Dear MPE Families,

Thank you for attending our Back to School Night last night!  We loved getting to see all of you and we hope that you had a great time learning about your child’s classroom and MPE experience! Attached to this email is the presentation from last night.  It contains valuable information regarding the school as well as the MPE PTA. 

The video shown last night is available to be viewed by clicking on the following link: 

Back to School Night Video.  

Thank you again to Mrs. Ratner for creating the video and helping to highlight the amazing events that the PTA creates for the students of MPE.

The registration for the Fall After School Enrichment Sessions run by the PTA is OPEN.  Classes are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Please see the attached PTA Weekly Update for more information or visit the PTA Website. 

As a reminder, your child’s cooperative attitude and behavior while at enrichment classes are essential.  If behavior is disruptive, the PTA will consult with the parents and one warning will be given.  A second incident will not be permitted. No refunds, credits or switching will be issued.

Upcoming Events

SEPAC Back to School Night – September 27^th at 6:30 P.M. in the MPE Media Center

MPE Walk-a-thon & School Spirit Day (Wear MPE Apparel or blue and white) – September 26^th

Lifetouch Picture Day – September 28^th – Individual Pictures Only

MPE Book Fair – October 2^nd through October 4^th

Two Hour Delayed Opening – October 8^th

PTA General Meeting – October 16^th at 7:30 P.M., Mr. Darst’s Presentation on Literacy Strategies

Stuff the Bus – October 25^th

Halloween Boutique – October 26^th

Halloween Parade – October 31^st at 1:30 P.M.

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

This week, kindergarten students learned how to be safe at school.  They practiced fire drills and lockdown drills, and learned that when they all stick together, they stay safe!  The children also learned about the routines around the classroom.  They are doing a great job of moving through the centers in the afternoon where they also try out new centers with their friends!  Some of the centers that the kids are enjoy, include: Table Toys, Play-doh, Blocks, The Home Center, and Puzzles, to name a few!  The children also worked on learning the routines of Word Work, where they cut out pieces to sort, according to the rules of the sort!  They are starting to be organized students!!  

First graders have been hard at work. They reviewed reading and writing workshop routines and learned good workshop habits. During math, students practiced how to count objects, by reading and writing numbers. During social studies, students worked on establishing a classroom community that demonstrates kindness and caring towards others. 

Second graders were excited to participate in several science experiments this week as they learned all about the Scientific Method and the steps that scientists use in order to find answers to their questions. Ask your scientist about the incredible “blue dye experiment” that shocked all of them! During writing workshop students went on a walk around the school with clipboards and writing tools to explore and sketch things that inspired them. Back in the classroom they used these images to spark writing pieces. Finally, during math, they continued to review and practice addition strategies and build on their already impressive number sense.

Third graders have been busy this week listing writing ideas in their writing journals.   Students learned that when they write personal narratives, they write about people, places and things that are important to them.  During math, students learned how to compare numbers and how to order numbers in their Number Sense Unit.  In social studies, students learned more about symbols on a map and cardinal directions.  During science, students studied what is inside the Earth.  They examined the four layers of the Earth and what makes each layer different. 

Fourth graders were busy learning the steps of the Scientific Method this week and comparing/contrasting the Scientific Method to the Engineering Design Loop.  They did a fun experiment with lemons, limes, and oranges to see which ones would sink and which would float and figure out why. During reading, students learned all about how Reader’s Workshop functions and listened to a variety of texts to help them practice “thinking” about what they read. During writing, students began their Realistic Fiction Unit and will soon learn the steps of writing a realistic fiction story. During social studies, students used their atlases to learn about what makes a region. The students came up with their own questions and were able to use the PPECS framework (Physical, Political, Social, Economic and Cultural) to answer them.  Students also had fun working with math stations, learning how to compare and order numbers.  They reviewed their rounding skills and will soon be rounding numbers through the millions!  Students are busy preparing for their first math quiz next week.

Fifth grade ELA students completed a series of stations that provided them with information about the culture and societal norms of the 1920’s as well as the concept of immigration. This work will help to provide them with background knowledge for the first read aloud of the year, Letters From Rifka. They also started to use literary Signposts in order to help them begin to think about literature more deeply.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

We had another great week at MPE!  We look forward to seeing everyone next week at our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 20^th.  Please see the attached schedule for the night!

Upcoming Events:

MPE Back to School Night – September 20^th (see attached schedule)
SEPAC Back to School Night – September 27^th at 6:30 P.M. in the MPE Media Center

MPE Walk-a-thon – September 26^th at 1:45 P.M.

Lifetouch Picture Day – September 28^th – Individual Pictures Only

MPE Book Fair – October 2^nd through October 4^th

Two Hour Delayed Opening – October 8^th

PTA General Meeting – October 16^th at 7:30 P.M., Mr. Darst’s Presentation on Literacy Strategies

Please read below to find out what was taught at MPE this week!

In Kindergarten, students worked on learning their new daily routines.  They practiced unpacking and hanging up their materials in the morning as well as choosing their lunch option and packing up in the afternoon!  Making friends and learning their names was also a big part of their day. Students learned good reading behaviors such as how to hold books, turn pages, and look at the pictures and words. They also practiced being writers by writing stories of what they can do. During math, students were introduced to the calendar.  They will do Calendar Math Activities every day in Kindergarten!   

First graders had a great week! They reviewed how readers build good habits and set goals for themselves. Students practiced rereading favorite parts of books and retelling what happened in the stories with their classmates. In math, students looked at how patterns repeat and extend. They read the big book Pitterpats, where together, they described the patterns of Pitterpat creatures. Then, they had fun creating patterns of their own and enjoyed sharing them with the class!

This week in second grade, Reading and Writing Workshops were launched! Students learned how to shop for “good fit” books, and shared their reading lives. They talked about what types of books they enjoyed reading, and created reading goals for themselves. In writing, second graders practiced generating topics to write about, and used “Bigmama’s” by Donald Crews as a mentor text to write about real life experiences. In math, students began their first unit where they reviewed addition strategies like counting on using a number line.

The third grade began their Number Sense Unit, where they learned how to write numbers in standard, word and expanded form. The classes completed a “book tasting,” where they sampled different genres of books to figure out which kinds of books they enjoy the most! The classes also began generating ideas for their personal narrative writing, were they thought of people that have impacted their lives. During science, the students also challenged themselves with a STEM project to build collaboration, communication and problem solving with their peers!

Fourth grade is off to a wonderful start.  During reading, students learned all about routines for reading workshop.  They heard some exciting read alouds that have inspired them to be the best readers they can be.  During writing, students worked on gathering ideas that they could write about.  Very soon, students will work on their first piece of realistic fiction writing.  During math, students learned about number sense and how to read and write big numbers in a variety of different ways.  Students had lots of fun during science were they learned all about the concepts of claim, evidence,  and reasoning.  They also reviewed the concept of the Scientific Method with some hands-on experiments.  Ask your child about the spaghetti/marshmallow towers they created.  Lastly, during social studies, students began to learn about the five different lenses that social scientists use to study regions.  Students cannot wait to learn more about PPECS in the coming weeks.

Fifth grade students did a great job of cycling between their teachers and getting to know their new routine!  During math, students reviewed place values and worked with numbers from the hundred billionths place through the thousandths place.  Students also practiced the routine of calendar math by identifying all of the prime numbers between 1 and 100.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

What a great start to the school year!! Students had a wonderful time meeting their new teachers and catching up with friends about what they did over the summer.  I was so proud to see all of our older students helping the younger students around the building.  We are all excited for a fantastic school year.  As a reminder, we are closed on Monday and Tuesday (September 10^th and 11^th). 

Additionally, our MPE School Picnic is next Friday, September 14^th from 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  Feel free to bring a picnic dinner or order pizza from the PTA Website - https://mpepta.membershiptoolkit.com/home.  This is a great opportunity to meet new families and friends in our MPE School Community.  We look forward to seeing everyone there! 

Listed below is an excellent article on ways to speak with your child from The New York Times. 

Rewards and punishments are conditional, but our love and positive regard for our kids should be unconditional. Here’s how to change the conversation and the behavior.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/well/family/which-is-better-rewards-or-punishments-neither.html

Upcoming Events:

MPE Back to School Night: 9/20/18

Walk-a-Thon and School Spirit Day: 9/26/18

SEPAC Back to School Night: 9/27/18

Lifetouch Picture Day: 9/28/18

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

I hope that you have all enjoyed your summer vacation thus far and are looking forward to an exciting and engaging 2018-2019 School Year! Please read below to learn more about the many changes that occurred at MPE this summer.
Over the summer, our maintenance and custodial team have been hard at work getting all of the classrooms ready for students. The building looks fantastic and we are so grateful for their hard work! Many of our classrooms have been painted and our hallways are sparkling clean.
Mrs. Cullen will be available to discuss any medical needs for your child(ren) and to collect medications on Wednesday, August 29th from 9:30A.M. to 10:30 A.M.

Mindfulness and Character Education:
This year, MPE will continue with our mindfulness initiative while also infusing a large amount of character education experiences and lessons for our students to take part in. We will have a particular focus on the concept of “growth mindset”. Our teachers all read, The Growth Mindset Coach: A Teacher’s Month-by-Month Handbook for Empowering Students to Achieve by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley this summer. We look forward to working with our students regarding this concept.

MPE Garden:
Our MPE Garden looks beautiful and is filled with fruits and vegetables! Thank you to Mrs. Rothfeld, Mrs. Rubinstein, Mrs. Kelner, and our custodians for their work with the garden as well as to all of the families that assisted in maintaining the garden this summer.

Fifth Grade Rotation Schedule:
Fifth grade students will rotate between three homeroom teachers to receive their instruction each day. Mr. Darst will teach reading and writing, Mrs. Nikirk will teach mathematics, Calendar Math, and Word Study, and Mrs. Perry will teach science and social studies.

Welcome to New Staff:
We have many new staff to welcome to MPE! We also have many staff members who changed roles. Please see the list below and say hello to our new staff members in the upcoming weeks! New to 4th Grade: Mrs. Dana Triana New to 2nd Grade: Mrs. Nicole Mount
New to Special Education: Mrs. Jamie Geltzeiler 4th Grade: Mrs. Antoinette Cherichello 5th Grade Science and Social Studies (Leave Replacement): Mrs. Brenda Perry
Gifted and Talented at MPE & Riker Hill: Mrs. Christine Zambrio
Child Study Team, Social Worker: Mrs. Teseline Joseph
School Counselor (Leave Replacement): Mrs. Danielle Imbimbo
Congratulations to Mrs. Tannler on her new role as the media specialist at Heritage Middle School!

Teams
Kindergarten: Mrs. Alterman, Mrs. Fiore, Mrs. Raje
First Grade: Mrs. DiNapoli, Mrs. Cognetti, Mrs. Lynn
Second Grade: Mrs. Mount, Mrs. Roth, Ms. Monaco
Third Grade: Mrs. Chang (Li), Ms. Bannon, Mrs. Whipple
Fourth Grade: Mrs. Szostak, Mrs. Triana, Mrs. Barbag, Mrs. Cherichello
Fifth Grade: Mr. Darst, Mrs. Nikirk, Mrs. Perry
Special Education: Mrs. Withers, Ms. Rogalsky, Mrs. Geltzeiler

Upcoming Events:
9/4 First Day Back
9/14 MPE School Picnic (6:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.)
9/17 Class Parent Meeting (2:00 P.M. or 7:00 P.M.)
9/20 Back to School Night
9/26 MPE Walkathon and Spirit Day!
9/27 MPE Walkathon Rain Date
9/28 School Picture Day – Individual Pictures Only
10/2 New Family Meet and Greet and Book Fair Kickoff

First Day Back! Tuesday, September 4th is our first day back for students! Signs will be posted with the names of homeroom teachers on the side of MPE nearest to the small playground. Students will line up near their homeroom teacher’s sign and will be collected by their teacher when the bell rings. Parents/guardians are welcome to stand outside with their child while they wait for the teacher to collect their students. Please read the reminders below regarding student drop-off each morning.  Morning supervision begins at 7:35 A.M. each morning.  With the exception of the first day of school, all students lineup inside of MPE. K2 students lineup in the small gym and students in grades 3-5 lineup in the big gym.  Please use the drop off lane located on the right side of the MPE driveway. The left side is for staff only and will create unsafe conditions if students are dropped off on that side (the side further from the MPE entrance). Students should always exit curbside.  If you are going to drop off on Broadlawn, it must be beyond the driveway entrance by the path leading to the crosswalk.
 Please take care to drive slowly during drop off and pickup so that all students are safe at all times. Pull through the driveway entrance as far as possible so that staff can safely exit your child(ren) from the car.  If childcare plans have changed for the day, please contact the MPE Main Office as early as possible so they may contact the teacher in time for dismissal. Please do NOT email your child’s teacher as they do not check their emails during instructional time.



I look forward to seeing all of you on September 4th!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed. D.