“The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.” -David Attenborough

As the weather gets warmer, we will spend more time outdoors, including time in the woods on our beautiful land. Please send insect repellent and sunblock for your student to use as needed before we go outdoors. They will label the bottles with their name and keep them at school. Children should also get into the habit of checking for ticks each night.

In language work this week, our writing lesson focused on fact vs. opinion, and students worked on transforming sentences as follow-up work. I gave them sentences, and they identified which were facts and which were opinions, and then they transformed each sentence. If it was a fact, they turned it into an opinion, and if it was an opinion, they turned it into a fact. For the novel study, students worked in small groups to review the reading assignment. They discussed the chapters and their answers to the novel study questions. In grammar, fourth graders learned about verbs and verb phrases. They identified actions in sentences, learned about “helping” or “auxiliary” verbs, and identified the complete verb in a sentence. Fifth graders learned about the differences between attributive adjectives, appositive adjectives, linking verbs, and predicate words.

Fourth-grade geometry focused on deriving the formula for finding the area of a square, which is a specific kind of rectangle, from the experience of finding the area of a rectangle last week. Fifth graders compared the nomenclature of a regular polygon with that of a circle. They used that information, along with what they knew about finding the area of a polygon, to derive the formula for the area of a circle. To celebrate using Pi to find the area of circles, the fifth graders enjoyed some apple and cherry pies before our lesson.

In biology this week, we looked at the vital function of reproduction in animals. We learned about asexual vs. sexual reproduction and the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each. Some types of asexual reproduction discussed were budding and regeneration. In our discussion of sexual reproduction, we covered the differences between male and female sex cells, the nomenclature of male and female reproductive organs, fertilization, oviparous, viviparous, and ovoviviparous animals, and breeding.

Our history lesson this week focused on Neanderthals, and we viewed a portion of the 2024 BBC documentary, Secrets of the Neanderthals. We will learn more details about Neanderthals next week, along with taking a look at Cro-Magnons and comparing the two.

Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday, April 22
  • 8:30 – April Birthday Breakfast
  • 6:00 – 8th Grade Expert Presentations
    • Come see these amazing projects and what lies ahead for your child when they are in their 8th grade year!
• Friday, April 24
  • No School – Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • 9:30-12:30 – Spring Musical Rehearsal
• Friday, May 1
  • Grandparents and Special Friends Day
  • 11:30 – Early Dismissal
  • 5:00 – Spring Concert
• Saturday, May 2
  • 6:00 – Springfest

“There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.” -Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder 

As I look over the images from last week, I am struck by the children’s joy. They are playful, innocent, and full of enthusiasm about learning and their friendships. They generously give their time to help others and are passionate about justice both in the world and in our classroom. During their lessons and independent work, they are focused learners. Over the past seven months, they have honed these skills and qualities, and as we enter the final weeks of the school year, they will reap the benefits of their hard work as they wrap up lessons across the curriculum. Go Upper El!

We began the week with a writing lesson on paragraph outlines for narrative writing. The students worked on this writing assignment alongside their daily writing prompts, which they created themselves. Each child has written a prompt for their classmates to respond to. We will work through the prompts one at a time each day until we have completed all 19. The children are enjoying seeing their prompts displayed on the board and are excited to discover how their friends respond.

In our geometry lessons this week, both groups focused on finding area. Fourths learned the formula for finding the area of a rectangle. I introduced this concept using Montessori area materials, allowing the children to discover the formula and then apply it to their own drawn rectangles. Fifth graders listened to the story of Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi – Radius and the Number Pi by Cindy Neuschwander.

In grammar, the fourth graders learned about reciprocal and reflexive/intensive compound pronouns, while the fifth graders studied nouns of direct address.

Our biology lesson this week centered on the vital functions of support and movement. We examined the differences between exoskeletons and endoskeletons and learned about the animals that fall into each category. We also explored the muscular structures of animals with both types of skeletons and how those muscles aid in movement. In the coming week, students will examine in greater detail the vital functions of support and movement for each animal on the evolutionary strip.

We wrapped up our week with a focus on serving others. On Thursday, we made over 200 sandwiches for St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen in Waterbury. Thank you to everyone who contributed sandwich ingredients, and a special thank you to Moira and Jeannine for your help in making the sandwiches, as well as to Teresa for delivering them to the soup kitchen! On Friday, Upper El students enjoyed buddy reading with their kindergarten book buddies.

Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, April 24
  • No school – Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Friday, May 1
  • Grandparents & Special Friends Day
  • Spring Concert
• Saturday, May 2
  • Springfest

“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” -Rabindranath Tagore

We kicked off our week with a writing lesson on how to write a single paragraph outline. The classroom was full of excitement as students brainstormed and collaborated to develop their outlines, setting them up for some awesome writing down the line! After brainstorming, we came back together as a group to share ideas and formulate a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence together.

In geometry, fourth graders were busy exploring area through some hands-on activities, constructing rectangles of different sizes using various arrays. This not only reinforced their understanding of area but also got them thinking critically about how shapes relate to numbers. The fifth graders dove deeper into circles. They learned how to use the diameter and Pi to calculate circumference. As they measured the diameters of circles and calculated their circumferences, their understanding solidified.

In grammar, fourth graders focused on interrogative and relative pronouns, which really helped sharpen their sentence structure and comprehension. They analyzed sentences and worked on distinguishing between different types of pronouns. Meanwhile, the fifth graders tackled appositives during their sentence analysis work. They learned that a noun is an appositive when it renames the first noun and that adjectives may be in apposition to a noun when they follow the noun rather than precede it.

In biology, we looked at how sensitivity functions in animals. The students learned about various biological features, such as protoplasm, nerve nets, ganglia, nerve cords, and brains, and how these structures help animals interact with their environments. This week laid the groundwork for a deeper dive next week, where we’ll look at specific animals and their unique adaptations for sensitivity.

Coming Up

• Thursday, April 9 – Sandwich Making for the Soup Kitchen
• Friday, April 10 – Nature’s Classroom $100 Deposit Due
• Wednesday, April 22 – April Birthday Breakfast

“Come with me into the woods. Where spring is advancing, as it does, no matter what, not being singular or particular, but one of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.” -Mary Oliver

This week, it felt great to get back into our normal routine after all the hard work we put into our autobiographies before March Break. We started off by adding two new activities to our morning work cycle: weekly math word problems and daily writing prompts.

The math work, which is in addition to their individual lessons and assignments, is designed to be collaborative and to focus on skills they’ve previously learned or to enhance their math skills. This week’s math involved working together on skip-counting, using calculators, identifying patterns, solving word problems, creating graphs, working with modes, collecting data, making line plots, and understanding fractions.

The daily writing prompts are meant to complement our weekly writing lessons and assignments, focusing on short, creative writing tasks. As students arrive in the morning, this writing serves as an opportunity to settle in quietly and to write every day before lessons, collaboration, and assignments begin.

I’m already noticing a calmer vibe in the room during the mornings before yoga. Children come in, greet each other, and find a spot to sit with friends to spend a few peaceful minutes writing. This quiet writing time really helps us start the day off focused and productive.

This week in our geometry lessons, the fourth graders were introduced to the concept of finding the area, while the fifth graders learned about the origins of Pi by comparing a circle’s circumference to its diameter. In biology, students worked in small groups to review the vital functions of nutrition, respiration, and circulation. Each group then took turns presenting information about different animals and their vital functions to the rest of the class. In history, we explored Homo erectus and compared them to the fossil ancestors we have studied so far, as well as to modern humans.

For our last student-read book of the year, we are reading The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews. We are reading this book as a novel study instead of as a literature circle book. This means that students will answer questions and complete packets for each set of assigned pages, rather than completing role sheets. We will meet weekly to discuss the assigned passages as a whole class. I have found that reading one book as a class is a wonderful way to end the school year.

Wishing you a peaceful week ahead.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become.” -Henry David Thoreau

What a full and amazing week! It was the perfect send-off for our two-week break.

Our week began with a presentation by our seventh-grade friend, Bella, who spoke to us about the effects of social media on our brains. This timely presentation engaged everyone, and the children asked some very thoughtful questions afterwards. A special thank you to Bella!

The rest of our week was dedicated to preparing for Thursday’s Research Night, which involved a lot of printing, cutting, and gluing. Emotions ranged from determination to frustration and joy as we learned about the rewards of intense focus and the challenges of modifying the presentation boards. I noticed students really “locked it in” this week, a concept we’ve been discussing a lot in class lately. When Thursday night arrived, the children radiated pride and confidence! I am so proud of each of them for their hard work and accomplishments.

We ended the week with February’s Birthday Breakfast, which had been rescheduled due to snow days. Thank you, Erin and Malcolm, for sharing doughnuts with us, and thank you, Tim, for joining us for yoga!

We hope you all have a wonderful two weeks with your kiddos! Happy Spring Break!

Looking Ahead

• Wednesday, March 25 @ 8:30 – March Birthday Breakfast
• Thursday, April 9 @ 9:30 – Sandwich Making for the Soup Kitchen

“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love- whether we call it friendship or family or romance- is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.” -James Baldwin, Nothing Personal

Upcoming Dates and Important Events

• Wednesday, February 25 @ 8:30: February Birthday Breakfast
• Thursday, February 26 @ 5:30: Research Night
• Thursday, March 5 @ 9:30: Sandwich Making Community Service

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” ~Rumi

We started this week with Moving Up Day. Our fourth graders hosted the third graders for the day, while our fifth graders visited the middle school. The fourth-grade students were excellent hosts, guiding their visitors and sharing our class routines. The atmosphere in the room was peaceful, calm, and joyful. Meanwhile, our fifth graders had a great day attending classes with their older peers and returned to Upper Elementary on Tuesday, excited about what lies ahead.

This week, we also celebrated Valentine’s Day by serving others before enjoying the delicious treats you provided. We made 170 sandwiches, which we donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Mission in Waterbury. Thank you very much for your generous contributions to both our sandwich-making effort and our Valentine’s Day party. Your support is greatly appreciated!

The Mission is currently overflowing with guests seeking shelter from the extreme cold we have been experiencing. They are in need of clean, warm blankets and are asking for donations of new or gently used blankets. If you would like to help, please send your blankets to school this week, and I will deliver them to the shelter. Alternatively, you can drop them off yourself or send them to the St. Vincent de Paul Mission Shelter at 114 Benedict St, Waterbury, CT 06706.

We have less than two weeks remaining before our Research Night presentations. Work in class this coming week will focus on finishing papers and preparing presentation boards. By Tuesday, students should have gathered all the information they need from family members so they can focus on writing. If you are sending family photos with your child for their presentation board, we will make color copies of them and return them home. You are also welcome to share any photos digitally with me via email, or your child can upload them to their Google Doc.

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

• Monday, February 16 – No School – Presidents’ Day
• Wednesday, February 25 @ 8:30 – February Birthday Breakfast
• Thursday, February 26 @ 5:30 – Research Night – Autobiography Presentations

“All is strictly interrelated on this planet. And one notes that each science studies only the details of a total knowledge. To speak afterward of the life of [humans] on the surface of the globe is to speak of history. And each detail holds… interest by reason of its strict relation to the others. We may compare it with a tapestry: each detail is a piece of embroidery; the whole constitutes a magnificent cloth.” -Maria Montessori

Our week began with an incredible performance by our Middle School students of their original play, Spoiler Alert! This play was entirely created by the students, from the initial concept to the script and the set design. We thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious performance and appreciated hearing from our middle school friends afterward as they answered our questions about the entire experience.

On Wednesday, we received a visit from the folks at Ben’s Lighthouse, who presented the Isle of Skoo puppet show. This performance focused on feelings and empathy. We enjoyed attending with our friends from toddlers through eighth grade. After the performance, we had the opportunity to put what we learned into action. When one student accidentally spilled a box containing 300 tiny wooden pegs, several students immediately stopped what they were doing and quietly helped clean up the mess. It was a beautiful illustration of empathy in action.

We are now focusing more intensely on autobiographies. Our goal is to complete the rough drafts next week and make progress on the final drafts. You can find the project link on your child’s dashboard in MyFWM. We will meet with students one-on-one next week to help them finalize their papers. Additionally, students will be preparing presentation boards for Research Night. If you have any family photos to share for their boards, we can make color copies at school, or you can share them with me digitally.

On Monday, we will have Moving Up Day for students. Fifth graders will spend the day in middle school. They don’t need to bring anything special for the day, but they should arrive as close to 8:10 as possible. Fifth graders can be dropped off a little early, starting at 8:00. If you arrive before 8:00, please enter through the front door, as teachers do not begin greeting students in the back until 8:10. Fourth graders will host the third graders for the day.

Thursday will be a fun and busy day of celebration and service. We will start our day by making sandwiches for the soup kitchen, followed by our classroom Valentine’s Day celebration. Thank you to those who are generously donating items for our sandwiches and the party. We truly appreciate your support!

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Monday, February 9: Moving Up Day for Grade 5
• Tuesday, February 10: Moving Up Night for parents of students moving to Grade 6
• Thursday, February 12: Sandwich Making and Valentine’s Day Celebration
• Friday, February 13: No School – Professional Development Day
• Monday, February 16: No School – Presidents’ Day