Connors School Scoop
December 17th, 2021
Dear Connors Families,
The holiday season is always so special with so many exciting events and learning activities. Please make sure that you take a moment to review the important events and dates below:
Connors Winter Holiday Concert
We are so excited that we are going to be having our Connors Winter Holiday Concert in person this year. The Connors Winter Holiday Concert will take place in our Connors School Gym on Tuesday, December 21st. We have 3 time slots to ensure that there is enough room to social distance.
- Grades 2-3 9:30-10:15 am
- Grades 4-5 10:30-11:15 am
- Grades K-1 1:30-2:15 pm
Immediate family members are invited to attend. Please RSVP on the Google form link below. Masks must be worn. Please fill out a google form for each show you will be attending if you have multiple children in multiple grades at Connors. https://forms.gle/pkBfrGGrYko4kEuM8
Connors SWAG Sale
We will be having a Connors Holiday SWAG Table Sale during all sessions of the Connors Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 21st. Our SWAG team is still looking for volunteers to help from 9:15-10:15. If you are able to help at the time, can you please email our Connors SWAG team swagconnors@gmail.com
Winter Wonderland Family Arts and Literacy Night
We had such an exciting week at Connors with all of our special events and learning activities. The Winter Wonderland Family Arts and Literacy Night was so incredible. It was so nice to see so many of our families there wearing our Connors SWAG. Thank you so much to our Connors teachers for volunteering their time to set up and prepare for this special event. I am so proud of the personal narratives that our students wrote. I am also so proud of the beautiful artwork that was on display. Check out some pictures below from this incredible event!
District Elementary School Music Concert
The District concert was also incredible. Mr. Azzarto and our Connors students totally ROCKED the house! Thank you so much to our amazing Connors teachers who volunteered their time to help out at the District Concert! Check out the videos and pictures below from this super special event.
Governor's Educator of the Year
We are so excited to announce the Governors Educator of the Year Awards! Our Teacher of the Year is Ms. Madeleine Vayda. Our Educational Services Professional of the Year is Ms. Carolyn Mussara! We are so incredibly proud of Ms. Vayda and Ms. Mussara as they are both so deserving of these awards!
Covid Reminders and Information
If your child is fully vaccinated, please email me and Nurse Maddie your child's vaccination card. juliana.addi@hoboken.k12.nj.us and mcarroll@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Fully vaccinated students will not need to quarantine if they are deemed a close contact to a positive individual. In addition, fully vaccinated students will be removed from the random Covid testing list and will not be selected for a random Covid test.
It is very important that our families please remain vigilant with our health and safety protocols. If any families are traveling outside of NJ, NY, PA, DE and CT or having a large family gatherings over this holiday season, please reach out to me and add Maritza Ramos to the email to request a rapid Covid test. maritza.ramos@hoboken.k12.nj.us Maritza will ensure that the rapid Covid test is placed in your child's book bag. Remember, anyone fully vaccinated traveling outside those states or internationally have no testing or quarantining requirements. Anyone not vaccinated traveling outside those states listed above needs to test. In addition, please remember to fill out your Genesis Covid form Daily. Also, this is super important: If your child tested because they are not feeling well, do not to send your child back to school until they have a negative test results in hand. We do not want a situation in which a child wasn't feeling well, then got tested and started to feel better and came back to school. When the results come in, if the results are positive, it can put an entire class on quarantine. Thank you for being vigilant with our health and safety protocols.
Operation Gratitude: Gift Card Drive for the Holidays
The district is once again launching the 2nd Annual Operation Gratitude: Gift Card Drive for the Holidays. The purpose of this drive is to provide families who are struggling financially or may be homeless with some holiday cheer. There are many toy drives around the city that meet the needs of our young learners. However, there isn't too much for our teenage students or their parents and guardians. This year, we will have a decorated box in every main office from December 7th through December 18th in order for individuals to drop off gift cards. You may also send these in with your child in a sealed envelope, labeled "Operation Gratitude". Each day, the box will be emptied and gift cards sent over to the Business Office for record keeping purposes. All of the gift cards collected will be distributed to families of our students in need of assistance during this holiday season. Gift Cards to Shoprite and Acme will be given to parents and guardians. Gift Cards in denominations of $25 to places like Amazon, Old Navy, Gap, Target, Walmart, Champs, Express, Footlocker, Forever 21, H&M, JCPenney, Kohls, Macys or Visa will be allocated for Middle School and High School students. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity. Recipients will be so happy to receive these gift cards again this year.
2nd Chance Toys-Toy Drive
The Connors Green team is collecting gently used, clean plastic toys for local children for the holiday season from December 15th-22nd. Please do not wrap the toys. We will have a box next to the security desk.
2nd Annual Angela M. Perez Toy Drive:
Angela M. Perez is the aunt of our student Alicia Rosado. In memory of her aunt, Alicia is helping to run a toy drive. The drive will be on Saturday, December 18th from 2pm-6pm. The toy drive will take place at De Palma Pizzeria, 1814 New York Ave, Union City NJ 07087. We are so proud of your leadership Alicia and for taking on this wonderful initiative in memory of your aunt! Please see the flyer below.
Our Connors School Scoop also includes:
- Congratulations to Ms. Vayda, Teacher of the Year!
- Congratulations to Ms. Mussara, Educational Services Professional of the Year!
- Winter Family Arts and Literacy Night Pictures
- District Winter Concert Pictures and Videos
- Connors PTO December Newsletter
- Upcoming Dates
- Meet our new school Nurse, Maddie Carroll
- Congratulations to our Students of the Month
- Kids Character Awards
- Learning Activities throughout the week
On December 23rd, we will be having a 1:00 pm dismissal. There will be no PTL or Boys and Girls Club after school on December 23rd. Therefore, ALL children will need to be picked up by their parent, guardian, or care giver (listed on the emergency pick-up list). Please be considerate to our faculty and staff and pick up your child on time, at 1:00 pm. Thank you!
We make it our priority to partner with parents in the academic growth and success of every child. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
All the best,
Principal Addi
Winter Wonderland Arts and Literacy Night
We had such an exciting week at Connors with all of our special events and learning activities. The Winter Wonderland Family Arts and Literacy Night was so incredible. It was so nice to see so many of our families there wearing our Connors SWAG. Thank you so much to our Connors teachers for volunteering their time to set up and prepare for this special event. I am so proud of the personal narratives that our students wrote. I am also so proud of the beautiful artwork that was on display. Check out some pictures below from this incredible event!
Teacher of the Year, Ms. Madeleine Vayda!
Ms. Vayda is a 1st Grade Teacher in Homeroom 210. Ms. Vayda is an exceptional teacher, teammate, and person. She is always doing what is best for her students. She comes up with exciting, engaging and rigorous lessons for all types of learners, students struggling, as well as those who need a challenge. Ms. Vayda works so well as a colleague and teammate. She is always eager to share and help other educators. She is devoted to her students and constantly tries to implement engaging lessons in her classroom. She goes above and beyond to make learning fun and cultivates positive relationships with students, parents and coworkers. Madeleine is such an asset to our Connors family and she is so deserving of this special award!
Congratulations to Carolyn Mussara, Educational Support Specialist of the Year
Ms. Mussara is a kindergarten paraprofessional in homeroom 201. She has been working as a paraprofessional for the past 21 year. She goes above and beyond her job description. She is amazing with the children in the classroom. She has a heart of GOLD! She is compassionate, caring and kind. She cares for each child as if they are her own. Ms. Mussara always takes the intiative and supports children during guided practice. She is truly amazing and we are so honored to have her as an incredible member of our Connors Family.
Connors PTO Newsletter!
Connors Holiday SWAG Table Sale
We will be having a Connors Holiday SWAG Table Sale during all sessions of the Connors Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 21st. Our SWAG team is still looking for volunteers to help from 9:15-10:15. If you are able to help at the time, can you please email our Connors SWAG team swagconnors@gmail.com
District Winter Concert-Connors ROCKS!
The District concert was also incredible. Mr. Azzarto and our Connors students totally ROCKED the house! Thank you so much to our amazing Connors teachers who volunteered their time to help out at the District Concert! Check out the videos and pictures below from this super special event.
Connors Winter Holiday Concert
Connors Winter Holiday Concert
We are so excited that we are going to be having our Connors Winter Holiday Concert in person this year. The Connors Winter Holiday Concert will take place in our Connors School Gym on Tuesday, December 21st. We have 3 time slots to ensure that there is enough room to social distance.
Grades 2-3 9:30-10:15 am
Grades 4-5 10:30-11:15 am
Grades K-1 1:30-2:15 pm
Immediate family members are invited to attend. Please RSVP on the Google form link below. Masks must be worn. Please fill out a google form for each show you will be attending if you have multiple children in multiple grades at Connors. https://forms.gle/pkBfrGGrYko4kEuM8
2nd Chance Toys: Connors Green Team Gently Used Toy Drive
2nd Chance Toys-Toy Drive
The Connors Green team is collecting gently used, clean plastic toys for local children for the holiday season from December 15th-22nd. Please do not wrap the toys. We will have a box next to the security desk.
2nd Annual Angela M. Perez Toy Drive:
2nd Annual Angela M. Perez Toy Drive:
Angela M. Perez is the aunt of our student Alicia Rosado. In memory of her aunt, Alicia is helping to run a toy drive. The drive will be on Saturday, December 18th from 2pm-6pm. The toy drive will take place at De Palma Pizzeria, 1814 New York Ave, Union City NJ 07087. We are so proud of your leadership Alicia and for taking on this wonderful initiative in memory of your aunt!
Koalas with Character Awards!
We are so proud of our Connors Koalas who are continually displaying wonderful character "Koalaties". A special congratulations to Zamorah Bates, Max Sidor, Nick Atanasoff, Bailee Jefries, Ben Moliterno, James Bufano, Lior Namer, Jaden Jones, Vivian Stone, Abrielle Santiago, Leo Mazurkiewicz, Sydney McKeown! We are so proud of you!
Save the Date for our Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events:
Connors Winter Holiday Concert: Tuesday, December 21st-Grades 2-3 9:30-10:15; Grades 4-5 10:30-11:15; Grades K-1 1:30-2:15-Concert will take place in-person at Connors. Masks and social distancing will be required at all times.
School Closures:
Thursday, December 23rd (1pm Dismissal)
Friday, December 24th - Friday, December 31st (Winter Break)
There is no PTL or Boys and Girls Club on December 23rd. Therefore, all children will need to be picked up at 1:00 pm on December 23rd.
- DRA2-Winter Benchmark-December 22nd-Feb 2nd
- Linkit Form B Window-January 18th-February 2nd
- Interim Report Cards available in the parent portal-Friday, January 7th
Meet our New School Nurse, Maddie Carroll
Hello! My name is Maddie Carroll. I am the new school nurse and very excited to be a part of the Connors Family. I graduated from Fairfield University with my Bachelors in Nursing and went on to become a Registered Nurse. I have worked at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ on a Medical Surgical Telemetry Step Down unit and then worked on a Medical Surgical unit at Hoboken University Medical Center.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child's needs.
You can reach me at my email mcarroll@hoboken.k12.nj.us or 201-356-3658.
Ms. Fleischer's Kindergarten Class
ELA
Another awesome week in Miss Fleischer & Mrs. Mussara's Kindergarten class. A lot of learning took place in ELA this week. Our letter focus was the letter Cc. Our sight word focus was the word go. We read stories and answered comprehension questions. Our grammar focus was complete sentences. We have been practicing writing super star sentences by making sure all sentences begin with a capital letter, have finger space, sight words, we sound out words, and we end our super star sentences with a punctuation mark. We really rocked our learning centers this week. Our centers included the following: guided reading, sight word sentences, letter picture sort, and fix it up.
Math
In Math this week, we began learning about shapes. We started off by making a chart with different shapes, identifying how many sides and vertices each shape has. This week, we also listened to the story "The Shape of Things" by Dayle Ann Dodds. We were super creative and used one shape and made it into a picture. For example: A square is a square until you add eyes, mouth, and a body. Then it is a robot. Check out some of our creations!
Miss Fleischer and Mrs. Mussara look forward to a other wonderful, festive week of learning next week!
Ms. Rodriguez's Kindergarten Class
It was another amazing week in Kindergarten! Students really enjoyed coloring in holiday pictures for the elderly. They are so excited to fill someone’s bucket and put a smile on their faces!
During Social Studies, students did a great job showing and telling about a favorite holiday tradition or something they love about a holiday they celebrate. Students brought in ornaments and stockings that they hang up each year, dreidels, favorite stuffed animals that only come out in the month of December and more! It’s was very cute seeing the interest they showed in each other’s traditions!
In Math, students began a new unit on 2-D shapes. They created shape pictures by using their imagination to transform regular shapes like ovals, rhombuses, circles and triangles into new pictures such as dogs, fish, sailboats and kites!
In ELA, students worked hard in their literacy centers. They focused on the letter and sight word of the week, Cc and go. Students practiced phoneme blending on the Ricoh board, read leveled stories in guided reading groups, engaged in read and write the room and even practiced reading words in the “at” family with a fun game. They are getting better at blending the sounds together with every new game we learn!
To end our week, we celebrated a birthday with super funny story read aloud via google meets with a class parent! We are excited to learn more next week and enjoy some cool holiday craftivities!
Ms. Watson and Ms. Layson's Class
ELA: This week in Ms.Watson & Mrs.Layson’s class our letter of the week was ‘C’. We completed ‘C’ vs ‘N’ sorts (last week's letter) by sorting by beginning sounds. We also added another sight word to our sight word inventory, ‘go’. The students practiced writing go and writing sentences using their new sight word in their ELA notebooks. The Literature Big Book that we read this week was “Please take me for a walk”. This genre was fantasy. We learned the differences between fantasy, fiction, and non-fiction. We completed a writing response on the book as well! We worked in centers focused on the letter C & sight words. We did a ‘C’ sort center, “write the room” middle sound (a or i) center, sentence building center, wipe & write phonics center, I have who has centers, and of course guided reading centers with Ms.Watson & Ms.Layson!
Math: Students started a new unit on 2-dimensional shapes. To start off the unit we did a Venger drawing using one large shape of their choice and then drawing other shapes and details to create a larger picture! Some students created trucks, pizza pies and slices, boats and a butterfly!
Caring Koalas: Connors has been collecting new & gently used toys for a toy drive. Gwennie & Quincy remembered hearing about this over the announcements! They each brought in a toy to donate! Thaara also brought in gift cards for Operation Gratitude! Ms.Watson & Ms.Layson’s class sure are a bunch of caring Koalas!
Ms. Sheridan's 1st Grade Class
Writers Workshop:
We had so much to celebrate this week, including our published realistic fiction stories. We all took time to brainstorm and create new characters, wrote drafts, edited and revised. This week, some of our writers read their stories to the class! We will continue working on realistic fiction story writing by creating new characters, events, problems and solutions.
Ms. Vayda's 1st Grade Class
Article- A- Day:
This week our articles taught us different ways to get around cities. We learned about subway trains and how different countries have their own name for them. We read about city bikes, cable cars, auto rickshaws, and funicular railways. Students then wrote what they learned or want to remember in their Book of Knowledge after reading each article. It was fun making connections while reading these articles. Ms. Vayda shared how she always ends up getting lost when riding the subway. Good thing we learned about how to use maps during ELA this week :)
Social Studies:
We still are enjoying traveling around the world and learning about new cultures and holidays. Our suitcases are filled with amazing postcards that students made. So far we have explored Israel, Australia, England, Mexico, Italy, India, and Russia. When learning about each country, we read an article, review fun slides, color in our maps, stamp our passports, complete an exit ticket, and make a postcard. After that, we watched videos to get a better understanding of the different countries.
ELA:
Readers' Workshop: Our essential question this week was "How can you find your way around?" We read multiple stories that taught us more about maps and directions. Since we were reading non- fiction texts, we focused on identifying the main idea and supporting it with at least 3 key details. During guided reading, we also focused on rereading as a strategy to help us better understand a book. We continued learning about digraphs ch, -tch, wh, and ph. Students had lots of practice with these words during their phonics and spelling center. In grammar, we learned about irregular plural nouns.
Writer's Workshop:
In writing, we completed our first realistic fiction writing piece. Students were able to celebrate their hard work by reading their stories to the class. We will continue writing realistic fiction stories next week. Students are going to use the same characters, but have them go on different adventures with a new problem and solution. I am so excited to see what they create.
Math:
This week we focused on ways to make a number by using addition and subtraction equations. During math workshop, students played roll and record with 3 dice, 5 in a row with 3 dice, balancing equation task cards, and sorting true and false equations. Students also spent time on IXL to help master the standards from our lessons. During math, we also worked on solving story problems with three addends. Next week we will continue to represent numbers with equivalent equations.
Ms. Schultes' 1st Grade Class
First graders have been doing so well in math this week! We have been practicing adding three addends, balancing equations (to find equivalent equations), and playing some really fun math games! During math centers this week, students got to explore roll and record with adding three addends, playing five-in-a-row addition AND subtraction, sharpening skills on IXL, and completing workbook and worksheet pages focusing on balancing equations. I am so proud of how well our class has been working with their groups. Everyone is eager to help and learning so much together! Keep it up first grade!!
Ms. Ayers' 2nd Grade Class
Would you like to learn more about the phonics practice in our 2nd grade classroom? Everyday groups of students come to the Teacher Table to practice old and new phonics skills. The skill is introduced using the Orton-Gillingham approach to phonics and practiced through a variety of outlets in the classroom. This week, friends in Ms. Ayers class learned about L-blends, after previously learning and practicing R-blends. Students engaged in weekly sound drills, kinesthetic writing in the sand and blending activities to further practice the concepts. After the concepts have been practiced, students then worked on R- and L-Blends activities during their Literacy Workshop for the Word Work station.
Friends also learn and practice Red Words during their phonics time. Reviewing and learning new Red Words is essential to building master readers! It is also important that they get multiple opportunities to practice their Red Words to be able to apply them to their writing. Our Red Word routine is a class favorite because they get to use screens and crayons, as well as tapping and scooping methods to remember the words. Check out the pictures showing Krystah, Madisyn, Lior, Maxwell and Sydney working at the Teacher Table to master new words!
Ms. Johnson's 2nd Grade Class
ELA:
This week in ELA students finished our expository writing unit! We are now starting persuasive essays! For reading we practiced even more with main idea and key details and the comprehension strategy of rereading. In phonics we did 3 letter blends and our genre focus was poetry.
Math:
For math we finished our last section in Unit 2! We are reviewing the next few days to take our unit test before the break. We also took our first math fluency assessments on skip counting, addition, and subtraction.
Social Studies:
In social studies we learned about the government and how governments can help communities. We also practice with map skills and learning street routes and naming.
Ms. Garcia's 2nd Grade Class
Math: Students learned about solving story problems in which they partitioned single objects that represent geometric shapes (squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, and circles) into halves, thirds, and fourths. They created fraction flags and did really well on their fact fluency!
ELA: Students this week used their rereading strategies to identify the main idea and key details of poems. Students also worked super hard this week on their Article a Day!
Ms. Rinaldi's 2nd Grade Class
ELA - Our essential question of the week was "What do we love about animals?" This week we were introduced to poetry, and learned how we can listen to the rhythm of the words. We are continuing to re-read and focus on key details in a text. This week we also focused on three letter blends in phonics. We worked on how-to writing this week, and everyone is doing a great job!
Math - This week we were introduced to fractions. We have been focusing on halves. We have been able to partition and identify one half of a rectangle, triangle, hexagon, and a circle. We also were able to find 3-D shapes that made up half of a rectangular prism. One of the most important things that we learned is that halves of the same shape could look different.
Ms. Januse's 3rd Grade Class
This week, third graders wrote a Literary Analysis Task (LAT) comparing and contrasting themes in “The Night Was Dark” and our latest novel, “Real Stories from My Time: The Underground Railroad”. Writers used a Venn diagram to plan their draft, then followed the Writers Workshop model to publish their final typed pieces. During Math, students continued working on Unit 3: Travel Stories and Collections. In Math workshop, students worked together to play games like, Go Collecting and Capture 300, practicing their addition and subtraction skills. In Social Studies, students jumped into our new unit learning about the resources of our area and how American Indians utilized natural resources in their daily life.
Ms. Hall's 3rd Grade Class
ELA: This week students completed the district’s December writing task. Students wrote a literary analysis essay comparing and contrasting two pieces of historical fiction, Real Stories From My Time: The Underground Railroad and The Night Was Dark. Students continued to practice writing a full essay that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. Students also selected relevant text evidence from both texts to support their comparison. (P.S. I enjoyed seeing the families and students of Room 309 at the Literacy & Arts Night on Sunday! Thank you to all who came and enjoyed the fun and celebration of the amazing literacy and arts skills being taught in Hoboken.)
Math: This week students continued to work on recognizing and representing groups of 10 and 100. As we continued to explore the thousands place value, students practiced rounding and estimating the sum of 2- and 3- digit numbers. Our knowledge of place value has helped us expand our skills and better understand addition and subtraction word problems that involve more complex numbers and concepts!
Social Studies: This week students finished their Unit 2 performance tasks and presented them to the class. Students began working together to complete various holiday activities that represent different cultures and traditions! Students will continue to explore various holiday traditions next week!
Ms. Gruber's 3rd-4th Grade Class
This week in Ms. Gruber's class we practiced for the winter holiday concert! We spent Monday and Tuesday morning at the high school practicing our singing and getting on/off stage. We also completed our monthly writing tasks and our math fact fluency during ELA and Math. We've been getting really good at our math facts! During social studies we've been learning about the different state governments in comparison to NJ's state government and how to create a venn diagram of similarities/differences! We've also been getting ready for the holidays and doing our "Winterbreak countdown" on the calendar!
Ms. Sivo's Class
SIVO'S STARS!
ELA
The Stars have been reviewing their spelling/site words, discussing and sounding out new letters and blending both words and nonsense words on our blending boards.
MATH
Stars Mathmeticians have been working on simple and multi-digit addition problems. We created spinners out of paperclips to spin our numbers and add, giving us a multi-sensory approach.
CAUGHT BEING KIND!
Many of the students in Sivo's Stars class have been CAUGHT BEING KIND and helping others learn how to tie their shoes and even modeling it!
SPECIAL VISITOR
Kashmir, a Service Dog came to visit Ms. Sivo's Class. The children had a blast playing with Kashmir!
We are all looking forward to the Holiday Week next week!
Ms. Schulz's 4th Grade Class
4th Grade Learners have been working on division the past few weeks. Students have learned various methods of solving problems. Students have worked well with one another to help each other solve problems. They really enjoyed working together.
Ms. Rodriguez's 4th Grade Class
4th Grade Learners are so excited for the holidays and have enjoyed participating in a variety of activities. Students wrote essays about what the holidays mean to them for the Winter Wonderland event, and now proudly display their work outside the classroom. On Monday and Tuesday, students in chorus and band rehearsed for the Winter Concert held on Wednesday evening. Students also demonstrated their holiday spirit by dressing up for holiday theme days such as "wear your favorite holiday color" and "dress like Santa Claus."
Ms. Ortiz's 5th Grade Class
Mrs. Ortiz's class has been so busy this week! Earlier in the week we practiced for the winter holiday concert at the high school. Our Connors students were on their absolute best behavior and we are all so proud of them. In ELA, we continued reading our novel. In Math, we are continuing to explore fractions by using benchmarks, clocks, and common denominators to add fractions with unlike denominators. In PGP students are preparing a TED talk on a topic of interest to them. In Social Studies we are taking a break from the industrial revolution to learn about some winter holidays across the world.
Ms. Romanowski's 5th Grade Class
ELA: This week, fifth graders continued our novel study of Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. In the chapters we read, students made personal connections to the main character of the story, ten year old Annemarie. Students also worked on character analysis by digging deep to analyze the main character's thoughts and feelings as she navigated a difficult situation.
This week students also completed the district writing task for the month of December. Students composed an essay, exploring the theme of bravery in two different passages; a poem and a realistic fiction story. Students described how the main character in each text displayed bravery through their actions and words.
Math: This week we used our knowledge of fractions to find fractional parts of a clock. Students are also working to add and subtract fractions with both common and uncommon denominators.
Holiday Fun: Our class worked collaboratively to decorate our classroom door as part of the Connors winter door decorating competition. Students showed off their creativity and artistic abilities to make this happen.
Ms. Sogluizzo's 5th Grade Class
Ms. Sogluizzo’s fifth graders completed their District Writing Task for December. This is the first LAT essay that they wrote. They did a great job responding to the prompt and citing and explaining text evidence. After the students typed their essay, they proofread and edited their writing and used the “whispies” to whisper read their essay to listen for mistakes that needed to be revised. The kids chose the paper they wanted their final copies printed on to be published. Great job fifth graders!!
Ms. Cofrancesco, Reading Specialist
This week during RTI, students began each session with the Three Part Drill. Following that, the students learned a new concept and new Red Words each day. When students learned the new concept and Red words, they practiced the words using the multisensory approach. First graders,second graders, and third graders made gingerbread people using their new learned concept words. Check them out below :)
After word work, each group read a new book for their guided reading time. The students began by previewing the story to make predictions. Next, the students read the story. When the students read the story, they each had the chance to whisper read to the teacher. While a friend is whisper reading, the rest of the students are reading the story in their head. We have been working on this guided reading routine for many weeks now and the students are doing a great job with whisper reading. This allows the teacher to provide specific feedback to each child. Then, the students retold the story in the order the events occurred. Lastly, students verbally answered comprehension questions to show what they understood from their reading. If there was time left, students completed a retell rope or main idea organizer to extend their understanding of the story.
On Thursday and Friday, students worked on their grade level Mini PGP activity which was focused around Literacy.
Individualized Learning Pathway - Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth with Ms. Barsukova
In conclusion of the fall semester of the CTY verbal courses, students have been working diligently to complete a course portfolio to demonstrate mastery of a variety of standards developed by the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Throughout the completion of this assignment, students have been given the opportunity to create, reflect, and critique their own work in a way that was both constructive and positive. We are looking forward to sharing these presentations with parents, administrators, and classmates in the upcoming weeks.
ILP with Ms. Barsukova
- This week every grade in ILP had so much joy being involved in creative projects while showing their understanding of various skills we have been exploring this week. To get into the spirit of winter holidays all of our projects are a reflection of math, ELA, research, creativity, engineering, and thinking skills.
- During MiniPGP, Kindergarten learned about Christmas this week, how it is celebrated differently in different counties and created a hands-on project called a SnowGlobe. They are currently finishing up their Life Sized Person with lots of skills we have learned about, 2nd Graders worked tirelessly on the Script for their Fable, 5th Graders have began their journey of writing their own TedTalk x Hoboken, 4th Graders have been involved in writing a case for the potential Mock Trial, 1st Graders "traveled" to Russia, 3rd Graders have been working on preparing for the StEAM Tank presentations.
- During ILP, students in Kindergarten grade had lots of joy making a life sized person to go with the winter theme math and ELA skills that cover the following: Comparing two numbers with greater than-less than sign (more or fewer), Fact Family, and word problem. Students picked two digit numbers between 10 and 30 to compare, create a Fact Family, and write a word problem. The Word Problem Halas to be about subtraction because during holidays we want to share and give away something to show kindance’s and appreciation. While putting the pieces of a Life Sized Person together students got to add and subtract using the simple counting strategies that helped them figure out the final answer. They did a fantastic job with this activity!!
- During ILP, students in 1st Grade have been introduced to the multiplication method of Cookies and Chocolate Chips. Students did the groups of cookies with the amount of chocolate chips that are inside each cookie. Of course there are paper cookies drawn on chocolate chips to imitate the real dessert. Students have lots of fun making the paper cookies using the strategy with groups of in order to find the answer to the equation. Students did a splendid job!
- During ILP, students in 2nd Grade were introduced to the Multiplication Table. We learned how to use strategies such as “groups of” and “repeated addition” to help us complete the practice activities. We then proceeded with a creative and winter theme project of making a Multiplication Penguin. The projects came out so adorable and educational that students were jumping out of joy! The hat has the numbers that students particularly picked on their own to create a Fact Family. Inside the hat, students used the strategy of "groups of" to show their work of how they solved the multiplication equation. In the middle of the Pinguin is the multiplication and division fact family of the three numbers which were used for the hat. Then, students colored and cut out given templates to put together the Penguin. Splendid job!
- During ILP, 3rd Grade students have been applying skills of Fractions, Simplifying Fractions, Converting a Mixed Number into an Improper Fraction, and Identifying Fractions on the Number line to create a Clock and write a Winter Theme Holiday Word Problem that involves time. Then, whatever time the students get when solving their own word problem, that is the time they will use to convert it into a time in another country. This requires writing, research skills as well as it shows the connection to the other parts of the world by gaining understanding about other countries that exist on Earth. Students had a great amount of fun using the time to look up time in a different country with a different time zone to compare the time difference between the U.S. and another country.
- During ILP, 4th graders have been working on creating Cube Ornaments like the 5th Graders but with different skills to reflect on their understanding of the concepts and skills. They wrote the word problem involving a whole number and a fraction. Then, they wrote the equation based on the problem they have written. The writing reflected the Holiday Theme of kindness, effort, and showing help to the people in need. They did a great job!
- During ILP, 5th graders have been working on the Cube Ornament that has a writing of the Kindness Word Problem, Solving the equation, and Multiplying of Fractions. On each side of the Cube Ornament students showed their work, created their own original and creative word problems and solved them to show the answer. They did a fantastic job putting the project together! The final product will be accomplished on Monday!
Science with Ms. Stinson
In Ms. Stinson’s First Grade PLTW classes we are learning all about the Sun. In one activity this week, after watching a short video “All about the Sun”, the children were asked to write down one fact that they learned about the sun on a post it note. After everyone had written down their sun fact they got to present their fact to the class and their teacher! What an awesome job! After all the facts were read we attached them to a poster and posted it in their classrooms. Fine job First graders!!
Science with Miss Pinkas
In Science second grade is learning about pollination. In order to understand the process students completed the Cheeto Experiment,. The Cheetos represented the pollen and bags represented the flowers. Students used their finger bees to fly from flower to flower. This helped them understand how pollution occurs and how new flowers are created. After the experiment students completed their reflection sheets. They had so much fun!!!
Science with Mr. Donovan
The 4th graders were tasked with designing, building and testing a system to unload boxes of food at a community food pantry. The system must be able to move boxes of food a minimum of 12 feet. The model was scaled down to a scale of 1 inch = 1 foot. Using this scale, students have to be able to move boxes of food a minimum distance of 12 inches. The system must convert energy from one form to another to solve the problem. The group designed, built, tested and modified their design.
Music with Mr. Azzarto
Hello Connors family, the week of December 13th was all about getting
ready for our big concerts.
In Ms. Watson’s class, the students practiced singing the songs that they are going to perform on Tuesday the 21st.The Kindergarten and 1st grade are singing “Turkey Gobble”, “Dreidel Dreidiel”, “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”, and “Kwanza is Here”. They sound amazing and are so excited to perform for all of you! Here is Julia memorizing the lyrics.
Throughout the rest of the school each class sang many songs in preparation for the Connors Concert and the District Winter concert. The Connors Band also practiced and are ready to join in with the Wallace Band as we will be performing “Jingle Bells”, “Jolly Old St. Nickolas”, and “Up on the House Top”. The name of the band is called the “KoalaKatz” and they sounded amazing at our rehearsals that we had at the high school Monday and Tuesday. All the students are ready to rock the “houses”!
Mr. Favino's P.E. Class
This week in PE we continued our focus on the team sport of lacrosse and fitness strategies. Students had a class discussion about the skill related fitness concept of coordination and practiced coordination in a mini activity where they had to travel through hula hoops in different ways without altering them. In lacrosse, students focused on the skills of throwing and catching using their sticks. Students practiced throwing and catching with a partner with a goal of catching at least 8 passes from a partner. I was shocked by the hand-eye coordination all of our students showed all week and how quickly they were able to use the skill cues to their advantage. Fantastic week as always!
Ms. Capalbo's Art Class
This week in art, all classes are learning about a new artist. We are ranging from as early as the 1800s and as recent as 2021! We are performing mini art projects to learn the skill and craft of these artists in order to come together as a class and create a larger collaborative artwork! For example, Ms. Watson's class viewed artworks by Jackson Pollock, a mid 20th Century American artist. His art was anything but gentle. He painted with his entire body and called it, "action painting!" Very similar to the style we know as "splatter painting." With their aprons on and paint mats on the floor, Ms. Watson's class was able to create their own action painting! It was a little messy but the results were wonderful.
Thank you to everyone who participated in helping me create our Frosty the Snowman at the Arts & Literacy Night! He was able to watch all of you perform last night at the Winter Concert. Great job!
Mandarin with Ms. Jia
This week we practiced a dialog about family members. Students reviewed related vocabulary that includes personal pronouns, numbers, question words and verbs. They then were paired up with another student and practiced the dialog. At the end of the class students presented the conversation in pairs in front of the class and felt proud of themselves.
Passport to Learning Featured Enrichment Class
Mrs. White and Ms. Williams shared a fun activity with students in the science Palooza enrichment course during PTL. The topic of the day focused on density.
What is density?
The students learned that the density of an object determines whether it will float or sink in water. Each student received a different color clay (same size/amount). Then, the students were asked to make a prediction. The students predicted whether the clay would float or sink in water. Many students predicted that clay will sink in water. Then, we had a discussion about density followed by a hands on activity. First, the students put their clay into the water and the clay sinks at the bottom because its density is higher than the water. Next, the students used the clay to create a boat that can float in water. The students were excited to test whether their boats would float or sink. They made clay balls in different sizes and placed them inside their boats. As part of the experiment, students placed their boats in water. They investigative phase was exciting because the students were asked to analyze and discuss their results. Many students observed that their boats were taking on water and they needed to find a solution.
Then, the students were given an opportunity to make adjustments to their boat(s) based on their observations and analysis. This phase was repeated several times until the boat was floating. The students tested their boats by using ten clay balls. They loaded their boats with the balls to see if their boat could carry them without sinking. At second try, the clay boat floats, because its density is less than the surrounding water. The kids loved this activity, they kept trying their best to create a boat that would not sink easily.
Hoboken Public School District Calendar
Connors Calendar of Events
Thomas G. Connors Elementary School
Email: juliana.addi@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Website: http://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us
Location: 201 Monroe Street, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-356-3684