Thursday, May 31st, 2012

• Newport Wrap-Up Night

  Newport parents! Please note the arrival times for your clasroom presentations this coming Monday night, June 4th:

  6:30 pm - K, 1st, and 7th grade classrooms

  7:00 pm - 2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms

  If you have any questions, please contact Tawana Clarrett, Principal, at tawana@stevenscoop.org.

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• Afterschool Make-up Classes

  The following Afterschool classes will offer make-up sessions next week:

  Hoboken	Newport
  Chess	Ceramics
  Debate	Lacrosse
  Drama	Vamos a Leer
  Robotics
  Storytelling

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• From Jan Abernathy, Chair, Board of Trustees

  As I was sitting in my daughter’s 8th grade classroom yesterday, watching her present her multimedia graduation project, I noted that the class is already in countdown mode with the number of days of school remaining written prominently on the whiteboard. And indeed, in just a couple of weeks, we will be closing to books on the 2011-2012 school year. In fact, this is the last bulletin message you will read from me this year.

  Where did the time go? It went into building the Brooklyn Bridge, and colonial plays, and making family crests, and farm trips and Mexico. It went into publishing parties, and lunches out, and Ellis Island reenactments. It went into Journeys, and pizza parties, and middle school dances. It went into helping parent days, Fun & Fitness Day and museum trips. It went into all of the things that make Stevens the special place that it is and the experiences that defined our children’s lives here at school.

  If you are a parent whose child is just starting out their journey with us, you probably can’t imagine a time when your child will be taking the subway to school everyday (or even crossing the street without holding your hand), or a time when you child tosses off remarks like, “In four years I will be in college.” I am here to tell you that this moment is at hand, even if you are not aware of it right now. The unending hours of toddler wrangling quickly yield to summer, speeding right into winter break and then again into Journey. And a quick tip – the older that they (and you) get, the faster it all goes.

  I will be a parent who is starting on a brand new journey with my rising 9th grader, and learning another school’s values and traditions. Stevens will be a tough act to follow. If your child is finishing their first year, or their 11th (a distinction I share with two other 8th grade families), I hope that you have been as pleased as I have with both of my children’s entire experience at Stevens. I hope you remember the big moments, but also the small ones that changed your children’s lives. I hope that this school has been a catalyst for growth in your child and that he or she found true friends, true acceptance, and true knowledge in this community of learners.

  I look forward to seeing all of you at one of the graduation or Journey celebrations. If your journey, like mine, will take you to another educational institution next year, please know that we wish your student and your family every success. To our Interim Head, David, who will be leaving at the end of his term this year, safe travels on your next journey. You have the Board’s sincerest thanks for holding the ship steady and leaving it in great shape for Sergio. To my fellow trustees, especially the ones who will be leaving us this year, thank you for your hard work, dedication, and love for our school. To my fellow Class of 2012 parents, please know that I have treasured every moment, and could not have asked for a better group to be my school family for these last 11 years, or a greater group of kids to be my daughter’s peers. And every teacher and administrator who has made an impact on our Noe’s life, I thank you for being part of the foundation of all that she has become, not just as a student but also as a person. She (and we) couldn’t have done it without you.

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• From Joyce Doyle, Director of Development

  I love this time of year at Stevens when all the hard work by our students is culminating in final projects, Brooklyn Bridge presentations, Egg Drops and Sing-a-longs. I am also very inspired by the diligent work that the faculty puts into writing reports, preparing their students for these final presentations and generally winding down the year. As a parent of students in the school, I am equally as proud of the effort that our parents have put forth all year: volunteering in the classroom and on field trips, volunteering for development events, and donating to the Annual Fund and development events. For taking the time to apply for matching gifts, all of which make a Stevens education exceptional – THANK YOU!

  If you haven’t had a chance to give to the Annual Fund yet, please do so as we are only a month away to the close of the fiscal year. You can see how you make a difference. (And to see a list of all who have given, click "Read More" below and find the attachment on the right-hand side of the page.)

  Tomorrow, I will be off at the 2nd Annual Swing Fore the Schools golf outing for six local schools, including Stevens, where families from all over Hudson County will be playing together on the links. Many thanks for making this SOLD OUT event such a success!

   Read More

Classroom News

• 2s, Meghan and Soohyun

  

  The morning 2s had the idea to create puppets and put on a puppet show. We glued different materials onto brown paper bags to create our puppets. The students enjoy playing with their puppets and also putting on shows and singing with them.

  The afternoon 2s were very interested in tracing each other's hands onto paper. We got some very large paper and traced each child's body. They had a great time coloring and drawing faces onto their outlines.

  Both classes took a trip to first grade to visit the baby chicks. We enjoyed observing them and learning about what they eat. At meeting we have been singing and dancing to the movement song "Lets Go Swimming." Our new favorite story is "Caps For Sale" where we enjoy acting out as the monkeys!

   Read More

• 3s, Elsa and Gail

  

  As the school year draws to a close, the 3s have been extremely busy. Both classes got to visit Andea's class to see the baby chicks. We read a book about them and prepared our questions to ask the first graders. The morning class stopped by the 5th grade classroom to see their Egyptian tombs. In music with Arina, we have been acting out "The Wizard of Oz." Our favorite part is finding the hidden broom. In class, we have been singing "Slippery Fish" and "Swimming, Swimming," adding our own ideas about types of fish and what we do when we swim. For the last month, we have been working on our own books. They have photos of ourselves depicting different feelings, our words describing them and a hand-drawn picture of ourselves. These will be shared and treasured for a long time. One morning last week, Isabella's dad, Michael, and Layla's mom, Nina, from Yelda's class, discovered a baby bird outside of our building that had string wrapped around its leg. They brought it in to show the children, then they painstakingly removed the string and returned the bird outside. Our bodies have been traced on large paper and we are starting to paint them. What a fun way to look ourselves.

   Read More

• 4s, Akane and Emma

  The 4s have been enjoying the warm, almost summer, weather! Last week, we went to the river to watch the big ships sail by for fleet week. We saw battleships, big sailboats, jet planes, fighter jets, and helicopters. We waved to the sailors on the battleships. On a very rainy day, the 4s braved the weather to visit the 1st grade class and their chicks! They were so cute and beautiful. Thanks 1st graders! On Tuesday, with Claire’s mom Justine, we made fruit smoothies (strawberries, blueberries, and bananas, ice and sugar) then we blended the ingredients in a blender. It was delicious! Last week, with Eleanor and her parents, Kathy and Tim, we made camera-less photographs with leaves and flowers. They looked so cool! We made frames to put them in. We are continuing to study space, and last week we created our own planets out of soft tortillas, salsa, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese. It was delicious! Some of us made the sun, jupiter, mars, earth, and even our own invented planets. We had another Kung Fu session with Kai’s dad, Eddie. We stretched first, then practiced our horse stance, and then we did block, block, jump and roll! It was nice and exciting!

• PreK/K Y, Yelda and Lauren

  

  PreK/KY had a great trip to the Liberty Science Center this week! We visited the Hudson River Exhibit to learn more about what lives in the river, what dredging is, and what comes in some of the shipping containers that travel on the river. We wanted to share with you some of the things that we learned including the following: salt water lies beneath fresh water, sting rays can live in the salty part of the Hudson River near the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, the small dogfish is actually a type of shark that can travel into the Hudson River from the Atlantic Ocean in the spring and summer. We also had some time to visit other great exhibits, such as Eat or be Eaten, Skyscrapers, and I Explore.

   Read More

  PreK/KY had a great trip to the Liberty Science Center this week! We visited the Hudson River Exhibit to learn more about what lives in the river, what dredging is, and what comes in some of the shipping containers that travel on the river. We wanted to share with you some of the things that we learned including the following: salt water lies beneath fresh water, sting rays can live in the salty part of the Hudson River near the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, the small dogfish is actually a type of shark that can travel into the Hudson River from the Atlantic Ocean in the spring and summer. We also had some time to visit other great exhibits, such as Eat or be Eaten, Skyscrapers, and I Explore.

• Kindergarten D, Deana and Elizabeth

  Kindergarten D would like to thank all of the family and friends who came to watch our final presentation. We worked very hard in Music and Movement and in our classroom perfecting the lyrics and the dance moves. We also finished our butterfly study this week, so we needed to release the butterflies. We decided to set them free in the park. We've learned so much about the life cycle of a butterfly and it was fun to watch them grow from caterpillars!

• 2nd Grade L, Lindsey and Christina

  2nd graders had their grand opening of their Brooklyn Bridge. Throughout the month, 2nd graders have read many books and articles about the Brooklyn Bridge in order to build a realistic bridge and write a research paper on the topic. Students worked in groups to build caissons, the anchorages and main cables, the towers and suspender cables and roadways. When they weren't building the bridge, they were researching topics such as members of the Roebling family who designed and oversaw construction of the bridge, caissons which held up the towers and special events such as P.T. Barnum leading 21 elephants to cross the bridge shortly after it opened. Students also made boats (and yachts) to go under the bridge and in art, they created a canvas mural of the New York skyline to give their bridge a backdrop. At the bridge's opening, 2nd graders also premiered a silent movie they directed and starred in chronicling the story of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Roebling family, depicting such important scenes as John Roebling's fatal accident while surveying the East River, the fire in the Brooklyn caisson, the effects of caisson's disease on workers and the city's celebration upon the bridge's opening.

• 2nd Grade W, Whitney and Danielle

  2nd graders have been hard at work building The Brooklyn Bridge! Students are using blocks, rope, wood, paint, and model magic to create a realistic model of this famous suspension bridge. Students' knowledge of money has come in handy during this build as they are purchasing construction supplies with funds from our class bank! They have earned this money by following class guidelines such as standing steadily on line and pushing in chairs. All of their hard work has paid off, allowing them to make purchases such as rope for $0.50 for ten feet! In Word Work, students are continuing their study of poetry. We studied Limericks, learning that they have five lines following an AABBA rhyming pattern. Students have written many humorous and creative limericks! Our Brooklyn Bridge research papers are completed! Students worked diligently to research facts on a chosen topic and then turn these facts into their own words. Topics include, Emily Roebling, John Roebling, and caissons. We have spent the past few days practicing our Brooklyn Bridge final project that was held this morning! In math, students are building their money skills, getting more comfortable with adding and subtracting money amounts. They gained experience dealing with money in real-life situations by visiting Morton Williams and shopping on a budget. They also dined at our classroom Decimal Diner, where they chose their meals off of menus and added up their totals. Many of our guests even left their servers generous tips with remaining change! In science, students are continuing their Ant Study. We have explored many different ant species and located their habitats on a world map. Every day, a different student conducts an ant observation, studying our classroom ant farm and noting any changes or progress. Our ants have busily dug out many intricate tunnels, creating a fascinating home. Hope to see our 2nd grade families at Wrap-up Night at 7:00 pm on June 4th.

• 3rd/4th Grade J, Jaime and Ashley

  

  3rd/4th J has been working hard on our final project that we are excited to present next week! The 4th graders are preparing for the annual Egg Drop as well as studying geometry in math. 3rd graders are learning about division, measurement, and fractions. In science, we had a guest visitor, Ben Conetta, talk to us about the EPA and the process involved in cleaning up sections of the Hudson River. He showed us some wonderful pictures. In writing, our biographies about Colonial men and woman are almost finished. We are also enjoying reading our literature circle books with partners.

  Reported by Maddie and Gabby

   Read More

  The 3rd/4th J has been working hard on our final project that we are excited to present next week! The 4th graders are preparing for the annual Egg Drop as well as studying Geometry in math. 3rd graders are learning about division, measurement, and fractions. In Science, we had a guest visitor, Ben Conetta, talk to us about the EPA and the process involved in cleaning up sections of the Hudson River. He showed us some wonderful pictures. In writing, our Biographies about Colonial men and woman are almost finished. We are also enjoying reading our literature circle books with partners.

  Reported by Maddie and Gabby

• 5th Grade J, Joseph

  Lately, the 5th grade has been reviewing what we have learned this year in math and learning about some cool topics like the Golden Ratio. In Social Studies, we have been busy with our final project, which is Egypt T.V. In music, we have been working on our song for Journey... Any guesses what we're singing?

  Reported by Bash and Bruce

• 6th Grade H, Hannah

  On Thursday, May 24th, 6th H and 6th T went on a trip to the Cloisters Museum. We saw all of the Cloisters' fabulous unicorn tapestries and many statues. The stained glass artwork was wonderful. There were four groups so each group would go into different sections of the museum like the main hall, the gardens, and lots more. It was wonderful and I hope I can go back there again.

  Reported by Dagmar Marshall Michelson

• 7th Grade B, Brian

  We have been very busy now that we are close to the end of the year! In Science we have just finished our models of the cell using everyday objects such as batteries and postage stamps. We are also using gelatin! In Math class we are studying linear relationships and are also wrapping up the year by creating self evaluations.In Social Studies we are working on our final projects which we are basing on any topics relating to ancient Greece. We will individually present these projects to our parents as well as each other on “Wrap-Up Night”. In fact, we are in the midst of reading The Odyssey, for Literature. It is an epic poem about the travels of a hero named Odysseus and is set in the mythological world of ancient Greece. During art class we are also creating lovely ancient Greek vases. It is a very enjoyable activity to be a part of! To complete our Spanish unit, we are studying different forms of grammar.

  Reported by Mickey and Katia

• 7th Grade K, Katherine

  Recently, the 7th graders have been working very hard on all their subjects. In Math, we have been exploring lines and linear equations with graphic calculators. We have also been studying equations and tables and how to apply them to a graph. It is very fun and easy to learn! In Social Studies we have been finishing up on the life and death of Steve Biko. We are now studying on Greek Mythology. In Literature Circles, the 7th graders are reading and focusing on The Odyssey. Most days in the week we read books from the Odyssey and answer comprehension questions and discuss them with the rest of the class. In Art class we have been making Greek vases to go along with their studies of Greek Mythology.

  Reported by Lindsay

• 8th Grade, Greg

  As the last few weeks of the school year wind down, the 8th grade is in the midst of presenting their 8th grade research projects. Students have worked on these projects for many months and are extremely excited to finally have the opportunity to present their work to the community. The class is wrapping up the challenging Algebra curriculum, in the midst of reading the work Animal Farm, and completing some readings about the civil rights movement. The class's final few assignments will be to individually reflect upon their time at Stevens and to prepare their speeches for graduation. The 8th graders are excited about graduation but also nostalgic about the fact that their time at Stevens will soon come to an end.