Bancroft Community Newsletter

First Grade is off to a great start this year! We have been busy building new relationships in our classroom and school community, practicing routines, reviewing expectations of how to be our Bancroft Best. Our students wore their new Bancroft shirts provided by our generous PTO for our 1st Bancroft Blue Day as well as our Jog-A-Thon. The kids had a blast running laps to raise money for our fabulous school and of course, loved the popsicles at the end. As Fall comes upon us, our students will be starting a Science unit on Properties where they will use their observational skills to illustrate and write about the seasonal changes and other objects in our world.

In Math, our students have been learning about addition and subtraction strategies to 10.

In Reading, our budding readers are practicing reading and writing CVC words with the short vowels a, i, and o.

For Social Studies, we have been busy learning about our Bancroft school community. From there, we will learn about our Kennett community and different community helpers.

Be on the lookout for our 1st homework packet to come home with the kids on Monday, October 5th. 5-10 minutes max is what is needed each night. We appreciate the support you can give your child to help them practice their skills and learn this valuable responsibility!

Second grade has had an incredible September adjusting to our rules and expectations. We are so thrilled to get to know all of the students! They are doing an amazing job and working so hard. We have had lots of fun activities to learn our routines throughout the day. We had a great time with Jog-a-Thon! Thank you to all of the parents who came. We appreciate everyone’s support! We have been learning about the importance of community and the roles students have within our community. It was also fun to get to know your children through our community activities.

In Math, we are working on numbers to 20 using different addition and subtraction strategies.

In Reading, we have been very successful practicing our letters and sounds to help everyone be the best reader they can be!

We have been learning about animal habitats through nonfiction texts. We will begin writing our own nonfiction texts.

Thank you again for everything you are doing at home to support our learners at school!

Third grade is off to an amazing start! We have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and getting to know one another as we begin our school year together. Our Jog-a-thon was a huge hit, and we had so much fun cheering each other on and running together as a grade level!

In math, we are currently working on three-digit addition and subtraction, as well as rounding numbers. In science, we are learning how animals can be classified as vertebrates and invertebrates and exploring the many unique characteristics that make each animal special.

We are also excited to be learning about Hispanic Heritage Month! Students are working individually or in small groups to research an influential Hispanic person and learn about their accomplishments and contributions. We can't wait to share what we have learned!

We are looking forward to wrapping up September and welcoming the cooler weather and excitement that October brings! On October 2nd, we will visit the Kennett Library to learn more about everything our local library has to offer. Then, on October 9th, we will visit Longwood Gardens to kick off our upcoming unit on plants. On October 30th we are excited to hold our annual Pumpkin Math (more information to come!) We have lots of exciting learning ahead!

Fourth grade is off to a great start to the school year! In math, we are wrapping up Unit 1, where students have been learning about place value, comparing numbers, and adding and subtracting whole numbers. In science, we are learning about how plants grow and reproduce.

The students explored the parts of a flower through a hands-on lily dissection. Using careful observation, students identified the pistil, stamen, petals, ovary, and pollen. This engaging investigation helped them see how each flower part contributes to the plant’s reproduction and brought their science learning to life.

In Language Arts we have been reading a lot of great picture books that reinforce the skills we are working on. Ask your child to tell you about some of them. A favorite was The Dunderheads. We are learning about the writing process: prewriting/brainstorming, rough draft, revising, editing, and publishing. So far, we've written about our Hopes and Dreams for 4th grade and are currently wrapping up a paragraph about something or someone that is special to us.

Students are really starting to get used to all of our classroom routines and procedures, which makes class go smoothly. We have enjoyed getting to know each of them! The Jog-a-Thon was a great time where we earned a pajama day for being the grade that ran the most laps! We will be giving more information on that soon.

We have had a wonderful start to 5th grade! One of our favorite celebrations so far was our House Sorting Ceremony. Students learned about eight important character traits: Respect, Courage, Gratitude, Leadership, Integrity, Responsibility, Friendship, and Grit. The students were sorted into houses of those important values. Throughout the year, students will build connections within their houses, work together toward common goals, and take on fun challenges and competitions. It was such a fun way to celebrate our students and begin building our 5th grade community.

In math, we have been busy building our thinking, number sense, and problem-solving skills. Students are using vertical whiteboards to work through challenging thinking tasks, allowing them to share strategies, learn from one another, and explain their mathematical thinking. We are also using number talks to build number sense and flexibility, helping students see that there can be many ways to solve a problem. We have officially started Unit 1, which focuses on volume, multiplication, and division. It has been exciting to see students grow in both their strategies and their confidence when discussing math.

In ELA, we have been exploring realistic fiction through the stories of Jason Reynolds and learning how authors use characters, relationships, and real-life problems to develop meaningful stories. We have also begun our first opinion writing. Students should begin their nightly reading homework. Each child should read for 20 minutes at home each night. Please ask your child about what they are reading, talk with them about their book, or help them create a consistent reading routine at home. Your support with reading at home makes a big difference!

We also had a fantastic time at Jog-a-Thon, and we are so proud that 5th grade won Most Spirit! Thank you so much for your support and help in making the event such a success. We already have an exciting October ahead, with Pumpkin Chunkin on October 24th and our field trip to Brandywine Battlefield on October 29th. We are looking forward to a fun-filled month of learning, teamwork, and memorable experiences!

Our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is in full swing. We are learning about notable figures during the morning announcements and have student poems and writing displayed in the hallways. We are excited for our upcoming assembly on October 2nd, featuring the Musician Esmeralda LaCor. She will help our students explore cultural traditions of Latin America as well as various musical genres and types of dance. It will be a meaningful celebration of the richness and diversity of Latin American culture.

There are so many talented artists here at Bancroft! First grade has been working with shapes and the primary colors to create artwork like Peit Mondrian. Second grade is working on brush control as they paint their color fish inside the lines. Third grade is learning about Victorian Architecture and designing their own house with patterns and colorful details. Fourth grade is learning about Jeff Koons and creating a balloon dog with value through shading. Fifth grade is learning about Roy Lichtenstein's comic art and carefully drawing their shoes from observation with bold lines and bright colors.

Health: Mileage Club is in full swing! Students are working hard on setting lap goals and finding a good pace. Students in 1st, 3rd and 5th grade have started learning about families. Discussion about types of families, who is part of a family and what an extended family is. 2nd and 4th grade students are working on nutrition - what foods can be found in each food group and what the food groups do for our body.

PE: Students are learning a variety of games as we get back into the gym! We have also begun our soccer unit and are working on dribbling and instep kicking/passing. Students were even able to experience an adapted version of soccer for those with visual impairments. Students learned how to orienteer and guide someone and utilized equipment like a soccer ball with a rattle pod! Students will work toward small sided soccer games.

STEM: Things are “in bloom in the STEM room!” We are just growing together as we explore engineering, technology and science! Check out some of the things we are exploring:

• 1st Grade- Kids are learning the “magic push” or buoyancy water can give to objects as we work through our Sink and Float Unit.
• 2nd Grade: Kids are learning the power packed into tiny seeds through exploring how seeds find new homes through seed dispersal. We made paper helicopters to mimic the movement of maple seeds traveling by wind to a new home.
• 3rd Grade: Kids are learning the design process of making cars that can move “fast and furious,” and how to design an aerodynamic racing machine!
• 4th Grade: Students are exploring block coding. We are programming Microbits and learning the basics for robotics.
• 5th Grade: Students are planning, designing, and working with a budget to create a way to preserve their egg for the EGG DROP CHALLENGE! It’s so amazing to watch the many ways kids are designing their project.

I’m looking forward to watching our kids grow in their love of all things STEM this year!

Book exchange has begun! The students are enjoying our beautiful library and they are taking great care of their books. I am looking forward to a wonderful year of reading together! I will send a reminder on Talking Points the day before your child’s book exchange to help them remember to return their books. If you have questions about book exchange, don’t hesitate to contact me on Talking Points or by email (jbrun@kcsd.org).

In October, I will be sending home information about 5th grade Reading Olympics. If you have a 5th grader, this is a great way for them to practice reading and teamwork. In the spring, our Bancroft teams will represent the school at the Chester County Reading Olympics!

It has been a busy and exciting start to our school year! We are so excited to have everyone back in the building learning and growing.

Over the past few weeks, I have been going into all classrooms to do an Introduction to the School Counselor lesson. I have loved getting into all of the classrooms, seeing your learners and making sure that all students understand my role and how I can support them throughout the school year.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year with joy and excitement built into every day. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, or ways I can support your learner.

Kindly,

Emma Termini, NCC

School Counselor

Etermini@kcsd.org

610-925-5714