Dear Parents and Guardians,
Spring is upon us and spring in New Jersey means it’s time to break out the
lawn furniture and the grill. At the Windsor Learning Center it also means
it’s time for the spring play, “School House Rock, Live, Jr”.
The students and staff have been working very hard as the countdown begins
for the opening act. There are two shows scheduled on Thursday, May 22nd;
one during the day at 10:00 AM and another at 7:00 PM. Both performances
will be held in the Windsor Theatre, across the street from the school.
Please make sure you mark your calendar and join us for this special
event.
With all this flurry of activity, spring has brought the New
Jersey ASK assessment program. Third and fourth graders were tested in
March. The fifth and sixth graders are scheduled to begin testing May 5th
through May 8th, with make-ups May 12th through May 15th.
We applaud the 3rd and 4th graders for their hard work
and we are confident that our 5th and 6th graders will
perform in the same manner.
During the month of May selected students will participate in an
intramural softball tournament at Joe Grill Field, a Student/Staff
Basketball game at the Windsor School and students will continue to visit
Starlight Farms and Senior Quarters. Once again students and staff will
enjoy a day of fun activities in the outdoors at Field Day in West
Milford. Finally, all classes will enjoy a Fun Day of bowling at the
Holiday Bowl.
Once again, thank you for your support of our efforts for your
children. Without strong parental support, students have a difficult time
achieving their individual goals and aspirations. You are a strong and
important member of the team.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey M. Feldman
Principal
Ms.
Gaffney
The
thermometer continues its steady ascent; nature’s shades of brown and gray
dissolve into a prism of color. The crack of the bat heralds the return of
our national pastime. Spring has begun and everyone seems to be in great
spirits!
As April gets underway we are all excited to begin our
celebration of the Pillar of Responsibility. One way the students have
demonstrated their responsible qualities was to make a pledge to Protect Our
Earth. With the study of Earth Day and Arbor Day, we are learning how
important each one of us is to the Earth. Protecting our global environment
and the creatures we share the earth with takes great responsibility.
Recycling, reuse, and reduce are words that have become a part of our
vocabulary. We collaborated math and science as we worked together to count
the rings of a tree to determined it’s age. Together we will discover what
tree rings can teach us about life on Earth hundreds of years ago.
In math, we are beginning the study of measurement. The class
will be hosting a Measurement Olympics; each student will put their
measurement skills to work. The events include Giant Step, Paper Plate
Discus Throw and Straw Javelin. We are excited to see the students flex
their measurement muscles! We know they can count money! Wait until you see
their penny, dime, nickel, and quarter books.
Our student of the Month is becoming a fantastic reader. He
loves reading what he has written in his writing book and reading his weekly
unit stories. What he really enjoys is
participating in shared inquiry discussions raised by stories read in the
class. He enjoys math, and he can count to 100 by 5’s 10’s and 25’s. He
enjoys meeting new students that come into our
room. He has appointed himself a one man
welcoming committee.
This month we read The
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. As we prepare for our study of
plant life and the life cycles of insects in science, he enjoyed The Very
Hungry Caterpillar, and completing the activities that took place in
class after the story was read. These activities will help develop each
student’s reading, speaking, and critical thinking skills.
Congratulations to our Student of the Month! He has made much
academic and behavioral progress this year and we are all proud of his
achievements. He has worked hard to maintain level three and his hard work
is showing. Keep up the Energy, Time and Effort!
With the time “springing ahead” and the flowers peeking through
the ground, our class continues to make new and exciting discoveries. We
would like to thank Mrs. Purdum, our Librarian, for helping our projects
look so great by laminating them.
THANK YOU!
Ms.
Scott
Our newest
Student of the Month has been here for a short period of time, but has made
tremendous progress in improving his behavior.
He will now
sit quietly, listen and will wait for directions. He is learning the
alphabet and the beginning of addition. He is friendly to everyone in the
Learning Center. He will volunteer to be a helper and will share
with his classmates. He now tries to make correct choices and tries to
consistently to earn his points.We
are so happy with the positive changes in his behavior. The remainder of
the school year should be a very enjoyable one for him! Congratulations!
Ms.
Maresca
Happy
spring! Our class has spent a lot of time learning about the Earth and how
important it is to protect our planet. Because Earth Day is in April, we
took that opportunity to study food webs and ecosystems in science, discuss
ways we can help the environment and learn about whales and other endangered
species.
Congratulations to our Student of the Month. He is new to our school this
year. Since arriving, he has remained on level 3! He is amazing at
dancing, checkers and math. He is very sweet and friendly. He always tries
his best at everything he does. We are all very proud of his positive
behavior and academic accomplishments!
Ms.
O’Malley
Congratulations to our newest Student of the Month. He has been on Level 3
most of the year. He has made a tremendous effort within the last couple of
weeks to improve his behavior and not to get drawn into problems. He is
concentrating more on his academics and less on the other students. He is
friendly to the teachers and other students and has friendships within the
class. It is a pleasure to work with him. Keep up the great job!!
Ms.
Pico
Congratulations to our Student of the Month.
He has made much academic and behavioral progress this year. He has
worked hard to reach and maintain Level 3. He enjoys learning and has
particularly demonstrated much interest in all science and health topics. He
has read several books about insects this spring and is busy writing a
report to share with the class. He is a very kind boy who demonstrates
respect to his teachers and
classmates. We are all very proud of him and his many
accomplishments!
Ms.
Phillippe
It seems as
if the warm weather is finally here to stay. We look forward to being able
to go outside and have some fun!!!
We are pleased to announce our new Student of the Month. She has
been working very hard and has moved up to Level 3. She tries hard to
complete all her class work and homework. She is polite and friendly to the
other students. She loves to go to the School Store and have Pizza Parties
and Bagel Breakfast. Good job! We are very proud of you! Keep up the good
work!!
Ms.
Myers
Congratulations to our Student of the Month.
She is a great addition to our class; we enjoy listening to her daily jokes
and seeing her beautiful smile. She tries her best and takes great
pride in earning her points.
During
recess, she enjoys visiting her friends in other classrooms and walking the
dogs. We are very proud of you. Keep up the good work.
Ms.
Reithmeier
We would
like to congratulate our new Student of the Month. He has
worked very hard this year. He has made great progress in his studies. He
always shows great respect to everyone he comes in contact with. He has
accepted all challenges in his learning this year with great strides. He
has been able to maintain level 3 all year. We are very proud of all of his
great accomplishments. Keep up the great work!
Ms.
Pasquale
The weather
is getting warmer and the flowers are beginning to bloom. What a wonderful
time of the year! It is my pleasure to announce the new Student of the
Month. He has been with us for a short time, but in that time he has become
an active member of our classroom. He is always willing to help out his
fellow classmates as well as the teachers in the classroom. His attitude
toward learning is excellent. He puts the utmost effort into everything he
attempts. He has a good sense of humor and enjoys sharing it with others.
He has maintained level 3 since entering The Windsor Learning Center. He
has enjoyed participating in Senior Quarters. We are very proud of him!
Keep up the great work.
Ms.
Roth
This has
been a busy and productive month. Students worked hard to accomplish goals
that they set for themselves. Many students worked hard and the progress
that they made was evident. There is one student who is extremely
creative. He is working hard. Congratulations to our Student of the
Month. You are doing a great job. Keep up the good work.
Mr.
Balaz
Congratulations to our Student of the Month.
She is a hard working and diligent student. She loves math and is great
with fractions. She is a lover of Japanese Origami and a paper folder
extraordinaire. She is a nice student who is adjusting well to Windsor. We
are very proud of her and her great
work!
Ms. McGill
This month,
the students have been progressing nicely with their book reports. Some
students are reading A Wrinkle in Time, while others are enjoying
Bridge to Terebithia. Next month we will conclude the year in
Language Arts with literary circles. In addition to the productivity of
book reporting, we have been reviewing for state testing. Despite the nice
weather, the students continue to stay motivated to complete their homework
assignments and work hard in class. A class favorite in Health this past
month was the reading of Joey Pigza. The students learned valuable
life lessons concerning disabilities and family dynamics. We are looking
forward to a productive end of the year!
Monthly Theme
Earth Day
Earth Day was
created in 1970 to spark a revolution against environmental abuse. Global
warming is real and we’re part of the problem. Now, we need to become part
of the solution.
One of the cheapest, most effective, and safest ways to reduce global
warming pollution is to increase our energy efficiency. By using energy
efficiency technologies and today’s know-how we could cut our global warming
pollution by a third. People using energy-efficient appliances in 2007
avoided global warming pollution equivalent to nearly 27 million cars.
By making simple changes, like using the proper amount of insulation,
we can save half of the energy it takes to heat, cool, light, and otherwise
provide power to buildings. Effective gas mileage standards and support for
innovative technologies will keep our transportation system moving while
greatly decreasing our environmental impact. Also by using energy-efficient
products at home and at work, we can significantly reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions without sacrificing function, style, or features.
Art
Ms. Moran
I am really
happy with the work ethic from my students lately in art class. I have been
encouraging them to do their very best on all projects because this is the
time of year when I start selecting art for the Annual Art Exhibit and the
Annual Art Show.
A recent project using magazine cut outs and other mixed media
proved to be a hit with so many groups. The creativity was off the charts.
Much of the work is still in progress but I just know the end results will
be worthy of framing! I am so proud of my kids!
Some of the younger
classes are studying the life and works of Georgia O’Keefe and older grades
are focusing on Leonardo DiVinci. The kids have truly enjoyed learning about
interesting facts about this famous
artist.
Computers
Mr. Roth
This month the students started working with
Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a program that lets you create a
presentation on the computer. The students were asked to think of a topic
that was of interest to them. (sports, music, pets, video games etc.). The
students were shown how to set up a PowerPoint slide. The first slide of
their presentation is the title slide. They were shown how to add a variety
of backgrounds to each slide. Backgrounds such as one color, two colors,
textures and even photos can be part of the background. Once they chose
their background color they started to gather information for their
presentations. The students were also shown how to add text to their slides,
change the color of the text and also the size and style of the fonts.
Depending on their grade, the students
will have anywhere from 8 slides for the younger classes and 15 for the
older ones. The students have been doing a fine job. I look forward to some
great presentations.
Mrs. Scott’s
class, Mrs. Gaffney’s class and Ms. Maresca’class
are with a program called Kreative Komics.
The students will be creating either a
super hero comic book or a comic book with characters from history. They
will be adding their own words to each character and actually hear them
speak the words. The program is a lot of fun to use and the students like
using it.
From the files of the Internet:
What’s the most visited national park in the U.S.?
The answer will be in next month’s
newsletter. The answer to lasts month’s question. “What are storm
chasers”? Storm chasers are people who chase tornadoes! Not that they
want to catch them, you understand. They just want to record information
about them and study them. Meteorologists, college professors, students and
curious citizens can all be storm chasers. Training is strongly
encouraged, and you can find out how to get it at: http://www.gilbertzone.com/beginner/beginner.html
Music
Ms. Krejcarek/Mr. Saias
Haru ga kita
opened up spring in April. This month in Ms. Krejcarek’s classes “Si
Magnifique” and then to La Bamba. The styles are different but there lies
in music a connection that we share no matter where. The piano students are
preparing some selections for the spring variety show. Watch for that
special time.
Mr.
Saias’students are learning about the instrumental families and playing the
different instruments. The chorus students are working hard preparing
wonderful selections for the variety show. It is going to be a
spectacular show!
Drama
Mr. DeCelles
This month the cast of School House Rock has
really buckled down and have been working very hard while eagerly
anticipating a wonderful production. The stage is set, the lights are up and
the house is full!
In
class work, we have been writing speeches about Spring and our favorite
things about this time of year. We have also
been doing some fun acting games like Impromptu Story Telling; where the
students create a story as we go. Half the fun is waiting to see where the
story will take us.
Speech
Ms. Gonzales
It’s that
time of year, flowers blooming, more sunshine and spring fever. In
speech/language we are putting all of our hard work together adding a focus
on the articulation of all English speech sounds. This is the icing on the
cake. New words and word relationships have attained a permanent place in
our vocabularies and memories. We are not only familiar with multi or double
meanings, we are putting them to use in our everyday conversations. We are
quicker to get a joke and just as quick to make one. These are the higher
order language skills that make our language use so rich and meaningful. As
we enhance our pronunciation of each sound when we produce these advanced
utterances, we are even more clearly understood. What a great
accomplishment!! Happy spring!!!!!
Enrichment
Ms. Pasquale
We are
pleased to welcome the beautiful flowers of May. In enrichment we are
continuing our adventures with Flight and Rocketry. The students are
learning how thrust is produced in propeller airplanes and jet planes. In
these activities students will construct a Wingless Wonder and a
balloon-powered jet. Students will also build a model rocket complete with
internal fuel source. They will then observe how the rocket engine provides
the thrust needed to launch a spacecraft into orbit. This will end the
unit. Next we will move onto making travel brochures. I know this will be
a very exciting and informative unit
for all.
Spanish
Ms. Van Heemst
Spring break was very relaxing and we are
ready to continue working hard to
better understand the Spanish language. This
month we watched the movie The Sweet Fifteen. We also discussed the
significant differences and similarities between the American and Hispanic
culture. The students understood many Central and South American people come
to America because they want a better life. Many of the immigrants have a
strong work ethic and value strong relationships with their families. For
most new arrivals their goal is to learn the language and contribute to the
success of the United States. Students continue to work on building and
expanding their vocabulary. Another topic the class covered was vocabulary
in the units on clothing, food, and the calendar.
Counseling Corner
Ms. Alter/Ms. Gorman
Ms. Alter’s students in Ms. Myers’ and Ms.
Reithmeier’s classes are busy learning important skills for handling peer
pressure. We know more about what peer pressure is, and at least 10 ways to
avoid trouble, even when our friends are pressuring us to do the wrong
thing. We also have had fun listening to fables that address peer pressure
and a related problem, gossiping. The stories are entertaining, but they
also have helped us consider important morals and possible solutions to real
problems.
In Ms.
Roth’s, Ms. Pasquale’s, Mr. Balaz’s, and Ms. McGill’s classes, students have
started thinking about what they might want to do as a career when grow up.
We’ve used discussions and self surveys to consider a wide variety of
choices and we have noticed how our unique talents are suited for different
kinds of jobs. Dreaming about exciting careers has been fun and has helped
students realize how their current school behavior may affect their choices.
In the month of May, Mrs.
Gorman’s students in Ms. Pico’s, Ms. Phillippe’s, and Ms. Scott’s classes
learned that ‘Bullies are a Pain in the Brain’. Students were treated to
the award-wining character education video by acclaimed author Trevor Romain
which included
research based tips, strategies and
activities for dealing with bullies.
The students in Ms. Gaffney’s, Ms. Maresca’s, and Ms. O’Malley’s
classes also were treated to a different real life lesson in the Trevor
Romain series and turned their attention to ‘Facing Fears Without Freaking
Out’ which taught us the differences between rational and irrational fears
and examined our ‘fight or flight’ responses to fear.
These videos provided a hands-on, learning filled resource to
discuss and demystify these real life issues for our students including
‘facts versus myths’ and a review of peace skills and confidence-building
strategies.
Physical Education
Mr. Brown
Another
month has flown by in the Physical Education Department. The students have
worked extremely hard to improve in their conditioning and coordination.
There has been a constant progress throughout the year in students’ fitness
levels and athleticism. I am proud of all the efforts presented by our
students to engage in healthy active lifestyles. The month of April was very
successful as we raised a great amount of money during our volleyball
marathon this year. Thank you to all students and staff who participated
this year. Keep up the fabulous work!
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