Classroom News

Center School Family Guide here:

1/7

Dear Families,

I hope that you are enjoying this snowy day!  

Just a reminder to please be sure that your child brings warm winter gear tomorrow so that they may play outside.  This includes: coats, hats, gloves, boots and snow pants if they want to be in the snow.

It was great to see the students last week after our holiday break!  They arrived enthusiastically and ready to hit the ground running! Here is a quick update about our learning.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to another terrific week with the students!

Best,

Erin

 

Learning Update:

Readers' Workshop

• Read about how different countries celebrate the new year

• Discussed our own New Year’s traditions

• Completed an assessment on Edulastic about the Eagle and the Serpent

• Reviewed the RACES writing strategy

• Rehearsed for our first Readers’ Theater performance using traditional literature scripts: The Three Little Pigs, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and Chicken Little.  Reviewed reading with fluency and expression.

• Performed the plays for our classmates. Students did an incredible job!

• Reminder: Students are expected to be reading at home each night as part of their homework.

 

Writers' Workshop

• Researched facts for our opinion writing pieces

• Learned about ways to conclude our pieces of writing by speaking directly to our audience and reviewing our opinion

• Began typing our pieces.

• Visited The Studio in the kindergarten atrium to explore and create!

 

Math Workshop

• Reviewed our math subtraction strategies 

• Completed a work sample

• Reviewed place value and introduced the concept of minimal collections

• Practiced writing numbers in expanded form

• Compared numbers in the thousands using place value understanding

• Completed our 3s multiplication quiz

• Practiced rounding numbers to estimate distances 

• Reminder: Students should practice their math facts at home daily.

 

Science

• Explored and created our own wheel and axle systems

• Used our learning to predict how cups would roll

• Devised a way to make a cup roll straight

• Completed a quiz about different forces

 

Important Dates: 

January 5th : No School - MLK Jr. Day 

​

12/17

Dear Families,

 

I hope that you are enjoying the weekend. The students are practicing this song in school to sing at our annual school-wide assembly this Wednesday.

If you have a free moment and want to help them practice at home as well that would be great!

 

Thanks so much and I hope that you are enjoying the holiday season.

 

Best,

Erin

​

12/12

Dear Families,

 

This week we are practicing our 5s multiplication. I created some online flashcards if you'd like to use these with your child. In addition, old-school flashcards work well, as does verbal practice/repetition. 

Here is the link if you'd like to check it out.

 

Thanks!

Erin

 

11/22

Dear Families,

I hope that you enjoy a restful and meaningful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Here is a quick update on what we have been working on in the classroom both last week and this mini-week.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,

Erin

 

Learning Update:

Readers' Workshop

• Read a story from Winnie the Pooh. 

• Prepared evidence to support our thinking to support the question: Is Winnie the Pooh a good friend or not?

• Debated our ideas with our peers.

• Explored lessons learned and themes from our unit on characters.

• Practiced determining the themes of a story and explaining our reasoning.

• Wrote a letter to a character from this unit who we learned something from.

• Completed our first Edulastic assessment 

• Explored a Bitmoji library of traditional literature books (our next unit!)

• Read the book, A Turkey for Thanksgiving, and wrote a letter to the turkey inviting him/her to our table.

• Read, Balloons Over Broadway, discussing the character's traits and tying it to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

• Created our own puppets similar to those in the book.

Writers' Workshop

• Continued writing our personal narratives.

• Learned about different ways that authors end their stories.

• Discussed titles for our stories and what makes a good title

• Used an editing checklist to review our writing.

• Learned about ways to check our spelling

• Continued typing and finalizing our pieces.

Math Workshop

• Continued our work with multiplication.

• Learned the math games, “Frog Jump, Multiplication” and “2C Cover Up” to practice multiplication and area.

• Practiced using a number line to visualize “groups of” a number.

• Determined what variable equations work best to solve certain problems.

• Completed a problem string about using doubles in multiplication.

• Learned about a ratio table and applied our knowledge to complete one

• Explored patterns in multiplication on a multiplication table

• Number Corner:  We are working on area models and fractions this month.

Social Studies

• Students are continuing  their social studies work with Mrs. Miller.

 

Important Dates:  

 

• November 23-26 Thanksgiving Recess - No School

• December 1-8 - Holiday Gift Basket Collection - letter sent home this week

• December 5- Scholastic Book Fair

• December 12th: 3rd Grade Helping Hands 7:45 am Cafeteria

• December 15th: Spirit Day - Fancy Day! Dress up to show Cardinal spirit!

• December 22nd  Holiday Break begins

 

 

Thank you!

​

10/22

Dear Families,

We have been busy in 3-C!  Just a reminder that parent/teacher conferences are this Thursday, October 26th and Friday, October 27.  Dismissal will be at 11:30 am on both of these days.  I look forward to discussing your child’s “glows” and “grows” with you this week. 

Here is a quick update on what we have been working on in the classroom.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to another fabulous  week with the students!

Best,

Erin

 

Learning Update:

Readers' Workshop

• Began our character study unit.

• Noticed how characters act and the things they say to determine his/her traits.

• Considered why a character acts the way they do.

• Used our knowledge of a character to predict their actions.

• Plotted a character’s path along a story mountain (a predictable path).

Writers' Workshop

• Began our personal narrative writing unit

• Generated story ideas by thinking of people, places and first and last times we did something

• Completed a “Foot Map” of places we have been to spark ideas

• Mapped our stories on a story mountain before beginning

• Learned about different types of leads that can be used to grab our readers’ attention.

• Looked at mentor texts for inspiration

Math Workshop

• Completed our Unit 1 Math Test.

• Started our unit about multiplication.

• Analyzed a “Pet Store” Problem and shared counting strategies. 

• Discussed ways to count more efficiently (multiplication).

• Counted large amounts and shared our findings.

• Number Corner:  We are working with geometric shapes and also measuring with liters and milliliters this month.

Language Study

• Students have begun their word study work with Mrs. Bombardier.

 

Important Dates:  

10/26 and 10/27 - Parent-teacher conferences - early dismissal for students

10/31 - Halloween parade at 2:15 pm. Students must dismiss in our usual routine. All students will return to class after the parade prior to dismissal.

11/10 - No School - Veterans Day

​

9/30

Dear Families,

We had another great week of learning together.  I hope that you are enjoying the weekend and staying dry!  

Here is a quick update on what we have been working on in the classroom.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to another terrific week with the students!

Best,

Erin

 

Learning Update:

Readers' Workshop

• Practiced making predictions with the book, Jumanji, and in our own reading books.

• Learned about how good readers have “GRIT” and multiple strategies to call upon when they get stuck.

• Learned that sometimes we are faced with “tricky expressions” and types of figurative language in our reading. Practiced inferring what these expressions mean.

• Practiced stopping and jotting questions/answers as we read as good readers are always thinking about what they are reading.

• Word Study: Learned about digraphs and trigraphs. Marked up closed syllable words together and brainstormed words with -tch trigraph.

 

Writers' Workshop

• Continued our poetry unit.

• Learned about the importance of line breaks and how they impact the look and sound of a poem. Applied line breaks to our writing.

• Learned about types of figurative language such as similes and metaphors and applied this to our own writing.

• Utilized mentor poems for inspiration.

 

Math Workshop

• Conducted a scavenger hunt for various measurement lengths in our classroom.

• Added lengths of objects and shared our addition strategies.

• Learned how to use the number line, break apart, and standard algorithm as strategies for solving math problems.

• Practiced our counting skills with a “Count Around.”

• Played math games to reinforce  early multiplication, subtraction and addition skills.

 

Science

• Drafted our weather scripts/reports.

• Presented reports to our classmates.

• Watched a video about extreme weather and considered how to build a home with weather prevention measures in place.

• Completed a weather quiz about patterns in weather and climate.

 

Important Dates:  

-October 9th - No School Columbus Day

-October 26-27 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (half day of school for students)

 

9/17

Dear Families,

I hope that you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!  

Last week was full of excitement. Students had their school photos, a fire drill, and our first all-school assembly!

This Thursday is our Open House.  I have included detailed information that Mrs. Hutton sent below for your reference. I hope to see many of you this week. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Looking forward to another fabulous week with the students!

Best,

Erin

 

Learning Update:

Readers' Workshop

-Students learned and practiced the mind work needed when reading. Sometimes readers make a movie in their mind and sometimes they are reading to collect information. 

-Students began their iReady Reading diagnostic

-Students began making predictions in their reading before, during and after reading

-Students listened to the book, “The Sleeping Porch,” and then read with flashlights on a rainy day

-Students continued to practice language study centers and also learned about a spelling station 

 

Writers' Workshop

-Students continued to draft both copycat and original poems

-Students added strong verbs to their writing

-Students learned about the 6 traits of writing and began revising their work to include one of these

-Students are working on publishing their poems in a fancy way

--Students shared their writing 

 

Math Workshop

--Students continued the iReady Math Diagnostic 

-Students investigated the subtraction facts table and patterns

-Students practiced solving word problems, showed their work in a clear way and shared their strategies

-Students played the game “Loops and Groups” to practice beginning multiplication against the teacher

-Students learned the game, “Make 20” to further practice addition facts

-Students completed their first Math Checkpoint

 

Science

-Students started their unit on weather and climate

-Students studied the weather report and learned about temperature and ways to measure weather

-Students learned that there are two ways of measuring temperature: Fahrenheit and Celsius

-Students created their own weather vane with cardinal directions

 

Important Dates:  

September 

21st: Elementary Back to School Night

22nd: Fall Carnival 4:30-6:30 (rain date 9/29)

25th: No School - Yom Kippur 

Note from Mrs. Hutton: 

Open House September 21st

On Thursday, September 21, parents/caregivers will have the opportunity to hear from classroom teachers as they provide an overview of the curriculum, review classroom expectations, and share pertinent information specific to their classroom. Specialists will be on hand in their rooms in case you have any questions. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to see your child’s classroom and meet the adults with whom your child learns each day. Since the focus of the evening is to share grade level and classroom information with parents/caregivers, please reach out individually to your child’s teacher if you have specific questions regarding your child. Please note, this is an evening for parents and caregivers only. Thank you for honoring this request.

If you have more than one child at Center, you will have the option of going to whichever grade level teacher you want to see first and know that there will be an opportunity to attend a second session with a different grade level. Below is the schedule for the evening. 

6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. – First Session

6:35 p.m. – Travel time/Visit Special Teachers/Interventionists

6:55 p.m. –7:25 p.m.  Second Session

7:30 p.m. - Open House ends!

​

9/10

Dear Families,

 

Happy rainy Sunday!  

 

Last week was a busy and productive week in 3-C.  Just a reminder that we have School Pictures this Tuesday, September 12th.  You may click here to order pictures. 

 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Looking forward to another fabulous week with the students!

 

Best,

Erin

 

Reminders:

Home Folder  - Your child should have brought home an orange folder. This home folder will go home each Friday with any important notices and student work. Please check your child's folder each weekend and sign and return any necessary papers to school on Monday.  Thank you!

Agenda - Each night your child will bring home their agenda. Please review each day and initial that your child has completed any assignments.

 

Learning Update:

 

Readers' Workshop

-Students reflected on when reading was the best and the worst

-Students utilized their Readers’ Notebooks to record their thinking 

-Students set specific goals for their reading this year

-Students interviewed a reading partner about his/her reading life

-Students practiced giving themselves comprehension checks during their reading

-Students learned about three language study centers: Inspirational Quotes, Vocabulary Tic Tac Toe and Alphaboxes

 

Writers' Workshop

-Students used the poem, “Dear World,” for inspiration

-Students brainstormed people, places and things that are special to them

-Students drafted poems

-Students shared their writing 

 

Math Workshop

-Students learned how to write multiplication equations to go with our Number Corner Calendar

-Students learned how to use our Number Rack to represent various addition problems

-Students investigated the addition table to notice patterns and strategies for solving problems quickly

-Students learned the game, “Make the Sum” and played with a partner

-Students began the iReady Math Diagnostic 

 

Peacebuilders

-Students listened to the book, “What Does Peace Feel Like?”

-Students brainstormed ideas to match the book and drew a picture and wrote about how peace looks, feels, smells, tastes

-Students participated in a tableaux activity about peace

-Students began to learn about the importance of a Growth Mindset

 

Important Dates:  

September 

12th & 13th: School Picture Day (rain date 9/14)

15th - All School Assembly - Spirit Day - wear school colors

21st: Elementary Back to School Night

22nd: Fall Carnival 4:30-6:30 (rain date 9/29)

25th: No School - Yom Kippur 

​

9/4

Dear Families,

 

We had a great first week of school in 3-C!  It was so much fun getting to know your children and hearing all about their summer activities, books read, and excitement about things to come.  

 

Each week I will send you an update on our learning, and any important reminders.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Hope that you are enjoying the long weekend!

 

Best,

Erin

 

Reminders:

Home Folder  - Your child should have brought home an orange folder. This home folder will go home each Friday with any important notices and student work. Please check your child's folder each weekend and sign and return any necessary papers to school on Monday.  Thank you!

Agenda - Each night your child will bring home their agenda. Please review each day and initial that your child has completed any assignments.

 

Learning Update:

 

Readers' Workshop

-Students shared books read over the summer

-Students shared favorite places to read and completed a reading interest inventory

-Students learned about our classroom library, the different genres available and practiced independent reading

-Students learned that readers write about their reading

- Students completed an "Amazon"  book recommendation for a peer

 

Writers' Workshop

-Students learned habits of good writers

-Students practiced writing independently

-Students wrote their own poems after turning to mentor authors

-Students shared their writing with peers

 

Math Workshop

-Students brainstormed the important elements of a classroom community

-Students learned about glyphs

-Students created their own glyph using a legend

-Student sorted the glyphs and then graphed our data

-Students participated in our first Number Corner this month

-Students completed questions about a bar graph

 

Peacebuilders

-Students worked on items for their third grade time capsules including: "Hopes and Dreams" for third grade; "All About Me," and handprints

-Students played Human BINGO as they got acquainted with classmates

-Students completed a classroom scavenger hunt to learn more about our room

-Students listened to a variety of literature focused on PeaceBuilder lessons

 

Important Dates:  

September 

12th & 13th: School Picture Day (rain date 9/14)

15th - All School Assembly - Spirit Day - wear school colors

21st: Elementary Back to School Night

22nd: Fall Carnival 4:30-6:30 (rain date 9/29)

25th: No School - Yom Kippur 

​

8/26

Dear Families,

 

My name is Erin Craft and I will be your child's Grade 3 Teacher this year.  I am delighted to have your student in my class and eager to meet him/her this Tuesday, August 29th on our first day together! 

 

I will be sending more information in the coming days but wanted to get a few items on your radar.

1. Arrival - I have included Mrs. Hutton's email below which outlines arrival and dismissal procedures for the first day and beyond. Please review and reach out if you have any questions!  

2. Dismissal Plan - Please complete the survey here which will let me know how your child goes home each day.  If plans change for your child on any given day, please email me. If you do not hear back from me please also contact the main office so that we are all on the same page.  Thank you in advance for your help on this!

3. What to Bring - On the first day, please have your child wear or bring sneakers for PE. Students should also bring their charged Chromebook,  a small nut free snack, lunch if not getting one from the cafe) and the items on the supply list.  Supplies include:

 

Mrs. Craft's Grade 3 Supply List 

2023-2024

 

*1 pkg. 4 Expo brand dry erase markers  (any color)

*1 pencil pouch

*1 photo of your child reading in their favorite place/special place

 

I hope that your child is feeling more excited than nervous to begin third grade. Please remind them to put their "Jitter Glitter"  under their pillow the night before school to ensure a peaceful night's sleep!

 

Looking forward to a fabulous year!

 

Best,

 

Erin 

Grade 3 Teacher

Center Elementary School

 

 

Mrs. Hutton's email:

Hello Center Families,

Countdown to our first day!!  This message provides important procedural information for the start of the 2023-2024 school year!  I know lots of information is coming your way at the start of the year, so I extend appreciation for your attention and time.

Tuesday, August 29th  : First Day of School for 1st through 5th graders. The bell will toll at 8:35 am! Teachers and staff will meet and greet students in 3rd, 4th, and 5thgrades  on the playground on the first day and students in 1st and 2nd grades  on the esplanade.  Look for the signs with your child’s teacher’s names! After the first day, the procedures are below.  Please know that these procedures are developed with safety at the forefront of our practices.  Our kindergarten families received separate communication regarding their first day on the 30th. 

Arrival and Dismissal: Please note that supervision begins at 8:25 am. Students should not arrive on school grounds before this time. Before school play on the  playground or in front of the school is not permitted.  The playscape/playground is off limits before school and then again until after 3:15 pm.  Students leave school grounds at dismissal-2:45 pm.  Play/lingering on the playground area after school is not permissible. 

Carline: When you drive  your child to school, please follow the carline procedures. Enter the carline on Longmeadow Street -not Williams Street-and travel in the one -way direction to the front of the school.  Please pull all the way to the front of the carline before stopping to drop off your child.  Your child will exit the car from the passenger side and go directly to the grade level entrance doors. There will be staff on duty to assist students.  Do not drop your child off in the back of the school or on Longfellow Street -this choice presents  safety concerns for our children and for our community. Additionally, do not park in the front of the school, exit your vehicle,  and walk your child to classrooms.  This choice  slows the carline considerably .

Bikers/Walkers: Students park bikes in the back of the school on the bike racks. No bikes shall be parked near the entrance gate on the playground, which is an emergency exit. Students then walk directly to grade level entrance doors to line up. At dismissal, all students will walk bikes up Longfellow Drive  to the front of the school, off pedals,  and may ride bikes once past the gymnasium. Students will be supervised by staff as they exit the school and staff will escort students to appropriate dismissal spots.

Please take the time to talk with your child about safety rules for walking and biking to and from school.  Ongoing review of the use of crosswalks, courtesy to walkers, and general safety rules that will help keep our students safe is needed.  

Arrival 

Kindergarten, 1st, 5th grades: Esplanade doors on the gymnasium side of school (left building when facing school)

2nd, 3rd, 4th grades: Main entrance

Dismissal: students are escorted by their teachers to the carline and to the back of the school.

Kindergarten, 1st, 5th: Esplanade doors on the gymnasium side of school (left building when facing school)

2nd & 4th: Main entrance

3rd: Teachers will escort 3rd graders to bike racks and/or to the front of the school from their special subject class,  which is the last block of the day on their schedule.

Families and caretakers need to wait on the tree belt or on the playground to meet bikers and walkers at dismissal.  Please do not wait on the esplanade as you will block classes exiting the school. Please be mindful that we are working diligently to minimize congestion at all areas across the school and we need your full partnership to achieve this goal.

Importantly, family dismissal plans are critical to your child's safety.  Please provide your child's teacher with the expected  plan and always inform the teacher of any changes should they occur. Students should not change plans on their own, such as leaving school with another child/family unless the school is informed of the change.  Additionally, we will need your notification before we allow children to change plans.  We appreciate it if you will reinforce this expectation with your child. 

Health Office: The first day arrival and all arrival days are busy times for our school staff.  If you are a family who needs to  drop off important medication, please contact Nurse Sarah Hughes to coordinate the drop off as soon as possible.  It will be difficult to accommodate you at 8:25 am on the first day of school.  Nurse Hughes can be reached at shughes@longmeadow.k12.ma.us

Fresh Picks Lunch Menus: There is no charge for school lunch. We encourage you to pack your child’s lunch if you are unsure that your child will enjoy the choices -children need healthy nourishment each day!  Each day is one hot or one cold lunch choice.  Please check the school website for posted MENU under the parent tab. We will eat outside each day  weather permitting! We have picnic tables and the children love “picnic” style across the playground.

Picture Day will take place on Tuesday, September 12th and Wednesday, September 13th. The schedule will be shared when school begins!

Center School Family Guide

In addition to the K-8 LPS Handbook, each elementary school has put together a Family Guide  that provides more specific information related to each school as well as outlines procedures used across the three elementary schools. 

 

With anticipation,

Donna Hutton, Principal

Skylar Schmittlein, Assistant Principal 

 

Calendar Dates

2023-24 School Year Calendar

September 5th No School Labor Day

September 8th PTO Meeting 7:00 PM School Cafeteria

September 22nd Open House 6:00 PM : Details soon!

September 23rd Fall Carnival 4:30 PM  Town Green

September 26th No School Rosh Hashanah

Center School Website