Mr. Ward’s Message:
Monday, October 2nd is our HUGE kickoff to our Fun Run Fundraiser. You may be thinking what is this Fun Run? This is our “BIG” fundraiser for the school year. Despite being a fundraiser the Fun Run will bring Freetown Elementary together through a theme and this year it is “World Changer”. On Monday, your child will come home with Fun Run details and over the next week or so you will hear/read about lots of information regarding the fundraiser. There will be nightly challenges. Students will watch “World Changer” videos during lunch all leading up to the big Fun Run date of Thursday, October 12th. Please consider being an active participant to raise money for our student activities such as field trips and school wide events such as the Fox Festival.
Did you know…
Freetown Elementary School has a partnership with the Community Engagement Program of PACE Child Care Works. With this partnership FES and PACE offer a free weekly parent/child playgroup for 3 and 4 year olds on Friday mornings. The time of the playgroup is from 10:00 - 11:30 AM on Fridays. Registration is required. If you are interested please email Tammy at tdesnoyers@paceccw.org or call Tammy at (508) 999-9930 Ext 129.
Attendance Matters Weekly Update:
The goal that has been established... 94% of the FES student population will attend school daily.
It is required for students to attend school regularly. Please make every attempt to send your child/ren to school.
September 11-15: 98%...Met Goal!
September 18-22: 96%...Met Goal!
September 25-29: 98%...Met Goal!
Upcoming events:
October 6: Early Release Day - Students will be dismissed at 12:15 PM. No lunch service.
October 9: No School due to Indigenous Peoples Day / Columbus Day
October 24: Annual Truck or Treat Event from 2:00 - 4:00 PM (Rain date is October 25th).
News and Happenings around the classrooms:
Preschool: This week in preschool students learned a new Lively Letter, letter b, a noisy baby who doesn't like to take naps! As an introduction to our STEM program, students also began learning about problems and solutions. They observed problems within the classroom and brainstormed various solutions. We continued our study of nursery rhymes, such as “London Bridge is Falling Down,” and tried various ways to fix the bridge. One class highlighted the circle shape through circle show and tell, and created a favorite cookie graph. Another class measured the length of their feet using unifix cubes, during their study of “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.”
Kindergarten: This week in kindergarten we continued with week 2 of Wonders where we continued to learn about details in a story. We reviewed upper/lowercase identification of the letters Ii-Rr. Our High frequency word this week was can. We continued to work on print concepts- parts of a book, reading left to right and the difference between a letter and a word. In math we counted 1, 2, 3 and learned how to properly form letters. We used a rhyming poem for each number to help us remember. In science we started a unit for fall about apples. This week we learned that Johnny Appleseed was a real person in history and how he planted seeds all across America.
Grade 1: This week in first grade we worked on the Smart Start week of the letter review unit in Wonders. For comprehension we focused on key details and compared fiction and nonfiction texts. In writing we are continuing to work on understanding sentences. For math this week we focused on subtraction in word problems. We also have been practicing counting on to subtract.
Grade 2: This week in second grade we read “The Big Red Lollipop” in our Wonders reading books. We used what we have learned about how characters respond to challenges and discussed how the characters in the story responded to challenges in the story. In phonics we continued to work on closed syllable words with blends and digraphs. In math we worked on various ways to represent 2- and 3-digit numbers including using base 10 blocks and expanded form. In writing we began to learn about writing a “How To” story. In social studies we worked on map skills.
Grade 3: This week in third grade, the students learned how to use order and grouping to multiply with parentheses. Students also continued solving one step multiplication word problems with the four strategies (arrays, repeated addition, skip counting, and drawing pictures). In reading, students explored the essential question: how do people from different cultures contribute to a community? Students read short stories in whole group and small group instruction to explore this question. In writing, students chose a topic for their personal narrative.
Art: Kindergarteners practiced good cutting technique and created name art with lines. Grade 1 took a line for a walk with colored glue. Grade 2 learned about the ancient art of Mehndi and practiced a paper mehndi design. Grade 3 is problem solving as they create a continuous line design.
Physical Education: Students in 1st-3rd grade practiced kicking skills. Kindergarteners learned about locomotor movements, pathways, and self-space.
Music: This week, students K-3 have started the third week of their unit on being expressive in music. We will learn new songs, games, and movements to be performed with appropriate musicality. In addition, Grades 2 and 3 have explored mallet instruments and composing.
Library: During library class this week we focused on fiction and nonfiction. Kindergarten and first grade students listened to the read aloud “Fiction and Nonfiction” by Shannon McClintock Miller. Students completed a whole group activity in kindergarten and a whole group and independent activity in first grade. Second and third grade students learned about the 5 types of nonfiction: interactive, browsable, traditional, expository and narrative. Students worked on a Google Slides assignment to show their understanding. Students have library on the following days next week where they can return their book(s): Day 4 students on Oct. 2; Day 1 students on Oct. 3; Day 2 students on Oct. 4; Day 3 students on Oct. 5 and afternoon Day 4 classes only on Oct. 6.