The Polar Bear Post
Vol. 1, Issue 4 January 2022
The Principal's Corner - "Momma Bear's Musings"
This month we have done multiple mid-year assessments to provide key data for future instruction. This has included the DIBELs for reading fluency, the MAZE focus on reading comprehension, i-Ready Reading and i-Ready Math. We have also had ACCESS for our ELL students that will continue next month. Our students have worked hard and are displaying this month's character trait of: Resilience -The ability to bounce back after a difficult situation, with STRONG determination!
We are so proud of all of our Polar Bears for taking their learning seriously and of the strong support our amazing PAE staff provides our students during their learning adventure! We look forward to analyzing the data of these benchmark assessments so that we can provide explicit, targeted instruction to our students here at Park Avenue.
As we consider New Year's resolutions, let's determine to partner together in order to help our learners to continue to have the best year of learning ever!
Better Together,
Mrs. ParmleyAssistant Principal's Message
As we continue to focus on improving our students’ reading skills, another way you can partner with us at home is through daily conversation.
The ability to read and comprehend is built through a combination of decoding skills (breaking down words into letter sounds) and language comprehension (the ability to understand language.) Children build their language comprehension skills by increasing their vocabulary. The more words that children hear, use on a regular basis and understand the meanings of, the easier the job of reading becomes to them.
As a family any time you can spend having conversations with your children will benefit them as they continue to learn to read and improve their reading comprehension.
The following ideas were generated from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Grocery store: “These two cereal boxes are so colorful! Tell me about them. What do you see that’s the same on both of them? What’s different?”
On a bus, train,or car ride: “Let’s pretend we could go anywhere on our bus. Where should we go? Why?”
While taking a walk: “Let’s experiment with our walking! How can you change the way you’re walking to be faster (slower, funnier, bouncier)? How does it feel?”
At the park: “What do you think would make the park even more fun? Why?”
After school: “What was the funniest (silliest, saddest, hardest) thing that happened today?”
Mealtime: “Tell me about what you see on these big tortillas. I wonder what changes we will see after we take them out of the oven. What do you notice?”
Any quiet moment: “What do you love the most about grandma (or some other special person)? Why? What could we do to show Grandma how much we love her?”
In addition, your child(ren) will love this time to share about their world with yo
Respectfully,
Mrs. Allen
Dishing with the Dean~
Brrrrrr…. It’s Cold Outside!!!!
We have been having some VERY cold days lately, so it’s important to dress for the weather! It doesn’t take long for frostbite to set in, so please bundle up!
How do you protect your skin from frostbite?
Dress in loose, light, comfortable layers. Wearing loose, light layers helps trap warm air. ...
Protect your feet and toes. ...
Protect your head. ...
Protect your hands. ...
Make sure snow cannot get inside of your boots or clothing. ...
If you need assistance with getting a winter jacket for your child, please let us know.
Stay warm!
Mrs. Thompson
Pre-Kindergarten
Kindergarten
January has been quite a month! We came back from our holiday break and reviewed the skills we learned in December. All letters and sounds have been taught. We have learned how to form all lower case letters. We have started writing capital letters. We are tapping out and blending CVC words. We are working on identifying all the parts of a story (beginning, middle, end, sequence of events etc.) We are writing all different types of writing pieces. We are working so hard!
In math, we can count and write the numbers 1-10. We are working on adding up through 5.
It has been so cold since we started school again. We have not been able to go outside very often. We are all looking forward to some warmer weather in the next few months!
Grade 1
Grade 2 News
The second graders at Park Ave. have been hard at work. We continue to use our Wonders Reading Curriculum as well as other programs such as Heggerty and FUNdations. We have been working on different syllable types (closed, open, v-e) as well as reading multisyllabic words. In Ready Math our focus has been on 2-digit addition (with and without regrouping). Although it may look a little different from how you may remember learning, ask your child to share his/her favorite strategy for solving these complex problems. Ask them to show you how to solve a 2-digit addition problem using a picture model, an open number line and/or the break apart strategy. You may be surprised and learn something new!
As we enter the second part of our year there are a few reminders to keep in the forefront.
Homework is sent home on Monday and is due back on Friday.
Please inform the office about any changes in dismissals.
Please be sure to pack a snack and water each day.
Grade 3 News
We are back at work after an extended winter break. It’s nice to have some down time but now we are back at work and gearing up for the MCAS ELA and math test this spring. This is the first time students will be taking this test and we will be working hard to prepare students for the challenge ahead of them. Please understand this is their first time taking this test so that can bring some uncertainty. We will help them with test taking strategies and ways to do the very best they can do. They will be ready.
In ELA, students read some expository (informational) text about the solar system and vertebrates. In addition, they read some folktales which are stories usually involving animals that talk. They have a common theme, for example kindness, and have been passed down for years. As a grade level we are working on various strategies and activities to help students gain a deeper understanding of vocabulary. To reinforce words and help students to figure out words they don’t know they can use prefixes (beginning), suffixes (end), root words, and context clues (other words in the sentence) to figure out the meaning. To build vocabulary we also think about related words, synonyms (same), antonyms (opposite), and words that have various shades of meaning.
In math, students focused on solving word problems with two steps using the four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). When completing these problems it is important students use learned strategies to solve problems. This could be drawing a picture, using a bar model, and we always want students to include an equation. Turning the question around can help students to figure out what the question is asking them to do. Currently, students are working on gaining an understanding of fractions. There is a lot of vocabulary to learn and understand when it comes to fractions. Two main components in fractions are the numerator and the denominator. The numerator (top number) is the number of parts counted and the denominator (bottom number) is the total number of equal parts of the whole.
STAY WARM AND LET’S HOPE FOR AN EARLY SPRING!
The Third Grade Team
Grade 4 News
ELL News
Hello families and Happy New Year! Our ELL students have been working diligently in their classrooms and small groups to prepare for ACCESS testing which is an annual assessment that measures English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Results of this test will be sent to the school in late Spring and shared with families soon after. It is important to make sure that your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast at home or here at school before they take their test. Talking with your child about doing their best and feeling calm rather than nervous is important! As always, we are here to help and would be glad to answer any questions or concerns you may have about your child’s English language development.
Mrs. Coutu
Mrs. LaBonte
Ms. Pasceri
2022 MCAS Dates at PAE
Grade 3
ELA MCAS - April 4th and 5th
Math MCAS - May 9th and 10th
Grade 4
ELA MCAS - April 6th and 7th
Math MCAS - May 11th and 12th
News from our Reading Specialist
News from the Reading Specialist Deborah Puishys
The third of the 5 Essential Components of Reading is Fluency - the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression. In order to understand what they are reading, students must be able to read fluently - the way they would speak. Some ways that students can improve their fluency is through choral reading, partner reading, timed reading, readers theater, or echo reading. Below is a reading fluency checklist. Listen to your child read aloud to determine if they are reading fluently. Good readers are fluent readers.
Fluent Reading Checklist (Wonders, 2020)
√ Read smoothly and pronounce words correctly.
√ Read sentences in chunks or phrases.
√ Emphasize important words.
√ Pause at commas or periods.
√ Change your voice to show a question.
√ Change your voice to show strong feeling at an exclamation point.
√ Read dialogue the way someone might speak it.
Mrs. Deborah Puishys
Mrs. Robin Parmley, Principal
Email: rparmley@webster-schools.org
Website: https://www.webster-schools.org/Domain/110
Location: 58 Park Avenue, Webster, MA, USA
Phone: 508-943-4554
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Park%20Avenue%20Elementary/580103225452897/
Mrs. Lorinda Allen, Assistant Principal
Email: lallen@webster-schools.org
Website: https://www.webster-schools.org/Domain/110
Location: 58 Park Avenue, Webster, MA, USA
Phone: 508-943-4554
Twitter: @AsstPrin_PAE
Mrs. Anne Thompson, Dean of Students
Email: athompson@webster-schools.org
Website: https://www.webster-schools.org/Domain/110
Location: 58 Park Avenue, Webster, MA, USA
Phone: 508-943-4554