Baltz Bears
Spring Newsletter
Kindergarten Spring News!
Kindergarteners are starting to blossom! They have been working so hard on sounding out words to write sentences. We have been practicing starting our sentences with a capital letter and ending it with punctuation.
Our story focus has been on different types of weather and how to predict, prepare, and dress. We are always practicing our sight words. As we get closer to finishing out the year, please continue to review sight words as well as letter names and sounds.
In Math, we have introduced 2D and 3D shapes and their attributes. We are working on adding and subtracting within ten, and practicing teen number equations. We have been practicing making up our own word problems for equations as well as solving simple word problems that we are given.
In Social Studies, students are working with maps and how to read them, and what they can be used for. Most recently we talked about our country, state, and city that we live in.
In Science, we have been focusing on force and motion. Students will get the chance to experiment with hands on materials to build their own ramps, swings, and spinners. It is so much fun!
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OUR END OF THE YEAR KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATION DETAILS!!
COMING SOON! 😊
Flourishing First Graders!
First graders are really growing their brains as much as they can before the end of the school year! They are focusing on sequencing stories, and practicing how to use the 5 steps of writing to become great writers!
First graders love challenging their brains with reading and writing; they also enjoy challenging math equations! They have been practicing unknown numbers in equations and story problems. Now we are even working on equations with 3 partner numbers!
All of our hard workers have learned about schedules, calendars, and timelines. We will start learning about maps and globes soon.
Our 1st graders LOVE science! We bet all the brilliant 1st grade bears can tell you about living and nonliving organisms. Miss Trate, Miss Flowers, Miss Mullen, Miss Rooney, and Miss Dale are so excited to continue growing with our friends this school year as we finish out the fourth marking period!
Second Grade Successes
Second graders have been working very hard all year on Zoom and in person! 3rd grade here they come!!
End of the year assessments will be happening and it is so exciting to see all the improvement. In reading, we have really focused on more lengthy passages and questions that are more complex. We have also worked hard at looking back in passages to find evidence for an answer. In math, we most recently have focused on place value and really understanding the value of each digit as well as triple digit addition and subtraction. In writing, we are finishing our informative writing pieces; 2nd graders researched and wrote a Biography of a famous person. Wow!
The school year is coming to an end, it’s been interesting, but ….what a great year!!
Thriving Third Graders
Hello 3rd grade families!
It’s hard to believe, but this year is winding down.
This year has been new and challenging in so many ways and we are very proud of all of the kids and the work they’ve done. Thanks to all of you for helping and supporting them along the way. We will be wrapping up things in math with a unit on polygons and quadrilaterals as well as working more with fractions. We will also be taking opportunities to review what we have learned this year, especially on fractions and multiplication and division. These are the main skills they will build upon in 4th grade so try to practice during the summer if you can!
In reading we have been working on an informational story about the person our school is named after, Austin Baltz. The kids have been very excited to learn about him and have worked hard to learn to take notes, organize their information into paragraphs, and write good topic sentences for those paragraphs. We’ve also been reading about different communities around the world who live in extreme places, like a desert or the north pole, and comparing their lives to what life is like here.
We will be doing some end of the year testing like we normally do but it is scaled down this year to make sure we have as much learning time as possible to cover everything we still need to cover. We will not be able to do some of the regular fun end of the year activities like field day or class pizza parties, but we are still working hard to find ways to make the end of their time in 3rd grade feel special. Thank you again for all of your support this year, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Feeling Great in Fourth Grade!
It is almost impossible to believe that we are wrapping up our school year!
Great news - we are finished with state testing!! The students showed us how awesome they are with all of these tests and we are so proud of them for powering through and doing their best!
With only four and half weeks left in the school year we still have a lot to do. We will be wrapping up our fractions unit in Math as well as our tall tale unit in Reading. We have been learning about weather in Science and economics in Social Studies. We will be taking our final Reading Inventory and Math Inventory test in the upcoming weeks and are anxious to see how far these kiddos have come this year!
We want to thank everyone for making this crazy year enjoyable and we hope you enjoy your summer!
Love always,
The Fourth Grade Team
(Ms. Czulewicz, Mrs. Ellis, Ms. Personti, Ms. Toto, Mrs. Dalby, Ms. Zuniga, Ms. Britz, Mrs. Farley and Mrs. Quezada)
Farewell Fifth Graders!
Can you believe we are nearing the end of 5th grade? We are sure it feels like you blinked and your kindergartner is now in their final days of elementary school. Although we are so sad to see them go, we are so excited to see what the future holds and cannot wait to see our students rock middle school!
We just wrapped up our unit on multiplying and dividing fractions, and now we are moving onto multiplying and dividing decimals. We also are in our last story of our second unit, which focused on so many important topics, including the Underground Railroad, real life superheroes, and various civil rights movements.
In science, we are nearing the end of our Matter unit. We are missing normal science class with lots of experiments, hands on activities, and sharing! In social studies, we are moving into our last unit involving banking, supply and demand, and production. In language arts, we have wrapped up our writing pieces but are still working hard on grammar.
Please look for more information in the near future regarding end of year procedures and activities. We are excited to announce that we are going to have a 5th grade graduation on June 10th. It will be outside as long as the weather cooperates; if the weather gives us trouble, it will take place in the gym. It will be by class in order to keep the numbers down and safe. Each student may bring 2 guests. Please look for more specific information coming soon!
We want to thank you for all of your patience, support, and flexibility this year. It was not an easy one. However, we are so grateful for having the opportunity to educate and prepare your students for the next chapter in their lives. We will never forget our Baltz Bears!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
Just over a year ago now, the world we live in has been met with extraordinary circumstances for all of us. Often it has felt like a roller coaster, having to adapt to the changes this pandemic caused. Whether you or someone you care about has experienced living with a mental health condition, the last year brought to light new challenges for many people. The Month of May is a time to raise awareness for Mental Health.
Just as you exercise your body to keep it healthy, it is important to do the same for your mind. “We need to be kind to our minds”, is the message that students will be hearing throughout the month of May. At the beginning of each week during May, Team Bear Care will be sharing exercises that students can practice every day to increase their overall well being and to have tools to help them cope with difficult situations. A reminder for them to check-in with themselves and reach out to talk to someone if you are in need because you are not alone.
Week 1: Positive Self-talk
“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. So be Kind!”
Repetition of positive self-talk can help kids to interrupt negative or anxious thinking patterns in order to refocus attention and change outlooks. Positive self talk messages like,
“This might be hard but I can try”, “It’s OK to make mistakes”, “Today will be a good day”,
“I am capable of so much”, “I believe in me”, “I am enough”. These are just a few things that you can tell yourself everyday, anytime.
Week 2: Breathing exercises
When you breathe, air moves in and out of your body through your lungs. Breathing slowly and deeply helps you feel calmer and more relaxed. This year students were introduced weekly to eight coping strategies, called The Great 8. One of those coping strategies was Cookie Breathing.
Put your hands on your belly and imagine... You are in the kitchen and someone has taken out a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Oh, they smell so good! Take a deep breath in through your nose and smell those delicious cookies. Oh no, they are too hot! Now, blow out through your mouth cooling those cookies off. This is just one of many breathing exercises you can practice anytime. Try it together at home!
Week 3: Name your feeling
Gotta name it to tame it, right? Giving kids the vocabulary to recognize and label their feelings is so important. It's hard to calm down when you don't understand how you're feeling, after all. We spend time talking about what feelings feel like in our bodies, clues we might notice, and in general just the names of lots of feelings. When kids have the language to talk about their feelings, it's easier to choose an appropriate strategy to deal with them. The way you can help your child to name their feelings is by guiding them through this simple dialogue when you notice he/she struggling.
1. Simply ask them to pause for a while and see if they can name the emotion they are experiencing-Ask them how they feel.
2. Ask them what it feels like in their body.
3.Then, continue to discuss where it could lead if they weren’t aware of the emotion building up. For example, how being nervous can lead to stress building up, and how that could result in anger.
Week 4: Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about becoming fully aware of what’s happening in the present moment and doing things on purpose. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to miss what’s going on around you. Research shows mindfulness skills benefit kids’ brains and improves their behavior. Their attention spans improve. They also enjoy better mental health, and they become more resilient to stress. Being Mindful can help us to slow down and think before we act. This can help reduce angry outbursts. One way to start practicing mindfulness is by simply talking to your child. Ask them how they are feeling, if anything has upset them recently and show compassion, no matter what their answers. Another way is to unplug from technology and spend time together.
If you, your child or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis,there is help!
Mobile Response Stabilization Services (under age 18) Hotline#: 1-800-969-HELP(4357)
Crisis Intervention Services; Mobile Crisis(age 18 or over)Statewide#: (800) 652-2929
Nurse's Corner: THERE’S NO STOPPING Baltz!
You’ve heard by now that the Covid Vaccine is FREE and AVAILABLE to ALL Delawareans 12 and older. Visit de.gov/covidvaccine for more information on how to get vaccinated!
**Until we’re all safely vaccinated we must continue to follow all guidelines.
Masks are still required outdoors even in the hot sun. Lightly colored fabrics made of 100% cotton can help you feel cooler but any mask that becomes wet with sweat or from a splash must be replaced. Pack an extra masks if possible.
NO-NOSES EXPOSED! IT IS INEFFECTIVE AND INCREASES YOUR RISK OF INFECTION-MASKS MUST COVER YOUR NOSE!
CLOTH MASKS MUST BE WASHED DAILY and disposable masks replaced DAILY.
** Think of a cloth mask as a handkerchief that must be washed after each use and a disposable mask as a tissue that is for one time use only.
Let's ALL work together to keep EVERYONE SAFE! :)
Spring greetings from the Baltz library!
We have been working with our Chromebooks learning tricks and tips in this digital world! In addition to the educational resources on ClassLink, here are other resources we are learning in the library!
Don't forget the Unified Arts section in Schoology, where UA teachers post activities!
UA Specials at Home!
Enjoy!
Students can now access Epic! a wonderful resource for reading fiction and non-fiction books. Some are even read to you!
Class Code: chd3308
You may be a guest or make your own profile.
https://www.getepic.com/app/profile-select
Check in with all the animals and the new baby panda in Washington DC!