Congratulations and best wishes to the senior members of the Girls Varsity Wrestling Team: Patricia Deslandes, Giavanna Gangi, Shelby Potter and Vanessa Tepper! They were honored for the many contributions to the team’s success during the team’s Feb. 4 Senior Night!
Andrew Hulle’s fifth-grade clarinet students are learning how to expand the range of pitches that they can play on the clarinet. This work is all part of expanding their music and instrument knowledge during lesson and home practice, as each member of the fifth-grade band becomes more knowledgeable and talented when playing their instrument of choice.
For the Winter Concert, students used only six pitches with their left hands. For the upcoming Spring Concert, these clarinetists will add the use of their right hands, which allows them an additional six pitches. During this recent lesson, students were learning where those pitches are located on the staff and which fingers to press down to play them.
As part of their work, they’re using their knowledge to play Victor Lopez’s “Huracan,” which translates to “hurricane” in English. The piece demonstrates the sounds and feelings of this weather event by utilizing a minor key and the musical range of an entire octave. (Breaking news: This piece will be the first musical work to be played at the Intermediate School Spring Band Concert!)
•The word "clarinet" comes from the Italian word clarino, which means "trumpet".
•The clarinet is a relatively new instrument, invented in the 17th century by Johann Christoph Denner.
•The clarinet has inspired many composers, including Mozart, who wrote several pieces featuring the clarinet.
EAGLES OR CHIEFS?
Stephanie Guifre’s Otisville K-5 physical education students prepped for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX this week by making predictions on who will win...and more! Students seem to be thinking the Eagles will win, though many Taylor Swift student fans are choosing the Chiefs!
This week’s classes had an innovative STEM component tied into them by incorporating math (discussing the math tied to prediction making) and video technology while integrating sports current events, Super Bowl gastronomy, important fitness work and more! Take a look!
First, students talked about making predictions and reasons why people choose as they do. Later, they talked about what football players do to stay physically fit. Students completed an Eagles or Chiefs-related fitness activity related to the Super Bowl: Running in place, sit-ups, push-ups and other exercises.
Finally, they chose between game day food items: Pizza or chicken wings; a Super Bowl party with friends or watching the game at home with family; and mascot preferences! This was a great physical education activity aligned with STEM and current events components!
Joseph Ferara’s ES second-graders, like their peers, have been learning about the life cycles of different species as part of their science lessons in recent weeks.
How cool is this: His students used virtual reality to allow them to interact with each stage of a frog’s life cycle! First, they discussed each life cycle and then explored how that life cycle via Merge Cube technology!
A Merge Cube is a small, foam cube that allows users to hold and interact with 3D digital objects using technology which essentially let his students "touch" and manipulate virtual items like they would real objects. It makes learning more engaging and hands-on and often used to explore topics in science, history and more through interactive 3D models. They loved it! Take a look!
This STEM lesson included having students use Chromebooks, iPads, Google Slides and virtual reality to share what they noticed about each stage of the life cycle!
Middle School art teacher Brian Maione’s eighth-grade students have created some beautiful lanterns, and with some tea lights, they will glow brightly! We bet these can become some beautiful gifts!
What a great example of intraschool relationships!
Tara Frawley’s and Kelly Manganiello’s Otisville fifth-graders recently visited Kelly Bernice’s second-graders for a fun buddy reading session!
Buddy reading is a great way to discuss a book together with a friend. Pairing fifth-graders with second-graders is a great way for them to take turns reading to one another. It allows for authentic reading practice and serves a model of fluent reading and comprehension reinforcement. Other important benefits include improved literacy skills, confidence and social skills/connection building and mentorship opportunities in addition to creating more positive attitudes about the importance of reading!
Nicole Van Pelt’s seventh-grade physical education classes are jumping into their floor hockey unit! Students are ready to learn new skills with their protective goggles and hockey sticks! From stickhandling and passing to teamwork and gameplay, students are developing their abilities while having a blast with their classmates. This unit is all about energy, laughter, and building a love for staying active.
Some believe floor hockey evolved from ice hockey, while others think it evolved from field hockey.
Tiffany Guareno’s ES kindergarteners are really good at determining the number of shapes in each column and then arranging those columns from least (number) to greatest (number). Take a peek at these cuties!
Being able to arrange numbers from least to greatest is important in kindergarten because it lays the foundation for understanding number magnitude, comparison, and sequencing, which are crucial building blocks for more advanced math skills like addition and subtraction. It helps children develop a strong sense of number order and paves the way for future mathematical concepts.
IS students who attend Joan Giardina’s “extra art” class created a beautiful mural which is now on display near the IS Main Office. The school’s motto is “Be Kind,” and they used that as the mural’s theme with heart art to represent kindness!
All district third-graders have been recently working on their Reading Unit 5 in Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) Amplify program, which focused on “Light and Sound.” Students learned that sound is energy that travels in waves by using vibrations. They discussed pitch, volume, waves, energy, vibrations and orchestra. Students focused on reading informational text, taking notes, and comparing and contrasting the two forms of energy.
At the Intermediate School third-graders visited Music Teacher/Band Director Andrew Hulle’s music room for a special lesson reinforcing the material in the books!
With the help of some of his Fifth-Grade Band tuba students, Mr. Hulle demonstrated how pitch, volume, sound waves and vibrations work when students play a variety of musical instruments and why that’s important in music. What a great collaborative effort between the Third-Grade faculty and Mr. Hulle!
How does weathering and erosion affect rocks? This question was recently investigated by Kim Marasco’s IS fourth-graders!
Students knew that jagged rocks on the top of the mountains roll down. Erosion happens when rocks knock into each other, which breaks off their jagged points and makes them round. At the bottom of a mountain, rocks are no longer jagged but rounded.
But! To test this, students used sugar cubes. They traced the edges of the sugar cubes shook them 40 times during each trial to see if they changed. These shakes simulated the weathering and erosion process, much like a rock tumbling down a mountain, or how rocks are worn down over time by wind or water, with the shaking representing the movement of the natural elements.
By the end of the five trials, or 200 shakes, there were no original edges visible.
After their science experiment was completed, they learned that most rocks we encounter are smooth because of the weathering and erosion process.
The High School Science Speakers Series continued on Feb. 3, where speakers who excelled in science, graduated college, and transitioned to the workforce come in and speak to students who are enrolled in the college level science classes.
Thank you to Nathaniel Garcia, manager of the Pfizer School of Science in New York City, for visiting the high school today! Mr. Garcia is a scientist and educator with Pfizer, and developed Luminex-based antibody quantification immunoassays in support of SARS-CoV-2, RSV, Pneumococcal, and other vaccine programs. He’s a holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Manhattan University.
More speakers are planned for this Science Speakers Series. Please join us in thanking Mr. Garcia for taking the time to meet with students and show and talk to them about the wonderful possibilities that can become a reality with hard work and determination.
Congratulations and best wishes to the senior members of the Boys Varsity Swimming and Diving team, who were honored for their contributions to the team during the team’s Jan. 30 Senior Night:
• Anthony Cucuzza
• Drew Jashembowski
• Christopher Rickard
• Lukas Struble
Mia McLean's ES kindergarten library students are thrilled to show off the books they've picked to bring home!
Library class supports what goes on in the classroom by further developing kindergarteners' literacy skills through exposure to a variety of books, encourages a love of reading, provides a space for interactive storytelling, and can foster a sense of community while teaching them basic library skills like selecting books and respecting the space.
Joan Giardina’s IS fourth-grade art students are learning about self-portraits and the proportions of the face in class!
Students looked at how everyone's face has the same general proportions and that if one knows “the math” behind how the face is divided, drawings will be much more realistic. They looked at examples of faces with the proportions slightly off, had to figure out what was wrong and discussed how if one feature is put in the wrong place it affects everything else. Students are also learning how to use shading, instead of lines, to show the edges of facial features. This technique makes the drawings more realistic as well.
Learning about self-portraits and facial proportions is important in art class because it provides a foundational understanding of human anatomy, allowing students to accurately capture likeness in their drawings, develop observational skills by closely studying their own faces, and serves as a fundamental building block for creating realistic portraits of others, all while providing a personal connection to the artwork through self-expression.
The Girls Varsity Wrestling Team competed fiercely at the recent, inaugural New York Girls State Dual Wrestling Championship, earning third place! They continue to be a powerhouse! Well-done to all!
Friday afternoon cuteness! Take a look at the adorable Otisville Elementary Kindergarten Asian Lunar New Year Parade! It's a wonderful school tradition!
See more photos on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
Also as part of continued Asian Lunar New Year studies districtwide this week, the Otisville Kindergarten team organized a dining option for any interested kindergartener have Chinese food for lunch today!
Looks like lunch was a huge hit today! Thank you to everyone involved; and don’t these little ones look adorable with their fancy Asian Lunar New Year hats?
As part of continued Asian Lunar New Year studies district-wide this week, Sally Mankoo’s ES kindergarteners had a fun companion art project: Making their own snakes! (It’s the Year of the Snake, as we know!)
Students created their own snakes, painted them, cut them out and then added eyes and a popsicle stick tongue. This was a great fine motor activity to tie into the Asian Lunar New Year celebration!
•In Chinese culture, the snake is often linked to the element of fire, which signifies passion, energy and transformation. The year itself is considered a time for reflection, deep thought and personal growth.
•People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be perceptive, intelligent and graceful
Elizabeth Sirico’s and Susan Green’s IS fourth-graders recently presented their Longhouse and Wigwam projects to peers in other fourth-grade classes. After spending weeks learning about Native American cultures, students used the information they learned from class to create their own models of Longhouses and Wigwams. What a great way to share what they learned and showcase their hard work!
A Native American longhouse is a traditional dwelling structure built by many Northeast Indigenous peoples, particularly the Iroquois Nation, which was a long, rectangular building made from a wooden frame covered with bark. It was designed to house multiple families from the same clan, often with a central fire pit for warmth and served as a large communal home for extended family units.
A Native American wigwam is a dome-shaped, semi-permanent dwelling traditionally used by certain Indigenous peoples in North America, primarily the Algonquian tribes, which was constructed with a framework of arched poles covered with bark, mats, or hides, often sourced from birch trees. It’s a type of hut with a rounded roof used for shelter and community gatherings.
