Teacher Margaret's "View From My Window" - January 29th

Dear Friends,

I have a big thank you to everyone who is helping us move children quickly from your cars into school in the morning and out of school into your cars at the end of the day. Thanks to you, we have only had one or two cars waiting on Riverton Road and only for a few minutes at most.

Just as a reminder:

2:50 pm pickup for PK-1st grades

3:00 pm pickup for 2nd-8th grades. For those of you with older and younger children, we will hold your younger child and have them ready to leave with their older sibling.

When I taught high school World History, I had a student ask me how I knew so much. My reply was that I have been teaching for a few years; each year gave me a chance to relearn and deepen my knowledge on a topic - such as the government established by Genghis Khan.  Our students learn the same way; they construct their knowledge by building on what they already know and experience, by asking questions about new information, testing hypotheses, and refining their understanding over time. Our January language arts and science are a case in point. Several of our grades are looking at the natural world in science and language arts. We know that without intentional teaching, children will read non-fiction with less fluency and comprehension than fiction. We also know that kids love reading non-fiction. I am constantly adding non-fiction to our library - responding to requests from the children!

Our two-year-olds are learning about how animals in New Jersey survive the winter - they migrate, they hibernate, they adapt their behavior. They are enjoying books like Hello, World! Birds and learning about how owls fly so quietly.

First-grade students are reading their way through books with titles like Lizards, Frogs,  and What do you Do When Something Wants to Eat You? They are talking through punctuation and how these non-fiction texts are different from their first unit fiction book study on friendship.

In Second Grade, students just completed an extended unit on Habitats that used the Habitat series by Bobbie Kalman. They discussed the ways authors use elements in the text - tables of contents, images, and text features- like section headings - to help the reader understand the subject.  New Vocabulary included “deciduous” and “burrow”.  The students practiced creating informational paragraphs and illustrations employing some of the text elements they studied.

Third-grade students have focused on reading nonfiction related to the Animal Kingdoms. For their writing, they are comparing and contrasting two Arthopods of their choosing. They will use vocabulary like “exoskeleton”, “appendages”, and “invertebrates.”

Fourth-grade students are finishing their non-fiction unit on natural disasters. Using Seymour Simon’s books  Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Volcanoes, and Wildfires they are writing an essay from the perspective of someone who survived a natural disaster. Each year they build on the previous year - how to read and understand non-fiction texts and how to see and appreciate the natural world.

Through intentional teaching and tapping into students’ interests, Westfield children are ready for high school texts and a lifetime of learning about their neighbors and their ever-changing world.

Holding you in the Light,

Margaret

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Our January Queries focus on the Quaker Testimony on Integrity. 

• Do we do the right thing when no one is watching?
• Do we wait and listen and then act on the voice/Spirit within each of us?
• Do we do what we say we will do?

Announcements:

• February 4th ~ Meeting for Worship 8:30-9:00 AM - Come worship with your children, grades PK-8
• February 4th ~ Family Council Meeting 6:30-7:30
• February 7th ~ Family Council Valentine's Dance 6:30-8 PM - Come dance with your children. RSVP REQUIRED.
• February Days of Giving ~ February 12 and 13
• February 13 Faculty In-Service - School Closed
• February 16 and 17 - School closed for Mid-Winter Break