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FROM THE PRINCIPAL	NEWS FROM KINDERGARTEN	NEWS FROM THE FIRST GRADES	Second Grade NEWS
third Grade	FOURTH Grade Highlights		FIFTH Grade Highlights
H.S.A. News	Learning center	Health Notes	Las actividades en la clase de español

From the Principal

C.R. Williams

Spring always comes as a surprise. This year was no exception. Suddenly the world was full of flowers and Lincoln School bloomed as if on cue. The flowering cherry tree on the lawn, a gift of the 2006 kindergarten class, filled the front with pink clouds. The daffodils and tulips which the fifth graders planted under the supervision of their teachers were resplendent. One of those fifth graders recently said to me, “Mr. Williams, our hard work really paid off.” It certainly did. The planting of fall bulbs, brown dirt-like balls, is always an act of hope—especially when 11-year-olds plant them. In the fall of 2007, we added some new varieties. A portion of the price of the deep pink tulips along the way into the gym and the pink throated daffodils in front of the elementary wing went to support “research for a cure.” So our good deeds did double duty.

The beautiful weather also reminds me to get away from the TV, DVD, I-POD, Wii and get outside. I tell the students that television turns your brain to Jello, and they laugh. Even if that statement is an exaggeration, not even the Discovery Channel does as much good for youngsters as a walk in the park, games like hide-and-seek and Frisbee with neighborhood classmates or a bicycle ride with parents or friends.

In Caldwell-West Caldwell children are prohibited from riding their bicycles to school until fourth grade except if accompanied by a parent or other authorized adult. For everyone’s safety, all students at Lincoln School who ride a bike to school need to walk their bike on Crane Street to and from Arlington Avenue. As you all know the street is steep and a bicyclist will gain a great of deal of momentum. Stopping can be a problem and no one wants to see anybody, walkers or riders, hurt. Be sure that you are wearing your bike helmet!

The days are long enough now that I get home in time to get into the yard and see what wintered over and to do some weeding. Since I’m never quite sure what is a perennial and what is a weed, I try to restrain myself until I see a lot of a plant, sometimes until I see a flower. At least one of my more knowledgeable neighbors laughs when I carefully cultivate weeds. It’s safe to buy annuals now so I’ll be picking up some flats from the H.S.A. spring plant sale. As usual, these generous parents will be filling our planters in the front and adding edging plants to the flower beds around the school. Truly the world is beautiful. Working here at Lincoln, with a dedicated staff, caring parents and delightful children, I was just thinking that there is no need to wait for fall for Thanksgiving.

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NEWS FROM KINDERGARTEN

teré Matrisciano

They’ve Got the Whole World In Their Hand

Kindergarteners took a trip to the environmental center in Roseland to learn the four R’s: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Rethink. Through hands-on interactive games, children learned what they can do to help protect their planet.

First we heard a story, The Day The Trash Came Out To Play.

Next, we picked up trash that was scattered around the room and categorized it into it’s proper container-plastic, paper, or trash.

Then we made paper! We used a blender, some used paper, water and voilá!

Last of all, best of all, we took a walk outside to investigate habitats and plant life.

A special thanks to our H.S.A. for sponsoring this wonderful and productive trip. We will continue our learning about this important topic in our classroom as I know you will at home.

Here are a few suggestions;

…Walk instead of drive-enjoy the spring!

….Pack light for a plane ride-a reduction of 10 lbs. per passenger means 3.5 million fewer tons of CO₂ emissions per year. (bringing 5 pair of shoes more than you need burns fuel!)

….Unplug your hairdryer and all chargers when they are not in use.

….Get you’re a.m. coffee in a reusable cup-Americans throw away about 40 billion disposable coffee cups per year!

It IS easy being green.

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NEWS FROM THE FIRST GRADES

Anita Dunphy, Carol Macken

With the return of Daylight Savings Time many children may be getting to sleep later and that impacts their learning. We are in the fourth marking period and there is lots of learning to be done to get ready for second grade. Be sure your child is getting adequate rest so learning time will be optimized. Here are some tips for a healthy sleep for your child.

Set a regular time for bed each night and stick to it.

Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as giving your child a warm bath or reading him or her a story.

Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time. Too much activity close to bedtime can keep children awake.

Avoid feeding children big meals close to bedtime.

Avoid giving children anything with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime.

Set the bedroom temperature so that it's comfortable – not too warm and not too cold.

Make sure the bedroom is dark. If necessary, use a small nightlight.

Keep the noise level low.

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Second Grade

Linda Mouravieff and Ruth Ann Rubiado

Second Gaders Make Their own Movies

We have been busy writing, drawing and producing! One of the genres of writing that the second graders have been learning about is called how-to paragraphs. A how-to paragraph is a paragraph of step by step instructions on how to do something. The second graders combined their artistic and writing talents. Each child drew a picture of something in six steps. We then wrote a paragraph including sequence words on how to draw our pictures. Afterwards, we each used a digital camera and took our own photographs of each step. We imported the photos into a computer program called Photo Story 3. We typed our own text and added our voices using a microphone. This turned our how-to paragraphs into mini-movies. We are so excited about our project that we wrote invitations to our families inviting them to come and join us for a red carpet viewing in the Computer Lab. We can hardly wait for them to see our work bigger than life on the Smart Board. We hope all can come and join us for a celebration of our hard work!

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third Grade

Myra Leven and Cara Niglio

The third grade bike rodeo will take place on May 9^th. Students will learn bicycle safety and will get the chance to ride their bikes during school. A police officer from the Caldwell Police Department will register and examine each student’s bike. Remember to send your child with his/her helmet so he/she can participate. Children without bikes will also be involved in the bike rodeo activities. Riding a bike can be fun, but children need to stay safe. Go over these tips with your child:

ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Wear bright clothing so drivers and other bikers can see you.
If you ride after dark, ask an adult to help you put reflectors on your bike and helmet.
Obey the rules of the road.
Look both ways.
Ride on bike trails or sidewalks. Walk your bike across the road.
Protect your bike. Keep it in a safe place or locked up when you are not using it.
Ride with friends. It’s safer and it’s FUN!

Take a quiz on bicycle safety:

www.yourfamilyshealth.com/kids_health/bike_quiz/

Also visit:

www.McGruff.org

As summer approaches, it is time to think of ways to keep the children reading and writing when the school year had ended. ReadWriteThink.org has a site designed to help children to continue to build their literacy outside of school. The site offers activities for children aged 4 through 18. It includes booklists, reading logs, book review podcasts, and best practice videos to make the most of your child’s reading and writing experiences over the summer. This is a great resource to “hook” your kids on summer learning. The link to follow to find these summer reading opportunities is:

www.readthinkwrite.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer

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FOURTH Grade Highlights

Christina Dunne and Abby Landau

Fourth Graders Discover Ecosystems

Our 4^th graders have been busy learning about ecosystems. We took a “20 minute field trip” to the wooded area of our school property to observe the relationships between the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) parts of a forest ecosystem. Here are some of the connections the students made: “The sun gives energy to the plants. The caterpillar will eat the plants. The bird will eat the caterpillar. When the caterpillar or other animals die, fungi or worms will eat them. This will give nutrients to the soil which the plants will use. Then, it starts all over again.” “The trees and other biotic creatures need the nutrients, water, and air. Then when a tree dies, it starts to decay because the worms and fungi decompose it. A tiny seed might land on the rotting log and sprout into a beautiful plant. Other animals like termites and beetles might use the log by decomposing it and turning it into soil. Then a new tree can grow in this soil.” The students are now making their own mini-ecosystems by creating terrariums from old soda bottles. The students will continue to make observations about the relationships within their own mini-ecosystems over the next month.
*Fourth Grade and the Native Americans*
We loved making the home projects. Our region made clay pueblos. When put together they were a model of a southwestern Indian village. Neta, Sophia, and Linda
	The Native Americans developed and played a sport that I play today. It’s lacrosse. Jack Our group actually made lacrosse sticks for our group project. We made them out of wood, leather, and lanyard. Dylan
I enjoyed making a Mayan temple. I modeled mine after a real temple built in Mexico thousands of years ago. Noelle I liked making jewelry out of shells just like the California Indians did. Nina
	I loved making the pottery and arrowheads. We made them both out of clay and carved Native American designs in them. Shannon, Christina & Carly
We liked making the soap carvings. Some of us carved fish, bears, or snowy owls. They were a lot of fun to do. Alice, Nicole & Sara
	I liked working on my research poster of my tribe and finding pictures of my region and tribe. Nancy I enjoyed making Cherokee medallions out of salt dough. We put Cherokee letters on each of them. Chris and Andrew
	We liked building our plank house. It was a model of the homes found in the Northwest Coast. They were made from cedar trees. In the front of the house you often found a totem pole. Bradley, John, & Danny
I enjoyed making the totem poles. Only the Northwest Coast Indians made them. They were carved to look like animals. Some of the faces were of beavers, eagles, and thunderbirds. I liked the bear the most. Hunter I enjoyed making our power point presentation. I especially liked the custom animation. Vanessa
	We liked making a longhouse for the Northeast Woodland Indians. We made it out of sticks, bark, and grass. It looked like a real longhouse. Alyssa & Francesca
I liked making tepees. Our group studied the Plains Indians. We made our miniature tepee out of tortillas. Bartug I liked making the masks. Native Americans used masks in their ceremonies. Kristin
*What I learned about the Native Americans that fascinated me*
The Native Americans believed that there were other worlds and beings besides themselves. Erica We liked how the Inuit & Eskimo people made their houses out of snow and ice. We made a model of their home from sugar cubes. Eric, Nick, Brendan, and Ethan
	The Aztecs and Mayans were the first to use chocolate. It is one of my favorite things. Zoë
I couldn’t believe that my tribe made a type of flour out of acorns. Sharon
	Did you know that the Shoshoni Indians were the first to use horses? Loyse
I was fascinated by the different houses that they lived in. They didn’t just live in tepees. Hannah
	I liked how the Native Americans used things from their environment to build their houses. The houses were different in each region. Nicky
My tribe was famous for making dream catchers. People still hang them in their doorways today. Cassidy Muller
	My tribe, the Hopis, were farmers in the southwest. They grew several types of corn. Some of the types of corn came in shades of blue. Clarisse
I liked how the Native Americans made baskets. Did you know that they wove them so tightly that they didn’t even leak when water was poured into them? Cenk

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FIFTH Grade Highlights

Jeff Stiefbold and Tracey Tufano

Get Our Fifth Grade Students Reading

Parents often ask, “How can I get my child exciting about reading?” Families need to get involved and participate in reading at home. We all need to encourage children to read and be interested in what they read. Here is a sampling of ideas to use with students of all ages.

(Ideas from Reading Today- February / March 2008)

* Parents and teachers should set a good example as readers- let children see you reading every day.

* Get a subscription in his or her name to an age-appropriate magazine for a child. When relatives and others ask for gift ideas, suggest magazine subscriptions, books, or a gift check to a bookstore.

* Make reading fun- a time that families look forward to trying together.

* Keep plenty of books, magazines, and newspapers around the house. Visit the library often and shop for books at yard sales.

* Don’t be upset if your child wants to read a short novel instead of Harry Potter. The important thing is, he’s / she’s reading! Encourage it and he’s / she’s likely to move on to more sophisticated titles as he / she gets older.

Families can visit the parents section of NEA’s Read Across website at

www.nea.org/readacross/parents.html

This website offers additional tips about reading, several lists of recommended books and more. Let’s send our fifth grade students to Grover Cleveland Middle School with a strong interest in reading!

If you have some time, please visit the Harcourt Math and the Study Island websites.

www.harcourtschool.com

Harcourt’s easy to use website offers family members interactive learning games, a Multimedia Math Glossary, and a special page with tips and ideas for parents.

http://www.studyisland.com

Study Island is a State Assessment Preparation Program website that the students use for math. Each Thursday the students work on this program during math class. Please encourage your children to work on this website from their home computers.

Search Engines For Children

aFact Monster

An almanac with many special features

KidsClick

Search results provide reading levels of content.

The Internet Public Library For Kids

A special feature allows students to submit questions.

Explorers Dictionary With Links

Each letter of Little Explorers' dictionary has dozens of illustrated entries, most of them linked to external sites.

Language Arts Websites!

Dino Hunter -

An activity to learn Dictionary Skills, especially Guide Words.

Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Building Online -

This is a quite inclusive way to help students develop vocabulary skills. There are downloads for students to listen to the pronunciation and definitions, as well as games to play for practice.

Wacky Web Tales -

Parts of Speech Help for Grade 3 and above. These are the online version of MadLibs and are a very enjoyable way for students to learn about the parts of speech.

Show What You Know

from Sadlier-Oxford - What a goldmine of phonics and vocabulary learning games for all ages.

Grammar Bytes -

This is a wonderful website with definition of grammar terms, interactive exercises, and handouts for further practice.

Math Websites!

Harcourt Brace Math Advantage

- This is the supplement to the Harcourt Brace Publisher's Math Series and these activities for each grade level are available for all to use.

Math Facts Timed Drills

These timed drills provide many options for timings, number of problems, sound, direction as well as providing game summaries and a "Need To Practice" list.

Speed Math Deluxe

This wonderful math game is a version of the Card Game "24".

Get Smarter

an animated and interactive learning site. There are not only math problems, but explanations as to the answers chosen. This is done very well.

Count On Math Games

A wonderful collection of math games, many of them to be played by two students. There is also a challenging online Soduko Game. This collection is from London, England.

AAA Math

There are hundreds of pages of Basic Math Facts for every strand of the math curriculum. On each page is an explanation of the math topic and interactive practice.

Mrs. Renz's Math Website

This is a fabulous website designed by a teacher in Oregon. It is updated, well-organized, and contains some excellent resources.

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Health Notes

Maryann Ciesla, RN

Warmer weather, longer days, spring sports and playing outside all increase the chance of sprains and strains. If your child should experience a sprain or a strain, remember the RICE treatment.

R-rest the affected limb

I-icepack to the area (20 minutes on/off)

C-compression with an ace bandage

E-elevation of the limb so it is not in a dependent position

Please be reminded: Students, who return to school with “stitches”, casts, splints, crutches, etc, need a note from the doctor when they return to school. The note needs to specify restrictions for physical education class and lunch and classroom recess.

(Complete health guidelines are distributed the first week of each school year and can also be found in the Student Handbook/Directory)

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Learning center

~ Learning Center Link ~

Doreen Golembeski and Kathy Canelli

Book Fair – The Scholastic Book Fair was held the week of March 31^st and was a huge success! Special thanks to the parents who volunteered to help supervise “the store.” This year’s proceeds, 100% of which go directly back to the Learning Center, totaled a little more than $1,700. This amount includes vouchers for products from the Scholastic Resource Catalog, book picks from the fair, and cash. Thank you to all of the families for supporting this worthwhile event!

Box Tops for Education Program – The library received an order for $383 worth of books in February as a result of the profits from our participation in the Box Tops program! The Learning Center receives ten cents for each box top redeemed and 100% of the money is used to purchase books for our library. Thank you to all of the families for collecting these small cut-outs from the various products!

4^th Grade Battle of the Books – This year, seventeen fourth graders volunteered to participate in this year’s competition which involves reading four books and competing on teams in their knowledge of the selected books. Congratulations to all of the competitors: Team 1 – Loyse, Zöe, Alyssa, Christina; Team 2 – Ethan, Jack, Cassidy, Noelle; Team 3 – Sophia, Kristin, Linda, Neta; Team 4 – Nicole, Alice, Sharon, Francesca; Team 5 – Dylan, David, Clarisse, Drin, and Nancy. Special kudos to Team 2 for placing 1^st in the school and district competition!

5^th Grade Book Battle – Fifth grade students had the opportunity to take part in a reading battle as well. Participants included Team 1 – Charlyne, Nora, Jack, Ivan; Team 2 – Katie, Marvin, Hunter, Charlotte; Team 3 – Jenna, Jenna, Josh, Shonie; Team 4 – Madison, Nikki, Erin, and Noelle. Congratulations to Team 4 for winning the school battle and placing 3^rd in the district battle!

All battle participants are winners for taking on this reading challenge!

Summer Reading Lists – Suggestions for summer reading are coming soon…

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La información de la clase de español

Jamie Blanchard

¡Feliz primavera! The fourth and fifth graders have learned mucho this year. The fourth graders are about to begin learning sports vocabulary in Spanish class while the fifth graders will be experts at ordering meals in the Spanish language.

Below are some games to play to practice current vocabulary. Have fun!

4^th grade:

A Drag and Match Animal Game

http://www.123teachme.com/games/drag_n_match?cat=6

Animal Memory Game

http://www.hello-world.com/Spanish/memory/animals.php

Challenging Sports Vocabulary Game

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/esl-games/spanish/sports/jigword2.html

5^th Grade:

Does Pedro Eat the Food?

http://www.hello-world.com/Spanish/learn/it_them.php

Food Memory Game

http://www.hello-world.com/Spanish/memory/food.php

Challenging Sports Vocabulary Game

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/esl-games/spanish/sports/jigword2.html

This is a great game that deals with the food pyramid!!!!

(Highly Recommended)

http://www.foodpyramidgames.com/espanol/games/ss_shockspanish.htm

Matching game

http://www.quia.com/mc/65885.html

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LINCOLN SCHOOL HSA NEWS

Thanks to your support we are having a wonderful year. By becoming members of the HSA, and supporting our fundraisers, our children have directly benefited. Our children have been able to go on a number of great field trips at a more affordable price. No child is denied going on a field trip due to financial hardship. We have had wonderful cultural events that tie directly into our curriculum. Our children get new playground equipment each year. Our library is able to get new books that our children can’t wait to read. We are able to contribute to the Fifth grade festivities as they are in their final year at Lincoln. We have also hosted three wonderful family fun nights. The Third Grade Bike Rodeo is May 9^th.

Marianne Murray and Stephanie Kirsch are doing a great job organizing the Beefsteak Tricky Tray scheduled for October 17, ²⁰⁰⁸. It may seem far away but it will be here sooner than you think. They appreciate all of the donations being made by our Lincoln families and staff. This is sure to be a fun evening out.

We are continuing to keep busy with many activities going on these next two months. Our Rummage Sale will offer great bargains on May 17^th.Lincoln Celebrates USA is on May 28^th. We will be welcoming in new kindergarten parents on the May 29^th. On June 1^st, In Style has generously donated a portion of their profits to go to Lincoln School. They are offering a variety of services. Please call for an appointment. We are also scheduling another cultural event on Modern Dance for June 10^th and 12^th. On June 11^th we will be hosting a volunteer appreciation gathering and welcoming in new chair people.

We have also been doing a great job saving for the new sound system and projector. We hope to start on this project soon.

We would like to thank you for all of your support this year.

Amy Fusco

Robyn Stevens

H.S.A. Co-Presidents

Each school district has been asked by the Governor's office to notify parents about N.J. Family Care. This is a State/Federal program that provides free or low-cost health insurance to uninsured children and certain low income: parents. If you believe you are eligible for this program. Please go to

www.njfamilycare.org

or call 1-800-701-0710

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Cell Phones

Many parents choose to give their children cell phones for reasons of safety and security. If you choose to give your child a cell phone to bring to school, please take the time to instruct him/her on the proper use of one. Children are not to use the cell phone at any time during the school day, including lunch time. Nor are they to receive calls during the day under any circumstances. While in school, phones must be placed in knapsacks and turned off or shifted into manner mode until the school day is over.

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