Fiske Monthly News
March 2018
Welcome!
News from The Principal, Thomas Martellone
As a school and as a district, we've been working over the past few years to support the social and emotional learning of students while also addressing their academic needs. This focus is at the forefront of many schools' work, as educators have felt that students may not access academic learning when other needs compete.
At Fiske we have been busy with this work as well, and after reflecting on the work we've done, I feel we've made great strides in balancing both academic and social needs, AND we continue to look for new ways to improve.
Some things we've put into place to support social emotional learning are:
- Morning meeting time for students (Responsive Classroom) to build class communities and help children learn about expectations.
- Consistent language around redirecting behaviors and addressing unexpected and unwanted behaviors.
- Implementing a school wide positive behavior support system (PBIS) using our core values of respect, responsibility and best effort and recognizing students meeting expectations.
- Dedicated teaching time each year helping students learn and understand what our expectations are, which contribute to a safe and orderly school.
- Using the first 3 weeks of school to teach classroom expectations, build community and practice our school core values.
- Creating opportunities to relieve stress and promote engagement and play (Global School Play Day) and Make It Move It Thursdays.
- Tier One classroom instruction for all students through our school counselor to support the developmental social needs of students (2 lessons per grade level).
- Targeted interventions that support students who may need additional help with pro-social skills (friendship groups, lunch groups, etc.)
- Increased social worker time to support Tier III needs of students.
As always, if this is of interest to you, please do not hesitate to contact me or talk to your child's teacher!
News from the Assistant Principal, Brian Baker
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It’s hard to believe that the last weeks of the school year are upon us! The months of May and June are marked by lots and lots of excitement and activity as we prepare to send our 5th graders off to middle school, to promote our current students to the next grade level and to welcome our incoming Kindergartners. There are field trips, assemblies, performances and other opportunities for families to come in and volunteer in a variety of ways.
As we wrap up our Math and Science/Engineering MCAS testing in grades 3-5 this month, I would like to thank all of the parents and guardians for making sure your child arrived to school on time and was well rested on days when their class was testing. The Fiske staff continues to work diligently to support the success and happiness for each and every student. This school year, I have seen so much growth and success throughout the entire building. It brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
I am proud to say that Fiske is a school of continuous learners. We certainly are doing something right for all of our students! This is due mainly, because we are partnering and coordinating our efforts with each and every family. We care very much about the whole child, and by working with you, the families, we have created a very special place for children to feel safe, successful and most importantly, happy. I am so proud of this community and look forward to a very positive and strong finish to the school year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Baker
Kindergarten News, from Mrs. Button, Mrs. Maestri and Mrs. Shanahan
We just completed our “in-house” field trip by Windows on Wildlife. The program showed various aspects of raptor life such as where they live, what special features they have developed for survival, and where they fit in the web of life. The The children got to meet 3 raptors, all owls in varying sizes who are considered “non-releasable due to their inability to survive in the wild.
We also had a chance to discover more about the wonderful world of eggs and the animals that lay them. This was another entertaining Science Enrichment program sponsored by the PTO that the children are fortunate to experience in Kindergarten.
Thinking locally, Kindergarten classes are getting ready for our May field trip to Lexington Center. We look forward to visiting the Cary Library to receive our very first library card, stopping at the post office to mail a letter, and visiting Rancatore’s. We are fortunate to be able to take The Lexpress Bus, our local public transportation. This field trip shows children how much fun they can have right here in their own hometown. This field trip supports our Social Studies unit on Community and Community helpers. Keep an eye out for upcoming dates and details.
Grade One News, from Mrs. Shew, Mrs. Torpey, and Mrs. Wallace
Writing News
Hats off to our first graders who have been actively engaged during the months of April and May while learning about, reciting and writing poetry. The children have been working independently and with each other to write their own creative poems focusing on a variety of components such as rhyming, beat, rhythm, patterns, line breaks and many others. Being creative is a must, and these first graders have proven to be just that! Next up, Writing Like Scientists!
Reading News
Our next unit is “Meeting Characters and Learning Lessons”. First Graders will be focusing on learning all they can about their stories and characters to understand their books and make meaningful connections while reading. Some skills we will be practicing during this unit are: retelling to understand even more, noticing relationships between characters and discovering the lessons familiar stories teach.
Math News
The first graders are in the middle of a unit on Geometry and will be moving onto money next. During the Geometry unit, we have been focusing on naming and describing shapes, attributes, and equal shares (fractions). When we move into money we will start with coin identification.
Science
Our last science unit “Organisms” will be starting soon. The children will begin by observing and comparing their guppies, snails, pill bugs and Bess beetles in the science journals. We will also be learning about plants during this unit.
Social Studies
For the next three weeks the children will practice American Symbols on Parade. So far they sound wonderful and enjoy practicing. The show is Friday, May 25th at 9am. We would love to see you there!Grade Two News from Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Dinsmore, Mrs. Gobiel, and Mrs. Johnson
Just as spring is in full swing, so is the growth and maturity of our second graders! As the school year’s end is quickly approaching, we are completing the final units of learning.
In Math Unit 9, we continued to build on our knowledge of geometry from Unit 6. Students developed foundational understanding of fractions as equal parts of a whole by partitioning circles and rectangles into equal parts, and describing shapes using the words: halves, thirds, half of, etc. Students learned that equal shares of identical wholes do not need to be the same shape. Pattern blocks were used to model equal parts and as a tool to solve fraction problems.
In Unit 10, we continued to measure and estimate lengths using standard units. Students had to show and interpret data using picture graphs or bar graphs. An important focus was to see if students could select the correct measurement tool and use it accurately. Students also were expected to reason and explain when estimating length or capacity (how much something holds). Math center activities included comparing measurements of length in inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
Our Series Book Clubs continued through the month of May. By the end of the unit, students understood that series have predictable patterns and characters. Book clubs became experts on the characters of the books they read, and developed necessary skills to carry out a successful book talk. Sharing their opinions about books, politely disagreeing with a peer, citing evidence in the text, and sustaining the conversation were all demonstrated.
The experiences of book clubs further developed the work we began last month during our Writing Gripping Fiction unit. Students were able to improve their own writing by trying out craft moves from mentor texts. Students also made connections to the characters and problems in the series books they read, and used those inspirations to create stories of their own. At this point in second grade, students are working to strengthen their stories by revising with the support of a writing partner. They are also checking their writing pieces for capitalization, spelling and punctuation errors.
Our science unit, Nature’s Partners began with a story about a girl in India, named Tarala, who wanted to create a hand pollinator to help pollinate the apple blossoms of her family’s orchard. The focus for students was to understand that scientists create and use models to represent, collect evidence, and make predictions about things that are difficult to observe directly. By studying the fast plants and life cycle of the caterpillar to butterfly, students worked to develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool (hand pollinator). The essential questions we focused on were:
How do organisms change over time?
How do insects and plants depend on one another?
How can technology/engineering help solve problems in the natural world?
Students were expected to keep detailed notes and drawings of the fast plants and caterpillar metamorphosis. Students worked collaboratively to create and revise models for hand pollinators before having an opportunity to test them out. Our spring Big Backyard walk provided us the needed experience to observe and collect data about insects found around Fiske, so we could make adaptations to our hand pollinators. As always, the highlight of this unit is the releasing of the butterflies in our outdoor garden space. Happy Spring!
Grade Three News from Mrs. Aufiero, Mr. Halfond, Mrs. Owen and Ms. Williams
The third graders are thrilled to have completed their first round of MCAS testing. In preparation for the test, third graders practiced careful reading strategies and focused on using evidence from the text to support their thinking. We are so proud of their hard work. Our mathematics MCAS testing will be on May 7th and May 8th.
“Research Clubs” is the focus of our current reading unit. During this unit students have the opportunity to research, in a small group, different animals. Animals we may research include spiders, sharks, penguins, snakes and frogs. We will focus on activating background knowledge and integrating what we think we know about our animal with the new information we collect. With our partners, we will synthesize information from multiple resources to find the main ideas and details to support our main ideas. We will have to reason and think critically when we find contradictory information. We will work on summarizing our information in order to present our research to our peers.
Mathematically speaking, we are studying polygons (specifically quadrilaterals) and their attributes. We have made and interpreted different graphs as well as learned about measurement of capacity. We have been practicing our multiplication facts, including extension facts with multiples of 10. Soon we will dive into our next math-in-context unit entitled Muffles Truffles. During this unit, through the story of our befuddled truffle-maker Muffles, students will learn about the distributive, commutative, and associative properties of multiplication as they practice these skills by ‘boxing” truffles in open array combinations. Students love this unit as we learn about multiplication and division while “working” in a candy shop
In science, we have been comparing, contrasting and testing the properties of five mystery powders. The final activity will be to identify these mystery powders through the data collected in our experiments. Ask your little scientist to tell you more! Goggles not required!
Grade Four News from Ms. Hoffman, Mrs. Jaffe, Ms. Michael, and Mr. Wilde
In literacy, we have launched a new unit focusing on Civil Rights. This exciting new literacy and social studies unit of study combines reading and writing about a historical time period with the opportunity to look at a variety of primary sources and perspectives. Comparing and contrasting specific historical time periods to life today helps students understand groups and movements that have shaped significant historical changes and continuities in our country. This unit builds upon our Immigration Unit when students started learning about the forced migration of Africans and, later, the Great Migration of African Americans in the 1930s and 40s.
Fourth graders continue to be very busy in Science studying our classroom crayfish. Students have been learning about physical and behavioral adaptations and how these changes ensure the survival of their species. In addition, students have used their knowledge of the engineering and design process to design, build and test shelters for our classroom creatures. We enjoyed a visit from the Museum of Science that focused on adaptations, and we are very excited for our upcoming trip to the Lexington Reservoir on May 21st. A big thank you to all families who volunteered to join us on this adventure!
We were so proud of these marvelous mathematicians as they worked so diligently on the computer-based MCAS tests! Our mathematicians are about to embark on an exciting three week challenge that will reinforce concepts and skills such as fractions, geometry, and patterns.
In social studies, students have completed their exploration of the different US regions We have now moved south to Mexico to study the geography, culture, and history. Students we be exploring the similarities and differences between Mexico and the United States and will soon become experts on Mexican culture. We will have our Fourth Grade Mexican Fiesta on the afternoon of Friday, June 1st. This special event marks the culmination of our study of Mexico and will be a festive way to celebrate the end of the school year!
Grade Five News from Mrs. Belletti, Mrs. Gavrin, Mrs. McMahon and Ms. Springfield
Writing:
In the fifth grade we have been working on writing our memoirs. To get our brains thinking about this topic the fifth grade teachers decided to do a few fun activities including our six word memoirs and our memoir posters.
To start out, we brainstormed different six word phrases or six meaningful words to each individual. This activity helped us think of important events in our lives and concepts in life that were meaningful to us.
For the memoir posters our fifth grade teachers asked us to bring in photos that we thought were meaningful and important throughout our lives. We had fun creating a collage with these photos to represent our lives in pictures. These two activities led up to the core lesson which we fifth graders are currently writing.
These memories are small stories or events in our lives that either changed your life in some way, had a big impact on your life in some way, made you realized something or changed your thinking about something. Even though they might not be a 200 page novel, they still have meaning and importance to us. After our presentation by Mrs. Taylor, it left us feeling motivated and inspired to start writing our very own memoirs.
- Katie K. and Maddie M., Ms. Springfield’s Class
Reading:
In fifth grade we just finished ELA MCAS and now we moved on to working on reading news articles and we are learning how to annotate the text as we are reading. This strategy has helped us to understand the text more deeply. Lately this week we read an article about what we were doing in science, ecosystems and we annotated the text and after we read the article finish we answered some questions that came along with it. Additionally we have been reading non-fiction books set on one topic with a group of classmates and examining the text for text features like the table of contents of headings subtitles, captions and many more.
Along with annotating and finding text features inside nonfiction texts we have been taking notes in a format called boxes and bullets. Boxes and bullets is where there is one main idea and following ideas that support the main idea. For example the main idea is helping the environment stay clean some supporting details may include not littering in your community and instead placing it inside the nearest trash or recycling bin. Then to conclude that part up our class had lots of fun making text posters to sum up our learning. Another thing we did for reading was we all got an article, everybody got the same one, it was about butterflies we had a partner and we would cut up parts of the article and we added a dictionary to it and we would cut up pictures and color them in, and if we finished early we would add some color for decoration.
Juliana L. & Ava R., Ms. Springfield’s Class
Science:
After our exciting water transformations unit, we are busy learning information about ecosystems in our brains, to prepare for the upcoming Science MCAS.
We are creating our own ecosystems (how exciting is that!?), by using a cut up bottle. This may sound boring, but these ecocolumns have seeds to sprout and fish and other organisms to wait for. We have split the ecocolumn into two pieces- an aquarium in the bottom, and a terrarium on the top. So far, we have only water and gravel in the aquarium, and gravel, soil, and black mustard seeds in the terrarium. We hope these seeds will grow to be good, strong plants, home to new creatures.
As for the aquarium, we are preparing to plant elodea, duckweed, and adding algae and other organisms. These creatures will hopefully thrive as well.
We are very excited for the completion of these ecocolumns, since we love new chances to learn and grow.
- Erika B. and Maya G., Ms. Springfield’s Class
Math:
In 5th grade we are working on Line graphs and line plots, metric conversions, and volume and area. We also learned the order of operations, PEMDAS.
Metric conversions are one of our main focuses this year, we learned the phrase “King Henry Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk” This helps us remember Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Unit, Deci, Centi, Milli. We’ve learned when you move down, you divide by 10, when you move up, you multiply.
Diving Deeper into the realm of geometry we’ve learned about calculating area and volume. First we start with 2d shapes, learning how to calculate the area of squares and rectangles, and moving on to shapes made up of more than one rectangle/square. After we’d mastered length times width equals area, added another dimension- height. We first found out a formula and why it worked, Length x width x height, is volume. Now we’re working on calculating volume for shapes made up of multiple rectangular prisms.
Also this year in 5th grade we not only learned about line graphs but we also learned about line plots. On these plots and graphs we learned how to put data on them and compare different things to each other. We also learned about the X and Y axes and labeling are graphs.
This year we learned about the order of operations and PEMDAS. Some ways to remember which goes first in PEMDAS is the saying “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” meaning parenthesis, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction. Something good to know about PEMDAS is that multiplication and division are a pair and addition and subtraction are a pair.
We’ve sure learned a lot in math and we’ll continue to in 5th grade and beyond!
-Esme B. and Grace P., Miss Springfield’s class
Specialist News
Counseling News from Mrs. Pirone
As the end of the year fast approaches keeping your child focused and motivated can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you and your child through the end of the school year.
Tips to get your kids through the end of the school year
BY CHERYL EMBRETT | MAY 2, 2012
As the days get longer and the weather warmer, the last place your child wants to be is in the classroom. “Attention seems to drop as the thermometer rises,” says Kimberley Smith, a primary teacher in Dartmouth, NS, and mother of three. “The end of the school year is a tough time for everyone.”
While little Vivian or Dillon may not have the same enthusiasm for school when spring fever strikes, mid-May to mid-June is a crucial time for them to stay on track academically. “I used to tell my students it’s like the playoffs,” says Laura Mayne, a former elementary teacher and a co-author of Meet the Teacher: How to Help Your Child Navigate Elementary School. “This is when you really buckle down because your teacher is gathering marks for your final report cards and you want to do your best work.”
Even when tests are over and report cards are filed, students are still soaking up those last bits of curriculum they need before they advance to the next grade. They’re just doing it in a more relaxed environment.
Teachers must dig deep in their little bag of tricks to keep students from coasting – or bouncing off the walls – until the last bell rings, and parents do, too. But don’t sweat it. These tips will help get your little scholar through the home stretch with your sanity intact.
Stick to routine
As tempting as it is to slip into summer-relaxed mode, don’t abandon the routines and structures you’ve relied on all year. Now that it’s light outside later, the kids may be clamouring for you to move back bedtime, but they still need to be tucked in at a reasonable hour. “I sometimes see parents out shopping with their kids at 9:30 on a school night,” says Smith. “They’re relieved that things are winding down and they think it doesn’t matter. But if my kindergarten-aged kids don’t get enough sleep, they cry, they’re cranky and they can’t do their work.” The same holds true for older kids—and exhausted parents.
Regular routines, including healthy snacks and lunches, also help kids cope with the excitement of movie days, field trips and other end-of-school treats and activities. “I’ve seen some kids who are just ‘Woo-hoo!’ out-of-control this time of year,” says Mayne. “It helps to reinforce that although things may be a little more free-form at school, your expectations and the teacher’s expectations for behaviour are still the same.”
Take it outside
Research shows that spending more time outdoors improves children’s concentration in school, lessens aggression and improves their ability to cooperate. It’s “a giant relief valve for everyone in the family,” writes outdoor lifestyle expert Rebecca Cohen in 15 Minutes Outside, a month-by-month collection of 365 easy and enjoyable ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids.
Try moving homework outside whenever possible—your kids will enjoy the novelty and be less likely to complain. Draw math equations in chalk on the driveway, act out a history lesson in the local park or curl up on the front porch to read aloud. “If you give kids lots of opportunities to be outside after school and in the early evening, they won’t be looking out the window as much during the school day thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I was out there,’” says Mayne. All that fresh air and the opportunity to let off steam also makes tackling any remaining after-dinner homework and bedtime easier.
Plan ahead
Get a head start on preparing your child to make the transition from one grade to another, and from in-school learning to summer learning. If she’s struggling at school, schedule a meeting with the teacher and get some suggestions on enriching summer activities to help her improve her skills, advises Smith. If you’re planning a trip, pick up a few books about the places you’ll be visiting. Reading a child’s edition of Anne of Green Gables, for example, will fuel your child’s imagination about PEI, if that’s your destination. Tying your vacation to literature or— literature to your vacation—is a great way to encourage reading in those last few weeks of school and into the summer.
Your child might also enjoy writing and illustrating a letter of introduction to next year’s teacher, or to a younger student who will be in her grade level the following year telling her what to expect and how to prepare. (It can be as simple as “Buy a good lunchbox, find out where the bathrooms are and have fun!”) Check in with her current teacher first, or suggest it as a class project.
Acknowledge progress
Encourage your child to reflect back on her school year and think about what she’s learned, what was challenging, how she dealt with it and what she’s proud of. Mayne and her daughter would sit down together to sort through all the artwork, projects and writing that she collected over the year and choose a few pieces to keep as mementos. “There was a lot of, ‘Omigosh, look at what my printing used to look like,’” she laughs. “It’s a real motivator for kids when they look back at their work. It reinforces just how far they’ve come.”
As the kids count down (and you do, too!), start planning something special to mark the last day of class. It’s important to end the year on an upbeat note, says Smith, whether it’s a school’s-out scavenger hunt, a class picnic in the park or a backyard barbecue complete with cake and balloons. “School isn’t just about academics, it’s very much a social thing, too. Kids need a chance to celebrate the friendships and relationships they’ve made in the classroom all year.” And after a year of packing lunches, overseeing homework and getting little dawdlers out the door on time, parents deserve to join in the celebration, too.
Art News from Mrs. O'Leary and Ms. Walker
Wow, Where has this year gone! Here are some highlights of what will be doing in May and June:
Grade K
We are working on “My Art Books”. The activities in this book are a review of all things we’ve learned this year. We started the pages about shapes, line, and a self-portrait. Coming up – texture, neutral colors, secondary and primary colors, warm and cool colors and all about and pattern.
Grade 1
We will soon start to design decorations for the American Symbol Parade. This 2-3 week project will focus on lettering and decorating American Icons. Look for this art when the parade comes to town on 5/25! Coming soon - spring flowers, a small Matisse like painting and what to pack for summer vacation.
Grade 2
We designed a geometric shape book cover, for our soon to be 3rd grade folders. We will soon be working on a “Bug’s” eye view of a flower, with flowers inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe. We will also be designing the ultimate dream house project inspired by the Taj Mahal.
Grade 3
Students will be finishing up a maske project. Students will soon be sculpting a self-portrait of what they want to be when they grow up, inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “Maybe you should fly a jet! Maybe you should be a vet! The students will make clothing and set them in an illustrated scene. We will also be working on a silhouette type painting on a warm color background. Hopefully we will illustrating a book, inspired by Henry Rousseau.
Grade 4
We have just completed Mexican inspired paper cut square and will create another artwork for the Fiesta! We will look at the work of Paul Klee and design a painting using overlapped symbols for planets with black paint, florescent colored paint and iridescent glitter. We will be working on a Celtic stained glass like design as well as a giant face card.
Grade 5
We have been designing our own Campbell Soup Cans. We will practicing drawing a city in one point perspective. We will also be designing starbursts with our names for graduation, based on the Pop Art style of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Look for your son or daughter’s during graduation.
That should wrap it up!
ELL News from Mrs. Hine and Mrs. Murphy
Our kindergarten classes are working together on read alouds of fairy tales and practicing our oral English around literature. We are examining character, setting, and plot, and building our background knowledge of much loved stories such as Rumplestiltskin, The Ugly Duckling, and Three Billy Goats Gruff.
In first grade we finished our study of American symbols in preparation for the 1st grade preparation. Students read books on American symbols and studied academic vocabulary connected to this unit. We have embarked upon a fairy tale genre study. In this unit we are working on acquiring new academic vocabulary as well as reading fluency. After each fairy tale we read students engage in reader’s theatre. They love using expression in their reading, and being actively engaged with the text. Our second graders are working hard on reading strategies in conjunction with our reading specialist. We are learning techniques to break down words to move forward. Ms. Hine’s second graders finished their shared writing persuasive letter. We are working on realistic fiction by reading mentor texts, using sequencing story tiles and working with the students’ writing pieces from their writing workshop in the classroom. The third grade group is finishing up a science unit on states of matter. We will begin our work on a reader’s theater related to the concept of weather and matter called “Melt the Snow”. Fourth graders are working on wordless math problems using manipulatives in order to cement various concepts for the language and content of math. They will begin learning academic vocabulary to coincide with the social studies civil rights unit from social studies. Fifth grade students finished their timelines and are working on their digital writing pages of their memoirs/autobiographies. They will be recording their pages soon.
PE News from Mr. Spiller and Ms. Murphy
Grades 3-5 recently completed their FITNESSgram assessments. Great job everyone! I appreciate your hard work and best effort. Our lacrosse skills unit will begin in May and we will then enter our baseball/softball skills unit. Just a reminder that our Field Day is Thursday June, 7th. Please consider volunteering for this fun day.
Music News from Mr. Hart and Mrs. London
Greetings from the Music Room….
Come celebrate music at Fiske and see some performances! Here are the remaining performances for the year:
Third Grade Recorder Performance:
Thursday, May 24 at 11:30 in the gym.
Fifth Grade Chorus/Band/Strings Concerts:
Wednesday, May 30, at 9am and 7pm in the gym.
Meanwhile, these are things you might see or hear if you walked by the music room at Fiske:
Kindergarten: Singing the Tall Tall Tree song, playing the Button Game, and singing about frogs.
1st Grade: Moving like trains, singing about hammers and nails, and using our singing voice for the Doggy Doggy game.
2nd Grade: Learning about bar lines, measures, time signatures, and making fancy Le Menus.
3rd Grade: Recorder Madness continues! Concert is Thursday, May 24 at 11:30 in the gym.
4th Grade: Great performance! Now we are on to If You Dance… and 4 White Horses.
5th Grade: Practicing our chorus songs; a Sara Bareilles song about being Brave, and spiritual, and rain song, and Mr. Kerr will lead us in a canon.
Library News from Mrs. Kishpaugh
May will bring part two of Digital Citizenship library lessons for grades 1 through 5. Following up on lessons from October, students will be learning about what it means to be a good digital citizen. These lessons are part of a digital citizenship curriculum developed by Lexington Public Schools in collaboration with Instructional Technology specialists, Guidance and Counseling, classroom teachers, and Library Media specialists. Many of the videos and lessons are from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, a fantastic resource for parents and educators.
Each grade will focus on the following topics:
1: My Online Neighborhood
2: Pause and Think Online (featuring the world’s catchiest song!)
3: Staying Safe Online
4: You’ve Won a Prize!
5: Digital Footprint
The digital citizenship lessons for library classes were developed in a spiral fashion, so many key ideas will repeat in later grades, including middle and high school. The main objective of developing this curriculum was to give educators common language and themes across the grades and across the district. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional information regarding the Digital Citizenship curriculum.
Math News from Mrs. Rawding
Books are to reading - as play is to math.... enjoy puzzling, thinking, wondering, and playing with your child! And here are a couple resources for you and your child to puzzle with:
→ Math Before Bed - What do you notice? What do you wonder?
https://mathbeforebed.com/2018/04/25/bank-robbers/
→ Check out this game of 15 ~ Choose 3 numbers to make 15...while your opponent is trying to do the same thing! Play online:
http://www.transum.org/Software/Fun_Maths/Games/Fifteen.asp
Happy Puzzling!!
Literacy News from Mrs. Azeredo, Ms. Jones and Mrs. Kelley
Tips for Supporting Readers:
What Kind of Thinking Should My Child Be Doing?
All readers use a network of processing systems to help them comprehend what they are reading. Readers use many strategic actions before, during and after reading. It is important to know that even when your children is reading on their own they can still benefit from discussions with you about their thinking. The following is a prompting guide for you to help your child dig deep into their thinking about reading.
Thinking within the text:
Solve Words
Monitor and Correct
Search and Use Information
Summarize
Maintain Fluency
Thinking Beyond the Text:
Predict
Make Connections
Synthesize
Infer
Thinking About the Text:
Critique
Analyze
You can help them to do this work by asking the following questions:
Does what you said make sense?
Does that word sound right?
Does that word look right?
What happened in the story?
What will happen next? Why do you think that?
What does this remind you of?
Why do you think the author wrote this?
How does the message of this book help you think about your own life?
How does the author want you to change after reading this book?
What is the genre of this book? How do you know?
How is the book organized? Why do you think the writer presents the information in this way?
What does the writer do to keep you interested?
Health Office News from Mrs. O'Connell
We are so joyful that the warm weather and sunshine is finally here, unfortunately it follows rain that fosters a large amount of mosquitoes and insects on the playground and school yard. Parents are encouraged to please apply an insect repellent before school to prevent bites. Insect bites can be very distracting to the child and disruptive to learning.
Ticks are another concern. Some tips to remember are:
1. Don’t walk bare footed or bare legged in areas such as woods and tall grasses where ticks might be found.
2. If you do walk in these places, wear light colored clothing so any ticks will be more visible.
3. Wear long sleeves and longs pants tucked into socks.
4. Check yourself and your child carefully after being outside.
Sun safety is yet another concern. Please consider applying sunscreen on exposed skin at home before school. Also, encourage hydration by sending in water bottles or containers with your child.
Thank you, and may we all enjoy the beautiful weather!
Fiske Elementary School
Email: tmartellone@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us
Website: http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Domain/12
Location: 55 Adams Street, Lexington, MA, United States
Phone: (781) 541-5001
Twitter: @fiskeschool