It was exciting to see how our school’s environment was transformed to create a motivating setting for reading this month. Our upper grade buddies inspired our youngest readers, bulletin boards were adorned with magical themes and staff opened their doors to guest readers for the first time in 2 years. We received so many compliments on the student magicians, the volunteer student greeters and the welcoming setting in the library.

The Reading Committee, teacher volunteers and Mrs. Kelly Pedana planned a fabulous and fun reading event for our students! Who knew that so many of our families and teachers had tricks up their sleeves and could perform magic?! We enjoyed a terrific performance by a magician and received our very own magic kits.

We are happy to announce that James Monroe will be hosting its very first in-person Science Fair on May 24th for students in grades 3-5! We are looking for a team of volunteers that have a background in sciences to help us the night of the event from 7:00pm to 7:45pm. The students’ projects will not be judged but rather reviewed. Insight from an adult that works or has worked in the field will be extremely valuable to the children. If you are interested in volunteering please fill out this FORM by May 6th. We appreciate your help!

Please be on the look out for an upcoming flier to register your student for the event!

As you may know, our mandated state testing is scheduled for May 9th - 18th, 2022. It is very important that all students’ devices are working properly to take these assessments. If a student’s device is in need of repair, please complete a tech ticket as soon as possible.

Additionally, our district office has brought to our attention that some students are removing the cover of their Chromebook and/or placing decorative stickers on them. Please keep the covers on the device and refrain from placing stickers on them.

Stickers other than a label with the student’s name should not be placed on any device.

• We read the Scholastic News article "The Woman Who Talked to Chimps" , which was about the scientist Jane Goodall. We talked about the women who make a difference in our lives every day.

• Classes provided numerous texts from the library to focus on famous women we have learned about. These include: Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, and Betsy Ross. The students were also independently researching famous women through BrainPop Jr. videos.

• Classes incorporated Women's History Month into our morning meeting every day. Almost each day we learned about a new women in history during our morning message and activity. Also, during snack time we listened to read aloud's about them and talked about who they were as a class after.

• As a class we read the book "She Persisted" by Chelsea Clinton and then selected a famous woman to research either from the text or by student choice. Students then presented their findings as a google slides presentation.

• During morning meeting we discussed Amelia Earhart and Elizabeth Blackwell and how they broke barriers for many women. In social studies, we learned about the Supreme Court and the importance of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson being the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.

• Students researched a historcal woman of their choice and created a slide presentation on them to share with the class.

• We started each day with a quote from a famous women and then discussed what the quote meant. We also read books about strong women in history.

• Read a biography each day about women in history from the book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

• Each morning meeting, we read quotes from, and watched video segments highlighting the contributions of prominent women from the past and present. This was followed by student-led discussions of character traits, determination, positive mindset, and overcoming challenges.

• Class 5-3 read Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes who won Women the Right to Vote and Great Women of the American Revolution. Then we wrote an opinion piece and created a monument dedicated to Woman in History of our choice based on their accomplishments.

• We spoke about Athletes in the Olympics back in Ferbruary. In March, we said that there were 24 categoreies that athletes won gold medals for the US Olympic team. Of those 24 categories, 16 of them were women. In the past, women weren't even able to complete and this year the women were more that 66% of the Gold Medal winners.

• During this month, our class held a "Women's History Month Madness". The students were presented with two influential women and read articles or watched videos to gather facts about these women. They voted for which woman they believed was more influential. The woman with the most student votes moved on to the next round!

• During the month of March, books about women were made available in our classroom library. In addition, we read "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone," the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor.

An Important Reminder about Appropriate Attire at School

Please assist your children in what constitutes acceptable practice in this area.

• Flip flops and Crocs are not permitted for safety reasons.

• Hats are for outdoors only.

• Crop tops and spaghetti straps are not appropriate for school. Bare midriffs are not permitted. For example, your child should be able to lift their arms without their belly being exposed. Shirts must reach the top of the hips.

• Ripped pants should not be too exposing.

Also, in addition to daily hygiene, please remind your child to shower at least three times a week with soap and water.

Cell Phone Policy

If your student is bringing a cell phone or i-Watch with them to school, please complete this form and submit it to your child's teacher. I-Watches are not permitted to be worn during the school day. The cell phone is required to stay in the child's backpack and students are not to make or accept phone calls or text messages from their cell phone during the school day. If you need to reach your child for any reason, please contact the main office and we will assist (732-452-2970).