Tara Boening, Principal

2017 Newsletter

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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7:00 p.m.

3End ofTerm 1

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5 Time toChange

your clocks!

One hour

6All SchoolAssembly

Term 2

7 NO SCHOOL

Teacher Workshop

8 9 10

NO SCHOOL

In Observance of

Veterans Day

11

Veterans Day

12 13

School Committee

Meeting 7PM @ South

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Picture Retakes

15 16 17Report CardsGoing home

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19 20 21 22 Early Dismissal 12:10 NO LUNCH SERVED

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NO SCHOOLThanksgiving

Break

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49 Proctor Rd, Braintree, MA 02184Main Number 781-380-0210Absentee line 781-380-0210 option 1

Dear Families,

With the Fall season upon us, I hope you have been able to enjoy this beautiful weather! It was fabulous to see so many families at our Halloween Costume Parade, and even with the slight chill in the air, it was great to spend the time outdoors. With that being said, we know the days will become chillier and we want to be sure students have the necessary clothing to enjoy outdoor recess. We make every effort to go outside for fresh air during recess, so please make sure your child comes to school prepared for this outdoor time.

To mark the end of our month focusing on kindness, we came together as a school community to talk about ways in which we can show kindness towards others. The students all shared their thoughts either in our school-wide assembly or through their kindness writing prompt. It was a nice way to also recap celebrating Unity Day earlier in that week. Staff and students sent one large ORANGE message to show we are united together in kindness!

For November, our school focus will be on cooperation and we discussed what it means to work cooperatively with one another. Each week we display a quote connected to our theme, and each month students complete a writing prompt for our monthly focus. Throughout the month we look forward to watching students work together as a team, which in turn leads to their success.

On Friday, November 17th report cards will be going home. Parent conferences will be held once we return from Thanksgiving break – December 5th, 6th and 7th. As in previous years, we will be using the website PTCFast for your convenience. The link to sign up for conferences will be sent home the week of November 6th.

We thank you for supporting your child’s education at home, and we look forward to seeing you during parent teacher conferences.

Best regards,

Tara Boening, Principal

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November is here and first graders are well into their routines and class schedules. October culminated with our annual Liberty School Halloween Parade! A special morning enjoyed by students and families.

In November we will begin our Reading Street Unit one. We are all trying to increase our “read- to-self-time”. This is the time when

students take their book bags or book boxes and try to read quietly to themselves. Teachers are working with a small group or with individual students during this time. Children are exposed to all kinds of literature; fiction, non-fiction, poetry and magazines during the day.

We are continuing our work with short vowels this month and will add blends and digraphs to our work. Blends are 2 or 3 consonants that often are at the beginning and sometimes at the end of words. In a blend you hear each sound that the consonant makes. Digraphs are 2 consonants that together make a brand new sound.

In math we will begin our third module. The children will begin to formalize their work with two-digit numbers. Children will read

and write numbers that they have represented using groups of tens and ones.

In Science we will begin a new unit on plant and animals traits and how those traits are dependent on their environment. We’ll look at how animals and plants adapt to their surroundings.

Our social studies work this month will be with Pilgrims and the Native Americans. We’ll read, talk, and write about those families and what the first Thanksgiving was all about.

Just a reminder that report cards will be coming home on November 17th and conferences will be held the first week of December. Your first grade team is always available through a note in your child’s folder, an email, or a phone call.

Second Graders did a wonderful job in October demonstrating kindness to their classmates and friends around the school. Liberty’s Got Character!

In November, we will be focusing on cooperation. From Nov. 13-17th, Liberty Second Graders will be hosting an all-school food drive for the Braintree Food Pantry. Be on the lookout for your child’s

SCHOOL PHOTOS WILL BE SENT HOME NEXT WEEK! PLEASE WATCH FOR THEM IN

YOUR CHILD’S BACKPACK!

assigned item. These are being dictated by the current needs of the food pantry.

In Reading we will be working on themes surrounding “how we can work together.” We will tie all themes into our school-wide good character theme as well as Social Studies and Second Step. We will be focusing on r-controlled vowels, plurals, and contractions throughout this reading theme.

In Math, we will be working on strategies relating to adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers. We’re working toward building number-sense foundations. Also, please continue to stress these strategies as the standard algorithm isn’t officially taught until Fourth Grade. Please continue to review your child’s communication/homework folder for updated and current math assignments. The optional “Tangy Tuesday” booklets are a great resource in building strong number sense. Also, please continue to practice math facts (addition and subtraction to 20) to build math fluency.

Term 1 ends on November 3rd. Be on the lookout for your child’s report card on November 17th. If you have any questions about the report card, do not hesitate to contact us. You do not have to wait until our conference.

As always, we enjoy and appreciate being able to work with your children! We are always available to speak with.

Mrs. Cahoon, acahoon@braintreema.govMrs. Doyle, kdoyle@braintreema.govMrs. Hankes, jhankes@braintreema.govMs. Ranieri, cranieri@braintreema.gov

In Science, third graders have begun working with our new curriculum: STEMscopes! This is an exciting time for students to explore the standards with hands-on activities. Ms. Reid’s class and Mrs. Burbank’s class have begun investigating Weather and Climate. They have worked in groups to create a presentation for teachers deciding where to go on vacation! This was a great way to kick-off the unit! Mrs. McCauley’s class and Ms. Arnold’s class are working on Objects and Motion. Their kick-off activity was Tug-of-War and they have moved on to investigating how forces affect objects. After these units are finished, classes will swap!

In Reading, we began a new unit. We are thinking about the big question: “What are smart ways to solve problems?” Students will read two expository texts that introduce facts in different ways; Penguin Chick is a narrative nonfiction the tells the story of an emperor penguin’s life cycle and Amazing Bird Nests is a more tradition expository text with photographs, captions, and fun (and sometimes gross) facts. Your student may be writing you letters asking you for something they want after reading about Alex in I Wanna Iguana!

In Math, third graders have begun learning multiplication! However, we are really just building on the skills and concepts of groups and arrays that students learned in first and second grade. Remember that our goal with the multiplication facts is that students are fluent. This doesn’t mean that they are just memorizing their facts. We really want the students to understand the whole concept of the facts by using manipulatives, pictures, and other strategies. Once they have used those techniques enough, they will begin to recall the facts more fluently because they are internalizing these methods and can recall the products more quickly. This also helps them apply the concepts to higher-level mathematics later on. Please refer to the memo sent by the director of Mathematics for BPS, in our October newsletter, for more information on Fact Fluency.

Math: We are wrapping our unit on addition. We’ve looked at both standard and non-standard ways to add numbers. Using non-standard addition strategies help develop and build on students’ number sense, which is important as they continue to understand mathematics. We will be doing the same with subtraction. Please help your child study their math facts daily. We will be learning about factors and multiples soon, so start practicing those multiplication facts too!

Reading: All four reading classes have finished reading our first novel, Owls in the Family. We were even fortunate enough to have naturalists from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum bring owls to our classrooms and teach us a little more about these fascinating creatures. Each reading class has moved on to their next book. Although different classes are reading different books, we are all focusing on character traits, sensory details, and asking questions. Ask your child to tell you a little bit about their book and the main character.

Science: We’re off to a great start with our new science curriculum, STEMscopes. All the classes are wrapping up our unit on Energy and Speed. Did you know that the more energy something has, the faster it goes? In our next unit we’ll be learning about the transfer of energy in collision. As an extension of this, we’ll be sending home instructions at the end of the month for our Solar House project. In this assignment, you and your child will work together to build a box that will transfer light energy into heat energy.

The month of October was busy as ever in fifth grade.  The students have completed their first reading project and they came out wonderful.  We all enjoyed watching Miracle at Midnight as a culmination to our Number the Stars unit.  Each homeroom has started their second book of the year and the class discussions about the book have been interesting each day.  In addition, the students have finished writing their America, Land of the Free essays. These have been mailed to the American Legion for a contest and we are hopeful to have some winners from Liberty School. Each student should have a biography book for the next independent reading project. The project will be assigned by the end of the month; stay tuned for the project directions! Book talks have been a big hit each day in our reading classrooms.

In Science we have wrapped up our unit on Matter.  Students learned about the states of matter and how matter is everywhere.  We had the Museum of Science come in mid-October to do a presentation on Matter for the fifth graders and they loved it.  Now, we are focusing on magnetism and lots of experiments are underway.  MCAS preparation packets have also been worked on in class.  The children are learning how to complete an open response question for the science MCAS test in the spring.

In Math, students are focusing on multiplication. We are hoping the standard algorithm for double digit multiplication will be mastered by the end of the month. Students are working on multi step word problems in and out of class. It is important that students can not only solve the problem correctly but be able to explain how/why he/she solved the problem. Hopefully you have taken some time to see the journal prompts your child is working on. Feel free to provide help with these if you son/daughter need it.

In Social Studies, students have completed their first group project. Many chose to make a slide show; results were very impressive. The next unit will have the students learning about European Explorers. Students have completed a couple of current event assignments so far this year. It is nice to see them interested in what is going on in the world around them. Thank you for supplying them with news articles to read.

 

Ms. Haran’s Media Center News:

As a new teacher here at Liberty Elementary, I must say I’m very excited and happy to be here and work with your children! Grades 1-5 at Liberty have been extra busy and working super hard this month in Media; Students are enjoying their love of reading and their love of technology in my classroom!

Grade 1 enjoyed working on an author study for Kevin Henkes. We read books such as “Wemberley Worried”, “Lily’s Big Day”, and “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse”. We took the time to go over some things that may make us worried as first graders. We also spent time going over what it means to be a good friend; which is a main theme in Kevin Henkes stories. Ask your child about some of these stories! Since October is Fire Safety Awareness month, students also had a lot of fun working on the website: www.sparky.org/games where they made fire safety decisions using my interactive whiteboard. This would also be a great website to look at and to play games at home!

For students in grade 2, we worked on making our very own “Travel Brochures.” Students got to choose a place they had been to in the world. This could be traveling to a different country, state, or even just to the beach! The goal was for students to really intrigue the reader of their brochure to want to go to that place that they’ve been to.

Students in grades 3-5 got to start working on the computers. Students have been working in Google Docs to write about one thing they did this summer. The goal was for students to only pick one place they visited and work on adding details to their work. They also had the opportunity to play around with Google Docs; they got to change the font, size, and color of their title and add a picture to their work as well.

Each grade level got the chance to pick out and return books also! We talked about the “Five Finger Test” when choosing a book. Each time a student comes across a word they do not know, they raise a finger up. If the student gets to five fingers by the end of the page, then the book is too hard/tricky for them. We talked about books that are too easy, too hard, and just right--and how everyone should always pick a “just right book” for them. Remember: it is okay if your student forgets their book, they may just need an “oops slip” to help remind them to bring it the following week. I look forward to working and getting to know your child(ren) this year & expanding their experience in literacy and technology.

From Ms. Champagne In art with Ms. Champagne we've been learning about connecting lines and shapes to draw what we see.

In first grade we created self-portraits. We learned that a self-portrait is a picture, drawing, painting or sculpture of you! Self-portraits tell the world about who you are! We figured out the shapes needed to draw a person and turned them into portraits of us in backgrounds of our favorite places. Some of our favorite places included sports fields, ice cream shops and playgrounds.

In second grade we learned that everything around us is made up of connected lines and shapes. We read the book This Is the Sun or Is It? and learned that the same few shapes can be used to make many different things. For example a circle could be a sun but a sun becomes a flower just by adding a straight line and ovals for a stem and leaves. We then drew five shapes on a paper and turned each shape into an object to transform five shapes into a whole scene. For example a circle could become a sun, a triangle the roof to a house, an oval could become the top of a street light. We built a complete drawing just from five simple shapes.

In third grade we are learning about perspective and point of view. We made drawings from both a bugs and birds eye view. A bug’s eye view is a view from below looking up at something much larger, such as an ant looking up at a big flower or a person looking up at a tall building. A bird’s eye view is a view from above looking down. Everything looks much smaller. When we fly in an airplane we have a bird’s eye view of the houses, buildings, cities and mountains below.

In fifth grade we created our own art galleries using one point perspective. We learned that an art gallery is a space where artists show their art work. Sometimes galleries have themed shows such as a nature themed show or sports themed show. We created a gallery with a back wall and two side walls. We used one point perspective to make the gallery look like we could walk into it. We created themes and artwork for our galleries!

From Mrs. Riley First graders just completed a drawing of an owl with texture fur. This lesson uses the shape of an oval to draw an owl, adding textures to the body and wings.They are currently working on drawing dinosaurs and their environment.

Second graders just completed the lesson “Scarecrow”, drawing a basic figure, adding crops of corn and pumpkins. Students are currently drawing a superhero, building on the previous lesson of drawing a figure.

Third grade students are going to be starting the project “Triarama”. This lesson allows the students to choose an environment in which they will make a paper triangle to house their environment and make a clay animal that belongs in that environment.

Fourth grade is completing the lesson “Castles”. This lesson teaches the three elements of a landscape. They are also learning other details about castles, including the environment in which they are built and what they are made of.

Fifth graders are drawing animals and the jungle, based on the artist Henry Rousseau. This lesson includes basic drawing skills of jungle animals, and a focus on the flora of the

Vision and hearing screenings have been completed for all students. You can

assume that your child has passed the screening if you have not heard from me. If your child did not pass a screening, please make arrangements for your child to be evaluated as soon as possible. The provider should complete the referral form and it should be returned to me.

The Fluoride Mouth Rinse Program will begin during the month of November for students in Grades 3-5. Look for information and permission slips to come home with your child soon.

If your child has food allergies and is buying lunch or breakfast, it is imperative that you monitor the menu daily. Please contact Megan Ahrenholz, BPS Food Services Director at mahrenholz@braintreema.gov with ANY ingredient related questions for your child’s safety. Please do not assume that all breakfast and lunches are allergen free for your child.

If you are a Registered Nurse and are interested in substituting in the schools, contact Laurie Melchionda, the BPS Director of Nursing at 781-848-4000 ext 7840.

Braintree Holidays/Friends

Braintree has a tradition of working as a community to assure that all Braintree families have a wonderful holiday season. Through the Braintree Holiday/Friends Inc. of the Marge Crispin Center, families in need are assisted during the 2017holiday season. Food, clothing, toys and essential items are provided to those in need. Mrs. Kelly has applications for families who would benefit from this program. If you could use some assistance, please contact Mrs. Kelly by email at jakelly@braintreema.gov or by phone at 781-380-0210. Of course, all referrals are confidential. Deadlines for submitted applications are by November 9, 2017 for Thanksgiving and December 7, 2017 for Christmas.

Grade 4 and 5 students have just finished their flag football unit. Throwing, catching, positioning, and game play strategies were the focus of this unit. The 4th

Because of the many food allergies among our students and adults, we remind everyone that no food should be sent into any classroom to share.

Thank you for your help!

and 5th graders are now moving on to their fitness unit. Students will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness. This unit will help students see where they are currently and learn to set goals for the future and how to achieve them.

Grade 1, 2, and 3 students have just completed their jump roping unit. Students learned basic skills, intermediate skills, and participated in jump rope games. The younger students will now begin to learn about chasing, fleeing, and dodging skills. Please remind your child(ren) to wear sneakers on PE days!

In November the 4th grade students will be participating in Fitnessgram. The primary purpose of Fitnessgram is to promote enjoyable regular physical activity and to provide the teacher; student and parent/guardian with information that will help the student maintain or improve their level of health related fitness.

During physical education class students will perform a variety of fitness tests that measure the health components of fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility). During the month of November and December, the student’s performance at these various activities will be recorded. 

Each child’s performance is compared to standards that have been set for children at this age level.  Students are compared to these standards, not their classmates or other peers. The Fitnessgram profile is an excellent tool to help students learn more about their own physical fitness and give them the knowledge to improve their fitness levels for lifelong good health. If you have any questions about your fourth grader’s Fitnessgram, please contact Elise Fontes or Melonie Bennett, Director of Physical Education and Health at (781)848-4000 x 78

Your first graders have been hard at work practicing their jumping and landing

skills! Students have had the chance to explore their skills through jumping over obstacles, jumping with hula hoops and also basic jump rope skills. We have played

games including frog pond, shape jumping and jump tag! During the month of November, we will begin our Chasing, Fleeing and Dodging unit. In second grade we

have been working on more advanced jump roping skills including the long rope, Chinese jump rope and jump rope tricks. During the month of the November we will

be developing our soccer skills. Please remind your child to wear sneakers on PE days! If you have any questions you may contact me at cacasey@braintreema.gov.

Thank you,Miss Casey

Make your prediction and enter your estimate at http://gregtangmath.com/50million

Translation Announcement

If parents and/or guardians need this notice or other school notices translated

into another language, please contact Karen Baho at Liberty School

at 781-380-0210

From the desks ofMrs. Fetter, Mrs. McGrath and Mrs. Chiampa…

Reading At Home… Can Make A HUGE Difference!

Family time is so important… Why not make reading part of this valuable time with your kids? Here are some tips for integrating reading into our daily family activities:-Read bedtime stories-Play a board game-Visit your local library-Read a recipe and cook something yummy together!-Create a comfy reading space in your home. -Put your child in charge of reading the grocery list at the store.

Make Reading A Part Of Family TimeYour Family Time!

Choose Books That Are At An

Appropriate Reading Level For Your Child

-Use the five finger rule. Open the book to any page and ask your child to read. Put up a finger every time your child does not know a word. If you have put up more than five fingers before the end of the page, this book is too hard for your child. -find books with topics ofyour child’s likes and interests.

How To Read With A Beginning Reader: •Encourage your child to use his/her finger to point to each word.•Read a sentence and have your child repeat it. •Take turns reading a sentence each or a page each. •Talk about the story as you read it. What do you think will happen next? What does this story remind you of? How do you think this character feels?•Don’t be afraid to read the same book again! Repeated reading helps build reading fluency!

There are many fun and interactive websites for literacy. www.starfall.com www.speakaboos.com www.spellingcity.com www.wegivebooks.orghttp://interactivesites.weebly.com

Family time is so important… Why not make reading part of this valuable time with your kids?

Here are some tips for integrating reading into your daily family activities:-Read bedtime stories-Play a board game-Visit your local library-Read a recipe and cook something yummy together!-Create a comfy reading space in your home. -Set aside time over the weekends for everyone in the house to DEAR (Drop Everything and Read)!

Make Reading PartOf Your Family Time!

As a community service to help our neighbors in need, the Liberty School Second Grade will be organizing a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the Braintree Community Food Pantry,

NOVEMBER 6th – 17th

If you would like to participate please follow the guidelines listed below.

There will be a collection basket outside the office.

Grade 1- Jelly Grade 2 – Canned Fruit Grade 3 - Mayonnaise Grade 4 - JellyGrade 5 – Canned Fruit

These food donations will help stock the food pantry shelves

Picture Retake Day will be at Liberty School on Tuesday, November 14th for picture retakes. If you would like your child’s picture retaken, please return your original package to school on the retake day and ask your child to give it to our photographer. You may keep the class picture. If your child was absent on the original picture day, he or she may be photographed as well. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (617) 698-1840. Thank you.

Tuesday, December 5

Wednesday, December 6

Thursday, December 7

Please watch for

Monday, November 6th All School Assembly

The Brain Show has the authentic look and feel of a real live TV game show complete with colorful podiums that feature computerized lights and sounds. The show will be adapted to meet the curriculum needs of our students. Educational questions, submitted by our teachers, will be incorporated into the game show to test our students on topics they have recently covered.This is a wonderful program that our students and teachers are looking forward to. Many thanks to the PTO for sponsoring The Brain

NO SCHOOL

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7ELECTION DAY

NO SCHOOLFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10

VETERANS’ DAY

EARLY DISMISSAL DAYWednesday, November 22th

THANKSGIVING BREAKDismissal time – 12:10 p.m.

LUNCH WILL NOT BE SERVED

NO SCHOOLTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23& FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24

IN CELBRATION OF THANKSGIVING

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FUTURE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS December 11, 2017 7 pm Flaherty January 8, 2018 7 pm Ross January 22,2018* 7 pm Colbert (tentative) February 12, 2018 7 pm Liberty

The agenda for each meeting may be viewed two days prior to the meeting

date at www.braintreeschools.org

Report Cards going home

Friday, November 17

WE ARE LOOKING FOR HOMEMADE CRAFT ITEMS for the

The holiday season is quickly approaching and we will be holding our annual Holiday Bazaar for the children on Friday, December 15th. We are again hoping to provide some homemade craft items for the children to be able to purchase. If you or anyone in your family is "crafty" and would like to make and donate some items to the bazaar, we would be very happy to accept them. Crafted items can be donated for mother/grandmother, father/grandfather, boys, girls, or pet’s tables. (no food items please).

Items can be dropped off in the Liberty office through December 12th.

If you can help us by donating items you've made please contact Danielle Halpin at Danielle.Halpin@gmail.com or Noreen Zelano at noreenmcdonagh@hotmail.com