Our Barnum Bobcats have sprung headfirst into March learning!
Our kindergarten teachers' reported the following: The Kindergarten teachers would like to thank the PTA for hosting the beautiful Heart of Barnum Dance at the end of February. What a great way to end the month! Kindergarten had a busy February celebrating Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day and the 100th Day of School. It was so exciting, and we learned so many things. During the month of March, we learned about kings and queens in our CKLA unit. We had so much fun learning about royal families. We culminated the unit with a "Royal Tea" in our classrooms! We also learned about the seasons and are excited to finally see that spring has sprung! So many new and wonderful things are happening outside with the beautiful weather that is upon us! We celebrated how lucky we are as the classes completed a special activity to share with their friends. We will also celebrated with a "Green Day" party on March 17th! We had so much fun participating in PARP during March as well. It was an exciting two weeks of PARP activities. We loved looking for books at the Book Fair and listening to a great book read by our special PARP guest readers. Thank you to the PTA for all you do for our children!
Our first grade teachers reported the following: The first-grade children are having a wonderful time in school! Valentine’s Day brought smiles, laughter, and special memories as students exchanged tokens of friendship with their classmates. The classrooms were filled with excitement, making it a truly joyful day for everyone. In ELA, we wrapped up our current knowledge unit about the Earth. Students learned about the shape of the Earth, the North and South Poles, and the equator. They also explored the layers of the Earth, the crust, mantle, and core. They learned how natural events, such as volcanoes and geysers, give scientists clues about what is beneath the Earth’s surface. We also studied about animals and their habitats in our next CKLA unit. In this unit, students explored the natural world and learned how living things are connected to their environments and to one another. They learned the definition of a habitat, identified different types of habitats, and discovered how plants and animals adapt to the environments where they live. In math, students continued to build strong number sense as they worked on adding and subtracting within 20. They practiced strategies such as counting on, making ten, breaking numbers apart, and using the relationship between addition and subtraction to solve problems. We would also like to thank the PTA for supporting our PARP program. The children truly "got in the game of reading.” We loved going to the Book Fair and welcomed our guest readers on Guest Reader Day!
Our second grade teachers reported the following: Second grade has been practicing addition and subtraction with regrouping and 3-digit numbers. We studied the Civil War after spring recess. We had a visiting artist from LIU-Post come to our classroom to participate in activities about Chinese New Year in in preparation of our field trip that we took in March! We enjoyed visiting the Scholastic Book Fair and bought wonderful books to read!
Our third grade teachers reported the following: The third graders have been working hard and took the CogAT tests during the month of March. Their first attempt at an important test, completely online, all while learning a new testing platform was a success! Congratulations to them all! The kids would like to thank the PTA for some wonderful programs in March: Glow in the Snow, Lee Knight, two original Bobcat GOAT stickers, as well as the always exciting PARP Weeks! We appreciate all you do for the kids of Barnum Woods.
Our fourth grade teachers reported the following: Fourth grade students wrapped up their science unit on energy with a series of hands-on classroom investigations. Our guiding question for the unit was: Where does the energy come from and where does the energy go? Through experiments and discussions, students explored how energy can be transferred and transformed in different systems. Two class favorites were the Downhill Racers and Rocket Ruler investigations. In the Downhill Racers activity, students designed and tested racers to observe how energy from height is converted into motion. During the Rocket Ruler experiment, students used air pressure to launch a ruler and explore how stored energy can be released to create movement. In social studies, students learned about European explorers and the early colonies in what is now New York. They explored who the explorers were, why they came to North America, and how early settlements developed in the region. We focused on geology, learning about rocks, Earth’s features, and the processes that shape our planet in our CKLA unit in reading. We look forward to another month of curiosity and discovery in the classroom!
Our fifth grade teachers reported the following: Our fifth grade students attended Woodland Middle School’s musical preview of Seussical. Many former Barnum Woods students were part of the cast and crew, which made the experience even more special. The script was adorable, and the actors and actresses truly brought the characters to life with their enthusiasm and talent. As we do each year, the fifth graders also enjoyed their final year of watching a Barnum Woods parent perform the bagpipes throughout the halls. This special tradition is always a highlight for our students. Many students were eager to buy their favorite books from the Book Fair and had their guest reader read them amazing books on Guest Reader Day in their classrooms.
As you can see, our Barnum Bobcats marched into March, and enjoyed all of the March Madness of learning fun!