Grundy Ave School
~ January 2018 ~
Dear Grundy Learning community,
Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful Holiday with family and friends! Grundy is looking forward to a new year filled with learning, laughter, leading, making memories and having fun! We have many exciting plans for our students in 2018 and can't wait to get started!
Thank you to all of the many staff and students who participated in our Holiday Spirit Week. It was tremendous fun and a festive time was had by all. Grundy participated in Macy's Make-A-Wish where letters were mailed to Santa and for each letter mailed Macy's would donate a dollar to Make-A-Wish. Grundy mailed over 540 letters! From elves, to Grinches, to ugly sweaters, Grundy has spirit! A short video of these school-wide experiences can be found below. You can also see all the wonderful things happening at our school by following us on Facebook @ Grundy Avenue Elementary School or on Twitter @GrundyAve.
The weather has certainly presented some challenges this year as it has fluctuated between freezing cold and very mild. Some of our students are not dressed appropriately for the frigid winter weather. Please have them wear hats, gloves and a winter coat. Sweatshirts and shorts are cool, but not when the temperature is in the single digits. Layering in school is the best idea because you can always remove a layer of clothing. Outdoor recess will only happen if the weather is above 40 degrees and it is deemed safe on the playground equipment and the property. If you have any questions or concerns or need any winter clothing items, please contact me.
While we are fortunate it has not happened so far this year, the district has had to call for an early dismissal if the weather becomes dangerous to travel during the school day. It is imperative that your children know an emergency plan in case of such last minute changes. and we have an early dismissal. Please speak with them about this at home.
The 5th grade Spelling Bee will be held in January and the district championship will be held in February. Our next Family Connect Night will be on Wednesday January 10th. Enjoy an evening as a family as there is NO HOMEWORK! Play a game, make dinner together, create something, have FUN as long as you are doing it as a family. And please remember to send pictures to me so we can add to our lobby tv.
Other fun activities coming up are the Kindergarten classes will have a Teddy Bear clinic, 1st grade will the Performing Arts Center, 5th grade will visit the courthouse in Central Islip and much more! Look for information about these events and more to be coming home soon. If you have not signed up for our email list for important information from the district, PTA and Grundy, please call the school and do so. Grundy is now “Green” and no hard copies of any notices will be sent home. All information can also be found on our website by going here .
The PTA has many exciting activities happening! The next meeting is January 11th and we hope to see you there. It’s a busy time at Grundy Ave School! I look forward to seeing you at our next school event or PTA meeting! If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at 471-1820.
Stay warm!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Amato
Kindergarten News...
Grundy Kindergarten has had a very exciting month! We went on a field trip to Theater Three in Port Jefferson to see “Barnaby Saves Christmas”. The children enjoyed watching live theater. We learned about kindness, believing in yourself and loving who you are just like Barnaby!
We also packed our bags, got our passports ready and journeyed around the world celebrating the different holidays. The students’ have traveled to all of the continents and sailed the oceans of our amazing planet. We learned about different cultures and how they celebrate. It’s been an incredible adventure.
The Kindergarten classes have been busy decorating our doors and hallways. We are so grateful to the Grundy PTA for bringing the Gingerbread University to our school. Our Gingerbread Families came out fantastic!
Last, all of us here in Kindergarten wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year!
First Grade News....
We are having a fantastic time learning in first grade! In December we had an in-school field trip that was presented by the Long Island Science Center called "The Physics of Toys". This was an amazing program that allowed for our students to learn about how the physics of toys use energy to help them to work. The program began with a demonstration of how certain common toys, such as yo-yo's, tops, air- powered cars, car ramps and Slinkies, use energy to move. After the presentation students were given an opportunity to work with partners to explore these toys on their own. The program concluded with a segment that allowed for students to make their own toys using common objects to take home. This was an outstanding, enjoyable hands-on learning experience for our first graders!
We look forward to more fun and learning in 2018!!
Second Grade News...
Third Grade News...
The third-grade students had a very busy month! The children enjoyed decorating their very own gingerbread people with icing and different types of candy! What beautiful creations were made by all! Hanging in our hallway are the gingerbread people that the children had the opportunity to make at home. We cannot thank our parents enough for all of the support we receive! The students also participated in the Macy’s Make-A-Wish Foundation writing activity. The children wrote postcards about a special wish that they have for the future and Macys donated $1.00 for each card written. They truly understand the meaning of the holiday season. Finally, the third graders challenged themselves, yet again, during our Break Out Lock Box sessions. The students were given clues and had to work in teams to open several locks. Great team work!
Fourth Grade News...
Happy New Year! First, we’d like to start off by thanking all of you for your contributions to our classroom grab bags and celebrations. Your thoughtfulness and generosity made the holiday season special for our students.
This month we will be starting our fiction writing unit using the reading strategies taught in our fiction unit of study. The students will have the opportunity to show creativity in developing a fictional character, setting, conflict and resolution. We are looking forward to reading their creative stories!
In Math, we will begin our division unit of study. Please have your children practice their multiplication and division facts in order to help them focus on the process as we move into long division.
Later this month, we will be testing our American Indian unit and moving quickly through explorers. Please check your child’s agenda book for test announcements.
As always, thank you for your support!
Fifth Grade News...
The first trimester has come to an end and the 5th grade has spent the last few weeks of 2017 eagerly exploring decimal multiplication and coordinate geometry in math. We’re ready to tackle decimal division in the New Year.
We enjoyed our last Too Good for Drugs lesson and are proud to graduate from this program. The skills we learned will better prepare us to make healthy choices in the future.
Our classes were excited to take part in our latest STEAM activity called the Snowball Catapult Challenge. Teams from each class put on their thinking caps to design a catapult that would launch a “snowball” the farthest. Teams that recorded the greatest distance got to show off their engineering skills and represent their class in the finals. Class 5-2 had the winning design by sending their snowball an incredible distance of 27 ½ feet! Congratulations!
We wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!
News from the Nurse....
I’d like to wish all of our Grundy families a happy and healthy new year!
We know that healthy children learn better and miss less school. As part of our ongoing effort to promote good health, there are a few things coming up over the next few months that I would like to share with you.
January:
Our school physician will be coming to Grundy to conduct any outstanding physicals for students in grades K, 2 and 4.
February:
February is dental health month and Dr. Monk D.D.S. will be coming to give a fun and informative presentation on the importance of proper dental hygiene to our kindergarten and first grade students.
March:
Scoliosis screenings for students in 5th grade. This screening is to detect abnormal curvatures of the spine that may be present during adolescence.
As always, feel free to contact me if you would like more information.
Mrs. Bruno
News from the Reading Room.....
Start the New Year off right with a Reading Journal.
As your child reads, have them write their personal response in a reading journal. State feelings, thoughts, reactions and questions about situations, ideas, actions, characters, settings, symbols, plots, themes and any other elements in the story. They can't be wrong in their responses, so they should take risks and be honest.
They can write about what they like and dislike or what seems confusing or unusual to them. They can explain the meaning of something or make a prediction about what may happen. They can also relate their personal experiences which connect with the plot, characters, or setting. Reading responses help to aid in comprehension by getting the reader to think deeper about the text.
Speech and Language News....
This month in speech-language we celebrated the holidays by reading sequential stories and making a special craft. In order to make our craft, we had to identify associated vocabulary and use specific utensils and ingredients. Later, we sequenced a photo story and used our BEST verbal narratives to retell what we did. Our end result? Gingerbread masterpieces!
News from the Music Department....
On January 27th, all Grundy students are invited to sing the National Anthem at a men’s Seawolves basketball game. Tickets cost $12 and all ticket sales are being handled by Grundy PTA. All current Grundy students will sing on the court before the start of the game and then sit with family. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there!
News from the Resource Room....
Students in Ms. Turner’s class have been working on their writing. Students are constructing “How to” pieces. They are learning to write strong sentences that convey their intended meaning and engage readers. Students used a graphic organizer to brainstorm and plan their writing.
News from Art and Library....
The First grades are currently working on two projects that are a collaboration between Art and Library. The first is a lesson based a shape fables that Mrs. Lawler read to the class. They also watched showed videos. The students had to choose an animal that went along with the fables they watched and read about. In art class, after the holiday vacation, the students will create a Cubism style animal of their chosen animal, like the artist Pablo Picasso created.
The second collaborative project is an aerial snowmen. The students created in art class with Mrs. Liuzzi, a snowman from an aerial point of view, as if they were birds looking down at the snowmen. After the break, Mrs. Lawler will teach the students about snow facts. Their chosen facts will adorn their snowmen, that will be displayed in the hallway.
Stay tuned for more teamwork projects in other grade levels from Art and Library!!!
Grundy Avenue Elementary School
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Email: lamato@sachem.edu
Website: www.sachem.com/grundy
Location: 950 Grundy Avenue, Holbrook, NY, United States
Phone: 631-471-1820
Facebook: facebook.com/GrundyAvenueElementarySchool
Twitter: @GrundyAve