their daily grammar practice in their Abeka books. This month, we will be learning how to identify articles, nouns, and verbs in sentences using the Winston Grammar program. Please remember to complete your Reading Log at home Mondays-Thursdays…I am looking forward to a fabulous February filled with challenges in ELA! 🥰

Falcons:

I am beyond impressed with the Free Reading Projects the Falcons completed in January—they were amazing! We just began our new novel study, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S.Lewis. It is important to reinforce the skill of finding text evidence to support comprehension. They will also be completing writing activities and learning literary elements that align beautifully with the story. Additionally, students will progress with Spelling, Winston Grammar, and Sadlier Vocabulary. I will continue to use IXL to supplement areas where they need additional practice in order to accomplish mastery of grammar skills. Parents, please remember to sign both planners and reading logs daily… I know my Falcons will be ready for challenges and will work hard to achieve their literacy goals in February! 🥰

Eagles:

The Eagles just finished their Free Reading Projects, and they were outstanding! We just began the new novel study, “The Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding. We will then complete a compare/contrast writing piece with the novel they read, “Hatchet,” last semester. We will continue working on the Winston Grammar Advanced book, and supplementing with IXL lessons and practice.  Sadlier Vocabulary will resume, as well. The students will be required to complete reading at home, and do the accompanying novel work at school–flipped classroom style. Additionally, we will be spending 30 minutes daily WRITING in the classroom.  Parents, please remember to sign both planners and reading logs daily… I know the Eagles will work hard to achieve my higher expectations in February!  🥰

Notes from the Math Classroom:

The Robins:


 The Robins worked on Geometry, where students explored 2-dimensional shapes. They learned to identify, name, describe, sort, and compare common 2D shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Students are now working on 3-dimensional shapes, including spheres, cubes, and cones, and are practicing counting the number of vertices, edges, and faces to build a strong foundation in geometric concepts. Next, the Robins will begin a unit on Measurement, where students will learn to compare length, weight, and capacity. Some students will also begin learning about units of measurement. In addition, the Robins continue to practice their math facts regularly to build fluency, accuracy, and confidence in their number skills.

The Owls:

The Owls are working on a Geometry unit in which they have learned about different types of lines, rays, and line segments. Students have also been identifying and classifying 2D shapes and understanding their attributes. They will continue working on finding the area and perimeter of shapes and will begin learning about 3D shapes and their attributes. In addition, students will continue to focus on memorizing their multiplication and division facts to build fluency and confidence.

 


Falcons:

The Falcons worked on a unit on Probability, where they focused on finding the probability of an event, using tree diagrams, and differentiating between dependent and independent events. Students are now working on interpreting different types of graphs, including line graphs, line plots, histograms, and circle graphs, as well as finding the mean, median, mode, and range. Once this unit is complete, the Falcons will move on to a Measurement unit, where they will learn to relate and compute customary units of measurement, understand temperature, and compare different time zones. Some of the Falcons are working on Fractions, where they are focusing on adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators, working with mixed numbers, and multiplying fractions. Next, students will begin a unit on Geometry, focusing on points, lines, line segments, rays, angles, circles, and different types of polygons. They will also explore parallel and perpendicular lines and learn the difference between similar and congruent figures. 

Eagles:

  The Eagles completed a unit on Data and Statistics, where they focused on conducting surveys, analyzing data, and interpreting different types of graphs, including box-and-whisker plots, stem-and-leaf plots, line graphs, bar graphs, and histograms. Students also practiced finding the mean, median, and mode. Next, the Eagles will begin a unit on Geometry, where they will focus on measuring and drawing different types of lines and angles, identifying types of polygons, and understanding the angles of polygons. In addition, some students worked on Matrices, learning to recognize and write different types of matrices, as well as adding and subtracting matrices. These students are now working on graphing linear equations and functions, including graphing using slope-intercept form and exploring direct variation.



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