Welcome to Winter Break!

The month of December at Wardlaw-Hartridge went by in a flash.  There were lots of special events that culminated in the Lower School Winter Holiday Concert.  Thank you for coming to the events and I wish a safe and restful winter break for all.

Here are some highlights and pictures from December:

The kindergarten students spent December learning about holidays from around the world.  They learned about many different special days for different cultures.  On December 8th they were treated to a presentation about Kwanzaa by two special parents (Ms. Lyons and Mrs. Marsh).

The two second grade classrooms came together in the Oakwood Room on December 14th to present their Dinosaur Museum.  Many weeks of hard work were on display.  Every activity was designed to highlight a different way to learn about the same topic.  There were pencil/paper, hands-on, technology, artistic, and many other activities on display. The students were museum docents and they were excellent guides for parents and other guests.  Here are some pictures from that special day.

Here are a couple of picture from the annual PK/JK Winter Concert in the Lower Snowdon Library.  It is delightful to see our youngest students performing in front of others with such confidence.

On December 16th, the 5th grade and Mr. Plotkin's 8th Grade Latin class came together. The 8th graders worked with the 5th graders to help them translate a story from Latin.  After the classroom project, the 5th graders attended lunch with the middle school.

What would December be without a few holiday parties?  Here are some pictures from a few of the parties last week.  Thanks to all the parents for their help in making them successful.

See you in January!

Mrs. Baier

It's December Already!

What a wonderful day at school last Tuesday!  It is so nice to have Grandparents and Special Friends in the building.  Nothing beats the sparkle in a child’s eye as he/she shows someone new the things he/she does at school each day.  It really was a day of sharing and caring!  Thanks go out to everyone who helped make it such a success.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

Report cards were mailed on Monday (11/29).  Please look over your child’s report card prior to coming to your scheduled parent/teacher conference on Friday. 

Visiting classrooms is lots of fun.  One day, I saw the 3^rd grade Spanish Fashion Show.  The students were very confident in their Spanish pronunciation and wrote delightful paragraphs to describe the Guatemalan shirts they made.  Here are a few pictures from Mrs. Merklinger’s class’ show.

The week of Thanksgiving is never complete without a few feasts.  I visited PK/JK, Kindergarten, and 1^st grade as they had their feasts.  I love seeing the students try new foods and hearing them list the things they are thankful for each day.

Today I was able to visit the Junior Kindergarten art class.  They were working with clay.  The students used various tools to make line, circles, and holes in their clay.  They used their imaginations to make their clay pieces special and unique.   I joined them and made my own clay creation.  It can't wait to go back and be a part of the next step in the process!

The Second Grade students are sponsoring a Pajama and Book Drive for the holidays.  I saw them delivering collection boxes they made to each Lower School classroom this afternoon.  Information about the project went home last week. If you missed it or would like to learn more, check in with the Lower School Office.

Upcoming Events

-December 1^st and 2^nd are the dates for the Holiday Boutique.  You received information regarding the event last week.

-On December 3^rd there is no school for students due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.  ENCORE is available.

-December 9^th is the next parent volunteer lunch for teachers.  I sent home a letter on Tuesday, if you are scheduled to come to school and volunteer for this lunch.  Thanks for your willingness to volunteer.  The teachers really appreciate this time together!

-December 15^th is the PK/JK Music concert at 11:00

-The Lower School Holiday Concert is on Friday, December 17^th at 11:00.  School is dismissed for Winter Vacation after the concert.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Welcome to November

October has certainly been a busy month in the Wardlaw-Hartridge Lower School.  The Fall Fair was a wonderful success.  It was very nice to see so many families enjoying time at the school that day.  I am already looking forward to next year.

Our first parent volunteer Lower School lunch was a huge success.  As our parent volunteers discovered, our students really know the routines of our school and did a great job explaining to the parents how recess and lunch work.  I look forward to doing our second lunch in November.  I will be sending home letters this week to those parents who have volunteered.  If you are interested in volunteering, it is never too late, just contact Kathy Marikakis in the Lower School office.

Halloween is here!  Today was the annual Lower School Halloween Parade.  Here are a few pictures from some of the classroom parties.  Thanks to our class parents and everyone who showed up to be the Halloween Parade audience.

Coats/Jackets

As you know Lower School students go outside (weather permitting) to recess each day at 10:55.  As the weather is turning cooler, it is important for the students to have jackets/coats each day for recess.  Please make sure your child either brings one to school each day or has an extra at school.  We cannot send students outside if they are not prepared for the weather and hate to disappoint the children at recess time when it is discovered they are unprepared.  Thanks for your help.

Classroom Happenings

In honor of Columbus Day, the 3rd grade student from Mrs. Heiss' class performed a short Columbus Day play to the 1st grade students.  It was a delightful production and gave them a much needed break from their first foray into the world of standardized testing.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

On October 21^st, the 2^nd grade had their UN luncheon.  This luncheon was the culminating event to their study of heritage.  The students learned a lot about their own cultures and the cultures of their classmates during the study.  There were pictures posted in the WHEN of this delightful event.

 

The kindergarten and first grade students got together to enjoy science.  The two grades did a “wacky” science experiment together.  They created green oobleck. If you aren’t aware oobleck is a substance that acts as a solid and a liquid depending on the amount of pressure used when touching it.  The experiment was a great foray into the world of solids and liquids and lots of fun.  It is just one of the ways students at in our Lower School learn through hands-on discovery.

If you haven’t heard already, the trout eggs have arrived.  Students in second through fifth grade squeezed into Mrs. Meier’s Science and Technology room to see the eggs delivered.  They were reminded as to why we do this project at school (The streams in New Jersey do not stay cold enough to keep the eggs viable anymore.) and saw the difference between viable and non-viable eggs, as they were sorted to go into the tank.  It is an exciting project for Lower School.

Upcoming Events

·      There is no school on Friday, November 5^th.  Teachers will be meeting to share their experiences at the NJAIS workshop.

·      5^th grade parents are invited to the Middle School Transition Night session on Wednesday, November 10^th at 7:00PM. 

·      November 16^th is picture retake day.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Fall Has Arrived

The Fall Fair is coming!  The Fall Fair is coming!  Next Saturday is the annual Wardlaw-Hartridge Fall Fair.  There are tons of wonderful activities for LS students.  The 3^rd and 4^th graders will be playing an intramural soccer game in the morning (more info to follow from the PE department).  The AP room will be filled with vendors and there will be lots of yummy food options.  I know the LS students would love to come and see their Senior Buddies participating in a variety of sports throughout the day.  Please make it a priority to come and experience the entire Wardlaw-Hartridge community together on what is sure to be a beautiful fall day!  I look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday was the annual LS Senior Buddy Assembly.  Each classroom in the Lower School has adopted two or three seniors to be their buddies throughout the 2010-2011 school year.  On Thursday, everyone gathered in Laidlaw Gym to see the Lower School students present their buddies with certificates and flowers.  After the ceremony, the Senior Buddies went back to the Lower School classrooms for their first visit.  All had a delightful time and the Lower School students can’t wait for their next Senior Buddy adventure.  The PK, JK, and K students had their own special ceremony in a Lower School classroom on Friday morning.  It was just the right size to not overwhelm the younger students.  They were excited to escort their buddies back to their rooms for a visit, as well.

Monday was Lower School picture day.  If your child did not have his/her picture envelope or turned it in later that day or the next day, those pictures may arrive a couple of weeks behind the first set of pictures.  Lifetouch informed me this could be the case and I wanted to make sure it was communicated.  I did not want you wondering why you hadn’t received your child’s pictures when the rest arrive.  Picture retake day is scheduled for November 16^th. 

Last week I talked about responsibility in this blog and today I would like to address another important topic…breakfast.  We have all heard about the importance of a good breakfast to start the day yet in the hurry, hurry of life it can sometimes get pushed aside.  Even though our Lower School students eat at the first lunchtime each day, it is still a long time from dinner the night before to our 11:20 lunch.  Teachers can often tell when a child has skipped breakfast or has eaten something sugary for breakfast.  The students become lethargic and have great difficulty focusing on their academics.  I found an interesting article from “Parent & Child” magazine that not only talks about the importance of breakfast but also gives some good ideas for how to make it happen each day.  It lists non-typical breakfast items and “grab and go” things that can be eaten in the car on the way to school.   I hope you will find the information useful.  Here is the link: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3747522

Classroom Visits

I do make it a point to visit classrooms each week.  Teachers often send me days and times they are doing special events, but it is also fun just to drop in and see the everyday…to me the everyday at Wardlaw-Hartridge is always special!

I saw the 5^th graders doing a couple of different things this week.  In Spanish, they created short one- act plays using specific Spanish vocabulary words.  Each group made a script making sure to include the words specified by Señora Hernández-Webster.  They created props, developed their own staging, and performed in front of their classmates.  It was certainly a meaningful way of learning Spanish vocabulary. 

I also visited a 5^th grade classroom for a science experiment.  The students were studying the density of cold water vs. hot water by using food coloring to see the water rise and sink.  They developed their own hypothesis for the experiment and recorded the experiment using photographs and video. Now they can go back and analyze their results using the photos and video as a group. What a great way to use technology in the classroom!

I saw Kindergarten students being delighted by their 20^th day of school surprise readers.  I love seeing students enthralled in a book and these students loved every minute of story time on Tuesday.  If you are a kindergarten parent and haven’t heard about the Three Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf storytelling performance by two of our very own Wardlaw-Hartridge parents, I would be very surprised.   Check out this week’s WHEN for a class picture from that delightful day.

Speaking of books, I visited the library during a first grade class and couldn’t believe the activity I saw.  I remember going to the library as a child and sometimes hearing a story, checking out books, and heading back to my class.  That is not the case in our Lower School Library!  Mrs. Burg read the students a story called The Shelf Elf about good library manners.  They learned how to be responsible for books both in the library and out.  After the story, they took a “field trip” to one of the library bookshelves and each had a turn finding things that were wrong.  This type of hands-on learning really reinforces messages and skills. 

Odds and Ends

·      No School on Monday, October 11^th (Columbus Day).

·      Our first “teacher duty-free lunch” is on Wednesday, October 13^th.  If you are scheduled to help, you received a letter on Monday in your child’s folder.  If you have any questions or are unable to attend, please let the Lower School office know as soon as possible.

·      Spirit Week is next week.  The Lower School has the following activities planned:

o   Thursday is Team Day.  Students can wear a sports team shirt/sweatshirt or jersey.  They must wear regular uniform bottoms and shoes.

o   Friday is Green and Gold Day.  Students may wear anything green or gold (tops and bottoms).  Wardlaw-Hartridge t-shirts or sweatshirts (depending on the weather) are highly encouraged.  Shoes can be appropriate for the outfit your child is wearing.  Please make sure any writing on shirts is appropriate for school.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Baier

Welcome to the Lower School Office Notes Blog!

Welcome to the first edition of the Wardlaw-Hartridge Lower School Notes blog.  I plan to use this to update the Lower School community on events happening in the Lower School, as well as share thoughts, ideas, and other odds and ends.  I hope you will find it useful, informative, and sometimes entertaining.

One of the first things Lower School teachers stress with students at the beginning of the year is responsibility. In every classroom, students are learning new routines and becoming responsible for their belongings.   Students in all grades should be carrying their own backpacks and lunch boxes and taking them to the proper place in the classroom.  Would it be faster and easier for you to carry the backpack or help load and unload it for your child? Of course! And everything would be where it belonged and nothing would be forgotten. But then you would lose out on the opportunity to develop your child's sense of responsibility and to teach him or her valuable survival skills. It is okay to forget things once in a while, as it becomes a wonderful learning opportunity when it happens. Teachers don’t expect that students will automatically know how to do or remember all the tasks given to them. They have to teach and re-teach routines, but love to see the growth of a child remembering where things belong or what he/she needs to do next.  As parents, you have to do the same.  You set your own routines at home and often have to re-teach your children how to do a task or give gentle reminders for them get something finished. With patience and practice, students learn the new routines and can do things on their own, learning responsibility and feeling proud of themselves for what they have accomplished along the way.  We appreciate your assistance in helping all of our Lower School students learn the all-important quality of being responsible.

I have been quite fortunate to visit several classrooms this week and see some wonderful lessons and projects happening.  Here are a few highlights:

In Pre-Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten, there was a Sensory Fair on Wednesday.  The students rotated from station to station using different senses at each one.  Check out the WHEN from this week to see some pictures from this delightful event.  I particularly enjoyed the smelling and tasting stations.  The wrinkled noses from trying to differentiate smells and the puckered lips from tasting sour and bitter things were adorable.

In second grade, both classes gathered together Thursday morning for some cooperative learning in Science.  The students worked with partners from the other class to conduct an experiment on condensation.  It was the perfect day for the experiment, as the rain provided another example of condensation on the windows of the classroom.  Each group followed steps from the scientific method with guidance from their teachers.  The students took their experiments quite seriously and were rewarded with lots of new knowledge about condensation.

The fourth graders in Miss Colandrea's classroom were busy learning more about New Jersey in the computer lab on Thursday afternoon.  After two delightful students arrived in my office earlier in the day to deliver a personal invitation for me to attend the New Jersey Trivia Challenge, how could I miss it!  I went upstairs at the appointed time and arrived to see pairs of students collaborating to find answers to New Jersey questions through computer research.  It was fascinating to see them working as teams and being exposed to many different aspects of New Jersey through the use of technology. They were using their powers of deduction to decide where would be the best place to find the answers they were seeking.  It always amazes me to see how a teacher uses such a simple task to incorporate so many important skills. The best part is that the students don't even realize everything they are practicing in one assignment, but they gain so much!

Odd and Ends 

Winter Uniforms:  It is time for the student to start wearing their winter uniforms to school.  The official start date is Monday, October 4th.  You may find the complete uniform dress code on p. 52 of the handbook.  Here is a link to see the online version of the parent/student handbook.  http://www.whschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=106665

A couple of quick items of note regarding the change from summer to winter uniforms are that there should be no shorts and no sneakers worn to school in grades 1-5.  Sneakers should be brought for PE class.  If you have any specific questions, please contact the Lower School office.

Lower School Pictures are on Monday, October 4th

No School on Monday, October 11th-Columbus Day

October 16th is the Wardlaw-Hartridge Parents Association Fall Fair.  Please plan to attend, as there are lots of fun activities for Lower School Students.

Mrs. Baier