Dear MPE Families,

We had a great week at MPE!! Please read below for upcoming events and the weekly update!

Our First Parent Academy on Homework For K-5 Parents

Last year, the District conducted a survey through the Health and Wellness Committee, within which there were many of questions asked by teachers, students, and parents regarding homework. The results of this survey helped us to continue our work in the District with teachers towards making homework meaningful and manageable.

It also prompted our first Parent Academy on Homework: HOMEWORK–TAKING THE WORK OUT OF HOME, which will be held on February 21, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in Riker Hill Elementary School for all parents of students in grades K-5. We are so excited to offer a night of strategies to support our K-5 families as they manage all of the demands in their lives. We will have nearly 20 staff members, who are experts in their grade levels and their content areas, to offer suggestions across several break-out sessions. We hope you can make it! Please RSVP if you wish to attend. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Parent Conferences – For our spring parent conferences, the date and time you chose in the fall will remain the same for the spring (the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday will correlate to Wednesday, Thursday Friday).  For example, if you had a Monday conference at 2 in the fall, your conference will be on Wednesday at 2 in the spring (Wednesday, March 13^th).  If your conference was on a Tuesday, it will be Thursday, March 14^th, etc.  This streamlines the scheduling process and allows ample time to plan in advance of our conferences.  Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming conferences!  

Additionally, please read the attached letter regarding the class placement process at MPE for the 2019-2020 School Year.

Upcoming Events:

February 15^th and 18^th – School is Closed for President’s Day

February 22 – MPE Bingo Night held from 6:00-7:30PM in the MPM Cafeteria

February 22 – Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue and white

February 28^th – Weather Assembly for Grades 3, 4, 5

CHANGE OF DATE: April 9^th - PTA General Meeting - MPE Media Center, 7:30PM

Mrs. Barbag and Mrs. Szostak will be presenting on how to develop study skills and organizational habits with your child.  

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

Love is in the air in Kindergarten!  The children were busy getting ready for Valentine’s Day.  During shared reading, the children looked for sight words, rhyming words and 1-2 syllable words using their Valentine Poems.  During language arts, the kindergarteners had lots of fun marble painting their Valentine Cards for their special someone at home.  They also used their writing skills to tell their valentine how much they were loved.  During reading workshop, the children continued to “Share Like A Pizza”.  The children discussed and worked with their reading partner to determine how they would like to share.  Some of their choices were to use 3 finger retell, see saw reading, tell about your favorite part, play shared reading, etc.  During math, the children continued to estimate, measure and compare lengths of different objects. 

First graders enjoyed getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day this week! They made "mailboxes" for their friends to deliver special valentine cards. During writing, students worked on putting together their “All About” books which they worked really hard on over the last few weeks. During math, students learned how to solve for a missing addend. They look forward to celebrating the 100th day of school on Tuesday! Remember, feel free to dress up like you're 100 years old if you'd like to honor the special day! :) 

This week in reading, second graders were excited to start their fiction unit about series books. They began with identifying story elements in the second grade core novel, Cam Jansen and the Snowy Day Mystery, and as they continue on to other books in the Cam Jansen Series, they will look for patterns in the characters and plots to help them make predictions. Over the next few weeks, students will also be participating in their own series book clubs in which they will be discussing a different series with a small group. During math, students continued to investigate subtraction with regrouping, and during social studies they learned all about the past and present of their wonderful town, Livingston.

The third grade has begun working on new units in reading and science! The students focused on reading traditional literature, understanding traits of each kind (myths, legends, fables, and tall tales).  During science, students began to understand magnets in their Forces and Motion Unit. The classes finished up their unit in writing on Literary Essays. In math, the classes learned the 3 and 4 times tables and are working on mastering their multiplication facts! During social studies, the classes applied their knowledge of the Cheyenne to the P.P.E.C.S., a variety of “lenses” to deepen their understanding of the tribe.

Fourth graders finished up their division unit during math.  They learned all about how to solve long division problems.  They are looking forward to starting their fraction unit.  During reading, students are well into their unit on historical fiction.  They enjoyed their read aloud, Number the Stars, and learned how historical timelines blend in with characters’ personal timelines.  They will soon be working on reading chapter books with their groups, but have also enjoyed reading some historical fiction picture books so far.  During writing, students worked on a debate essay and shared opinions about whether or not people should be buying plastic water bottles.  During science, students learned all about the human body.  For this unit, they will try to learn what it’s like to be a 5^th grader, cycling to each of the other three classes to learn about the skeletal/muscular systems, nervous system, digestive system, and the circulatory/respiratory system.  Lastly, during social studies, students learned all about the government and its three branches.  Make sure to listen for students reciting the Preamble in the hallways!  Students will be learning this shortly, and it will be stuck in their heads since it will be set to music.

During English Language Arts, fifth graders learned specific writing goals and techniques that will enable them to lift the level of their argument writing. They spent time in their Schoology Accounts working toward a final draft of an argument essay.

In the art room, Ms. Abrams’ classes were busy. Kindergarteners just finished a big painting unit about color and shape. They painted using geometric and free-form shapes, primary and secondary colors, and tints. Now they are drawing an Asian Dragon using shapes. First graders have been studying how to draw people in action by drawing each other doing winter activities. Second graders are doing metal sculpture that is flat on the back  – ask them about “repouss”.  Third graders are studying how artists make things look 3-D by drawing cityscapes using overlapping, movement up the page, size, and atmospheric perspective. Fourth graders are just finishing up their 3-D masks on a theme. They expressed their ideas using symbols and art elements such as color and line. Fifth graders built wood sculptures after studying artists Louise Nevelson, Marisol, and Brancusi and now are creating golden dragons in scratchboard with plenty of texture.

Have a great long weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Students had an excellent time at Global Play Day! Please see the attached picture!

Upcoming Parent Conferences – For our spring parent conferences, the date and time you choose in the fall will remain the same for the spring (the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday will correlate to Wednesday, Thursday Friday).  For example, if you had a Monday conference at 2 in the fall, your conference will be on Wednesday at 2 in the spring (Wednesday, March 13^th).  If your conference was on a Tuesday, it will be Thursday, March 14^th, etc.  This streamlines the scheduling process and allows ample time to plan in advance of our conferences.  Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming conferences!  Additionally, please read the attached letter regarding the class placement process at MPE for the 2019-2020 School Year.

Upcoming Events:

February 12 - PTA General Meeting - MPE Media Center, 7:30PM

Mrs. Barbag and Mrs.Szostak will be presenting on how to develop study skills and organizational habits with your child.  

February 13 – PTA Valentine’s Day Boutique – please send money in an envelope if your child would like to buy something

February 15^th and 18^th – School is Closed for President’s Day

February 22 – MPE Bingo Night held from 6:00-7:30PM in the MPM Cafeteria

February 22 – Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue and white

February 28^th – Weather Assembly for Grades 3, 4, 5

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

Kindergarten students learned about Chinese New Year. They identified the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and learned that this year is the year of the pig. During math, the children have begun to explore measurement. They know that you can compare two objects, and see which one is longer and which one is shorter. They went on hunts around the room looking for different sized objects to compare.  During reading workshop time, students were introduced to how readers can read a book, and “Share Like a Pizza”.  Ask your children to name the many ways they listed things on their class “pizza” to share a book with a reading partner.

The first graders used their knowledge of nonfiction text features to write their own nonfiction books on topics they were experts on. During math, students continued to learn their addition facts using addition strategies. This week they learned how to add ten to a number. During science, students studied the sources of light. Students learned to identify what objects gave off light and which did not. Next week, students will begin to experiment with translucency. 

Second grade students worked hard to publish all the research they have done about the polar people, polar animals, or polar lands.  During social studies, students learned what causes communities to change over time, and how those changes occur slowly.  Finally, during math, students were immersed in subtraction, using manipulatives to help them visualize how to regroup when necessary. 

This week in third grade, students continued to learn about multiplication and division with the 4, 0, and 1 fact families. During reading, students wrapped up their non-fiction unit by comparing and contrasting articles and understanding cause and effect relationships. In writing, students continued their literary essay unit by reading both fiction and non-fiction text and identified the main idea and evidence to support their thinking. During science, students finished their weather unit by learning about natural disasters. Finally, during social studies, students finished making their totem poles and reading Kwakiutl legends. 

Fourth graders students finished up their division unit this week.  Students started their new historical fiction units in both reading and writing. Students will work in book clubs to read and discuss different historical fiction texts.  During writing,  students began to work on creating their own historical fiction stories.  During social studies, students were excited to learn about the three branches of their government.  During science, students began to work on their unit on body systems. The students will study the Digestive System, Circulatory System, Nervous System, Skeletal System, and Muscular System.

Fifth grade students completed their performance tasks during science class.  They analyzed data and charts about different ecosystems.  During social studies, students finished their study of the early English settlements and began to compare the various colonies.  To complete their study, students will create a billboard for a British Colony to persuade other students to settle in their colony.    

Call for Safety Information to Parents

The main office at MPE must be contacted when children are absent or tardy for any reason.  Absences must be reported to the office by 8:00 a.m. by calling the attendance line at 973-535-8000, ext. 7105.  Emails to main office staff or teachers are discouraged as staff can either be out themselves or emails may not be read or forwarded until later in the day.  We appreciate your cooperation!  Families who do not call school to report absences will receive an automated phone call at about 9:00 a.m.  Any families receiving calls must call the school at 973-535-8000 X8141 as soon as possible thereafter to report their children's absences. 

Dismissal Information

Please send a note with your child detailing any changes to dismissal plans (if the change is known the day before, please feel free to email it).  Please do NOT send an email to your child’s teacher during the school day with any changes.  Staff are not able to check their email during the day as they are busy teaching!  Additionally, changes to dismissal plans should be called in to the front office by 1:00P.M. at the latest.  When late changes are made, it is very difficult to communicate them with your child’s teacher without interrupting classroom instruction. 

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Students did a wonderful job participating in the Winter Concert!  Thank you to Mr. Hegedus and Mr. Battista, who helped our students to prepare for the concert! 

On Wednesday, February 6^th, students at MPE will take part in Global Play Day with their MPE Family Groups.  Students will play for an additional forty five minutes with students of all ages in their groups.  Please read the attached letter to learn more or visit the following website: https://www.globalschoolplayday.com/.

Upcoming Events:

February 6^th – Global Play Day at MPE

February 12 - PTA General Meeting - MPE Media Center, 7:30PM

Mrs. Barbag and Mrs.Szostak will be presenting on how to develop study skills and organizational habits with your child.  

Please read the article listed below regarding new apps that students may be using.  The article contains good information about the potential dangers that may be present with them. 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/health/common-sense-2019-apps-partner/index.html

Call for Safety Information to Parents

The main office at MPE must be contacted when children are absent or tardy for any reason.  Absences must be reported to the office by 8:00 a.m. by calling the attendance line at 973-535-8000, ext. 7105.  Emails to main office staff or teachers are discouraged as staff can either be out themselves or emails may not be read or forwarded until later in the day.  We appreciate your cooperation!  Families who do not call school to report absences will receive an automated phone call at about 9:00 a.m.  Any families receiving calls must call the school at 973-535-8000 X8141 as soon as possible thereafter to report their children's absences.  We hope that this will create greater efficiency with the attendance-checking process and welcome any feedback as we experiment with these calls.  Thank you!

Dismissal Information

Please send a note with your child detailing any changes to dismissal plans (if the change is known the day before, please feel free to email it).  Please do NOT send an email to your child’s teacher during the school day with any changes.  Staff are not able to check their email during the day as they are busy teaching!  Additionally, changes to dismissal plans should be called in to the front office by 1:00P.M. at the latest.  When late changes are made, it is very difficult to communicate them with your child’s teacher without interrupting classroom instruction. 

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

 Dear MPE Families,

We had another great week at MPE!!  Please read the attached update from the MPE PTA.  Additionally, February 1st is World Read Aloud Day!! Please read the attached letter to learn more!  

Upcoming Events:

January 30 – MPE Winter Concert – 7:00 P.M. in the MPM Auditorium

February 1 - World Read Aloud Day

February 12 - PTA General Meeting - MPE Media Center, 7:30PM

Mrs. Barbag and Mrs.Szostak will be presenting on how to develop study skills and organizational habits with your child.  

Dismissal Plans – Please send a note with your child detailing any changes to dismissal plans (if the change is known the day before, please feel free to email it).  Please do NOT send an email to your child’s teacher during the school day with any changes.  Staff are not able to check their email during the day as they are busy teaching!  Additionally, changes to dismissal plans should be called in to the front office by 1:00P.M. at the latest.  When late changes are made, it is very difficult to communicate them with your child’s teacher without interrupting classroom instruction. 

Meanwhile, in the classrooms....

Winter has arrived in the Kindergarten classrooms! The children learned how they adapt to the cold weather by wearing warmer clothes, heating their homes and doing winter activities. Since there was not as much snow as predicted last weekend, students made fake snow using a special chemical and water. During their experiment they used words like hypothesis, materials, predict, observe and results. During math, they learned about snowflake and mitten symmetry. They built snowmen with their friends. It took teamwork, planning and a lot of hard work to create their snowmen! During reading workshop, students were introduced to the mechanics of  guided reading. When the teacher works with a small group of children, others must be readers and use strategies they have learned to solve any problem that might arise.  

In first grade, students worked on their "All About" writing topics.  They used prior knowledge to complete non-fiction stories.  They brainstormed ideas, using a web to create the chapters and starting their writing piece with an introduction.  We look forward to reading their "All About" writing pieces soon! 

This week second graders learned all about the past and present in social studies. Students read books about how children were different in the past, and compared them to how they are today. During writing, they finished up their research on the polar lands! They spent a lot of time both reading books and using online databases to research their topics and jot down notes. Soon they will use this information to complete their projects. During math, second graders learned how to add three-digit numbers with regrouping in all place values.

Third graders were busy this week coming up with bold ideas in the books that they read.  Bold ideas can be about character traits, how a character changes throughout a story, and lessons learned or the moral of the story.  In their Literary Essay Unit, students needed to prove their bold ideas by finding evidence in their books to support it.  During reading, students read non-fiction short articles and determined the author’s point of view.  During social studies, students continued to learn about the Kwakiutl Tribe and how they used natural resources to adapt to their land.  If you have not done so, please send in a paper towel roll to class with your child’s name on it!

Fourth graders were busy reviewing nonfiction texts in reading and also learned how to write summaries using paired texts.  During writing, students shared their opinion essays and debated topics. The student mathematicians continued to study division through review centers, songs, dances, and games. The steps of long division were introduced this week and how to interpret remainders. During science, students continued their current unit of study on living things by creating their own food chains and further exploring animal adaptations. Be sure to ask your child about the bird beak lab. During social studies, students got back on “the train” and continued their tour of the Northeast Region. Students stopped at the Erie Canal and New York City. They were so excited to continue exploring their region.  

During fifth grade math, students began the fraction unit.  Students reviewed how to change improper fractions to mixed numbers, simplify fractions and how to add and subtract fractions.  The students made the connection that fractions are just division problems!  During calendar math, students learned how to convert units of metric measurement by remembering the saying, "King Henry Doesn't Usually Drink Chocolate Milk".  This makes it so much easier!

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Reminder: Tonight is the MPE Family Game Night.  The event begins at 6:00 P.M. Enter through the MPM Cafeteria Door.  Please see the attached PTA Update for more information!

Additionally, I would like to thank the PTA for our new playground (which officially opened on Tuesday)!  Students loved playing with the new slide, monkey bars and climbing steps!!

Please see the attached picture of our family meeting which was held on Wednesday morning.  Students read the book, After the Fall by Dan Santat and discussed the theme of growth mindset.  They then worked on a STEAM activity that asked them to use their creativity and engineering skills!

Dismissal Plans – Please send a note with your child detailing any changes to dismissal plans (if the change is known the day before, please feel free to email it).  Please do NOT send an email to your child’s teacher during the school day with any changes.  Staff are not able to check their email during the day as they are busy teaching!  Additionally, changes to dismissal plans should be called in to the front office by 1:00P.M. at the latest.  When late changes are made, it is very difficult to communicate them with your child’s teacher without interrupting classroom instruction. 

Upcoming Events:

Kindergarten Registration is open!  Please visit the following website to register your child at your earliest convenience.    https://www.livingston.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=369

January 18 – Family Night Game Show – 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the MPM Cafeteria and Gym

January 21 – Schools Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 24 - Dr. Harte Dental Health Presentations – grade K – 2 – 9:30 small gym (students only)

January 30 – MPE Winter Concert – 7:00 P.M. in the MPM auditorium

This week, the kindergarten students learned about the importance of why we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Students discussed his message of tolerance and acceptance through poems, songs, stories and special activities.  The children were able to express the true meaning of Dr. King, that we are all people with a heart that want to be loved and treated fairly.  During reading workshop, students learned that every story has characters, a setting and a plot.  The children were able to practice retelling their story to their partner by using their 3 finger retell strategy ( beginning , middle and end).  During math, kindergarten students worked independently and cooperatively on  skills previously  taught.  Each day, students rotated to a new center.  This helped to foster independence and problem solving skills.  The children loved learning centers!   

This week, first graders continued exploring nonfiction topics in both reading in writing. They looked at nonfiction text features within books and identified how some books have a glossary, index, headings and bold words which all provide information to the reader. In writing, students began writing about objects and described what the object looked like. Then, they tried to guess which object was being described! Students had fun with this activity! During math, students continued learning addition strategies and focused specifically on learning about doubles, doubles plus one and doubles plus two facts. They learned so much this week! 

This week in reading, second graders focused on identifying the main idea and supporting details of nonfiction passages. In writing, students narrowed down a specific topic of interest for additional research on the polar regions. They are very excited to delve deeply into reference texts and online resources to find answers to their many questions! In the coming weeks, they’ll use this research and their nonfiction writing skills to publish an informational piece. In math, they continued to solidify their understanding of addition with regrouping by investigating the partial sums method, and they even began to add three-digit numbers.

Third grade continued their work with nonfiction text. The classes focused on the author’s purpose, context clues and different text structures. Students also began to work with literary essays in writing and learned a new strategy to organize their thoughts about the text they read. In math, the classes worked on multiplication and division and with the five and ten’s fact families. They also learned about how to solve math word problems by noticing patterns in the numbers. During social studies, the third grade studied the beliefs and customs of the Kwakiutl Tribe.  Finally, during science, students examined weather patterns from around the world!

Fourth graders were busy studying their division skills.  They learned the “Division Dance” and look forward to learning more about long division soon!  During science, students had lots of fun learning about the food chain and constructing arguments as to whether or not the practice of hunting animals should be allowed.  Many of them realized that hunting can actually be a good thing to control the animal population after reading more about the topic.  During social studies, students finished up their study of the Revolutionary War, learning all about the famous battles that took place right here in New Jersey.  They read lots of nonfiction during reading and learned how to write summaries and determine the meaning of tricky words.  Lastly, students finished working on their opinion essays.  They certainly had some strong opinions about the world around them!

Fifth grade ELA students spent time in writing workshop learning how to develop effective introductions for an argument essay. During reading workshop, book clubs identified the social issues that were common in the books the clubs read together. They also had conversations about what they thought each of the authors wanted their readers to understand about these social issues.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Students did an excellent job this week!! 

Please note, that starting on Monday, students are no longer permitted to bring Pokemon Cards to school.  Students are losing or misplacing these cards, and it has begun to impact classroom instructional time.  Thank you for your cooperation.  Teachers will instruct students who bring these cards to school, to leave them in their backpacks.

Upcoming Events:

Kindergarten Registration is open!  Please visit the following website to register your child at your earliest convenience.    https://www.livingston.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=369

January 15 – Winter ASE Classes Begin

January 18 – Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue & white

                        Family Night Game Show – 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the MPM Cafeteria and Gym

January 21 – Schools Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 24 - Dr. Harte Dental Health Presentations – grade K – 2 – 9:30 small gym (students only)

January 30 – MPE Winter Concert – 7:00 P.M. in the MPM auditorium

In the classrooms…

This week, the kindergarten students continued to learn about hibernation and winter.  Last week, they said goodbye to stuffed animals who will spend the winter in “caves” within the kindergarten classrooms.  The stuffed animals will come out of their “caves” on the first day of Spring.  The kindergarteners also created realistic scenes showing a bear family preparing for hibernation, as well as sequences showing the steps a bear takes to get ready for hibernation.  Their Read Aloud books and poems were all about winter and hibernation.  During Calendar Math, the children revealed a new pattern using 3-D shapes.  The children named cubes, cylinders and rectangular prisms, among other shapes. 

This week in first grade, students learned all about nonfiction, both in reading and in writing. They were introduced to some characteristics of nonfiction texts  to help them understand their topics better. The students participated in a  scavenger hunt through several table of contents to find what pages they can visit to learn more specific information about the book. The students also learned how labels and captions help to clarify diagrams and photographs and teach them more information.  They created their own diagrams with labels and captions about the topic of their choice. During writing, students learned how to write informational text. They began to record facts about themselves and places around the school. They also learned how to interview their classmates to record facts for an upcoming “All About Our Class Book” which will be created for their classroom library.  During math, students started their addition strategies unit to become fluent in their facts up to 20.  They learned the “turn around” rule, counting on with 1, 2, or 3, and doubles facts.  During science, students began a new unit on light and sound. This week, they learned what sound is, went on a listening walk around school to notice various sounds all around them, and learned to discriminate between loud and soft sounds, and high and low sounds.

Second graders were immersed in the world of nonfiction.  During both reading and writing, students worked on skills needed to comprehend nonfiction texts.  They continued their research on the polar lands.  They also learned all about the habitats, animals, and people who live there.  At the same time, they expanded their nonfiction writing skills, focusing on their opening and closing sentences.  During math, students began to rewrite math problems to solve them vertically and began to explore two digit addition with regrouping.  In social studies, students explored the three different types of communities (rural, urban, and suburban), and how they met the needs of their citizens.  

This week, third graders finished up their biography unit and celebrated by sharing with the whole third grade. In reading, students continued their non-fiction unit by studying the five different structures of non-fiction text. In math, students learned how to multiply by using a multiplication table and drawing models. During science, students continued their unit of study on weather by learning about how the Earth's revolution affects seasons. Finally, during social studies, students started learning about the Kwakiutl Tribe on the Northwest Coast. 

Fourth graders finished up their study of New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution.  They learned about the important battles that took place in New Jersey as well as why Jockey Hollow was chosen as a perfect spot for General Washington’s troops to stay for the winter. During science, the students learned all about biomes, ecosystems and food chains. They discussed what would happen if the lions at the Turtle Back Zoo escaped and took residence in South Mountain Reservation. Students also conducted some fun experiments that showed what a decomposer’s job is in a food chain.  Students in fourth grade have been reading, writing and learning about nonfiction. They worked on identifying the text features that authors use in their writing and why an author chooses different text features while writing.  Students have been working hard on their opinion essays and cannot wait to share them!  During math, students finished up their multiplication unit with 2 by 2 digit multiplication. Next week, they will move into their division unit.

Fifth grade students finished up their study of European Explorers this week during social studies.  During science, students learned about the concept of ecosystems and how they impact the world around them. 

Physical Education

During the month of January, all grades will be involved in a variety of loco motor, fitness, and basic movement activities within their gymnastic unit.  Grades K through 2 will be introduced to gymnastics. They will start the unit learning and reviewing basic tumbling skills, such as: animal crawls and walks (seal, crab, injured puppy, bear walk) and basic rolls (pencil, log, egg, tree, safety roll). Students will then be introduced to common gymnastic positions including the layout, tuck, pike and squat. Forward rolls and backward rolls will then follow, as students practice and progress according to individual abilities. The unit will conclude with students developing rotational skills by performing donkey kicks, pinwheels and cartwheels.

Students in grades 3 through 5 will start this unit by reviewing basic tumbling skills and gymnastic positions. Students will then progress into back rockers and standing back rockers. Students will then practice forward and backward roll progressions, backward extensions, straddle rolls, jump turns, and balance progressions. Demonstrating rotational skills, students will practice pinwheels, cartwheels, and round-offs. The unit will conclude with guided practice of inverted balances, such as, tripods, headstands, and handstands.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Happy New Year!  Please see below for the upcoming events at MPE!  Additionally,  Congratulations to Ms. Bannon who was chosen as our Teacher of the Year!  I would also like to congratulate Mrs. Goeller who was nominated as our Specialist of the Year and Ms. Verniero for being chosen as our support person of the year for MPE!

Upcoming Events:

Kindergarten Registration is open!  Please visit the following website to register your child at your earliest convenience.    https://www.livingston.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=369

January 11 – PTA Executive Board Meeting – 9:30AM in Room 10

January 15 – Winter ASE Classes Begin

January 18 – Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue & white

                        Family Night Game Show – 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the MPM Cafeteria and Gym

January 21 – Schools Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 24 - Dr. Harte Dental Health Presentations – grade K – 2 – 9:30 small gym (students only)

January 30 – MPE Winter Concert – 7:00 P.M. in the MPM auditorium

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

• December 17^th – Kindergarten Holiday Museum
• December 21^st – HALF DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED AT 12:15PM, Please contact the main office if you do not have supervision for your child that afternoon.
• December 24^th – January 1^st – School Closed for Holiday Break

A message regarding December 21^st…

Friday, December 21 will be a partial day for students.  The Board of Education approved this calendar change at its 12/10/18 meeting and also committed to providing supervision until the end of the regular school day for those families who cannot arrange to pick up their child/ren early. 

In order to make the accommodations for this supervision, you need to contact the main office (Mrs. Writt at gwritt@livingston.org or Mrs. Soutar at nsoutar@livingston.org or) and sign up by Monday, December 17th at 3:00 p.m.  Students must be signed up in order to stay at school from 12:15 – 2:40 p.m. on Friday, December 21.  Those students that stay on the 21st will also need to bring a bagged lunch.

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

This week, kindergarten students learned different ways to share books with their reading partners. Students took turns choral reading, “see-saw” reading, and talking about their favorite parts of a book with the class and their partners. During math, students made Rekenreks, a calculating tool, which they will use to develop number sense. This week, students practiced using their Rekenreks to understand the concept of one more and two more. Students were scientists as they conducted an experiment with milk, food coloring and dish soap. They also experienced some great science when the High Tech High Touch scientists visited their classrooms!  Students learned about the Earth’s relationship in our solar system and how sunlight warms the Earth.

This week, first graders learned about subtraction in math! They read the book Icky Sticky Trap  which helped them to model their own subtraction stories. They continued learning about some more Tricky Part Pals in Reading. (Ask your child about Digraph Duck and Blend Bunny!) In Social Studies, students talked about New Year Resolutions in preparation for 2019!  They also learned about hibernation and discussed the signs of winter that are quickly approaching! They look forward to another great week next week! 

Second graders studied the different purposes for authors to write nonfiction texts, and they classified classroom texts according to this. They also practiced asking and answering a variety of questions about nonfiction texts to help them understand what they are reading more deeply. During math, students continued to solidify a deep understanding of place value, using base-ten blocks, which helps to set the foundation for the coming units where they will begin addition and subtraction with regrouping.

The third grade continued their work in biography writing! The classes also began their next unit in reading- nonfiction! The classes have begun looking for text features, understanding what they are and how they help build comprehension. The classes also began to understand the concept of division in math, by learning how it relates to multiplication. They will also study more about the Lenape tribe during social studies. By using a textbook, students will develop ideas about the natural resources of the Lenape, and how they used these resources to get their basic needs. In science, the third grade is continuing to learn about weather and will focus on learning about weather vs. climate.

During fourth grade math, students learned all different strategies for multiplying big numbers.  They focused on the area model, partial products, the distributive property, and the traditional algorithm.  During reading, students moved into their nonfiction unit and learned all about the features of this type of text.  During writing, they worked on their persuasive essays.  Students also learned all about invertebrates, and they had a great time creating a poster and model to teach the class about the different phylum.  Lastly, during social studies, they enjoyed a train tour of the Northeast.  Recently, they exited the train to learn about the American Revolution and how New Jersey played an important role in this historical event. 

Fifth graders read and talked together in book clubs. They continued to think about the Signposts they found as they read, but they also started to notice what impacts a book may have on them. How are they different after having read this story? How has their thinking changed as a result of reading a book? They also discussed the social issues that show up in their book club books. During writing workshop, students started a unit on argument writing. So far, the classes have discussed how important it is to know a lot about both sides of an issue; not just the side they agree with.

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

Students are busy at work, learning many new things!  Thank you again to the MPE PTA for the new playground installation (please see attached picture).  We are all so excited to play on the new equipment.

During the holiday season, many students receive gifts – cameras, internet enable watches, games, etc.  Please do not send your child to school with these items.  They are a distraction to instruction and may become lost or damaged. 

Additionally, please remember that dogs are not permitted on school property (with the exception of service dogs). 

Our Buddy Bench Lid Collection has officially ended! Thank you to everyone who has donated their lids.  We look forward to sending our lids and receiving our new recycled bench!!

Upcoming Events:

• Toys for Tots Collection – collecting toys now!
• December 11^th – Author Visit – Jarrett Krosoczka
• December 14^th – MPE Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue & white clothing
• December 17^th – Kindergarten Holiday Museum
• December 24^th – January 1^st – School Closed for Holiday Break

Comfort Project 360 (CP360) is an initiative out of St. Barnabas providing comfort to cancer patients going through chemotherapy and radiation, providing a relaxing environment to patients during treatment.  One of the ways CP360 helps is by providing the "Comfort Cart" which delivers snacks while they are there. The patients love to pick their own snacks and love the personal attention given by the volunteers.

If you wish to participate, we are collecting items through December 14th. Comfort Project 360 is requesting the following in individually wrapped snack sizes:

Lays Potato Chips snack size bags

Snyder’s Pretzels snack size bags

Dove Candy – milk and dark chocolate

KIND bars

Oreos snack bags

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

Kindergarten students learned about estimation and the weight of objects. The children compared two classroom objects, and predicted which one was heavier, and which one was lighter. During reading workshop, the concept of beginning, middle and end were introduced. They learned that many stories have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. During science, students learned about colors by looking through prisms, blending colors with paints, and naming primary and secondary colors. 

This week in reading, first grade students learned “tricky part pals”, digraph duck and blend bunny to help them decode.  During writing, students continued to write big feeling stories while focusing on writing stories with a clear beginning, middle and end. In math, students practiced writing number sentences horizontally with the plus and equal sign, while rehearsing number stories to go along with their equations. 

This week, second graders started their new math unit in place value! Students learned how to read, write, and model numbers in the ones, tens, and hundreds place. Students also learned how to break numbers apart to show expanded form. In reading, second graders continued to delve into nonfiction texts. They filled out K-W-L charts, using their background knowledge on different topics.  First, they thought about what new information they wanted to learn and then they wrote down new facts about their topics. In science, students learned all about molecules, and how the density differs based on whether the molecules are in a solid, liquid, or gas. They also started learning about how matter can change from one form to another!

In math, third graders finished up their multiplication unit by reviewing how to model a multiplication sentence using arrays and equal groups. In social studies, students learned about the different rituals and customs of Native American groups across the United States.  During science, students continued learning about weather by creating weather instruments using supplies from our STEM lab. During reading and writing, students continued to research for their biography reports.

In the fourth grade, students were excited to have another MPE Pride Community Meeting, where we continued to learn about the concept of growth mindset. During reading, students began their new unit on nonfiction reading.  They identified the various forms of nonfiction and noted text features such as: pictures, captions, titles, and types of print.  During writing, students began learning the organizational components of a persuasive writing piece and were excited to begin drafting one of their own. Through fun, hands-on activities the mathematicians continued to learn about multi-digit multiplication.  They came to understand how to use the area model, partial products method, and traditional algorithm to multiply.  During social studies, students began their “train tour” through the Northeast Region of the USA.  The first stops took students to the rocky shores of Maine, the highest peak in New Hampshire, and to the site where the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Finally, during science, the classes continued to investigate invertebrates.  In small groups, students researched a specific invertebrate group to create an informational poster and clay model.

During fifth grade social studies, students ended the lesson on Native Americans and their region.  Students partnered up and made Google Slide Presentations to provide information about each region. The students were also introduced to the reasons  how and why the Europeans came to the New World.  During fifth grade social studies, the students continued discussing physical and chemical change by experimenting with vinegar and baking soda to produce their own chemical change.  They also watched a video of Riker Hill students doing an experiment with acetone and polystyrene (Styrofoam cup).  Then students completed a CER( claim, evidence, reasoning) to find out whether or not it was an example of a physical or chemical change. 

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School

Dear MPE Families,

We had an exciting week at MPE!  Thank you to the MPE PTA for funding our playground renovation.  Stage 1 of the renovation began on Thursday and we are all so excited to play on our new equipment when it is installed! 

Please read below to learn more about what our students learned this week!

Upcoming Events:

• December 4^th and 5^th – PTA Holiday Boutique
• December 11^th – Author Visit – Jarrett Krosoczka
• December 14^th – MPE Spirit Day – wear MPE Apparel or blue & white clothing
• December 17^th – Kindergarten Holiday Museum
• December 24^th – January 1^st – School Closed for Holiday Break

Meanwhile, in the classrooms…

This week, kindergarten students were busy using all of their “reading powers” (pointer, picture, letter and word) to help them become Super Readers!  They learned that these powers are always with them throughout the day.  During Writing Workshop, the children explored the different places that they go to around town.  This discussion will lead them to brainstorm ideas to generate new stories.  During science, the children learned about the scientific method (ask, imagine, create and improve.)  They discovered that each of them were engineers!  The children were given a problem….that they had an itchy back but could not reach the itch.  They each had to imagine how to take care of that itch,  by creating a custom backscratcher. Next, they needed to draw a plan using paper towel rolls, tape, one fork and playdough. They created their backscratcher according to their plan.  Lastly, they tried it out.  Success!!  The children also learned that sometimes an engineer’s plan does not always work, so good engineers need to improve their plan with some new ideas.  Enjoy your backscratchers!!!

First grade students learned about the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases.  The students explored differences in properties of matter through their senses of sight and touch. 

Second grade students have been immersed in all things matter!  Students discussed properties of each state of matter and even learned that some substances have qualities of more than one state of matter.  These are called non-Newtonian substances.   During writing, students began to showcase their unique skills and talents by writing "How-To" books to teach others how to do something they are passionate about.  During math students worked on different patterns like skip counting and arrays in order to help them use these patterns to add equal groups. 

Third grade students started a few new and exciting units!  During writing, students began their non-fiction unit on how to write biographies.  They learned how to research their person of interest and how to organize all the information into a report.  In math, students started their unit in multiplication.  They discovered that multiplication is repeated addition and that they can model by using "groups of".  During social studies, students learned about Native Americans and how they adapted to their land by using the natural resources they had around them for their basic needs.  Finally, during science, students learned about weather and the difference between weather and climate.  

Fourth graders had a fantastic time last week celebrating Colonial Day.  They made decorative pie tins, corn husk dolls, played games, and enjoyed making yummy butter.  It was a fun way to end their Colonial Unit in Social Studies.  During math, students are getting ready to do some major multiplication.  Stay tuned for 2, 3, and 4x1 digit problems as well as some 2x2s.  During reading, students neared the end of their fiction unit and enjoyed some great stories in Storyworks, a literary magazine.  Students also developed some opinions in order to prepare to do some fantastic essay writing.  Lastly, in science, students finished their study of plants and learned all about the characteristics of invertebrates.  They are excited to work on another project to show what they know.

Fifth graders are wrapping up their multiplication unit.  Students are ready to now apply their multiplication skills to the division unit they are currently working on.  Using the acronym "Does McDonald's Sell CheeseBurgers Raw?" students are easily able to remember all the steps of long division. Students have been busy converting ounces to pounds and identifying the special characteristics of quadrilaterals. Did you know that a square is a special type of rhombus, rectangle, and parallelogram?!  

Have a great weekend!

Thank you,

Emily Sortino, Ed.D.

Principal

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School