Old Mill Pond News
February, 2019
Happy 100th day of Kindergarten!
These months are sure going by fast. We are continuing to learn new letters and their sounds (Hh, Ee, Ff, Rr) using our WONDERS & ECRI curriculum. Our new sight words are my, are, he, & with this month. Continue to practice these and past ones at home. A great emphasis is put on blending and segmenting CVC words. We are learning facts about artic animals and the groundhog. We will be discussing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In math, we continue to work with numbers and word problems.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
First Grade News
Hello Families,
Currently we are working on Unit 3 in our reading series. Students are reading stories about changes over time. The essential questions for this unit are: How do we measure time? How do plants change as they grow? What is a folktale? How is life different than it was long ago?
Students are exploring verbs in the past, present and future and learning to use them correctly in sentences.
In math, students are becoming quite good at decomposing numbers. They are showing much growth towards mastery of addends for ten. We learn daily by playing games that help to reinforce and broaden their number sense.
Happy February!
News from Grade 3
During the month of February, the third grade will continue to work on their multiplication facts. By the end of January, it is expected that students will have mastered the following facts: 0,1,2,5,9,10’s. When February wraps up 3’s and 4 facts should be mastered and the 7 and 8 facts should be just about mastered. Also, February brings our study of fractions. Please ask your child about all the awesome learning they are doing around fractions!
All students should be reading every night and studying their multiplication facts. Please be sure your child is dressed for the frigid weather. Students will have the opportunity to play in the snow if they are dressed in the appropriate gear.
Grade 4 News
Grade 4 is moving forward! In math, we are looking at wrapping up our multiplication & division unit over the next few weeks. We will then be moving into our fractions unit. While we are working on strategies to work with larger numbers in multiplication and division, it is still VITAL that students study all multiplication and division facts to 144. It will be very difficult for students to be successful in math without knowing their facts. In ELA, we are continuing with Unit 3 of the Wonders program, which focuses on community. To help your child at home, please make sure they are reading for at least 20 minutes every single day.
As a reminder, please make sure that children are dressed appropriately for the weather. This may mean coats, hats, scarves, gloves, etc. Students who are not dressed appropriately may not be allowed to go out to recess for safety reasons. If you need assistance obtaining winter clothing for your child, please contact your child’s teacher, the school nurse, or the office.
5th Grade
5th grade ELA has been working hard on mid-year testing. Students tried their best on Wonders Unit Tests, STAR, and DIBELS.
Mrs. Mignault’s class is finishing up research on the Civil Rights Movement and will be starting to read a novel entitled The Liberation of Gabriel King. This novel, set in Georgia in the 1970’s, tells the story of Gabe King and his best friend, Frita Wilson. Gabe is afraid of everything related to the fifth grade while Frita has to be brave living in a town where many still support segregation. Together Gabe and Frita are going to spend the summer of 1976 facing down Gabe’s fears and while doing so learn that Frita has some fears to face as well.
Mrs. Tambacas’ class is working on listening comprehension skills with the reading of The Liberation of Gabriel King. Classes are also enjoying their Wonder extension activities while diving into an in depth study of poetic techniques and interpretation.
In Science, students will take part in energy and chemistry units. These units will wrap up science for this school year until we do a review boot camp in the Spring to prepare for MCAS. Towards the middle of January, beginning of the third term, classes will switch from science to social studies for the remainder of the year. To be prepared for the transition to social studies, students will need a new notebook and folder. Just a reminder, we use a lot of glue sticks in both science and social studies so donations are always welcome.
In Math classes, students have been working EXTRA hard on division with both single and double digit divisors. After vacation we will begin our unit on fractions. We will be adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing with fractions. We also continue to reinforce measurement, geometry, and previously learned skills through our warm-up stations. You may see notebooks come home if your child has not finished a particular station.
Reminders:
On most days, students go outside for recess. Please make sure your child has an appropriate coat, gloves, and a hat. 5th graders often don’t pay attention to how cold it is outside until they are out there.
If your child plans to stay for extra help, please make sure he/she has a note.
Student grades are also available on the Parent Portal.
Wonders is accessible online
Please, please continue to practice multiplication facts at home, so we can add more names to our multiplication race. As we remind all students, “The better you know them the easier all math will be.” Even if your child is an expert, they can increase recall speed.
We are in desperate need of tissues and Lysol wipes. Any donations are greatly appreciated!
February is Internet Safety Month!
On February 5 it is International Safer Internet Day. At OMP we will be celebrating all month long! Safer Internet Day aims to create both a safer and a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.
Here are some tips from National Cyber Security Alliance on how you can stay safe online:
Own your online presence. To keep yourself safe, set privacy and security settings on web services, apps, and devices to your comfort level. You do not have to share everything with everyone. It is your choice to limit what (and with whom) you share personal information.
Be a good digital citizen. The things that you would not do in your physical life, do not do in your digital life. If you see crime online, report it the same way that you would in real life. Keep yourself safe and assist in keeping others safe on the Internet.
Respect yourself and others. Practice good netiquette, know the law, and do not do things that would cause others harm. The Golden Rule applies online, as well.
Practice good communications. Never send an email typed in anger. Put it in your draft folder and wait. Keep in mind that digital communications do not give the reader the same visual or audio cues that speaking in person (or by video or phone) does.
Protect yourself and your information. Use complex passwords or passphrases, and don't reuse the same password or variations of a simple phrase. Better yet, enable two-factor authentication or two-step verification whenever possible.
Six Flags Six Hour Reading Logs
Here’s What's Happening in K-2nd PE
We just wrapped up basketball skills and are starting volleying skills!
REMINDER:
As the cold weather has arrived, so have the boots! Please make sure your child has sneakers every PE day. Check your child’s schedule.
And remember, we are striving to be safe, kind, and positive!
Happy Moving,
Miss Bechthold
PE Teacher (K-2)
Dates to Remember
Monday, February 4 - PTO PAWS Meeting, 6pm
Tuesday, February 5 - School Banking (Make up from 1/22)
Tuesday, February 12 - School Banking
Friday, February 15 - Chuck E. Cheese Night; 3pm-9pmMonday, February 18 - Friday, February 22 - Mid-Winter Break
Tuesday, February 26 - School Banking