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October 14, 2015
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1 Cheshvan 5776
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Pardes Jewish Day School provides a rigorous, experiential education grounded in Jewish history, culture and values. This monthly newsletter highlights examples of classroom learning designed to meet and exceed state and national standards. Our students are well prepared for entry to the finest high schools and colleges and serve in a multitude of leadership roles.
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5 Cheshvan
Sunday, Oct 18
Student Council Middle School Event at the Ice Den
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
8 Cheshvan
Wednesday, Oct 21
Auditions for
Spring Play
3:30 pm-5:00pm
MPR
9 Cheshvan
Thursday, Oct 22
Picture Day for 7th Grade and anyone absent before
Auditions for
Spring Play
3:30 pm-5:00pm
MPR
10 Cheshvan
Friday, Oct 23
End of 1st Quarter
12 Cheshvan
Sunday, October 25
Preschool Community Event
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
27 Cheshvan
Tuesday, October 27
Kesher "Puts It Together"
2:00 pm
17 Cheshvan
Friday, October 30
Kindergarten Consecration
8:45 am
29 Cheshvan
Wednesday, Nov 11
Parent-Teacher Conferences K-8
No School
1 Kislev
Friday, Nov 13
Yard Sale Benefiting the 8th Grade Trip to Washington and Philadelphia
6:00 am - Noon
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Jacob Ref
Jacob Ref graduated from Pardes in 2013. Like many Pardes alumni, Jacob is a
lifer
, meaning he attended Pardes from kindergarten through eighth grade. Now a junior at Chaparral High School, he has been enrolled in all Honors and Advanced Placement classes since freshman year. Currently, as a junior, he is taking AP English, AP Chemistry, Spanish III Honors, World History Honors, Student Government and Trig/Pre-Calc Honors. In addition to taking a challenging course load, he is involved in several extracurricular activities. He is part of student government, Chaparral Basketball, club basketball and BBYO (a Jewish youth group).
Jacob believes that Pardes prepared him well for high school through the strong curriculum structure. In fact, he feels that he was better prepared for the rigors of high school compared to many of his peers coming from other schools. "[At Pardes] I was able to have a more individualized education and attention from the teachers since the grades were smaller, which has helped me to excel as a student. Also, I was able to establish great friendships that I have kept throughout my high school career."
When asked about his memories of Pardes, several of them came to mind. "I loved the [Middle School team] sports Pardes offered. I was able to see which sports I really had a passion for and enjoyed. As I grew older, I was able to give more attention to one or two sports. Other great memories include the class field trips that were set up through the school like the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip."
We look forward to hearing about Jacob's future achievements as he continues his high school education and beyond!
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KINDERGARTEN HAS LAUNCHED READING AND WRITING WORKSHOP!
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Kindergarten has launched Reading and 
Writing Workshop! Students are learning what readers and writers do!
In reading, the name of the unit is "We are Readers." Right now, the goal is to convey to children that they can read up a storm, both by themselves and with others, and that they can learn about the world through that reading. Mini lessons have included: How to read privately and with a partner, see-saw reading, marking
Wow!
pages with Post-its, reading cover to cover by noticing the title and title page, reading from top to bottom and left to right, rereading, thinking about how to put pages "together" and learning from words in books. They are reading nursery rhymes and poems and singing songs about Beresheit and Noach, while working on sight words, one-to-one correspondence, letter recognition, spelling patterns, rhyming and fluency.
In writing, kindergartners are currently in their first unit of study, "Launching the Writing Workshop." The goal is to introduce the children to writing workshop and what it means to be an "author." Morah Lauren and Morah Nicole are teaching the children that writers start with something to say and then do everything they can to put that meaning on to paper while building independence. The children are using letters and pictures to represent meaning. They are developing phonemic awareness as they stretch out, listen to, distinguish and write the sounds in a word. They are learning to use tools that will help them with this writing, such as the word wall, name and alphabet chart. Mini lessons have included: putting ideas on paper with pictures and words, "When writers are done, we have just begun!", carrying on independently as writers and putting all the details onto the page.
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FIRST GRADE
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In first grade, Mrs. Nadler and Ms. Peoples strongly emphasize the importance of reading a book that feels "just right" to each individual reader. They model and practice with first graders about how readers choose a "just right" book and why reading a book at the appropriate level allows them to practice given strategies and make them feel successful in their reading.
First graders are fortunate to have the opportunity to access KIDS A-Z, a dynamic website where kids practice reading eBooks from school and from home. This site is designed to allow children to access a multitude of reading selections, both fiction and nonfiction at each child's individual reading level. In first grade, it is very important to have a plethora of books for children to read as the books tend to be short and students should be continually surrounded by literature. KIDS A-Z delivers hundreds of interactive, leveled eBooks and checks for comprehension along the way. This is an incredible motivational tool to encourage first grade readers to develop a passion for reading.
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SECOND GRADE
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This week second graders are celebrating their small moment writing! For the last few weeks they have studied the craft moves of some mentor authors and tried using those techniques in their own writing. Each child has focused on one special moment in their lives. Students have worked on making comparisons, writing powerful endings, and incorporating their five senses in their writing, just to name a few. In addition, students have practiced using an "eagle eye" to find words that they know are misspelled and using resources available to them to help them spell the word correctly. They have also kept an eye out for where they need capitals and periods. Mrs. Garber and Mrs. Traulsen look forward to celebrate the journey these students have taken in their writing. Second grade will be moving on to informational writing for their next unit.
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THIRD GRADE
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Third grade students have been working on writing personal narratives. Each child has chosen to write about something he/she experienced that is meaningful. The children have slowly been learning the process of writing a story. They learned the importance of writing a lead which will draw a reader into the story. They wrote a first draft, long and strong, without stopping. They began learning about the process of revision, finding out that it takes a lot of hard work to write a story just the way you want it. Right now they are in the process of finding the heart of their stories and developing the stories further by adding details and dialogue. Next they will learn about paragraphing, how to punctuate dialogue, and the editing process. The final step will be to write the final copy, which will occur within the next couple of weeks.
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FOURTH GRADE
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This year in fourth grade students begin the journey in writing and reading with realistic fiction and character development. In writing, the children (writers) are asked to brainstorm ideas and stories in their writer's notebooks. The children then focus on choosing a story that can be made into a realistic fiction. The children are taught about leads that hook the reader, story arcs, dialogue, action, character development and how to tie up the story. After the story is written the children are asked to revise so that the story becomes believable. The children then prepare for publication with their audience in mind. The final step is the class celebration. Fourth graders celebrate by reading their final product to the class!!! In reading, they are learning how to establish a reading life by always having another book to read when they finish the first book. Finally, they are learning how to think deeply about characters and how to backup their thoughts and feelings with examples from their book.
The fourth graders will be moving shortly on to the next units in both writing and reading. In writing, they will be shifting from narrative to expository writing. They will learn a variety of sophisticated strategies for introducing their topic, stating the reasons that support their opinions, and including the necessary facts and details to elaborate on these reasons. The students will begin the process by writing entries in their notebooks before developing their thesis statement and the ultimate plan for their essay. The children will now be analyzing nonfiction books during reading. The unit begins with the students exploring a multitude of nonfiction texts. They start with easy texts to develop a basic understanding and and then move on to do the same work with more challenging material. Finally they will delve into topics related to extreme weather and natural disasters.
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MR. CAMPANELLI'S FIFTH GRADE
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In Language Arts, Mr. C's class has been reading the horror classic,
Phantom of the Opera
. Through reading and discussion so far, elements such as mood, character, and plot have been emphasized and exemplified, with conflict and theme coming soon. As they read this classic, they are simultaneously watching the taped stage production which was performed at Prince Hall in London several years ago. Students compare and contrast the elements (text / performance) while also being exposed to authentic theater. Once the book is done, students will design Phantom of the Opera advertisement posters (much like the old fashioned movie posters), in which they will create the mood of the story through visual and textual information, being as creative as possible. Some students will use an "old-school" poster board to create tactile art work, while others will use Glogster to create an online poster of the same theme. But on all posters, students will need to use ten of the new vocabulary words (mainly the adjectives) that have been a part of class learning since the start of the year. In this way, several areas of Language Arts will be addressed, and students will have some freedom to be expressive as they display their knowledge.
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MRS. SAPER'S FIFTH GRADE
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Mrs. Saper's fifth graders have been reading
Wonder,
the
fictional story of August Pullman, a ten year-old with a very different looking face, the result of a chromosomal abnormality and an illness and his journey from the safe nest of homeschooling to the pitfalls of middle school. The novel has provided a wonderful springboard for many in-depth discussions about empathy, friendship, overcoming challenges, family relationships, bullying, and betrayal. Using the novel, students have been working on important reading and comprehension skills such as citing evidence from a text to support thinking and analyzing how the author develops a theme and point of view through lines, scenes, and chapters. Students are also immersing themselves in August's situation by acting out a Readers' Theater adaptation of the novel where students play the parts of the the major characters in the story. Culminating activities for the novel will include student created book trailers using iMovie and interactive online posters using Glogster.
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SIXTH GRADE HUMANITIES
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In 6th grade humanities, the students just completed the Personal Narrative unit for the Writer's Workshop. In this unit, students learned new strategies for writing strong personal narratives. Strategies such as story mapping, allowed the students to tell the internal and the external story, bit-by-bit. They experimented with figurative language and precise details in order to "show," as well as, tell their story. To celebrate the end of the unit, students developed their presentation skills while presenting their personal narratives orally. Each student received comment cards from their peers, noting all that they did well in their writing.
The students have commenced book clubs related to Ancient Egypt. During this unit, students will be reading fiction novels which will reflect the daily lives of the people of Ancient Egypt, such as the religious beliefs at the time, the building of pyramids, and the social and political structures put in place during this time. While reading, the students will be developing their close reading strategies through the Reader's Workshop.
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SEVENTH GRADE HUMANITIES
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In 7th grade humanities, the students just completed our study of the epic poem
Beowulf.
In keeping with the oral tradition associated with epic poems, the students listened to the poem, noting areas of imagery, poetic devices, and historical relevance. To coincide with their reading of
Beowulf
, the students learned about the Anglo-Saxon culture and history of the first Kings of England.
The students have commenced book clubs related to the Middle Ages. During this unit, students will be reading historical fiction novels which will reflect the daily lives of the people of the Middle Ages, as well as key historical events such as the Black Plague, the Code of Chivalry, and Feudalism and the political structure of the Monarchy.
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EIGHTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS
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In 8th grade, the students are engaging in literary analysis, the act of carefully examining a piece of literature and analyzing how or why the story was written. Using classic short stories by authors such as Edgar Allen Poe, Richard Connell, Shirley Jackson, Roald Dahl, and Guy de Maupassant, students engage in class discussions of theme, symbolism, and characterization, referring back to the texts to support his/her comments with specific quotes and concrete details. In addition, students are writing literary essays in which they develop an argument and then support it with concrete details and commentary.
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DID YOU KNOW?
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Pardes utilizes
The Reading and Writing Project
from Teacher's College at Columbia University. It is aligned one year above grade level and Pardes has heard very positive feedback about the program from teachers as well as parents.
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Many of our teachers choose to travel to New York during the summer to receive comprehensive, in-depth training on the
The Reading and Writing Project
. Additionally, Pardes hosted a trainer from New York to work with all language arts teachers in kindergarten through eighth grade.
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Pardes alumni at both public and independent high schools have reported that there are some pieces of literature they are assigned during freshman year of high school that they read while in middle school at Pardes. Pardes seventh and eighth graders read many pieces of advanced level literature, including
Beowulf
,
The Book Thief, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird
and
Fahrenheit 451
.
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Teachers in kindergarten through second grade use
Fountas and Pinnell
leveled texts to assess students and determine their correct reading levels. Students are then taught at their instructional level, and each child is able to select independent reading books at his/her correct level.
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Teachers in third and fourth grade use running records from the
Reading and Writing Project
to assess fluency and basic comprehension. They then use the Scholastic Independent Reading Assessment in which children read a novel and respond to their understanding of plot/setting, character, vocabulary/figurative language and theme. Teachers use this information to determine an individualized reading plan.
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Zero Hour
Problem of the Month
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In November 2014, Pardes Mathletes encountered the following problem on their first Olympiad for the year. Many students in grades 6-8 were able to solve it. Can you?
The product of some whole numbers is 40. Find their least possible sum.
If you are able to complete this problem, please email your response to Bethany Spector at [email protected] by noon on Monday, October 19.
Go Pardes Mathletes!
Mazal Tov to the following people, who successfully answered last month's Math problem:
Halle Farber
Jeremy Marks
Jen Mason
Rabbi Tracee Rosen
Charles Wittenberg
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