Hawk Talk

by The 4th Grade Team

Happy fall to everyone! What a first quarter it has been for the 4th grade. It has been so exciting to see the students EVERYDAY!! We have been learning so much this quarter. The students have done a spectacular job switching classrooms and remembering most of their materials:) Spirit Week was a huge success, and the kiddos had a great time dressing up for the daily themes. Our fourth graders are also proving to be good role models for our younger students.

The fourth graders just completed their first units in writing and social studies! The writing unit had the students take a topic of their choice and follow the writing process all the way through to publishing their pieces by typing it using their laptops. Our social studies unit centered around developing and using map skills. The final project had students create their own island with all of the features of a good map. We have some awesome new islands!

Algae Academy - This week in science we began to propagate our own live algae cultures. We learned how to take readings of our algae samples to find out how much the algae has grown. We used microscopes to take a closer look at our growing algae. Students learned about all the different kinds of algae and why they are so important to our planet.

In math the fun has been multiplying by the day! The students have been learning strategies for completing double digit multiplication and the definition and difference between factors and multiples. Soon we will be working on place value, rounding numbers, and the distributive property of multiplication.

by Miss York (PE)

For the past month in P.E., pre-K through fourth grade have been working on our soccer skills. We have been dribbling with our feet, with the focus on keeping the ball close and under control. When passing, we have been focusing on making a controlled pass to our teammate with accuracy, and trapping the ball to receive the pass. Working on our "big kicks" has been the most fun. We have been setting up targets and learning how to step, aim, and kick with a purpose. In the final week of October, we have been playing an adapted game of "real" soccer called "Back Wall Soccer". This game combines all of our skills that we have worked on through the month. We are also playing a really fun game of "Pin Blitz" that focuses on teamwork, strategy, and all of our soccer skills. "Pin Blitz" pits two teams against each other with the goal of knocking over the other team's bowling pins to win. Each team starts with six foam soccer balls, three standing bowling pins, and a strategy worked out together as a team. The first team to knock over the opposing team's three bowling pins, only using our feet, wins. We have been having a lot of fun working on our soccer skills this month!

by Mrs. Goodrich

PADS has a book fair coming! It will be here for the week of November 8th-12th. It will be for students only, this time, with no after school family events. For anyone interested, there is an online shopping option. The webpage is already available and can be access here. Although sales on the site don't start until November 8th, they continue until the 21st -long after the physical fair leaves.

Below are some answers to anticipated questions, but if you have any others, please don't hesitate to reach out through Seesaw or my email (kaline.goodrich@schools.hermon.net)

Will students be bringing home a wish list?
I can not guarantee this, at this point. Scholastic has had to change how it delivers fairs, and I won't get the drop-off date until later this week or early next week. However, once I have it set up, I will take pictures of the cases and tables, and send them out through Seesaw and the school's Facebook page. That way you can have a look with your child(ren) at home, at least.

When will my child(ren) be shopping?
During their regularly scheduled library class. It's possible that students might not bring library books home that week. The book fair will cover up some of the collection, and with no volunteers, I may not have time to do both.

What if my child's class falls on Veterans Day?
I have three classes on Thursdays that I will reschedule to a different day of the week. I will arrange that with the classroom teachers and she or I will let you know the day, as soon as it's arranged.

What are the payment options?
Cash is fine. You may also send a check made out to 'Scholastic Book Fairs.' A third option will be Scholastic's eWallet. We used it once before the pandemic started, and it works well. You can find out how to do it on the school's book fair webpage, and add funds there too, if you choose.

Is it possible to gift my child's teacher(s) with a book fair book?
It certainly is! If you send payment in with your child(ren), just include a note about how much you want set aside for the teacher. If you set up an eWallet, you can send me an email about how much you'd like to be for the teacher. If you want to be sure the teacher has more time to make their selection, feel free to send in the money you want to have available to them any day from now until the start of the fair. Then, I'll take them a gift certificate for the amount you send. I'll include a bookplate they can put in the book as well.

Will there be a BOGO fair in the spring?
Unfortunately, we have not been able to get on Scholastic's spring schedule. The rep I work with is trying to get more spots. If we are able to have one, I will let you know as soon as I can.

The Patricia A. Duran School would like to help support elementary families in need this holiday season. If your family needs a helping hand with your child’s holiday needs, please let Mrs. Davis know by completing the form linked here and returning it by November 5th. Students will also be bringing home a paper copy of this form on 10/29. Return the form to the PADS office in an envelope addressed to Mrs. Davis. The office staff will be the staff who have access to the survey with your child’s name. Thank you for allowing us to give a helping hand this holiday season.

Student report cards will be sent home on November 16. They will be sent home just in time for parent/teacher conferences! In addition to the traditional report card, we will also be sending home results from the latest NWEA testing. Your child's classroom teacher will be able to guide you through the report card and NWEA results. For more information about the NWEA report, please see the parent video below.

Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for two days:

November 18 from 4:00 - 7:30

November 22 from 8:00 - 4:00 & 5:00 - 7:30

Your child's classroom teacher will be sending out sign-up information, but you can also access the sign up link here.

Click here for the November lunch menu

Click here for the November breakfast menu

November 8-12: Scholastic Book Fair

November 11: No school in observance of Veteran's Day

November 18: Parent/Teacher conferences 4:00-7:30

November 22: Parent/Teacher conferences 8:00-4:00; 5:00-7:30

November 22-26: School Vacation Week