Dr. Charles C. Polk Elementary School

November 2015

Positive Happenings

Polk School’s Annual Thanksgiving Baskets Giveaway

Polk School students enjoying fresh and healthy

smoothies provided by the YMCA Healthy U Program

Monthly Report

Dr. Charles C. Polk Nov. 2015

Mrs. Celebrano – Grade 1

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, and Happy Thanksgiving! This month the

students in Room 103 took time to support the local

community by bringing in canned foods for the local food

bank. Students and staff also participated in a “Dress

Down” Day to raise funds for the local food bank. In class

we have been taking time to discuss the importance of giving

thanks and showing kindness! Students wrote letters to their families to wish

them a Happy Thanksgiving and to thank them for all of the wonderful

things that families do for one another; give love, help with homework, etc.

We also read several non-fiction books to learn about the history of the

Thanksgiving holiday.

This month we honored class Star Students Jeriah Rozzelle, Breon Barrino,

and Leilani Newkirk. Each of these students had time to share stories about

their personal lives and bring in favorite items to share with the class. All of

us enjoyed getting to know each student better. This month finished out first

unit in our Wonders Reading Program. We enjoyed working on special end

of unit small group activities. The students performed their first readers

theatre play Look at Me Now! by Alice Boyton . The children enjoyed

working in small groups, picking their roles. Together they practiced

reading challenging words, and improved their fluency the more they

practiced together. The students also participated in their first research

projects. They had a great time working together! Each group chose a

different project, writing a song about school, making a poster about caring

for a pet, writing about an activity that shows one way the body moves, or

writing directions for rules from a game form long ago.

To celebrate Thanksgiving we had a Fall Harvest Celebration in which we

enjoyed eating food with friends and expressed thanks for all that we have!

We rearranged our desks to build a long rectangle table to sit at as a class

and enjoy our feast. We placed a cornucopia, “horn of plenty” in the middle

of the table to celebrate giving thanks for all that we have. As we were

eating all of the delicious foods we used our five senses to describe how all

of the foods, looked, smelled and tasted. We then made an adjective chart of

words that we used to describe the foods.

Ms. Nuzzo – Grade 1

November always goes by quickly as it marks the end the first marking

period and the beginning of a month full of fun filled activities that prepare

us for the holiday season. November always reminds us to give thanks for

our health and all that we have.

This month was a time to donate and give back to those in need. We had

dress down day for cans. Each one of us dressed down and brought in cans

of food to collect and give to those in need. November also started the Back

Pack program of food donations from the local food bank. We also had our

first raffle give away from the Book It reading program where one lucky

first grader was chosen to win a prize because they filled in their reading

logs every day.

As a special decoration for Thanksgiving, we decorated foam pumpkins to

adorn our tables for our Thanksgiving festivities with our families. Learning

about the Pilgrims and Native Americans during the first Thanksgiving helps

us to understand what this important holiday is all about. November came

and went in a blink of an eye but it has prepared us to make the best of what

we have and what is to come...especially for this joyful upcoming holiday!

Ms. Faison/Ms. Page-Grade 2

For social studies, the students completed family tree projects to learn more

about the people in their family known and unknown. The children

presented their knowledge with pride and were surprised at some things. The

trees are presented on posters with the names on the leaves. They currently

are decorating the bulletin board.

As another extension of the month of giving, the students used their letter

writing objective to create a letter of thanks. The purpose of the letter was to

thank someone they truly feel helps them in their lives or one instance when

the help was meaningful. This task made the students reflect on all the

people in their lives and how fortunate they have been. The final drafts are

currently posted on the bulletin board inside of the classroom.

The students have incorporated the healthy living initiative into their

learning activities. During the morning announcements, the students are

eager to get the brain juices flowing with the music. During math, as

students practice different skills, they work with a partner to pass objects of

a stepping activity. During word study, the students practice phonemic

awareness and spelling through physical activity with a partner. The children

have become active learners.

Ms. McCoy-Grade 2

November is the time for giving thanks at Polk School. The Super Stars’

theme for this month was Helping Our Community; working together is the

best achievement anyone could offer. Together we’ve read several stories

like Helping Hands, The Leaf Man, and Franklin’s First Thanksgiving. All

the stories depicted how working together gets the job done quickly and

effortlessly. Not only were these stories fun to read, they also illustrated how

to achieve common goals, work collaboratively, make learning easier and a

more fun way to ensure success.

In math we are embarking on how to regroup with addition and subtraction

to 1,000. Recognizing the importance of using the Singapore math approach,

we utilized the manipulatives designed to follow the Concrete-Pictorial-

Abstract approach along with other differential learning strategies. The

students are working hard to achieve positive results.

For Science, the class learned about the season of autumn and the changing

of leaves. We read several books

on the subject and decided to

create our own Leaf Man project.

Adopted from the story, Leaf Man

by Lois Ehlert, our class along

with the other second graders

utilized a variety of leaves to make

the wonderland of creative figures

displayed this month. They used

their imaginations and writing

skills to complete the project. I say

that we have some great talent at

Polk School - Great job!

We are so very proud to add that

Polk’s Food Drive under the

leadership of Miss Harry and her

supportive staff, continued to

strive and feed our community

with wholesome foods this

Thanksgiving with success! Most

of the children brought in dry and can goods while teachers donated turkeys

for gift baskets. Working Together and giving thanks is what we do at Dr.

Charles Polk School! Last but not least, Congratulations to my wonderful

scholar, Xander Long and his mother, Mrs. T Long for being November’s

honor Student and Parent of the month! From Mrs. McCoy’s class to yours,

we wish you all wonderful and safe holiday!

Ms. Southerland-Grade 2

In Science, students have learned all about

leaves. They learned why leaves fall off of trees

and why the leaves change colors during the fall.

Next, the students read “Leaf Man” by Lois

Ehlert. This story showed the students several

ways of creating creatures out of leaves. Students

then completed a Science Project, where they

created their own creatures. Students used their

imagination to produce very

interesting creations.

Students were honored to have

a “special guest” visit the

classroom, Mr. Robinson. He

came to talk to the students

about his profession as a

photographer. After that, he created a student’s “working head shot” photo

album. The students were so excited to have Mr. Robinson in our class and

to learn about photography. The students were able to take professional

pictures with Mr. Robinson during his visit.

In Math, students have learned how to subtract without and with

regrouping. Students used base ten blocks to help with understanding

this concept. Next, students reviewed several kids’ videos on subtraction

with regrouping. Then, students practice subtraction using

Turtlediary.com. Students enjoyed learning how to subtract without or with

regrouping.

Ms. Jones-Grade 3

Polk School has been nominated as the most interesting and exciting place to

learn. Who says so? Ms. Jones third grade class! Our students had the

pleasure of writing about a subject they enjoyed the most. During writer’s

workshop, they expressed their opinion by describing a day which enhanced

their learning experience. Reading, math, and physical education were

favorites. Many students gave reflections on some of their favorite stories

after sharing from the weekend reading log. It was also noted in their

opinion writing how physical education lessons teach how to stay healthy.

Students are more conscientious about eating the right foods and exercising

which help them to live longer.

Our third grade class are always active participates every morning working

out with Mr. Griffin especially Fitness Wednesday’s! Whenever Mr. Griffin

comes in he shares his knowledge about fitness and provides the class with

information about their heart and how it functions. The students eagerly

respond with

questions,

sharing

thoughts about

healthy eating

and saying no

to non-

nutritional

snacks. They

love when Mr.

Griffin

challenges the

school to start

their day with

stretching, correct breathing, jumping jacks, and other cardio fitness

exercises. Everyone gets a good workout including Mrs. Jones!

One of our math focus skills this year was place value. The students

participated in a fun activity by challenging each other to identify the ones,

tens, and hundreds place using their numbers from line order. Each student

was assigned a set of specific numbers and places to line up daily. Class

was divided into two teams and given a card with their number. During the

activity, students had to line up when their number was called. They had to

be in the proper place value order before the set time. Score was kept and

points were given to the team who received the most correct answers. The

other team had an opportunity to correct the numbers if the first team did not

get the places correct. They were thrilled to learn place value in such a fun

way

Ms. Nevins-Grade 3

Noteworthy November! During this quick month, the Polk School

community was dedicated to the giving back to the community of Roselle.

From November 1-25, the school hosted its annual Thanksgiving Food

Drive. During that time, Polk School accepted canned goods from our staff,

students, and visitors to be donated to families in need. On November 13 and

24, the students and staff also dressed down for hunger for the price of a

canned good. There was such a warm feel throughout the building! It was

amazing to see how many huge garbage cans were filed with non-perishable

items. There was such a warm feel throughout the building, perfect for the

upcoming holidays!

This month was also the end of the first marking period. This school year is

certainly flying by! Parent-Teacher conferences were held from November

18-20, 2015. Conferences were a huge success!! The halls of the school

were flooded with parents eager to be involved in, and were committed to

their children’s academic successes. All parents were provided with their

child’s report card upon meeting with the classroom teacher. Additionally,

parents received their child’s iReady diagnostic assessment scores, which

were thoroughly explained. Please remember that I am always available to

meet with you, as your children's success is my number one goal. Please do

not hesitate to ask for our assistance. I truly love sharing strategies with

you!

Because November is a time to give thanks and appreciation for all that we

have and the blessings that we share, students in room 204 had very

enlightening, deep conversations about what they are thankful for and why.

The children deepened their learning through multiple reading and writing

exercises on colonial life, and life during the time of the Pilgrims. Children

were able to compare their life now and all the simple luxuries they

sometimes take for granted, to the lives of colonial children. What better

way to see life’s simple blessings than to imagine life without it!

Ms. Caccholi/Ms. Allen-Grade 4

November has been a month of growth and togetherness here in Ms.

Caccholi and Mrs. Allen’s fourth grade room. As fourth graders, we know

how important it is to be role models and set

positive examples for the rest of the school

community. This month, we focused on being

leaders in and out of the classroom. For the

food drive, we researched how important it is

to help the poor and contributed to “Cans for

Dress Down”.

This month, we are focusing on becoming

astronomers in our Science Unit. We are

observing the moon nightly to see the phases

of the moon and understand the process of

getting to a full moon. We are creating our

own constellations and researching what these mean in historical times. We

are also actively engaged in our first core novel, “Because of Winn Dixie”,

and are so excited to start our journey into Opal’s world. There are many

exciting projects that we have started that are linked to this story, including

finding out what we truly know about ourselves.

Overall, it was a successful, productive, and progressive month for Caccholi-

Allen’s Fourth Grade Class. With learning, we infused great fun and songs

to sharpen our skills and our minds!

Ms. Nicol– Grade 4

Students enjoyed

creating a step-by-

step foldable book

of remodeling

division with

regrouping. They

followed a step-by-

step process of

dividing a 3-digit

number by a 1-digit

number. The students labeled each instruction to

match the instruction with the correct step for

division. This activity was a great tool to assist

each student in comprehending each step of

dividing and breaking it down in a way that

makes learning this skill a gradual process. It

also allowed them to be show creativity while

decorating their foldable book.

We were lucky enough to learn about Tuskegee

University of Alabama. Tuskegee is a historically black university that was

founded in 1837. As we learned more about the college we became

interested in Tuskegee alumni and wanted to learn more about the people

who graduated from Tuskegee. We were also excited to learn about the

academic programs available at Tuskegee and we wrote application letters to

the Tuskegee admissions office.

Our class is studying the phases of the moon. The students were eager to

create this fun and scrumptious hands-on activity! This activity engaged the

students and assisted them in identifying each phase of the moon. All they

needed were 8 Oreos each, paper plates and a marker to label each phase of

the moon. Now the students can identify all the phases of the moon can you?

This is a model of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, that shows how the Earth

orbits the Sun, and the Moon goes around the Earth. Students were able to

figure out which represents the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. They were

able to demonstrate how the phases of the moon are determined by the

relative positions of the Moon, Earth, and the Sun. To help do this, students

colored half the moon dark and keep the light side facing the sun.

We have been extremely productive in the month of November and we are

moving forward with a positive attitude toward December.

Ms. Puma/Ms. Goldberg-Grade 4

This month, PG4 has turned its attention to the night sky. We are studying

the Solar System. We began this unit by learning about the Sun, Moon and

Earth. Each night students study the night sky and document what they

observe. Students will turn their completed projects in at the end of the

month. At that time, students will discuss their observations with their

classmates.

The class is also working to become well rounded readers. Last month, each

student read a mystery and completed a Wanted Poster for the main

character. This month, students are reading a biography and will create a

Bottle Character. Students are enjoying their biographies and can often be

heard discussing what they learned with their group members.

The class has also wrapped up the multiplication and division unit. Students

created Division Apples as a unit project. Each apple shows a division

problem created by each student, their work to solve the problem, and

multiplication used to check their work. The apples can be displayed on the

bulletin board.

In writing, students are working on interesting beginning and strong

introductions. We are continuing our reading goal of becoming well rounded

readers through reading various genres by using fables as our mentor texts.

Students are working toward constructing their own fable. Completed

writings will be displayed on our bulletin board by the end of the month.

There are a lot of projects and fun activities taking place in PG4. Feel free to

stop by and see our student work and join in the activities!

Ms. Watts-4th

Grade

We started this month off with reminiscing about Hurricane Sandy. One of

the most earth scattering events that we all lived through. The students as

well as all of Tri- State’s residents were affected tremendously by this event

in history. Ms. Watts decided to write a letter to her students a couple of

years ago on how much she missed them and how concerned she was about

them. Everyone was so excited to hear the letter and see the pictures that Ms.

Watts took. In addition, she incorporated the different writing techniques

that she had been teaching us such as: using the 5w’s in their writing and the

5 senses in their writing. Later, that week we did the same exact assignment

by writing with using the 5w’s and the 5 senses. After, reading our

assignments about the hurricane we all shared our thoughts and feelings

verbally on how we felt overall after the hurricane. Ms. Watts explained to

us that this is something that we will never forget and we will be able to pass

on for generations that we all lived through a Hurricane named Sandy.

Following that, in mathematics we were delighted to play a game to review

subtraction and addition. Ms. Watts played a game with us involving the

inverse operation strategy in mathematics. The game consisted of us using 2

different kinds of beans that were in a brown paper bag and reaching into the

bag and pulling out as many beans as possible. The Red kidney beans were

worth 10 points and the white beans were only 5 points. We had to add up

the beans and then subtract the largest number from the smallest number.

After that we used the inverse operation of subtraction by checking their

answer. We were using all 4 of the operations in mathematics without

realizing it. For example, Ms. Watts quickly explained to us that we could

have multiplied by 5s to calculate how many white beans we had. Everyone

started laughing and said that probably would have been much easier!

During the month of November in Social Studies we were learning about our

community and the leaders in it. The students wrote a letter to the Mayor

explaining their position on implementing a new law that should only apply

to the citizens in Roselle. We did an excellent job on defending our laws. In

addition, we discussed what the responsibilities are as a student in the

classroom, as a citizen in Roselle New Jersey, and as a child in our family.

Everyone realized that we play many roles for only being 9 and 10years old.

The lesson following that was about voting and the positions each voter

possesses as a United States citizen. Since, we were unable to vote in the

presidency, as a class we voted every day on a particular story they we

wanted to read in the classroom. We voiced our opinions as to why we

wanted to read one story over the other. We looked forward to doing this

daily because we truly believe that our vote counts!

Mr. Skrine/Ms. McKoy/Mr. Smythe

November was an exciting month for class 102, change in student

population, technology and exploring different ways to express thanksgiving

to all classmates each day. Class 102 would like to express appreciation to

our soldiers and pay tribute to several African American historians born in

November. U.S. Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas (1), Shirley

Chisolm 1st Black women elected to Congress (5), mathematician urban

planner and inventor Benjamin Banneker (9), and Booker T. Washington,

educator and writer(14).

We discovered that each year on the fourth Thursday in November,

Americans gather for a day of feasting, football and family. While today’s

Thanksgiving celebrations would likely be unrecognizable to the original

1621 harvest meal, it continues to be a day for Americans to come together

around the table with some updated to the pilgrim’s menu. Students

discovered there were many myths about the first Thanksgiving. What is

known is that the pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the

successful fall harvest. Celebrating a fall harvest was an English tradition at

the time and the pilgrims had much to celebrate. The 53 pilgrims at the first

Thanksgiving were the only colonists to survive the long journey on the

Mayflower and the first winter in the New World. Disease and starvation

struck down half of the original 102 colonists.

Class 102 had a chance to express their Gratitude, and Thanksgiving to our

Soldiers of The United States of America. The students took the time to

write Thank You letters on the Internet expressing sincere Love and

Appreciation for the hard work and dedication that the Soldiers do every day

protecting the American soil. The students and staff took the time to

acknowledge Thanksgiving to their friends and families during this Holiday

weekend.

Mr. Griffin-Physical EducationHealth & Physical Education

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Students were given

projects on “How Can We Prevent Diabetes or Live a Healthier Lifestyle

with Diabetes?” Students had to discuss diets and exercise plans for

diabetics that would improve their lifestyles or prevent people from

developing the disease.

Students had to practice following a healthy lifestyle as a person with

diabetes by changing their diet, reducing their intake of Carbohydrates like

bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweets, candy, soda, and drinking plenty of

water. Students increased their level of physical activity (exercise 4 -5 times

a week), and maintained a journal.

During my Health Education discussion with the students, I infused

information from the Amistad workshop. We discussed historical African

American medical personnel contributions towards diabetes. Also, we

discussed how Diabetes is higher in African Americans than any other ethnic

group in the United States. Out of the world population for black people

African Americans have the highest occurrences of Diabetes, than West

Indians, Black Europeans and Africans. It is very important that the African

American community find more preventive measures to prevent and conquer

Diabetes.

As a member of the School Wellness Committee with Healthier

Generation.org, students and faculty listened to daily health tips of the day

about Nutrition and General Health principles. Physical Fitness breaks are

infused into the school’s daily morning and afternoon activities. Polk School

has received a nomination to apply for the National Silver Award for a

Health and Wellness School by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Ms. King-G & T

This month has provided interesting and varied learning experiences. We

have had many opportunities to enjoy and explore different areas of

learning. We began reading the Phantom Tollbooth and have been exploring

the world of fantasy books. We have explored how the characters have

changed with each new challenge and obstacle they have overcome.

This month, we have begun to explore financial literacy. We have used

attribute shapes to create figures. We then determined and assigned

monetary amounts to each shape through our understanding of the attribute

shapes relationships. For example if the hexagon is the whole- what amount

should we assign for it, then if the trapezoid is half of the hexagon what will

that make the monetary value of the trapezoid, and so on for the rhombus

and the triangle. In addition we looked at the letters of the alphabet and

determined the value of each letter based on its usage in the English

language. We began a discussion on supply and demand to determine the

value of each letter and then used this information to purchase our name and

find words for a given value.

This month has been filled with wonderful learning experiences and we

cannot wait to see what December has in store for us.