North Tiger Beat
January & February
Dear North Families
So much has already been happening here at North in 2022!! Our theme this year is a "Rainbow of Possibilities" which is a perfect way to reflect and think about this year. In the first 30 school days of the new year, there has been so much happening and we have already accomplished so much. We are also very excited to share what we have planned for the rest of the year.
Already this year, we have overcome a blizzard with a late start, an unexpected prolonged storm with a snow day, celebrated Two's Days (2-2-22), celebrated 100 days of school, had PD and presentations on bullying prevention, became a Feinstein School, celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and began celebrating Black History Month.
We completed our middle of year (MOY) assessments, had grade-level data meetings, and have begun our next round of intervention. During RTI (Response to Intervention), also known as WIN (What I Need Time) students will be receiving small group instruction on areas they need to work on. Based on the middle of year assessments, interventionists will be working with each grade at different times throughout the day. Any student who is receiving tier 2 or tier 3 instruction during RTI/WIN times, received a letter from the intervention department.
Our student's hard work and resilience inspire us every day. We continue to reflect on Growth Mindset, and weekly character traits that we know will help our students gain resilience, perseverance, grit, and empathy. With this pandemic hopefully coming to end in 2022, we have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to.
We have some exciting presentations and activities coming up over the next couple of months. Thanks to our PTO and the Feinstein Foundation, we have Bwana Iguana Reptile Adventure Show, Tai Chi with Terrance Cannon, and The Kindness Adventure Ned show. All of these presentations align with values of inclusivity, kindness, self-awareness, and empathy.
As you reflect during this new year, please be grateful for the accomplishments you have in your children. North Elementary is full of genuinely wonderful children, which can only be a reflection of the job you do every day as parents. The partnership we have with you is appreciated and so important to our student's success. We can all be proud of what we do together! We look forward to continuing to work with you during your child’s education here at North Elementary. It is the year of the TIGER!!!!
Enjoy your winter break with your children next week!
COVID and MASK UPDATES
Starting after February vacation, masks will not be mandated except for on the bus, health office, and on days 6-10 of a COVID diagnosis. We continue to encourage students and staff to wear masks to prevent exposure but this will be optional. Please continue to keep students home who have symptoms and please follow up with our nurse. Families who have not already opted into the symptomatic testing program (test and stay program until now) may do so by clicking here.
I have again attached the letter sent out to all families from Mr. Schoonover with information on receiving weekly At-Home Rapid Tests. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W7pqu2-i-Ikcum8QfGQSLzz0VkUwB9Ym/view?usp=sharing
If your child tests positive, please complete the brief form: Click this link: Positive At-Home Test Notification Form ALL RESULTS ARE CONFIDENTIAL
Here is the link to sign up to receive tests: https://forms.gle/zEKcA3JuDdZCzspH6
https://secure.onecallnow.com/Attachments/199999_34123ec4-444b-45a7-9827-e3bf1eefcbf1.pdf
Mr. Schoonover has asked us to be on the lookout for harassing/teasing/bullying that may occur targeting either students who choose to not wear masks or those who decide to wear masks. As we continue to focus on being inclusive and respectful of others, this is an opportunity to model and talk to our students about being kind to others and the importance of respecting each other and our differences. Please help to educate our students to be mindful of unknown health conditions or family concerns of others and that it is ok if others are wearing or not wearing masks. Please continue to speak to your child about proper hygiene and how to minimize the transmission of germs (washing hands, coughing into their elbow, how to blow their nose and dispose of tissues, and using hand sanitizer). We will continue to have those conversations here as well. Our partnership is important to help our students grow, learn, and be resilient.
https://secure.onecallnow.com/Attachments/199999_95ce5cdf-6e11-4e56-8080-603676d39500.pdf
https://secure.onecallnow.com/Attachments/199999_34123ec4-444b-45a7-9827-e3bf1eefcbf1.pdf
Read Across America
The week we return from vacation, we will be celebrating Read Across America (Feb 28th-March 4th). This year’s focus of Read Across America is on inclusivity and diversity. Through literature and stories, we model how through reading we can explore, learn, and grow. During Morning Meeting or Quiet Time, teachers will be reading a story that will focus on our daily theme. Our hope is that through literature we can inspire students to desire reading by realizing that there is so much they/we can learn from books. We can also expose students to stories about others around the world, how others have overcome challenges, and how we all have differences and similarities.
Monday, February 28th: Read a story about Immigration and/or Immigrants. Dress like a character in one of your favorite books or wear traditional dress from your own culture or heritage.
Tuesday, March 1st: American Hero Story. Wear red, white and blue.
Wednesday, March 2nd: Silly/Wacky Day. Wear your crazy or mix-matched socks, crazy hair, or accessories. Green Eggs and Ham is a lunch option today.
Thursday, March 3rd: Book about Kindness or Inclusivity. Wear Rainbow colors- A possibility of Rainbows Theme.
Friday, March 4th: Read a Book you love. Dress in what makes you happy. (school appropriate).
We invite you to continue the celebration at home by reading together and talking about books! Happy Reading!
Library Time with Mrs. DeVillers
WE ARE A FEINSTEIN SCHOOL!!!!
North Elementary School is now a Feinstein Leadership School! North Elementary has always encouraged our students to be kind and to think of others. Being a Feinstein school will now further define some of our activities as having a focus on the value of kindness and caring about others.
Here is some information about the Feinstein Foundation:
Mr. Alan Feinstein was born in Dorchester, Mass in 1931. He graduated from Boston University where he studied economics and journalism and later received his Master’s degree in Education from Boston Teachers' College. For several years thereafter he taught elementary and junior high school in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as briefly teaching in Bangkok, Thailand, his wife’s homeland. Mr. Feinstein founded the Feinstein Foundation in 1991 to encourage youngsters to help others in need. As of 2019, over 250,000 children have been in his school program and are recognized as Feinstein Junior Scholars for promising to do good deeds for others. Alan Shawn Feinstein has dedicated millions of dollars to Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts’ schools to implement programs that encourage youngsters to reach out and help those in need.
Each student and staff member will be receiving a Feinstein T-Shirt . Students and staff will be asked to wear them on a special Feinstein Jr. Scholar Day to highlight the focus of spreading kindness and doing good deeds for others. By being a Feinstein School we will have access to grants and scholarships for our school. We have already received $1500.00.
The first opportunity to receive a grant is through the Golden Ticket program. Each student received a Keepsake Journal with a Golden Ticket attached. We cut out their ticket and placed it in their classroom’s Feinstein envelope here in our main office. This will be for safekeeping in case their Golden Ticket is picked. The Golden Ticket drawings are featured every Monday on WPRI Channel 12 during their 4:30pm news programming and shared the following day on our Facebook and Virtual Club pages! For full program details go to https://feinsteinfoundation.org. If a student’s golden ticket is chosen our school will receive a $5000 grant. In addition, the winning student will get to choose a non-profit (could be our school) that the Feinstein Organization will donate $500 to. The winning student will also receive a special prize along with some serious bragging rights!!
Besides having their Golden Ticket, each students’ keepsake journal included a Feinstein Jr. Scholar Card that they can use at many well-known locations for free admission. Don’t forget to cut this out of the journal and keep it in a safe place. Some of these prominent attractions and locations include Mystic Aquarium and Providence Children's Museum. As a Feinstein Scholar, who values kindness and thinking of others, your child will have benefits with the Feinstein Jr. Scholar card. You can check their website for more information. https://feinsteinfoundation.org/ *Ticket information and time-slot reservations for Mystic Aquarium can be found here.
Another opportunity to earn a grant has been through our Kindness Tree. Students are recognized by other students for random acts of kindness. When this happens, the child's name is put on our tree. This month we have hearts, and next month we have shamrocks, April will be raindrops, and May will be flowers. The Feinstein Foundation is giving us a $2,000 grant for our tree.
Bwana Iguana Reptile Adventure
The Kindness Adventure is coming to North
Tai Chi with Terry Cannon
Here is more info:
Black History Month
Here they are.....
2/1 Martin Luther King Jr.
No single African American in history is perhaps as famous as Martin Luther King Jr., otherwise known as MLK. There is a federal holiday on the third Monday each January celebrated in his honor, and whole sections of textbooks are devoted to his civil rights activism in the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Luther King made his mark by preaching nonviolent means of protesting the segregation of whites and blacks in the United States. His famous speech “I have a dream” ranks among the most famous in history and continues to inspire us today.
2/2 Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is best known for refusing to move to the back of a bus after the driver demanded she give her seat to a white passenger. While not the first person to refuse to obey the segregation laws in the United States, Rosa Parks was labeled as the “Mother of the Freedom Movement” following her bold disobedience and subsequent arrest. Like MLK, Rosa Parks was from Montgomery, and she and King together made great strides in fighting for basic human rights for African Americans across the country.
2/03 Barbara Johns: Teen Civil Rights Crusader was a pioneering leader in the American civil rights movement. In 1951, at the age of 16, Powell led a student strike for equal education at her high school. With some help, she filed a case that was consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education, which is the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring "separate but equal" public schools unconstitutional.
2/04 Muhammad Ali
Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Muhammad Ali made his name in the sport of boxing, where he was one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. Ali’s best years were in the early 1960s, during which time he changed his name from “Cassius Clay,” which he associated with slavery, and adopted a new name Mohammad which means “praiseworthy” from the Islamic tradition, the Nation of Islam.
2/7 Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass lived during the Civil War in the 1800”s, which was fought over slavery. Douglass, an abolitionist who is somebody who was against slavery, and former slave himself, is best known for his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. In this book, Frederick Douglass outlines his life as a slave and his escape, which was instrumental to the abolitionist movement and the ultimate goal of ending slavery.
2/8 Jane Bolin
A pioneer in law, Jane Bolin was the first Black woman to attend Yale Law School in 1931. In 1939, she became the first Black female judge in the United States, where she served for 10 years. One of Jane Bolin’s significant contributions throughout her career was working with private employers to hire people based on their skills, as opposed to discriminating against them because of their race. Jane Bolin also served on many boards that helped others like the NAACP, Child Welfare League of America, and the Neighborhood Children’s Center.
2/9 W.E.B Du Bois
W.E.B Du Bois made his name as an author, scholar, and civil rights activist in the generation before Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Du Bois was one of the founders of the NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was and still is one of the premier organizations for African American rights and activism.
2/10 Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was, like Muhammad Ali in the 1960s, one of the most influential sports figures of his day. In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play for a Major League Baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was the catalyst that broke baseball’s color barrier –– the idea that African American players couldn’t play in the top professional leagues, but only in the “inferior” Negro leagues. Jackie Robinson career spanned a decade or 10 years. His place in baseball history was solidified when his jersey number, 42, was “retired” by all MLB teams (meaning no player may ever use that number again) in 1997.
2/11 Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery in 1822, Harriet Tubman was famous for her abolitionist and humanitarian efforts to help escaped slaves after escaping slavery herself in 1849. An abolitionist is someone who wants to eliminate slavery. Harriet Tubman served an important part of the “Underground Railroad,” a secret path through slave-holding states for runaway slaves to escape to the north. She helped hundreds of slaves find their freedom in the states north of the Mason-Dixon Line (the border between the Northern, non-slaveholding states and the Southern, or slaveholding states).
2/14 Claudette Colvin: True Teen Warrior for Desegregation
Before Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, there was a brave 15-year-old who chose not to sit at the back of the bus. That young girl was Colvin. Touting her constitutional rights to remain seated near the middle of the vehicle, Colvin challenged the driver and was subsequently arrested. She was the first woman to be detained for her resistance. However, her story isn't nearly as well-known as Rosa Parks'.
2/15 Sojourner Truth
Like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but later escaped and became a prominent abolitionist and activist for women’s rights. And, like many abolitionists, religion was a focal point of Sojourner Truth’s efforts. During the Civil War, she played a major role in recruiting African American soldiers to fight for the Union (northern states), which was pitted against the Confederacy (southern states).
2/16 Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison wasn’t just the first African American woman who orbited into space aboard the shuttle Endeavour. She's also a physician, teacher, an engineer, a Peace Corps volunteer, and president of tech company, the Jemison Group. At the age of 65, Mae Jemison continues to work towards the advancement of young women of color getting more involved in technology, engineering, and math careers.
2/17 Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is one of the best-known African American authors, famed for her autobiographies. Her most influential autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, tells a coming-of-age tale that shows racism as it affected a young girl, and how it transformed her into the proud author she would later become. Maya Angelou worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders to put a permanent end to segregation.
2/18 Ruby Bridges
Bridges probably had no idea that the bold act she committed in 1960 would set off a chain reaction leading to the integration of schools in the South. She was just six years old when she became the first African American student to attend William Frantz Elementary in Louisiana at the height of desegregation. She is now the chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which was formed in 1999 to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences."
2/28 Katherine Johnson: Space Hero
Calling Katherine Johnson a math whiz is an understatement. Known as one of NASA’s “human computers,” she helped calculate the flight path that took Apollo 11 to the moon.
Dorothy Height:
One of the Big Six
A great orator from a young age, Dorothy Height, “the godmother” of the civil rights movement, spent her life addressing the rights of women and African Americans. She is one of the most respected and influential leaders of the civil rights movement and was the only woman at its highest level. In 1946 she directed the integration of all the YWCA; In 1957 she became the president of the National Council of Negro Women; In 1965 she established the Center for Racial Justice; In 1994 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2004 the Congressional Gold Medal.
Bessie Coleman:
The Woman Who Reached for the Sky
Bessie Coleman grew up in the early 1900s and dreamed of becoming a pilot. But as a Black and Native American woman, she faced racism and unfair treatment. Coleman was determined though, and in 1921 she became the world’s first Black and Native American woman to earn her pilot’s license. She became a barnstormer that amazed crowds with her daring aerial stunts. But she wasn’t just a brave pilot. She also refused to fly in air shows with segregated entrances. Her story continues to inspire people to follow their dreams and reach for the sky.
Matthew Henson:
Co-Discoverer of the North Pole
By age 18, Matthew Henson had already traveled the world and become a skilled sailor. But like most Black people in the 19th century, Henson faced discrimination and had trouble finding work. After finally landing a job as cabin boy on a trip to Central America, he joined explorer Robert Peary on an expedition to the North Pole. After several unsuccessful attempts, Peary, Henson and a team of four Inuit men became the first people to reach the North Pole. While Peary got most of the credit and glory for the discovery, Henson has slowly gained the reputation he deserves and is now credited as co-discoverer of the North Pole.
Bayard Rustin:
Mr. March on Washington
Bayard Rustin, a chief tactician of the civil rights movement, was committed to nonviolence from a very young age. Throughout his life he fought for many causes, such as racial equality, workers’ rights, and gay rights. He was a skilled organizer and strategist who worked with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to organize the Montgomery bus boycott. In 1963, he helped A. Philip Randolph organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as the chief organizer.
Charles Richard Drew:
Banked Blood and Saved Lives
In the early years of WWII, Charles Richard Drew transformed emergency medicine by finding a method in which to process and store large quantities of blood plasma in “blood banks.” Charles Richard Drew organized and directed the blood-plasma programs of the United States and Great Britain. He became the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank in 1941 but resigned his official posts in 1942 after the armed forces decreed that the blood of African Americans would be accepted but had to be stored separately from that of Whites.
Inspiring Quotes From Dr. Martin Luther King
5 Things Dr. Martin King Wrote That Everyone Should Know
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S MESSAGE FOR US TODAY
Character Trait Winners for the month of January
During the months of January and February, we will be working on the following Character Traits
Jan 3 Staying on task
Jan 10 Being an effective problem solver
Jan 17 Expressing empathy/understanding others
Jan 24 Being flexible
Jan 31 Being a good friend
Feb 7 Showing respect
Feb 14 Working as a team
Feb 28 Joining in a conversation
Students who receive awards in their classrooms for demonstrating the character trait of the week are entered into a monthly raffle. Students who won the raffle for the month of January were:
Callen O'Connell
Arianna DeSousa
Mrs. Marshall's Fifth Grade Class has entered MARC Door Decoration Contest
They have been asked to create something that answers the question, In times where we can't be physically present with each other, how can we show support to our friends and classmates that may be having a hard time?
After spending some time as a group and brainstorming ideas they came up with this idea. Being inclusive, they created a concept that included all 3 elementary schools. Check out the details!!!!
Here are some examples of leaders and positive role models!! Congraduationals Mrs. Marshall's class!!
If they win, pictures of their door/wall will be displayed on the Bridgewater State University's campus during April Vacation Week. Winners will also be honored at our Annual MARC Awards Ceremony.
Parent permission slips went home 2/18.
Preventing Bullying: The Partnership
As educators, working directly with 475+ students for at least 7 hours a day, along with our continued education and training, we have learned that bullying is not only addressed when we learn of an incident. We know that most of our time needs to be spent on preventing and creating a climate where bullying is not acceptable. We have learned that climate, culture, values, expectations, and partnerships are extremely important in prevention. What we are actually focused on doing is more difficult than labeling a student a bully or victim/target. It takes a lot of work and commitment and more importantly a partnership between educators, students, and parents.
Preventing bullying begins by creating an environment where social-emotional learning happens every day. Especially at the elementary level, we know that every moment of the day needs to be a teaching moment whether it be academic or social-emotional.
North has always put Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at the forefront of what we do. Helping students develop social-emotional skills is the foundation of preventing bullying. When students and adults are socially and emotionally healthy, they can manage the daily interactions, conflicts, and problems they are faced with. It's about teaching children social-emotional competencies and empowering them to generalize and apply these strategies, responses, and skills of the competencies when no one is watching.
Social-emotional skills are based on the 5 competencies that are at the foundation of socially emotional healthy people. As you will see there is a lot of work to do! We have also included them in our Vision of the Graduate and in our Tiger Pride statements. We work to embed these lessons throughout the day with actual lessons, conversations about the traits included in these competencies, through modeling, and using daily incidents as a teaching moment that connects back to the competencies. The competencies are:
Self Awareness: Awareness of your own emotions, how you feel, your behaviors, and how your words and actions impact others.
Self Management: How students manage when they are angry, sad, frustrated, anxious, happy, etc. in different situations. Do they have the skills to cope? This includes the capacity to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivated to accomplish personal goals.
Social Awareness: The ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacity to feel compassion for others. As students and adults get older and grow this expands to understanding broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognizing family, school, and community resources and supports.
Relationship Skills: This is the ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.
Responsible Decision-Making: This is the ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacity to consider ethical standards and safety concerns and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions.
If we focus on teaching these social-emotional competencies, we can prevent the number of incidents of bullying we have. We can also help students become more aware of their impact on others and how to navigate situations when they are feeling uncomfortable, or if someone is being unkind or mean to them. As part of our ongoing approach to climate, culture, and bullying prevention, this is how we can continue to work together to prevent bullying.
Educator and Parent Partnership
Educators (School-Wide):
-Create a community (Morning Meeting) in your classroom/school that allows for students to get to know and learn about each other
-Celebrate diversity and differences and help students realize we all have unique and something special to contribute to our school community. This will help students feel included and part of a community that is supportive and safe.
-Be knowledgeable and observant of interactions of students in classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, etc.
-Teach Character Traits that align with the Vision of the Graduate and Tiger Pride (Perseverance, Respect, Independence, Diversity/Inclusion, and Empathy)
-Make connections to character traits and use examples of gateway behaviors when we see a learning opportunity to bring social awareness and provide teaching moments.
-Set Positive Expectations (PBIS Behavior Expectations) in all areas of the building (classroom, hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, bus, recess) that are posted and referred to often
-Address gateway behaviors (teasing, name-calling, unkind behavior) as soon as they happen
-Utilize whole classroom strategies such as calming/Zen spaces, sensory tools, Zones of Regulation (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow) to help students learn coping strategies
-Utilize school resources (SAC, Admin) If something becomes repetitive or ongoing and you need help with additional interventions
-Communicate with parents of any concerns you may have with a student who is having challenges or is being unkind to others
-Report and complete a bullying form (forward to SAC and Administration) if we are aware of bullying or if it is reported
Parents:
-Have an open dialogue with your child about their day and about the interactions with friends in and outside of school
-Communicate with the teacher, and if the needed administration about any concerns your child is having
-Talk and practice with your child different scenarios and how to respond and help them learn and use coping strategies
-Identify an adult your child can talk to at school or at home if they are worried about bullying
-Set boundaries with technology and educate yourself and your child about problems that can come from technology (social media and gaming platforms)
-Address gateway behaviors (teasing, name-calling, making fun of others, etc.) if you see them when your child is playing with others outside of school. Help educate your child on how these behaviors can lead to and be considered bullying.
-Help provide additional perspective and help your child navigate through social situations/conflicts they share with you
--Make your home "Bully Free"- monitor and model what you want your child exposed to. Our children learn more from what they see the adults doing around them.
How parents, teachers and kids can take action to prevent bullying
Dr. Elizabeth Englander from MARC Center Parent Virtual Presentation from February 3rd
Dates to Look Forward To
February 21-25- Vacation
March 8th-Ned's Kindness Adventure Presentation
March 10th- Early Release Day
March 16th- Early Release Day
March 18th- Report Card Portal Opens For Parents
MCAS Dates
ELA
Grade 3 March 29th & April 5th
Grade 4 March 30th & April 6th
Grade 5 March 31st & April 7th
Math
Grade 3 May 3rd & May 10th
Grade 4 May 4th & May 11th
Grade 5 May 5th & May 12th
STE- Grade 5
May 17th & May 18th
Kindergarten Registration is Open
Welcome to the beginning of an exciting time for you and your child.
In order to start school in the fall, please register your student online. This information will help us prepare for your child and provide accurate numbers for our kindergarten enrollment. Once we receive your registration your child will be put on a list for a screening. You will receive additional information about when and how these screenings will take place. The screening is required by Massachusetts State Law for any child entering Kindergarten and is used to help identify specific needs that may affect a child’s educational progress. Information about registration and residency can be found on Somerset Public Schools website under the “Families” heading and select “Registration”. You can then access the link shown below.
The link is: https://somersetschools-registration.hosted.src-solutions.com/login.
Once you’ve completed the registration process online you can contact the office to review and finalize your registration. Your registration must be approved before your child can be considered registered. Registration Deadline is Monday, April 25, 2022. Screening appointments will only be scheduled once the registration has been completed and approved by the school. If, for any reason, your child WILL NOT be attending Somerset Public Schools, please notify the school office at (508) 324-3170.
The registration process must be completed online and is as follows:
Complete online registration (including uploading of required documents shown below)
Birth Certificate
All residency documents (see attached)
Current Physical and Immunizations
Set up an appointment with the office for registration approval and screening appointment
Incoming Students who live in the Buffer Zone, will be screened in their Buffer Zone school. However, due to registration numbers, your child may not know what school they are attending until July 1st.
Dress Warm
As the weather continues to get colder……….
Please make sure students are appropriately dressed for the cold weather. Students will be going out as long as it is at least 22 degrees (including wind chill). If there is snow on the ground, students will be able to play in the snow as long as they have snow boots and appropriate gear.
Research Evidence for Independent Reading and Reading Achievement
Research says that PRACTICE will help improve your child’s reading achievement. Having children read different sources will help them apply the strategies they are learning. Please continue to read with your child, or make sure they are reading every night. Engage their interest and help them realize all the things they can learn from reading.
Communication
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, Mrs. Woodcock or myself whenever you have questions. Your child’s teacher, however, should be your first contact to address any specific questions or concerns you may have as they may have the information you need. If they are not able to answer your question, feel free to contact me. Our goal is to ensure good communication between school and home. I will continue to be sending out my monthly newsletter via email every month. We also frequently use email to communicate any information you may need. You can contact any of the staff here at North Elementary by using their first name and their last name separated by a dot followed by @somersetschools.org. For example, my email is paula.manchester@somersetschools.org
Don’t forget to sign up for updates from me via Remind at: https://www.remind.com/join/c26gfh
Grade Level Happenings
Prek
Preschool classes have been learning about buildings during January. This fun study presents us with lots of opportunities to build, explore, and create. We have also had fun sharing pictures of our favorite buildings and our own homes too. We have read some great books, done STEM activities, and created artwork around this topic. We have also continued learning our Lively Letter sounds in preparation to become future readers and have been working on our social skills and learning how to be good to our friends, too. We are looking forward to celebrating both the 100th day of school and Valentine's Day in February!
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is looking forward to starting their next Science kit on Pushes and Pulls. Students will engineer different structures using Kinex, demonstrate how their structure works, and explain the process to their classmates. In Reading and Writing the Kindergarteners will begin to explore Non-Fiction reads and produce Informational Writing to share with one another. Our Math focus is combinations of 10 along with reviewing 2 and 3 Dimensional objects. In Social Studies we will continue to focus on respecting differences in others.
100 Days Smarter
TWOS DAYS 2-2-22
Mrs. Kilroy and Mrs. Hedly shared the same birthday this month. There has been a lot to celebrate in grade 1 this month!!
First Grade
The New Year is upon us! First grade will be busy learning many new skills in 2022. In reading, we will begin umbrella 7 exploring fiction and nonfiction. This text set includes texts of both genres that feature the same theme, characters, and topics, to help children identify and understand some of the differences between the two genres. Informational writing will be our focus for this trimester. In the children’s writing, they will learn to introduce a topic, teach about it including information that is organized with transition words and an ending. Our mathematicians will be working with addition and subtraction relationships. They will problem solve, identify related facts, use addition to check subtraction and unknown numbers. First-grade scientists will learn about animals in winter then we will move into Light and Sound, identifying patterns between vibrations. We will discover that light is needed for objects to be visible. We will compare natural and artificial light. Then we will make connections between the vibrations of matter and sound waves. Finally, we will classify transparent, translucent, or opaque based on how light passes through. The entire first grade would like to wish everyone a HEALTHY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Grade 1 decorating the main office
Grade 2
Second Grade
Happy New Year to our second grade families! We hope that everyone enjoyed spending time with family over the holiday break. Second graders did a great job transitioning back from the holiday break! We have discussed resolutions (goals) as we get ready to start a brand new year of learning!!
The NEW month brings NEW expectations for our students as we get ready to work on NEW skills in Trimester 2. In Reading, we have been working hard to gain a better understanding of the structure of a story and have looked deeper into how characters respond to events and situations they encounter. Using key details from the story, our students have been retelling and explaining the plot and how it develops. Trimester 2 brings students into exploring a new reading genre - Nonfiction!! This genre will work well with our Writing Focus - Informational Writing.
Our young writers have been learning what is involved in writing an Opinion. We’ve enjoyed seeing them state an opinion, provide reasons, and wrap up their writing with a conclusion. This month we will begin to explore informational writing! They will choose a topic, develop it by conducting research and using what they already know, and learn how to organize their writing. We can’t wait to see what topics they choose!!
In Math, we will use our knowledge of strategies for adding and subtracting and work with multi-digit numbers (2 and 3 digit). We have learned how place value helps us compare numbers and we will learn how important it is for adding multi-digit numbers. Please continue to have your child use the Reflex program to assist them in mastering their addition/subtraction math facts.
As we move into the new year, please continue to encourage your child to use a growth mindset, do their best, and show great effort. At North, we always reinforce the importance of being... Responsible, Respectful, and Safe! Thanks for your continued support!
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
North’s fourth graders continue to work hard in 2022! In Reading this month, students will be taking a closer look at various illustrators and analyzing their techniques. As mathematicians, students will begin division. We encourage students to practice basic division facts so that the process of learning the area model of division will be easier for them. In Social Studies, students will be studying the geography and history of the Northeast and Southeast regions. As writers, the students will be learning the strategies and organization of informational writing. In science, students will begin a unit of study on energy. As social emotional learners, students will continue working on kindness towards others. Lots of hard work ahead for the month of January!
Fifth Grade
The 5th grade students have been very busy this winter! Math classes have been wrapping up division of decimals and are now focused on operations with fractions starting with addition and subtraction. Students are using multiple skills when learning to add and subtract fractions such as simplifying, generating common denominators and equivalent fractions, and renaming fractions from mixed to improper.
Science classes have begun a new unit on mixtures and solutions. The students have been engaging in the phenomena of matter and its interactions in our everyday life! They are learning how to separate mixtures and solutions, identify the different properties of matter, and investigate chemical reactions.
In reading, we have shifted our focus from fictional text and narrative stories to nonfiction text and informational writing. Students are reading and responding to a variety of different texts in this genre. They are learning about nonfiction text structure and practicing skills like summarizing, identifying main ideas and details, and making text connections. Students are also learning new strategies to apply to their own informational writing.
Finally, social studies classes have begun to learn about the French and Indian War and the causes of the American Revolution.
PTO UPDATE
UPCOMING
Kristy Kreme Fundraiser: Information to follow
Our PTO meetings are held on third Tuesday of every month at 6 pm. Parents, teachers, guardians, and grandparents are welcome to attend.
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