Our Barnum Bobcats have been immersed in February Fun across the grades!
Kindergarteners have been so excited this month to celebrate Groundhog Day, P.S. I Love You Day, the 100th Day of School, Valentine's Day, Presidents’ Day, Lunar New Year, and Black History Month. Kindergarten has just finished studying farm animals and are now delving into kings and queens in their reading series. The kindergarten students have been using their Chromebooks with Mrs. Bradley, BOCES technology specialist, and having so much fun dancing with the Higher Minds Dance Program.
The first graders have been continuing to have a blast on their learning journey. Students started the month with making predictions for Groundhog Day and were extremely excited that our furry friend has indicated that an early spring is headed our way! Then, they were filled with excitement to celebrate a special milestone in the school year, the 100th Day of School! It is hard to believe that we have spent 100 days together! Some activities included counting 100 objects, creating artwork inspired by the number 100, and engaging the children in math and literacy activities centered around this fun theme. The children also learned about the rich traditions and customs of Lunar New Year. From learning about the significance of the Lunar calendar to exploring cultural practices such as lion dancing and red envelope gifting. For Valentine's Day, our first graders had a wonderful day filled with kindness and friendship. They were busy making cards for their families and learning about the importance of kindness and appreciation for one another. February is also Black History Month, and our teachers have integrated various activities and discussions into the curriculum to celebrate the rich contributions of African Americans throughout history. In honor of Presidents' Day, our first graders dove into the fascinating world of American Presidents, particularly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Through stories, videos, and interactive activities, they explored the lives and legacies of our nation's most influential leaders.
Second grade finished life cycles in nature and started studying westward expansion. They have been studying customary and metric units of measurement. Second grade teachers want to thank the PTA for the scented pencils for Valentine's Day as well as the three fantastic assemblies that everyone enjoyed. Second graders exchanged Valentine's Day cards and created Valentine's Day cards for the Veterans. They celebrated Presidents’ Day, Lunar New Year, and P.S. I Love You Day. All of the second-grade students and teachers are very thankful for the K-Kids Club for providing each of them with a special message for this day.
The third graders thoroughly enjoyed the Phyllis Rose Dance Company assembly, as well as the author’s visit from Maria Wen who shared her journey of writing the book, It's Lunar New Year, Curious George! Both were entertaining and highly informative. The students loved getting their Snifty pencils as a sweet Valentine's Day surprise! A special thank you to PTA for those awesome pencils!
The fourth-grade students wrapped up their science unit on energy and were able to make valuable connections to their new knowledge about energy while visiting Covanta in Westbury. Students were amazed to see how Covanta uses our garbage to produce seventy-two megawatts of electricity twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That’s enough to power fifty-five thousand homes for a year! This trip inspired some of our students to want to become engineers one day. The fourth graders used their knowledge of the Iroquois to gain a better understanding of the main characters in their novel study of Eagle Song by Jospeh Bruchac. Their background knowledge gave them more insight into the characters, setting, problem, and solutions within the novel. The students created projects based on the many story elements within Eagle Song, but what stood out most to the entire fourth grade was the lesson to be learned after reading this novel. They all agreed that treating others the way you want to be treated goes a long way in life and in the world.
Grade five would like to thank the Barnum Woods PTA for the Valentine's Day student gifts, the smelly pencils. Fifth graders enjoyed a trip to the Nassau County Museum of Art and will be visiting Woodland Middle School in March. Students are excited to learn from Mrs. Pissanos in Health class, which begins the week after winter break. Students have started a new reading unit in Amplify CKLA called, Adventures of Don Quixote. Students completed their “I Love Barnum Woods" writing projects and their biographies which are currently on display in the fifth-grade corridor.
All of the teachers would like to give a special thanks to the PTA for bringing amazing assemblies including the Bright Star Assembly, the Phyllis Rose Dance Company, and author visit, Maria Wen Adcock, who shared her book, It's Chinese New Year Curious George! The students enjoyed learning about other cultures, dances, and this amazing author. As you can see, the Barnum Bobcats are taking learning to new levels here at Barnum Woods!