![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/pumpkin-23.dc26a391.jpg)
Welcome to November
Brookside Updates
It's hard to believe that we are already in the third month of school. Time flies when you are busy learning and having fun! Please take a moment to read the following updates and information from Brookside. The focus of our classroom updates this month will be on Reading & Writing. Enjoy!
Important Dates!
- Wed-Thurs. November 8-9: Book Fair in school
- Thursday, November 9: PTA Book Fair & BINGO Event @ 5:30
- Thursday, November 9: Picture re-takes
- Friday, November 10: No School (Veterans' Day Observed)
- Monday, November 13: Two Hour Delay for Professional Development
- Tuesday, November 14: Off-Site Evacuation Drill (more info below)
- Thursday, November 16: Math & Movement Night 6:00-7:00
- November 22-26: No School - Thanksgiving
- November 28: Yoga with Ms. Ann - dress appropriately
- Dec. 1 & Dec. 8: Half days for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Off-Site Evacuation Drill
On Tuesday, November 14, we will once again practice our procedures for evacuating to an off-site location in case there was an emergency situation on our campus (such as a gas leak, roof leak, security issue, etc.). This time, we will take buses just a few minutes down the road to Hawleyton United Methodist Church. All students and staff will travel in buses to designated locations at the church, where attendance will again be taken before returning to the school. Therefore, between approximately 9:30-10:30 am, no students or staff will be in the building. If your student will be late that day, please wait until after 10:30 am to bring them to school.
Word of the Month for November: GRATITUDE
At our CUBS assembly on November 3rd, we celebrated students' successes in showing "COURAGE" in October. We also introduced the new word of the month for November: "GRATITUDE". In preparation for Veterans' Day, we also recognized local veterans for showing COURAGE. Please visit the SV website https://svsabers.org or the SV Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SusquehannaValleyCSD) for a full re-cap and pictures of the special assembly.
Pre-K
In October, Pre-K started ABC Bootcamp. We are focusing on one letter a day for the next 26 school days. We make a letter poster, a letter hat and practice writing the letter every day. We even get to share a special object from home that starts with our letter of the day. So much fun and so much learning!
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, 11/21 at 1:30 p.m. for our special ABC Bootcamp Fashion Show. Due to our lunch schedules and space constraints, we will not be able to accept visitors until 1:25 p.m. (no need to arrive extra early - there will be plenty of seating). Thanks!
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten we have been very busy learning our letters and sounds. Thus far the students have learned the following letters: /m/, /a/, /t/, /d/, /o/, /k/, /g/. They have practiced printing and learning the proper letter formation of each. As well as learning the letter name and sound, the students have been practicing “breaking apart” combinations of these letter sounds to make individual words.
Ex. /g/ /o/ /t/ “got” In writing, this strategy of “breaking apart” their word, will tie together. At this point the students have been working hard on drawing a detailed picture along with labeling their picture.
First Grade
First grade has been working hard on Narrative Writing while incorporating the use of proper punctuation and capitalization.
They love to share their stories with their classmates!
Second Grade
Second grade is off to a great start! We are enjoying incorporating seasonal fall themes and activities into our learning! We have been using rich mentor texts to support student comprehension in fiction and non-fiction reading. Ask your child about their favorite books we have studied so far! We are finishing up our reading unit on fairy tales and tall tales (which has been popular among students). We are soon starting units on Ancient Greece and Greek Myths. We are so impressed by second graders' enthusiasm for reading, and are excited to continue moving forward!
-Miss Chapman, Mrs. King, Mrs. Gaffney
Third Grade
As we dive into the season of autumn, we’d like to share with you some happenings here at school. We are currently working on establishing good routines for reading and writing, like how to choose good books that fit us, how to ask questions about what we read, and how to talk about what is happening in a text. In writing, we are learning how to share a personal narrative or story from life, and then how to add details/or write quality sentences to make it interesting for the reader. We’ve also begun our Unit/Module on how kids access books around the world, in places like Colombia, Canada, England, Australia and more to come. The kids are fascinated about how kids around the world get and enjoy books! We will continue to sharpen our reading and writing skills to become “close readers!”
Fourth Grade
Fourth graders are working hard and have settled into a nice routine here at school. We started the school year reading a book called First Day Jitters, with that book we focused on several literacy skills including how to give a main idea in one sentence with supporting details from the book. The students were also able to come up with a theme for the book. Ask them our rhyming trick to remember what theme is! (Tell them it rhymes with a cream stick donut!) On top of that, we have started learning the steps to being a "Close Reader" and what that means. They are doing a fantastic job! I am sure you have seen our weekly grammar practice! The students have dissected sentences to locate the subject and predicate, we have practiced using conjunctions in our writing and where to add adjectives to make our writing more interesting. Students are reading both grade level text and text at their own level to help them improve as both readers and writers. While there is never a lot of homework, please have your child read nightly. Feel free to read with them and make that a special time. Thank you for all that you do!
Mrs. Brewer & Mrs. Tokos
Fifth Grade
The students in 5th grade have started the year choosing independent reading books that are “Just-Right” for them and learning about basic parts of speech, as well as, sentence and paragraph structure. Most recently we began learning about Human Rights and reading stories about real people that have had their human rights challenged. Finally, we began our first novel of the school year, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan!
Mrs. Harlow's 4th & 5th Grade
Mrs. Harlow's class practiced reading and following a recipe in order to make mashed potatoes with potatoes they harvested from their school garden
Our Brookside Artists Have Been Hard at Work!
The students practiced mixing orange, green, and purple finger paints with their pointer fingers to create these pumpkin paintings!
1st Grade Scarecrows
1st Grade Scarecrows
1st Grade Scarecrows
Students made a scarecrow from rectangles, cut it out, glued it into a farm drawing, then finished with watercolors. These gorgeous projects were made in three classes, part by part!