Cheetah Pride Press
News From Memorial School March 6, 2020
We Are Going Places As Growing Super Readers!
Read Across America Celebrations
Team Memorial looks forward to greeting you this week during scheduled parent/teacher conferences to reflect on growth and set goals for the remainder of the school year. K-3 classes dismiss at 1:10pm on Wednesday and Thursday. There is no school for students on Friday, March 13th.
With pride,
Andy & Brandy
Cheetah Pride--March 2nd
Fox in Socks--March 3rd
Wacky Wednesday--March 4th
Fancy Red Carpet Readers--March 4th
Green Grinch Day--March 5th
School-Wide Read-a-Thon in Pajamas
Growth Mindset
Head Cheetahs
We Are Proud Cheetahs
News from the Library Media Center
We have our upcoming book fair starting:
Friday March 6, 9-3
Monday March 9, 9-3
Tuesday March 10, 9-3
Wednesday March 11, 9-5
Thursday March 12, 9-7:30
The Read Across American Read-a-Thon wrapped up on Friday, March 6th. Please return reading logs to the library on Monday March 9th. In addition we will be collecting gently used books through March 9th to donate to Read to Grow.
Here is a look at what is happening in library classes:
PreK- We have been reading about sharing, caring and friendship.
Kindergarten- We have finished our coding unit and started learning about the Caldecott award. Our first two examples of Caldecott books included, Office Buckle and Gloria and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole. Students loved examining the illustrations and making connections to the award.
1st Grade- We have finished our coding unit and started exploring Caldecott award winning books in addition to learning some facts about the history of the award. Our first example book was, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, which was honored with the medal in 2016. The students are always excited to learn that Winnie the Pooh was based on a real bear.
2nd Grade- We have finished our Digital Citizenship unit and will be expanding our coding skills, using the curriculum on code.org after the book fair.
3rd Grade- We have finished our coding unit and will begin our research unit after the book fair. This week we explored the topic of digital citizenship with Google's Interland game for fun and to review our internet safety knowledge.
Any questions, please feel free to reach out!
Mrs. Flannery and Mrs. Hill
Scholastic Book Fair Is Open Through March 12th
News from the Music Room
Hello Memorial Families! Please find your student’s grade level below to see what they’ve been working on in music.
Preschool: Students enjoyed vocal exploration, moving to music, and playing sticks. Students practiced following directions during stick tapping songs and also tried making letters with their sticks. Favorite poems and songs this month include: “Five Little Monkeys” and “Wise Old Owl”. For song lyrics, visit the music room website!
Kindergarten: – This month, we continued to practice the concept of high and low, but we also began to notice short and long sounds. Students learned a song about an elevator and used movement to show when the music was high and when it was low. They also drew a design for their own special elevator as a connection to the song! Students practiced using “little taps” in their hands to tap the words of a song. Favorite songs and games included “Button You Must Wander” and “Cut the Cake”!
First Grade: Students wrapped up their xylophone practice this month, with a final performance using all the instruments we had explored so far. They also explored songs made up of only two notes - a high and a low note. They tried composing their own high/low song and played it on a glockenspiel as well. Their favorite song and game this month has been “We are Dancing in the Forest”.
Second Grade: This month, students practiced reading, writing, and singing our new solfege note, Do (pronounced “doh”). They found the note in known songs like “Knock the Cymbals”, “Bluebird”, and “Rocky Mountain” as well as a new song called “Mother Mother”. They also practiced singing and reading Do with games such as Post Office and Sol-la-mi. Now, some classes started working on a new mystery note, which can be found in between Mi and Do!
Third Grade: Students are progressing quickly through the Recorder Karate program as they learn new skills! Most have earned their white belts for playing the song “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder. Now, some have earned yellow and orange belts! Most students are currently working on “Gently Sleep” or “Merrily We Roll Along”. As students continue through the program, they are encouraged to progress at their own pace and will even begin to select the music they want to learn! Students have continued working on singing and music literacy skills, as well as describing music in listening journals.
Please check out the music room website for more information about the music program. Feel free to reach out at any time by emailing smaldonado@easthamptonct.org.
Mrs. Maldonado
News from P.E.
Hi everybody,
As we enjoy the winter that wasn’t, the energy from all our students has been great and Physical Education classes are moving right along!
Pre K, K, and Grade 1
As we moved through February and into March, we began our beachball skills unit while working with our hands, as well as practicing body and spacial awareness.
The children worked on correct two handed placement for high and low shots, one handed technique for the underhand and overhand serve, followed by some fun time at the volleyball nets (modified grade appropriate height). The children started off working independently using the wall, then progressed to working with a partner.
As we near the end of March, we will have a unit on Fitness Challenges/Stations and our parachute and scooter units, before starting our longest unit of the year in April, gymnastics (always a crowd favorite!).
As always, we work hard each class on our aerobic fitness, stretching and strengthening exercises, cooperation, teamwork, and having fun!
Grade 2 and Grade 3
As our basketball skills unit ended towards the end of Feb., we moved right into “beachball volleyball” unit, going taking us into mid March.
The children worked on bumping/passing, setting, spiking (and blocking in Gr. 3), as well as the underhand, overhead, overhead tossing, and overhead jump serves. We will finish our volleyball skills unit with another one of our “Fitness Clubs- volleyball serving”, volleyball skills assessments, and for Gr. 3, modified games. The nets are adjusted to appropriate heights for the various grades and for skill we are practicing that day. The children progressed from working with a partner, to working with a small group, to working with a team for Gr. 3.
In mid March we will move into our Badminton/Shuffleboard/Fitness Lab unit that will take us into early April. After working on a few of our Fitness Clubs/Stations for a couple weeks, we will begin our longest and probably most popular unit, gymnastics!
Aerobic fitness, flexibility, power, and strengthening exercises continue to be a focus of our warm up each class. We stress trying your best and giving your best effort as we look to have each student understand and appreciate their individual gains and successes, all while having fun and enjoying “working out”!
Have great March and hopefully your family can get outside for some fun in the sun and enjoy the warm temps!
Coach Ruel
Coach Boscarino
News from the Art Room
Art Fundraiser News! Students have finished their "Art To Remember" works of art and those works have been sent into the company "Art to Remember" to be reproduced into all sorts of amazing items! Personalized order forms will be coming home with your child in the next couple of weeks! Please consider selecting and purchasing a special item with your child's unique work of art printed on it. This fundraiser will help to raise funds for our Memorial School art program! Thank you in advance, and please reach out to me directly if you have any further questions!
In the art room, here are the creative art works we have been working on!---------->
Pre School and Kindergarten:
Students in preschool and kindergarten are learning all about the world of printmaking! First, students learned about the stamping process, and created patterns with their stamps. Those stamps created a picture frame for a very special CREATURE!
After learning about stamping, I continued to teach the children about a second form of printmaking, called "mono-printing". This process creates one exact copy of something, compared to stamping that can create endless copies. The students continued to repeat the steps and fold their paper again, adding wet paint in various colors, then rubbing the paper while folded. This created an identical copy on the other side of the folded paper.
It was so exciting, because we immediately started interpreting our work (like an ink blot test!). The last part was to add details to our "mono-prints" and turn them into our very own imaginative creatures that were THE SAME on both sides, thus introducing the word "symmetry"! Students were laughing and excited to give their creatures mustaches, eyeballs, antennae, and more!
To complete our work, we have taken our creatures and placed them into their special stamped "picture frame"! We had so much fun watching the cause and effect of paint inside of folded paper. We even made real world connections when we viewed books that look exactly the same. We can't wait to take these printmaking creatures home!
First Graders:
In First Grade, students have had the opportunity to research and select a real animal from a large variety of options, from fish, birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, insects, and more. They sorted through the different resources to select an animal that interested them. After they selected their animal, they practiced drawing that animal in two different ways; outline/contour, and shape drawing. Each student determined which method worked better for them, and which created a more realistic drawing.
To finish this unit, they just began learning how to make realistic animal sculptures!! The first graders have begun to explore the world of CLAY! Students discovered a multitude of ways to manipulate clay, and shape and form it; ball, coil, slab, pinch, cut, carve. Then they learned how to combine the different forms together, using SLIP. As they continue to work on their realistic animal sculptures, they will begin thinking about the colors they will need to paint them after they are dried and fired! The students are doing challenging work, and they are off to a great start so far!
Second Graders:
In Second Grade, students have been learning about flowers and plants, and their repetitive and organic qualities. We have been printmaking in order to cut out and arrange our own floral/plant arrangements. As a special part of this unit, we had a very special local artist come in to talk about flowers, plants, and how inspiring they are as an artistic medium!
Two second grade classes were able to hear from Mrs. O'Hearn, the owner and artist of "It's So Ranunculus", located in Marlborough, CT. She was wonderful and had all of us touching and looking closely at her plants and flowers. She demonstrated how to use plants and flowers to build a work of art and we searched for repetition (it was EVERYWHERE in her arrangement)!
Thank you Mrs. O'Hearn for your time, and ALL second graders enjoyed looking closely at your work of art, and hearing all about your visit! We can't wait to share our very own finished floral/plant arrangements, coming soon!
Third Graders:
The third graders just completed a mid-year self assessment during art. Students were given a guide to complete, where it would reflect their progress so far this year. This activity would give the students an opportunity to further reflect and plan for a strategy to help them reach their end of year goals. As of right now, all of the students are on track to reaching their goal of 6 mastered art categories, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, digital art/photography, and drawing. We have such reflective students, who take their work seriously, but still know how to have fun and be creative!
As I have mentioned during each newsletter, it is so exciting to see the students discovering new venues to create their own unique works of art. Students get brave and fell comfortable enough to take risks with their choice of art media. Currently the third grade students are using all media that is available in the art room, and I am beginning to see students even trying new combinations of those media. It is impressive to see such young children being so motivated and driven to select the best media for their ideas and works. Please ask your child to tell you about their choices, and what process they were working on achieving!
Mrs. Vining
East Hampton's Profile of the Graduate Begins at Memorial
Important Dates
March 8--Daylight Saving Time Begins--Set Clocks Ahead and Change Batteries in Smoke Detectors
March 9--Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30pm in EHHS T-Bell--BOE Appreciation Night
March 11-12--1/2 Days -- Early Dismissal for Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 13--No School--Professional Learning Day for Teachers
March 17--3rd Grade Step Up Concert
March 19--Welcome Spring!
March 20--Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day
March 20--Deadline for Preschool Registration--Packets Available in Memorial Foyer, at EH Library, and as download at bottom of this newsletter
March 23--EHE K-5 PTO Meeting @ Memorial School @ 6pm
March 23--Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30pm in EHHS T-Bell
March 27--1/2 Day -- Early Dismissal for Professional Learning
March 27--Para-Educator Appreciation Day
March 29--Preschool Touch-A-Truck Event
March 31--Deadline for Kindergarten Registration--Packets Available in Memorial Foyer, at EH Library, and as download at bottom of this newsletter
April 2--EHE PTO Pasta Dinner (Reservations required)
May 29--PTO Purse Bingo Night
Calling All Trucks!
Our Learners Beyond the Walls of Our School
We understand that school is only one part of our learners' lives. We are interested and look forward to celebrating achievements/events that take place within our community and demonstrate our Profile of the Graduate qualities--Imagination, Confidence, Teamwork, Wonder, Caring. Please email Andy at agonzalez@easthamptonct.org or Brandy at bgadoury@easthamptonct.org directly with anything that you would like highlighted in our Cheetah Pride Press. #EastHamptonProud!
PBIS & Memorial Models
At Memorial, we are "Spot-On" when we take care of ourselves, others and things with kindness and compassion! Each 5-day school week, classroom teachers recognize student efforts with nominations to serve as Memorial Models. Models are announced and photographed during lunch waves.
Kindergarten Memorial Models
1st Grade Memorial Models
2nd Grade Memorial Models
3rd Grade Memorial Models
Fueling Up With Breakfast
National School Breakfast Week
We offer amazing breakfast choices every single day! Students getting breakfast enter school from buses or parent drop off and head right into the kitchen to make breakfast selections. Some eat in the cafe but most prefer "to go" bags and enjoy breakfast in their classrooms with other morning munchers. Special shout out to Miss Deb, Miss Michelle, Miss Saudi and Jen Bove for taking care of others! #SomethingSmellsDelicious #SoManyHealthyChoices #FuelUpWithBreakfast
Preschool Menu
K-3 Menu
Events Sponsored by our PTO
EHEPTO.com lists all meeting dates and planned activities.
EHEPTO.com
PTO Board of Directors
#CheetahPride
Stop & Shop A+ Rewards
A+ School Rewards are points that supporters earn with each purchase made using their Stop & Shop Card. At the end of each month, the points earned are used in a calculation to determine your school’s cash total, which is then automatically credited to your school’s account. Last year, through our community's support, Memorial School received a check for $3,921.05!
Are you new to A+ School Rewards? If so, registering is EASY!
- Log on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus and select CUSTOMER REGISTRATION to register online using your Stop & Shop Card
Nondiscrimination Statement:
The East Hampton Board of Education, in compliance with federal and state law, affirms its policy of equal educational opportunity for all students and equal employment opportunity for all persons. It is the policy of the District to promote nondiscrimination and an environment free of harassment regardless of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability (including but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability, or learning disability), genetic information, marital status, or age or because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, or age of any persons with whom the individual associates. The District shall provide to all students without discrimination, course offerings, counseling, assistance, employment, athletics, and extracurricular activities. The District shall provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The District shall make reasonable accommodations for identified physical and mental impairments that constitute disabilities, consistent with federal and state statutes and regulations.
Memorial Elementary School
Email: memorialoffice@easthamptonct.org
Website: http://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT 06424
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool/