News from the Hill
April 28, 2017
Principal's Message
We have had a busy week full of wonderful things! Monday began with a successful visit from the Lice Lady of Westchester and her technicians. Any cases of lice were identified and sent for appropriate treatment. Thank you to both the district and PTSA for their collaborative efforts in keeping Hillside lice-free. For more information on how to detect and treat lice in the home you can visit: www.hohschools.org/hillside/lice or www.theliceladyofwestchester.com.
On Wednesday, educational consultant Jim Wright joined us at Hillside to share his expertise around Response to Intervention. After an informative workshop with the TRT and staff, we continue to value the need for benchmark data to inform our instruction. However, we recognize that it would be beneficial to have a universal screener that spans K-4. Consequently, we will not be administering the final round of iReady, but instead, will continue exploring other options that will best meet our needs at Hillside.
This morning, during our Late Start, we organized our first Intervention Cafe (picture below). This collaborative opportunity was created to give our specialists and service providers the opportunity to share techniques, tools and interventions with our classroom and special area teachers. Grade level and special area teams rotated through six stations: OT, Behavior, Speech and Language, Special Education, ENL and Reading Support. It was an informative morning for all!
I would like to remind you to please call the Main Office if there is a dismissal change for your child. Teachers are not always able to check email during the day and so, we cannot rely on this method alone. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring a safe dismissal for your child.
Finally, SPRING is here! Enjoy the beautiful weather with your families!
Warm regards,
Amy Cazes
Principal
PTSA Used Book Fair
Hillside's All Purpose Room is Coming to Life Thanks to Artist Katie Reidy
Kindergartners Enjoy Yoga Thanks To Hillside Parent Volunteers
Hillside parents, Kate Lowengart and Jamie Karen, have been volunteering their time to bring yoga to Hillside. Currently, they are working with each kindergarten class on a biweekly basis and our fourth graders during our HEART program. We cannot thank them enough for sharing yoga with our students!
STEAM Fair - Monday, June 5th
As per the email blast before spring break, the STEAM Fair has been moved to Monday, June 5th at 6:30pm. We encourage all Hillside students to participate! For information and sign –up, please visit the following links:
STEAM Fair Information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ssCrVqPFBRmkL8F1rljjs-3m3Lg-9cCy5iTZQjAVsQE/edit?usp=sharing
Sign up: https://goo.gl/forms/q1JKFf8MF6uPEPye2
Additionally, if you are looking for project ideas, please visit the following link (the best resource!):
ART SHOWS IN MAY
We hope you will join us for your child’s Grade Level Art Show during the month of May. Feel free to bring family and friends! Each grade level will have an exhibit of an art project in the Hillside All Purpose Room from 6-8pm. Every child will have a work of Art in their grade level’s show. Below is the schedule of events:
· May 9 – First Grade (Monsters), 6 – 8pm
May 11 – Kindergarten (Gardens), 6 - 8pm
May 18 – Second Grade (Collages), 6 – 8pm
May 23 – Fourth Grade (Still-Life), 6 – 8pm
May 25 – Third Grade (Circles), 6 – 8pm
Check out the Hillside Art Blog for updates from the Hillside Art Studio - http://www.hohschools.org/Page/1225
See you at the exhibits!
Classroom News
Kindergarten
In honor of World Autism Day on April 2nd, all Kindergartners read books about Autism and had thoughtful conversations about children with autism. We also viewed the beautiful song “Light it up blue” on Youtube. Please make sure to check out the gorgeous blue collages that we made with all the Kindergarten classes to honor World Autism Day. The collages are hanging outside all our classrooms.
This month, we studied a unit on Taking Care of the Earth. Our Kindergartners have become very savvy on Reusing, Recycling and reducing waste and protecting our earth. We also started learning all about Farms. We are very excited that we will be growing chicks in our classrooms.
Reading and Writing workshops are thriving in our classrooms. Please continue to encourage your child to read and write on a regular basis at home as well.
Kindergartners have the wonderful privilege of working with two amazing Yoga teachers who are also Hillside parents; Kate Lowengart and Jamie Karen. What a treat for our children to do yoga with these experts on biweekly basis!
Kate and Jamie, Kindergarten thank you for volunteering your time to teach us yoga!
First Grade
First graders have started a study of Animals and Habitats. During the next couple of weeks, they will take a closer look at the animals and plants of the Arctic Tundra, Sonoran Desert, Amazon Rainforest, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Ocean and Freshwater Habitats. Here, students will learn about the interdependency of all living things and recognize different plants and animals as being indigenous to specific habitats. We look forward to showcasing our learning in our upcoming Discovery Museum on May 18th. Teachers have sent home a “Save the Date” with specific times. Please be sure to mark your calendars!
As writers, our students are learning how to write persuasive pieces. During this study, students are learning the difference between fact vs. opinion and have been exposed to wonderful mentor text such as Red is Best, I Wanna Iguana, I Wanna New Room to help us learn the structure of this writing. Students are using their understanding to draft and publish their own pieces.
Our current math unit is coming to an end. Students have worked on understanding place value as tens and ones and represent how numbers change by using quick ten drawings, the number bond way or arrow notation. Our next unit will focus identifying, composing and partitioning shapes.
Second Grade
With our return from the vacation, we have begun our new math unit. The unit encompasses three concepts, graphing, money and measurement. The students will learn to construct and interpret pictographs and bar graphs. We will work with identification of coins and ways to add groups of coins and dollars. Finally, we will extend our work with measurement. Earlier in the year we worked with nonstandard measurements, the metric system and identifying the appropriate tool to use for a given measurement task. In the coming weeks, we will incorporate feet and yards.
Our work with reading will continue in the nonfiction area in conjunction with our new science unit, which will concern insects. The students will once again have opportunities to read nonfiction texts and practice their skills. The texts will encompass a range of insects. Our work with nonfiction and insects will lead later in May to a detailed research project.
As part of our science work with insects, each student takes care of several mealworms. Over the course of several weeks, the students will have opportunities to observe the mealworms and the various stages of their life cycle culminating in their emergence as beetles in the adult stage. The mealworms will allow us to further our study of insects to include their life cycles.
Communications Class K-2
In honor of World Autism Day on April 2nd, our class joined the Kindergartners in working collaboratively to create shared works collages. Please make sure to check out the gorgeous blue collages that we made with all the Kindergarten classes to honor World Autism Day. The collages are hanging along the Kindergarten Wing.
This month, we studied a unit on Taking Care of the Earth. We have become very savvy on Reusing, Recycling and reducing waste and protecting our earth. We all made a promise to the Earth about how we can help to take care of it! Our amazing project and writing is hanging in our classroom.
We finished our Writing from the Heart Unit! Our amazing stories are hanging in the classroom! Soon, we will send them home for you to keep! Next, we will explore poetry & work to write our own poems!
We also started learning all about animal habitats and Farms. We are very excited that we will be raising chicks in our classroom.
Communications Class 3-5
In ELA, our students are currently working on a Cynthia Rylant author study. We are reading books from both the Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby series. The students are writing small book reviews after we finish reading these stories.
In Math, we have started our geometry unit. We are currently learning about plane and solid shapes. The students are identifying these shapes by labeling sides, edges and vertices. We are also finding these shapes in our environment.
In Science, we completed a unit on preserving our Earth. We learned about recycling and conservation of our Earth and concluded by reading The Lorax. We have now started a new unit on matter and identifying solids, liquids and gases. We will conduct an experiment involving water to investigate changing states of matter.
Integrated Learning Class 2-4
2nd Graders are making graphs, reading about insects, looking forward to mealworms, not to mention money, feet and yards!
3rd Grade is focused on data collection, nonfiction and fiction reading and response, with Brazil on the horizon.
4th Grade is working on geometry and reading chapter books.
Our whole class is busy with several ongoing projects. Part 2 of Random Acts of Cardboard is in progress. We are building stamina and refining our comprehension skills with short chapter books and leveled readers in a variety of genres, monitoring our reading with the 5Ws and Story Maps. Research and writing continue with topics chosen by students, who are investigating different countries and natural habitats.
Third Grade
Students have begun work on our sixth mathematical unit: “Collecting and Displaying Data”. They are studying data collection, graphing to display information, and the use of line plots to analyze data. Students will become expert with reading and creating scaled picture graphs, bar graphs (both vertical and horizontal), and line plots.
In reading, students are exploring the fantasy genre as they read Peter Pan. They are also reviewing traits of the main characters. They are discussing how a character’s actions, dialogue and thoughts move the plot along. They are responding to the story using the “double entry journaling” method. They write a sentence from the chapter they are reading, and then respond to it. They might explain why they chose the text, make a comparison or connection to something or someone they know, or give their explanation of figurative language used.
In writing, students have been busy with their writer’s notebooks, scripting the stories of their life. They are writing entries after working with consultant Judy Davis. Right now, they are working on how to “show, not tell” by taking our “telling” sentences and crafting them into “showing” sentences.
Our social studies work is focused on economics for the next few weeks. Students are learning about supply and demand, goods and services, and scarcity of materials that can impact an item’s cost. Once we become familiar with this topic, we will investigate the economics of both the United States and Brazil, our current country of study.
In science we are wrapping up our weather unit, learning about how weather impacts people and how they live around the world. We are reading about extreme weather - building our knowledge about various storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards.
Fourth Grade
After a restful week of vacation, 4th graders are up and running! In math, students have continued to learn about fractions. We have built our skills in the areas of equivalent fractions, fractions greater than 1 (improper fractions), mixed numbers, and the addition, subtraction and multiplication of fractions. In addition to these concepts, we are also learning about basic concepts in geometry. Students can now distinguish between parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines, as well as note the difference between acute, obtuse and straight angles. Over the next several weeks, students will also experiment with protractors and learn how to measure angles.
In social studies, we are entering the most exciting period of the year - Colonial times! Students will soon be immersed in the study of the American Revolution. We have already begun to read about the causes of the Revolutionary War, and we will soon be introduced to the key men and women that helped us on our way to becoming the country we are today. In a few weeks, we will begin our residency with ArchForKids, a group of talented architects who will help us construct replicas of colonial villages. Thank you to all who donated cardboard boxes for this grant. We will also begin creating our colonial heads, modeled after some of our American heroes. More about that will follow soon.
Our next ELA unit will be closely tied to social studies. In order to really understand our fight for freedom over 240 years ago, it is important to see who was involved and why. Therefore, 4th graders will begin a short biography unit in which they will read about these famous Americans and write about them as well. We look forward to this work.
Finally, in science, 4th graders are now wrapping up their study of living things and will soon be learning about the properties of matter. This study will take us beyond solids, liquids, and gases into density, volume and measurement. 4th grade is an exciting place to be in spring!
Art
The Grade Level Art Shows are quickly approaching. Please see below for dates. Also, remember to check out the Hillside Art blog at http://www.hohschools.org/Page/1225 .
Hillside Art Shows:
May 9 - First Grade (Monsters)
May 11 – Kindergarten (Gardens)
May 18 – Second Grade (Collages)
May 23 – Fourth Grade (Still-Life)
May 25 – Third Grade (Circles)
Music
Ms. Concra’s Class: Kindergartners are working on performing and differentiating dynamic levels. They have been playing games and singing songs that emphasize the differences between loud and soft. 1st graders had an introduction to line dancing. We will continue with a few more simple line dances that will reinforce moving to a steady beat. 2nd graders are beginning to study stories from around the world. We just completed a Haitian story called “Bouki Dances the Kokioko”. Students worked in groups to choreograph and perform dances that followed the form of the story’s main song. 3rd graders are working on standard treble clef notation. We are working on reading the notes with speed and accuracy. 4th graders are finishing up the Google Classroom Sea Chanty unit. The last project is engineering and building origami boats. We will hold a competition to see whose boat will travel the furthest without tipping over. Hillside had a very exciting assembly with special guest David Coffin. For more details and pictures about the assembly check out Ms. Concra’s webpage.
Mr. Campbell's Class:
Kindergarten students recently finished a listening unit on Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals. They are also learning songs and chants about the Earth and how plants grow, in conjunction with Earth Day and their classroom studies. First grade students have been learning and singing about all things space! They are continuing to perform both steady beat and rhythmic ostinatos with instruments. Second grade students are finishing learning about the woodwind and brass families of instruments. They are singing in two part rounds and using solfege to learn how sounds go high and low. Third grade students are being introduced to music literacy by seeing the notation of familiar songs and reading short melodic patterns. They are beginning to understand how reading notes can help them when playing an instrument such as the xylophone or metallophone. It has been a very exciting month for fourth grade students! They studied sea chanteys, which culminated in a school assembly with musical guest David Coffin. The fourth grade students were excited to sing and improvise on the xylophone to the song Roll the Chariots for their younger peers.
Physical Education
Hello Everybody! First we would like to thank everyone who came out and supported our Obstacle Course Night and the Hastings Education Foundation. The night was a huge success with a large turnout and a chance for everyone to see just how important the Foundation is. Thank you once again!
Upon our return from spring break, we have moved right along into our Stunts and Tumbling unit. During this unit we roll out the gymnastic mats that cover the gym floor and begin to teach students everything from various balancing movements, forward rolls, and partner skills. The 3rd and 4th grade will have the opportunity to form groups and create their own routines based on all they have learned. It is an exciting unit that student look forward to.
FLES
We have had such a busy couple of weeks in FLES! Kindergarten has finished their unit on “Los colores!” First grade students have learned all about “La primavera” or spring time and have completed their beautiful flowers with a sentence in español! Look for your child’s masterpiece in his/her backpack! Meanwhile in second grade students have practiced identifying numbers that are “uno menos” (1 less) and “uno más” (1 more) than a given number. We have practiced how to read a number sentence in Spanish! Third grade is busy learning all about the culture of the wonderful country of Peru. Ask your child about the geography of the country and what life is like in Peru today! Fourth graders have submitted their Facebooks via GoogleClassroom and have begun to present their finished products to their classmates. You can access the project at home via your child’s Google Drive!
Finally, as a friendly reminder, please visit our class website, www.nunez-fles.weebly.com for more on our current units and fun practice at home!
From the Library
April is Poetry Month! Students in grades K-4 have been immersed in the genre of poetry during their library classes. Across all grades we have been discussing the elements of poetry that make it such a fun genre to read and write - specifically no rules and the ability to let creativity run wild! We have been reading a variety of poems - rhyming poems, free verse poems, concrete poems, haikus, (and more!) - from some of our favorite poets like Douglas Florian, Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Judith Viorst, and Jane Yolen, in addition to many others. Kindergartners have been illustrating and sharing “Spring” themed poems, as well as beginning to write list poems. First graders have also been working on list poems and adding details to make their poems come alive. 2nd graders have looked at acrostic poems, while third and fourth graders have had a blast writing haikus. Check out our bulletin board in front of the library for a sampling of student work.
From the MakerSpace
As we are approaching the last two months of school it is really incredible to look back at all of the work students have done this year. This cycle of MakerSpace, students in grades 2, 3, and 4 have had the chance to have “choice”, which might mean revisiting a project they worked on or working again with an exploration we did whole class. The choices were wide and diverse among the classes. Some students went back to the Dash robots or Ozobots, while others couldn’t wait to get their hands on and minds into Lego WeDo Robotics again. Other students revisited cardboard creations they made earlier this year and added and redesigned parts, while others tried a new invention with the littleBits Gizmos and Gadgets Kits. Students in K-1 have been exploring with Lego Education’s Early Simple Machines Kits. The task at hand was to create a simple machine that could help two Lego friends spin their tops quicker and longer than they could by hand. Through following simple directions and working together, students were able to accomplish this task and have a blast challenging each other to “who can spin the longest” contents. As always, it’s been a wonderfully productive and creative time in MakerSpace.
Hillside Elementary School
Website: www.hohschools.org
Location: 120 Lefurgy Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, United States
Phone: 914-478-6270