Today’s Question: What can students do to help create an effective classroom with a focus on learning?

Dear Students and Families,

I cannot wait for school to begin next Tuesday and to meet all of you. Many magical experiences await our class. 

I understand that there may be some confusion about the supplies needed. I would like to take a moment to clear up the matter. When the 5th grade supply list was created and sent to the PTA, marble notebooks were inadvertently left off of the list. I noticed this when I was composing my letter to be sent home and added the five journals that I use in my class. Apparently, our principal noticed as well and added seven journals to the supply list that was posted on the website. To my knowledge, anyone who ordered the PTA supply box will not receive the journals because they were not included in the original list. In the end, the students in my class will need only 5 marble notebooks, preferably in the colors listed in the letter.  ( red for Social Studies, blue for Math, yellow for Reading, green for Science and black for Reading Response, if possible. If you have a difficult time finding the colors, black will be suitable.)

I apologize for any confusion you may have experienced and look forward to a wonderful year together.

Ms. O’Brien

 

 

I can’t stop the feeing…of happiness that spreads over me when I think of our times together. You are a wonderful group of individuals. I hope you will continue to support each other throughout your years of schooling. Listen to each other’s opinions. Accept each other’s differences and support each other through good times and bad.

I watched the CLE “Can’t Stop the Feeling” video many times and really could not choose one person as the best airdancer. (Did you know there is a term for that object?) Aaron really got into it – especially with his hair. Sofia’s got the moves! Zach, Noah and Sean look fantastic, too. Then there’s Vivian, Tessa, Amelia and Mariel who have some awesome moves. Catherine, James and Alex R. are all smiles. Even Jake is not to be missed. Oh, and if Luke had been present, he might have been the clear winner. 😉

Have you been reading? I know the vacation just started, but be sure to keep up the routine of reading every day. In my house, we each read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and had book chats during which we critiqued the book. If you aren’t a teacher’s child, consider yourself lucky. 🙂 I’ve moved onto reading about setting up an organic garden and outdoor activities in New Hampshire and Maine.

I will miss each of you.

Ms. O’Brien

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The last two weeks have been PACKED with activities. Here are a few photos from our Philly trip, a career presentation by Ms. Winters (Noah’s mom) who is a movie producer, and our end=of=the=year party. What a fantastic year we have had together.

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Patriotism is the word of the month for our Character Education program. On May 26th we will come together as a school community and wear red, white and blue. Patriotism is the quality of being supportive for one’s country. One way to show devotion to our country is to honor and respect the American flag. Pam Ryan’s The Flag We Love reminds us of our country’s ideals.

Ronald Reagan said, “If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.” Another way to show your patriotism is to honor our service men and women. Vetiquette is a character education program that teaches children the importance of showing gratitude for our veterans and particularly for gold star families (families that have lost an immediate family member in service to our country). Please make sure you read the biography of the service member assigned to our class. We will create a tribute quilt which will be gifted to the service member’s family. Here are additional biographies of some true American Heroes.

The Falcon Naming Contest is now happening on the newnybridge website, and it’s time to vote for the CLE Final name: Flash!

Please encourage the children in your class to vote. Once they finish, tell them to get their brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, their Dad’s old college roommate in Minneapolis… you get the idea. Basically, anyone with an internet connection can vote, so have at it. Here is a link to the voting system and more information.

Name That Bird! New Tappan Zee Falcon Hatchling Debuted on April 10

Mrs. Natalie Boelman and Mrs. Mary McLean-Hely will be keeping all of us informed of the Migration Mystery through a series of blog posts. If you want to learn more about the Earth and its animals you will enjoy all of this information.

NASA scientists are in the field and write home to tell about it.

Read their blog posts:

• April 25, 2016 Meet Five New Space Robins
• April 21, 2016 Migration Mystery: Listen to the singing!
• April 18, 2016 Welcome to Alberta, Canada!
• April 12, 2016 A Migration Mystery

 

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Conserving water, greenhouse gases, recycling plastic bags, … were just a few of the topics presented at our first Earth Day Fair. The students in my Science classes worked with partners to create games that were to inform students about topics related to caring for the Earth, while engaging the students in fun activities. Most partnerships or groups of three researched a topic and created an information board to which the visitors could refer to answer questions, enabling them to then engage in an activity and possibly earn a “prize.” Plastic caps were the prizes. And, boy were they coveted! Why? If a class collected enough caps, they could earn the chance to have no homework for one night. Never before were plastic caps so valuable.

 

Not only did the visitors (mostly 3rd and 4th grade students from classes that have been paired with my class and Mr. Krump’s class) have fun, however, but when asked what we could do better next year, the students in my class responded, “This was the best day ever!” Mind you, it was the last day of the state math test, too. 😉