As we enter our last marking period of the school year, let's take a look back at the highlights of the third marking period!
INSIDE THIS EDITION
A message from Mr. Bartlett
The awesome happenings in:
- Kindergarten - Fifth Grade
- Science
- World Language (Mandarin)
- Physical Education
- Art
- Music
Don't forget to check out the:
- Counselor's Corner
- Nurse's Nook
Kindergarten
We can’t believe the Third Marking Period is over. Kindergarten is flying by. We have been learning so much! In ELA, we continue to work on sounds but we are exploring them through a variety of different activities and games. We are identifying our vowels and looking forward to diving deeper into long and short sounds in the upcoming weeks. We enjoy writing narrative and informative writings. We really enjoy sharing our stories with our classmates when we are done and having our work be displayed in the classroom or out in the hall for all to see. In Math, we have been concentrating on single digit addition and subtraction. As well as how to solve addition and subtraction story problems. The students are doing such a great job at both. We have been very busy in Social Studies the last couple of months. We celebrated our 100th Day of School! We had so many fun activities for our special day. The month of February was Black History Month and we learned about many famous African Americans. March was Women’s History Month and we learned about many famous women. We just wrapped it up with Earth Day. We are looking forward to all the awesome end of the year activities such as our field trip to the Bergen County Zoo in a few weeks!
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First Grade
ELA:
A phonics theme of this 3rd quarter was long vowels. Students learned about vowel teams and magic e. They noticed spelling patterns and started to read and write lots of long vowel words. Students learned how to make and confirm predictions while reading. They also focused on point of view, visualization, and cause and effect within literature. Fifth grade students visited First Grade classrooms to read stories as part of the Peer Leadership program. In April, students learned about different types of poems and became poets for Poetry Month.
Math:
The fabulous First Grade Mathematicians have been hard at work collecting, representing and analyzing data as they learn about different types of graphs. They studied fractions and learned the terms equal, numerator, and denominator. Students are beginning to review counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s to 120 as well as time to the hour and half hour. Students continue to perfect their math fluency by practicing addition and subtraction problems up to 20.
Social Studies:
This 3rd marking period, students were busy learning about Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, as well as some holidays and special events such as: The Olympics, St Patrick’s Day, and Kindness week. Hoboken Police Department’s School Resource Officers made special visits to our first grade classrooms to do lessons on kindness. Students had fun celebrating TWOsday and the 100th day of School!
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Second Grade
ELA:
Second Grade has worked on lots of folktales and comparing and contrasting different versions of folktales. We have also explored poetry and analyzing characters through digging deeper in our reading. This goes hand in hand with our narrative writing unit of realistic fiction. Students were able to use Authors as Mentors in order to determine their author’s voice to write their very own realistic fiction stories which taught lessons. Students have been working on poetry and diving into the different styles of writing and reading poetry. We will soon be moving into research for our teaching All About ___ books!
Math:
Second Grade has done a terrific job with our data collection unit. Students learned how to collect and analyze data, as well as how to take data and turn it into a multitude of graphs (bar graph, picture graph, tally chart, line plot). Students are now beginning Unit 5, where they are continuing to work on addition and subtraction with regrouping over 2 and 3 digit numbers, and reviewing place value with standard form, expanded form, and place value model.
Social Studies:
In Social Studies, 2nd graders have researched and learned about various individuals during both Black History Month and Women’s History Month. We focused on not only studying famous women and individuals of our choosing, but also women and black individuals who may not have been given the spotlight, yet still had a major impact as people in their field as well as in the world. Students are understanding their voice in the world and what they can do to help the world to be a better place through their choices and actions through studying these individuals during these very important months.  |  |  |
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Third Grade
ELA:
This quarter, students in Third Grade took a deep dive into their third grade Reading Wonders curriculum. Through a variety of books and articles, students explored several different themes including: What makes different animals unique? How can one person change the world? What do we know about Earth and its neighbors?
Students also conducted their very fourth novel study, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Katie DiCamillio. Students were given an opportunity to study the evolution of Edward Tulane. Along the way, students are shown a miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
Math:
This quarter, students in Third Grade focused on the meaning and structure of multiplication and division and the relationship between them: solving multiplication and division problems, multiplying by a multiple of 10, and learning the remaining multiplication facts to 10 × 10.
They were also immersed in understanding the meaning of fractions as numbers and as equal parts of a whole, reasoning about equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and using notation to model fractions and fraction relationships.
Students also focused on developing ideas about distributive property of multiplication and how to apply this method of multiplying within larger numbers. Students use number lines to compare fractions and find equivalent fractions.
Social Studies:
This quarter, students used the provided resources to research and learn about influential African Americans who helped shape our world. Students also explored the amazing Women of History. Third Grade students learned how those in history created change, helped navigate our society into a more perfect union, and how they continue to honor those legacies.
The concepts of this unit help promote civic responsibility and help to establish a life-long process of a citizen’s role in their world. Students completed the unit of study understanding the importance of their civic choices and how those choices affect the lives of those around them.
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Fourth Grade
ELA:
Over the course of Marking Period 3, our fourth grade readers immersed themselves in the world of Greek mythology as they charged full steam ahead with their novel, Who Let the Gods Out? by Maz Evans. Students encountered very unique characters–categorizing them as: mortals, constellations, Greek gods and goddesses, and more! Students cheered on the protagonist, Elliot, who attempted to save Home Farm, take care of his mother who is struggling with memory loss, and defeat the evil god, Thanatos, who wishes to take over the mortal world! Elliot has quite a bit on his plate, but with the help of other Greek gods and goddesses, like Zeus, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Athene to name a few … the students are hoping Elliot will succeed! Students worked on answering comprehension questions based on their reading, as well as exploring all kinds of vocabulary throughout this humorous, intense, and thrilling novel. Students discussed character arcs and how the protagonist of a novel goes through many changes from beginning, middle, and end.
At the end of Marking Period 3, students launched their newest novel, Jim and Me by Dan Gutman. This novel is a great mix of historical fiction and fantasy genres! The students are learning all about the world of baseball through the eyes of the main character, Stosh, who has the ability to travel back in time using baseball cards. He hopes to help right the wrongs of different baseball players or enjoy the experience of what baseball was like during different time periods. In this particular novel, Stosh is traveling back to 1913 to meet Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete who was deemed one of the world’s greatest, before getting his Olympic medals stripped due to a technicality. However, Stosh runs into all kinds of trouble when attempting to help Jim. Students are all in on practicing the inferencing skills as well as discussing how different points of view make a narrator reliable or insightful in various ways.
During the course of Marking Period 3, our fourth grade writers were able to work on some creative writing pieces. Students were working on compare and contrast writing as well as developing poems based on a Greek god or goddess of their choosing. In addition, students have worked on extension activities that had them researching Stonehenge, a critical location in the novel, and developing informational posters or brochures to share this research.
As the marking period progressed, students were busy working on all three writing styles: narrative, LAT, and RST. When it comes to answering comprehension questions based on their current novel, students have been working on finding relevant text evidence to support their ideas. Students also worked on narrative writing during their weekly Night Writes, where they must read a literary passage and continue the story while maintaining the characters already introduced in the passage. Lastly, students are working on RST essays after reading informational texts of their choosing that relate to the theme: sports make the world a better place. Again, students must find relevant text evidence from the various articles to prove their thesis.
At the beginning of Marking Period 3, our fourth grade mathematicians launched Unit 6 of Investigations, which focused on fractions and decimals–learning that they are so much more than just a “model.” Students have realized fractions can be groups of students in the class (boys vs girls, teachers vs students), measurements in the kitchen (½ of a cup vs ⅓ of a cup), and of course–sharing food (YUM)! Students have realized decimals can be applied to money. Students worked on shading in a decimal grid (tenths and hundredths) that correspond to a given decimal. These decimals are also transformed into fractions. Afterwards, these decimals and fractions are then compared to each other. Lastly, mathematicians learned what to do when fractions with unlike denominators are given and how to represent them in models, using a number line, as well as mathematical equations. This unit wrapped up just in time for students to complete LinkIt! Form C.
At the end of Marking Period 3, our fourth grade mathematicians launched Unit 7, a review of multiplication and division strategies that also connect to measurement conversions (metric and customary!) as well as estimation. So far students have worked on how to convert large units to smaller units using multiplication while converting smaller units to larger units requires division strategies. In addition, students are working on a new Ten-Minute Math activity: What Time Is It? This allows students to work on the concept of elapsed time. Students are drawing number lines and discussing how to “jump” various increments to determine end times or elapse time.
Throughout Marking Period 3, our fourth grade agents of change focused on influential women for Women’s History Month. Students learned about the contributions of each of these women as well as the obstacles she had to overcome to find success in her designated career path. Students completed choice board activities in order to further their exploration! In addition, our agents of change took time to highlight the importance of the month of April: Autism Acceptance Month! Students read articles about Autism Acceptance and Awareness as well as watching videos sharing facts and insight from people with Autism. Students had great class discussions about how they can make a difference in their communities and make everyone feel accepted for who they are!
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Fifth Grade
ELA:
During the third marking period, students eagerly participated in novel studies and writer’s workshop lessons in both fiction and nonfiction genres. To start the marking period, students completed their study of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, where they explored elements of fantasy related to universal themes, symbolism, and mood/tone. Students even had the opportunity to write their very own fantasy narratives!
After sharing their published narratives, students jumped into their next novel, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L Swanson. This fast-paced thriller follows the twelve day manhunt for John Wilkes Booth after his assassination of President Lincoln. Students worked hard to make connections between the significant historical events, ideas, and people and then got creative by scripting and filming a breaking news story related to their reading!
To end the marking period, students began their next novel study of the Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, where they will explore themes related to The Civil Rights Movement and family dynamics. Fifth graders are looking forward to getting to know the relatable characters who are the Watsons!
Math:
Fifth graders were hard at work this marking period, refining previously learned skills and taking on new challenges in mathematics. During the investigation of Unit 5, Analyzing Patterns and Rules, students focused on using coordinate graphs, ordered pairs, tables, and symbolic notation to model real world and mathematical situations. Scholars analyzed arithmetic patterns in the tables and the shapes of the graphs to describe and compare these situations. As the unit closed, our mathematicians were eager to demonstrate mastery of these concepts through their unit assessment.
In the next unit, 5th grade scholars continued working on Unit 6, Between 0 and 1. This unit focuses on deepening and extending students’ understanding of decimals up to thousandths and the base-10 number system. In the second investigation, students sharpened their skills when it came to adding and subtracting with decimal numbers. These lessons consisted of solving problems that use decimals in real world scenarios such as measuring precipitation, working with money and analyzing financial records. Scholars were encouraged to explore concepts in depth through independent student led studies and investigations.
Moving into our next math unit, Races, Arrays, and Grids, fifth grade mathematicians are eager to take on this challenge where they will use their knowledge of fractions to multiply and divide like and unlike fractions. Stay tuned for more math fun in fifth grade!
Social Studies:
Fifth grade students spent the third marking period studying the causes of the American Civil War, major events and key leaders during the Civil War, and the effects of the war on the country. The Civil War has a complex history, and it is important to explore the era from multiple perspectives. This unit included meaningful ways for students to learn about the Civil War and the historical context in which the conflict transpired.
Students engaged in a variety of materials in addition to our core textbook, Young Citizens. Through primary source documents such as interviews and journal entries, a nonfiction novel called Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, and historical documentaries, students gain a wide lens perspective of this tumultuous time in our nation’s history. Throughout the marking period, students also celebrated monthly themes and engaged in soocial justice topics including; racial discrimination, economic injustice, gender stereotyping, symbols, rights, story telling, and activism.
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Science
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World Language
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Physical Education
This quarter started off with our Black History Month series, honoring the athletes, Jesse Owens and Kobe Bryant. Through Jesse Owens, the students were introduced to the sport of Track & Field, learning and competing in the following events: stationary long jump, javelin, shot put and 4x1 lap relay. Through Kobe Bryant, the students were introduced to basketball, experiencing a preview of the March Madness unit.
Soon after, the students took some of their favorite stories to the next level during Read Across America Week, engaging in several different story-based activities such as The Lorax, using their energy and speed to give nutrients to our truffle trees; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, using their fine motor skills to fish and pin.
March Madness arrived to signal the beginning of our basketball unit, where all grades began to either grasp or fine-tune their ball handling, dribbling, passing, and shooting skills before engaging in modified games.
The quarter concluded with the anticipated hockey unit, where students were exposed to using an implement (hockey stick) to manipulate an object (hockey puck) in order to stick handle, pass, and shoot. After practicing the basic skills, grades K-2 engaged in scooter hockey while grades 3-5 engaged in small 3v3/4v4 hockey modified games.
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Art
Students began the third marking period by learning about and creating their own Marc Chagall inspired art piece. They learned about the artist and his life while creating a dream like watercolor painting. We then learned about Faith Ringgold and her quilt inspired images. The students read the books Tar Beach, We Came to America, and The Underground Railroad. We learned about her life and art, and also celebrated Black History Month by creating our own paper quilts inspired by the life and work of Faith Ringgold.
We then moved onto Earth Day! We participated in the Hudson County Poster Contest. Students learned about different ways they can help save the planet, reduce, reuse & recycle, how we could illustrate an overall theme to create our posters, and showed how we can save our planet. The students learned about artist Peter Max and also learned how different fonts & colors can create an eye catching poster. All the students did an amazing job with all of the projects and artists we have learned about!
Coming up, we will begin to learn about the artists Keith Haring & Jean-Michel Basquiat and their child-like street style that made them famous, and we will continue to emulate the artists styles!
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Music
This marking period in music we focused on reading and writing music! Learning these fundamentals allows us to approach new music in many different ways. Whether it is singing Solfege (Do-Re-Mi’s), learning how to identify the names of notes on the staff, or performing beginner to advanced rhythm patterns as an ensemble, students’ comfort with our ABCs of music has become very strong!
Currently, we are applying our knowledge of writing music into singing songs using Solfege and/or sheet music. We are hoping to incorporate our voices as well as any musical instruments on hand into our exploration of music!
Towards the end of the year, we will use our knowledge of the instrument families to explore different musical genres and periods of music history. Knowing what styles and instruments fit into which types of music may allow us to try our hand at writing music on Quaver! Brandt students are well on their way to becoming well rounded musicians!
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Counselor's Corner
We had a lot of fun activities going on this quarter! March Madness was back at Brandt this year once again. Each classroom was assigned two teams from the NCAA bracket. They followed their teams through the tournament, participated in a door decorating contest, and researched facts about the colleges. Shout out to our winner of the bracket, Ms. James’ 3rd grade class, who celebrated their victory with the Kansas Jayhawks!
Our 5th grade peer leaders have been busy the past few weeks, volunteering their time to our younger students. Starting with Week of the Young Child, our peer leaders visited all classes in grades Pre-K through 2nd grade to read stories to the students. 5th graders visited classrooms to provide academic and social emotional support to students in the younger grades. All of our students have been enjoying these visits and keep asking when the next one will be! Great job to my 5th grade peer leaders, we are so proud of you!
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Nurse's Nook
It is crazy to think that we are nearing the end of the school year! As we prepare, I have a few things for students and parents/guardians to start thinking about.
Medications: All medications must be picked up from the nurse’s office before the end of the last day of school. Any medication that is not picked up by this time will be discarded.
If your child requires medication for the school year 2022-2023, a new doctor’s order and parent authorization form is required. Below are links to the School Medication Form, Asthma Action Treatment Plan, and Food Allergy Action Plan. Any student requiring medication at school for asthma or food allergies must have a treatment plan in place. Please be sure to have your prescribing physician complete the necessary forms in their entirety with signature and office stamp. Additionally, please complete the parent section with all pertinent information and signature. Please provide all necessary paperwork and prescribed medication in a closed package on the first day of school in September 2022.
Reminder for Current 5th Graders Entering Hoboken Middle School Next Year: Below are the required immunizations for entrance into the middle school. These immunizations are required by both the state and the district. When your child has their yearly physical exam this year (or if they have already had their yearly physical exam), please confirm with their doctor that they have received all of these required immunizations. When receipt of these immunizations is confirmed, please send me an updated copy of their immunization record so that I can send it along to the Hoboken Middle School Nurse.
Required Immunizations for 6th grade:
Dtap- 3 doses
Polio- 3 doses
MMR- 2 doses
Varicella- 1 dose
Hepatitis B- 3 doses
Meningococcal- 1 dose for those born on or after 1/1/97
*vaccines are required for all entering 6th graders who are 11 years of age or older. If in 6th grade and under age 11, students must receive the vaccines within 2 weeks of their 11th birthday. Meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccines administered at age 10 or older will be accepted for NJ school attendance.
Tdap- 1 dose for those born on or after 1/1/97
*vaccines are required for all entering 6th graders who are 11 years of age or older. If in 6th grade and under age 11, students must receive the vaccines within 2 weeks of their 11th birthday. Meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccines administered at age 10 or older will be accepted for NJ school attendance.
Renee Banks
School Nurse- Brandt School
201-356-3757
