December 16, 2014 

 

A Bucketful of News...

        

Francis T. Bresnahan School 333 High Street Newburyport, MA 01950

 

 

Save the Dates

  December 17 Grades 1­3 Parent Conferences, 3:00­5:00 p.m.  December 18 Grades 1­3 Parent Conferences, 6:00­8:00 p.m.  December 23 Pajama Day and Holiday Sing­a­long  December 24 ­ Jan 2 Holiday Break  January 5th  Classes Resume  January 12 Bresnahan School Council Meeting, 3:15 p.m. 1st floor conference room 

January 14 Class picture day  Principal Coffee Hour, 3:15­4:15 p.m.  January 15 Preschool and Kindergarten Progress Reports sent home       

Principally Speaking… Thank you to everyone who attended this morning’s Grades 1-3 Coffee Hour focused on Engage NY

mathematics. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our teachers and students’

involvement to make this program possible and to all the parents for taking time out of their day to

attend and learn more about supporting your child at home.

Today we are continuing with our third installment of our 4-part series about Engage NY (recently

bought by Eureka Math) with a focus on the common core math standards in grade one this week. It is

our hope that parents will find these overviews by grade level along with parent tips and handouts

helpful for understanding our new math program. A parent

informational evening about the program is currently being

planned for the new year.  

Common Core Math in Grade Two by Tricia Bevans and Dev Sinha of the University of Oregon

Department of Mathematics  Second graders will continue their understanding the way our number system works using place values of ones, tens, hundreds, etc. They’ll recognize that the 3 in the number 357 represents 3 hundreds rather than “just being a three” and that 12 tens is the same as 1 hundred and 2 tens. later this will make it clear that adding two hundred to 357 is just a matter of adding 2 to the 3 in the hundreds place.

Kids will work on skip counting by various numbers including tens and hundreds both to

increase skill for addition and subtraction using these place values but also as a

foundation for multiplication.

While second graders will continue to use many different strategies for adding and

subtracting, they use their understanding of the way numbers are built to move toward

methods that will always work quickly and accurately.

Geometric concepts they’re studying at the same time reinforce the number sense

they’re working on, provide real world contexts, and give a good foundation for

understanding more advanced concepts. For instance, you’ll notice that students work

with measuring lengths. They might add two different lengths together or compare the

lengths of two objects (which would require subtractions). Using bar graphs, clocks, or

money they might practice these same skills. In second grade they also do things like

partition rectangles into squares and other equal shapes in preparation for

 

 

2015.2016 Kindergarten and

Preschool Information NIght

January 7, 2015 *snow date January 14, 2015

 Do you have a preschooler who will be 3 by September 1, 2015? 

 Do you have a pre­kindergartener who will be 4 by September 1, 2015? 

 Do you have a kindergartener who will be 5 by September 1, 2015? 

 If so, it is already time to begin thinking about enrollment for next year.  Please review the flyer about Kindergarten and Preschool Registration included with today’s Take Home Tuesday communications.   Our information night will include an overview of our early childhood programs, information about the registration and lottery process, and tours of the classrooms and building.  

understanding both multiplication and fractions.

Examples

Bundling and unbundling- www.illustrativemathematics.org/illustrations/144 (see

below)

The first part of this task is straightforward, but in part B of this task, the kids have to

think a bit more. They’re breaking apart the number 14 tens into 10 tens and 4 tens.

Then, they recognize that the group of 10 tens can be “bundles” into a group of 1

hundred. This just what they will need to understand in order to add something like 152

+ 91 using the standard algorithm where we line up the ones and the tens and the

hundreds and add in columns. Adding 2 and 1 in the ones place is straightforward, but

when they add the 5 and 9 in the tens place, the 14 they will get will have to be

regrouped (or “carried”).

Make true equations. Write one number in every space. Draw a picture if it helps. 

a. 1 hundred + 4 tens = ______ 

b. 4 tens + 1 hundred = ______ 

c. 14 tens = 10 tens + _____ tens 

d. 14 tens = _____ hundred + 4 tens 

e. 14 tens = _____ ones 

f. 7 ones + 5 hundreds = ______ 

g. 8 hundreds = ______ 

h. 106 = 1 hundred + _____tens + _____ones 

i. 106 = _____tens + _____ones 

j. 106 = _____ones 

k. 90 + 300 + 4 = _____  Tips for Parents

● Practice in everyday situations. For example, ask your child to compare the price of 2 different items and decide how much you would save. Count by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, etc. to figure out how many there are of something rather than counting one at a time.

● You may find that there are methods of writing basic arithmetic that are unfamiliar to you. Often, these are just way of recording more of the thinking that goes into the math. Try to understand the process yourself, checking in with the teacher if need be. If you do want to share the way you learned, make sure you can also explain the thinking around it as well as how it relates to the ways things are being done in class.

● Have your child explain how she found an answer using words or pictures, sometimes even if the process is easy for her.

Included in today’s take home communications is a Grade Two handout about an Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000 which can be found on the Eureka Math website at http://commoncore.org/parents,

We hope you find this information useful and we look forward to your continued

feedback.

Amy B. Sullivan Kristina Davis Karina Mascia Principal of Early Childhood Principal of Grades 1-3 Assistant Principal of Grades 1-3

 

Richie Rocco, Grade 1, appeared in the Newburyport Daily News as a “budding artist” in Mrs. Jamison’s art class!!!

Holiday Gift Suggestions

To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

Spotlight

on the

BOKS

Program!

The Fall Session of the

BOKS Program just

ended. Here's a picture from the last class...how energized they are at 7:30 in the morning! Kim

Patrick and Jana Schulson will offer a Spring 2015 session beginning in late February or early March, so

be sure to look for the sign-up information in February! Channel 7 ran a story about the BOKS

Program last week. In case you haven’t seen it, here is the link to the story.

www.whdh.com/story/27600954/living-healthy-boks-before-school-exercise

We would like to express our sincere thanks to both Kim and Jana for their commitment to the

well-being of our students and adjusting their morning routines to be here at 7:00 AM two mornings a

week and at the Molin School two mornings a week in order to offer this energizing program to

students in grades 1-5. Thank you!!

Grade Three Winter Art Project Mrs. Jamison would like to call out a big "THANK YOU" to all the grade 3 parent volunteers and grade 3

teachers for their time and attention to the sleigh art project! “Oh what fun it is to ride on one

horse open s l e i g h……”