Hello, Howard!

This is the major fundraiser for our PTO, and you showed up! Thank you so much! Lots of photos at the end of the newsletter.

The PRIDE theme of the month is teamwork. Teachers at the Howard school work hard to create classrooms that provide opportunities for teamwork by having students collaborate on group projects, participte in friendly competition, and share responsibilities with classroom tasks. Students learn active listening, compromise, and shared responsibility.

Spring is finally approaching, but please continue to have your children layer up for outdoor play. Warm jackets, hats, mittens, and boots are important so everyone can enjoy the fresh air daily! This is the chart we use - as long as we're not "in the red," we'll go outside. Please advise your children accordingly! Also, if you have any new or gently used clothes (youth sizes 8-16), coats, or shoes/boots - we would love to have extra available in case someone needs a change!

For our 6th graders, Outdoor Classroom is just around the corner and you will be receiving more information and packets soon. Please read through the packets carefully and be sure to COMPLETE ALL FORMS, even if your child doesn’t take any scheduled medications. There will be a lot of information, so please do reach out to me with any of the health related concerns.

We want to keep everyone healthy while at school so please keep them home if they are not feeling well. Please refer to our Sick Child Guidelines and school health policies at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/health-services and reach out to me directly with any concerns. If your child is absent due to illness, it is recommended that they visit the doctor in order to document these as excused absences.

One final note, teachers always love donations of tissues and Clorox wipes to help keep the spread of illness to a minimum in the classrooms.

As always, please feel free to reach Nurse Mando if you have any questions or concerns: smando@wbridgewater.com or 508-894-1250 ext 3115. Thank you!

Today - Dance a Thon!

March 20 - Report cards live on Aspen

March 24th & 25th - 5th grade ELA MCAS

March 31st &April 1st - 6th grade ELA MCAS

April 2 - Book Fair

April 3 - Good Friday, No School

With the snow days in February, we will be adjusting the dates for Term 2.

Marks will close on March 13th, and report cards will be live on March 20th.

Keep an eye out next week for the Yearbook Flyer to come home! Yearbooks will be going on sale. They can be purchased here using the code 2461426. They will be on sale until April 20.

MCAS is no longer a requirement to graduate from a MA high school, but all students who receive education provided by the state of MA are required to participate in MCAS. There is no opt-out option. If students are in school the day of the test, we are legally obligated to put the test in front of them.

We have limited oportunites for make-up testing, so please take these days into consideration when scheduling appointments with doctors, dentists, etc.

ELA

5th grade - March 24th and 25th

6th grade - March 31st and April 1st

4th grade - April 9th and 10th

Math

4th grade - May 7th and 8th

5th grade - May 11th and 12th

6th grade - May 13th and 14th

Science

5th grade - May 18th and 19th

Menus for breakfast and lunch can be found on the district website:

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1560351497546&page=menus

Please remind students to bring in their reusable water bottles to fill at our water station.

Frozen treats are available for purchase. While breakfast and lunch are free, ice cream and other snacks do cost extra (.50 - $1.50). To add money to your students account for a la carte items you can go online here:

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1560351497546&page=prepaidacct or have your student bring in cash to the office.

We are continuing our novel study of Hatchet, focusing on the essential question: how does a challenging setting or physical environment change a person? Students are engaging in thoughtful discussions and making strong text connections. We are also continuing to write our own survival stories, and students are showing great creativity and growth in their narrative writing.

We have begun Topic 8 on fractions. Students are learning to identify and understand equivalent fractions (fractions that name the same part of a whole). We are using number lines to show how fractions such as 1/3 and 2/6 represent the same distance from zero. This foundational understanding will support students as they compare, add, and subtract fractions in upcoming lessons.

We will be learning about erosion and how wind, water, and ice

shape Earth's surface and natural disasters. We will also be investigating how to use maps to reduce the impact of natural disasters.

In Social Studies, students are learning about how the United States expanded west in the 1800s. We are studying important events like the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican-American War. Students are discussing why people chose to move west, how new transportation like canals and railroads helped the country grow, and how westward expansion affected Native Americans.

To celebrate our focus on teamwork, students will participate in a collaborative hula hoop challenge. While holding hands in a circle, teams must work together to pass a hula hoop around the group without breaking their connection. This will be a timed competition among classrooms, encouraging students to communicate effectively, problem-solve, and work together in a calm and efficient manner.

Please keep an eye out for information regarding our annual field trip to the movie theater! Once we finish reading Hatchet, we will celebrate our hard work and wrap up our novel study with this special trip. More details will be shared soon.

In ELA, students are enjoying The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and continuing to write creatively in their character snapshots.

In math, students are continuing with Topic 8 where they are working on the concept of multiplying fractions. Keep practicing math fact fluency.

In social studies, students are working on a "Women's History Month" projects, which will be due on April 9th.

In science, students are wrapping up the "Ecosystems" unit and moving onto the "Matter" unit.

For teamwork, 5th grade students will try to create the longest chain while working on their teamwork skills.

On March 10th, 5th Grade will have an assembly for Women's History Month. The assembly, Women in History , celebrates accomplished women in fields of science, exploration, education, public life, and literature. Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this event!

We are wrapping up our Ancient Egypt and Nubia Unit with a Museum Project! We will keep you posted on when we will exhibit our museum to the public. Next week, on March 10th we will have our test! After that, we will spend the rest of March Reading a Novel, "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park.

In ELA class, students are wrapping up their unit on the monomyth. This will culminate in writing their own monomyth. Students are currently in the planning stages. This includes brainstorming characters, settings and conflicts. When this module ends, students will move onto module 3: Narrating the Unknown - an exploration of Jamestown colony through works of fiction and historical fiction.

We will be finishing up our unit on Ratios this month and then moving on to Unit Rates and Measurement. The homework calendar for March will go home this week. We will also be starting to review math skills for MCAS coming up in May.

Students have begun their unit on Space. We are reviewing the phases of the moon and the different types of eclipses. We will cover the different types of galaxies as well as how we see gravity in space.

For this month's Pride theme of teamwork, students will write a narrative addressing the prompt of being stranded with a group on a deserted island. Students will write about they will use to teamwork to survive and find a way home.

We are currently planning our 6th grade moving up celebration for Monday, June 15th at 11:30.

We can't believe Outdoor Classroom is only 5 weeks away! As a reminder the final payment was due on Monday March 2. The last payment is $130 - the total cost of the trip is $400. Please send in the final payment as soon as possible so we can make payment deadlines to the program.

On Monday March 9, the 6th grade students will meet with Sam, the program coordinator, for Outdoor Classroom. They will go through some slides and talk about the program with the students. Packets will be going home with packing lists and all forms that must be filled out for students to attend the trip. Please look out for these packets on Monday. The Paperwork must be returned to your students homeroom teacher by Friday March 27.

There will also be an Outdoor Classroom Parent Informational Night on Wednesday March 25. This meeting will be at 5 in the Howard Cafeteria. This meeting is only for adults.

Thank you very much for your support of the Hilliards Candy Sales. We still have outstanding balances on candy. Our fundraiser has ended and we are looking to finalize our budget for the buses. We appreciate you sending in your final candy money immediately. We would like to congratulate Austin Macy for winning the $50 credit on the trip for selling the most candy bars. Congrats to Mikelle Fowler for winning the raffle for selling extra boxes and also earning a $50 credit for the trip.

Mrs. Tomas is planning a fiber arts unit, and she needs your help! She's created an Amazon wishlist of exactly what is needed. Thank you to all who have donated! You can check it out here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/UQV6LINQ3VQN?ref_=wl_share

Student Council is working on our March theme day. Stay tuned for an announcement. We are also looking forward to partnering with food services to create a focus group regarding school lunches and snacks.

Meeting Dates for March: 10, 17, 24, 31

We are getting ready to start our fundraisers for the Massachusetts Lions Club Eye Research fund: https://www.mlerfi.com/. We will keep you posted on our upcoming community events soon!

The Unified Basketball team kicked off their season on Thursday with an away game against Foxboro. The Wildcats pulled out a win beating Foxboro 47-46 and have shown great teamwork on the court. They play away the next three Thursdays and look forward to hosting the end of season jamboree (date and time TBD)! Come on out to cheer them on!

3/12- Away vs. Galvin Middle School @ 3:30

3/19- Away vs. Dighton Middle School @ 3:30

3/26- Away vs. Pembroke Community Middle School @ 3:30

Click below to watch the March Book Talk!

This month, I'll be book talking 8 different books for the students of the Howard School. Students will vote for the book they most want to read. We will reveal the winner at a Book BINGO celebration on March 31st! Families and siblings are invited to this fun evening event. Keep an eye out for an invitation, and feel free to check out my YouTube channel for the book talk videos. Happy Reading!