The PRES Press
Principal's Monthly Newsletter, May 2019
A Message from Principal Amy Fishkin
Senior Walk is Coming!
Grade 4 NYS Science Testing
PRES Art Night Was A Hit!
Kindergarten is Hatching Some New Ideas!
The kindergartners have been learning about what living things need in order to survive as part of our science curriculum. We have been studying the life cycle of chickens. The children are taking on the role of “mother hen” by turning the eggs in the incubator. We are very “eggs-cited” for our upcoming hatch next week. The students are also learning about plants and what they need to survive. We visited the PRES garden to plant seeds and will observe beans as they begin to grow in Baggie Gardens that will be placed on our classroom windows.
In writing, we are finishing up a unit on informational writing where the students learned to write "How-To" books to teach others the detailed steps of how to perform a task.
In reading workshop, we have become avid readers. We are using extra-strength superpowers to read more and more. We are capturing and sharing our thinking about books with partners and book clubs.
First Graders Use Creativity with Recycled Art and Prepare for Duck Hatching
First graders celebrated Earth Day by creating recycled crafts. They planned and developed useful projects out of used materials that might have been thrown away. Some examples of the creative useful items that children made include household tools, such as watering cans and planters made out of milk jugs. Students also created games, items to use in school, toys, musical instruments and pocketbooks. These are just a few examples of the innovative and creative projects. Items were displayed in a gallery format and students were able to explain their creations and their purposes, as well as describe the materials they used. See photos of our First Grade Recycled Art Projects. In science, first graders are learning about living things.Their ducks are on the way!!! Stay tuned for the hatching of the adorable ducks. What an exciting time of year!!
Second Grade Learns about Community and Designs their Own Pop-Up Books
Second grade finished their study of urban, suburban and rural communities with a visit from Artist-in-Residence Kim McCormack. Students chose one community and made pop up books with features of that community. Students were so excited to see their completed book! A special thank you to the PTA for giving students this experience. Click on the link to see photos of our Second Grade Pop-Up Book Project.
Second grade also finished a reading unit on biographies with a focus on character traits. This unit culminated with each student choosing a historical person to research. They “became” that person at our Living Museum on Friday, May 17th and shared information about their lives. Click on the link to see photos of our Second Grade Living Museum.
We are in the middle of a non-fiction writing unit. Students are writing non-fiction books on a topic of their choice. They are incorporating non-fiction conventions into their books. In math, second graders are studying metric and customary measurement.
Third Graders Have Their Heads in the Clouds and Plant Trees in the Ground
If you see the third graders with their heads in the clouds, don’t be concerned! We are learning to predict the weather by identifying different types of clouds. We have seen more than our share of stratus clouds and are looking forward to observing more fluffy cumulus clouds. We also created “Water Cycle Baggies” which are hanging on our classroom windows waiting for the sun to do its “magic” of turning liquid into gas. In addition, we are tenderly caring for a fresh batch of butterflies in their larval stage! After they move through metamorphosis, we look forward to releasing the butterflies in the garden. Our PRES garden has been planted with painted lady butterfly friendly flowers. Third grade students also enjoyed a walking trip to Carolin's Grove on Friday, May 17th, where they planted new trees with Andrew Morgan, the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy Land Steward & Program Director. As we continue to develop and expand our nonfiction reading skills, third graders are becoming skillful researchers.
Fourth Graders Travel Back in History through Book Clubs and Prepare for a Trip to Ellis Island
In reading, fourth grade students are busy reading historical fiction! They are working in small group book clubs, learning how to use critical thinking to discuss their books, exploring theme, setting, characters, and author's purpose. They are building their comprehension skills as they examine fictional characters with a historic backdrop, thinking about how setting impacts the story. In writing, students are developing literary essays to go along with their historical fiction book clubs.
In science, fourth graders are reviewing many science concepts learned, in preparation for the New York State Science Test. Students recently enjoyed a visit from High Touch, High Tech Science program, as they learned more about magnetism. Students are also beginning a study of food chains and digestion. Recently, fourth graders enjoyed planting trees at Carolin’s Grove for Earth Day. They are also planting vegetables in the PRES garden. In Social Studies, fourth graders are studying the immigration time period as they prepare for their trip to Ellis Island.
Fifth Grade Learns about the Civil Rights Era and Begins End-of-Year Events
It’s a very exciting time for our fifth graders. All classes have visited Fox Lane Middle School this week. They took a tour of the school, learned about what to expect in middle school, and enjoyed lunch in the FLMS cafeteria. In the upcoming weeks we have our annual trip to Broadway, 5th Grade Olympic Day, and our exciting kick-off to our end-of-year dance program with Dance Cavise. In the classrooms in science, students are studying micro organisms and learning how to use microscopes. We just culminated our unit on the Civil Rights Movement in which we created three dimensional timelines and wrote informational articles and essays to share our learning. See some of the creative 3-dimensional art pieces the fifth graders designed to represent the historic moments of the Civil Rights Movement: Fifth Grade Civil Rights Timelines
Music Update Across the Grades
In music, Kindergarten has begun “The Carnival of the Animals” by Saint Saens. The children have been listening and moving to the various animals that Mr. Saint Saens created for orchestra. We’ve been singing fun songs that correspond with the animals.
In first grade, the boys and girls have been acting out a favorite: “The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks.” We’ve also been doing singing games that involve a chase with mother hens, rooster, and a wolf! Students have the opportunity to sing solos in these fun games, while learning how to match pitch and use their best singing voices.
Second grade has been enjoying reviewing the chick lessons from last year, as well as playing the barred instruments to springtime poems.
Third grade continues to play the recorder and sing patterns with solfege syllables to aid in learning melodic patterns aurally and then on the staff. We’ve also been playing singing games that allow students to develop their pitch matching skills.
Fourth grade has been studying “The Viennese Musical Clock” by Kodaly. Students are discovering the form of the piece and working in groups to create their own mechanical movements based on a theme of their choice.
Fifth grade has been comparing and contrasting different versions of “Big Yellow Taxi” with its message of taking care of the environment. We also have been working on “The Name Song” for the Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony!!
Love4Lucas Fest - Saturday, June 8th
The day will be filled with games, activities, food from Scotts Corner Market & food trucks, music and more! It's a time to come together to play, laugh, and enjoy time as a community.
If you are interested in volunteering some of your time at the event, on Saturday, June 8th, there are still many slots available! Please click on the Sign-up Genius below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f054cabad28a2f94-love4lucas
PRES Courtyard Dedication Ceremony
Cafe Patio Before
Courtyard BEFORE Renovation
Courtyard Before
No Pets Allowed on School Property
Upcoming PRES Events
May 2019:
- May 21: District Budget Vote
- May 22, 23: NYS Grade 4 Science Test (Performance test)
- May 23: Spring Concert @ 7:00 PM
- May 27: Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL
- May 28: Superintendent Conference Day (No School for Students)
- May 31: School Spirit Day (wear red, white and blue)
June 2019:
- June 3: NYS Grade 4 Science Test (Written test)
- June 4: Incoming Kindergarten Bumpy Bus Ride @ 9:30 AM
- June 6: Grade 3 Strings & Grade 4 Band Informance @ 8:00 AM
- June 6: Incoming Kindergarten Parent Orientation @ 7:00 PM
- June 14: Field Day (More information to come)
- June 24: Grade 5 Moving Up Ceremony (11:30 AM Early Dismissal)
- June 25: FLHS Senior Walk at PRES (11:30 AM Early Dismissal)
- June 26: All-school Moving Up Assembly; Last Day of School (11:30 AM Early Dismissal)
Stay Connected!
Also visit our PRES school website: https://www.bcsdny.org/Domain/277 for local school updates.