NE kindergarteners in Mrs. Terzo’s class are utilizing the Moby Max program for a tutorial on 2D shapes during Learning Centers. The new iPads were generously given to the Kindergarten through a grant from our FSA.

NE kindergarteners in Mrs. Pines' class have also been learning about many different 2D shapes. In this photo, students are using toothpicks and play-doh to show how hexagons have 6 sides and 6 vertices.

BING! BANG! BOOM! is what Mrs. Scuralli's class sounded like in recent days during science class. After finishing the Sound Energy Unit, the students made their own instruments. They played them and then recorded important observations about volume (loud, soft), pitch (high, low) and how the instrument made sound (by stroking, striking, plucking, etc). Oh what fun!

NE 2nd graders in Mrs. Nowen’s class celebrated their hard work, as they successfully participated in a Moby Max class challenge. During a two week period, students pictured here used Moby for math, language arts, reading, and science.

After tallying the points accumulated by each class, the group pictured here won first place at North End and celebrated with a “Massively Monstrous Party!" It was decided that they would have a movie and popcorn party on January 14th. To the victor goes the spoils!

With the party funds earned, students were also awarded 2 emoji backpack buddies. To make the day even more festive, students wore pajamas and brought in a favorite stuffed animal. The students had a special day and took pride in their hard work, good thinking and dedication! Moby Max rocks!

NE students have joined in on the new sensory path movement! A sensory path is a colorful and creative way for kids to build sensory pathways, connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, sound, etc., which enable students to complete complex, multi-step tasks. A sensory path is a fun way for kids to develop motor skills like balance, eye-hand coordination, and spatial awareness.

These pathways allow students to release stress and assist them in getting their attention back for learning in the classroom. Our NE path is made with painters' tape (custodian friendly) and can be changed throughout the year. It was developed by our occupational therapist, Brenda Conyngham; Liz Daniel assisted her on the installation. Great job, ladies!

NE 4th graders put their “best foot forward!” After learning how certain structures on animals can help them survive in their environment, students used their knowledge to adapt an animal's foot. These adaptations help the animals better survive within their environment. Great work, zoologists!

SE students experienced science coming alive in their classrooms thanks to the SE FSA Cultural Arts Program. Students were engaged in hands-on interactive activities that enhanced grade level curricula.

SE preschoolers used hands-on experiences while learning letters of the alphabet. They practiced making the letter C by driving toy cars in paint!

As a culmination to the Kindergarten unit on Weather, SE students were taught the science behind what causes a storm, lightning, thunder, tornados and avalanches! They were able to simulate these experiences in a controlled environment while making observations and predictions.

SE 2nd graders are practicing two-digit subtraction with regrouping. They have been practicing problems on whiteboards with partners and using dice to create their own problems. Students are continuously practicing and building upon this important skill.

SE 4th graders are currently working on division in math. When starting the unit, students are shown concrete examples of division with manipulatives and real life situations. Throughout this unit students learn to estimate quotients, divide, and solve word problems.

SE 3rd grade music students earned their Orange Belt in the Recorder Karate Curriculum! Playing together trains students’ ears to listen to each other and play at the same tempo. Ms. Stroh reinforces good posture and a clear tone with all students. Check out this quality performce of Mary Had a Little Lamb:

https://tinyurl.com/s275abf

NE and SE art students in kindergarten enjoyed using a variety of medium to create bright, artistic snowmmen! They utilized tissue paper, paint, mod podge, pastel chalk and glitter to welcome in the new year!

This is a photo of vintage styled snowmen, designed by grade three students at NE and SE using repurposed cardboard, charcoal and sepia chalks to gain that cool effect.

Fourth grade students learned important lessons in value while designing a snowman composition. Using only white, black and one color, students were expected to design a pleasing snow landscape. Charcoal blending was then used to form shadows. The results were exciting, especially to the students!

5th grade social studies students researched and designed tombs for their Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. Students were required to research their pharaoh, ancient Egyptian history, as well as symbols and hieroglyphics to include in their tombs.

Students in 6th grade STEM are using the Design Process to explore how biomimicry can be used to create effective prototypes. They are going through each step of the process and applying critical thinking skills to create unique designs to solve problems. Although each student is responsible for designing his or her own prototype, students are working collaboratively as they share ideas and help one another make functional modifications to increase efficiency.

MMS 6th graders in Language Arts composed sentences about the holidays/winter using alliteration and illustrations. Their work was displayed in the hallway creating a wonderful winter wonderland!

MMS 7th graders presented a scene description of Lois Lowry's novel The Giver by creating an illustration of a dystopian scene contained within the novel and writing a MLA formatted paragraph to show their findings during cooperative group presentations.

Mr. Potts and Mr. Candia are piloting the E-Sports Club at MMS this year. They have worked to build the computers that will be used by the students during club activities. They are excited to teach our 7th and 8th grade students the fundamentals of gaming competitively!

Both Mrs. Jarvis’ and Mrs. Bulmer’s 8th grade students completed short research papers by presenting findings to their classes. Research papers included MLA format and Works Cited page, while the presentations engaged the audience with a hook, appropriate pacing and volume.

CGHS students in Ms. Shutovsky's Biology Honors class conducted the traditional starch and IKI lab, then engaged in scientific inquiry to develop their own experiments to determine which factors changed the rate of diffusion.

In this photo, students changed the temperature of the water to observe the impact on the rate of diffusion (warm water on the left; room temperature on the right).

Students in this group changed the concentration of IKI in the beaker by reducing the amount of water. They observed some great result, too! Can you tell which beaker contained a greater concentration of IKI? Hint: this beaker would have a faster rate of diffusion.

SAT prep courses at CGHS began on January 14th. Juniors were invited to participate in either a morning or afternoon session that meets twice a week. The SAT Prep program has seen increased enrollment and we've also seen a steady increase in our SAT scores. Just a coincidence? You decide.

CGHS students who participated in the annual "Deck the Halls" competition were rewarded with a luncheon. Over 70 students across all grade levels showed their holiday and school spirit by contributing their time to help make the event such a huge success!

CGHS art teacher, Mrs. Bentley, showcases work by Studio Art 1 and Studio Art Honors classes. The upper shelf displays work inspired by the still life artist, Susan Abbot. The lower shelf showcases watercolor pieces and slab houses from her Pottery class. Students collaborated to establish a winter theme for these projects and learned how to visually represent nearby city and other landscapes.

Congratulations to Owen Posnett for his selection as the CGHS Student-of-the-Month by the Music Department! Owen displays leadership through music at CGHS. He is a member of the AP Music Theory class, a senior leader in band, an accompanist for Select Choir and the spring musical pit leader. He is a high achiever and always listens and looks for ways to improve and/or solve musical issues in class. He is a tremendous asset to the entire school and a major player in our music department. We are all proud to have him as a student and friend!