Smith Intermediate Newsletter |
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March 2021 Events
3/1 Smith Orchestra starts, 3:15-4:15 p.m., Music Room
- Weekly meetings on Mondays--3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29
3/9 BOE Meeting 6:30 p.m.
3/10 Student Council starts, 3:10-3:45 p.m., Gymnasium
- Biweekly meetings on Wednesdays--3/10 and 3/24
3/11-3/19 SPCA Wish List Fundraiser
3/11 PTO Meeting 7 p.m.
3/15 Early Dismissal 12:30 p.m.
3/22 Spirit Day: School Purple and White
3/23 Spirit Day: Hawaiian
3/23 BOE Meeting 6:30 p.m.
3/24 Spirit Day: Disney
3/25 Spirit Day: Hero
3/26 Elementary Report Cards
3/29-4/2 No School
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State Tests
As you most likely have heard in the news, state testing for grades 3-8 in ELA and Math, and grade 4 Science will resume this year. Testing dates were previously scheduled for late April and early May. We are awaiting additional
information and guidance from our NYS Education Department regarding this year's testing.
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Erin's Law
In July of 2020, New York state became the 37th state to sign Erin’s law. Erin’s Law was founded by Erin Merryn, who is a survivor of child abuse and is now an activist against child abuse and maltreatment.
Erin’s Law addresses the need to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation of students in grades K-8. This legislation requires all NYS public schools to provide practical and age appropriate instruction on recognizing and understanding the signs of child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as providing information about where to find help.
We have partnered with the Cortland County Child Advocacy Center to provide this instruction. Their community outreach educators, Taylor Jandrew and Emily Thompson, with the support of our classroom teachers and our school social worker, will be teaching this curriculum beginning in March.
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PTO News- We are looking for a Treasurer!
Smith PTO will be looking for a treasurer for next year. If you have interest in serving as PTO treasurer for the 2021-22 school year, please contact our current PTO President, Maddie Reeners at maddiereeners@hotmail.com for more information.
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Thank you Cookies for Caregivers of Cortland County
Many thanks to Cookies for Caregivers for their cookie delivery to our school on Tue., Feb. 23. Our staff enjoyed a variety of over 30 scrumptious cookies.
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Art News from Mrs. Bieber |
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Hello! Hope you’re enjoying all the snow! It’s a winter wonderland out there!
The 4th grade students worked on a paper mosaic project with Ms. Potter (I completed it with them), who asked them to either tear and/or cut up complimentary colors (opposite on the color wheel) paper shapes. Then they needed to decide on a subject or keep it abstract, which they pencil drew in. The students glued the shapes to the black paper showing negative space (space in between) to make it look kind of like a stained glass window. Please enjoy Mr. Caravella’s 4th grade student’s paper mosaics...they’re fantastic!
We are honoring Black History Month by celebrating some South and West African cultures: Ghana’s Kente Cloths (3rd grade) and Ndebele Houses (4th grade).The students are experimenting making patterns and designs with cardboard and black paint, and will add color with oil pastels. We’ve learned a lot about these different traditions which helps us appreciate the lives of others. They are looking incredible, can’t wait to share next month!
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Positivity Project
Smith Intermediate students have been busy learning about the Positivity Project's Other People Matter Mindset (OPM), and the character strengths that help us develop and maintain positive relationships with others. Last month we learned about; Integrity, Love, Humility, and OPM- Cheering Others' Success. This month we will focus on; Enthusiasm, Social Intelligence, Love of Learning and Humility.
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PE Monthly Message
Welcome to Smith Intermediate School Physical Education Class. This is a monthly message to update you on what we are currently working on in class, and talk about our accomplishments so far!
This Month's Top Stories:
In Person Learning
This month our in-person learners will take part in a gymnastics and volleyball unit. Gymnastics combines muscular strength, muscular endurance, balance, and coordination skills through a variety of stations including tumbling, the uneven bars, the parallel bars, balance beam, and the vault. During the volleyball unit, students will learn and understand foundational skills such as serving, setting, passing, and spiking. They will also learn and explore various ways to volley using equipment such as racquets or paddles. Throughout each class, students keep their distance, wear their masks, and continue to improve their personal fitness within all activities.
Virtual Learning
This month our virtual learners will also be focusing on indoor volleyball activities such as using a balloon or a sock ball to practice passing to themselves within open space. Typically, students perform a warm-up activity, skill-based practice, and a monthly challenge. They are also assessed within both the psychomotor and cognitive domains by showing their skills and completing unit quizzes. In free time, they may be given time to go get active outside or play in the snow!
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Valentine’s Day P.E. Healthy Hearts activity from February!
Students put an activity on their heart cut-out that helps make their heart healthy!
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Virtual Play in the Snow Day! |
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February Winter Olympics Unit |
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Try this workout at home!!
7 Rounds for Time
- 7 squats
- 7 push-ups
- 7 power lunges
- 7 lying knee hugs
- 7 sumo squats
- 7 push-ups with plank jack
- 7 burpees
Source: blondponytail.com
Feel free to contact us at any time with questions, concerns,
or for more connection!
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Music News from Mrs. Shelley
Two of the standards that we are working on this trimester in the music room are composing/creating music, and responding to what we hear in music.
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How Music Expresses Different Moods
Recently, all of our Smith School students have been learning about how music expresses different moods and can make the listener feel different emotions based on how it sounds. Students watched some short video examples of a television character experiencing different moods and emotions, and discussed how the music that they heard matched what the emotion was that they saw happening in the video clips.
We also did some acting in the music room and students made up poses as if they were a statue and had to show a specific mood through their pose. The pictures are of Miss Costello’s class showing silly, bravery, and anger. Can you tell which is which?
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Composing and Creating Music |
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Our students also became composers and created songs on a website called “Chrome Music Lab”. Each of their songs had to sound like a mood or emotion that they had individually pre-chosen. Finally, students listened to their classmates’ composed songs, and tried to identify what mood they thought that each student composer had been trying to create, and what they heard in the songs that made them guess that mood.
It was a fun little group of lessons that allowed students to become composers, explore different feelings and learn a little bit about how to express them through music.
Here are some examples of student composed songs. Can you guess what mood or emotion they were trying to show through their music?
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Library News
4th graders continue to work on their turtle research project, this month we focused on finding source information to make citations. We are using a citation creation website called Noodletools. In doing this, our 4th graders are taking the next step in being responsible users of information by crediting where they found their information. When we research, it is always important to think about where you find your information. Some places, especially on the Internet, can mislead us. Consider where you find your information, do you check more than one place when finding information?
3rd graders are learning about the Dewey Decimal System (DDS) and why we use it in the library. We’ve read about the different subjects you can find in the DDS with The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle and matching the sections to the characters that we read about in the book. We are also working on finding books in our own library that come from the 10 sections of the Dewey Decimal System. This system has been in libraries for over 100 years and it has helped keep books in libraries organized for a long time. Understanding how each section focuses on different subjects will help students learn where they can find information in libraries.
Always remember to take good care of your books and your Chromebooks! We want these tools that we use for learning to last a long time, so make sure that you keep them somewhere safe and clean! If something does happen to these tools, please bring them in, we will see what we can do to fix them.
Always try to do your best!
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SPCA Wish List Fundraiser March 11-19
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Animal Supplies
Dog and Cat Food (wet and dry)
Kitty Litter
Cardboard Cat Scratchers
Small Litter Boxes
Cat Toys
Used Blankets and Sheets
Used Towels and Washcloths
Pill Pockets
Squeeze Cheese
Peanut Butter
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Office Supplies
Copy Paper
Gift Cards
Cleaning Supplies
Hand Sanitizer
Glass Cleaner
13 Gallon Trash Bags
Bleach
Laundry Detergent
Paper Towels
Clorox Cleanup
Dish Soap
Toilet Paper
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News From The Nurse
Physicals:
All 3rd graders and new 4th graders are required to have a physical exam, a well-child visit. This applies to all students, remote and in-person learners. I recently sent letters home to the students who need physicals. If you received a letter, please schedule your child’s physical and have it faxed to me.
Reminders:
Emails count as written excuses, phone calls do not.
Email when your child is absent, tardy, or dismissed with a reason.
Pack a change of clothes for unexpected spills/accidents.
Stay home if you are sick! All students sent home with signs of Covid-19, will require written proof of a negative test or an alternative diagnosis prior to their return to school.
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Get Social With Us @CECSD_Smith |
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Stay tuned for our newsletter next month!
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