Moyer’s Monthly Memo

April 2, 2018

Dear Parents and Students,

Happy April! We’ve had four days off this month and an early dismissal because of the snow.The earth will be alive again and renewed with plenty of beauty. Take some time to savor these longer days of sunshine, smell beautiful flowers, and share time with loved ones while outdoors.

We have 11 weeks (55 school days) remaining until summer vacation officially begins. Sixth Grade Promotion is scheduled for Thursday, June 14at 6:30 p.m. I look forward to sharing this special event that honors your child’s accomplishments for the past seven years. Students’ last day of school is on Monday, June 18; the Yearbook breakfast will be on Friday, June 15, 2018.

Daily homework and a classroom calendar of events can be accessed via School Wires. Please encourage your child to access both daily. Students are expected to access the April calendar from School Wires, record the events that pertain to them in the April calendar and keep the calendar in their take home folder.

I am proud to share that our class earned the gold spoon in the cafeteria in February. Mr. Cochran joined our class on Wednesday, March 28 to play an interactive game, Name that Tune. Students, challenge yourselves to “go for the gold” by: eating quietly, keeping a clean space, and listening to directions while in the cafeteria.

Each student submitted two poems to the Sarah Mook Memorial Poetry Contest. Cash awards will be given for first ($100), second ($50) and third ($25) place winners in each category. Students in sixth grade enter in the sixth through eighth grade category. Prize money is provided by a small fund established in memory of Sarah Mook. Winners will be announced in late May. Good luck students!

Students received an entry formin early February for The Thompson Organization Draw the Future Contest 2018. It was open to kindergarten through sixth grade students. Using crayons, markers, ink, watercolors or colored pencils (no pencils) students designed a car of the future. All students who entered get a T-shirt. There is a first place ($75 gift card to Target), second place ($50 gift card to Target) and third place (two movie passes)winner from each grade level. I’m pleased to share that Alex Kessel and Olivia Pulak were selected as winners. The winner of the grand prize will have his/her art work featured on a billboard! There will be an awards ceremony on April 19 and Alex and Olivia will find out what prize they won.

Gwynneth Critz was new to Pennsylvania; she came from Georgia last summer. As the only girl in her family, she has a younger brother in fourth grade and two older brothers who attend CB East and Holicong.Gwynneth is an extremely caring young lady who likes ballet and soccer. She has naturally and seemingly effortlessly become part of the Bridge Valley Family. As an extremely patient learner, she brings out the best in her peers, gently encouraging them to do their personal best. Her positive attitude coupled with her lasting smile instantly make those around her comfortable and focused to succeed. Gwynneth has formed strong, deep personal connections with many of the students in our class. She isn’t afraid to take risks in her learning or relationships. Students flock to work with her because she oozes positivity. She works especially well with learners who need a gentle voice and extra patience. As an innately bright student, Gwynneth does outstanding work and cares about doing her personal best always. It is with great pleasure that I wholeheartedly recommended Gwynneth Critz for the Boomerang #26 award.

Kudos to the Woodring family for all their work with supporting our troops. We placed third in the competition and will enjoy soft pretzels. Great job students and parents!

Dora Demiri-WormanandZachary Goldbergare involved in the Just Running program every Wednesday. We wish them luck as they train over the next eight weeks.

Students will be taking the PSSA in ELA for three days: Monday, April 9 - Wednesday, April 11 from 8:50 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Students will be taking the PSSA in Math for two days: Monday, April 16 and Tuesday, April 17 from 8:50 a.m.-10:30 a.m. On the days that we have PSSA Math we will not have math but reading instead. On the days that we have PSSA ELA we will not have reading but math instead. Please make sure that your child gets at least 10 hours of sleep and eats a hearty, nutritious breakfast each morning. Kind words of encouragement will also help. During PSSA if students elect to bring any electronics (cell phone, Apple watch, or kindle etc…) those devices will be collected before the start of the test and returned after the completion of the test that day.

Our class is scheduled to go through the Sixth-Grade Assessment from Monday, April 23- Monday, April 30. Students will: research and draft a five- paragraph paper, revise their written work, create a PowerPoint that answers the research question and present theirpaper and PowerPoint to a team. It is essential that your child get a good night’s sleep (at least 10 hours) each night and eat a hearty, nutritious breakfast and lunch each day. Please encourage your child that this will be a wonderful learning experience; an extra hug and kind words of encouragement go a long way. Mrs. Jaeger, Mrs. Rick, and I will read over each paper as well as grade sheet and make a list of what skills each child needs more assistance with.

On Monday, May 7 we are headed to Peace Valley Nature Center to investigate the effects of Pollution. We will leave school at 9:30 a.m. and arrive back to school before 2:00 p.m. Students should dress appropriately and wear boots, crocs, or old sneakers for the trip. They should bring a clean/dry pair of sneakers and socks (in a plastic bag) as they will be going into the lake knee deep. A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen should also be worn. Students should pack a hearty bagged (plastic) lunch as we will eat at the pavilion. Kindly let me know if you are able to chaperone; we are in need of three.

On Monday, June 11 we are headed to Philadelphia Sports Club (PSC) for the class trip. We will leave at 9:00 a.m. and return by 2:00 p.m. The following parents graciously volunteered to chaperone: Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Martinez. Chaperones, kindly have your clearances up to date as you will need them to attend. Chaperones, please meet us at the facility by 9:20 a.m. We will be finished the rotation by 1:30 p.m. and arrive back to school before 2:15 p.m.

I am currently reading aloud one of my favorite novels entitled, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. ForAnnemarie Johansen, life in Copenhagen is a complicated mix of ordinary home and school life, food shortages, and the constant presence of Nazi soldiers. Bravery seems a vague virtue, one possessed by dragon-slaying knights in the bedtime stories she tells her younger sister, Kirsti. Too soon, she herself is called upon for courage. As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, the Johansens take in Annemarie's best friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is part of the family. Ellen and Annemarie must think quickly when three Nazi officers arrive late one night and question why Ellen is not blond, like her sisters. Through Annemarie's eyes, we see the Danish Resistance as they manage to smuggle almost the entire Jewish population, approximately 7,000 people, across the sea to Sweden. In this tale of an entire nation's heroism, Lois Lowry reminds us that there is pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

Lowry received the Newbery Medal for the novel. She has written more than 30 novels. Miracle at Midnight is a Disney production TV movie based on the rescue of Danish Jews in Denmark during the Holocaust. The movie parallels Lowry’s novel, Number the Stars.

During the read aloud I model what good readers should do while reading: make predictions, make connections, summarize and question. Additionally, I apply the skills taught in the Comprehension Toolkit lessons during the read aloud so that it is authentic and meaningful. We learned what a plot structure is and the components (exposition, inciting force, rising action, climax, falling action and dénouement) that comprise the structure. The students arerecording acts of bravery for each characterin the novel,Number the Stars. As a culminating writing activity,students will write a text dependent analysis (TDA) on the character they feel displays the most amount of bravery.

We are now shifting our focus from root words (vocabulary) and working on editing a grammatically incorrect sentence every day (Mug Shot). I thoroughly explain the corrections. Every Friday students will revise a paragraph with the same grammar concepts that were reviewed from the week and are encouraged to use their workbook (with corrections) and Write Source 2000 while taking the quiz on Fridays.

We completed an informative research piece about G.F. Duckwitz; it parallels the read aloud entitled, Number the Stars. Students were instructed on how to research facts for each body paragraph. Daily class time was given so that students completed the majority of the research and drafting in school. Students were given a detailed checklist that outlined what should be in each of the five paragraphs. It is my hope to see progress on each writing piece throughout the year. This project is excellent because students are honing in on their researching and writing skills for the upcoming Sixth Grade Assessment.

Students also finished researching Denmark andapplied the same process that was learned in the previous research paper to this informative piece. Students researched Tivoli Gardens, King Christian X, and the Danish Resistance as those were referenced in the novel, Number the Stars. To assist students with completing the five- paragraph informative piece on G. F. Duckwitz and Denmark, I chunked what was to be included in each paragraph and disseminated a detailed checklist. Students will present a PowerPoint related to their research on Duckwitz and Denmark. Close to five hours of class time will be given to construct their PowerPoint with a peer. Students will be assessed using the Media and Oral rubrics (which are the same rubrics that will be used during the Assessment).

Students will read one of the following nonfiction novels: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Goodbye, Vietnam by Gloria Whelan and My Brother, My Sister and I by Yoko Kawashima Watkins and work on the following skills: identify characteristics of historical fiction, interpret, compare, describe, analyze literary elements and identify, describe and interpret literary devices.

The novel Esperanza Rising begins on the eve of Esperanza’s thirteenth birthday; Esperanza’s father is murdered. Her cruel uncles want Mama to marry Tío Luis (who has inherited the land) or sell the house to him for much less than it is worth. Mama refuses. Soon after, the house burns down. Mama tells Tío Luis that she will marry him to stall him until they can escape from Mexico. Mama and Esperanza, along with their former servants Alfonso, Hortensia and Miguel, leave for California in the middle of the night. They must leave Esperanza’s grandmother, Abuelita, behind because she hurt her ankle in the fire. After a long trip to California, Esperanza is shocked to see where they will be living. One day, there is a dust storm and Mama gets very sick with Valley Fever. Mama must go into the hospital. Esperanza begins doing adult work, so she can pay Mama’s medical bills and save to bring Abuelita to California. In the meantime, a strike begins. Esperanza and the other women are in danger from the snakes and glass the strikers put in their baskets. Esperanza also learns about the discrimination Mexicans face in the United States. When Esperanza goes to show Mama the money she has saved to bring Abuelita home with, she discovers Miguel has taken her money orders. Esperanza is angry with Miguel and not pleased when he sends a message for her to come with his parents to pick him up at the bus station. Soon after, Esperanza and Miguel go to the foothills and she is able to hear the earth’s heartbeat again. On her fourteenth birthday Esperanza is grateful for everything she has, even though she has none of the material goods she had the year before.

In the novel Goodbye, Vietnam, Mai and her family live in Vietnam, where the government has been arresting people caught in illegal acts. The government is now threatening to take her father away again and her grandmother too. Mai’s family decides that they have no choice but to flee the only life they have ever known. With only a small pack of belongings each, they steal away under the cover of night. They must avoid being captured or detained. Their only hope is a small boat with a failing engine and their dreams of reaching the shores of Hong Kong. Can they make to the boat undetected? Will the boat be able to make the journey? Is there any hope left for Mai and her family?

My Brother, My Sister and I picks up where So Far from the Bamboo Grove left off. Yoko and her Japanese family escape from the Communist takeover in North Korea at the end of World War II and finally reach Kyoto, Japan, only to find themselves unwelcome. This sequel has the same quiet honesty about ordinary people caught up in terrible times. Yoko's first-person narrative tells of a once secure middle-class child now homeless, hungry, and in danger. Mother is dead; 13-year-old Yoko and her older brother and sister struggle together to survive in Kyoto, scavenging for scraps, working at anything they can find, even cleaning toilets. Father is a prisoner somewhere; the hope of his return is like a heartbeat in everything they do. Driven from their warehouse home by fire, they find themselves accused of arson, theft, and murder. They help the police solve the murder mystery. However, the core of the story is not the big events, but the family drama and the home the young people make together, whether in a shack or a hospital room. Their loving bonds are strong, but they're also irritable and nervy. Yoko hates her sister's bossiness, especially the insistence that Yoko go to school. The school scenes are brutal: the rich students torment Yoko as an outsider; even when she graduates with top honors, they don't want her in the class photo. Yet Watkins doesn't indulge in self-pity. The climax builds to whether Father will return.

Moyer’s Corner

  1. My sister, Anna, who is 20 months older than I, was born on our parents’ first anniversary.
  2. I was born on my father’s birthday.
  3. When I moved into my current home I waited two and a half months to get a TV. I enjoyed reading, exercisingand gardening.
  4. If I weren’t a teacher I’d be in the medical profession.
  5. Ithink turtles and teacup poodles are adorable.
  6. I’m a graduate of Central Bucks East High School and Temple University.

Congratulations to the recipients of the March classroom award:Sadie Adams, Emily Anton, Alex Kessel, Saamia Salmanand Amber WoodringWe are very proud of you; continue to soar to success.

Please be in touch should you have any questions or comments. Your child is my priority and I intend to make this year positive andmemorable.

YOU CAN, YOU WILL, SUCCEED!BE THE BEST YOU POSSIBLE!