Gator Guide

Hello Gator Families!

It has been a busy first full month at Gulph Elementary and I'm happy to share that our students have settled in wonderfully with their new teachers, classmates and routines. We have an exciting October ahead, filled with engaging activities and events.

• Gulph PTC Trunk-or-Treat: Join us for our first-ever Gulph PTC Trunk-or-Treat event on Saturday, October 26, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This event will be fun for the whole family. If you're interested in organizing or participating, please refer to the information below.

• Fall Festival Parade: Our annual Fall Festival Parade is scheduled for Thursday, October 31, at 9:15 AM. Details regarding costumes, the parade route, and other specifics will be shared in the coming weeks.

• Gulph Garden Project: We're excited to commence phase one of our Gulph Garden installation. Parent volunteers are essential to this project's success! If you'd like to help, please see below for more information.

Finally, be sure to review this entire Gator Guide so you don't miss any important updates and information. If you should you have any questions or need further clarification on anything, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Chris

October 17- 4th Grade Field Trip to McKaig Nature Center

October 17 - ESL Family Night at the Middle School, 5:30 PM

October 18 - Kindergarten Field Trip to Maple Acres Farm

October 22 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Riverbend

October 31 - Fall Festival Character Parade, 9:15 AM

November 1 - NO SCHOOL

Click Here for our full-year calendar.

• Snacks sent in for classroom parties and/or bdays, must be nutritious (i.e. fruits, vegetables, pretzels, yogurt, etc.) All food should be prepackaged.
  
• We are a peanut/tree nut-aware school. Snacks should be peanut/tree nut free.
  
• For classroom celebrations (i.e. birthdays) please consider alternatives to food such as purchasing a book for your child's classroom library).
• Students are not permitted to share snacks with each other due to possible allergies.

It is important to label your child's personal items, such as jackets, lunch boxes, sweatshirts, water bottles, and any other belongings they bring to school.

Each year, we notice a significant number of items that end up in our lost and found. Clearly labeling your child's belongings with their name will help us quickly return any misplaced items to the correct student and reduce the number of lost items.

Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Volunteers are such an important part of our Gulph community! They help give students more one-on-one support, share their unique skills and hobbies to make learning even more fun, and help strengthen the bond between our school and the community. Plus, they give students and adults more chances to connect and learn from each other.

In order to volunteer at Gulph, you must complete the application/form and submit the appropriate clearances as required by law on our new paperless system, "Red Rover". If you are already a cleared volunteer, you do not need to reapply unless your clearances have become outdated.

CLICK HERE to access the Red Rover website.

Once you apply through Red Rover and attach all required clearances, please allow three to five business days for processing.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our administrative assistant, Ms. Gussoni (mgussoni@umasd.org).

Hello Gulph Families!

The time has come again for our Pumpkin Tower Challenge in STEM. Students will first build towers at a variety of heights and then test the strength of their structures by placing a pumpkin (or two!) on top. If you would like to donate a pumpkin for this fun challenge, please sign up below. The challenge starts on October 24th and will run through October 30th.

You can either drop off your pumpkin in the office or send it in with your child by Wednesday, October 23rd

Thank you for your help!

Jenny McDannell

CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE A PUMPKIN

marybethbailer@gmail.com

Join the Gulph Green Team (School Garden) - CLICK HERE
Or email the Gulph Garden Team - gulphschoolgarden@gmail.com

In our Wonders curriculum we have been learning about community helpers and focusing on the essential question: “What do people use to do their jobs?”. During Fire Prevention Week, we were lucky enough to be visited by our local Upper Merion fire department. They taught us all about the different tools and equipment they use to do their jobs and reviewed how to prevent and escape fires, if needed! We also got to check out a real fire truck and see all the different parts of their uniform! Unfortunately, during their visit they received a call and had to head out to an emergency. Even though we were sad to see them go, the kids LOVED seeing them in action!

Our first graders have been doing an amazing job showing readiness, responsibility, and respect during the beginning of the year!

In reading, we have been working on identifying all of our letters and letter sounds! We have also been working on tapping out words and spelling them!

In math, we have worked on counting, and are now focusing on adding using lots of different strategies! We play lots of games to help us build our math and social skills!

We have also been learning lots of different ways that we can earn Gator Puffs and Gator Grams! We get so excited each week to get to go shopping for our prizes to show off all of our hard work!

We can’t wait for more Fall fun!

We are so excited that we have already filled our Gator Puff jar, and are so close to doing it again! We LOVED having a PJ and stuffy day, and can’t wait to see what we earn next time!

Our 2nd graders have been hard at work creating our class families and building a strong sense of community. We're reviewing key first-grade skills and setting the foundation for new second-grade concepts.

In reading, our big idea is all about families and friends—how we are alike, different, and how we can depend on each other. In math, we've been exploring repeated addition, fact families, and solving simple word problems.

We're also excited for our upcoming October field trip to River Bend Environmental Center. There, students will experience hands-on STEM activities and connect with nature through different stations throughout the park.

Lastly, our classes have been working on filling their Gator Puff Jars to earn rewards. The most popular so far? Fort Day! The students had a blast building forts with blankets and working inside their cozy spaces.

Third graders have been learning multiplication strategies in Math and we will begin focusing on problem solving strategies.

They are also expanding and reinforcing their math skills by playing First in Math. Each class is working hard to earn the trophy for Class of the Week

In Language Arts, we have read autobiographies and realistic fiction stories while focusing on important skills like sequence, dialogue, and inferencing.

Finally, the students have been enjoying our shopping days on Friday using the Gator Grams they have earned by showing their Gator values.

Fourth graders have enjoyed learning about wetlands in science. We will be taking a trip on October 17th to the McKaig Nature Center Trail to see a wetland area and try to identify vascular and nonvascular plants as well as different animal species. In social studies, we have been learning about Hispanic Heritage Month. We are beginning to learn multiplication in mathematics and completing word problems using multiplication skills.

Literacy Tip from Gulph Reading Specialists!

Is your child reluctant to read or write? Try modeling yourself! Grab a book or a pencil and paper and sit down to read or write for a few minutes. See what happens! Your child may surprise you and want to join in. If it doesn’t happen right away, keep trying for a little while every day. Before you know it, you just may have special family reading/writing time!

1st and 2nd graders are learning/reviewing how to use the “5 finger rule” to choose a just right library book. Our goal is to choose fun things to read that are just a little challenging so that we can practice and build our reading skills.

We are having so much fun in Art class! Students just finished making their beautiful masterpieces for Art to Remember. All order forms will be sent home with students toward the middle/end of October. We are starting our fall projects, which include mixed media pumpkins, patterned shapes and leaves, and our Van Gogh Starry Night Pumpkin Patches! Thinking ahead, “Glow”vember will be here before we know it. If you would like to send in your child with a white t-shirt they can use as a smock for art during the month of November, their shirt will glow under the black lights. Just be sure it’s a shirt you don’t mind getting dirty. Looking forward to seeing more amazing creativity from our Gulph gators!

We are off to a great start in music! The beginning of the year is all about RHYTHM and feeling the beat!

• Kindergartens are using bean bags and scarves to help encourage body awareness and explore Laban movements (flow, space, weight, and time). Ask them about the ticklish caterpillar and the song, “Blowing in the Wind.”

• First graders are having fun exploring the piano and using our “big hair scrunchie” to feel the beat. Ask them about “Watermelon, Watermelon”. First graders are also using floor hoops to learn rhythmic routines. They’re doing a fantastic job!

• Second through Fourth graders are using floor hoops to learn rhythmic routines and I have been BEYOND IMPRESSED! They are learning some complicated foot work and executing with success! We are having so much fun moving and grooving! Students are also learning new stick routines that are keeping us engaged and getting our creative juices flowing!

1st grade Excel-After reading and learning about jobs in a community, first graders chose a Mystery occupation and wrote clues to reveal their favorite jobs.

2nd grade-In October we are finishing our first novel study, “Mummies in the Morning” and moving into a non-fiction study of Egypt.

3rd grade-After finishing our first novel study, “The Lemonade War”, we will have a spooky mixtures and solution mini science unit. We will also be preparing for our November school store with a cost analysis math unit.

4th grade-We are finishing our novel study of “Ghost” with a non-fiction track and field research project and friendly competition to share the various events.

IN GIEP students looked at MLB stats to find criteria to create and present a dream lineup, as well as interviewed staff and students about MLB logos in a video project. We also completed a unit on neuroscience with a sheep brain dissection, comparing how they are similar to a human brain.

3rd grade orchestra students have been learning about how to hold their instruments and pluck their strings. This past week, we added the left hand fingers into the mix! By pushing one finger down on their D string with their left pointer finger, they can make the new note E. Check out this picture of our 4th grade orchestra students demonstrating “picture perfect posture” while plucking E.

4th grade orchestra students are working on 2 songs for our winter concert at the Middle School on December 5th: “Arizona Sun” and “Sleigh Ride in the Park.” Look out! Soon there will be a 3rd song to learn!

Band students got together to figure out how to assemble their music stands for practicing at home. It was tricky, but they did it!

Lessons have started! Students are learning how to make their “Band Face” and working on building those muscles while practicing at home. Drummers are learning to form their stick grip and practicing left and right combinations at home.

Health

Our 3rd & 4th grade gators are taking an in depth glance on how our brain processes hearing, and Identifying the three main parts of the ear that each contain organs that are responsible for hearing and balance.

Our k-2 gators are exploring the skill component of balance by learning about the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, and how some young children in the country learn to balance on stilts at an early age in order to participate in a countrywide celebration called “Carnival.”

Our ESL Team has grown, and we are thrilled to now have 2 ESL teachers and our instructional assistant working with our English Language Learners at Gulph. Ms.Hendrick, Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Rivera support students daily in their language acquisition. Our Gulph Gators have started their groups and are getting to know each other better by sharing some of their cultural backgrounds. They read The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi and My Name is a Story by Grammy Award Winning Artist Ashanti to understand the value and importance of honoring and respecting our names. Students created cultural posters, some created self portraits, and some students created name collages.

Our Annual ESL Family Night is Thursday, October 17th, at 5:30 at Upper Merion Area Middle School. We hope to see you there!

Kindergarten students are learning how to be good listeners and follow directions. We’ve played many fun games to help them be the best Gator students they can be.

Students in grades 1-4 are learning that all feelings are okay and reviewing how to use coping skills to handle uncomfortable feelings. Students participated in fun feelings/coping skills stations to reinforce skills.

Our gators are earning Gator Grams by showing their expectations of being ready, respectful and responsible. Every Friday, Gators can "shop or save" for special rewards. Ask your Gator what they are working towards!

Principal | Mr. Christopher Dickerson (cdickerson@umasd.org)

Lead Teacher | Mrs. Nicole Worth (nworth@umasd.org)

School Counselor | Mrs. Missi Besz (mbesz@umasd.org)

Admin. Asst. | Ms. Madeline Gussoni (mgussoni@umasd.org)

Attendance | Ms. Barbara Johnson (bajohnson@umasd.org)