Connors School Scoop

Dear Connors Families,

Our students have had so much fun this week enjoying our Week of Respect, Hispanic Heritage Month and Italian Heritage month celebrations. The NED Show, our first school assembly of the year was also a huge hit. As a friendly reminder, there is no school on Monday, October 9th in honor of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. In addition, picture day is on October 11th. There are also many upcoming events posted in the Connors School Scoop, so please be sure to review the information below.

PTO CORNER

Halloween 2023 is quickly approaching! Click here to easily view all Halloween-related details in one place on our PTO website!

Connors Frightfully Free Costume Frenzy

REMINDER: Costume collection begins this Tuesday, October 10th!

Get into the Halloween spirit with our inaugural "Frightfully Free Costume Frenzy"! Gently used, washed + ready to wear adults' and children's costumes will be collected beginning Tuesday 10/10 thru Tuesday 10/17 and distributed via a "sidewalk shop" on Friday 10/20 from 2:30 - 5:30pm. Note: You DO NOT need to contribute a costume in order to pick one out from the sidewalk shop. This is a FREE event for the Connors community. All donated costumes must contain all pieces/accessories in a single bag, be clean and in good condition, and adhere to the Connors costume guidelines. For more info (including costume guidelines) or to volunteer at the sidewalk shop on 10/20, please click here!

Connors Halloween Dance

We hope to see you at the Connors Halloween Dance on 10/30! ALL Connors families are welcome and encouraged to come in costume (kids and adults alike)! Note: This is NOT a drop off event – all children must be supervised for the duration of the party.

SIGN UP HERE to donate snacks + drinks and/or to volunteer at the party (e.g., set up, clean up, assist at food + beverage area) – thanks for your support!

Connors Halloween Parade

Students will wear their costumes to school. All customes must adhere to the Halloween Costume Guidelines. Families shoud line up on the border of the sidewalk along Monroe, Madison, 3rd or 2nd St. to cheer and take photos of their children. Classes will parade two times around the entire block (left out of playground, left on Madison, left on 3rd, left on Monroe and left on 2nd street). HOPES Pre-K @ Connors will parade at 9:20 am, directly after the Connors Parade, to give the pre-k children time to eat breakfast.

Connors Halloween Homeroom Celebrations

The Connors PTO will be using funds from our PTO Booster Fundraiser to provide celebratory activities/crafts identified by Connors Faculty for Halloween homeroom celebrations. (Thank you to all who have already donated to the fundraiser!) More details to come!

PTO Booster Fundraiser

The PTO is raising funds to purchase crafts & activities for classroom holiday celebrations. Give $10, $25, $50, $100 or more! (Venmo @Connors-PTO or Zelle ConnorsPTO@gmail.com)

By contributing, you will help:

• ensure all classes have equitable access to activities

• minimize individual monetary collections during the year

Any amount is greatly appreciated! Contributions will be kept confidential. Participation is optional.

Stay Connected and “In the Know” with the . . .

• Sept PTO Meeting Minutes (Next Meeting: 10/17 at 8:30am)

• PTO Top 10 List Flyer

• PTO Website

• PTO "Live" Calendar

• PTO Facebook Group

• PTO Email List

• Support the PTO

ADDITIONAL SCHOOL REMINDERS

PICTURE DAY

Picture Day is October 11th. Picture Day Forms and Flyers went home in each child's backpack. You can order your child's pictures online and pay online. If you prefer to order via a paper form, please ensure that you fill out the picture day forms and enclose cash, money order, or check payable to lifetouch. All children will get their picture taken. Class pictures will be taken as well. No sibling pictures can be taken.

Here is the link to LifeTouch Information Link and Connors Picture Day ID EVTTP37WP

https://schools.lifetouch.com/?#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=PPD_F23_Pr28_US&utm_content=logo

TECHNOLOGY

Please be sure to review the Hoboken Public Schools-Tech Apps in Our Schools Google Site. It contains information regarding:

• Common Sense Media

• Our Digital Citizenship Family Night Presentation

• Device Tech Support

• Chromebook Tips

• Connecting to WiFi

• Purchasing Insurance

• Guides to Google Classroom, Submitting an Assignment, and other tutorials

• District Calendar

• OnCourse Login

• District Login Options

• Creating a Workspace

• School Directories

• Digital Books

GOVERNOR'S EDUCATOR of the YEAR NOMINATIONS-GEOY

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) aims to recognize educators and encourage them to become champions for education. Please take the time to honor our hardworking teachers and educational services professionals. Please find attached, the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program Nomination Form & Eligibility Criteria. Please be mindful to adhere to the Eligibility Requirements as detailed in the link below. Kindly submit your completed forms to the Main Office no later than November 18th, 2023.

Here is a link to the GEOY Nomination Google Form

Governor's Educator of the Year Nomination Google Form

Here is a link to the hard copies of the form. Hard copies will also be sent home with students in their backpacks:

https://www.nj.gov/education/recognition/educators/geoy/materials/NominationForm.pdf

(Please remember the due date of 11/18 as it will not appear in this link when you are completing).

Eligibility Requirements can be found here:

https://www.nj.gov/education/recognition/educators/geoy/materials/eligibilitycriteria.shtml

PASSPORT TO LEARNING (PTL)-

If you have any questions about PTL, please reach out to Ms. Lauren Fleischer and Mr. Fran Azzarto, our Passport to Learning leads at Connors this year and Ms. Jessica Fasolino, Supervisor of the K-5 PTL programs district wide. Ms. Fleischer, Ms. Azzarto and Ms. Fasolino will all receive your email when you send it to the ptlconnors@hoboken.k12.nj.us email address.

SCHOOL LUNCH and SNACKS

Here is lunch order form for the week of October 10th Lunch form 10/10-10/13 . Please ensure that you have set up a Payschools Account on our district website. Please make sure that you packed a healthy snack for your child to eat at school.

ATTENDANCE

If your child will be absent from school, please email connorsattendance@hoboken.k12.nj.us along w/ your child’s homeroom teacher with the following information:

• Child’s Name

• Reason for absence

• Date of expected return

• Any documentation for your child’s absence (i.e. doctor’s note, court note, etc.)

School begins at 8:15 am. Please ensure that your child arrives on time to school and enters the building with their homeroom class.

EARLY PICK-UP

If you are picking up your child early from school, please Email connorsattendance@hoboken.k12.nj.us along w/ your child’s homeroom teacher with the following information by 10:00 am.

• Time that you will be picking up your child

• Who will be picking up your child. Make sure that whoever is picking up your child is listed on your child’s approved pick-up list.

• Parents will not be able to sign children out between 2:30 and 3:00 PM. After 2:30 PM, you must wait until regular dismissal time.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

• September 15th-October 15th-Hispanic Heritage Month
• October 9th-Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day/School Closed
• October 11th-Picture Day
• October 16th-20th-Digital Citizenship/School Safety/Purple Ribbon Week
• October 17th-PTO Meeting (In-Person @ Connors) Virtual Option
• October 20th-Connors Frightfully Free Costume Frenzy 2:30-5:30pm
  
• October 20th-All schools Open House 11:00 am-2:00 pm @ Hoboken Grace Church Community Center
• October 23rd-31st-Red Ribbon Week
  
• October 25th-1:00 pm Dismissal
• October 25th-Parent/Teacher Conferences 1:45-5:30
  
• October 30th-Halloween Costume Dance
• October 31st-Halloween Parade 9:00 am

IMPORTANT LINKS

• Connors Family Manual, FAQ's
• Connors Calendar of Events 2023-2024
• Hoboken Public School District Calendar 2023-2024
• Chromebook Handout
  

• Hoboken Public Schools-Technology Google Site

• Connors PTO Google Site

• Connors Faculty and Staff Directory 2023-2024
  

• Meet our Connors Team
  

We make it our priority to partner with parents in the academic growth and success of every child. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

All the best,

Juliana Addi, Connors School Principal

Thank you to our incredible custodial team for making Connors sparkle! Happy Custodian Appreciation Day!

WEEK of RESPECT

This week we celebrated the week of respect with a spirit week! Monday was #Blueup day for World Day of Bullying Prevention. Tuesday everyone showed up in pajamas to Put Bullying to Bed, and Wednesday was favorite shirt day to show respect for their classmates and learn about diverse interests. Thursday the NED Show came to Connors, teaching children to never give up, encourage others and do their best. Friday was school spirit day with children wearing their Connors gear showing respect for their school.

NED SHOW

For the Week of Respect, we had our first assembly of the year, called NED’s Mindset Mission. Here are a couple of our favorite follow up home resources from the Mindset Mission website. You may want to use these with your child as they are designed to go hand in hand with the program, NED Coloring Face Masks, Parent Encouragement Notes and additional resources are available here. And don’t forget to ask your student what they learned in the show about having a growth mindset from YET the Yeti, Captain Kindly and during NED’s visit on the spaceship!

As part of the week of Respect, Principal Addi read "The Not So Friendly Friend", by Christina Furnival and role played with the students how to be a good friend and how to set healthy boundaries with the 2nd grade classes.

This week in art was all about Respect for Respect week! We were extra respectful to our peers, our art materials, and ourselves. We created a giant Respect poster with our respect ribbons for the third floor hallway. This will serve as a reminder to always be kind to one another every day.

Get into the Halloween spirit with our inaugural "Frightfully Free Costume Frenzy"! Gently used, washed + ready to wear adults' and children's costumes will be collected beginning Tuesday 10/10 thru Tuesday 10/17 and distributed via a "sidewalk shop" on Friday 10/20 from 2:30 - 5:30pm. Note: You DO NOT need to contribute a costume in order to pick one out from the sidewalk shop. This is a FREE event for the Connors community. All donated costumes must contain all pieces/accessories in a single bag, be clean and in good condition, and adhere to the Connors costume guidelines. For more info (including costume guidelines) or to volunteer at the sidewalk shop on 10/20, please click here!

We hope to see you at the Connors Halloween Dance on 10/30! ALL Connors families are welcome and encouraged to come in costume (kids and adults alike)! Note: This is NOT a drop off event – all children must be supervised for the duration of the party.

SIGN UP HERE to donate snacks + drinks and/or to volunteer at the party (e.g., set up, clean up, assist at food + beverage area) – thanks for your support!

Tickets to Hoboken Middle School's production of Descendants are now on sale! Visit hhsnj.booktix.com to purchase tickets!

The Hoboken Public School District is proud to have a certified Reading Specialist in each of our three elementary schools and Hoboken Middle School. Teaching children to read requires that every child receives excellent reading instruction and that children who are experiencing reading difficulties receive early intervention and additional instruction from professionals specifically prepared to teach them. The role of the district Reading Specialist is to provide research-based, small group reading instruction using the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education’s Orton-Gillingham methodology.

In order to continue to improve classroom and school-wide literacy, our Reading Specialist Team also supports teacher professional development opportunities and facilitates literacy program efforts. During the month of September, each of our Reading Specialists implemented the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA3) training to our grades K-2 teachers and special education teams in grades K-8 district-wide. The DRA3 provides detailed information about a student’s independent reading level and behaviors. Identifying a child’s independent reading level allows educators to provide differentiated instruction and helps to ensure that every learner is provided with an appropriate individualized learning pathway.

Each week, the purpose of the Reading Specialist Corner will be to provide families with at-home literacy tips to ensure strong home-school partnerships. However, for this first edition, we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Connors Elementary School Reading Specialist:

Ms. Cofrancesco is beginning her seventh year teaching in the Hoboken Public School District. This will be her third year as the Connors Elementary School Reading Specialist. She received her Masters in Reading from Montclair State University and is a certified Reading Specialist. In addition to being a certified Reading Specialist, she has completed the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education’s Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham training, Phonological Awareness training, and the Orton-Gillingham Fidelity training.

“As a reading specialist, I have enjoyed sharing my love of reading with small groups of students to build their confidence and foundational reading skills. I am very excited for this school year to continue to watch each child grow as a reader.”

Ms. Bartolotti, Ms. Paulino, Ms. Fleischer, Ms. Watson, Mrs. Schain, Ms. Ramos

Math: This week in math we finished Unit 1 and started unit 2 counting and representing quantities. We worked on skip counting by 2s and 5s. We completed the calendar daily as well as our calendar sheets. We also completed the LINK IT assessment. We made our first Halloween crafts which the students really enjoyed. We made Halloween trick or treat candy buckets! We also started making counting books.

ELA: This week in Kindergarten ELA, our essential question was, How can we get along with new friends? Students brainstormed ideas and discussed ways to get along with new friends. Our letter of the week was the letter Mm. Kindergarteners could identify the uppercase and lowercase Mm and the /m/ sound. Our sight word of the week was the word the. Kindergarteners did a great job using their sight words in sentences! Kindergarteners also learned about nouns! We ended the week by writing a fall poem! We cannot wait to see what is in store for next week!

Social Studies: We have started our adventure into “Young Citizens.” Students have been introduced to our friends Peyton, Minar, Roger, and Leena. These characters will help teach us that everyone is unique. Our unique qualities are what make us special. Students will be learning the unique qualities of our friends in the classroom as well. Through our “Young Citizens” book students will continue to grow their knowledge about communities. We have started focusing on Maplewood which is the city where our book takes place. The students are comparing where we live to the city of Maplewood, finding similarities and differences among both communities.

Science: Kindergartners had a blast this week. They finished their houses using the engineering and design process. Mrs. Schain invited the big bad wolf to Connors. He huffed and puffed and tried blowing our houses down. Some of the houses he did not blow down! Kindergartners had a great time with this lab. We cannot wait until next week!

Ms. Vayda, Ms. Klag, Ms. Sheridan, Ms. Ramos, Mrs. Criqui, Ms. Romanowski

Math: This week, students continued solving story problems using strategies we practiced during whole group lessons. Students are now able to correctly make their own number line to add, subtract and solve problems. Students can also count on and back from a given number to find out the sum or difference. We continue to practice math fluency using one digit addition equations up to 10. As an added challenge, some students are adding using higher numbers. We are doing an excellent job working together during math workshop, practicing our math skills by playing Investigation games and using "math talk" as we know mathematicians always do! This week, students completed their Unit 1 Investigations Test! We did a great job!

ELA: This week we began Unit 1 Week 1 in Reading Wonders. Our writing and reading focused on our essential question, "What do you do at your school?" We focused on reading and spelling words with short a. We also learned the following high frequency words (red words): what, does, school, and not. Students read "Jack Can" and "Nat and Sam" in our reading/writing companion books. Their goal was to read and understand realistic fiction. We discussed how the events could happen in real life, but it is still a made-up story. We worked on using text evidence to answer questions and to describe characters in a story. After reading a story, we wrote about the characters by using graphic organizers. Our reading strategy this week was to visualize. Students practiced this by closing their eyes while listening to the read alouds. In grammar, we practice writing complete sentences and inflectional ending -s to make nouns plural. We had a great week and everyone worked super hard in centers.

Social Studies: In Social Studies class this week, we engaged in many discussions as we discussed our chapter about families. We talked about the topic of family traditions, discovering the many wonderful celebrations that bring families together. The students shared their own experiences of celebrations and the unique traditions within their own families. We then compared how we are alike and different from our friends. Students shared that some friends celebrate traditions with special foods, parties, clothing and more. We worked on a Venn diagram to discuss the differences and similarities of traditions celebrated by characters in our Young Citizens book. We also continued discussing Hispanic Heritage Month by finishing our books all about Spain and even creating our very own maracas. It was so much fun!

Magical Moments: This week marked the Week of Respect, and our first-grade students celebrated it by taking a pledge of kindness. In our classrooms, we had thoughtful discussions on how to be positive friends and classmates. We explored various ways to show respect for our classmates and learn about their diverse interests. The highlight of the week was when fifth-grade students came to read the "Bucket Filler" book to our first graders, which brought so much excitement. Also, we had our very first assembly of the year, where "Ned's Mindset" took us on an incredible journey filled with many magical moments.

Science: This week in science, first graders learned all about light. Some vocabulary words that were introduced to students include: transparent, translucent, and opaque. Students also observed how light passes through objects and completed a hands on lab activity. students had so much fun using flashlights and other materials to explore how smooth, shiny surfaces can affect a beam of light.

Ms. Rinaldi, Ms. Garcia, Ms. Criqui, Ms. Courtney, Mr. Donovan, Mrs. White

Math: This week in math, we continued with Investigation 2 of Unit 1. We were introduced to another new routine - How Many Pockets?. During this routine, we collect data about the total number of pockets our class is wearing for the day. We also took our first quiz on coins. The second grade teachers are so proud of everyone for working hard and trying their best! We are continuing to practice our addition and subtraction facts while using our Interactive Math Notebook. We are also becoming experts at practicing number strings and adding 3 or more numbers together by using addition strategies learned in class. We also learned how to play a new game this week - Five-in-a-Row: Subtraction with Three Cubes. It is similar to the game we learned last week, except now we are using dice to subtract numbers with our partners. Second graders are working together with their partner to subtract numbers in order to get 5-in-a row on their gameboard using learned subtraction strategies. Last, we learned about the Ten Frame by viewing some "Quick Images" and using our Interactive Math Notebook.

ELA: This week we continued with the genre fantasy and the essential question for this text set was "how do friends depend on each other?" We learned how friends depend on each other by reading the fantasy story "Help! A Story About Friendship". While reading, students were learning how illustrations, characters, setting, and themes are important to the story. They learned how to visualize while reading to understand what the author is trying to tell the reader. Students began writing their realistic fiction stories using real life connections to help them brainstorm! The phonics skill for the week was magic e, long a: a-e and short a. Students worked so hard this week on practicing their skills!

Social Studies: This week in social studies, we began chapter 1 - How Do Families Change. Our introductory lesson helped us understand how our own families have changed over time. We were then able to use our Social Studies Think Books to write and illustrate the ways that families change. We discussed families moving and the reasons why they move.

Special Moments: We took a break mid-week from Young Citizens to learn about Hispanic Heritage Month. We were separated into groups to research a U.S. city or state that is derived from the Spanish language on Epic. While completing our research, we then created a poster to represent our findings. Each group had one of the following places: Arizona, Los Angeles, Colorado, Florida, or Nevada.

As part of “Week of Respect”, Ms Addi came to the 2nd grade classrooms to read us the book “The Not-So-Friendly Friend How to Set Boundaries for Healthy Friendships”. She led a role-play activity where students learned how to treat others and set healthy boundaries with friends. We also had 4th and 5th grade friends come to our room to read “How Full is Your Bucket?”.

On Thursday, October 5th, we had an exciting school-wide event - NED's Mindset Mission! This 45 minute assembly taught us the valuable lessons of Never giving up, Encouraging others, and Doing our best. We also enjoyed the awesome yo-yo tricks we saw along the way! Even though yo-yoing looks cool, it's not always easy. If we try yo-yoing at home, or anything new, it's important to learn from our mistakes and NEVER give up.

Science: Students observed the properties of certain materials and conducted an investigation to find which would be the best as a pillow filler. Students compared the shape, texture, hardness, and flexibility of each one. Students made a plan, tested the materials, and recorded their results. Which one was liked best, you may ask? By creating bar graphs students were able to show the number of properties for each material helping them answer the question!

Ms. Hall, Ms. Schmidt, Ms. Gillen, Ms. Layson, Ms. Goodwin, Mrs. White, Ms. Criqui,

Mrs. Schain

Math: This week the students began Investion 4 of our Unit which involves finding differences. The students explored different strategies for subtraction involving both standard algorithms and word problems. The students enjoyed participating in the game “How far from 100” with their peers which created a fun and competitive atmosphere within the classroom. Next Tuesday we will be giving the Investigation 4 quiz and jumping right into our last section of Unit 3, Subtraction Stories.

ELA: This week, the third graders continued reading their two focus texts, The Littles and Sailing to America. They began exploring theme, which is an important concept throughout third grade. The students used their detective skills to look for clues that helped them identify the theme, or "the message" in multiple texts. Additionally, the students worked on analyzing character development by identifying character change. During Writing time, students learned about the Narrative Writing rubric, and used it to evaluate student examples. They specifically focused on understanding the prompt so they can improve upon their own Narrative writing pieces next week!

Social Studies: This week third graders chose a hispanic or latino influence to highlight in a biography project! Students utilized biographies on GetEpic!, as well as the passages that they read in class over the past few weeks, to learn about the life and legacy of their selected individual. Students picked various hispanic and latino artists, singers, activists, supreme court judges, and athletes. ¡Todos estamos inspirados por estos influyentes hispanos y latinos!

Third Grade Thrill: This week third graders started their first Mini PGP project: STEAM Tank! Through the STEAM Tank Challenge, students will work collaboratively to identify real world problems and develop innovative solutions. In groups, students will use their knowledge of the engineering process to design a product that addresses one of the brainstormed global issues. Third graders are super excited and inspired, so stay tuned on their amazing ideas!

Science: Students are working on their Saver the Tiger Project. Students are creating a simple or compound machine in order to relocate the tiger back to its natural habitat. Students must complete the lab report via Google Classroom once they tested their machine three times. I cannot wait to see what ideas they come up with!

Ms. Schulz, Mrs. Rodriguez, Ms. Stubbe, Ms. Goodwin, Ms. Courtney, Ms. Romanowski,

Mr. Donovan

Math: This week in Math, the Phenomenal 4th Graders were assessed in Unit 1. Students studied topics, practiced problems, worked hard & did a great job. In addition, students took the District Assessment- Link-it.

ELA: 4th Grade Writers were excited to publish their compare and contrast Research Simulation essays that answered the question "What are the benefits and disadvantages of building in a flood zone?" During the week of Writer's Workshop, students learned how to analyze a prompt, create a plan, analyze sources, write a draft, and evaluate their work for opportunities to revise and edit. Students will demonstrate their mastery of essay writing skills next week when they respond to the District Writing Task Post-Assessment.

Social Studies: This week 4th grade students started their exploration into our first Social Studies unit: Age of Exploration. We did a walk through of the Young Citizens textbook and located important sections of the book such as the atlas or important documents. Students enjoyed working together this week and are excited to keep learning about exploration!

Ms. Schultes, Ms. Ortiz, Ms. Courtney, Ms. Layson, Ms. Ramos

Math: This week in Math our Mathematicians were introduced to division strategies. Students used their knowledge of division strategies to create a Math poster with a story problem, a model, and a solution. Students then created multiple towers where they generated a sequence of multiples of a number and solved multiplication and division problems on the basis of the numbers on the list. Students also solved division problems and compared their solutions and strategies with one another.

In math this week we have been focusing on both improving out math fact fluency, as well as our ability to solve two digit by two digit multiplication and division number sentences. At the start of each class we focus on our math facts, and our ability to solve basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. This is an excellent skill to reinforce at home. You can do so by creating flash cards to help your child memorize their math facts. Check out some photos below of the strategies our students have been using to help them solve larger two-digit by two-digit multiplication and division number sentences.

ELA: 5th graders have been working hard in ELA. We started our week by continuing our core novel, Esperanza Rising. Students are getting better and better at finding text evidence to support their RACES responses. We also learned about figurative language - specifically, similes and metaphors. Students got to show what they learned in a short activity. In addition, students completed their Link It assessment and worked so hard! We're very proud of the 5th graders' progress!

Social Studies: In Social Studies we continued to celebrate Hispanic Heritage. Students each chose a country and have been busy researching their country to create a presentation that will be used to teach their classmates about their country.

Photos: Groups of students working together in Math to create multiple towers.

G3

Future Innovators completed their Brainstorming Activity with an idea of a real world problem that requires a solution for the STEAM Tank Challenge. They will be applying the material from the Brainstorming Activity into the Google Slides presentation to dive deeper into researching their innovation/product to cover the required components of the competition based on the rubric. Students are working enthusiastically and excitedly to make their presentation come alive when they will be recording video for a submission!

G4

After the review about civil and criminal cases, future Court Representatives are judging which of the cases is civil and which is criminal. Using the winning cases from the Law Fair we hold whole group discussions to make the decisions upon reading the facts provided in the text. The verdict is underway!

G5

Future Environmentalists are finishing up exploring the drastic nature of Goal 13 that focuses on Climate Action. They used the Graphic Organizer to summarize the parts of the article and then took turns sharing and presenting each section of the article in front of their classmates to prepare for the future Ted Talk presentations. Furthermore, they were introduced to Goal 12 which focuses on the Responsible Consumption and Production with an article by the UN. They will be completing a Graphic Organizer to summarize the key components of each part of an article and then present.

This week third graders started their first Mini PGP project: STEAM Tank! Through the STEAM Tank Challenge, students will work collaboratively to identify real world problems and develop innovative solutions. In groups, students will use their knowledge of the engineering process to design a product that addresses one of the brainstormed global issues. Third graders are super excited and inspired, so stay tuned on their amazing ideas!

This week, we would like to highlight one of the Johns Hopkins CTY courses offered to our Hoboken students this fall: CTY Young Readers Series: In Search Of

In this CTY course, CTY students will embark on a profound journey through space, time, and the human spirit as they consider what it means to be “in search of” one’s place in the world. Reading a mixture of fiction and nonfiction, CTY students will meet rebels and outsiders on personal and worldwide adventures. Through persuasive writing assignments, they’ll learn to use credible evidence to support their claims and engage in discussion forums with peers as they make inferences, determine character motivations, and evaluate arguments.

Hello Connors families,

The week of October 2nd, the students were jamming on the ukuleles and the string family.

In Ms. Watson’s class, the students began learning about all of the instruments that belong to the string family. From the cello to the ukulele, the students learned about vibrations, length, and thickness of the strings and how these attributes all affect the pitch and sound of the various instruments. Here is Deandra rockin out on the ukulele!

In the 5th grade, it was time to start learning more chords and songs on the ukulele. They are really becoming amazing players. Maybe one day we can take them on a field trip to Hawaii, so they can jam with all the great virtuosi! Here is Nicholas playing the F major chord for the “Banana Boat” song!

This week in Mandarin we learned about 我的家(My Family). They practiced saying and writing kinship terms and sang the Chinese Buddy song. Students also learned about the Chinese family tree.

This week's Connors Passport to Learning Program highlight is Girls on the Run! The girls have been off to a great start. Girls on the Run focuses on having the girls understand themselves, value relationships and teamwork, and recognize how they can shape the world. The girls gain confidence each week with mini lessons and setting goals for themselves. We are proud of our girls and cannot wait to see them achieve their goals!

Email: juliana.addi@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Website: http://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us
Location: 201 Monroe Street, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-356-3684