Academics
Academics
Orange County Public Schools is committed to ensuring every student graduates prepared and inspired for a thriving future. We empower students with a superior academic experience, essential life skills, and boundless opportunities.
On this page, you’ll find information about what our school offers to help lead all of our students to success.
Kindergarten
The kindergarten team is looking forward to a great year of building classroom communities! Some adventures that we cannot wait for are: Week of Colors, where we will celebrate with special literature and activities, Book Character Parade, fun STEM labs, 100th Day of School celebration, and a field trip to The Orlando Rep Theatre!!
See you soon KINDERGARTENERS!!
First Grade
First Grade is setting up for a Fabulous First Grade year ahead.
We are planning many engaging learning activities each month. Some of our highlights planned are Apple Taste Testing Lab, Pumpkinology STEM Lab, Thanksgiving Parent Performance, Holiday Rotations all for the first semester.
We look ahead to a wonderful exciting year with our fantastic Firsties😊
Second Grade
Second grade is an amazing year!
Students dive right into reading and writing. We analyze text features of fiction and non-fiction texts. We explore characters perspectives through prose and poetry. Character Day in October is the perfect day to display your love of literature. Math takes us on a journey of addition and subtraction through different methods. Money, geometry, time, and measurement provide even more hands-on activities. Students explore different ways of solving real life math problems. Science gives everyone the opportunity to discover and make meaning of the world around them with experiments to solidify concepts. We celebrate STEM day and Kite day which put our science skills into action! In Social Studies students will discover more about their community for example geography, economics, history, and civics. Colonial Day is celebrated in November and students participate in rotations while learning about different cultural traditions. Second graders will also have two field trips where they can have fun and learn with their friends in the local community!
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
*From the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for Reading and Mathematics
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade is an exciting last year in elementary school!
In Language Arts, our students are guided in developing grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, group discussion, and independent work habits. They also engage in writing for a variety of purposes, routinely strengthening and developing their skills through pre-writing, revising, editing, and giving oral presentations. In math, students focus on expanding their knowledge of the real number system and understanding, creating, and representing data graphically. They are introduced to the basics of geometry and algebra. In social studies, we focus on the United States and the building of our nation. Through science lessons and hands-on labs, students discover a way of thinking and investigating, as well as a growing body of knowledge about the natural world. Fifth graders visit Kennedy Space Center to experience how what they are learning in science is used to better our country and world.
By the end of the year, our eagles are ready to soar on to middle school!
Gifted
Florida Gifted Frameworks is shared below for parent reference. Gifted teachers use the framework and student outcome from this document to guide their instruction.
Art
The Stone Lakes Elementary art curriculum is based on the Sunshine State Standards for visual arts and provides an opportunity for students to create pieces of art. Students learn about art history and art criticism through games, activities, and thoughtful discussions about pieces of art from around the globe. Students may visit local museums, have the museums visit us, or have a virtual visit via the web. Videos, books, art images, art periodicals, and stories help the biographies and works of artists come alive. Students produce unique works of art from memory, imagination, and observation.
Art production lessons focus on the elements and principles of art: line, color, shape, value, texture, form, and space. Students have the opportunity to develop drawing and design skills using materials such as drawing pencils, colored pencils, pens, markers, chalk, crayons, and oil pastels. Students explore painting using acrylic paint, tempera paint, india ink, and watercolor paint. Collage work gives students exercise in composition. With our kiln, students learn about the art and science of ceramics. Students also learn about sculpture, printmaking, and weaving.
Music
Students come to music once a week and will learn musical concepts based on the Sunshine State Standards through vocalizing, movement and playing instruments.
In addition to class students in 4th and 5th grade have optional after school ensembles that they may join or audition to join including chorus, and orff ensemble.
PE
The purpose of Stone Lakes Elementary Physical Education Program is to provide all students with the knowledge, skills, and desire to live a healthy and physically active lifestyle.
Students at Stone Lakes Elementary Physical Education will be able to demonstrate competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few movement forms. They will apply the critical components (cues) and concepts to the learning and development of motor skills. They will achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of fitness. They will demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity settings. They will demonstrate understanding and respect for differences among people in physical activity settings and finally understand that physical activity provides the opportunity for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction. Curriculum is based on the Sunshine State Standards and Benchmarks.
The Physical Education program is led by Coach Eric Bitton and Coach Maria Wold. We are very motivated in teaching to all of our wonderful Eagles and anticipate a fantastic school year.
Core Programs
Many of our student textbooks and workbooks are available online through the OCPS LaunchPad.
Please visit the LaunchPad for your child's texts as well as many other online resources used each day at school.
Interventions
What is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports?
MTSS is a term used to describe an evidence-based model of schooling that uses data-based problem-solving to integrate academic and behavioral instruction and intervention. The integrated instruction and intervention is provided to students at varying levels of intensity based on student need. The goal is to prevent problems and intervene early so that students can be successful.
What happened to Response to Intervention (RtI)?
Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a more accurate term that refers to one seamless framework that provides varying levels of academic and behavior supports to students based upon their need.
· The term RtI has been used to refer to the framework of multi-tiered supports.
· RtI refers to the 4th step of the planning/problem solving process.
· MTSS is used to promote accurate and consistent language to convey Florida’s way of work.
· Schools may choose to refer to their system as an RtI framework.
What can I expect with MTSS?
· Frequent updates of student progress
· Early identification of academic or behavioral concerns at the first signs of difficulty.
· Help for you child that increases or decreases depending on his or her needs.
· Information and involvement in planning and providing intervention to help your child.
· Information about how your child is responding to the interventions being provided.
What do I do if I believe my child is struggling?
· Talk with your child’s teacher.
· Review and assist with homework assignments.
· Ask for regular progress monitoring reports.
· Celebrate your child’s success. Learn more about the curriculum, assessments and interventions being used in your child’s school.
· Participate in conferences and other meetings about your child.
· If you feel that your child has a disability, you have the right to request an evaluation. The school team will work with you utilizing the data based problem solving process and determine if the evaluation is necessary.
How can I participate in MTSS?
Families play a critical role in supporting what their children are learning in school. The more parents are involved in student learning, the higher the student achievement. Ask questions to learn more about MTSS in your child’s school:
· Is my child successful? How do I know? If not, why and what can we do differently?
· If needed, how is additional help going to be provided? By whom? How often? For how long?
· What can I do to participate in problem-solving about my child?
· What can I do to help with the interventions for my child at home?
· How will I know if interventions are working?