March has been a busy and exciting month here at Barnum - full of fun, learning, and gratitude.
Kindergarten would like to thank the PTA for the Smelly pencils, hosting the Book Fair, and the fun PARP activities. They have been busy studying their Kings and Queens Unit in their CKLA reading program, and they all celebrated with a Royal Tea Party. All of the children dressed up in their royal clothing. They are now moving on to their Seasons and Weather Unit. Mrs. Black, our guidance counselor, has been coming into all the kindergarten classrooms to discuss feelings and manners. Mrs. Bradley, East Meadow District’s computer specialist, has been teaching them fun, educational games on the Chromebooks. They all enjoyed their Green Day parties, loved the guest PARP readers, and had a fun time watching teachers eat lots of pie at the “Pi- Eating” Contest Assembly. March has been a fun month, and they can't wait for more “lamb days” in the spring!
The first-grade children are having a blast! The children were delighted to go to the Tilles Center to attend the performance of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and visit the Nassau County Art Museum to view the exhibition entitled The Gilded Age. Barnum Woods was filled with excitement on Pi Day! The first graders were so happy to cheer on their teachers as they participated in a pie eating contest. It was a fun assembly filled with friendly competition and, of course, plenty of pie! They would like to thank the PTA for our PARP program. The children were excited each day about their reading achievements and participation in the program. They felt a sense of ownership and pride when selecting their own books at the Book Fair. They would also like to thank the guest readers who shared special books with them.
Second grade finished up their chapter on graphing and has begun studying multiplication. They would like to thank the PTA for providing them with the Scholastic Book Fair last week. They are starting to research famous individuals from the past and present. They also studied Westward Expansion and culminated the unit with creating quilts. Currently, second graders are learning about insects in their CKLA reading unit. They are also looking forward to their field trip in May to the Cradle of Aviation.
Third graders thoroughly enjoyed the 2024 PARP festivities! They loved picking reading partners, completing the packet activities, and dressing up each day! Inviting a guest reader into the class was thrilling for the kids as well. The cherry on top was shopping for their very own books at the annual Book Fair! Thank you to BW PTA for organizing such an engaging and exciting 2-week celebration of reading!
For our fourth graders, The One and Only Ivan novel study proved to be a captivating and enriching experience for the children, as they delved deeply into the book. The students discovered story elements, figurative language, and themes that resonated deeply. Immersed in the tale of Ivan, a silverback gorilla, and his journey towards freedom and self-discovery, the students eagerly absorbed the narrative, engaging with its characters and events. The students analyzed the relationships between characters, finding empathy for Ivan, Stella the elephant, Bob the stray dog, and Ruby the baby elephant. The students identified the layers of figurative language within the text which, in turn, gave them an appreciation for the author’s craft. The fourth-grade students have also been studying electrical circuits. This has provided an opportunity for students to delve into the world of science and engineering through hands on experience. Meanwhile, the study of limericks introduced the students to the playful and rhythmic world of poetry. The students had fun creating their very own limericks.
Fifth grade would like to thank PTA for a great Book Fair. The students enjoyed the guest readers who visited their classrooms during PARP week. In addition, grade five students recently visited Woodland Middle School and are very excited for this new experience in September. Currently, they are working on their science investigations and creating posters to warn about water pollution.
Mrs. Hughes and Miss Carpenzano are in week 3 of the 1st Annual Music March Madness. Classes have been listening to the weekly picks from Rock, Broadway, Jazz, and Classical genres & selecting their favorites. The Week 4 Finale will be a battle of the ages! They love the community input, as well. Mr. Longo is incorporating the data from this project into his 5th grade math classes to explore fractions and percentages. Mrs. Hughes' Chorus is preparing for a spectacular show on May 14th. They will be accompanied by members of the EMHS Steel Pan Ensemble, as well as our Barnum house band, Extra Texture. Barnum Beginner Orchestra rehearsals began last month and will continue Fridays after school through mid-May. From mid-May-June, they will switch to morning rehearsals on Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:00AM. Barnum 5th Grade Orchestra congratulates one of our cello players, Austin Viola, for participating in the Long Island String Festival earlier this month, March 1-3. Barnum Chamber Club rehearsals will continue Thursdays after school and will culminate with a performance on VIP Day.
The reading teachers would like to thank the PTA for the two-week PARP event “Reading Gives You All the Feelings.” They appreciate and support any endeavor which celebrates reading and gets children excited to read. The reading teachers certainly recognize the importance of reading at home and applaud families’ efforts. Students were so eager to participate in all the fun activities the PARP committee planned, including dressing up each day around a reading theme, having guest readers read aloud to their classes and shopping for books at the book fair. “There are many ways to enrich your child’s world, (but) love of (reading) books is one of the best ways of all.” (Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis)
We look forward to all of the activities and learning excitement awaiting us in April!
