Second Grade

Ms. Denney

We have worked hard to create our own story problems in math this week. Students created a picture to go along with their problem and had the chance to solve their classmates. In science, students explored the properties of materials used for clothing, such as texture, flexibility, and absorbency. They used these observations to design a hat to protect them from the sun.

We have started to become detectives when looking at poems. We have been searching for how the author uses nouns, adjectives, and verbs in their writing. The K-2 classes came together this week for social studies to learn about Lunar New Year! Ask your child what they learned. 

Third Grade

Ms. Coté

The third graders made models of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks using salt water taffy. They observed and created detailed drawings of each stage of the rock cycle. They are now learning about the age of the Earth in layers, and learning that the youngest layer is on the top and the oldest is on the bottom. I am also reading them Grand Canyon by Jason Chin.

Middle School ELA

Ms. Cicchetti

Middle schoolers have been busy in ELA! Not only did we just complete Track My Progress for winter, but 5th and 6th graders have been working on expository writing pieces, while 7th and 8th graders have been reading historical fiction and nonfiction (respectively). The lower grades have been brainstorming topic ideas, researching them, and practicing taking notes (by hand!). Upper grades have been reading books they chose in two groups and culminating each week with self-led book group discussions. It's been a blast!

Middle School Social Studies

Mr. Breen

In 7th and 8th grade, we've been writing comparative essays on Harlem Renaissance poems and works of art. The kids are wrapping up their final drafts now and should have something they can share with you. Ask them about it! 

In 5th and 6th grade, we're gearing up to write our first student-driven research essay on Europe. Ask them what they think they want to research. The only strict guidelines is that it has to be about Europe, and it has to explain a connection between culture and people's environment. Right now they're finishing up some research on biking in the Netherlands and car traffic in Paris.

Music

Ms. Brooke

Happy Lunar New Year! We've had fun in the Elementary School learning about this springtime (imagine that?) welcoming, celebrated in many countries and territories in Asia. So we've turned our attention to the music of those regions and learned about, and watched, Lion and Dragon dancing. Kindergarten and First then created their own impromptu "dragon" parades around the school. 

Fifth grade is inspired by original literary works from one of their classmates and we plan to create something much larger from those as a class. More on that as it progresses!

Sixth through eighth graders have begun a project that will be completed over time: "The Soundtrack of My Life." I'm encouraging them to dig deep into meaningful moments of their lives and the music that signifies each. I am doing this alongside them and it's quite a journey! I intend to send some talking points home with them eventually so they can hear about meaningful songs/moments in the lives of their grownups, too. 

Library/Media

Ms. Simone

Fourth grade and I have finished our read aloud of Astrid the Unstoppable--thank you to Ms. Aurora and Mr. Walker for giving us some of their class time to read this middle grade fiction book from Norway! We have been discussing how the book conveys a sense of place, beyond what we can learn from encyclopedias and maps. Students will soon be choosing their own books, conducting independent research and making connections to the text they are reading.

Kindergarten

Ms. Kicza

The class observed animal pelts with Becky. They looked at them, felt them, compared, and matched photos of the animals with the pelts. They had good observations and questions. The group used and learned good vocabulary including camouflage, mammal, nocturnal, pelt, predator, and more.

We learned about how animals move and what their tracks look like. We learned to look for tracks in the snow, be careful and circle them so they don’t get stepped on, then observe them - looking at their size, shape, and distance apart - to learn more. Once we had good snow, the children had fun following tracks, finding which direction they went, and using field guides to identify them. The tracks took some of them on a fun adventure along the rock walls, looking for animal dens, making kid dens, and exploring new places.

Middle School STEM

Ms. Tremblay

Our older STEM students have been growing hydroponic lettuce, peppers, basil, collard greens and kale. They were able to harvest a second time! They provided fresh food for the salad bar, and then they made a snack of their basil, mozzarella, and balsamic dressing. 

Seventh and eighth grade STEM students have also designed and created games. Other students played them and gave them feedback. Our students then improved their work! 

Fifth and sixth grade STEM students have been learning about what makes the “just right” planet as scientists have been searching for alternative places for humans to live. They have also been learning about terms to describe the solar system and how our Earth plays a part. They practice these through a trivia board game.