The Wallace Wildcat

The last full week of January is now behind us, and as we step into the fresh start that February brings, it is hard to believe we are already halfway through the school year. As we reflect on the first five months—celebrating our accomplishments and the moments that have made this year so memorable—let’s also take a look ahead.

Together, we have created an incredible learning community, and I am excited to highlight just a few of the many happenings that have shaped this school year so far. Each of these moments speaks to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families. Looking ahead, I can’t wait to continue building on this momentum and to see where the next five months will take us.

This week in ELA, our young learners focused on identifying the initial and middle sounds of the letter Ee. Students brainstormed words containing this letter and practiced recognizing its placement in different words. We also introduced the new sight word "are", which students used to form sentences and incorporate into their journal writing. Additionally, we explored diagrams as text features, helping students understand how labeled pictures provide important information in nonfiction texts.

In our Dual-Language classroom, we introduced the letter Jj, where students practiced forming syllables and identifying words containing these sounds. The Spanish sight word of the week, "por", was used in sentence-building activities and journal writing to strengthen language skills.

In Math, our kindergarteners explored measurable attributes, learning to recognize different characteristics of objects that can be measured and the appropriate tools used for measurement.

In Social Studies, we deepened our understanding of our essential question: How do you respect and include everyone in your community? Through discussions and activities, students reflected on ways to show kindness, inclusion, and respect for others in their daily lives. It was a fantastic week of learning and growth!

In English Language Arts (ELA) this week, we explored the concept of folktales, delving into what makes a story a folktale and identifying the key characteristics that set them apart from other types of stories. We read The Nice Mice, a fun folktale, and discussed its plot, characters, and morals. As part of our comprehension strategy, we practiced making predictions about the story's events and then confirmed or revised them as we read further. This process helped us become more engaged readers by teaching us to focus on dialogue and textual evidence to support our thinking. We also honed our skills in finding clues within the text to confirm our predictions, which is an important skill in making thoughtful inferences.

In math, we continued working on our measurement unit, focusing on comparing the size of different objects. We used clips to measure and compare the lengths of various classroom objects, helping us visualize and understand the concept of size differences. By comparing these objects directly, we gained a better understanding of how to measure and interpret measurements, laying the groundwork for more complex concepts like standard units of measurement in the future.

In social studies, we learned about the Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated. We discussed the traditions, customs, and significance of this important holiday. This gave us a deeper understanding of different cultures and their celebrations

The second graders had a busy last week of January! The children read the story, "They've Got the Beat" which is a story about a school in New York that highlights musical expression for their students. The students gave examples of other ways that you can express yourself like dance, art, poetry and writing. They discussed the importance of self-expression which helps you communicate your thoughts, build confidence and connect with others. The second graders know that self-expression is a powerful way to share who you are and it will help you make deeper connections with others in a positive way.

In math, the students have been continuing to practice addition and subtraction with regrouping three digit numbers. They have also been doing word problems with missing addends. These types of problems not only improve math fluency but also help them develop critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Word problems also help the children break down a situation, find the numbers involved and decide which operation to use. They will continue to review this skill throughout the year.

On Sunday, it's Groundhog's Day and the children are super excited to see if the groundhog sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow! The second graders really enjoyed learning more about groundhogs! They learned about the life cycle, their habitat and more fun facts! The children can't wait to see if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring!!

ELA

This week in ELA, we worked on grammar with a focus on nouns, verbs and adjectives. We continued to work on differentiating between them. We are continuing to work on reading additional sight words. We read stories about the lunar new year and Groundhog Day. We took votes on whether or not we think he will see his shadow on Sunday. In Writers Workshop, we have been writing in our journals and learning to write an opinion piece with supporting details. We have been focusing on using COPS to edit the sentences we write.

MATH

This past week we have worked on using a hundreds chart to add more difficult numbers. We are boosting our fluency skills by practicing our math facts daily with a timer and trying to beat our fastest times each day. We have been working on learning to tell time to the hour and half hour.

SS / ILP

During Social Studies, we have been reading about current events including articles about the wildfires in California, The Caldecott Award winners, and the X-Games in Colorado. During ILP periods, we have been focusing on reading comprehension questions including differentiating between WH questions and spelling words using phonics rules. We are looking forward to learning about the upcoming SuperBowl next week and to find out if the Groundhog sees his shadow this weekend.

ELA

Our 4th grade readers continued with their new novel “ What Would She Do?” From historic world leaders to brilliant scientists, artists, and modern-day pioneers, What Would She Do? shares twenty-five incredible women's stories that educate and empower. Students will learn about the remarkable achievements and attitudes of feminist trailblazers such as Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart, Malala Yousafzai, Michelle Obama, and other brave women who overcame huge obstacles to accomplish great things.

Our 4th grade readers continued Unit 3 Week 3 in Reading wonders and focused on the genre Biography. Students reread the story ,”Judy's Appalachia” Students had to determine the author’s perspective on Judy Bonds and find three details which support the author’s perspective. Students had to read a timeline and determine the importance of a timeline in a biography.

Math

This week, mathematicians continued to learn about fractions. We dove into mixed numbers and improper fractions.

In 4th grade, learning about mixed numbers focuses on understanding how to represent numbers that include both a whole number and a fraction. A mixed number is written as a whole number and a fraction, like 2 ½ or 3 ¾.

We also learned how to convert improper fractions into mixed numbers and vice versa. When the numerator of a fraction is greater than or equal to the denominator, it's called an improper fraction. Students learned how to convert these into mixed numbers by dividing the numerator by the denominator. Students also practiced turning mixed numbers into improper fractions by multiplying the whole number by the denominator, then adding the numerator.

Lastly, students learned how to add and subtract fractions with like denominators and then unlike denominators. When the fractions have different denominators, students learned how to find a common denominator so they can add/subtract the fractions. Then, they put the answer in simplest form.

Social Studies

In their social studies lessons, 4th grade students explored the history of the 13 original colonies that formed the United States. This week, they concentrated on the three primary regions: the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. Through hands-on activities and engaging discussions, including the creation of an anchor chart, students are developing a deeper understanding of how these regions contributed to the development of early American history.

Math:

Our Wonderful 5th graders in Math are focusing on understanding, adding, subtracting, rounding, and interpreting decimals. They are using place value strategies and decimal grids to solve problems and estimate sums. Activities include practicing place value by reading, writing, and rounding decimals, as well as breaking apart and reordering numbers to determine reasonable estimates. Our students are expected to demonstrate their understanding by correctly solving a set number of problems, and they will complete an assessment to show mastery of these skills.

Language Arts:

In Language Arts our 5th graders are developing their reading, discussion, and research writing skills. They are practicing active participation in classroom discussions by following agreed-upon rules and contributing to lesson activities. They are also recalling and analyzing elements of expository texts by listening to interactive read-alouds and referencing expert models, such as When Is a Planet Not a Planet? Additionally, students are engaging in collaborative discussions and research writing, where they explore scientific advancements of the 21st century, analyze the research process, and complete related assignments in their reading and writing companion books.

Social Studies:

Our 5th grade historians in Social Studies are learning about the struggles African Americans faced before the Civil War, particularly focusing on slavery. They are analyzing different texts from Frederick Douglass to understand the treatment of enslaved people and completing activities like a Scoot activity and a Gallery Walk to explore these historical experiences. Discussions and guided activities help them reflect on why slavery was more common in the South and understand Douglass’s journey from slavery to becoming an abolitionist.

This week in music students have continued their studies in instrumental performance and music theory.

2nd and 3rd grade have been exploring a new classroom instrument, the glockenspiel. This colorful instrument plays in the C Major scale which utilizes the same pitches and color coding as our favorite classroom instruments, the boomwhackers! Students learned about basic instrument anatomy and care as well as the discipline it takes to have such a fun but noisy instrument in a large group setting. While fun, glockenspiel takes a lot of self control, but Teacher O knows we can be a little silly some of the time. Students refreshed their music literacy as they practiced saying before playing, followed by plaything through call and response. We have since learned how to play two contrasting warmups and the first line of the familiar Mozart tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Kindergarten has been exploring opposites in music through dynamics, the volume at which music is played. Students made inferences on if certain things produce loud or soft sounds, to which we came to discover that many things can be both depending on how they feel such as a dog barking or panting, or how they are played such as a loud bang or light tap on a drum. After being comfortable identifying these aural qualities, students learned the Italian music terms for loud, soft, and medium as that is how musicians speak when reading and writing their music. Forte, LOUD! Piano, soft... Mezzo, medium. Using these newly learned Italian words, students clapped and patted along to a fun song about dynamics in a "follow the leader" style where they matched the dynamics play.

We are having such a great time and cannot believe tomorrow is the first day of February!

See you next month, Wildcats!

During the Individualized Learning Pathway (ILP) period, students who have qualified to participate in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) programming engage in a wide array of math course offerings that address their specific strengths and interests. Johns Hopkins CTY believes in researching and advancing ways to identify and nurture academically talented learners. CTY furthers research, guides educators and families and inspires students from diverse communities and backgrounds to pursue their intellectual passions and create the world of tomorrow.

This week, we highlight one of the CTY courses offered to those students this semester.

CTY Honors Grade 5 Mathematics

This CTY Grade 5 curriculum sets up students for success in Grade 6 honors math. CTY students dig deep into a wide range of concepts such as algebraic variables and expressions, number theory, operations with fractions, data displays, proportional relationships, geometric relationships, integers and the coordinate plane, and probability. Honors Grade 5 Mathematics provides ample practice through assignments, videos, notes, and practice problems.

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Throughout the month of February, all first grade through seventh grade students throughout the district will be administered the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The CogAT is designed to measure a students' reasoning and problem solving skills using verbal, quantitative and nonverbal (spatial) symbols. An informational letter about the CogAT, including the purpose of administering, was sent home in each child's backpack for children in grades 1 - 5.

It is important to note that sitting for the CogAT is not mandatory. If you choose to have your child opt out, please communicate your child’s name, grade and school to Supervisor Christy Gaudio via email at cgaudio@hoboken.k12.nj.us no later than Wednesday, January 29th.

Wallace CogAT Administration Dates

• First Grade: Friday, February 21st and Monday, February 24th
• Second Grade: Tuesday, February 25th
• Third Grade: Wednesday, February 26th
• Fourth Grade: Thursday, February 27th
• Fifth Grade: Friday, February 28th
• Make-up Date for Grades First - Fifth: Friday, March 7th

Please review the following CogAT Informational Guides to learn more:

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Grades 1 - 2 Informational Guide
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Grades 3 - 7 Informational Guide

California has long been a place of opportunity and dreams, but for so many children, the recent disasters have turned dreams into uncertainty. The wild fires have left many without homes and schools—the very foundations of their futures.

Imagine starting each day without a place to call home or a school to learn, grow, and connect.

These children need our help now more than ever. Your spare contribution can restore hope, provide stability, and rebuild a brighter tomorrow.

Organized by the Peer Leadership Council in collaboration with the PTO

We are excited to announce the Cash for Kids campaign! We’re inviting everyone to make a difference by donating pocket change or spare change from home to support this meaningful cause.

Every little bit helps, and together, we can create a big impact!

If you saved the date for HPEF's 10th annual Moms' Night Out then you'll want to make sure you set an alarm to buy your ticket on Thursday, January 23rd starting at 9pm. The registration link will be posted that evening on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. We hope you'll join us at the Hoboken Biergarten on Wednesday, February 26th at 7:30pm for drinks, bites, a photobooth, and more. This event is always loads of fun for a great cause.

We are thrilled to announce our first-ever Dads’ Night Out! After hosting 9 successful Moms’ Nights Out, it’s time to celebrate the dads who are just as invested in supporting our district public schools and community. Save the date for March 13, 2025, at Antique Loft for "The Agave Sessions." This event will feature live music, tequila tasting, and a chance to connect with fellow dads and community members—all while supporting the heart of our town, our district schools. Your involvement and contributions make a real difference, and we can’t wait to get to know you better. Let’s make this a night to remember.

Save the date and set an alarm — tickets will go on sale Tuesday, February 11th at 9pm. Follow us on social media and check our website for the registration link.

Email: Martin.Shannon@Hoboken.k12.nj.us
Website: Hoboken.k12.nj.us
Location: 1100 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-356-3654
Twitter: @WildcatsWallace