Joan Giardina’s IS fourth-grade art students are learning about the importance of scale in composition, using cat stencils! In art composition, scale refers to the relative size of an object or artwork in relation to another object or the viewer's body. It can also refer to the relationship between different parts of an image.
Lillian Preziosi’s Otisville fifth-graders have been working with their reading partners to learn about an ancient Maya myth that explains the creation of the Earth and its people. Afterward, they continued working together to answer comprehension questions about the chapter and discuss the characteristics of a myth. Kudos to them for their hard work to develop their partner reading skills and learn how to work together in order to complete activities in a productive and efficient manner.
Their reading and comprehension work focused on learning that large complex civilizations, including those of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca, developed in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. They learned about the geography, climate, flora, and fauna of the Americas as well as the overall history and timeline highlighting the rise and fall of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Students also learned the innovations and discoveries of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca; and their reading unit featured myths from these ancient civilizations.
Take a peek at dress rehearsals for the High School Drama Club's production of 'Get Smart!"
Be smart and get tickets to 'Get Smart!'
TICKETS: https://www.onthestage.tickets/.../67093bfb963a9e7818abc70d
Ian Walker’s ES second-graders, like all district second-graders, have spent ELA time reviewing “the long a sound” during phonics lessons.
The "long a sound" in second-grade phonics lessons is crucial because it reinforces a foundational reading skill, allowing students to decode words with different spellings that produce the "long a" sound (like "a" in "cake," "ai" in "rain," or the "ay" in "play") which are commonly encountered in grade-level texts, helping them to read more fluently and accurately.
As part of their review, students paired and played “Roll and Read,” a phonics/reading activity where students have a 6x5 grid with words inside each square. They roll a die based on what number they roll, and then read a word from that column. Students also read “Spelling Bee” from their Kids Excel student readers, which was also tied to the phonic skills they’re learning about in class. Partners go back and forth reading words aloud. Working with friends makes phonics lessons fun!
VOLLEYBALL FANS!
Finally! We're happy to share ticket information for the Nov. 16 NYSPHSAA regional volleyball matchup: Minisink Valley vs. Union- Endicott (Section IV champions) in the Class AA regional game. Game time is 5 p.m. Please note, scroll all the way down the ticket page for information.
https://gofan.co/event/2238152?schoolId=NYSPHSAAIV
Kudos to members of the High School's National Honor Society, who delivered handmade cards and cookies to local veteran posts to mark Veterans Day!
Skyler Klein’s Otisville fourth-grade music students have recently learned a "round" (type of song) called "Come to the Top of the Path in the Garden." This particular song choice was a "visual round," meaning not only was the song performed in parts at different times, but each group was represented visually by a circle performing movements as they sang. Take a look!
In music, a “round” is a short, repetitive song where multiple people sing the same melody, but each person starts singing at a different time. Rounds are a great way for students to develop musical independence, to perform and listen at the same time.
Ashley Hamilton and Bridget O’Mara-Green’s eighth-grade math classes recently created their own, unique tessellations to conclude their lessons about geometric transformations.
Learning about geometric transformations in eighth-grade is important because it helps students develop spatial reasoning skills by understanding how shapes can be moved, flipped, rotated, and resized in a coordinate plane.
In math, a tessellation is a pattern created by fitting together identical geometric shapes on a plane without any gaps or overlaps, essentially forming a repeating pattern that can extend infinitely in all directions. The shapes used in tessellations are typically polygons, and they fit together perfectly, repeating in a regular or semi-regular arrangement. The key characteristic of a tessellation is that each shape is arranged in such a way that it fills the entire area, and the pattern continues indefinitely in all directions.
Geometric transformations provide a crucial foundation for further study in geometry and has practical applications in fields like art, architecture, and engineering, where understanding how objects change position and size is vital. Plus: this also enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities by allowing students to analyze and manipulate shapes through transformations.
Dutch graphic artist MC Escher made woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were inspired by mathematics. His work features mathematical objects and operations including impossible objects, explorations of infinity, reflection, symmetry, perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra, hyperbolic geometry, and tessellations. He produced his first piece of tessellating artwork in 1925.
Here's another great school food drive that will welcome your support: The Elementary School PTO/Intermediate School PTO Food Drive!
Kudos and well-done to the 14 members of the Minisink Valley Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) , who recently participated in the annual Highway Cleanup Event. FBLA members picked up over 75 pounds of refuse that was found along U.S. Route 6.
"The club takes pride in helping to keep Minisink beautiful," said Advisor Seth Johnson. "This is one of several community service events that FBLA participates in throughout the course of the year."
There’s always important ELA work for first-graders to complete, such as for Lindsay Kane’s Otisville first-graders, who were recently working on answering comprehension questions for the story "Lunch at the King's Pub." Once that work was completed, students worked on their “Pausing Point” pages that review skills they have learned throughout this unit.
FOOTBALL FANS:
Here's the ticket information for the Nov. 15 Section IX Class A championship football game against Cornwall. Tickets are $7 each.
https://gofan.co/event/2221575?schoolId=NYSPHSAA9
Can't make it to the game? You can watch it on the NFHS Network. Important note: A NFHS subscription is required to watch the game.
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nysphsaasix/gambffca9081e
Sunday afternoon news!
While it's not the outcome everyone hoped for, we're beyond proud to share that our Varsity Cheer Team placed 8th in New York State at today's NYSPHSAA Game Day Cheerleading Champion meet at Hudson Valley Community College! Please join us in congratulating the team for a job well done!
This team had tenacity, grit and determination in a field of competitors that Varsity Coach Patti Archiere called very tough.
"Eighth in the state, we'll take that," she said. "Our girls were amazing. They worked so hard and they did a magnificent job. I'm so proud of their efforts and I know everyone at Minisink is, too."
Breaking Friday night news!
We're going to the Section IX finals!
Minisink Valley beats Our Lady of Lourdes in a fantastic 42-7 win!
Next up: Minisink Valley will meet Cornwall in the Section IX championship game at FDR High School on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
Watch for ticket information soon!
Sally Mankoo’s and Katie Bendykowski's ES kindergarteners recently had the unique experience of learning how pickles can be experienced through each of the five senses! They listened to Rachel Isadora’s “I Hear a Pickle” and learned “all the tea”… rather, “all the dill” more about this humble cucumber and what they could hear, taste, smell, touch, and see! Ask them about this! Then, they recorded their sensory observations in their graphic organizers to capture their experiences. What a fun, crunchy lesson!
In kindergarten, graphic organizers can be used to visually support young learners in organizing information, brainstorming ideas, understanding key details in stories, building vocabulary, and even planning their writing by providing a structured framework to capture their thoughts through simple drawings and key words.
Checking work done in class is important! And, raise your hand if you know the answer! Erica Alders’ and Alexa Roach’s Otisville fourth-graders are ready to share what they know!
Congratulations to the Varsity Volleyball team, which swept Washingtonville in the Section IX Class AA semi-finals tonight: 25-18; 25-13; and 25-8!
Next up is the Section IX Class AA championship match, where the team will play the winner of tonight's Valley Central vs. FDR matchup on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 12:30 p.m. at Mount Saint Mary College! WE GOT THIS! GO MINISINK VALLEY!
GET TICKETS NOW: Tickets are $7 each
https://gofan.co/event/2141159?schoolId=NYSPHSAA9
Please join us in thanking and saluting Otisville School Resource Officer (SRO) Sean Burke, who is retiring from the Mount Hope Police Department. His last day as Otisville's SRO is today, Nov. 7.
Officer Burke has been a trusted, calm, caring and professional face at the Otisville campus who has always put the safety and security of Otisville students, faculty and staff as his first and most important priority. The school community will miss him tremendously, and wishes him much good health, happiness and fulfillment on his next adventures in life.
Today, Nov. 7, the Otisville school community honored Officer Burke with a special school celebration, with students, faculty and staff presenting him with notes, cards and signs.
Good morning! Angela Dombal’s and Bridget Kelly’s ES kindergarteners have been practicing learning how to greet each other, which includes learning about eye contact, handshakes, and saying good morning to a friend! This has helped the students learn each other's names and promotes a feeling of community in the classroom.
Instrument lessons are an important part of a student musician's success! (But! They also need to practice at home!) Take a peek at Laura Hulle's middle school flutists having their instrument-specific music lessons! In the U.S., flute players are generally known as flutists. But, another word often used is "flautist," which comes from the Italian word "flautista," which is a combination of flauto (flute) and -ista (-ist).
