Grade News / Specials

Art
5th Grade KKIDS

 

PreSchool
Miss Marano, Mrs. Marino, and Miss Yee

This month in Mrs. Marano’s preschool class we will be learning about community helpers and reviewing the letters “E” and “G”. We also will be continuing our study on “winter season”. Will the groundhog see his shadow this month? We hope that you have an opportunity to play in the snow in the month of February! Don’t forget to wear your mittens and hats while building those marvelous snowmen! :)

February is Dental Health month so in Mrs. Marino’s preschool class we will be learning about the dentist.  We will also be learning about all different kinds of community helpers through a study on community helpers.  Please remember to send in a family 4X6 photo to keep at school to add to our bulletin board if you have not done so yet.  Friday’s are gym days so wear your sneakers!  Have a happy Valentine’s Day!!

In February, Miss Yee’s class will learn about our community helpers.  From the dentist to the firemen (and women!) in our town all of these helpers are integral in keeping our community safe. We will learn more about their professions and have fun exploring their daily duties in our centers and circle times.  We will continue to expand our knowledge of the alphabet too! We are approaching the last half of the letters! Remember to wear appropriate shoes on Fridays for our gym time!

 

Kindergarten
Mrs. Bataille and Mrs. Materek

We are halfway to 1st grade. Skills that should be focused on at the present – knowing all letters and their sounds, reading the high frequency vocabulary words, writing letters (lower and uppercase) correctly and neatly, rhyming, writing numbers correctly and neatly, identifying groups of objects up to 20, putting 2 groups together to add up to 20, putting 2 groups together to add up to 10, and identifying patterns. Also your child can keep a journal at home. Practicing these skills at home should be fun and allows you and your child to spend quality time together.

 

 

First Grade
Miss Brooks and Mrs. Hebbelinck

First graders will be ending our unit on habitats with dioramas! Please visit the front hallway showcase in February to view all the hard work they have done and concepts they have mastered! We will be studying rocks and soil next.  We have been learning about fact families in math and reading about changes in reading.
 

Second Grade
Mrs. Levy and Mrs. Ventrella

The 2nd graders are continuing to develop their reading, writing, and math skills. This month, we have learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Chinese New Year. Please ask us about these topics as we have become very knowledgeable. We are enjoying sharing our January projects and seeing what our classmates have created!

Third Grade
Ms. Coen and Miss Valente

The third grade is staying very busy this Winter! In reading, we are currently working on the stories, "Prudy's Problem...and How She Solves It" and "Symphony of Whales". Along with reading these great stories we are working hard to learn the skills that go with them, such as identifying the main idea and details. Multiplication has officially entered the picture in math, so the children should be working hard at home to memorize their facts! In science, we are finishing learning about the plant life cycle and beginning to study rocks and minerals. We are excited to learn about the Native American tribes in social studies. Learning about different people and how they lived long ago is very interesting, don't you agree?!


Fourth Grade
Miss Carroll and Mrs. Mizerek

Fourth graders have begun the second unit in our reading series. What is the value of work and play? (our concept question) has certainly sparked great conversation. We have discussed how we can learn to appreciate the talents of others. It’s time to divide...in math, we are exploring division using various manipulatives so that the children see how groups are divided, and how many are in each group. Social Studies has us learning all about the resources our country has. We are creating graphic organizers to help us understand the differences between non-renewable, renewable and flow resources. Do you know what these resources are, how they are used and if they are replaceable? If you’re not sure, ask your child!! In science, we are creating our own animals using the website Switeroozoo. As you can see, fourth grade is the place to be!!


Fifth Grade
Ms. Scatton and Mrs. Ward

The fifth grade is busy with a number of things. Many of the students are preparing for the Expressive Reading tryout. We have seventeen fifth graders that signed up to try out.  They are practicing at home and with the coaches at lunchtime.  They will be judged on expression, volume, enunciation, eye contact, appropriate rate of speed, and getting the mood of the piece across to the audience.   On February 9th we will have our in school competition to choose our six member team.  The Eastlake team will compete on March 22nd against the other Elementary schools in the district competition. Mr. Singer, our very own science wizard, dropped by for a visit to one of the classes and we are sure you heard about the fun things we learned concerning air pressure. (Don’t worry; he'll be visiting the other class soon.) We plan to participate in the Hundred Day count and soon you'll be hearing about a "buddy" project that Mrs. Scatton's students will be involved in.

Basic Skills Math
Mrs. Baltuch

I’m Mrs. Baltuch the Basic Skills Math teacher at Eastlake. You can find me in room 14. I work with students in grades 1 through 5 in a small group setting. I also work in the classrooms with the grade level teachers. If you have any questions about math feel free to contact me a: kblatuch@pthsd.k12.nj.us

Below you will find some websites for reviewing math.

  • National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

You can find many of the manipulatives that your child is using in class online.
This is a great site for exploring and teaching adding and subtracting with regrouping.
Naming and exploring fractions
Money
Measurement
Pattern Blocks

  • Mr. Nussbaum – Draggable Math

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/draggable.htm

This site allows students to do computation online.
Recommended for long division and multiplication.

  • Mr. Nussbaum – Games

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/mathcode.htm

Interactive games for all content areas. Color coded by grade level.

 

  • Johnnie’s Math Page – Links to interactive tools and activities for students and teachers.

http://jmathpage.com/

Organized by content area.

 

  • Oswego Math Games

http://resources.oswego.org/games/

Various games – addition, subtraction, number sense, multiplication, skip counting and telling time.
This site allows you to print out worksheets. The worksheets are customizable.
They do have a subscription for more access.

www.harcourtschool.com

This is the website that is from our math text. You can play games as well as access the math textbook online.

 

Computer Lab
Mrs. Ellen O'Connor

Eastlake teachers are able to incorporate technology into their lesson plans in a computer lab that is equipped with 29 iMac computers or in their classroom via one of our 4 mobile computer labs that are equipped with 20, 20, 15 and 5 macbook laptops. Whether researching on the internet, editing Word documents, creating charts in Excel or creating Power Point presentations and Kidspiration projects, students are excited whenever they have the privilege of using technology.

ESL
Mrs. Menaker

The English as a Second Language program at Eastlake provides extra practice in English skills for students who speak another language at home. Our goal is to provide a sympathetic, non-threatening environment in which these children can develop their ability to use English to communicate in social settings; to use English to achieve academically; and to use English in culturally appropriate ways.

During these beginning months of the school year ESL students are learning calendar skills, discussing and writing about the autumn season, and reading about our presidential election. We especially look forward to November and the special holiday it brings--Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds all of us that once upon a time, we, too, were newcomers to this wonderful land.

KKids
Mrs. Ward

KKids had Bring a Box Wear Crazy Socks Day on Thursday January 26th for the food pantry.  They are finishing their canned food drive on Tuesday January 31st.  Our showcase is displaying the results of our efforts.  Our scrapbook is also filling up fast with photos of our members engaged in our activities.

READING
Mrs. Christine O'Connor

10 WAYS TO MAKE READING FUN FOR YOUR CHILD

  1. Read aloud together. Bring stories to life by using gestures and diffent voices.

  2. Create a comfortable spot that your child helps to arrange and decorate.

  3. Make reading time special. Turn off the TV and limit other distractions.

  4. Provide reading - related surprises. Let your child stay up a little later to finish a chapter or a book, or turn out the lights and let your child read by flashlight.

  5. Give books as gifts. Choose ones that you think your child will enjoy.

  6. Start a home library. Devote all or part of a bookshelf as a place where you child can keep books.

  7. Share some laughs. Take turn reading to each other from a book of jokes or a humorous story.

  8. Encourage everyone to read while waiting for appointments or riding in the car, or at other down times.

  9. If your child is interested in learning to do something new, have him/her find out more by reading about it.

  10. Share your excitement about books and reading. Talk about things you've read and why you enjoy them.