Principal's Update
We've had an excellent week at Braintree! National STEM Day was Tuesday which tied into a Wednesday field trip for our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders to visit the Innovation Center at RUHS and check out some trades at RTCC. This morning I got the chance to observe (and participate in!) math in the primary grades. Kindergarteners are practicing with attributes of shapes, trying out the language of geometry, and building a foundation for the idea of equivalence. First graders are getting fluent with their doubles facts (3+3, 6+6, etc.) through games, and Ms. Gershon customized flashcards for each student to practice at home. Second graders took an assessment on adding two-digit numbers using visual strategies like making jumps on a number line.
Our family group, Partners in Education (PiE), is running an exciting fall fundraiser. Let us bake your Thanksgiving pies! The order form went home with students yesterday and is also attached below. Apple and pumpkin pies for $15 each, baked here at Braintree and available for pickup on Tuesday the 22nd. We will have a baking party on Monday the 21st after school and welcome volunteers to chop, cook, and bake! All funds raised will go directly to field trips and enrichment.
We do not have school Friday, November 11 in recognition of Veterans' Day. Thank you to the members of our community who have served!
STEM News
While Braintree students are doing STEM everyday, we wanted to celebrate National STEM Day in style. Our librarian, Mx. Branstetter, led experiments about craters and showed students how to use NASA's Space Place games on our new ClearTouch board. The district's Director of Technology, Ms. Scheindel, led a station on coding and robotics. STEM Teacher Mr. Green taught conductivity and circuitry as students built LED flashlights. Students in my group discussed rotational symmetry as we made Spirograph art, made even more special because the wheels and gears we used were 3D printed at the RUHS Innovation Center! Optional stations included a literacy connection with STEM books and a paper airplane challenge. A 5th grader exclaimed, "National STEM Day?? More like National Best Day EVER!" and it's true - we had a blast!
