From the Principal

Food begets memory: I like mince pie, which at one time was “mincemeat” pie. It is part of the holidays for me and I insist that somebody make one. No one did this year; so when I complained, my sometimes-wise brother suggested that if I really wanted to have one, I should make myself. I did. What I learned is that many people today either do not like it or don’t know what it is. Just to clarify: The contemporary version is mostly raisins and chopped dried apples soaked in a liquid, with bits of citron and a load of spices—but no meat. That lead into thinking about how times have changed. My favorite foods are dried, salted, pickled or highly spiced: smoked salmon, hard cheeses, pickled herring, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and all sorts of pickles. The stuff that kept my peasant ancestors alive through the winter. The processing of these foods was, and is, labor intensive. Generally these foods were the food of the poor and the time of the poor, especially poor women who did most of the food preservation, had little value. Now such food tends to be relatively expensive for the same reason. Preparing it is labor intensive and “time is money.”

Another undertaking over the holiday was genealogical research. When I’m in Wilkes-Barre, I go to the local library and look-up family obituaries on microfiche. My siblings think me either mad or obsessed and maybe both. Despite their dismissal of my passion, I have found interesting information in the obits and even more in “reviews” of the funerals, which, at the turn of the 19^th Century, were often published a few days after one. They frequently included a listing “out-of-town relatives” who attended. I was surprised to find a “Gottlieb Jones” from Pittston listed among the attendees at my grandfather’s grandfather’s funeral, both because Jones is/was rarely a surname for Gottlieb and because Pittston was considered “out-of-town.” It is about 6 miles from Wilkes-Barre (about as far as Bloomfield is from Caldwell). After some thought, I realized how difficult it was to travel six miles in 1899; especially in winter, when the round trip journey took a day.

This led my thinking about David Lowenthal’s idea of “the past as a foreign country.” His idea is that knowledge of what life was like in the past is tempered by present experience. Therefore, while we can verify “facts,” for instance, “mincemeat pie contained suet,” we are likely to misinterpret a fact’s significance. To understand why mincemeat pie became a holiday tradition requires knowledge about agriculture, social structure, geography, economics, etc. of a specific part of Europe at a specific time. As Lowenthal explains, visitors to a foreign land can see an event happening, but often do not know why it is happening, or attribute the wrong meaning to it based on personal, non-native experience. Similarly, traditions within a culture can be maintained, but over time their meaning or substance change. (Why make a pie when we have Pop-Tarts?). We are never natives of a past era, so never have native understanding.

I realized suddenly that when I write about 1899 from my vantage point of growing up in the 1950’s, the children in this school are looking on my experience from a similar time span. For Lincoln School students, the ’50 that I grew up in are as far past as my great-great-grandfather’s funeral was to me. Moreover, the foreignness of the past is accelerated by the technologies which are a part of daily life. In the 21^st Century hardware seemingly obsoletes weekly while information (or disinformation) burgeons daily. Our job as educators and parents changed from one of teaching facts to one of aiding students in their search for real meaning. I think, unfortunately, this is a harder job now than it was when I was a child because the instant supersedence of technologies causes the past to distance faster while the world shrinks.

Is It Kindergarten or Kindergarden?

If you peeked in our door last month you might have wondered! Actually we were in the middle of our annual

science/math project of growing Amaryllis. We planted and nurtured them as a surprise for our families. Not only did we learn what plants need to grow, but each week we measured them using conventional and nonconventional

tools, (rulers/unifix cubes). Then, like real scientists, we recorded our observations in our journals (integrating reading and writing as well). The Amaryllis were not the only thing growing in the Kindergarden—or is it Kindergarten?!

Penguin Fun for the Whole Family

This winter our first graders will be learning about penguins. First graders and their families can jump start the penguin study by visiting a zoo or aquarium to get up close and personal with a real penguin. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Zoos

Aquariums

Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange

http://www.turtlebackzoo.com/home.html

New York Aquarium in Coney Island

http://nyaquarium.com/nyahome

Central Park Zoo in Manhattan

http://nyzoosandaquarium.com/cpz

Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant

http://www.jenkinsons.com/aquarium/

Bronx Zoo in the Bronx

http://www.bronxzoo.com/

New Jersey Aquarium in Camden

http://www.njaquarium.org/index.html

Linda Mouravieff and Ruth Ann Rubiado

Can you guess what Shel Silverstein, Steven Schnur, Jack Perlutsky and the second grade all have in common? You guessed it! They are all poets. January marks poetry month in the second grade and as Lucy Caulkins states poetry is “putting powerful thoughts in tiny packages.” Through reading many different types of poems we are learning to “hear the music in poetry.” We are being exposed to all different types of poems and are trying our hand at our own. From Acrostic to Haiku to Limericks and Rhyming poems, we hope to tap into our inner rhythm and music. As our unit unfolds, we will be making poetry books to share with our friends and family. Our first poem is a Winter Acrostic. We modeled our poems after the children’s literature Winter An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur. Students chose winter words such as snowman, caribou and icicle to create their acrostics. We will take these poems to the computer lab and try our hand at word processing. Students will experiment with font sizes, color and even adding clip art to make the poetry come alive. Our ultimate goal is to decorate our hall with our work. So come on down to the second grade wing and admire our hard work and creativity!

Happy New Year! Now that the year has turned a corner we will continue to be preparing students for the New Jersey ASK test in March. We will be familiarizing the students with the types of questions and the format they can be expecting. In addition, the students are doing writing samples that are similar to those found on the standardized test. One way to help at home is to access Study Island, a website both third grade classes use in school that provides sample test questions. You can log on at home, at any time, for extra practice in math, reading, and writing. Each child knows their own username and password. Just log on to www.studyisland.com and follow the directions. We have found that children enjoy using this website for both the activities and the games.

Another way to help at home is to be sure your child is doing their homework correctly and completely. We recommend that you check their assignment book nightly or call the Homework Hotline if you are unsure whether or not there is homework that night. You should expect homework to be given every night except Friday. Please help your child proofread written work for common spelling errors and to double check for simple math errors.

Coming up…look for announcements about “Simple Machines Inventions Project,” a “New Jersey Poster Assignment,” plus a trip to the Newark Museum Planetarium, and a trip to Montclair State to see Seussical the Musical.

What is the difference between the years 1708 and 2008? Fifth grade students will be learning the answer to this question in Social Studies class this winter. We are currently studying Colonial America. The purpose of the unit is to teach about life during the eighteenth century. Although key historical events and personalities will be included, the unit will mostly concentrate on everyday life in the colonies. Students will understand the worries and concerns of the colonists—finding a good spot to build a home, clearing the land for planting, and getting along with the Native Americans in the area.

Colonial Americans had to work hard because they made everything they used themselves. In order to make this unit authentic, students will experience colonial crafting. With parent volunteers in the classroom, we plan to quilt, tin smith, basket weave, dip candles, cross stitch and weave on a loom. Creating dioramas and historical biographies are two projects students will complete outside of school. Don’t worry if you do not see our wonderful crafts this winter because they will be displayed before the Lincoln School spring concert.

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

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.

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.

Health Notes

Reminder--Cough drops are not dispensed at school and students are not permitted to carry/have a personal supply of cough drops with them. NJ law requires a written medical order from a doctor for cough drops, or any other medication, to be dispensed to a student while at school.

Automation – It is with great excitement that I announce that our automation project is 95% completed! The new system, similar to the one used in our town libraries, allows us to scan books out to patrons instead of using the card and pocket system. The project would not have been possible without the many volunteers who gave so graciously of their time to assist me as I tackled this immense, but much needed project! For fear of forgetting a name, I would just like to thank everyone who helped with library automation, which was started in May of 2007, and those who continue to help as we finish the last of the books!

Let’s Say Thanks – Students went into the computer lab prior to the holidays to send postcards to military personnel stationed overseas through a site sponsored by Xerox Corporation. Postcards were to be printed and distributed by the company as a way of bringing smiles to the faces of those who are so far from home. To participate in this post card activity, you can visit www.letssaythanks.com.

Boxtops for Education – I was notified that Lincoln School received a check for over $300 as a result of collecting box tops. 100% of the profits go directly to the Learning Center to purchase books, so please continue to support this worthwhile “fundraiser.”

Please encourage your child to continue to visit my website to supplement the vocabulary they are learning in class.

On behalf of the H.S.A., we would like to thank all of you for your support. We have had a wonderful first half of the year. This year our fundraisers have been quite successful. With our profits we have been able to: subsidize field trips, purchase a color printer for the library, contribute to the JCHS Scholarship fund, welcome new kindergarten families, adopt a family during the holiday season, support a school wide cultural assembly, offer Fun-at Lunch, and run a fun-filled family night. Every penny we make, directly benefits our students. All of this has happened in only the first half of the year. Your generosity and caring ways have even supported a Lincoln Family during a time of medical issues.

During the second half of the year, we have a busy schedule. Our events include: two additional Family Fun Nights, the 3^rd Grade Bike Rodeo, Book Fair, Family Portraits, and 5^th grade promotion celebration activities. We will be introducing three new fundraisers this year which include: a walk-a-thon, a rummage sale and Artware. We will also be buying playground equipment for each class, supporting a student with a Summer Arts Scholarship, continuing to subsidize field trips, sponsoring an additional school-wide assembly, and purchasing additional resources for our library. We have also been planning our big fall fundraiser which will be on October 17, 2008.

We have seen first hand your generosity in spirit toward others, your support of your children and our school.

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

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

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