February 2019 Herald

February 2019 Dear Hopkins Families, We have reached the 100th day of school and there has been a lot of activity within the walls of Hopkins School. Whether it is fifth graders learning how math connects to origami through the HPTA sponsored enrichment program called Origami or students learning drumming rhythms in music and improving cardio endurance through drumming in PE, the learning never stops. There has also been a lot happening to guide our students and staff to being more emotionally healthy. If you haven't heard, our very own Ms. Kelly Phillips (a.k.a. art teacher extraordinaire and certified yoga instructor) has lead students and staff through yoga enrichment lessons. Exploring movement breaks that will decrease stress and providing a "brain gym" in the classroom are just a few ways Ms. Phillips is contributing to the emotional well-being of everyone at Hopkins. Teachers are excited to integrate these practices into their rooms and we are so thankful to the HPTA for sponsoring this important enrichment activity! The week of Feb. 13th was Hopkins School's second yearly Random Acts of Kindness Week. Throughout the week, teachers and students have been caught doing kind things for others to start a ripple effect of kindness. Showing our gratitude with cards, filling our Kindness Tree with acts of kindness sticky notes, and saying thanks to others are just a few ways the social and emotional well being of everyone at Hopkins has been supported. Take some time to enjoy time with family and friends. Staff and students have worked hard to write about the various activities that have occurred the past few months. Enjoy this edition of the Hopkins Herald! Ms. Babson Showing Grit in 111 and 112 We The Scientists Lights, Camera, Action! Fifth Grade Talent Show Making Plans for February Break Candids Important Dates INside this edition HOme of the h.a.w.k.s. Hopkins acts with kindness A Note from Ms. Babson Hopkins Herald Showing grit in 111 and 112 Planned by: Kathryn Butkus Written by: Tony Mankarious   Have you shown grit this year? Classrooms 111 and 112 have been demonstrating use of a growth mindset and grit throughout the school year! Miss McHugh, Miss Farrell, Mrs. Cook, and Mrs. Wallner teach students about growth mindsets. Do you know what it means to have a growth mindset? Recognizing thought patterns and identifying the thoughts that we have is so important as learners! When we can identify a negative thought we have, did you know we have the power to choose to turn it into a positive thought?! This is important to teach students, and adults, so they do not give up and so they keep working hard to pursue their dreams. With recent videos on Class Dojo, students have learned about dendrites. According to Dictionary.com, “Dendrites are a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body.” In our own words: dendrites help your brain grow stronger. Our brains are like muscles! We need to work them out like we do in order to have strong, healthy bodies. Did you know, that mistakes are what helps us grow dendrites?! Mistakes are what help our brains to grow stronger?! In our first class read-aloud this year, Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, we learned about a character named Ally who had to overcome obstacles as she learned to read. As we got to know the character throughout the story, we could identify the grit and perseverance she showed. She has been our inspiration and model for GRIT!   Students in 111 and 112 persevere throughout the school year and each day, using positive self talk get out of “the dip.” Have you heard of the dip? Well, it is a representation of the struggle we have when we learn something new. In this model, the bottom part of the dip represents the hard part of learning. This hard part is when we feel frustrated, and when we want to give up. The tip top, like the top of a mountain we climb, represents success when learning something new! 111 and 112 work everyday to make perseverance, using a growth mindset, and having grit, all habits! Thanks to the wonderful teachers that help every step of the way! Including Ms. McHugh, Ms. Cook, Ms. Farrell, and Ms. Wallner. How will you show grit and perseverance today and this year? #FindYourGrit  Showing Grit Continued !! Related Arts Activities we the scientists... By Emilia Graham, Maggie Agosto, Chloe Tumbleton, Ashley Gronbach, and Pranav Lakki-Reddy In Mrs. Feldman and Mrs.Cadoret’s classroom, we have been learning about plants, animals and the structural adaptations they need to survive. We studied the parts of a seed, developed and observed eco-columns, and built our own Arctic plant. Basic Needs We studied the basic needs of animals. A fish’s basic needs are different from a squirrel. Fish need water to breath and eats plankton as food, while the squirrel requires oxygen from the air, water and food. Every group was assigned an animal and was given materials such as clay, toothpicks, and feathers. Our task was to build a diorama that represented the animal’s basic needs. Creating this prototype helped us understand how the basic needs of animals allow them to survive. Ecosystem/Columns We studied the flora and fauna that we would be working with: mosquito fish, isopods, crickets, snails, duckweed, and elodea. We then split into groups and set up our ecocolumns. An ecocolumn is a small ecosystem using two bottles with a terrestrial chamber and an aquatic chamber. Elodea, duckweed, snails, and mosquito fish, which are called fry when they are young, were then added to the aquarium. In the terrarium, we had crickets, isopods, rye, mustard, and alfalfa. My class and I really enjoyed this experiment. Having the opportunity to see how interdependence works first hand, made it a more meaningful experience. Surviving The Arctic Another project our class recently finished was called “Surviving the Arctic”. The objective was to create a new plant that could survive the arctic. My group of four people made a plant we called the Arctic Cactopus because it had eight branches and thick waxy cactus skin. I know this project helped me better understand what plants need to live in the Arctic. Every student was interested and engaged. With this hands-on way of learning students are able to learn and retain information easily. Earth’s Systems There are four systems of Earth: the Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Geosphere,and the Biosphere. The hydrosphere is all the water on Earth, the biosphere is the sum of all living things, the geosphere is all the layers of the earth, rocks and minerals, and the atmosphere is the air and all the layers of it. This is a new unit we just started and can’t wait to see what hands on projects we will get to create!    we the scientists Continued    Parts of a seed Our class recently researched and finished a “parts of a seed” project. We learned about the five parts of a seed and how they support the plant’s growth. The radicle, the micropyle, the embryo, the cotyledon, and the seed coat are those five parts. We used plastic bags to plant seeds without soil, added water and taped them on the windows. A plant’s three basic needs are carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight so we learned how to grow a plant without soil. The plant survived because it met all of its basic needs. For fourteen days, we kept journals that contained logs of the seed´s growth. This helped us learn about the parts of a seed because we were able to explore and observe them for ourselves, and not just read about it from an article or book. Aquaponics Soon we will be starting a new project of growing aquaponic plants. We received a planter with a base for the aquarium and a top for the terrarium. The plants can survive without soil which we learned because the plants basic needs are water, sunlight and air.. We are growing a variety of herbs. As a class, we will record our discoveries in our science notebooks. The plants have a light that will keep them warm and help them grow. By using a special aquaponic water bed, we will have a better understanding of the plants basic needs. The fish, in the aquarium, produce waste which helps the bacteria and plants grow and the plants and bacteria help the fish by giving it food. We also put a clay substance that adds stability to the plant, just as soil does. The pump constantly filters water, through so the plants never dry out. As you can see in our photo there is a acrylic reservoir of water and a white top full of clay that will root the plants into place. We are excited to start this new unit!  Random Acts of Kindness Week! Filling out Compliment Cards LIghts, Camera, Action! What do Rosa Parks, fantasy novels, and iMovie have in common? They were all featured in Hopkins’ fifth grade Book Trailers -- the cool, high-tech way for students to share their favorite books and get inspired to explore new ones.   This fall in the library, Hopkins students dove deep into their favorite genres and books in small groups and explored exciting iPad apps to showcase highlights from their novels in an iMovie project.   After choosing a book, groups worked on building a Book Trailer to entice other students to read. First, they wrote a script, focusing on a “hook,” which is story element that draws in the viewer. Next, during the filming process, students learned how to use iPad apps like the Do Ink GreenScreen App, ChatterPix, and iMovie. They had to consider aspects like appealing visuals and matching the music to the story, as well as divide jobs equally throughout the group, building essential teamwork skills in the process.   My favorite part of this project was watching the students’ excitement about sharing their favorite novels with their classmates. The best part of reading is sharing that joy with another person, and students really experienced that joy throughout the project. Check out a few for yourself! Like a good mystery? Then check out the Nancy Drew trailer from Mrs. Feldman’s class  Want to learn about a women who has inspired a nation? Check out this Who Was Rosa Parks trailer from Mrs. Fumarola’s and Mrs. Maw’s class.   Join a hero’s quest with this adventurous Lost Heroes book trailer from Mrs. Calnan’s class.   Origamido with michael Lafosse Every fifth grade classroom is bustling with excitement for the chance to show the whole school their unique talents and doing what they love. Kids can choose to be an Emcee, an announcer that announces the acts, or they can choose to be in an act by themself or in a group, Lastly, they can choose a volunteer role, where they can sell snacks, hand out flyers, and sell tickets. The auditions to be an emcee or do an act were on Monday the 28, and Wednesday the 30. The stakes were much higher for the emcees, seeing as only 10 out of the 36 auditions got in. We interviewed some rising emcees, Ella T. and Ali B. Let’s see what they had to say. Why do you think you are a good person for an emcee role, Ella? Ella: I don’t have stage fright, I’ll just go up and do it. Are you excited to be an emcee, do you think you will get in? Ella: Yeah. I feel really confident that I will. So Ali, how do you think your audition went? Ali: I think it went very well because they laughed at me like, they thought I was funny. What act do you really want to announce if you get to be an emcee? Ali:I want to announce you and Julia’s act and Gabby P. ‘s act. The children that have the courage to go up on stage to do their an act are awesome too. There may not be many daredevil trapeze acts, but we know one thing for sure; the student acts in the talent show will light up the night! Many of the students auditioning for the talent show are excited, but a lot more are feeling nervous about performing in front of an audience. Rohan U. (from room 104) will be playing Allegro on his violin and Anvitha N. (from room 101) is doing an Indian dance with her friend. Ryan C. and Gabby P. are also doing acts. Let’s find out what they are doing.  are you excited for the 5th grade talent show? By Julia Hoffmaster and Mary Finnegan  Fifth grade Talent Show COntinued!   What act are you doing in the Talent Show? Ryan: I’m doing magic and card tricks. Did you audition already? Ryan: No, I am auditioning tomorrow, he told us. What is one trick you will be doing? Ryan: I will be changing the colors of playing cards. So Gabby, we hear you will be doing a singing act in the show, what song will you be singing? Gabby: Remedy by Adele. Were you nervous around auditions? We know we are. Gabby: Um… like, before I was excited but when you get up there you get butterflies in your stomach, but when you start you’re like, perfectly fine. How long did it take you to learn the song? Gabby: Um.. not that long probably around like, 2 weeks to get the melody and the gist. But like, knowing most of the words is like, 1 week. We hope that all of the kids we interview get into the talent show. All kids are very brave to do an audition for the talent show. Now, there is one last thing that fifth graders can do for the talent show... They can have a volunteer role! They don’t have to audition to be a volunteer, so it is perfect for kids who are afraid of being on stage. We interviewed Anna B. from room 104, who is doing a volunteer role with her friend Emmy. Why did you chose to do a volunteer role over Emcee and an act? Anna: I don’t want to be on stage. It’s just like it scary in front of a big crowd What part of volunteering are you looking forward to most? Anna: I don’t know, probably tickets and concessions. Are you doing this with anybody? Anna: Yes. I’m doing this with Emmy F. We hope that everyone who tried their best at auditions got into the talent show and got the role that they wanted. Good luck to all those people who got in the show and have a great time performing. See you at the Talent Show! And don’t forget to cheer as loud as you can!  Honoring Mr. Flannery's 20 years of service to Hopkins Just about everyone at Hopkins is looking forward to February break. Student reporters from Room 202 asked other kids from Team Glacier to share their plans. From going away, to staycations, to ski trips, it sounds like everyone is in for a good time. Many people are going away for February break. Sahana in Room 201 is going to India, she is visiting relatives and looking forward to the warm weather. That sounds like a great trip. We hope she has fun! Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, is a popular place to go for vacation. Landon in Room 204 is going. Maybe he’ll get to see Harry Potter. If you like the Southeast, Emily, from Room 203, is going to North Carolina. She is visiting her grandparents and going to the aquarium. Hopefully, she’ll have warm weather to enjoy. To everyone going away this February break, safe travels!  It’s fun to go places, but staying home can be fun, too. Some people in Glacier are staying home over February break. Kiran in 203 is going to stay home to have fun playing Fortnite. Hope you get a Victory Royale! Want to go bowling? Then come on over and join Urmi in 203 with her dad. Nikhita in 204 is going to Apex to have a good time. We wonder which of the activities she’ll do: arcade games, bowling, escape rooms, laser tag, or the trampoline park? Maybe she’ll try them all. Even if you’re not traveling over February break, there are clearly plenty of fun activities to do at home, too! A lot of people are going skiing over February break. They’ll be traveling in the Northeast and out West. Colorado is an awesome place to go skiing and Evie from Room 204 is going there! She is staying there for a whole week, staying at Copper Mountain Resort. Sam in 202 is going to ski Loon mountain over February break! You might want to join Sam for skiing at Loon mountain, it is only a few hours from Hopkinton. Brady from Room 201 is going skiing in Utah. That is a great place to go for skiing. He is probably really looking forward to it! Those are great plans for enjoying the February snow. Everyone here at Hopkins School has worked hard and earned a nice break. No matter your plans, near or far, we hope everyone has a great time!  Making Plans for February Break BY: Avery Q, Adeline, Jae, Callie, Lyla, Teju, Kale, Megan, Avery M, Orion, and Agam from Room 202  Scenes from around Hopkins Hopkins Orchestra getting ready for thier Spring concert! APRIL April 3 - Digital Citizenship for Generation Z Text Feb. 18-22 - No School - February Vacation Mar. 8 - WSM (Team Zion Chorus performs) Mar. 12 - Spring Concert 7-8PM (March 14 Snow Date) Mar. 14 - Community Reading Mar. 18-22 - 4th grade Understanding Our Differences Mar. 22 - Early Release @ 12:15PM Mar. 25-29 - 5th grade Understanding Our Differences March 25 - 29 - Book Fair Mar. 29 - Report Card Access on PowerSchool March 28 - School Council Meeting 8:20AM March 29 Fifth Grade Talent Show Follow Hopkins Elementary School! 2019 MCAS DATES English/Language Arts Math April 23 Grade 4 ELA Session 1 May 13 Grade 5 Math Session 1 April 24 Grade 4 ELA Session 2 May 14 Grade 5 Math Session 2 April 25 Grade 5 ELA Session 1 May 15 Grade 4 Math Session 1 April 26 Grade 5 ELA Session 2 May 16 Grade 4 Math Session 2 Science/Technology/Engineering May 20 Grade 5 Science, Technology, Engineering Session 1 May 21 Grade 5 Science, Technology, Engineering Session 2 Text February Important Dates March Text