Tiger Times

UPK students are working on Mother’s Day gifts that are hand crafted for their moms. They also worked on Cinco De Mayo crafts to celebrate the holiday.

UPK teachers welcome students by saying hello, goodbye and asking how each student’s day is going, and greeting the students with friendly hugs. Speaking of hugs, the students will soon celebrate the day of caring.

The teachers use technology through using headphones in lessons, and watching “Miss Booksie” read-alouds that include fun animations. As always, they also have wiggle breaks. 🤪

On most days, they watch entertaining dance videos such as, Danny Go, DJ Ralphie, and Jack Hartman.

UPK students are learning how to become good friends, they are also learning about good character.

The UPK students are learning how to count, and mastering their social emotion skills. They continue to learn their letter sounds. The UPK students are also doing activities that incorporate hands-on learning and real world experiences. 🎓

The kindergarten students have been working on their “Best Part of Me” projects. The project is where they pick their favorite part of the body and explain why it is their favorite. Some things they’re working on are planting grass, garlic, and tomatoes. After they returned from their field trip at Lavocat’s Greenhouse, their garlic grew!!

They love doing hands-on learning activities, math and science. The “pupils” enjoy learning about light from the sun, and lots more about the sun (sent from Mars)! The Kindergarteners are mastering reading, writing, and solving number problems without the teacher's help.

Some fun activities the students are doing are celebrating Muffins with Mom, going to Tony’s Pizza, getting their library card at Newstead Public Library. Another thing was when they went to Lavocat’s Greenhouse, they got to touch, smell, and see the plants. They also found compost bins and searched for worms. (EEK! Slimy, but delicious for fish!) The teachers have thoroughly enjoyed seeing their brains grow big and grand.

Our special First Grade friends are learning about different animal habitats, such as the arctic and the savannah. In June, they will be going to the Buffalo Zoo to see animals who live in these habitats!🦁 They will also be going to the Newstead Public Library on Main Street! Mrs. Stanley planned for a local author to visit the first graders. The author's series helps kids overcome anxiety and fear in a fun and colorful way. Students will have the opportunity to order either of her books.📖

The first grade teachers are proud of their students because they are becoming fluent in basic addition and subtraction up to 10. Making groups of 10 is an important step for addition and subtraction. ➕➖They are also learning about place value in math. The students are excited to learn how to tell time to the hour and half hour.

The first grade team greets their students each morning standing outside their door with smiles, giving hugs and high-fives.👋 This is a great way for the students to start their day!

One way technology helps the first grade students is to review math skills by using IXL. Another way it helps is to learn more about different animals and their habitats by using Pebble-Go.

Surprisingly, the teachers can learn from their students as many of them are discovering facts and information from different books and videos they read or watch at home. Then they bring that knowledge back to school.🧠

2nd graders show their school spirit by attending school activities. The 2nd grade students' teachers welcome them by greeting them in the hallway👋 with a smile😀 and making sure they are ready to learn and have fun🥳. The 2nd graders wear specially designed t-shirts.👕 The students love attending assemblies. Upcoming field-trips include Lockport Locks, Ford Gum, and Akron Falls Park. The 2nd graders have accomplished many things but especially, adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers with regrouping and reading skills➕➖. The students use technology to watch videos to enhance lessons and students practice their skills on programs such as Amplify Boost, MyOn, Boddle, Starfall, IXL, and Tumble Books. 2nd grade teachers help make sure the students are engaged and participating by using whiteboard response⬜, thumbs up thumbs down👍👎, and independent exit slips. They also learned about different family traditions as students share stories📖 from home🏠. Some are making classroom cookbooks. Teachers love learning about activities that students do outside of school. This information can teach them interesting facts about students and their interests that they might not get to learn about them in the classroom setting. The students are also wrapping up their human body CKLA unit by making posters for the hallway. A good day in the classroom looks like everyone getting all their work done📜, receiving compliments in the hallway👍, and watching the students improve. It is also a good day when they learn new content and when teachers get hugs🫂 from their students.

The third grade students are really, REALLY excited to start going outside again since it’s finally sunny 🌞(sometimes it’s still rainy though). They love to play outside together. They play football🏈, tag and just talk too. Also the third graders are very excited to be learning about the Vikings. They are just rapping up their unit on astronomy💫.They made their astronaut projects on for this unit. One thing that the students get super excited about is their birthday’s🎂. Teachers plan exciting things for their students. They get to pass out treats🍪 to all of their classmates and they get to play games. Their classmates write why the birthday student is special and it makes their day. Something that the third grade teachers learn from their students is how to do things and how the students make text to self connections. Something that the teachers are very proud of is how much the students have improved⬆ in morphology. Also, the students are VERY good at multiples. They are just starting to wrap-up their head to head 🖤multiplication competition. The third graders love when the teachers welcome them to the classroom because the teachers ask them about the students’ weekend and tell funny jokes😂 before the students go into their classroom to get ready for the day! “ I love to come to class everyday because I know that I will be loved in my class room and all the teachers are always sooo nice to me”, said Gauge Odell, a third grade student.

The 4th graders show their school spirit on special days by dressing up wearing a certain color or even having pajama day👕. The 4th grade teachers welcome their students by giving them high fives🤚 or fist bumps👊or even dance with them. A tradition the 4th graders love to do is Glow Week🌟. They also love to go to the Niagara Power Vista🏙. The 4th graders' greatest achievement is learning their multiplication✖ and their division facts➗. The 4th grade teachers use technology to improve their lessons by making their Canva slides very interesting and colorful for the students🖥. The teachers use class cash and/or tickets to make sure their students are listening in their lessons and paying attention💵. The 4th grade teachers have learned to have humor from their students😆.

5th grade students are currently working on learning how to read📚 and interpret graphs and data tables. They are also learning about the explorers through various activities such as articles, timelines, post cards, comic strips and skits. Some memorable moments Mrs. Srour’s class has shared were getting to see the elementary drama club performance, also a presentation from the Buffalo Museum of Science about waves. They got some fresh air outside on the playground!🛝 Students stay excited about learning by playing Take Off Touchdown, and Four Corners to demonstrate their learning. One skill or concept 5th grade students have mastered is being able to monitor their comprehension, using the +/- strategy. They have many upcoming special events and traditions such as the field trip to Strong Museum of Play, which is always a favorite! A good day is when everyone has a positive attitude and puts forth their best effort! The best part about being a teacher is getting to love ❤ the students like they are the teachers' own children. Teachers are all here because of their students! The students show their school spirit by dressing up👕 and participating in the Spirit Days. 5th graders enjoy school this year because they get to experience new things and “teachers make them want to come to school” (a quote from a student in the class). Teachers learn the value of what each student brings to the classroom and how meaningful their roles as teachers truly are!

Ms. Wazny likes to dress up for school spirit days. She particularly likes dressing up for Halloween. 🎃 She has a couple of students who come to her classroom in the morning. She likes to talk to them about what they are doing in school. They also like to help Ms. Wazny pull up lesson slides on the Smart-Board. Ms. Wazny stands in the hallway and greets everyone. She says, “Welcome, my most amazing artists!” 🎨 A tradition 5th grade students have is working on their bobble-heads and they like to make up their characters. They make them out of clay. Students are currently working on painting their bobble-heads. The students make everything from Pikachu to Billy Buffalo, to sports, aliens, 👽dragons, and animals. Every year the 3rd graders work on coiled pottery and paint them. They start from a pinch pot and then they roll snake-like coils out of clay. Next, they wrap it around the top of the pottery to build it up. Another exciting tradition is the art show during the 3-5th grade concert. Musicians sing, 🎤 play in bands 🪈and orchestras. 🎻 You can also vote for the school budget. She likes to pick lessons that students like to do, and catch their interest. Ms Wazny likes to have students use things they like, such as computers, to create art. The best thing about being a teacher is when kids come and talk about projects from home. 🏠 It shows that they are excited about what they’re doing in school and how they like being an artist.

A huge thank you from all of us at Tiger Times! We are deeply grateful to our Volunteer Editors, Todd Esposito and Claudia Best, who tirelessly guide our student journalists through the writing and editing process, helping them bring their best work to life. We also want to thank our amazing teachers for generously giving up their time to be interviewed, providing our journalists with valuable insights and creating a wonderful learning experience for everyone. And, of course, a big shout-out to our student journalists themselves. Your curiosity, dedication, and hard work make Tiger Times a truly special way to share the life of our school community. Go Tigers!