Brandt's Weekly Newsletter
1.20.2023
Inside this Edition
- Principal's Message
- Kindness Awards
- Grade Level Updates
- The Counselor's Corner
- Related Arts and Science Updates
- Nurse's Nook
- The Friday Playlist
Principal's Message
Next week, we are so excited to once again participate in the Great Kindness Challenge! Please be sure to take a look at Mrs. Hosbach's Counselors Corner in this week's newsletter for more information about our themed dress-up days, as well as some school-wide activities we will engage with. Remember, themed dress-up days are always voluntary. Thanks to our PTO for sponsoring a Kindness Laser Light Show Assembly on January 25th. And of course, don't forget about the Kindness Dance for grades 3 - 5 scheduled for Friday, January 27th from 6 - 7:30 PM. You can scan the QR codes in the flyer featured below for more information.
Speaking of the PTO, be sure to subscribe to their new newsletter. The link is featured below. It will be a great place to find out information about how you can continue to support our school community by working with our dedicated parent/guardian group. Be sure to save the date of March 24th. That is when we have our Staff vs. Parents Basketball Game scheduled. More information about signing up to participate is forthcoming!
We have a lot of information to share regarding our theater department. On behalf of our friends at Hoboken Middle School, please see the flyer included below for their production of I Hate Valentine's Day. Our very own Brandt School 2nd and 3rd graders will perform for their families on January 30th. Additionally, please be sure to see the letter (and click on the corresponding pdf file) for information about our district musical - SpongeBob. There is also information about mock auditions.
In partnership with the Hoboken Public Library, we are also pleased to announce our Pop Up Library initiative! This will take place from February 6th - 9th, and you can find more information in the flyer below my principal's message.
On behalf of the Department of Special Services, please see the flyer below for the next SEPAG Meeting, scheduled for January 24th. The topic will be providing information for parents on the subject of childhood anxiety.
On behalf of the HOPES Pre-K program, please see the flyer featured below for their vaccine/booster clinic.
After you peruse all of that new information, don't forget to check out our grade level and subject area updates as we shine a spotlight on our students learning and our teachers teaching!
For this week's Friday Playlist, as we just marked 80 days of school together, thanks to Mrs. Hosbach and Mrs. Della Fave (who played guest DJs!) I hope you enjoy three songs from the 1980s!
Have a great weekend and please safe!
- Mr. Bartlett
PTO NEWSLETTER - SUBSCRIBE!
The PTO is excited to share our newly released newsletter. To stay connected and informed please SUBSCRIBE HERE:
Middle School Theater Production
The Hoboken Middle School production of I Hate Valentine's Day is a self-love journey through the eyes of young teens in school on Valentine's Day. The show incorporates the different viewpoints and perspectives that students face in school on Valentine's Day that ultimately becomes a journey to loving yourself before loving others. The cast and crew of the Hoboken Middle School Theatre Department hopes that you will join them.
Show dates:
February 10th at 7pm
February 11th at 2pm
February 12th at 2pm
To purchase tickets visit hhsnj.booktix.com and for questions you can email pbenson@hoboken.k12.nj.us
District Musical Information
Kindness Awards
Avery Sun brought in Chinese New Year decorations to share with the classroom.
Julien Kuehn is always helping others.
Skyella Ortiz is sweet, kind, and helpful to others always. She loves to help friends zip up their coats before recess.
Mattilyn Martinez is always looking out for her friends and loves to give hugs when a classmate needs one.
Cameron Coyle always offers to fill in for class jobs when someone is absent. She's always making sure the classroom is clean.
Zariah Olivio always tries her hardest when doing math problems.
Sage Pantoja uses kind words with her friends and is always willing to help.
Brianna Dobrow is always friendly to her classmates and helps out around the classroom.
Kindergarten
First Grade
This week's ELA focus was on the long /i/ sound and the various ways it is represented. Students were introduced to plural nouns and alliteration. They were challenged to create their own alliteration using their name. Additionally, students continued to practice retelling stories using sequencing words.
In math, students began exploring a new unit of measurement. Working in teams, students measured various objects around the classroom using connecting cubes. They then compared their results to make sure they measured accurately. Students also worked on putting objects in order by length.
In social studies, students learned about Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and accomplishments. Feeling inspired, students crafted letters explaining why they admire him.
Second Grade
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. students learned about his hopes and dreams for the world. In Social Studies, students worked hard to complete a KWL chart. They typed up what they knew and questions they had. Next, students read various non-fiction articles about MLk and then completed the “L” of the KWL chart-what they learned. Students also were hard at work typing up ideas on how to bring more peace to their lives and what their dreams are for the future. It was a bonus that students got to practice typing while learning!
In Reading students continued to read expository, or nonfiction, texts. Students are working on identifying the main idea and supporting details while reading non-fiction. They learned that the main idea is what the text is about and what it is mostly teaching you, and there are always lots of details and evidence! Students also worked on asking and answering questions before, during and after reading. Asking questions about a text helps us understand and comprehend more about what we are reading. Plus, it is so fun to learn all about new ideas and topics. In reading, students continued to identify text features throughout nonfiction texts and books. In addition to learning about nonfiction, students continued to practice reading fluency, expression, and comprehension.
Students worked on various types of writing. First, students learned about how to write a good and detailed paragraph. All paragraphs have a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence. Students worked hard on answering questions by writing a paragraph all week. Also, students began to work on writing a personal narrative. Students brainstormed topics and will begin planning and writing next week.
In Math, students wrapped up unit 2 on fractions and shapes. They reviewed skills from the unit and then took the unit 2 test. Everyone worked so hard and did a great job! Students also reviewed addition and subtraction skills as well as place value as they prepare for the upcoming LinkIt assessment.
Third Grade
Math: This week, third graders continued to work through our Investigations Unit 3: Travel Stories and Collections. We are loving learning through our new games, and are getting pretty awesome at three-digit addition and subtraction.
Reading: Our third graders are all caught up in Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. So far we’ve learned a plethora of new vocabulary words, and have made so many predictions about how the book will end. This week we also practiced using text evidence to ask and answer questions about the text.
Social Studies: This week our third graders continued to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. After learning about Dr. King's impact to society, students wrote about the changes they’d like to see for themselves, in the community, and in the world.
Fourth Grade
Fourth graders and continuing to learn and grow into the middle of January!
In Social Studies, we are learning about the 13 original colonies. We are discussing the economy and what daily life was like in the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. Students are putting themselves into the point of view of people who lived during this time.
In Reading, we finished Ancestor Approved and began our new book, What Would She Do? - a collection of chapters about trailblazing women in history. We also just started a new unit in Wonders, where we discuss how we can help out in our community. Students are working on creating a biography project featuring influential women in history. Students are learning how to research, collect information, take notes and turn their information into a unique project showcasing all that they have learned about their influential woman.
In Writing, we finished our Research Simulation Task unit and just began our new unit on Literary Analysis Tasks. In this unit, students read two literary texts that are purposely paired in order to compare and contrast themes, tone, literary devices, characters, setting, plot, etc., then write an analytical essay. During ELA centers students are working on creating an LAT using an outline and their rubric. They are working together to find relevant information and text evidence to support their reasons.
In Math, we are learning about polygons - specifically quadrilaterals, parallelograms, and triangles. Students learned how our Power Polygons (squares, rectangles, triangles, trapezoids, rhombus, etc.) can help us build new polygons and angles.
Fifth Grade
As we continue reading Esperanza Rising, we are exploring the different elements of a story such as the exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. We have also spent time focusing on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and selecting articles that relate to Esperanza Rising. As for writers' workshops, we have begun crafting our thesis statements and building a plan for our essays.
In Math, we are wrapping up Unit 3: Rectangles, Clocks, and Tracks as we have been reviewing and testing on fractions this week. As we look ahead, we will be starting Unit 4: How many people and teams, which concentrates on multi-digit multiplication.
In Social Studies, we are finishing up the Before Civil War Unit. Our 5th grade historians have spent time this week looking into key abolitionists and using a map of the United States to understand the divide in the 1800s.
The Counselor's Corner
We are so excited to kick off The Great Kindness Challenge next week. The GKC supports students in creating a culture of kindness and compassion while strengthening their social and emotional well being. Our Brandt community will be engaged in a variety of activities that promote kindness throughout the week. Please see the attached spirit wear schedule and weekly activities that the school will roll out starting Monday!
Email: jhosbach@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Individualized Learning Pathway - Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Individualized Learning Pathway - Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
On Mondays - Wednesdays during the Individualized Learning Pathway (ILP) period, students who have qualified to participate in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) programming engage in a wide array of math course offerings that address their specific strengths and interests. Johns Hopkins CTY believes in researching and advancing ways to identify and nurture academically talented learners. CTY furthers research, guides educators and families and inspires students from diverse communities and backgrounds to pursue their intellectual passions and create the world of tomorrow. This week, we would like to highlight one of the CTY courses offered to our Hoboken students this winter:
Johns Hopkins CTY Cryptology: Math and Codes
At the beginning of every unit, CTY Mathematicians get to complete an exciting virtual Scavenger Hunt Adventure that introduces them to the new unit. They need to crack the code to solve the mystery! Only by collecting the ciphers, CTY students are able to unlock the mystery and proceed to the following steps. It is a big challenge, but fear not because there are many clues along the way. Finally, when all the clues are at hand, students are able to use the ciphers to uncover the code and solve the mystery at the end of the unit. In addition, while being on the lookout for the clues, CTY Mathematicians work on the required assignments to fully complete the unit activities.
Physical Education
Students this week worked on pacing and being honest with themselves to complete an obstacle course. The Brandt Warrior Challenge had 15 different sections. Students were asked to complete the obstacle course slowly and to their best ability. If they didn’t complete a section correctly they would go to the beginning of that section and try again. Students had to self evaluate their progress. On their second day they were challenged to complete the course with the least amount of repeats.
World Languages
May you all have a prosperous new year!
兔年大吉! 恭喜發財!
Art
Music
Science
This week, Kindergarten began Unit 4 - Sun Warms Earth - in Science Dimension. Students made observations about how water, soil, sand, and rocks are affected by sunlight.
This week in first grade we did some fun and informative activities to complete our lesson on how animals meet their needs. After reviewing our lesson slideshow we participated in a game. Each student was given a card with an animal picture. After listening to clues given by the teacher they held up the card that they thought matched. They placed their card in the correct spot on the answer board and gave a brief description of their answer.
After discussing different bodies of water, this week in second grade science, we talked about the Hudson River. Students worked in groups using modeling clay and paper plates to create replicas of rivers. They also analyzed different types of marine life and discussed different ways we can help heal and maintain a healthy river environment.
This week in third grade science, students were hard at work preparing for their next quiz on animal life cycles. Students made their favorite study tool, flip books, so they could have a visual to help them study at home. Students loved adding their own creative touches to their flip books while also creating a useful tool that will help them compare two life cycles in particular. We then finished our quiz preparation with an exciting game of Kahoot where students were able to put their knowledge to the test through a fast, yet engaging trivia game.
This week in 4th grade science we focused on our Night Write skills! We reviewed some of our past Night Write submissions, and reflected on how we can all grow as writers. Students worked in pairs to discuss "glow and grows" to determine what is expected in the future. On Thursday, we had a student bring in his interactive human body skeleton model, and we observed the human brain, spinal cord and how they connect to the rest of the body. We will also begin to explore our five senses, and learn about how they each function independently and with one another.
This week in 5th grade science students observed and analyzed the patterns of both our sun and moon within our sky. As a class, we concluded that the reason why the sun appears to be moving across our sky was actually because of our rotation here on Earth. Students then practiced their skills by working in small groups to complete the lesson activities associated with the content, as well as got a little silly during a class photo!
Nurse's Nook
Good Day Brandt Family -
Nurse Karoline O'Keeffe recently resigned her position with our school district. We wish her nothing but the best in her new professional endeavor.
Please know that Dr. Cecilia D'Elia (our Director of Special Services) and I have been vetting prospective candidates for our school nurse position, and I am confident we will have a new, permanent nurse on staff soon.
In the meantime, our school's nursing and health needs will be covered and shared by Nurse Renee Banks, Nurse Wendy Lopez, and Nurse Maddie Carroll.
In order to keep needs and communication streamlined, if you have any health concerns or questions, you should send them to Nurse Banks at rbanks@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
I remain at your service should you have any questions.
- Mr. Bartlett