Hawthorne Happenings

12.13.24

December 20th Spirit Day for Reflective: Wear Something Shiny

December 20th Early Dismissal Drill 2:45 p.m.

December 23rd-January 3rd School Closed for Holiday Recess

Second Grade Sing-Along

Our second grade singers did a spectacular job spreading holiday cheer this morning! Thank you to Mr. Hahn, our music teacher, and our second grade teachers, for all their work to prepare for our concert.

STEM Lab with Ms. Aboulenein

The STEM lab is always an exciting place! This week all students began their coding unit, which is one of our favorites! We began by learning or reviewing what coding is and why it is important. We discovered that computers are everywhere and part of our everyday lives. Students started to think like programmers by playing "unplugged" games. Unplugged means coding games that teach fundamentals without the use of a computer or device. These games taught us how to give step-by-step directions, use important programming language and to think like a programmer. We are very excited to continue this unit in the coming weeks! Students will soon be coding with various robots as well as learning to code on iPads!

What is coding?

Coding for kids is the process of teaching children how to create programs that instruct computers and other digital devices to perform tasks.

Why is it important for kids to learn about coding?

Coding is important for kids because it develops critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and computational thinking, which are valuable in any field, not just technology; it also helps them learn to break down complex problems into manageable steps, fostering adaptability and resilience while potentially opening doors to future careers in technology.

Portrait of A Learner Focus: Reflective

Our Portrait of a Learner focus for December is on being reflective. When we are reflective, we “Use experiences and feedback to inform our thoughts and actions (MTPLCSD Portrait of a Learner). As part of our work, we are teaching students that they can make choices, set goals, and understand and apply feedback.

Students have been learning about being reflective in character education with Ms. Westfall and Dr. Killelea. Yesterday, we reflected on our safe, responsible, and respectful choices when we celebrated our November STAR classes with the morning announcements. Our words of the week for December are: reflective, feedback, and improve. We invite everyone to celebrate being reflective on December 20th by wearing something shiny to school.

Ways to practice being reflective at home include:

Reflect on your day. Tell your child something that went well for you and something that was hard for you. You can model this and then ask them to reflect on their day.

Recognize and celebrate when a family member achieves a goal. Provide a visual reminder of a goal at home.

Notice and Name: Before giving feedback, let your child know that you are giving feedback, advice, praise, or suggestions.

Reminders

1. Brighton drop off ends at 8:10 a.m. If you arrive after that time, please proceed to the Memorial Drive entrance to sign in.

2. When entering the building at Memorial Drive, please have one party enter the vestibule at a time.

3. When dropping off items, please leave them at the table in the vestibule and use the clipboard to let us know where they need to be delivered.

4. Lost and Found items will be donated next week. Please email Ms. Pallogudis at apallogudis@mtplcsd.org if you need help finding anything.

PTA Corner

Sharing Our Cultures

We are looking for volunteers for our annual Multicultural Fair. This a great opportunity to share your heritage and learn about other cultures. Please use the QR code below to sign up.