February was a month filled with celebrations from honoring Black History Month and continuing to celebrate kindness. Our students showcased their contributions to Black History Month at the Living Wax Museum and were active participants in our Laser Kindness assembly.

The second grade celebrated the 100th day on February 10th. The students rotated through various activities. We have been studying biographies throughout the month. Each student chose an African American to research. They created a visual representation and timeline of important events in their life. The students' work was displayed at the Wax Museum that was held on February 16th. The students did an amazing job! What a great night!

During the month of February, the third grade had a very busy month! We researched and learned about famous Black scientists and mathematicians. We put together our Living Wax Museum project to showcase for the Elmsford community. In addition, for Social Studies, as a grade we culminated our China unit by having a food tasting extravaganza to celebrate their culture. Finally, in math we wrapped up multiplication and division and will be starting fractions.

In Math, 4th grade has begun its unit on division. We have been exploring how multiplication and division are related through the study of basic facts. We have started exploring long division up to 3 digits by 1 digit, using the “Long Division Family” as a reminder for the steps.

In Science, 4th grade started its unit on waves and energy. Students are exploring the phenomena of waves and movement. They completed a wave experiment using a slinky and string, identifying the crest, trough, wave length, and amplitude.

In Humanities, 4th grade completed its unit on “Encounters.” Students were immersed in the study of The Harlem Renaissance, which began with an exploration of the struggles Black Americans encountered during The Great Migration and culminated with a celebration of the arts. Students studied different musicians, singers, dancers, artists, authors, and poets that became popular during The Harlem Renaissance for their new and unique styles, making it a true “cultural explosion” of the arts. Students were guided to make a connection to how these artists made an impact on our world.

“An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.”

-Langston Hughes

Thank you to all our participants in this year’s Living Wax Museum! It was truly an amazing, educational experience for all!

In Grade 5 ELA, we are working on Unit 3; Our Past, Our Future. We are reading the novel, Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson and seeking to answer the essential question; "How does learning about our past help us better understand our future?"

In Cultural Studies students researched historical African Americans they believed were heroes and heroines from the Revolutionary Period, Abolitionists, Civil War/Reconstruction/ WWI & WWII, Branches of Government and Law Makers. They also prepared their speeches and slides for their Living Wax Museum projects.

In Math, students are converting measurements and applying their understanding to multi-step word problems while discovering the importance of accurate measurements in the real world.

In Science, the students researched and presented biome projects and studied how the spheres of the Earth interact.

6th grade has been working on their wax museum projects for the month of February. February is Black History Month. In 6th grade we used this month as an opportunity to understand Black stories, uplift Black voices and spotlight those who have made a difference in our culture and history. Each homeroom was assigned a different topic to cover in history. In Mr. Donepp's homeroom the students have chosen a person who is among leaders in science, innovation, adventure, and exploration. In Mrs. DeMorris and Ms. Collica’s homeroom the students have chosen influential figures from politics that have made an impact on our society. In Miss Ferreras' homeroom the students have chosen a famous protest against any social injustice that the Black community has faced. These ranged from protests in history to present day. Mr. Fernandez’s homeroom students have chosen athletes that have broken barriers and made an impact on not only their sport but our society.

In Art, ALL students contributed to a collaborative installation!

Each student in 2nd through 6th grade drew a portrait of the person they were researching for Black History Month. The portraits were hung together in the hallway, creating an amazing and very impressive work of Art!!!

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.

Math is all around us.

We would like to welcome Mrs. Iorio, our new reading and math specialist, to Grady School! She will be working with students in grades 2 through 6 during the WIN Period. She is a wonderful addition to our school! We look forward to working with her!!!

Second Grade:

The second graders are working on vowel teams and making amazing progress. We are working on reading books with vowel team words. The children are continuing to memorize lots of sight words.

In math the students are working with money. The final activity was purchasing prizes from Mr. G. 's store using our knowledge of money.

Third Grade:

We recently completed the book Easy Money. The book is about a boy who has his first babysitting job. It is so funny! The children couldn’t put it down! Please ask your child about the book. The students continue to work on their reading comprehension by writing more detailed pieces about what they read.

The (take away) in math was that the third graders refreshed their skills in subtraction with regrouping. :)

Fourth Grade:

The fourth graders continue to work on phonics and comprehension skills using the Leveled Literacy Intervention Program and the Orton Gillingham Methodology. The A.I.S. also assisted our fourth grade students with their Wax Museum projects. They worked on writing, formatting, designing, and rehearsing their presentations. They worked so hard!!

In math the students worked on area, perimeter, and multiplication fluency.

Fifth Grade:

The fifth graders continue to work on their phonics, comprehension, and writing skills using the Leveled Literacy Intervention Program and the Orton Gillingham Methodology.

In math the students worked on multiplication fluency that started them on their path to division.

Sixth Grade:

The sixth graders continue to work on phonics, comprehension, and writing skills using the Leveled Literacy Intervention Program and the Orton Gillingham Methodology. We also assisted our sixth grade students with their Wax Museum projects. They worked on writing, formatting, designing, and rehearsing their presentations.

In math the students worked on multiplication fluency and did a spiral review on the concepts learned this year.

According to kidcourse.org, “Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in a design or artwork. Proportion refers to the size of the parts of an object in relationship to other parts of the same object.” Both are important not only in design but in math and geoscience as well. This month STREAM students designed items for the Three Bears using straws and connectors. After listening to different versions of the classic Goldilocks story, we used the proportions necessary to build chairs, beds and more scaled to each character’s relative size.

We also checked out books and learned fun STEM facts. A few of the questions we explored in February are:

• How do you fix a broken heart?
• Where does chocolate come from?

Black History Month is a great opportunity in music to showcase some of the many African Americans who developed new styles of music! Each grade focused on specific musicians. Students also sang songs representing musical styles that African Americans created throughout our history. Our students also gained an understanding of a "musical style timeline" and how one style followed another. Upper grades also learned some keyboard skills (finger independence) with blues music using their Chromebooks. Younger grades worked on musical form while creating rhythm or body percussion patterns.

The students are getting great workouts in the Grady gymnasium! Over the last few weeks they participated in "The Doctor", "Pin Ball", and a wonderful Fitness Friday event. Each event works on motor skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Please make sure you have your children wear sneakers and comfortable clothing on P.E. days. Enjoy the February break with your family. Our next Fitness Friday event will be April 28.

February is National School Counseling Week. National School Counseling week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for their future. During the week, school Counselors can advocate for the school counseling profession, share information about the role of a school counselor, and work on a school-wide activity with students and staff.

This year's theme is “School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big." At Grady, all students met with Ms. Medina, school counselor, to learn about how they can dream big. Each student wrote their future goals and career interests on the dream board display as seen below. Students also got involved by reading morning announcements each day with fun facts about school counselors, and how students can find support.