Forestdale School News
October 2023
๐ May 2024 Notes from Mr. Dintino
We are preparing to wrap up the 2023-2024 school year. Students in kindergarten thru 2nd grade will be taking Spring 2024 iReady diagnostic testing in both ELA and Math during the middle of May. These assessments will be spread out over a few days for each subject area. iReady is only one of many assessments used by teachers to assess student progress.
In the beginning of May, K & 1 students will be also assessed with an early literacy screener called EarlyBird. The EarlyBird program uses a game-based assessment to identify potential reading challenges like dyslexia. Results of this assessment gives staff the tools create targeted interventions to address their reading needs. Grade 1 screener will take students approximately 25-30 minutes to perform. The kindergarten screener will take upwards of 45 minutes per student.
Students who score below expectations will be "flagged" and families will be notified by the school and interventions for those students will be developed. More than likely these gaps are already being addressed by the classroom teacher. If you are notified that your student has scored below expectations please don't hesitate to contact your student's classroom teacher.
Inside Forestdale
Grade 2 Researching Community Jobs
Mrs. Flynn's 2nd grade classroom was visited by Chief Warrent Officer Reynolds of the USCG. Students were learning the important facts of water safety.
Arbor Day/April 26th With Triple Crown Tree Service
On Friday, April 26th, Forestdale students were visited by Triple Crown Tree Services and owner Kevin McCarthy to celebrate Arbor Day. Also joining the visit was Jeff Kashuluk, owner of Beacon Garden Center in Osterville.
Mr. McCarthy presented each student with a Triple Crown Tree stress ball. THANK YOU!
Heggerty Heros
Flexing after having a great day!
Who needs the bun on a hot dog?
PTA Book Fair
The PTA Spring book fair is underway. 2nd grade students above are making their purchase.
Morning Dance W/ Mrs. Novero
Yearbook Contest Winners
2nd graders Nora DeNardo and Claire Danforth were our winners of the Forestdale Yearbook Contest. Nora's rendering of the "wooded outdoor classroom" won the front cover and Claire's vision of diversity around the world will be pictured on the back cover. Both Nora and Claire will be formally acknowledged in front of their 2nd grade peers on Wednesday, May 1st, at a REACH assembly. Great job ladies!
๐Here's What's Happening in Other Parts of the Building
Social Workers Scoop
The Social Work Team
Alyssa Pestilli- school social worker- PreK, Kindergarten and First Grade
Rachel Darsch- school social worker - PreK, Kindergarten and Second Grade
Teddy Biron - social work esp
Social Work Scoop
Social Workerโs Scoop
Welcome To May!
Kindergarten
Each month throughout the school year, we read a book from the Social Thinking Curriculum; Thinking Thoughts & Feeling Feelings, Body in The Group, Thinking with Your Eyes, Body in the Group, Whole Body Listening, Hidden Rules and Expected and Unexpected Behaviors, Flexible and Stuck Thinking, and Size of the Problem. To wrap up the school year, we will review each book and have students role play the main topics. All of these topics will be used with your students when they go into first grade next year!
Grades 1 & 2
To wrap up the school year, we will be teaching a kindness lesson to the 1st and 2nd graders. Students will watch the Kindness Boomerang video โOne Dayโ which depicts the ripple effects of kind acts. The way in which receiving an unexpected moment of generosity from another can cause us to become more aware of the needs of those around us and to take action to share kindness. Students at Forestdale are such kind students who enjoy making others feel happy and positive!
Specialist Spotlight
Physical Education w/ Mr. McRae and Mrs. DeNardo
This month, we will be introducing hockey, baseball, and golf in P.E. We will also review drumming and learn new dance moves together during this session. The nice weather is finally here and we are looking forward to taking some of our classes outdoors. As always, donโt forget your water bottles!
Field Day will take place on Friday, June 7th. Our online store will be opening soon! Be on the lookout for a link to purchase Field Day gear. Purchasing a t-shirt is optional. We encourage students to wear their grade level team colors during field day games. Pre-K/Kindergarten will be red. First grade will be yellow. 2nd grade will be blue. Most importantly, we want students ready to be active outside! We will also be sending out more information for parents who would like to volunteer. We appreciate the help in making this a fun day for all of our kiddos!
Health w/ Mrs. Crosby
Itโs hard to believe that I am writing the May newsletter. This time of year is amazing to see the growth in all of the students. For second grade the last term of Health covers two units. One is on our fears and worries and the other is on our skin. Both units lead to great conversations. In first grade we are learning about means of communication and our emotions. In kindergarten we are discussing going to the dentist and the pediatrician. With all classes I am doing various books that focus on worrying. Through these books we learn and discuss coping strategies when these feelings arise.
During the second and third term I invited three women from our community who are blind to come in and talk to second and first graders about blindness and the use of guide dogs and the white cane. We also touch on brielle and how it is used as a resource for blind people. This time is a really informative and eye-opening experience for the second and first graders! It's wonderful that they have had the opportunity to learn about the differences between guide dogs and therapy dogs and understand the importance of respecting the work that guide dogs do for their handlers. We encourage the students to ask questions and communicate directly with the handler if they notice they need help. This is a great way to foster empathy and awareness.
Science Lab w/ Mrs. Beers
During Term 3 Grade 2 students return to exploring local habitats with a focus on soils. Each class will make connections between Term 2โs investigation of weathering and erosion and how these Earth processes impact soils. Students examine and compare soil samples from a local forest, freshwater wetland and saltmarsh. We explore live earthworms, their life cycles and how they contribute to soil development. Students move on to seed explorations. We create models of seeds to understand how seeds travel and disperse. Science ends with labs on properties of matter and friction.
Grade 1 students become material engineers. We will explore properties of materials through a Museum of Science Kit. Lab groups investigate common Earth materials using the scientific method to determine which would be the best choice to build a strong wall to protect a garden from rabbits.
Grade K students investigate thermometers, schoolyard areas where the temperature is shady and cool or hot and sunny. Using a Grade K kit from the Museum of Science, lab groups explore, design and test different materials to select which would be the best choices for constructing a cool outdoor place for a pet.
Music w/ Ms Tofteroo
Library w/ Mrs. Scott
The final book checkout for this year is May 3, 2024. Starting May 17th emails and written notification of overdue and lost library books will be sent home. If you can't find an overdue library book please reach out to me so we can discuss options. Often library books are purchased with more expensive binding and guarantees on the binding so they cost more than cheaply bound books that are typically sold in stores and online. Please make every effort to locate lost library books because if we replace them we are replacing the same type of book that was lost. I try to purchase the best quality that will last and hold up to the kind of use they get in our school library. I rarely purchase paperbacks because they don't hold up very well after a few checkouts. We will have SPL visit each grade at the end of the school year to discuss the summer reading program. The Massachusetts iRead summer 2024 theme is a conservation theme "Read, Renew, Repeat"
Technology w/ Mr. Birmingham
Kindergarten: Learning to code with Scratch Jr.
1st Grade: Building a tower challenge.
2nd Grade: Building our own video game in Bloxels.
Kindergarten learning to code
Gr. 2 lasor focused on their technology work
Gr. 1 building tower challenge
Art w/ Mrs. White
Art classes will continue to build and paint paper-mache projects of bowls (kindergarten), birds (first grade) and masks (second grade). Additionally, we will be using soft pastels and torn paper techniques to create dynamic, vibrant pieces that pop off the page. Second graders will look at European and Asian art featuring dragons as they create their own hatching dragon egg. First graders will look at images from the Hubble Space Telescope of our solar system and make their own spacescapes. Kindergarteners will study flowers and learn how to make an art garden featuring daisies, roses, tulips, pansies and daffodils. We are in need of paper towels in the art room. If you can spare paper towels, please send them along with your student or drop them off with a note that says โART ROOM.โ Thank you so much!
Health Office
Mrs. Lopes and Mrs. Nardone
Notes from the Nurseโs office...
Here are a few updates/reminders from the health office:
We have received updated guidelines from Massachusetts Department of Public Health regarding Covid 19
1. COVID/Flu/RSV - all being referred to under the umbrella of respiratory viruses
2. People diagnosed with any of these should remain home if they have a fever and may return 24 hours after fever has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving
3. People diagnosed with any of these should mask when indoors with others for the first five days
Polished Dental will be returning May 6th. If you returned the yellow folder in the fall with parent consent to have your child's teeth cleaned you do not need to send in additional consent, your child will be seen again. If you did not, and you would like for your child to have their teeth cleaned at school let us know and we will send home information about the Polished Dental Program and consent to participate.
Environmental allergens will soon be in full bloom, if your child has allergy induced asthma, please be sure we have an inhaler in the health office
๐ Important Upcoming Events/Dates in May and June 2024:
Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday May 6th-Friday May 10th
Grade 1 Field Trip/Heritage Museum and Gardens
Thursday, May 9th-Eastman, Cavanaugh, Southworth, Boen, and Sullivan
Friday, May 10th-Morgan, Sbalbi, Aldrich, and Webb
Grade 2 Field Trip/Market Basket
Monday, May 13th-Litchman, Tompkins, and Flynn
Wednesday, May 15th-Saunders, Howell, and Deangelis
Friday, May 17th-Petipas, McAdams, and Baxter
Author Peter Reynolds Virtual Visit
Friday, May 24th
Memorial Day/No School
Monday, May 27th
Field Day K-2
Friday, June 7th
Last Day of Integrated Preschool
Monday, June 10th w/ Preschool graduation Tuesday, June 11th
Grade 2 Good Bye Ceremony
Thursday, June 13th @ 9:00 am
Flag Day Ceremomy
Friday, June 14th @ 10:00 am
Last Day of School-1/2 Day
Friday, June 14th. Red placard dismissal will begin at 12:20 pm w/ buses leaving the bus loop by 12:45 pm
Sandwich Elementary PTA
Sandwich Elementary PTA serves the children and families of Forestdale and Oak Ridge schools by providing events and fundraising opportunities to support the educational needs of the children of those schools. Please consider joining!
2023-2024 PTA MEETINGS
Tuesdays at Forestdale School Library
- May 14th 6pm
- June 4th 6pm