Elementary Curriculum News
June 2016 Edition
It's June!!!
If you're like me, you've dusted off the red-white-and-blue wear and are honoring our great country and our many heroes through important memorial events all month and into July.
You're also looking to close the year in the best way possible.
One of my favorite ways to wrap up with my class was to use the month of June to conference individually with every student. I wanted to look each child in the eye and let them know I recognized their growth, effort, strengths, and talents. I wanted them to know I appreciated them as individuals.
Whether the conversations are heartfelt, data-centric, or both, a conference is a great opportunity to celebrate the work of a school year both collectively with your class as well as individually with each child whose life you have touched and who has touched yours.
Then, of course, there is the fun of looking ahead. Your students are moving on to a new grade and new challenges. You may be too, or perhaps you'll simply welcome a brand new crew in September for a fresh new year. Either way, there will be will change. That's the beauty and the challenge of it all.
Before you do head out for the summer, please know that your growth, efforts, strengths and talents are recognized as well. A school year is a journey, and I hope yours has been a great one. It certainly has been a great one this year for me, thanks to all of you, your students, and our amazing Oceanside team.
See you soon, and thank you for a great year,
Jessica
Hurry - Exciting Event This Weekend!
Book Club Meeting - Tuesday 6/7 - 3:30 - 4:30
We'll be discussing our second novel, The Thing About Jellyfish, and gaining inspiration for summer reading.
Bring a book to share and recommend for the summer, and enjoy the great company and discussion with other book lovers. All are welcome!
Turn of the Corkscrew, Books & Wine
110 N. Park Ave. 1st Floor
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
516-764-6000
Putnam BOCES Resource Updates
Putnam BOCES continues to update their SS/ELA resources and have begun to develop inquiries of their own. Please take a look at these exciting resources as you start thinking ahead to next year. The login info is below.
Thanks!
http://www.pnwboces.org/ssela/index.htm
Login: oceanside
Password: OCSD10
Math in the Garden - Get Them Outside!
Try a Podcast!
Long Island Writing Project Summer Mini-Institue
This summer, the Long Island Writing Project is hosting a three day mini-institute. The two teachers who are running it are an elementary school teacher and a high school teacher who just won the Milken Excellence in Teaching Award from NY State - a $25,000 prize.
The LIWP's philosophy is similar to that of Teacher's College.
Brief reminder . . . please don't forget to save student writing or copies of student writing to serve as mentor texts for next year!
Summer Academy - Substitute Teachers Needed
Summer Reading
Percolating Professional Development
Writing Initiative Team 501 - Collaborate With Your Grade-Level Colleagues About Writing Instruction (Please note: In the 2016/17 school year all teachers will be a part of a grade-level teach team to view Randi’s recorded lessons. This option is in addition to that basic level of participation to earn your non-mandated PDP hours - more specific details to follow.)
Please contact Beth Z if you have any specific questions. You can register for a teach team option in the fall, but can start considering it now.
Humans of Oceanside
STEM was fun, but it was also hard. It was hard to figure out which angle to put the blades on so the wind turbine would run. What was fun was our failures and what we did wrong, and then getting better. Constraints are good because they stand in your way so that not everything is easy. This challenged us but it made us feel great when we made it! Our group was good. We had a lot of failures, but we changed a lot of the angles and started failing forward.
- Grace- Isabella
- Declan