Thank You

•   Ellen for the yummy special lunch and breakfast for Dr. Seuss birthday.

•   Marcia for organizing a wonderful celebration for Dr. Seuss Birthday.

Time Change this Weekend

Reminder to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday evening.

Conference Times

Have you signed up with your child/children teacher for a conference time?  Please be in touch with them this week to set up a time.

Instructional Updates… Mrs. Tapley

3rd/4th grade math: Our 3rd grade mathematicians started the week working a bit more on their exploration of fractions. They are learning how to partition shapes into equal sized pieces to represent fractions. They also were able to explore fractions with fraction tiles and made some interesting discoveries about fraction equivalence. 4th grade mathematicians started the week also working on fractions in our new module. They learned about a concept called “decomposition”, where you break apart a fraction into its unit-sized pieces. Both groups took a few days to do some practice for the MEAs, which will be starting on March 18th. They did a great job on the practice version and helped each other review some of the key concepts we have learned this year. We began our new WINN blocks this week, where we are reviewing topics learned this year in order to do our very best on the MEAs.

5th/6th grade math: Our 5th and 6th grade mathematicians explored an interesting paper-folding math problem, which led to an understanding about exponents with base 2. Our 6th grade mathematicians also learned about inequalities, while our 5th grade mathematicians worked on long division. Both groups took a few days to do some practice for the MEAs, which will be starting on March 18th. They did a great job on the practice version and helped each other review some of the key concepts we have learned this year. We began our new WINN blocks this week, where we are reviewing topics learned this year in order to do our very best on the MEAs.

 

7th/8th grade math: Our 7th grade mathematicians began the week working on finding the area of complex shapes. This required them to apply their understanding of the area of circles, along with areas of quadrilaterals and triangles. They did an impressive job expressing their thinking and finding multiple ways to a solution. Our 8th grade mathematicians worked on the algebraic concept of slope this week. They did very well finding slope of lines through a graph and are working on finding the slope when given coordinates. Both groups took a few days to do some practice for the MEAs, which will be starting on March 18th. They did a great job on the practice version and helped each other review some of the key concepts we have learned this year. We began our new WINN blocks this week, where we are reviewing topics learned this year in order to do our very best on the MEAs.

Exploration Block:

Chess: Students in this exploration block are learning some new strategies to use when playing chess, in addition to the life lessons of perseverance and good sportsmanship.

Instructional Updates…. Mrs. Bebell

3/4 Super Studies:

This week, we have been learning about trees. The students identified what makes a tree different from other plants and then practiced identifying some trees outside, with the added challenge of not having leaves on the trees during the winter! 4th graders are reviewing the differences between coniferous and deciduous trees and helping the 3rd graders understand those differences.

5/6 Super Studies:

The next ancient civilization that the students are studying is Greece. They started the week by reading some background information about ancient Greece and are now doing research on different topics to create an infographic about different topics. These illustrations will be digitized so that students can add multimedia resources to them and include them in their Ancient Civilizations e-book they are working on throughout the year. The class is also preparing for our newest classroom guests – salmon eggs! We will be hatching salmon eggs so that the young fish can be released to their parents’ spawning grounds, in hopes of helping Maine’s salmon population.

7/8 Super Studies:

The students did a wonderful job with a courtroom simulation that demonstrated the process in a copyright infringement case. The skit’s script is based on a case where MGM, the owner of the James Bond movie franchise, sued Honda for making a commercial that had some James Bond elements. Next week, they will act as the jury in the case and try to determine the outcome of the case. Earlier in the week, they learned about the Supreme Court and how judges are nominated and then elected by the Senate to become a Supreme Court Justice.

Exploration Block:

The magic group starting making plans for putting on a magic show. They practiced some sleight of hand and started exploring possible tricks that use scientific concepts that look like magic.

Instructional Updates…. Mrs. Baird

3/4 ELA:

This week we worked on re-establishing classroom procedures. Students seamlessly transitioned from being on break to coming back to school.  As a class, we practiced solidifying our text dependent question responses. The first step that I want students to get in the habit of doing is restating the question in their response.  Every time they answer a question, they must restate the question in their answer. Next, they must provide relevant details to support their initial response. Finally, they close the paragraph with a closing sentence that wraps everything up.

5/6 ELA:

This week we worked as a class on writing paragraphs and really defining what a paragraph is and what it looks and sounds like. We discussed how a paragraph is one complete thought, and that every sentence in the paragraph must directly support the initial thought or claim introduced in the first sentence.  Students were able to come to the board and practice directing the class in writing a paragraph, and asking their classmates the most important question after each sentence was written: “Does this sentence directly support my claim?”

7/8 ELA:

This week we worked as a class on writing paragraphs and really defining what a paragraph is and what it looks and sounds like. We discussed how a paragraph is one complete thought, and that every sentence in the paragraph must directly support the initial thought or claim introduced in the first sentence.  Students were able to come to the board and practice directing the class in writing a paragraph, and asking their classmates the most important question after each sentence was written: “Does this sentence directly support my claim?”

We also worked on fiction writing and dissecting song lyrics. We analyzed the lyrics and figured out what the main idea of the song was, and searched for figurative language.

Newspaper Ex Block:

Our new news staff of the “Brooklin Every Other Weekly” is working hard as journalists in writing current events going on at the Brooklin School! This is a paper not to be missed!

Instructional Updates….. Mr. Kennerk

Writing

We are polishing up our autobiographical publications, and they should be coming home soon.  Otherwise, we have been writing songs and poems that we have learned by heart over the past weeks and months. We speak/sing the words and then I will dictate them line by line.  We write the words purely out of sound (encoding). The students do not concern themselves with spelling and allow themselves a looser expectation as far as handwriting is concerned. The students will pass their writings around the group and they will examine whether or not the most important sounds of each word have letter representation. Next, they copy the song/poem from the board next to the encoded version on their paper; taking care to copy the correct spelling and focusing on their best handwriting.  Finally, the students examine the differences between the copied version and the encoded version—circling misspellings and other differences.

Reading

F&P, Razz Kids program, and self-selected, silent reading.

Math

We are finishing up a huge focus on place value.  The students have embraced the imagery, activity, and applied mathematical processes.  Our math questions can now stand up (vertical/columnar) and that helps to keep our place values in line.  This helps to process a big number through a series of simpler math questions. The students have also established an initial foundation for regrouping whether carrying or borrowing.  They have been working so hard!

In carrying, the student must recognize when our characters—Wendy, Timmy, or Harry—have more than unit value they work wit exclusively.  If Wendy somehow accumulates more than 9, then we say this:

“Wendy, now you have too much, but don’t get sad and tarry. For your task is not so tough; just bag up ten and carry…to Timmy”.

With the process of borrowing, we examine whether the subtrahend is larger than the minuend, or whether the customer needs more than our characters possess.  “Wendy, you do not have enough, but there is no need for sorrow. For your task is not so tough; just go to Timmy and borrow”

Science

We have been taking a look at our 5 Senses and how far out onto the world they can reach.  We have collectively come to the conclusion that taste does not reach far out into the world because we can only taste something if it touches our tongue.  So taste actually occurs inside the body, our mouths, unless, as the students pointed out, we bring our tongue out to lick something. We also agreed that the eyes can see things like stars that can be as far as 95,891 trillion miles away.  Though most agree that touch is the next closest and similar to taste, there are still some differing opinions went it comes to smelling and hearing and with one can sense further into the world.

News from the Puffin Room and Pre-K and Kindergarten Room

Ms. Wardwell will meet with Puffin families while Ms. Julie will meet with Pre-K and K families on Thursday, 3/14. Sign-up on Bloomz, however, if you are unable to access Bloomz and would like to sign up for a conference time, please speak with or e-mail either Ms. Wardwell or Ms. Julie. If you would like to request a conference time with both Ms. Wardwell and Ms. Julie, please contact Ms. Julie to set up a time.  Ms. Julie is available to meet with parents/guardians outside of the scheduled conference times on Thursday.

Community News

Youth Programs at BHPL- March 2019 Schedule

Wednesday, March 13th and 27th    LEGO Club 3:00 PM Larchwood Room

Come build and create with LEGOS! Kids are invited to create anything within their imagination and an optional special challenge will be provided. Legos will be provided by the library.

Saturday, March 16     Gizmo Garden: Robopots!    1:30 PM Howard Room

Participants ages 10-18 will create and design their own plant pot. Then using an Arduino trinket and bread board, they will attach and wire mechanical parts which allow the pot to be self-watering! Registration required at www.bhpl.net.

Tuesday, March 19    Explore Outdoors! Afterschool: Maple Syrup Science 4:00 PM Howard Room

Join Julianne Taylor of Explore Outdoors! for a fun maple syrup-themed activity.

Saturday, March 23   Electronic Music Class 1:00 PM  Howard Room

Learn to play drum machines and synthesizers at the library! Local electronic musician, Sam Lothrop, will teach the basics of programming and sequencing beats and melodies. Instruments will be provided, or bring your own drum machine or mini keyboard. This workshop is for ages 12 and up and is designed for teens, but adults are welcome to participate. Registration required at www.bhpl.net.

March

• 3/9 5:30 PM Soup Chili Chowder Challenge
• 3/12 6:00 PM School Board Meeting
• 3/14 Parent/Teacher Conferences–NO SCHOOL
• 3/15 Teacher Workshop Day–NO SCHOOL
• 3/22 7:45 AM 3-8th grade trip to Augusta State House
• 3/26 3:15 PM PTF Meeting
• 3/29 1:30 PM Early Release