The Koala Quarterly
4th Marking Period Newsletter, End-of-Year 2026 Edition
Dear Connors Families,
I am excited to share with you THE KOALA QUARTERLY for our 4th marking period, available alongside report cards on OnCourse. In this final edition of the year, I am so pleased to celebrate all of the wonderful moments, milestones, and learning adventures that have filled our 4th marking period.
What an extraordinary year it has been! Watching your children grow into the confident, kind, and curious learners they are today has been one of the greatest joys of this school year. From the excitement of new beginnings last September to the incredible achievements they are celebrating now, every child has shined in their own remarkable way. The energy in our hallways, the pride on their faces during special events, and the bonds they have formed with their classmates and teachers are memories that will last a lifetime.
As we reach the close of another beautiful school year, I am filled with such deep gratitude for the amazing community we have built together. Your dedication to your children's growth, your enthusiasm for school events, and your unwavering support of our teachers and staff have made all the difference. It truly takes a village, and our Koala family is one of a kind.
As always, please know that my door is always open and I am here for you whenever you need anything, as your partnership means everything to us. Thank you for the trust, the love, and the energy you pour into our school community each and every day. Wishing every Koala family the most joyful and restful summer ahead. I am here over the summer, so please do not hesitate to reach out. Here's to our amazing Koala community and everything we have accomplished together!
REPORT CARDS
Report cards are available today on OnCourse. K-2 students have also received paper copies of their report cards. Here are the K-2 Developmentally-Appropriate Report Cards: The Indicators Defined
SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
Please see the summer assignment parent letter from Ms. Rodriguez-Gomez below. Hard copies of all summer assignments are going home with the children in the next week. Please click here to access the summer assignments in both ELA and Mathematics
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me over the summer if you need anything.
All the best,
Principal Addi
Kindergarten
Jaylani Hamptom
1st Grade
Quinn Klose
2nd Grade
Pedro Abrantes
3rd Grade - District Student of the Month
Ari Rose Rhone
4th Grade
Josie Margolis
5th Grade
Oliver Pinchevsky
Kindergarten
Owen Bell
First Grade
Brooke Zuckerberg
Second Grade - District Student of the Month
Mia Raghu
Third Grade
Audrey Stebbins
Fourth Grade
Siobhan Shoemaker
Fifth Grade
Chloe Mennegand
Kindergarten
Sophia Amrod
First Grade
Benjamin Kondili
Second Grade
Gavin Melia
Third Grade
Eddy Janocha
Fourth Grade
Theodore Catanzaro
Fifth Grade - District Student of the Month
Sophia (Xiaoqing) Ren
Kindergarten
What an absolutely spectacular final marking period we have had in Kindergarten! Our "KOALAfied" learners poured their hearts into every project, officially wrapped up their Reading Wonders/Maravillas and Investigations curricula, and celebrated all of their incredible growth. Thank you for your partnership and support throughout this unforgettable school year!!
📚 ELA
Our young authors and readers finished the year strong by expanding their comprehension, phonics, and writing skills!
- Essential Questions: Explored big concepts including wonders of the sky, helping out at home, what it means to be a good citizen, how nature provides natural ingredients, and how weather affects daily life.
- Mentor Texts: Dove into stories like Bringing Down the Moon, Peter’s Chair, Hen Hears Gossip, and Bread Comes to Life, practicing story sequencing, retelling, cause-and-effect, and distinguishing realistic fiction from fantasy.
- Phonics & Word Study: Mastered "magic e" spelling patterns (long a, i, and o), studied silent letters (kn, gn, wr), and learned how to use similes and state opinions clearly with supporting reasons.
- The Big Milestone: Students proudly completed their very own Hoboken Perspective Books! We couldn't wait for families to see the published copies.
🧮 Math
Hands-on problem solving and spatial geometry took center stage during our final Investigations units.
- 3D Shapes: Learned to identify, hold, and count the faces, edges, and vertices of three-dimensional solid figures through interactive geometry games.
- Story Problems: Practiced complex addition and subtraction problems by utilizing multi-step strategies like drawing pictures, using ten-frames, and tracking numbers on a number line.
- Measurement & Data: Explored data collection through classroom surveys and learned to measure and compare objects by weight using terms like "heavy" and "light."
🌍 Social Studies
Students expanded their horizons from personal finance all the way to global geography!
- Financial Literacy: Explored money management basics, identified the values of coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) and the dollar bill, and practiced vocabulary like invest, save, earn, and buying power. They even designed custom dollar bills and built their own business plans!
- American History & Culture: Studied iconic historical figures like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson, and analyzed national symbols such as the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell.
- World Geography: Traveled the globe using maps and globes to label the 7 continents and 5 oceans. Students met characters from countries like Honduras, China, Egypt, and England to compare different landforms and traditions.
- Special Celebrations: Created beautiful crafts and writing pieces to honor moms for Mother's Day, and learned about the history and traditions of Cinco de Mayo.
🗣️ Dual Language
Our dual-language students showcased phenomenal bi-literate growth in both Spanish literacy and mathematics.
- SLA Phonics: Reviewed complex syllable combinations and letter sounds, including the soft sounds of Cc and Gg, the silent Hh, and tricky blends like pl- and bl-.
- Independent Writing: Achieved a massive milestone by writing creative stories in Spanish completely independently, seamlessly weaving in vocabulary and sight words.
- Matemáticas: Reinforced addition and subtraction fluency in both English and Spanish, using custom math crafts to review foundational skills from the year.
First Grade
What an absolutely amazing final marking period we have had in First Grade! Our hard-working learners poured their hearts into every project, officially wrapped up their end-of-year assessments, and celebrated all of their incredible academic growth. Thank you for your support throughout this unforgettable school year!
📚 ELA
Our first graders finished the year strong by expanding their comprehension, phonics, and advanced writing skills!
- Essential Question Analysis: We took a deep dive into core essential questions, such as, "How can weather affect us?" Students began by brainstorming various types of extreme and daily weather conditions. They then analyzed realistic fiction texts to identify how character choices, clothing, and outdoor activities are directly influenced by the environment, learning to independently use explicit text evidence to connect weather causes to their real-world effects.
- Story Elements: Reviewed the characteristics of realistic fiction and practiced retelling complex plots using illustrations, text details, and full sentences.
- Phonics & Word Study: Mastered silent letter patterns (kn, gn, wr) using interactive online games, practiced "red words" (question, their, year, been, children, month), and explored figurative language through similes.
- Opinion Writing: Learned how to state opinions clearly in writing, challenging themselves to provide at least four distinct supporting reasons and descriptive examples to make their arguments persuasive.
🧮 Math
Spatial geometry, attribute counting, and curriculum assessments took center stage during our final units.
- 3D Shapes Focus: Explored the world of three-dimensional geometry by playing interactive shape games. Students practiced carefully handling solid figures to count and identify their exact number of faces, edges, and vertices.
- Cumulative Assessments: Students successfully demonstrated everything they learned this year by completing both their Unit 8 geometry assessment and their comprehensive End-of-Year Investigations assessment.
- Financial Introduction: Wrapped up the period by transitioning into a brand-new math focus exploring the identification and value of coins.
🌍 Social Studies
Students took a deep dive into American heritage, historical timelines, and global geography!
- American History & Heritage: Explored foundational historical concepts by studying the lives of early explorers who traveled to discover new lands and the Founding Fathers who helped lead and shape our nation's laws.
- National Symbols: Learned how iconic symbols like the American flag, the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and the Liberty Bell represent freedom, bravery, and pride.
- Colonial Life Comparison: Explored what daily life looked like long ago for colonists. Students loved comparing colonial homes, schools, jobs, and traditions to how we live today.
- World Geography: Analyzed both globes and world maps to master the locations of the 7 continents and 5 oceans. Students used educational songs to memorize their names, noted unique geographic features (like Antarctica's position), and completed a cut-and-paste world map labeling project.
🗣️ Dual Language
Our dual-language students showcased phenomenal bi-literate growth and independent expression in Spanish.
- Phonics Blends: Targeted Spanish literacy by working extensively with /l-blends/, mastering vocabulary words such as simple, completo, plato, plazo, playa, and plumas.
- Independent Writing Milestone: Achieved a massive first-grade milestone by writing creative stories in Spanish completely independently! Students challenged themselves to weave in complex sight words and new vocabulary, showing immense pride in their final pieces.
- Story Skills: Read realistic fiction texts in Spanish while mirroring their English classrooms by practicing Causa y Efecto (cause and effect).
Second Grade
Our second graders have officially reached the finish line of a fantastic school year! Throughout this final marking period, students showed incredible determination as they wrapped up their final reading assessments, dove into neighborhood economics, and explored ancient cultures. We are immensely proud of their academic milestones and want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our families for your constant support and partnership!
📚 ELA
Our second graders finished the year strong by expanding their comprehension, phonics, and writing skills!
- Essential Question Analysis: We explored a few essential questions, such as, "What do good citizens do?" Students dove into realistic fiction texts to analyze actions that directly contribute to the well-being of a community. They made real-world connections by reflecting on how donating objects, like books, demonstrates empathy and responsibility toward others.
- Genre Studies: Analyzed the unique characteristics of realistic fiction, studied reading perspectives through author point-of-view, and learned how to identify essential story elements like characters, problems, and solutions.
- Word Study & Mechanics: Expanded vocabulary using suffixes and spent time practicing the art of cursive writing to improve fine motor skills and handwriting.
🧮 Math
Our mathematicians successfully wrapped up their Savvas Investigations 3 curriculum, mastering foundations in equal groups and multi-digit addition and subtraction!
- Unit 7 (Partners, Teams, and Other Groups): Students explored the foundational concepts of multiplication and algebra by investigating even and odd numbers. They practiced dividing groups of objects evenly into pairs or equal teams to determine if a number had a leftover remainder.
Unit 8 (Enough for the Class? Enough for the Grade?): Second graders tackled advanced, real-world story problems involving double-digit and triple-digit numbers. Students worked on strategies for adding and subtracting fluently up to 100 and beyond, comparing large quantities to see if there were enough supplies to cover entire classrooms or grade levels.
🌍 Social Studies
Students took a deep dive into community changes, economic fundamentals, and global and seasonal events!
- Essential Question Analysis: We investigated the theme, "What brings changes to a neighborhood?" Students began by brainstorming visible changes in their own local neighborhoods. They explored where people choose to build communities and learned how to differentiate between natural land features and human-made structures over time.
- Financial Literacy & Economics: Introduced fundamental economic concepts by learning vocabulary terms such as consumer, goods, producer, and services. Students practiced distinguishing between wants and needs, and explored how business supply and demand determine what products are created.
- Earth Day & Civic Action: Discussed why it is vital to care for the environment. Second graders explored how reducing waste, recycling, and protecting their surroundings can make a direct positive impact on the planet.
- Special Celebrations: Explored meaningful ways to celebrate the important women in their lives for Mother's Day by designing special crafts. Students also learned about the global cultural impact of the World Cup!
🗣️ Dual Language
Our dual-language students showcased phenomenal bi-literate growth, public speaking, and cultural appreciation in Spanish.
- Phonics & Vocabulary: Targeted Spanish literacy by focusing on consonant groups br, fr, tr, and dr, and mastered the grammatical use of adverbs of time in full sentences.
- Essential Question Analysis: We explored the question, "¿Qué nos enseñan los mitos? / What do myths teach us?" through the text "La competencia entre Atenea y Poseidón." Students actively performed the drama in class, analyzing how ancient myths pass down lessons, values, and explanations about the natural world.
- Public Speaking & Media: Collaborated in teams to write script ideas and practice speaking skills for their very own broadcast project, ¡Despierta con Segundo! (Wake Up Second Grade!).
- Cultural Literacy: Celebrated learning the months of the year in Spanish by practicing them through a fun Macarena dance!
- End-of-Year Assessments: Students showed immense stamina and effort completing their formal DRA / EDL (Evaluaciones del Desarrollo de la Lectura) reading assessments to measure their Spanish reading growth.
Third Grade
Our third graders have officially reached the finish line of an incredible and productive school year! Throughout this final marking period, students demonstrated immense focus as they conquered state testing, dived into advanced literature studies, tracked data, and analyzed state history and economics. We are so proud of their hard work and are deeply grateful to our third-grade families for your steadfast support and partnership!
📚 ELA
Our third graders wrapped up the year by showcasing mastery in writing endurance, standardized test prep, and deep novel analysis.
- NJSLA & Task Preparation: Students thoroughly reviewed Literary Analysis Tasks (LATs) and Narrative writing components. They worked collaboratively to analyze prompts, evaluate student examples, and practice editing and revising. This diligent prep culminated in students showing great focus and effort on their formal NJSLA assessments!
Novel Studies – The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: Students finished reflecting on this text by analyzing theme, author’s purpose, and real-world connections. They even put on their author hats to write creative "untold story" narrative chapters mapping out Edward’s journey.
The BFG by Roald Dahl: Our final core text sparked incredible engagement. Students identified key story elements, tracked character development using descriptive adjectives, analyzed figurative language, and identified textual evidence through visualization.
- From Page to Stage: Students tapped into their creative side by becoming directors, actors, and producers to plan and perform their very own Reader’s Theater productions of The BFG. They closed out the unit by writing narrative responses from alternative character perspectives and comparing the novel to its film adaptation.
🧮 Math
Our third-grade mathematicians expanded their computation skills into larger numbers, practical graphing, and standard measurement units.
- Data & Graphing Analysis: Students explored collecting, representing, and analyzing data. They mastered reading, interpreting, and drawing scaled picture graphs, bar graphs, double bar graphs, and pictographs. They also utilized multi-step addition and subtraction to make comparative observations within a data set.
- NJSLA Triumph: Mathematicians put their test-taking strategies to excellent use during state testing, filling their scratch paper with mathematical reasoning, modeling, and detailed annotations.
- Measurement & Place Value: Students explored the structures of numbers up to 1,000 and 4-digits. They were introduced to metric standard units of measurement for liquid volume and mass, practicing with pan balances and standard containers.
- Fluency & Real-World Math: To wrap up the final units, students built computational fluency by breaking large numbers apart, balancing equations, and finding missing values. They ultimately transferred these skills to numbers involving decimals, applying their addition and subtraction knowledge directly to money and real-life financial scenarios.
🌍 Social Studies
From indigenous history to modern economics, students explored how geography and choices shape communities.
- Indigenous Roots & Immigration: Students concluded their study of New Jersey’s native history with the Lenni Lenape. They discussed how European settlers became some of the first immigrants in the region, establishing the unique blend of global cultures, customs, and traditions seen in New Jersey today.
- AAPI Heritage Month Biography Projects: To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, third graders explored historical milestones dating back to 1978. Students researched influential AAPI athletes, artists, scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs, turning their findings into creative, independent biography reports celebrating their legacies.
- New Jersey Industries: In their final unit case study, students analyzed how agriculture, manufacturing, and natural resources transitioned New Jersey into an industrial state, exploring how these elements changed daily life and labor over time.
- Financial Literacy & The Economy: We finished the year with a look at basic economics. Students analyzed the role money plays in human decision-making by differentiating between needs and wants. They learned how to manage money by creating a personal budget and explored how businesses utilize human, capital, and natural resources to provide goods and services.
Fourth Grade
Our phenomenal fourth graders have officially crossed the finish line of a spectacular school year! Throughout this final marking period, students demonstrated immense academic stamina as they conquered state testing, analyzed complex geometry, engineered colony research projects, and explored historical revolutions. We are so proud of their incredible dedication and extend a heartfelt thank you to our fourth-grade families for your invaluable support and collaboration
📚 ELA
Our fourth graders expanded their literary horizons this period through rich novel studies, historical fiction, and targeted civic discussions.
- Essential Question Analysis: We explored the core theme, "Why do we need government?" Students paired this civic inquiry with the narrative nonfiction text "A World Without Rules" to analyze how laws provide societal structure. They also analyzed cause-and-effect relationships within the text See How They Run and explored the history of communication technology—from telegraphs to early switchboards—after reading the historical fiction anchor text, "The Telephone Mix-Up."
- Core Novel Study – Wonder by R.J. Palacio: Students cheered for Auggie as he navigated 5th grade, friendship, and overcoming obstacles. After finishing the book, they completed a culminating analysis comparing and contrasting different film and text adaptations to evaluate why specific scenes were altered.
- Core Novel Study – Who Let the Gods Out? by Maz Evans: This humorous, modern twist on Greek mythology captivated the classrooms. Students tracked complex character development and settings as the plot escalated around the main characters, Elliot and Virgo. They particularly enjoyed the story's thrilling climax featuring an undercover ninja twist!
- Writing & Cultural Studies: Students participated in "Four Corners" brainstorming activities to craft narrative stories based on personal and visual prompts. In honor of AANHPI Month, students analyzed informational articles regarding cultural traditions and responded with detailed, analytical essays.
🧮 Math
Our fourth-grade mathematicians dove deep into spatial geometry, tools of measurement, and multi-step computational logic.
- Unit 4 (Measuring and Classifying Shapes): Students investigated polygons and quadrilaterals, sorting them based on distinct attributes. They mastered geometric fundamentals, identifying points, lines, line segments, and parallel or perpendicular lines.
- Angles & Protractors: Mathematicians utilized hands-on power polygon manipulatives to explore angles. They learned how to measure physical angles using protractors and challenged themselves to solve complex problems involving complementary and supplementary angles.
- Unit 7 (Measurement & Multi-Digit Operations): Students applied their multi-digit multiplication (\(2 \times 2\)) and long division skills to real-world scenarios. They engineered their own mathematical word problems and successfully solved complex, multi-step measurement tasks combining multiple operations.
- NJSLA Performance: Students attacked state testing with absolute confidence! They filled their scratch paper with mathematical models, annotations, and detailed algorithms to solve extended-response questions.
🌍 Social Studies
From early colonization to the birth of a nation, students mapped out American history while connecting with their local community.
- The 13 Colonies Research & Presentations: Students analyzed physical maps, settlements, American Indian Nations, and land-use data to research the original colonies. Working collaboratively, they synthesized their notes to build slide presentations on the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies, presenting their findings to their peers with immense public speaking confidence.
- The Revolutionary War: Students investigated the foundational conflicts that led to the birth of the United States. They researched the root causes of the war, analyzed the actions of both sides, and tracked the historical timeline through the text "Battling for Independence."
- Civic Action & Earth Day: Fourth graders discussed global environmental protection strategies and proudly shared their findings with their Kindergarten buddies, continuing to foster a wonderful multi-grade mentorship.
- Hoboken Walking Field Trip: Students brought their history lessons to life by stepping out into the local neighborhood! They explored historical spaces right here in town to better understand how local ideas and events change a community over time.
Fifth Grade
Our fantastic fifth graders have officially conquered their final year of elementary school! This marking period was an absolute whirlwind of rigorous academic milestones, crucial state testing, deep historical inquiries, and unforgettable local adventures. Our students showed incredible maturity, perseverance, and growth across every subject. Thank you, fifth-grade families, for your unwavering partnership and dedication throughout this milestone school year!
📚 ELA
Our fifth-grade readers and writers tackled advanced themes, structural plot analysis, and final literary milestones with incredible focus.
- Triumphant Conclusion of Number the Stars: Students successfully wrapped up their deeply impactful core novel study on Lois Lowry's Number the Stars. In the final weeks, they tackled complex inferential and critical-thinking questions to unpack the gravity of the book's resolution, completing reflective culminating projects that demonstrated their empathy and deep comprehension of historical fiction.
- Diving Into the Final Core Novel – Hoot: Following state testing, the classrooms jumped straight into Roald Dahl's and Carl Hiaasen’s eco-mystery, Hoot. Students became completely engrossed in the lives of Roy, the mysterious Mullet Fingers, and the effort to save the endangered burrowing owls. They spent the final weeks analyzing environmental ethics, character motivations, and tracking the suspenseful rising action of the plot.
- Standardized Testing Stamina: Students poured their hearts into the NJSLA reading and writing sections, utilizing advanced literacy strategies to dissect complex passages, outline textual evidence, and draft comprehensive essays under testing conditions.
🧮 Math
Our mathematicians engaged in a high-powered review of elementary concepts while simultaneously conquering advanced middle-school preparatory geometry!
- Measurement Conversions: Students mastered unit transformations using creative mathematical tools! They utilized the "King Henry" mnemonic device (King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk) to effortlessly shift decimals within the metric system. For customary measurements, they mastered the "Horse to Fly" strategy—identifying the larger unit as the "horse" and the smaller as the "fly" to determine whether to multiply (Horse to Fly, multiply) or divide (Fly to Horse, divide of course).
- Advanced Geometry & Coordinate Planes: Classrooms explored polygons and categorized triangles by their internal angles (right, acute, obtuse) and structural sides. They advanced into the coordinate grid system, plotting and naming specific \((x, y)\) coordinate points, utilizing input/output tables to generate algebraic patterns, and graphing those mathematical relationships on a coordinate plane.
- NJSLA Boot Camp & Review: To gear up for state testing, students participated in an intensive math camp, solving standards-aligned escape rooms and playing high-stakes interactive jeopardy games. They showed elite stamina during the formal NJSLA math and science sections.
Envisions Cumulative Reviews: Post-testing, students solidified their foundational skills through targeted math modules:
- Topic 13: Writing, translating, and interpreting complex numerical expressions using the correct order of operations (PEMDAS).
- Topic 7: Adding, subtracting, and estimating sums and differences involving complex fractions and mixed numbers.
- Fraction Operations: Multiplying fractions and applying fractional computation to multi-step word problems and real-world story equations.
🌍 Social Studies & Local Heritage
History truly came alive this marking period as students moved from a turning point in American history to the historic streets of their own town!
- The Reconstruction Era: Students dove into advanced, critical history lessons centered around the Reconstruction era, following the Civil War. Classrooms analyzed the massive political, social, and economic challenges of rebuilding a fractured nation. They explored the text to understand the fight for civil rights, the creation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and how the choices made during this era permanently altered the trajectory of modern America.
- Historical Walking Scavenger Hunt of Hoboken: To tie their local geography, community changes, and industrial history together, fifth graders embarked on a high-energy Historical Walking Scavenger Hunt right through the streets of Hoboken! Students utilized clues to track down local historic landmarks, architecture, and spaces of cultural significance. They actively analyzed how our square-mile city has transformed from an early shipping and industrial powerhouse into the vibrant community they walk through every single day.
🎉 Mature Milestones & Growth
- Maturity in Health & Rehearsals: Our fifth graders showed immense respect, emotional maturity, and responsibility during our end-of-year health and development units, asking thoughtful questions. They demonstrated that same focused maturity while collaborating in full band rehearsals!
- NJSLA Celebration: We are so proud of the endurance students displayed during weeks of state testing—they fully earned their well-deserved extra end-of-day recess time!
Science 🔬
Our small-town scholars transformed into world-class scientists during this final marking period! From engineering protective infrastructure to digging for prehistoric clues and building autonomous robots, students across all grade levels brought their Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and science modules to life through magnificent hands-on discovery.
🌱 Kindergarten
Our youngest scientific scholars engaged their minds and bodies by exploring the natural world and the human anatomy.
- The Sun Warms Earth: Students launched marigold seed logs to track plant germination in honor of Earth Day and explored how solar energy impacts our playground's surfaces. They even stepped into the role of engineers to design and construct protective sun shelters using popsicle sticks!
- The Human Body (PLTW Focus): Little scientists followed a fictional character's journey from a fall to the hospital to learn about medical X-rays and casts. They built physical models of human lungs, engineered custom scratch-and-sniff paper to test their senses, and mapped out how internal organs keep them healthy, strong, and moving.
🦁 1st Grade
First graders spent the final weeks analyzing survival mechanisms, cross-generational patterns, and biological life cycles.
- Animal Adaptations: Students investigated animal traits by testing various simulated bird beaks (such as pelicans vs. hummingbirds) to discover which shapes are best suited for grabbing food. They engineered custom "adaptation footwear" designed to traverse specialized terrains and built travel poster projects mapping out diverse global habitats.
- Living Things & Their Young: Classrooms studied plant heredity by growing carrot plants from scraps, tracking similarities and differences between old and young plants over a 10-day cycle. They also explored the critical role pollinators play in our ecosystem.
- Live Lab Experiments: Explorers wrapped up the year with live biology labs, observing the metamorphosis of butterflies and hatching active brine shrimp to track their social behavior.
⛰️ 2nd Grade
Second-grade structural engineers focused on earth processes, land preservation, and the relationships between plants and animals.
- Landslide & Erosion Prevention: Students tackled a steep environmental problem: designing a physical hillside barrier to prevent severe erosion and protect a fictional neighborhood from catastrophic landslides. They paired these models with geographical maps to discover where land changes and water formations occur across Earth.
- Form, Function, & Property Analysis: Students learned to categorize natural and human-made objects by evaluating their observable properties, including color, texture, form, and functional design.
- Botanical Ecosystems: Classrooms dissected the internal structures of flowers and modeled how plants rely on animals for seed dispersal. They concluded the unit by planting seeds and observing their growth over a seven-day germination cycle.
🦖 3rd Grade
Third graders wrapped up their state testing and immediately transitioned into a hands-on exploration of ancient history and atmospheric data.
- Paleontology & Fossil Fun Week: Students stepped into the shoes of paleontologists by rubbing structural casts of genuine Tyrannosaurus Rex bone impressions. They meticulously pieced the paper bone fragments back together to construct accurate, labeled anatomical models of the prehistoric predator.
- Evolutionary Timelines: Classrooms charted a grand evolutionary timeline comparing prehistoric beasts like the T-Rex, Velociraptor, and Triceratops, analyzing which ancient plant and animal structures still manage to exist on Earth today.
- Meteorology & Weather Patterns: Shifting to atmospheric science, students began studying local weather conditions. They utilized common household materials to engineer functional, custom wind vanes to collect, chart, and interpret daily wind direction data.
🪵 4th Grade
Fourth graders acted as historical geologists and safety engineers to understand the deep history of our planet and its natural resources.
- Clues from the Past & Layer on Layer: Students studied rock strata patterns to decode Earth’s historical timeline. They constructed scientific explanations regarding the age of various rock layers based on relative positioning and embedded fossils, culminating in an active classroom "fossil dig" using clay rocks.
- Extinct Adaptations: By carefully examining the fossilized skeletal remains of extinct reptiles, students mapped out how specific physiological traits influenced an animal's movement and dictated the type of climate it inhabited.
- Energy, Fuel, & Hazard Engineering: Classrooms analyzed the benefits and drawbacks of renewable versus nonrenewable natural resources. They applied this knowledge to an "Engineer It" challenge, evaluating water-based natural disasters and testing structural solutions designed to lower the impact of flood and wave hazards on human populations.
🤖 5th Grade
Our senior elementary scientists blended complex mathematical logic, geology, and advanced technological automation.
- Volumetric Earth Modeling: Using precise scale conversions (transforming kilometers to centimeters), students mapped out Earth’s four structural layers: the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. They sculpted multi-colored Play-Doh spheres to construct a realistic, cross-sectional model of the planet's interior.
- Rock Cycle Inquiry: Student geologists researched and delivered presentations on the three primary rock classifications: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. They performed independent lab inquiries to determine volume, hardness, and chemical reactions to vinegar.
- Stress-Free Lab Crystallization: Following their NJSLA science testing sessions, fifth graders celebrated with a chemistry lab by growing their own sparkling crystal formations.
- Robotics & Automation (PLTW Focus): To close out their elementary science career, students jumped into robotics. Utilizing advanced VEX IQ building kits, they collaborated to design, program, and bring custom automation models to life, exploring how mechanical engineering can solve modern, real-world problems.
Individualized Learning Pathway - Creative Problem Solving
During our specialized Individualized Learning Pathway (ILP) sessions, students who qualified for the prestigious Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Verbal or Math programming took part in advanced Creative Problem Solving courses. This rigorous, four-unit curriculum provided our advanced scholars with structured opportunities to think critically, collaborate closely with peers, and apply innovative engineering and narrative strategies to complex, real-world, and imaginative challenges.
Below are the incredible highlights from our specialized course pathways across the grade levels:
🎨 Grade 2: Story Machines
Our young wordsmiths took center stage as future authors, diving headfirst into narrative structures, character development, and illustration design.
- Imaginative Mechanics: Students built vibrant stories from a mix of raw prompts, complex character profiles, and unexpected plot twists. They practiced the art of planning, drafting, revising, and weaving dialogue into their text.
- Creative Prompts: Future authors pushed their imagination by drafting short stories from a single sentence starter. They also completed a structural challenge: engineering an object, person, or animal using exactly three geometric shapes, then swapping drawings with a peer to write an original narrative based on their classmate’s art.
- Fairy Tale Transformations: The unit wrapped up with students designing custom book covers and illustrations to accompany original, magical fairy tales.
🏝️ Grade 3: Island Survival
Third-grade scholars were faced with an imaginative dilemma: being stranded on a deserted island where they had to secure immediate survival needs and design a brand-new civilization from scratch.
- Societal Engineering: Teams collaborated to explore basic human needs, establish stable leadership structures, and develop laws and systems to ensure public safety and cooperation.
- 3D Cartography & Modeling: Using a variety of recycled materials, students worked in teams to engineer a physical 3D model of their custom island, highlighting new residential habitats and community infrastructure.
- The Island Showcase: The unit culminated in a grand exhibition. Groups created comprehensive Google Slides presentations mapping out their food sources, shelter designs, tools, and defensive strategies to prove how their society successfully transformed a deserted island into a thriving community.
🦁 Advanced Ethics: Zoo of the Future
Acting as futuristic ethical engineers and designers, students tackled the complex logistics of modern wildlife conservation and zoning.
- Habitat Research: Teams researched animal dietary needs, natural biomes, and modern zoological safety practices to design a sustainable zoo that balanced animal welfare, public education, and environmental sustainability.
- Zoning & Enrichment: Groups selected three unique animals from distinct global biomes, mapping out spacious enclosures filled with appropriate cognitive and physical enrichment. They also drafted logical visitor pathways and interactive exhibits to promote global conservation.
- Architectural Models: Using pizza boxes and various household recyclables, teams built detailed 3D structural models of their layouts, presenting their final blueprints and architectural choices during a highly professional classroom design showcase.
🧙♂️ Entering Enchanted Realms
In this high-level literacy and world-building unit, students immersed themselves in the structural design of epic fantasy fiction.
- The Hero’s Journey Archetype: Students analyzed classical story structures, tracing how legendary authors utilize quests, magical rules, enchanted landscapes, and moral conflicts to test memorable protagonists.
- Collaborative World-Building: Working in creative groups, students designed an original fantasy realm from scratch, establishing its mystical laws, unique magical creatures, and geography.
- Anthology & Showcase: Every student drafted an original narrative set within their group's shared world, building physical artifacts, visual maps, and detailed character dossiers. The project concluded with a "Fantasy Realms Showcase," where students bound their stories together into a collective class anthology.
⚔️ Grade 5: Hero’s Journey Studio
Our fifth-grade co-authors wrapped up their elementary ILP careers by diving deep into Joseph Campbell’s monomyth framework, the Hero’s Journey.
- Narrative Evolution: Students collaborated in writing groups to design original characters, high-stakes conflicts, and multi-layered plotlines centered around themes of courage, personal growth, and internal transformation.
- Multimedia Presentations: Teams combined literary art, fine arts, stage performance, and technology to bring their epics to life. They translated their complex narratives into highly creative formats, including custom comic books, fully illustrated short stories, live theatrical skits, and digital multimedia presentations.
Music 🎶
What an absolutely spectacular, melody-filled final marking period we have had in music class! From welcoming cultural guest artists to mastering instrumental technique, exploring free-form improvisation, and prepping for our big upper-grade concert, our Connors musicians have filled our halls with incredible energy. Thank you to all of our families for supporting our musicians as they learned to speak the universal language of music this year!
🥁 Special Guest Performances & Cultural Showcases
Our classrooms were deeply enriched by students sharing their personal musical lives and heritage with their peers:
- The Traditional Tabla: In Ms. Schmidt’s class, Amitoj brought in his family’s traditional Indian tabla drums. He mesmerized the class with traditional Indian rhythms and taught his peers the proper, ancient hand-striking techniques.
- Classical Violin: In Ms. Schulz’s 4th-grade class, Emma treated her peers to a gorgeous live performance of classical music by Johann Sebastian Bach on her personal violin.
🎸 Ukulele & Strings Studio
Our string players built immense finger dexterity, chord-switching stamina, and performance confidence:
- Challenging Chord Transitions: In Ms. Ortiz’s class, students worked hard on building hand strength to transition seamlessly between the F, C, and G chords on the ukulele, with Dylan showcasing fantastic confidence.
- The Four Strings: Our dedicated morning ukulele ensemble, The Four Strings, spent weeks polishing a secret, slowed-down rock song arranged in a classic ukulele vibe, ready to rock the house at the big show.
💨 Recorder & 4th Grade Band Focus
Our fourth graders officially leveled up their notation reading and performance prep:
- New Notes & Yankees Traditions: In Ms. Yoo’s class, recorder players mastered the notes high C and D. They celebrated by performing a crowd-favorite rendition of the YMCA, complete with the iconic stadium arm movements used by the Yankees field crew!
- Concert Preparation: The entire 4th-grade band ensemble poured immense effort into their concert material, spending weeks refining their technical fingerings, breath support, tone quality, and overall ensemble sound.
🥁 5th Grade Band, Percussion, & Middle School Send-Off
Our fifth graders wrapped up their elementary music careers with advanced concepts, high-energy rhythm sections, and creative expression:
- Polishing the Finale: The 5th-grade band dug deep to conquer a highly challenging concert piece. The percussion section laid down massive grooves—including Lainey on the bucket drum—bringing smiles to everyone's faces at the final cutoff.
- The Art of Improvisation: During instrumental lessons, Colin, Oliver, Israel, and Arianna led a full-on free-form jam session. This improvisation unit pushed students to take musical risks, build creative confidence, and listen deeply to one another while inventing completely original rhythms.
- Sight-Reading & Middle School Prep: Our 5th-grade brass and percussion sections put their structural skills to the ultimate test by successfully sight-reading brand-new, unstudied sheet music. We are going to miss our 5th-grade musicians immensely and wish them the absolute best of luck as they bring their talents into their new middle school bands!
🎼 Lower Grade Music Theory (1st & 2nd Grade)
Our youngest musicians proved that music is just as much about math and reading as it is about sound!
- Springtime Math Equations: In Ms. Gualario’s class, students reinforced their note values by solving simple math equations on spring-themed sheets, matching note and rest values to numerical answers to color beautiful masterpieces, like Kaelyn's.
- Learning a New Language: In Ms. Klag’s and Ms. Wolf’s classes, students memorized the visual definitions of complex notes and rests, practicing drawing them flawlessly on the staff.
- Treble & Bass Clef Mastery: In Ms. Severino’s and 1st-grade classrooms, students successfully mastered note identification across both the "old clef" and "new clef"—the bass and treble clefs! First graders like Anaya proved they are 100% ready for the 2nd-grade staff, and second graders like Jake correctly identified every single pitch.
Mandarin 🌏
What an absolutely remarkable final marking period we have had in Mandarin class! From exploring green infrastructure and global sports, to honoring history and celebrating rich cultural festivals, our students have expanded both their language skills and global perspectives. Thank you to all of our families for supporting our learners on this incredible cultural and linguistic journey this year!
🌿 Environmental Awareness & Earth Day
Our language scholars connected their vocabulary directly to global environmental protection and modern green technology:
- Sponge Cities & Conservation: Students celebrated Earth Day by investigating the innovative concept of "sponge cities" in China. They learned how to discuss critical environmental topics in the target language, including climate change, plastic pollution, eco-friendly bags, and biking.
- Marine Protection: Our Kindergarten and 1st-grade students explored the wonders of the ocean, learning the Mandarin names for various sea animals while discussing the vital importance of protecting marine ecosystems.
🐛 Insects & Interactive Classroom Surveys
Our primary classes blended science, data collection, and language fluency during their insect unit:
- Size & Insect Vocabulary: Students learned the names of various insects while reviewing the foundational modifiers 大 (dà / big) and 小 (xiǎo / small).
- Classroom Surveys: Students actively practiced their conversational skills by surveying their classmates about their favorite insects. By graphing the results, they discovered that 蝴蝶 (húdié / butterflies) and 蜻蜓 (qīngtíng / dragonflies) were the absolute favorites!
🗺️ History, Identity, & Literature
Students took a deep dive into historical milestones, diverse identities, and family heritage:
- Angel Island Poetry: Students explored Asian American history by learning about Angel Island. To express deep empathy for the immigrants who journeyed through the station, students wrote moving, original poems detailing the emotional experiences of those historic travelers.
- Literature Connections: Kindergarten through 2nd-grade classrooms enjoyed a special read-aloud of the beautiful picture book Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho. Students used the text to compare and contrast their own traits with the main character, using the discussion to seamlessly review their Family vocabulary unit.
🏀 Sports & Cultural Comparisons
Classrooms analyzed international athletic trends to see how games connect people across the globe:
- Athletic Vocabulary: Students wrapped up their All About Me unit by learning the Mandarin terms for popular sports, including 篮球 (lánqiú / basketball) and 棒球 (bàngqiú / baseball).
- Global Overlaps: Students compared and contrasted the most popular sports in China with those in the United States, discovering unique cultural overlaps and differences in athletic traditions.
🛶 Cultural Festivals & Traditions
Our final weeks were filled with historic celebrations and deep expressions of gratitude:
- The Dragon Boat Festival: Students explored the rich history of 端午节 (Duānwǔjié / Dragon Boat Festival), learning how the holiday commemorates the life and legacy of the famous ancient poet Qu Yuan. They discussed how dragon boat racing has grown into a massive international phenomenon outside of China.
- Culinary Traditions: Classrooms learned about the traditional festival food, 粽子 (zòngzi)—delicious glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings and expertly wrapped inside bamboo leaves.
- Father's Day & Songs of Thanks: To honor the father figures in their lives, students engineered beautiful, custom 3D paper cubes inscribed with heartfelt messages of appreciation. The marking period concluded on a beautiful note as students practiced singing the lyrics to the sweet song of gratitude, 《听我说谢谢你》 (Tīng wǒ shuō xièxiè nǐ / Listen to Me Say Thank You).
Art 🎨
What an absolutely marvelous, color-filled final marking period we have had in the art room! Our creative innovators expanded their drawing stamina, explored sustainable printmaking, and used ancient legends to engineer beautiful, symbolic masterpieces. Thank you to all of our families for supporting and encouraging our brilliant artists throughout this unforgettable school year!
🎨 Color Mixing & Foundational Drawing
Our primary artists focused on the science of color theory and built up their muscle memory through structured creative time:
- Primary to Secondary Formations: Kindergarten and 1st-grade students explored the magic of color mixing. They practiced combining primary hues to discover how secondary colors are formed, creating vibrant palettes.
- Stamina & Free Drawing: To develop independent drawing skills, students received 10 minutes of structured "free draw" time at the end of their lessons to sketch, experiment, and bring their own imaginative concepts to life.
♻️ Earth Day Upcycled Printmaking
Artistic expression met environmental awareness during our special Earth Day modules:
- Easter Egg Stamping: Students explored the unique art of printmaking and mark-making through upcycling! By reusing leftover plastic Easter eggs as stamps, our young creators rolled out beautiful, layered textures while learning how to keep everyday materials out of landfills.
🐉 Symbolism & The Legend of the Dragon
Our students explored Asian culture through a powerful storytelling and design project:
- The Legend of Liú: Students learned the inspiring ancient tale of Liú, an ordinary fish who shows immense courage to navigate the dangers of the Yellow River. By bravely jumping over a towering waterfall, Liú undergoes a magical transformation into an extraordinary dragon.
- Color Psychology: Each student designed their own custom dragon, carefully selecting colors to symbolize a distinct personality trait or element of nature, including luck, storm, water, nature, and prosperity.
🏆 PATH Summer Poster Contest Triumphs
Connors Elementary is bursts with pride over our massive artistic achievements this season:
- Celebrating Our Winners: After a highly competitive selection process, we officially celebrated the winners of the PATH Summer Poster Contest! A massive congratulations goes out to Ellie Fontana (1st Grade) and Skylee Familia (4th Grade).
- The Award Ceremony: Our talented winners were formally recognized for their incredible designs during a beautiful cross-district celebration ceremony held this past Wednesday at Wallace Elementary School!
