Grundy Ave School
~ April 2020 Newsletter ~
Dear Grundy Families;
As of now, we are scheduled to reopen on April 15th. This of course is subject to change. Remote learning was to start this week on Monday and your child's teacher should have already been in touch with you. If you have any questions, please reach out to them. The distance learning plan for Grundy can also be found in the staff directory or on our home page which can be found here.
Whether this lasts another two weeks or more, please do not worry. We will work with you and your child to make sure they get caught up on what they need. Teachers are experts at this! It is also understandable if you are struggling with homeschooling. We all do! Especially those of us who are working from home and trying to teach common core math. The struggle is real!
I think we need to allow ourselves some grace through this crazy time. It's ok if we don't finish everything. Don't let your kids spend all day doing school work. Get them outside, allow frequent breaks and have some fun! Twenty years from now they won't remember that worksheet or packet that was sent home during this time in history; but they will remember how they felt, the love they received from parents and caregivers and teachers, and most importantly, feeling safe.
The world is changing right in front of our eyes. This thing we are all a part of, it's living history. My thoughts are with you all and if I can offer any help or support please reach out.
Be safe, Be Well,
Mrs. Amato
Kindergarten news...
The kindergartners started the month of March by celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday. We read many different book that he wrote, learned about how he became an author of children's books and we created our own rhymes. Dr. Munk came into our classrooms and taught us all about dental health and how to brush you teeth correctly. The kindergartners even had the chance to practice on Dr. Munk's stuffed animals.
During our time at home with distance learning the kindergarten teachers are working hard to create a fun, educational way of learning. Ms. Chmela has been posting her activities and lessons on her website. Mrs. Humphrey's and Mrs. Labella are posting on google classroom and communicating through remind. Mrs. DeLuca is utilizing class-dojo to post material and activities. If you have any questions please email your teacher. We can not wait to get back into the classroom and see all of our students!
First Grade News...
March was off to a marvelous start in first grade. We celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Readers Are Leaders Day.
To celebrate Dr. Seuss, we participated in fun spirit days, read many of his famous books and completed projects for each! Some of our students favorite projects were using creative writing to write a story telling about what they think would happen if the cat from Cat in the Hat came to Grundy, creating rhyming socks on their Fox in Socks project and telling about what they wanted to be when they grew up after reading All the Places You Will Go. Dr. Seuss week was a week full of fun! To celebrate Readers are Leaders Day, our students had visits from some fantastic leaders. Our first graders had visits from a Product Marketing Manager, a Registered Nurse and a Japanese Martial Arts & Learning Instructional Arts Instructor. Each of our leaders was truly amazing! They taught our students all about what their job and the importance of reading.
As we embark on our Distance Learning in first grade, please know that we are always here to help you all in any way that we can. You will be able to find all of your assignments under the classwork tab of our first grade website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly. We are happy to help you. We hope to see you soon!
Second Grade News...
We had a wonderful beginning to the month of March in second grade! We had the best time learning our dance in Circle of Dance. The students all had smiles on their faces and really worked hard remembering their routines. We were so proud of them. Second graders also really enjoyed listening to stories shared by our special readers! They loved interviewing their readers and finding out what made them such a wonderful leader. Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday was so much fun! It taught us some great lessons and made us appreciate our world around us. The second grade teachers would like to thank our wonderful parents for working so hard with their children during this time! We appreciate all your support! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful second grade website that Ms. Rosa put together for all the second grade students. You can find our website on the Grundy Ave webpage. The website will provide students and parents with a pacing calendar and weekly assignments. It will also give parents and students step-by-step directions on how to login to google classroom. We miss our students like crazy and look forward to seeing all the wonderful work being done at home, while having fun with your family! Thanks again for all your support!
Third Grade News...
March was a busy month in 3rd grade. We started off with a fun filled “Literacy Week” in which we celebrated Dr. Seuss and all of the wonderful books he wrote and illustrated. All classes enjoyed learning all about Theodor Seuss Geisel, reading his books, and completing many fun activities related to his stories. The highlight of our week was “Readers are Leaders” Day in which different leaders from our community came in to read to our classes. We started a new math unit on fractions and a new social studies unit on China. We want to thank all of the parents for their patience and support as we all work together to navigate our way through distance learning. This is new to all of us but we’re off to a great start. It has been fun to share some new ways of learning and staying connected. We miss the children so very much and look forward to seeing them back in school in the not- to-distant future. Stay safe and healthy!
Fourth Grade News...
We hope this newsletter finds you all well! As you are all aware, we will be posting each day's classwork on our Google classrooms or to a class website, depending upon your child’s teacher. Please make sure that your child is logging in each day to check his/her assignments for the day. Also, please be sure your child reads all of the instructions carefully before completing each assignment. If you have any questions, you can reach out to your child’s teacher directly. Don’t forget to continue to login to Raz-Kids, Reflex Math and the other educational websites for some fun, educational things you can do while you're at home learning. Thank you for your support and cooperation during this difficult time. Together, we will get through this. We miss you all and hope to see you soon!
Fifth Grade News...
We can’t believe March is over! It has been a very interesting month to say the least! In the short time we have been apart, we are so proud of you for working so hard at home. As always, we appreciate the support and cooperation from our 5th grade parents!
The 5th grade teachers are collaborating online to create daily math and reading lessons. Please be sure to check your Google classroom daily. If there is any problems or concerns, please feel free to contact your fifth grade teachers.
Grundy is staying connected through flipgrid, facebook and twitter. Please think about a way you can join in on the fun! Flipgrid’s code is grundygreatness. The password is Grundy123. Stay tuned for a post from your 5th grade teachers!
We hope this newsletter finds you and your family healthy during this scary time. We are here to help in anyway we can.
Need help logging in to Google Classroom? Check out this video.
News from PE...
In the beginning of March, all students were participating in a basketball unit. Grades K thru 2 focused on basic skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. Grades 3 thru 5 began applying their basic basketball skills in drills through 1 vs.1 situations. We hope to continue the basketball unit upon our return to school. In the meantime, stay active, drink lots of water, and stay safe/healthy.
For all students in Mrs. Malley's Physical Education classes, please go to her website for all distance learning lessons. The link is located on the sidebar called “Work for School Closure-Distance Learning”
https://sites.google.com/a/sachem.edu/msmalley/
For all students in Mr. Kudrick's Physical Education classes, please sign into his google classroom (class code: bxad6xi)
News from the Art Room...
I hope that you all are doing well!
As you are aware, March 30th began our distance learning. I have posted art lessons for each grade level on the home page of my website, https://sites.google.com/sachem.edu/mrsliuzzi. I will be using this platform each week to post lessons for all of the kids. Please check back to my webpage each week to see their assignments. I have also added some other "Art Fun at Home" things for the children as well, just for fun.
When the students have completed their assignments please share them with me through email, nliuzzi@sachem.edu, or tag me on Instagram or Twitter @GrundyArtRoom. I can't wait to see what they create!
Have fun and be creative! That is what this is all about (along with some learning thrown in there)!
Be safe! Be well! Be ARTrageous!
Shout out to REAL Heroes!
We all know how hard our health care workers have been working over the past few weeks. If you want to make a card or write a letter to brighten their day you can send them to:
Public Affairs
Mather Hospital
75 North Country Road
Port Jefferson, New York 11777
Stony Brook Hospital is accepting video messages (cell phone videos are fine, but no longer than 20 seconds). They can be emailed to Joan.Dickinson@stonybrook.edu
The staff at Starbucks at Stony Brook Hospital would like to display cards and letters for our healthcare workers to completely cover the glass windows looking into Starbucks. Letters can be addressed to:
Starbucks Manager (c/o Lauri Albert)
Stony Brook Hospital Starbucks
101 Nicolls Road
Stony Brook, New York 11794
Peconic Bay Medical Center is also accepting cards and letters:
Peconic Bay Medical Center
1300 Roanoke Avenue
Riverhead, New York 11901
Make sure you tell them you are from Grundy! #GrundyGreatness
Flipgrid fun!
News from the Resource Room
Distance Learning Strategies from Resource Room
6 Online Learning Strategies for Success
1. Get Organized
Just as you would in a physical classroom, make sure you have materials on hand.
2. Set Up Your Work space
Set up a dedicated learning environment for studying. By completing your work there repeatedly, you’ll begin to establish a routine. When choosing a work space, try to limit distractions as much as possible.
3. Figure Out How You Learn Best
Once you’ve established where you’ll learn, think about when and how you accomplish your best work.
4. Make A Schedule
Without a teacher regularly checking in, it’s important to make a schedule of your assignments.
5. Be an Active Participant
Take initiative by reading materials and take notes.
6. Ask Questions
The best online learners don’t hesitate to ask questions.
News from the Math Room...
I imagine there are some of you having a tough time helping your child complete their math assignments from home. The way your child is learning his/her math is quite different the way most of you learned it and understandably you might feel confused about the lessons your child is completing at home.
Please feel free to click on the math links below. The first four links will provide you and your child with video support/explanation of math concepts...some sites have a search engine where you can type the concept your child is working on and many resources will be provided to help you and your child gain a better understanding of the concept. The rest of the links below are for your child to just have fun with math.
I hope you all stay safe and healthy,
Mrs. Edzards
Math Support Resources:
Duane Habecker Math Support Embark Online K-8 Math Modules
Student Math Fun!
Kids Math Games Math Playground Sheppard Software Splash Learn
News from the Nurse
I hope this newsletter finds you well :)
We all know that changes to our routine can be stressful, especially for children.
Here are some ideas to help you create a daily schedule which will help promote a sense of normalcy for you and your family.
Wake up, get dressed and have breakfast at the normal time.
Decide where everyone can do their work most effectively and without distractions.
List the times for learning, exercise and breaks.
For younger children, 20 minutes of class assignments followed by 10 minutes of physical activity might work well.
Older children and teens may be able to focus on assignments for longer stretches, taking breaks between subjects.
Include your hours as well, so your children know when the work day is done.
Schedule time for nutritious lunches and snacks. Sachem is providing take-home school meal packages for students & families who need them. Monday - Friday 11-1:00. FREE!
Don't forget afternoon breaks as well!
Have dinner together as a family and discuss the day.
Enjoy more family time in the evenings, playing, reading, watching a movie or exercising together.
Stick with normal bedtime routines as much as possible during the week to make sure everyone gets enough sleep.
Please stay well and continue to follow the very important CDC guidelines for handwashing and social distancing.
See you soon Grundy!
Mrs. Bruno
April is Autism Awareness Month...
For the month of April, Grundy will show support and wear our Grundy Autism t-shirts every Friday in April.
Show your support wear your Grundy Autism T-Shirt beginning this Friday!
Share your pictures #GrundyGreatness #AustismAwareness Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!
News from the Library...
Hi Grundy! It has truly been strange not to see each of you every day, and I certainly miss that! I hope that you and your families are all getting adjusted to the new normal. While you are home, please remember to take advantage of all the great online resources of the Sachem Public Library. You have access to not only ebooks and movies, but also homework help. Please visit my site at sites.google.com/sachem.edu/grundyavenuelibrary for weekly lessons and helpful links. Feel free to drop me a note at mlawler@sachem.edu or in google classroom. I can't wait to see you all, please follow all the health guidelines so we can all be back together soon!
Musical notes...
Both Ms. Karbowiak and I miss seeing you very much! Once a week I will be posting one assignment for each grade level in google classroom. Please find your grade level google classroom code below to sign up:
Kindergarten: yoxq7jg
1st: g6k4ysv
2nd: fprczfo
3rd: ej6yjkp
4th: culnngm
5th: dqx2jrj
Band and orchestra students, please keep practicing your instruments. All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, please continue to practice your chorus songs. There are links for the words and music in the google classroom created for your grade level.
Be safe and healthy, everyone! And if you need anything, please reach out to me at agallagher2@sachem.edu or Ms. Karbowiak at hkarbowiak@sachem.edu.
News from the Speech Department
During this family time at home, there are many activities that you and your child can do together to further develop his/her speech and language skills.
Some ideas are:
*Many language skills can be targeted through
play. Choose an activity such as Lego blocks, Play-doh, catch,
classifying toy items, or action figures, and follow your child’s lead. Have your characters interact & talk with each other, narrate aloud what you are doing or creating, or sort things into groups that are alike (ex: all the big dinosaurs, or all the red pieces).
Also, playing simple games such as Memory, Go Fish, Candyland, and Uno can provide great opportunities to practice turn taking skills, following directions, asking and answering questions, using full
sentences, and understanding concepts such as before/after,
next/first/last, and many more skills!
**Family game night is also a great way to practice your language skills.
Games such as Scattergories, Apples to Apples, Guess Who,
Clue, Uno, and Catch Phrase help to promote turn-taking, use of varied vocabulary, categorization, conversations, and skills like describing and comparing/contrasting.
**You could also look around your house and play a categorization game by naming and grouping items together (i.e. apples, bananas grapes-they are all fruits).
**You can practice sequencing skills with your child by following a step by step recipe together or by asking them to tell you how to do a task and draw a picture to illustrate it (i.e. How do you wrap a present?").
***Reading books together is one of the best ways to interact with your child and practice language skills. Choose books of interest to read aloud with your child and for each page or two, you could stop and ask comprehension questions such as who, what, where when, why.
You could also pick out specific vocabulary words from stories and have them try to define or explain them.
Also, retelling stories in their own words is great way to encourage verbal language, and you can help them with sequencing (i.e First, next, then, last).
**To practice correct sound production, be the verbal model for your child and encourage him/her to say the sound correctly after you. Looking in a mirror with your child is a great way to "see" or to "feel" how to make a sound. You may want to say “Look at my mouth, see how my lips and tongue move, and try it after me".
You can roll a dice or use a game board activity to take turns and practice specific sounds and sounds in words. Find pictures with your target sound to talk about and name, modeling the correct sound production for your child.
**When talking with your child you are practicing grammar skills as you are also your child's verbal model. If your child uses incorrect grammar or simplified sentences, you can restate the sentence by modeling the correct grammar or expanding upon what he/she said (i.e. child: " It big", parent :" It is a big blue bird").
**For your older children, using and explaining the meanings of expressions and idioms are fun ways to learn about figurative language (i.e. " Hit the road" ; "Cold feet; "butterflies in my stomach").
Remember, talking to each other, asking and answering questions, sharing ideas, playing games, and having turn-taking conversations are all ways to enhance speech and language skills.
THANK YOU!!
interested parties please apply!
One of our parents is looking for volunteers to help with a special project to say Thank you to our healthcare workers. These brave men and women are on the front lines of this pandemic and a Thank You from the Grundy community would go a long way to brighten their days.
Mrs. Moritz is looking to put together a music video. You just have to email her for the details. Your kids can draw a picture or sing along, even just one line. If you would like to participate, please see the email below! Thank you in advance!
Mrs. Moritz: organicmoritz@gmail.com#GrundyGreatness
Website: www.sachem.edu/Grundy
Location: 950 Grundy Avenue, Holbrook, NY, USA
Phone: 631-471-1820
Facebook: facebook.com/GrundyAvenueElementarySchool
Twitter: @GrundyAve