October 2016

ESM News @ Mary Hooker

Ms. Thompson

Greetings ESM Family! It is officially FALL! The leaves are changing colors, the air is a bit crisper, and the students are hard at work at home in their classrooms. The excitement for learning is felt throughout the building! As the days get shorter and kids are inside earlier in the evening, continue to encourage them to pick up a book instead of watching the latest episode of their favorite cartoon or TV show (or YouTube sensation ). Reading takes students to far off places they may not get to visit and deepens their thinking about the world around them! Even reading just 20 minutes a day can transform your child’s vocabulary and ability to reason critically! (Take a look )

Have fun reading about all the awesome things happening in October at ESM!

PreKindergarten Pre-K is off to a wonderful start!! We continue to meet the

members of the Investigator Club. We have met Dilly Gator,

who started the club, and her brother JT Gator who love blues

music but is afraid of the dark. We have met Great Auntie Lu

who is an artist, Rosalita Sausalita who loves to dance and

speaks Spanish, and Manny Salamander who loves to rhyme

and exercise. Our most recent investigators are Chuck Wood,

who is a superhero and loves

to build and Bruno Buzzbee.

We will soon be members of

the Investigator club!! Pre-K

is off to a great start learning

sight words and we will

continue to introduce 2 new

words a week. We have also

been busy working in our

classroom garden, visiting

the Vivarium and meeting

new animals in the Aquatic

Lab! What a wonderful start

to the school year!

Kindergarten We are “falling” in love with learning in kindergarten! In ELA, we are answering the big question “How are animals different?” We are reading, writing, and talking about animal characteristics and body parts. Be part of our exploration! We are continuing to work on learning our letters and sounds, as well as, identifying the parts of a book, the author's name and job, and the illustrator's name and job. In math, we are working on identifying and writing the numbers 0 to 10, and different ways to make sets of 0-10. In science, we are exploring the world around us using our five senses. We are meeting with Mr. Cappaert on Thursdays to explore our building and surrounding grounds with our five senses.

2nd Grade We are off to a great start in second grade!

The last few weeks have been filled with fun

student centered lessons in literacy, math,

science, writing, and social studies. We are

becoming better readers by examining text

features within non-fiction texts. We have also

begun to dissect fiction texts through the use

of story structure and have started to create

our own writing pieces using the same format.

In math, students are engaged in activities

designed to deepen their conceptual

understanding of measurement and to relate

addition and subtraction to length. Our work

is exclusively with metric units so you may

hear your child talking about and comparing

objects in centimeters and meters. We have

been working with our Resident Gardener Mr.

Clark to investigate how plants change their

form throughout their lifecycle. Part of our

investigations included observations on the

nature trail, growing Scarlet Runner beans in

three different environments and observing

the changes in our class tree. We also did an

experiment in the Science Lab to find out why

leaves change colors! We’re off to a great

start and look forward to a successful year!

1st Grade First grade has been working hard the month of October. We have been mastering the concept of number decomposition in math and text features in reading. We will be completing our first reading assessment in the next weeks. We are so very excited to see how the children have progressed. Children are working hard on reading and learning word families to help them become master decoders! We have had the pleasure of working with one of our Master Scientists, Mr. Cappeart, to discover Roly Polys and how they help us to use leaf and garden litter to create rich soil for our gardens in the spring. We look forward to more discoveries with him and the insects around ESM! Next month we are looking forward to our first field trip to the Wadsworth Athenaeum! Look for the permission slips to come out soon! Chaperone are needed so please contact your child’s teacher. We can’t wait to share!

3rd Grade Happy Fall! Third grade students have continued to enjoy the Science unit on adaptations throgh fun activities and projects. We ventured outside on the nature trail to collect items to build bird nests that are native to Connecticut. Students were also given the challenge to design their own birds. Students had to apply what they know about the three types of adaptations to their bird. Ask your child to tell you what the three types of adaptations.

In Reading we are continuing to discuss the power of reading and education. Students are studying maps so they can connect how the physical environment of where people live, effects how the people access books. In the story That Book Woman students learned that there is a landform within the United States, The Appalachian Mountains, that has effected how children get books throughout history.

The third grade team has decided to use Class Dojo as another form of communication. It is a great way for parents to see what we are doing in class and to be reminded of important events. One of the things that we are posting on class Dojo is the Eureka math homework helpers for the week. We hope this will be an effective way to keep you up to date.

4th Grade The fourth grade has been super busy in the month of October. They have been working on their Powerpoint presentations for their biomes in science. The students have created and presented different biomes of the world, from the tundra to the tropical rainforest and coral reefs. They will be moving into erosion to finish up the trimester. In math grade four was busy adding and subtracting numbers in the millions and learning how to decompose the

numbers. It is incredible to see how much they have learned and applied in such a short time. The poetry unit in reading has given the students of grade four a new perspective on what makes a Poem a Poem. They have learned everything from poetic structure to onomatopoeia. They are learning through the eyes of the main character in the book Love That Dog, named Jack. Soon they will be picking their own poets that have inspired them to write for their performance task. As you can see from the pictures field trips to Hammonassett State Park and the Wood Memorial Library the students are also learning outside of the classroom. We are sure November will be just as busy.

5th Grade Hey, this is Lohkoah Paye I'm writing from the Discovery Center! So far it's been really fun here! The groups have a lot of different people in them. All the people in my group have met a new friends from Kinsella School and we love to play with them. Some of the activities that we have done are rock climbing and each group made a there own group chant. We are really happy to spend this time with our classmates, our new friends from Kinsella, and our teachers.

When the 5th Grade returns from Discovery Center, the students will be investigating Sound Energy in Science class. In Math, students will begin exploring using the four operations with decimal fractions. This will set the stage for our next two units on fractions! In Reading, the students will continue their work with the novel, Esperanza Rising and connecting it to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

6th Grade In math, students will have begun Module Two - Arithmetic Operations. Students complete their understanding of the four operations as they study division of whole numbers, division by a fraction, and operations on multi-digit decimals. This expanded understanding serves to complete their study of the four operations with positive rational numbers, thereby preparing students for understanding, locating, and ordering negative rational numbers (Module 3) and algebraic expressions (Module 4).

In science, students have been developing a deeper understanding of Water Properties and Water Quality. Sixth grade lab scientists have been working on investigations including cohesion, adhesion, turbidity, surface tension, temperature, and density. In preparation for our Project Oceanology field trip, students have been learning about and performing different water quality tests, graphing data coordinates, and exploring Long Island Sound through a virtual tour.

In English language arts students continue to read the novel Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The excitement in the room is infectious when the students discuss their reading of this text. However, students are doing so much more than just reading this novel. They are learning how to use exact quotes from the text to support their inferences based on character's dialogue, thoughts, and actions. They are also learning to identify universal thematic topics common among myths and how to write thematic statements that align with text details.

The sixth grade students and teachers also spent three days and two nights at The Discovery Camp. This is a valuable learning experience for our students in diversity, equity, and positive self-belief.

7th Grade Hello 7th grade families!

With the school year in full swing, we wanted to give you an update about what your child is doing in each class: English Language Arts: After finishing our novel, A Long Walk to Water (and gasping at the major plot twist at the end), we are in the process of working on our first five paragraph essay of the year. We are taking it step by step, going through each part of the essay, and working together to make writing essays just a little less scary! Math: Students just finished a unit on ratios and proportions. As a part of this unit, students worked on an exciting project where they helped create a scale map of the ESM nature trail. Now students are starting their unit on positive and negative numbers. Kids are having a lot of fun playing integer card games and using the number line in real life. Social Studies: Students just began their social studies class on 10/10. Currently the students are working on a mini-unit about gender equality to help them learn the necessary skills to be successful this year. After that, students will learn about geography skills including states, countries, continents, map types, time zones, and more. If you want to brush up on your geography skills, challenge your child and see who can name and locate all 50 states first! Science: As you may know, the 7th grade will not have their traditional science class again until the start of the 3rd trimester. However, students will still be getting a special 40-minute STEM Expo class on Fridays that we began on 10/21. Please keep this project in mind and help our students finish their work by January 9th.

LEGO Engineering Lab As the leaves start to turn colors and the weather gets cooler,

excitement is brewing in the LEGO Engineering lab. Our seventh and

eighth graders are just finishing their “Rube Goldberg” Creations. They

were crazy and AWESOME! Now it’s on to Mindstorms robotics. Our

fourth and fifth grade engineers are working on computer programming

with powered simple machines. Finally, the second grade is exploring

gear ratios. Every day is an adventure in the LEGO Engineering lab.

Happy LEGO days!

8th Grade Hello 8th grade families!

On November 16th, the 8th grade will go to the Bushnell Theater to see a play, Warriors Don’t Cry. The play is about a girl named Melba Pattillo Beals. She was one of the nine African American students who were chosen to go to an all-white high school in the 1950s. She was attacked daily from racists. This is a play that will give us a better understanding of racism and segregation. If you would like to attend the trip as a chaperone, please contact Mr. Johnson.

Physical Education The month of October in Physical Education has added to our exciting curriculum of Project Adventure with new equipment and activities in which our students are having fun and working together. PK-1 has been working hard on obstacle courses and starting to get comfortable with the low rope swing. The 8th grade high climbing cluster has allowed our school leaders to focus on personal achievements and to confront their personal fears and anxieties. Challenges may be physical and/or emotional. They have to work together and build trust with the entire group to see success. Upcoming events: Fit Kids Run with 8th graders & completion of fitness test for grades 4,6 and 8.

Español Bienvenidos a la clase de Español!

Welcome to Spanish class! The

advanced 7th grade Spanish class just

finished presenting their “Botella de

Mi” projects: if they were a product,

what would the ingredients be? Basic

conversation review happens

regularly as students are expanding

their working vocabulary all in

Spanish. Present tense verb

conjugation along with an upcoming study of culinary

specialties from Spain’s capital, Madrid, will help support

the cultural side of enhancing student’s world language

skills. 8th graders completed a geographical themed study

of Ecuador, working to understand how the modern world

has influenced indigenous groups

and vice versa. ¿Dónde vives?

Where do you live? ¿Cómo puede

influir la geografía en su cultura?

How does geography affect

culture? Check out the downstairs

hallway to see incredible collage art

representing natural features in

South America. Language scholars

enjoyed tasty treats from Colombia

and Honduras during our 5-day virtual tour of South

America. Ask us how to dance the Cumbia and Merengue!

¿Quieres bailar conmigo?

Advisory Advisors are working this fall to provide warm environments to nourish new relationships and promote growth and reflection in all areas of their advisee’s lives. Goal setting conferences, social emotional dialoguing, digital citizenship and building a group identity are all included in what it means to be part of ESM’s signature program. Middle schoolers need time and space to be themselves and ESM advisors are well versed in helping students get involved in their school, showcase service learning and are always available for support. 6th grade will focus on careers this winter while 7th will take the college process by storm. 8th graders are making choices about their interests regarding high schools and talking with families and advisors about what they want next year to look like! Check out the advisory blog here:

http://esmadvisory.blogspot.com 8th graders can research high school choice here:

http://hpschoice.com/site.php / http://www.choiceeducation.org

Contact your child’s advisor to learn more about the lottery process for current 8th graders.

Resident Scientists ESM hasn't experienced their first frost like many other parts of Connecticut have but the cold weather is right around the corner! With the change in seasons comes more opportunity to move our crops into the greenhouse. A group of fourth graders are busy learning about the plant industry by growing and selling house plants and herbs to their fellow classmates for talon tokens. Meanwhile, another group of 8th graders are designing a hydroponics system that will supply lettuce and other greens to our school pets & staff members.

In October, the 6th grade travelled to Groton, CT for the annual fall trip with Project Oceanology as part of their watershed unit. Since we all live in the Long Island Sound watershed, it was great to see where all of our water ends up and relate the experience to our actions in our hometowns. This fall, we caught skates, flounder, porgy, whelks, hake and even a lizard fish- a rare catch that is becoming a more frequent as a result, in part, of climate change. The 4th graders explored their ecosystems unit by studying macroinvertebrates in our stream. They placed leaf packs in different places in the stream to see what environmental factors could affect the living things there. 4th grade also travelled to Hammonassett to study the ecology of the shoreline and compare it to the ecology of our local ecosystem. Mr. Cappaert and Mr. Clark meet each week with K and preK, for the purest kind of outdoor inquiry. A falling leaf catches a child's attention, and the entire group fixes on each new leaf wafting from the canopy. So we pick up the leaves, and in each one, every child sees the orange spot or wrinkled edge or caterpillar damage that makes that leaf unique and beautiful. Of course their knowledge base is a little weak: "what do you think the cabbage caterpillar eats?" "Apples”

6th Grade Project –O Field Trip

PBIS: HAWKS Rule! Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to establish behavioral supports for all students in Pk-8. The PBIS program has been off and running since the first day of school. Both September and October Hawk of the Month celebrations have been packed with HAWKS and their families who deserve the positive recognition. Hawk of the Month is awarded to a student who was a feather holder during that month. These monthly celebrations are a great way to reward the exceptional behaved students with a pizza party and chance to win great prizes!

This year is flying by and the first trimester is coming to a close November 23rd. Each grade level sets criteria for students to meet during the entire trimester. The students who are able to meet the criteria get to participate in the incentive trimester activity which varies from movies to mini field days to arts and crafts. The school store is officially open, so save your Talon Tokens and see what the store has to offer!

Computer Education Students will be exposed to Keyboarding at

all levels. We will also work on improving

our math skills via the computers to allow

for better understanding of the SBAC and

MAP testing that will be given at the end of

the year.

In Kindergarten and

Pre- Kinder we

continue to become

familiar with the

keyboard and mouse. Our 1st and second

graders are expanding on this with more

involved games and practice sites.

I would like to remind everyone that the

Edu-Typing program is in full

implementation. Every student now has

their own personal Logins and Passwords.

By going to

edutyping.com and

using the license ID of

enviro82, the 2-8th

grades can practice at

home. As an incentive

to practice I have created a challenging

contest. Any student who can type for 500

minutes will be eligible for a special

celebration in May.

We are also enjoying rousing rounds of KAHOOT games where students can display their knowledge and be instantly rewarded. Some groups are even building their own KAHOOT challenges.