Tallmadge Talk
October 2021
Message from Mrs. Walker
Grades 2 - 5 drop off and pick up(in front of building)
Bus drop off and pick up (Lewis Ave.)
Grades K-1 car drop off and pick up (back of building)
Mumpkin Pick Up - October 4th 4:00 - 6:00pm -In the front of the building
Technology Tip
Please remember to have your students regularly update their Chromebooks. We do this from time to time in school, but it never hurts to check it periodically at home as well. It is important to keep Chromebooks updated so that they work at optimum efficiency for the students both in and out of class. This is a simple process, which can be done one of two ways. The first is the simplest: hold down the power button until the Chromebook fully powers off. Wait at least 30 seconds before pushing the button to turn the device back on; this will automatically update the Chromebook upon rebooting. The other way is also easy, but has a few more steps. Those are as follows:
In the lower right hand side of the Chromebook screen, there is a dark gray oval, with the time, battery icon, wifi icon, etc. Click on that oval, and a box will pop up from it. At the top of that box is a gear symbol; click on that to open the Chromebook’s “Settings”. When Settings opens, a large white box will appear, and you want to look all the way over on the left side of that box, and all the way down at the bottom of the tabs listed there, where you will see one that says “About Chrome OS”. Click on that tab, which will open that section of settings. There you will see one of two things: either a notification saying “This Chromebook is up to date”, or a white button with blue text that says “Check for Updates”. If it is already up to date, you’re good to go. If not, simply click the button and wait for the Chromebook to update. This might take a few minutes. Once finished, it will ask you to restart the device to finish the update. Do that. Once it powers back on, everything should be updated and ready to be utilized!
October Title 1 News
Meet Mrs. Eaton (Instructional Education Assistant) and Mrs. Slater (Title I Teacher). They both service Kindergarten students daily!
They work with small groups of Kindergarten students practicing precise handwriting skills, learning letter names and letter sounds. Handwriting in the earliest grades is linked to basic reading and spelling achievement. Help your child become an expert in handwriting with practice, practice, practice.
Curriculum Tidbits
Exciting things will start to happen in the month of October for students at Tallmadge Elementary. Our classrooms will begin new topics throughout the months of October and November. Here is a list of topics and guiding questions by grade level.
The Kindergarten topic is weather and our students will be answering the following questions:
-What is weather?
-How can I be prepared for any type of weather?
-What is weather like around the world?
-How does weather affect people?
-How can I write a story that teachers my readers about weather?
The first-grade topic is the sun, moon, and stars. Our students will be answering the following questions:
-Why do authors write about the sun, moon, and stars?
-What patterns can we observe in the sky?
-How do authors use their knowledge and observations to write a story?
The second-grade topic is dinosaurs. Students will be answering the following questions:
-What do paleontologists do?
-How do characters respond to major events?
-What can we learn from studying fossils?
-How do readers learn more about a topic from informational texts?
-How do authors write compelling narratives?
Third-grade students will be focusing on frogs and how they adapt. They will answer the following questions:
-How does an author engage the reader in a narrative?
-How do experts build knowledge and share expertise about a topic?
-How do frogs survive?
Our fourth-grade students will be learning about animal defense mechanisms. Their questions to explore include the following:
-How do animals' bodies and behaviors help them survive?
-How can writers use knowledge from their research to inform and entertain?
Finally, our fifth-grade students will be focusing on biodiversity in the rainforest. They will be answering the following questions:
-Why do scientists study the rainforest?
-How do authors engage readers in narratives?
As your child begins to explore these topics in the next couple of months we encourage you to explore along with them. Take a trip to the Fairfield County Library to select books on similar topics. Take a drive to Alley Park to see animals in their natural habitat. Watch videos on related topics with family-friendly shows like Wild Kratts through PBIS Kids. Your child will love exploring this new content with you as they build background knowledge and improve literacy in the classroom through content-based literacy.
Just a reminder as the weather gets colder to send a jacket, hat, and gloves with your child. We will continue to go outside weather permitting.
Please keep all fidgets and pop its at home for your child to enjoy. These have caused some interruptions at school and we would like to ensure that your child is receiving the best education possible with minimal distractions.
October Events
October 1st - NO SCHOOL - Teacher professional development
October 4th - Mumpkin Delivery 4:00 - 6:00pm in front of building
October 4th - Conference night - you need to schedule a time with your child's teacher
October 7th - Conference night - you need to schedule a time with your child's teacher
October 14 th- 15th - NO SCHOOL- FAIR DAY
October 18th - Conference night - you need to schedule a time with your child's teacher
October 19th - Picture Retakes
October 20th - Conference night - you need to schedule a time with your child's teacher
October 25th - Cookie Dough Fundraiser begins