Dear Frelinghuysen Community,
We had a wonderful week of learning at FMS, and I am so excited to share some snapshots of it with you:
- As part of their unit on Astronomy, 6th grade Science students developed models of the earth, moon, and sun to build their understanding of Earth’s rotation and revolution and the reason for the seasons, and to determine the causes of solar and lunar eclipses.
- 6th grade students in Social Studies are applying their developing understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in an analysis of real case studies that deal with issues of civil rights and individual freedoms. The study will culminate in actual class debates in which students take positions on these issues.
- 7th grade Science students are learning about the factors that most contribute to plant growth through an analysis of the soil in our school garden, and through an experiment that has them growing radishes in the classroom.
In addition to this exciting and meaningful learning, all of our students also successfully took the iReady Diagnostic in Reading and Math. All students will be finished by Wednesday of this week. At that time, we will begin as a teaching staff to have real dialogue about how to use the results of these assessments to enhance learning and improve outcomes for every student across the school. In addition, once we have these results and the results of last year’s PARCC assessment, we will mail both to you so you have comprehensive information on your child’s academic progress. I want to also let you know that once your child has completed the diagnostic assessment in reading and in math, they are able to log-on to iReady from anywhere and at anytime to work on their online personalized learning pathway. This online learning pathway is individualized to your child in that it is based on their results on the Diagnostic assessment, and it consist of lessons, practice problems, videos, and games that address their most immediate learning needs. We encourage you to take full advantage of this feature at home. It will certainly help us to accelerate your child’s learning.
On another note, this week is conferences at FMS. We very much hope you take the time to come in and meet with your child’s teachers to learn more about their progress, and about how you can partner with us to improve their outcomes this year. Here is the schedule for conferences:
- Monday, November 2: 2:30-6:30
- Wednesday, November 4: 1:00-5:00
There are 12:18 dismissals on Monday and Wednesday given the conferences. School is closed on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for Election Day and for the NJEA Conference.
Finally, I have shared that our focus to start the school year has been to create a school community that is safe, inclusive, welcoming, and focused on the academic growth of every child. I am proud to share with you that we are seeing immediate progress in this critical area. I encourage you to take a look at our Climate and Culture Dashboard which tracks how this year’s data on student discipline referrals, in-school suspensions, and out-of-school suspensions compares to the numbers from last year. I share this with you so that we can celebrate as a community that more time is being spent this year reinforcing positive behaviors than on dealing with student behaviors that detract us as a community from student learning.
- Our November Pillar of Character: Responsibility
- Our Words of Inspiration for this Week:
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Have a great week, and we look forward to seeing you at conferences!
Mr. Uglialoro