African Road Elementary School

May 2015

Dear African Road Parents and Families,

Happy May and happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! This month we are happy to be enjoying the beautiful weather outside.

At the beginning of the month we had an author visit from Julia Cook, author of many children’s books http://www.juliacookonline.com/. Thank you to the PTO for supporting this visit! Julia Cook was also able to give a parent presentation in our auditorium whom many found to be very informational and entertaining.

On May 29th we will be taking a school wide field trip to Arnold Park. Students have been working hard all year to create writing pieces following the narrative, information and opinion standards. Classroom teachers have chosen a topic to write about in May and all students will have a published piece of writing by the end of the month. This will be shared and celebrated on May 29th before our trip to the park. Please see the permission slip that went home at the beginning of the month with any questions.

As stated in my April newsletter, I appreciate your awareness of and cooperation with our practices in Vestal regarding requests for student placement.

Teachers establish class listings for next year considering such factors as:

o balancing classroom personalities and needs

o balancing boys and girls

o clustering youngsters for effective development and support

o heterogeneous grouping

o separating personality conflicts

**The principal will finalize all class lists.

This is a complex process; therefore we are unable to accept requests for a specific teacher. If there are extenuating circumstances that would be necessary to know in placing your child, please submit this information in writing to the building principal by May 15th, 2015. Written information will be reviewed and shared with relevant staff members during the placement process.

**REMINDER - Classroom assignments will be mailed home in mid-August Please understand that factors such as an enrollment shift in the summer or staff changes could result in a change in your child’s class assignment prior to the opening day of school.

We look forward to a successful 2015-2016 school year at African Road.

Summer is just around the corner, keep up the hard work everyone! As always, my door is always open, and thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Meghan Stenta

Principal

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

We ARE African Road Elementary

MAY DATES TO NOTE

May 4th—Author Julia Cook visit to school

May 5th—Kindergarten Parent Orientation—9:30 A.M.

May 5th—Author Visit Family Night—7:00 P.M.

May 6th—ARE PTO 7:00 PM

May 8th—Early Dismissal Day—11:50 Dismissal

May 15th—Second Grade Musical—6:00 p.m

May 20th—ARE Band and Chorus Concert—7:00 P.M.

May 22nd & 25th—NO SCHOOL—Memorial Day weekend

May 27th—NYS Science Test—Gr. 4—Performance

GENERAL MUSIC

1st Grade: We are working on developing our instrument skills, matching musical patterns, and writing

rhythms.

2nd Grade: Our musical, “The Principal and the Pea,” will be performed Friday, May 15th at 6:00 PM. We

hope to see you there!

3rd Grade: We are creating our own musical stories just like Tubby the Tuba and Peter and the Wolf.

4th Grade: We are finishing up learning about musical periods in history and will be moving on the devel-

opment of music in the United States.

5th Grade: 5th graders will be working on a composer project. They will be researching and presenting on

one composer of their choice.

Miss Pearlman

HERE COMES THE BAND:

The 5th Grade Band’s Spring evening concert is May 20, 2015 in the ARE Auditori-

um. The students have been working very hard and will perform a wide variety of

pieces including Creatures in the Attic and Batter Up! They will be nervous and

excited at the same time as they ‘show off’ all they have learned. (We also will

have a ‘special guest’ to help us and a combined piece with chorus and band.)

We would like to help our community by collecting non-perishable food and/or mone-

tary donations for CHOW at the concert.

CHOW depends on the generosity of Broome County and we felt this would be one

way to help the community. A table, donation box, and a CHOW barrel will be set up

at the entrance to the auditorium on the night of the concert. We would like a couple

of parent volunteers who would be willing to sit at this table from 6:30 PM until about

7:00 PM to monitor the donation (money) box, and then give the donation box to

Mrs. Lewis-King following the concert. If you are willing to help us out at the concert,

please contact me with your phone number and/or e-mail address.

Everyone can help out by bringing non-perishables and/or a monetary donation to the

concert! We look forward to seeing you there! Thanks so much for your support of

our CHOW food drive and of the ARE music program!

FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT:

2015

VESTAL K-12 DISTRICT ART SHOW

Opening Celebration May 14th at 7:00 pm Angie Traverse Art Gallery at VMS. Show ends May 29th.

Is it May already? Spring means it is time to show off our beautiful artwork from

the year. ARE Art students will have two chances to do that! We will be participat-

ing in the daVinci Festival Student Art Show held at the Broome County Library

located in downtown Binghamton. The show will run from May 1st-May 26th. Art

students will also be participating in the 2015, K-12, Vestal District Art Show May

14th-May 29th.The Kindergarten classes have been working hard all year on their

art books. They are looking forward to bringing them home at the end of May.

Mrs Day’s – SPARK Class 3rd-5th - April

Our students have been working very hard and doing a great

job in our “Unique” Curriculum cross-curricula---ELA/Math/Soc

St/Sci). This month we’ve been studying “Geography Unit –“It

Comes From the Earth”. This involved the study of our planet’s

natural resources. We had discussions on nature; what things

come from nature; what things we use each day that originate

from our natural resources AND how we can protect our natu-

ral resources.

In conjunction with our above studies, for “Earth Day” our

class completed various Earth Day assignments and planted

flowers to beautify our environment.

In math, we have been focusing on the concepts of telling

time and counting money. The students are also working on

double- digit addition and subtraction equations- and making

steady progress.

Lastly, the students in our SPARK class have actively partici-

pated in the “Ronald McDonald House” fundraiser taking place

@ ARE. In fact, one of our SPARK students and his family will

be delivering the collected items to the RM House in Syracuse,

NY.

Mrs. Spinner’s News

SPARK Program K-2

Our topic for the month of March was energy. We learned that energy is

needed to make things move and work. Students learned about different

types of energy, including heat and light energy. They also learned what ener-

gy can do. Students were encouraged to identify examples of energy at work

in and around the classroom. We use energy for everything we do!

Where does energy come from? Students learned about different sources of

energy. They learned that energy can come from food, gasoline, electricity,

batteries and even the wind. To reinforce these concepts, I talked with stu-

dents about where different things within our school or community get their en-

ergy. For example, “Where does the school bus’s energy come from?” and

“Where does your energy come from?”

Next week we will read a book titled, Energy in Motion by Melissa Stewart. Fol-

lowing the reading, we will explore the ways in which our bodies use energy to

move. Students will be encouraged to get up and get moving! We will dance

and play some games that require us to move our bodies.

AIM PROGRAM—MRS. BRACK & MISS KELLY

GRADE ONE NEWS:

There are some “egg”-citing things going on in first grade. During our life cycles and animal unit, we will

complete an embryology project. With a lot of care and a little bit of worrying, the first graders will hatch

chicks in class. This project will take us 21 days. We will need to carefully turn the eggs, keep them warm,

and keep them safe from harm. Once hatched, the first graders will be able to observe the chicks inter-

acting with each other, eating, and growing. On our last day with the chicks, the students will be able to

sit on the carpet with our broods and pet them.

As a concluding activity to our life cycles and animal unit, the first grade classes will be going to the Ross

Park Zoo in June. There we will learn about animal needs, body parts, natural habitats, and the behaviors

of the many different animals at the zoo. It is sure to be a day of learning and fun!

Mrs. Leicht & Miss Ferraccioli

NEWS FROM KINDERGARTEN:

April was a busy month in kindergarten. We celebrated Earth Day by looking for ways to care for our planet. We all made a promise to reduce, reuse, and recycle to keep the Earth healthy for all of us to enjoy. Since April is also poetry month, we spent some time listening, reading, and talking about poems. We looked for features of poems written by various authors, adults as well as children. We looked close-ly at poems titles, shapes and rhythms. In math this month, we practiced solving addition and subtrac-tion problems and in science we observed and learned about the life cycle of plants. We are all very ex-cited for the beautiful spring weather and wish you all a wonderful spring!

Mrs. Ligas & Mrs. Fridrich

Counselor’s Corner

Happy May! And Happy Mother’s Day to every mom out there!

May is going to be a busy month! I am finishing up personal safety lessons in all classrooms. These

lessons are all about students understanding what it means to be safe in all areas of their life. Our

older students in 4th and 5th grade will also be getting a little bit of internet safety in these lessons as

well.

Banana Splits will be finishing up in the beginning of May. We celebrate the end of the year with a

fun treat for all the students involved. Each grade level gets a chance to pick what kind of treat they

want to have! We have had a great time together all year and I want to thank the families who have

allowed your children to share their stories with me. I really look forward to next year when we can

be together again!

Student Council finished up with our Ronald McDonald drive for April and we will be working on

something new for May and June. Stay tuned for more information! A big “Thank You” to everyone

who helped out with the Ronald McDonald drive and to all our student council members. Your team

work and dedication to African Road has made our first year back so much better!

To the families of 5th graders: The tour of the Middle School is on May 6th at 9:30 in the morning.

We will be joined by two other elementary schools for this event. There is a power point presenta-

tion given by the middle school counselors, then a tour and finally a panel discussion with current 6th

grade students. In addition to this, there is a 5th Grade Parent & Student Night on Wednesday, May

27th at 6pm in the auditorium. Please plan on attending! I will be doing a pre and post lesson about

the middle school tours, plus in June we will be doing a lesson on using a combination lock. The part

that 5th grade students are most excited about when they go to the middle school is having a locker!

So if you have a combination lock at home, start practicing with your child!

Make May an amazing month!

Mrs. Lucinda Steele

Preventing the Summer Slide

The days are getting longer and the temperatures are beginning to climb. The

summer months are approaching and for most children that means an extended break

from school. What will your child do this summer? You’ve probably already begun to

register him/her for summer camps, swimming lessons and team sports. Maybe you’re

planning a fun family vacation. Whatever you have planned, please remember to in-

clude reading in your child’s daily routine.

Research clearly shows that students who don't read during the summer can

lose up to three months of the reading progress they made during the school year. This

loss has a cumulative, long-term effect that can cause students to fall further and fur-

ther behind their peers in reading achievement. It’s important to ensure that your child

continues to read, even when school is out. The following resources and articles may

be helpful in planning fun activities to encourage your child to continue reading and

learning this summer.

Summer Reading Programs:

ARE Summer Reading Challenge – ARE PTO

Summer Reading Club for Children - Vestal Public Library & Broome County Pub-

lic Library

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program

Thanks for a Great Summer! - Scholastic Summer Challenge

Parent Resources:

Top 5 Ways to Prevent Rusty Summer Readers (http://www.ed.gov/

blog/2012/06/top-5-ways-to-prevent-rusty-summer-readers/)

Stopping the Summer Slide (http://www.ed.gov/blog/2014/03/stopping -the-summer-

slide/)

Seize the Summer: Keep Kids Active & Engaged in Learning (http://www.ed.gov/

blog/2013/06/seize-the-summer-keep-kids-active-engaged-in-learning/)

Topics A-Z: Summer Reading (http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/summer-reading)

Stop the Summer Brain Drain! (http://school.familyeducation.com/summer/cognitive-processes/38453.html) Wendi Eames

T

Third Grade Happenings

The third grade has finished our unit on fractions! We are now working on gathering and organizing data and

creating tables and graphs. Our children can make line plots, pictographs, bar graphs and more.

In science we have started our exciting unit on frogs. The children will become experts on many types of frogs.

We are now looking at the bullfrog, the special adaptations it has, the role it plays in the food chain, how it ob-

tains food, and many other exciting facts.

In Social Studies we are zooming in to another Asian country, India. We have many exciting activities planned.

We will be receiving our explorer boxes shortly. When these boxes arrive we will examine artifacts from India.

Our children have already learned about imports, exports, the flag of India and what the colors mean, customs,

languages and religions. We invite parents who have knowledge of India to come into our classroom and share

with the students.

Our classes continue with reading texts closely, participating in guided reading, and are now working on biog-

raphy projects. Now that our ELA exams are over, we can spend a little more time in centers, readers’ theaters,

and other activities that the children love so much.

We are wrapping up our unit on opinion writing. Our students can present a thesis (opinion) statement and sup-

port it with facts, personal examples and research. Children are natural born persuaders, so we are transferring

this ability to convince someone of something into writing. Our next upcoming unit will be Lucy Calkins Unit:

Once Upon a Time. We will be starting to adapt and write fairy tales. Children enjoy this style of writing and

we have much to look forward to!

Mrs. Lanz and Mrs. Bogart

GRADE TWO NEWS:

Wow! It’s hard to believe another month has flown by. We are so busy learning everything we can before

our year comes to an end. In writing workshop, the 2nd graders are writing persuasive reviews. They are enjoying

writing in a way that will convince others TO do something or NOT to do something. The students have learned to

state their opinions and back their opinions up with a lot of reasons. They have even learned more advanced per-

suasion techniques like writing comparisons, adding stories, and giving a rating.

In math, everyone has enjoyed working with money! We have been very impressed with how well the 2nd

graders have been able to count coins. They are fluent in adding and counting on coin values because of their

knowledge of place value!

In social studies we’ve been learning about how communities have changed over time. We’ve learned how

schools, transportation, homes, communication, medical care, jobs, the value of money and much more have

changed since long ago. The children have enjoyed learning about how life has changed and engaged in some very

wonderful discussions!

We will be taking our field trip on 5/21. Stay tuned next month to read about our trip to Roberson!

Miss Jones & Miss Bigney

GRADE FOUR NEWS:

We are in the homestretch of fourth grade, yet, we still have so much left and discover. In the month of

April, the students completed the NYS ELA and Math assessments. We are very proud of their hard work

and dedication to doing their best. In reading and social studies, we are studying Colonial New York. The

children are quickly learning the challenges to life in the 1600’s and 1700’s. The have compared their ways

of life to ours. In math, we finished our unit on fractions and are looking forward to studying decimals. In

Science, we have learned about electricity and magnetism using many hands on experiments. We have also

begun our biography projects. The students have chosen a famous figure in history to study. They will be

presenting the information that they learned in May. Please look for the invitation to our biography presen-

tations

Mrs. Wood & Mrs. Keough

GRADE FIVE NEWS:

The fifth grade students are happy that the sun is finally shining and they are able to get out-

side again. This month has we have been very busy. In math our focus has been on area and

volume. We have used blocks to help visualize volume before learning the formula, and we

have found the area of quadrilaterals with fractional lengths. The kids have done well with

this unit.

IN ELA we are reading the novels Walk Two Moons and Tuck Everlasting. The students have

written a variety of literary responses for these books. We are working on figurative lan-

guage, symbolism, character motivation and plot structure with these texts. The students

are excited to start our next writing unit in which we will be writing fractured fairy tales. The

students have also begun Golglster projects for their independent reading project. We’ll let

you know more about these projects next month.

This month we focused on science as we continued the unit on chemistry. The experiments

in this unit tie in with our work in math especially in the area of fractions and volume. Our

next social studies unit will focus on government.

The fifth graders were excited to have a visit from the school counselor in preparation for the

transition to middle school. We are looking forward to a busy, productive and fun end of the

school year.

Mrs. Jones & Miss Fitzgerald

FROM THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT:

Happy May! During the month of April we competed our bowling unit. This is a great unit for all ages, and the students really enjoyed learning about the game. We finished the month doing or cooperative games unit, this is a great unit for the classes to work together as one big team and really support and encourage their classmates as they complete different challenges.. During the month of May we will be handing out the fitness logs again this year. Each week stu-dents will bring in their completed sheet, put a sticker up and then get a new sheet to record all the ac-tivity that they do. This is a great time to get the whole family involved! If by the middle of June we have filled up the entire sheet with stickers each class will take part in our water reward the last two days of school. During the month of May we will be completing spring fitness testing and be using the geocaching gps system that we rented from BOCES GPS stands for “Global Positioning System” and these handheld electronic units make use of satellites to pinpoint different landmarks. This is a fun ac-tivity that combines satellite navigation, orienteering, computer skills, treasure hunting and most im-portantly exercise.. We also would like to invite everyone to participate in the Run Wild 5k Race that is held at the Vestal Rail Trail on Saturday May 23 to benefit the Binghamton Zoo. The school with the most race and walk participants will be awarded a cash prize. This money will go tour school’s PTO. Information sheets will be sent home along with a registration form. Let’s see if ARE can have the most partici-pants!

Mrs. Lenga & Mrs. Morningstar

:

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MATH MOMENTS MAY 2015

This month we would like to show you a glimpse of how your child's teacher is using the math curriculum to con-

stantly review topics throughout the year. Math instruction is designed like a tower of blocks, new understandings

are built on top of older ones. As new concepts are taught, older concepts are reviewed. Below

are just a few examples at each grade level of how Vestal students are practicing and reviewing

concepts they learned earlier this year while learning new topics. There are many more!

~Vestal’s Elementary Math Support Team

At the start of the school year, module 2 has students begin learning about using words to compare

numbers and sets. This concept returns in module 5 as students begin their study of place value

and teen numbers.

… also as first graders begin working

on adding two digit numbers, they will

be practicing their facts to 10, too!

When adding 15 to 19, I can add

one to make 20. The rest is 14, so

my

answer is 20 + 14.

The Making Ten Strategy

In module 2, first graders learn that

when adding numbers, it’s easy to

“make a ten”.

In modules 4 and 5, second graders work to add and

subtract multi-digit numbers. They learn strategies for

problem solving.

This concept is revisited in module 4 as

students add two digit numbers.

In module 7, students review these concepts while solving

problems involving money, graphing and measurement.

In modules 1 and 2, students learn basic

multiplication strategies and facts.

In module 5, students work with fractions. This fraction work

prepares them for work with decimals in module 6 not to men-

tion all of the decimal work that will show up in 5th grade.

Students also review the

distributive property

when finding area of

rectangles.

With module 3, students are learning

addition and subtraction of fractions.

With module 5, having students use the area model

for multiplying mixed numbers enables students to

review addition and subtraction of fractions.

Leslie has 1 liter of milk in her fridge to

drink today. She drank 1/2 liter of milk

for breakfast and

2/5 liter of milk

for dinner. How

much of a liter did

Leslie drink during

breakfast and

dinner?

8 x 9 = 72

(5 x 9) + (3 x 9)

45 + 27 =

In module 4, they review these

strategies and facts while finding

the area of rectangles.