Searingtown Happenings
March 2015
WELCOME TO THE MARCH 2015 EDITION OF THE HAPPENINGS!
CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS AT SEARINGTOWN!
Kindergarten
The children in Kindergarten were excited to find out if March would come in like a Lion and out like a Lamb! On the “Lamb” days, the children enjoyed finally returning to the playground to have fun in the fresh air and sunshine!!!
We had some special visitors come to Searingtown. Mrs. Prunella visited one class, while Dr. Park and his associates visited the other classes to give presentations on dental health to the children. The children learned how to keep their teeth healthy and clean. Each child was also given a goody bag with a new toothbrush and toothpaste so he/she can practice daily what he/she learned at home.
The focus in reading and writing this month was on non-fiction. In writing, the children were sharing what they were experts in when writing their “All-About” books. You’d be amazed at how much they know! The children know all about animals, games, toys, places, and plants!!! The children learned to add a table of contents to each of their books, as well as incorporate details into their books in the form of fun facts! In reading, the children learned to look closely at non-fiction books, ask their reading partners questions, and compare different texts.
In math, the children learned how to compose numbers using number bonds.
The Kindergarteners were really “Happy” to celebrate the International Day of Happiness on March 19th. They all came in wearing bright yellow or orange shirts and a smile on their faces! The day began with a dance to the “Happy” song, which started each child’s day on the right note! They also shared their “happiness acts” and posted them on the wall near the small gym for all to see!
What a “happy” month March has been!!!
First Grade
March .... in like a lion and out like a lamb??? We began the month making our predictions, and at this point in the season, we hoped for more lamb days (sunny and pleasant) with Spring right around the corner! Well, you all know what the weather was like on March 1st!! However, the lion days of March did not stop us from learning, and the month was filled with many fun and interesting learning activities.
As writers, we were immersed in Writing Reviews and learning how to express our opinion and convince others of it. Each writer brought in an important collection and judged it by ranking, comparing, and sorting, and then wrote various reasons to support their opinions. Some of the special collections shared were: Shopkins; baseball cards; coins; toy cars; jewelry; stickers, to name a few. We moved on to writing as critics expressing our opinion about things in the world, such as: movies, restaurants, games/toys, vacations and books. We were very convincing and persuasive in our review writing as we expressed our strong opinions with lots of reasons, not just one. We supported those reasons with detailed, specific observations.
As readers, we used strategies to be in charge of our own reading, working hard to figure out the tricky words and the hard parts in books, all on our own. We learned to balance our reading energies between word solving and meaning making so that our experiences with books are thoughtful, efficient and meaningful.
In Math, we were actively engaged in applying various strategies and approaches to solve addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. Mathematical practices could be seen in action as we calculated with accuracy and explained our reasoning for the solutions to problems using math vocabulary. As mathematicians, we learned not to give up and if we got stuck, we tried something else.
On Wednesday, March 18th, we went on our second field trip of the year to the Long Island Children’s Museum. We visited the Healthyville exhibit and learned that eating good foods and exercise help to keep our bodies fit and strong. At the Bubble Station, we had so much fun making bubbles with oversized wands, air tubes, and a pulley machine. We visited the Animal Diner exhibit where we learned about the difference between carnivores and omnivores and were so excited to pet Franklin, a turtle. We also saw other animals such as: honeybees at work, a snake, a tarantula, a hedgehog, Madagascar cockroaches, walking sticks, and a bearded dragon, too! The architects in each of us enjoyed building structures like towers, stadiums and even a Ninja Turtle out of wooden planks. We all agreed that the Long Island Children’s Museum is a great place to visit and it's right here on Long Island!
STRIIIIKE!! Thanks to the PTA, we will close out the month with a field trip on March 30th to Herrill Lanes for a morning of bowling and fun. We are excited to see what the next few months of first grade have in store for us!
Second Grade
As usual, March was a busy month for Searingtown second graders. Our reading curriculum focused on reading books in series. We are learning to find patterns in the characters, stories and how the books are put together. This helps us form opinions about the books in order for us to do Opinion Writing, which is the current unit in our writing curriculum. We are learning to give reasons and evidence to support our opinions.
In March second graders went on a field trip to the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University. There we saw a show called, “Fly Guy and Other Stories.” In this show, presented by Theatreworks, the actors made some popular children’s stories like Fly Guy, Lilly’s Big Day, Diary of a Worm, and The Paper Bag Princess come to life. The children were a great audience, and really enjoyed the show. They even got to write reviews of the show back at school afterwards.
March 20th was the International Day of Happiness. We celebrated the day at Searingtown on the 19th. All second graders learned the Happy Dance. We danced in the hallway, as music piped through the loudspeakers. Each child also had the opportunity to write something they could do to share or spread happiness on a paper flower they cut out. It was wonderful to hear all the things our second graders can do to make other people happy.
third Grade
The month of March seemed to fly by! The 3rd grade students have been hard at work sharpening their math and reading skills. We spent many busy days working on division, area, and fractions. We have read and analyzed a variety of genres and feel very confident heading into the April tests. In addition, classes are learning about buoyancy and the properties of what makes a good “boat” in our attempts to make clay float!
We celebrated a day of happiness with individual acts to make others happy and enjoyed a school wide happy dance!
The PTA brought us the 2nd annual movie night and many enjoyed Big Hero 6 ~ what a great event! Another highlight of our month was when we were very lucky to go on a field trip organized by our art teacher, Mrs. Renna, to the Hillwood Art Museum. There we were taken on a journey through the evolution of the different styles and methods of how street art and graffiti were and still are generated. We were even given a chance to work on our own graffiti markings using our initials. It was a really fabulous experience!
A fun time was had by all, and we are looking forward to the remaining days of our year together as 3rd graders! Today and everyday, we embrace the challenges of learning, stop to admire the beauty of the world around us, and remain thankful for our amazing students and their families!
fourth Grade
Fourth graders have completed their personal/opinion essays and have shifted focus to literary essays. They are developing the skill of reading a text, stating a claim about the text and supporting that claim with text evidence. They are also honing their skills at writing concise, focused piece in essay format.
Our fourth grade mathematicians have been working with fractions. They've been learning how to draw models to show their thinking about fractions, and they have been performing operations and solving word problems involving fractions.
The fourth grade study of Native Americans culminated with a fascinating "in school trip" with the Journeys Into American Indian Territory program. Students had the opportunity to handle Native American artifacts, to play games from Native American cultures and to engage in hands on activities to support what they had learned in class. Students are now continuing their study of New York State history with a look at the European explorers who first navigated the waters bordering New York. They are also learning about what life was like for the people who settled in and colonized the area.
Over the past while, fourth graders have been studying about natural resources and their place and importance in our lives. Students are finishing up this unit of study and are looking forward to experimenting with electricity and magnetism.
Bravo fourth graders. Keep up the hard work.
fifth grade
In like a LION!!! That definitely describes the beginning of March. Students roared right back into curriculum following the February break. Between Math, Science, Reading, Writing and Social Studies there was no sleeping in the jungle for this fifth grade.
Fifth graders partnered up to discuss good habits in ELA. Students have taken a new approach to test prep by analyzing and interpreting questions. While students debate “What is a GOOD answer and what is the BEST answer?” they are engaging in thought provoking conversations that go beyond the test and into the real world.
Math found students finishing up fractions and moving into the DEEP end of volume, the length, the width, the height, Oh My! Bringing back multiplication skills to the forefront of the math curriculum has students practicing basic facts and regrouping.
In Science the lights have gone out. Students completed an in-depth unit on Light and the understanding of how light moves and bounces off of objects. As we look forward in science we see spring is near and will begin to look at plants and their responses to light and movement.
Historical Fiction has left an impact with our readers. Identifying issues of the time period and relating to characters had students pondering what it would be like to live in the past. Students then chose a character that left a mark and wrote them a heart felt letter explaining why they felt a connection.
Wagon’s West! The expanding United States had students researching important topics of our history: The Oregon Trail, The Louisiana Purchase, Daniel Boone, The War of 1812 and many More. Students took ownership of their topic and became the teaching experts. Bravo to the Fifth Grade Experts!
Fifth Grade would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Bierwirth and his daughter Mary for sharing their meteorite with us. This once in a lifetime experience gave students a chance to feel a piece of outer space. Students were engaged in and amazed at the size and weight of the meteor. Thank you again for sharing!
Although we know March will not leave like a lamb when it comes to our curriculum we look forward to the blue skies of April! May all your days be happy days (not only March 20th)!!!!
Art
March was a very special month for all of our art students in the district. All schools in the district participated in the Art Supervisors annual Art show with a reception on March 15, and the Chinese American Association of North Hempstead Art show with a reception on March 16. The following students had art in the respective shows. Congratulations to all of them.
Art Supervisors:
Ryan Yen 2nd Grade
Allie Brown, 3rd Grade
Allison Park 5th Grade
Chinese Association:
June Hyo Choi, 5th grade
Eleni Gavaris 1st Grade
Kaya Shah 1st Grade
Farhan Ishraq 1st Grade
Ava Farahmandpour 2nd Grade
Marco Fuertes 2nd Grade
Markella Vasaka 2nd Grade
Eunice Kim 2nd Grade
Kaylyn Cheriyan 2nd GradeThe Fifth Grades all completed going on their field trips to the Hillwood Museum at LIU CW Post. All groups participated in the creation of their “graffiti bombs”. It was a fun and exciting show. All of the fifth graders will be using the knowledge they gained about graffiti tags to create their own unique prints. These prints will be printed on their own handmade papers!!!
Fourth Grade have been making paper as well but they will be drawing and telling a small story about themselves through their drawings on their handmade papers.
Third Grade went on field trips to the Hillwood Museum also but they made their own distinct “tags” using the graffiti idea of a “piece”. This is a small master piece in graffiti parlance and it must include at least 3 colors and some form of writing whether the writing can be read or not.
Second grade has been working on painting and drawing spring images as well as learning how to create tints and shades of different colors in the rainbow.
First grade learned about how to paint birds and how to create different kinds of early spring flowers.
Kindergarten has been working on mixing colors as well using straight colors and a variety of mediums. So far they have worked with crayons, colored pencils and tissue paper for creating different kinds of greens and oranges.
Library
We wrapped up our Caldecott/Searingcott unit in second grade. After learning about how illustrations play an important part of understanding stories, students analyzed the illustrations in a number of books that had the theme of kindness and empathy for others. At the end of March students participated in an online vote to decide which book should receive our annual Searingcott Award! The winning books and the winning medal design will be announced in April.
Third graders have been working diligently on their United States research project, using two of our library databases - Culturegrams and PebbleNext! Each student chose a different state to research. Our USA research is almost finished and will culminate in a special presentation in April.
Fourth and fifth graders are immersed in various research projects and continue to make progress.
ESL
Kindergarten and first grade ESL students learned about different kinds of weather and how to dress for the weather. We have also been reviewing rhyming words and opposites.
Now that “Spring has sprung”, we will begin learning about spring. We are hoping that we will begin seeing some of the signs of spring.
In April and May, all ESL students will begin taking the NYSESLAT. If you would like more information about the NYSESLAT, you can visit the following website:
www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/nyseslat
Speech Tip for March
It may seem like an unusual suggestion to say that your child’s language can be developed while watching TV. Most experts agree that TV and “screen time” (iPad, video games, computer, etc.) for elementary aged students should be limited to 1-2 hours per day. While this is true for solo screen time, when a family watches a program together, it can transform a pleasant diversion into a valuable, interactive learning experience.
Television provides a great opportunity for your child to see unfamiliar people, places, and cultures. Point out unique features of what you are watching, or when the shows are about familiar situations; highlight the similarity between your lives and what is occurring on the screen.
Television can also influence your child’s sense of right and wrong. Programming featuring people relating to one another and solving problems can offer opportunities to view both successful and unsuccessful communication and conflict resolution. Through discussion of the choices the characters make, you can positively shape your child’s sense of values.
When your child is viewing television by themselves, you might want to take note of what they are watching so that later you can ask questions about what your child saw and heard. Encourage your child to remember details, retell the sequence of events, and discuss any problems the characters faced. Then ask your child to predict what might happen next or whether they though the characters made good choices. When appropriate ask your child for his/her opinion about an event or character. Discuss if you agree or disagree and why.
Also, be sure to talk about what is realistic versus what is pretend or fantasy. Ask, “Is there such a thing?” or “Would this really happen?” You can also talk about what is humorous and why it is funny. Humor provides a fun opportunity to develop your child’s higher-level language skills. (For example, puns require the ability to understand that words can possess multiple meanings.)
Using these activities, TV time can become an enjoyable learning experience for you and your child to share.
Searingtown School Happenings March 2015
Herricks UFSD