Brandt's Friday Message
Friday, November 22, 2019
Happy Friday Brandt Community –
We had an incredibly busy week! Between some special programs and events and our everyday academic endeavors, our students and staff made the most of the time we spent together. As we prepare for the upcoming short week, let’s looks back on these past five days.
With thanks to our PTO and the organization Namaste Hoboken, our staff and students had the opportunity to learn about Diwali, a celebration and time of year near and dear to the hearts of many members of our diverse learning community. During assemblies this past Wednesday, students viewed a presentation providing facts about Diwali, heard students read Diwali-inspired poetry, got some fantastic yoga instruction, and even had the opportunity to learn a “Bollywood” style dance number. Thanks especially to Manasi Khedlekar, Ritu Bhatia, Chetali Khanna, Neha Malik, Michelle LaRue, Pooja Uberoi, Vera Sirota, and Chesleigh Meade for helping to organize and coordinate a successful event.
Thanks as well to the folks from Pomptonian, our district’s food service provider. They arranged an excellent health and wellness fair for our students. This past Thursday, each class got the chance to spend some time at the fair, perusing the various displays and learning about the importance of healthy choices and nutrition. Feedback from students and staff was overwhelmingly positive. They had the opportunity to sample some food and drink items and see some chefs in action.
As I walked the hallways and through classrooms, the staff continues to engage the students with exciting and meaningful lessons. A common theme for some of our writing assignments this time of year always seems to be about helping turkeys create some elaborate disguises. The creativity of the children really got a chance to shine through those assignments, from a literacy and visual arts perspective. Some Thanksgiving-themed math word problems focused on determining serving sizes for recipes as well as how much you would need to cook to feed all of the guests at feast. In third grade science, the looks on the faces of the students as they worked with electromagnets were priceless. Other writing assignments included opportunities to express what students are thankful for, as well as writing letters of thanks to our Veterans. In math, some of our grade levels had the chance to create objects and scenes using specific shapes. It was very cool to see squares, triangles, rectangles, and rhombuses transformed into dogs, phoenixes, and unicorns! Truly, great things are happening in the classrooms at Brandt.
Please keep in mind that the Square 1 Art fundraiser order deadline is November 25th. This fundraiser allows you to order personalized items featuring the artwork of your children (shout out to our art teacher Ms. Kolanci). You can return paper order forms with payment to your child’s homeroom teacher or place an order at the following link. If you have the opportunity to participate, please do so as 33% of the proceeds go directly to our school’s PTO.
https://shop.square1art.com/Shop
Taking a peek at the week ahead, we are excited to participate in a Friendsgiving event to benefit the Hoboken Homeless Shelter. This school-wide initiative will allow our K & 1st grade students to decorate brown bags, our 2nd & 3rd grade students to write notes of well-wishes and thanks, and our 4th and 5th graders to pack brown bag lunches we will donate to the local shelter. Truly, there are no better lessons than those that teach empathy and civic responsibility. A special thanks to Liberty Realty for donating $200 to our PTO for the materials to make this event successful. We are excited and grateful to be able to do this.
On the upcoming calendar, all are reminded that Wednesday, November 27th is a 1:00 PM dismissal day for all students and staff and there is no Passport to Learning After School Program. Please ensure that you make appropriate arrangements for your child to be picked up on time that day. School is closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th. As the calendar turns to December (if you can believe it) please note that the monthly PTO meeting will be held on Friday, December 6th in the cafeteria at 9:00 AM.
I don’t know if you feel the same way I do, but it sure seems like this school year is going incredibly fast. As we prepare for the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, with one marking period down and three to go, I wish you a well-deserved weekend and leave you with:
Mr. Bartlett’s “It’s Going Really Fast” Playlist
“Time” by Pink Floyd
“Yesterday” by Guns ‘N Roses
“Let the Good Times Roll” by The Cars