Mr. Ward’s Message:
What a week at FES! This week brought the many incentives each classroom earned for the Fun Run. Several classrooms had various events such as PJ Day, Stuff Animal Day, Extra Recess Day, Show and Tell Day, and much more. The smiles on student faces are appreciated and vibrant here at FES.
This week also brought STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Week to Freetown Elementary and throughout the district. At Freetown Elementary School ALL students worked on “Let’s Learn about Sailboats”.
Day 1 students discussed sailboats. The classroom completed K-W-L charts as they shared what they already know about sailboats and what they wanted to learn.
Day 2 students worked in teams to discuss how you would go about making a sailboat.
Day 3 students worked in teams again to make their very own sailboat.
Day 4 (today) students took their sailboats outside to a “kiddie” pool to observe if their sailboat could float and work.
Day 5 student groups came back together again to discuss what they learned about their sailboat experiment and how could they make their sailboat even better?
In the end, STEM Week allowed our students to be scientists, to be thinkers, to be creative, to be collaborative, and to be part of a team while learning about science and engineering. What a great time!
Attendance Matters Weekly Update:
The goal that has been established... 94% of the FES student population will attend school daily.
October 3-7: 96%...Goal achieved!
October 10-14: 95%...Goal achieved!
October 17-21: 95%...Goal achieved!
PTO Corner:
The next PTO Meeting will take place on Monday, November 14th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The meeting will be both in-person and virtual. The virtual meeting invitation will be shared as the meeting date approaches.
FES PTO website is...https://freetownelementarypto.weebly.com/
Upcoming events:
October 26: FES School Council Meeting beginning at 8:15 AM
November 1: No School for students - Professional Development Day
News and Happenings around the classrooms:
Preschool: This week in preschool we learned all about pumpkins and their life cycle. Preschoolers completed pumpkin investigations, which included measuring height, weight, and circumference. We traveled to our pretend pumpkin patch where the students picked their own pumpkins. We also learned about the letter d, our noisy tongue dancer sound. We participated in STEM week! We designed sailboats and tested them to see if they could float. Lastly, we celebrated Orange Day on Thursday by wearing something orange to school.
Kindergarten: This week in kindergarten we learned the name, sound and proper letter formation for the letters c and o. We continue to practice letter writing for all letters.
We introduced the high frequency word “the”. Our math lesson focused on counting 6 and 7. In science, we were so excited to make our own sailboats. We even got to see if they floated by testing them in a kiddie pool!
Grade 1: This week in first grade we finished Unit 2 in FUNdations. For comprehension we reviewed visualization, characters, setting, and plot, and retelling a story. In math this week we learned about comparing numbers and using subtraction as a strategy to help solve these types of problems. In science we had so much fun learning about sailboats and building our own boats. We even got to test them out!
Grade 2: This week in second grade we learned about story elements. In Fundations we worked with suffix endings such as “-ed” and “-ing”. In math we used the make 10 strategy to solve math problems. In writing we worked on realistic fiction writing and learned about the parts of speech nouns and verbs and what makes a complete sentence. We participated in STEM week by making boats and testing them to see if they could float!
Grade 3: This week in third grade students had fun participating in STEM week by planning, and building sailboats. Ask your child if their sailboat floated when we tested it in a kiddie pool! In reading we practiced taking notes about texts and finding evidence to support answers. In math, students solved multiplication and division word problems using CUBES. In writing, we discussed the idea of narrowing down a topic.
Music: This week, students K-3 have started the fifth week of their unit on being expressive in music. We will learn new songs, games, and movements to be performed with appropriate musicality. Grades K and 1 will continue moving expressively with an emphasis on keeping a steady beat. Grade 2 will have their first opportunity to try boomwhackers. Grade 3 will practice singing in a round style.
Art: Kindergarteners painted lines and added cut shapes to make adorable monsters. Grade 1 learned about the abstract art of Joan Miro and started a sharpie and oil pastel project using line and shape inspired by Miro’s work. Grade 2 continued to work on their paper and sharpie Greek vases. Grade 3 did a fantastic job on their simple gestural line drawings in the style of Pablo Picasso.
Physical Education: It was Fitness week this week. Students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade reviewed different exercises through stations in a Fitness Circuit. Kindergarteners learned how to perform the shuttle run, “Good Morning/Good Night!” sit-ups, how to hold a straight armed plank position, and how to use stretch bands.
Library: During library class this week, kindergarten students worked on their typing skills through the Typetastic website. First, second and third grade students learned how to use the Gale Database to look up an article. First grade students listened to an article on deserts and answered a writing prompt on Seesaw. Second and third grade students listened to an article on clouds and answered questions on Google Slides.