Mr. Ward’s Message:
On Monday, November 13th it is National Kindness Day and Freetown Elementary School will be participating in an assembly that will focus on being kind. Each morning at FES students take the Freetown Fox Pledge that includes the lines, “Kind things we do, kind things we say.” Additionally, over the course of the week students will be challenged “to be kind” to themselves and each other. Our hope is that kindness will grow and continue to grow within our students.
News and happenings around FES…
Calling all Speed Stackers! The annual Cup-Stacking Night will be held tonight, Thursday, November 16th from 6-7 pm. Our annual Family cup stacking night is next week on Thursday, November 16th from 6-7 pm. There is no fee to attend and you do not need to register. Children must be accompanied by an adult. This year we will be collecting personal care goods for Veterans and those in need through a partnership with the Tuesday Club of Assonet and the Freetown Council on Aging. Here is an example of what we will be collecting:
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, Chapstick, deodorant, combs and brushes, white crew socks, Bars of Soap, Shampoo, Hair Conditioner, Body Washes, Baby Wipes, Hand Lotion, etc. All items must be new and unopened please.
For an extended supply list please visit: Extended Supply List
Important information about Parent/Teacher Conferences…
Parent/Teacher Conferences are slated for Thursday, December 7th. December 9th will be an Early Release Day for students for the purpose of Parent/Teacher Conferences. Students will be dismissed at 12:15 PM. The Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in two sessions, an afternoon and an evening session. The afternoon session will be from 1:00 - 3:25 PM. The evening session will be from 5:15 - 7:15 PM. The conferences will be held in person at Freetown Elementary School. All conferences will be at a scheduled time. On Sunday, November 26th at 6:00 PM Freetown Elementary School will be sharing the Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-up Document. Please sign-up for your parent/teacher conference beginning on Sunday, November 26th.
Upcoming events:
November 13: November PTO Meeting beginning at 6:30 PM
November 16: Cup-Stacking Night in the Gymnasium
November 22: Early Release Day. Students dismissed at 12:15 PM. No lunch served
November 23 & 24: No School - Thanksgiving Recess
PTO Corner:
PTO meetings will be held in person and virtually. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 13th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The meeting will be in person as well as virtual to accommodate for families. Hope you will consider joining the FES PTO. Below you will find the PTO Meeting Invitation…
November PTO Meeting
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5044273489?pwd=QkJBNTE1S3psODJCRUM3NW1xOXJVUT09
Meeting ID: 504 427 3489
Passcode: FESPTO
FES PTO website is...https://freetownelementarypto.weebly.com/
Attendance Matters Weekly Update:
Goal: 94% of the FES student population will attend school daily.
November’s Daily Student Attendance Percentage:
November 1-3: 94%...Goal achieved!
November 6, 8, & 9: 94%...Goal achieved!
News and Happenings around the classrooms:
Preschool: This week in preschool we enjoyed celebrating Halloween. The children wore their costumes to school and played games such as “pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern” and “ghost bowling.” The children made predictions about what is inside a pumpkin. Then we opened the pumpkin and observed the seeds, pulp, and flesh. We also learned about bats, owls, and foxes, and how they are nocturnal.
Kindergarten: This week in kindergarten our phonics/handwriting/PA was Tt. Other phonemic awareness skills included phoneme isolation and blending. Our HFW was “like”. In writing we focused on using an uppercase letter to start a sentence. Our Wonders comprehension skill was topic and details in nonfiction texts. Our math lesson was making(Or decomposing) numbers 8 and 9. For social studies we discussed Veteran’s Day and voting.
Grade 1: This week in first grade we learned about -r and -s blend words. We are reviewing digraphs, bonus letter words, and -l blend words. For comprehension we discussed key details and predicting what will happen in stories. In writing we are working on a personal narrative about something we do with a friend. For math this week we worked on number partners for 8 and 9.
Grade 2: This week in second grade we worked on finding the main topic of an expository text. In phonics we began to learn how to write, read and mark up multisyllabic words. In Math we worked with strategies to help us solve 2-step word problems using addition and subtraction. Children have been encouraged to share a variety of strategies in order to solve the same number story or word problem. Our second writing unit began with a focus on expository text. Students will be researching to write an informational essay. In social studies we learned about Veterans’ Day. Thank you to all of those who have served our country.
Grade 3: In third grade this week, students completed rounding to the nearest ten and hundred within word problems. In reading, students completed an MCAS practice titled, “Balloons over Broadway” using the RACES graphic organizer to formulate their essay responses. In writing, students wrote an opinion paragraph about whether they would want to be a Wampanoag or Pilgrim. Students were able to share their opinions and reasons with their peers based on what they have learned throughout the unit.
Physical Education: This week students continued cup stacking. Second and Third grade students practiced the 3 stack and the 6 stack. They then learned and practiced the 3-6-3 and the 1-10-1 stack. Kindergarten and First Grade students reviewed walking the cups and the 3-3-3, and were then introduced to the 6 stack.
Art: Kindergartens stamped straight lines with black paint and popsicle sticks. When dry, they found and colored in so many interesting geometric shapes. They practiced coloring with their best effort and also used color balance in their work. Grade 1 created an original non-objective art work while being inspired by Wassily Kandinsky. They trace geometric shapes, added black lines, then colored with markers and color balance. Grade 2 is creating a paper version of Mexican Mirrors. They are learning about radial design as they work. Grade 3 learned about the pop art of James Rizzi. They are having a blast creating Happy Cities with sharpie, construction paper crayons and watercolor inspired by Rizzi.
Music: This week, students K-3 have started the 2nd week of their unit on improvising. Grade 3 will begin improvising movements in Mama Lama, Grade 2 will explore improvising using mallet instruments. Grade 1 and Kindergarten will improvise with arioso type songs. In addition, Grade 3 has the opportunity to take a “virtual field trip” to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. They will view pictures of his mansion in music class.
Library: During library class this week, kindergarten students worked on a feature of Britannica Early Encyclopedia. Students used the explore tool to look at biomes around the world and then used to create tools to show what they learned. First grade students continued their assignment from last week where they designed a book cover. This week they typed a reason why they would want to write about the topic on their book cover. Second and third grade students learned about digital literacy through the Interland curriculum by Google.