Eagleswood Elementary School
The Eagle Review - November Edition
Happy Thanksgiving!
As we prepare for Thanksgiving and the holidays that follow, we should pause and reflect on the many blessings that we enjoy—our loved ones, our children, our school and close knit community. Given the everyday demands, we too often get caught up in the pace of everyday life and don’t take the time to appreciate just how fortunate we are. This is a time for such reflection.
In my case, I feel extraordinarily grateful to be working with you. It is truly my honor to work with such great staff members, children, and their families. Allow me, on behalf of our staff, to thank you for sharing your children with us. As you can see from the pictures, the children thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast provided to them by the Board of Education. I am looking forward to seeing many of you as we celebrate the holidays in various ways this month whether it be our Parent's Night Out on December 8th, the Holiday Show or class parties.
I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.
- Ms. Snyder
Farewell Wishes to Dedicated Board Members
Sue D’Ambrosio and Kim Pharo have faithfully and tirelessly served on the Eagleswood Township Board of Education for the last 12 years respectfully. There are not enough words to describe how amazed and grateful I am for the dedication, compassion and generosity they have given to the children in our community.
They have not only “talked the talk” but also “walked the walk” and given of themselves in a most precious way, their time. Without their support, we would not have had the opportunity to provide many of the programs and opportunities our students have benefited from over the years.
Sue and Kim, on behalf of our Board, our staff, and entire school community. I would like to say thank you for your unwavering support and generosity. On a more personal note, I would like to thank you for your inspiration and expertise as we have made Eagleswood Elementary School an engaging and challenging school for our children.
Please know from the bottom of my heart how much I appreciate and respect both of you. We wish you luck in your future endeavors. You have forever left your mark on our school and we will miss you!
- Debbie Snyder
6th Grade A.J. Meerwald Trip
On October 3, 2017, the 6th grade classes from Eagleswood and Bass River sailed on New Jersey’s tall ship, the AJ Meerwald. After helping to raise the sail, students spent the morning on the Delaware Bay. Through hands-on activities, the crew taught them about the Delaware Bay Watershed. It was also an opportunity for our 6th graders to meet some of their future 7th grade classmates.
The Schooner A.J. Meerwald is New Jersey’s official Tall Ship. She is a restored oyster dredging schooner, whose home port is in Bivalve, Commercial Township, New Jersey. Launched in 1928, the A.J. Meerwald was one of hundreds of schooners built along South Jersey’s Bayshore before the decline of the shipbuilding industry which coincided with the Great Depression.
Steered Straight Program
Steered Straight is an organization founded by Michael De Leon (steeredstraight.org). Their mission is "to steer youth toward making sound, rational decisions by creating a learning experience that provides them with a message of reality and helps them to make positive, informed choices." The Maximilian Foundation and the local Kiwanis Club was willing to fund a drug awareness program for our students and families. Check out the attached link about their organization (http://www.themaximilianfoundation.org/our-story-2/). The program was phenomenal and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity for our school to experience it.
Fire Prevention Week
A special thank you to the Eagleswood Fire Department for visiting our school and teaching the students about fire prevention and fire safety. We thank you for the valuable service you provide. You make an important contribution to our town and the children were excited to see the fire truck, participate in the poster contest and to see each of you and hear about the positive impact you have on our community!
Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic
Pre-K "Mindfulness" Yoga
The preschool class is practicing "mindfulness" in the classroom daily. They are focusing on the present moment so that they can become more aware of their feelings and the feelings of others. This practice will help them become better at sharing and stronger emotionally and socially. Every day the students practice simple yoga poses and breathing techniques to help them get ready for their busy day. The children really look forward to this daily practice and we are very proud of their progress.
1st Grade Science Lab "Shadow Study"
The first grade students read the story "Bear's Shadow". They completed activities on shadow facts, sequencing, comprehension, and cause and effect. Then the students' created shadow puppets which were used in the Science Room in their study of Light. The students had fun demonstrating the various shadows each of their shapes made. They also measured and recorded the data of their own shadows at three different times of the day.
2nd Grade Science Lab
The 2nd grade class designed tests and analyzed data to determine which materials had properties best suited for their model boat. They recognized what could wrong with a design and how they can fix those problems. The students presented their designs to their classmates and tested their models to see how many pennies their boat could hold before sinking. They loved the competition aspect and cheered on their peers throughout each test. All groups successfully built a model boat that floated and all models held 40 or more pennies!
3rd Grade Science Labs
In their first science lab, the 3rd grade class demonstrated how forces affect motion by applying a strong force and a weak force to a toy car.
In their second science lab, the 3rd grade students discovered basic properties of magnets and learned that magnets have two different poles that attract or repel.
Arts Infused Friday
The Pumpkin Tower Challenge
Students were given an engineering challenge of how to create a newspaper tower that will hold the weight of an average size pumpkin. They discussed the concept of balance and the distribution of weight and how it would be used in the activity. Each team created a tower of their choice using newspaper and two types of tape to create their towers. They tested their towers by placing a pumpkin on top and seeing if it had the strength to hold the pumpkin.
Stockton Space Program
Students learned about the Stockton Space Program (SSP) and microgravity. They designed mission patches to go with the experiment that Stockton students are currently working on. The winning patch will go to space with the astronauts.
Bottle Flip Challenge
Students tested a variety of bottles to determine which bottle has the highest success rate and the best amount of water in the bottle in order to design the perfect bottle for bottle-tossing. Students collected data and analyzed success rates in fractions and percentages.
Candy Pumpkin Catapults
Students learned that force is a push or a pull, as well as how gravity works. Students watched a short video explaining force and gravity and about catapults and how they work. They demonstrated their knowledge of push and pull by creating a short "push and pull dance". The students then created their own catapults and tested them by launching candy pumpkins.
Creating Mistakes
Gilligan's Island
Students developed problem solving skills by working together cooperatively as a team to get to the main land from "Gilligan's Island". They had to think outside of the box for ways to get off of the deserted island, and ways to help get their team off using only the materials that were given to them.
Gravity Ghosts
Students learned how to identify the invisible force that allows an object to fall to the ground as gravity. They created "gravity ghosts" in two different sizes and made predictions as to which ghost will fall to the ground the fastest. The students then tested their predictions, recorded their data and discussed the difference between the smaller and larger ghost copter.
Sounds of Fall
Students watched a BrainPopJr video that discussed seasons and how they happen. They described how Fall looks, feels, smells. They then listened to Vivaldi's Fall and described the music and how it represents the leaves falling, winds blowing and cooler weather. Students used their bodies and movements to mimic the leaves falling and other Fall weather.
Fall Fest
Students had a great time at our annual Fall Fest hosted by the PTA! Students participated in pumpkin picking, relay races and much more! A special thank you to Mr. Stover for the hayride to the pumpkin patch, and to our wonderful volunteers who made the day a huge success!
Halloween Parade
Students in grades PreK through sixth showed off all of their great costumes in our Halloween Parade! Everyone was so creative with their costumes this year!
Shhh! You're the Mystery Reader in Mrs. Lee's first grade class!
Every week a student is chosen to be the Mystery Reader and read a story to the class. The "Secret Envelope" is put in one student's backpack on Monday. That student has all week to practice reading the book at home. On Friday the "Mystery Reader" is announced and he or she reads their book to the class! Each student can't wait until it is their turn!
P.E. Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a festive game for the Halloween season. Two teams compete by trying to capture as many ghosts as they can. The team that captures the most ghosts wins. The students had a great time in P.E. playing this game!
Flag Football
Students are participating in a unit of Flag Football in PE class. The classes are divided into teams of four and play small sided mini games. Each student has the opportunity to play each position.
Reindeer Games!
We are very excited to announce the premier of Reindeer Games! Many of our students have been staying after school twice a week to prepare for our Holiday Show. It will take place on Thursday, December 14th at 1:45 pm and Friday, December 15th at 6:30 pm.
While not all of our students like to be on stage, others have been helping us prepare the stage and props. A big thank you to our volunteers; Isabella Pharo, Natalie Peterka, Joan Bragg, Rachel Halford, Marian McMahon, and countless others who have given up their time, driven their children back and forth to practices and for all their support in various ways. This has truly been a TEAM effort!
Your role as an audience member is an integral part of the education process. Your presence, energy, and response to the work we have done is the core of the play. I invite you to join us at the show and be part of the process.
Our sixth grade students will be selling flowers and baked goods before, during and after the show. Candy grams will also be available for you to purchase to show support of our cast and crew. Donations will also be accepted to help offset the cost of the performance.
Our resident artist, Maddie SIeber, will also be meeting with all of our students so everyone has a theatre experience!
I can’t think of a better way to kick off this holiday season. Please join us for some Reindeer Games!
Preschool Handicapped Child Find
Important Dates & Upcoming Events for November
11/30 - Drama Club
11/30 - BOE Meeting 7:30pm
11/30 - Communication Envelope
12/2 - PTA Clothing Drive
12/5, 12/6, 12/7 - Drama Club
12/7 & 12/8 - Santa's Secret Workshop
12/8 - PTA Parent Night Out
12/12 - Honor Roll Assembly 6:30 pm
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Contact Information
Email: eagleswoodnews@etesd.com
Website: www.eagleswood.org
Location: 511 Route 9, West Creek, NJ, United States
Phone: (609) 597-3663
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eagleswoodelementary/