Otisville Elementary School

Maria Fenfert’s Otisville fifth-grade trumpeters are practicing new music during in-school lessons! In-school musical instrument lessons like these are important because they provide a range of cognitive, social, and emotional benefits, including improving memory, coordination, self-esteem, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Lessons also foster a sense discipline through ensemble playing. The trumpet is one of the oldest brass instruments, and has been around for over 1,500 The trumpet holds a central place in the world of jazz. Legendary artists like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Wynton Marsalis significantly influenced the development of jazz and are known for their trumpet mastery. years. Due to their resonant tones, trumpets have been used for military signals, significant moments and ceremonial purposes for centuries. Military buglers, equipped with trumpets, played crucial roles on the battlefield, as they used specific calls to communicate orders, signal attacks, and announce ceasefires. In ceremonial contexts, the trumpet adds a regal touch to events such as state ceremonies, parades, and formal events

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up of Otisville Elementary’s 2024-25 Yearbook cover/back cover contest! Fifth graders were invited to draw covers for the yearbook focusing on the school’s theme of "Reach for the Stars" and the results, based on a school vote were: •Cover: The duo of Liam Card and Nicholas Raponi •Back cover: Leah Galligan •Runners-up: JJ Karpinski, Lucas Artola; and the duo of Dejana Rosa and Olivia Bianchi

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

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?

It’s always great when former students come to visit! That was the case when High School Sophomore Elijah Zittel visited Otisville Elementary and read to Cynthia Muccari’s and Tasha Buchler’s second and third-graders, as part of the class’s recent National Compliment Day activities. Elijah read Kevin Henkes’ “Chrysanthemum,” the story of a little mouse who is teased because of her long name. With the help of a music teacher who also has a long name, Chrysanthemum learns that her name is special and she should be proud of it. It's a wonderful book about self-esteem and acceptance. Afterward, students shared compliments about each other in a scoot writing activity. They also learned more about Elijah and the high school! WELL-DONE, Elijah!

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!

Otisville students completed "No Name Calling Week this past Friday by commemorating International Compliment Day! When they arrived to school this past Friday buckets full of compliments awaited them! They were invited to select some and share with others. Classes also marked the day in different ways, including Bryan Imbarrato’s third-graders, who wrote kind messages and delivered them to the classrooms.

The Otisville PTO's Line Dancing Party, held this past Friday, was so much fun! Take a peek! Thank you to everyone who played a role in its success!

Some of Kara Walsh's Otisville art students gave a wonderful tutorial about how to create “found-object” mandelas to members of the Board of Education during its Jan. 23 meeting! They guided Board members in the creation of a mandela by showing them how to arrange the objects using the concept of radial symmetry. The students were great instructors! WELL-DONE done to all!

Bryon Imbarrato’s Otisville third-graders have been practicing how to partition whole objects into equal parts when given a fractional unit. It is an important skill they’re getting really good at doing! Students were given the fractional unit for each station, and then had to partition the object equally to create the equal parts of the whole. They used fraction strips, baking pans, CDs and cups of water to practice this skill. Learning fractions in third grade is crucial because it lays the foundation for more advanced math concepts like decimals and percentages, enabling students to understand parts of a whole, which is essential for real-life applications and future mathematical success, especially in algebra and beyond; a solid grasp of fractions in third grade can significantly impact their overall math performance later on.

With this recent snowfall, it's a good time for Physical Education teacher Stephanie Giufre to make sure her students are ready for the time-honored tradition of snowball fights! Students are provided with snowballs (ok...yarn balls) and are practicing throwing, looking to “hit” their classmates. If they’re “hit with a snowball,” they have to go over to the snow pile (mats) and perform a given exercise, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups and more …the exercise changes every few minutes! More importantly, students are working on throwing, chasing, fleeing, dodging and cardiovascular endurance while having fun! It's an extremely creative way to refine these useful and important skills! Chasing, fleeing and dodging skills are movement concepts that young students should learn in order to better problem-solve how their bodies should move during certain activities and situations. Movement concepts provide critical foundations for learning how to move in novel situations, such as playing a new sport. Throwing and catching also helps students to: develop fine motor skills by controlling the small muscles in the hand and fingers needed for specific movement; understand practice helps them progress with their throwing and catching skills; further develop gross motor skills through the use of various parts of the body at the same time; and further develop sensory skills by observing the ball flying through the air.

Otisville Music Teacher Maria Fenfert is combining the study of the blues music genre with boomwhacker fun for her fifth-grade students! “The Blues” is a musical genre that originated in the American Deep South in the 1860s following the end American Civil War, though that's not fully clear. The rhythmic, call-and-response style of music arose from African-Americans and black communities in the Deep South with music and lyrics describing one's hardships, and heartbreaks. Students used boomwhackers, which are percussion instruments, to play the songs “St. Louis Blues” and “Boomwhacker Blues.” These lightweight, color-coded plastic tubes are tuned to different musical pitches. Students were given a different colored pitch, and must wait their turn to play their note when it appears on the screen to create the songs’ ensemble sounds! Boomwhackers are a popular instrument in elementary music classrooms because they’re a fun and engaging way to teach music concepts such as rhythm and pitch, harmony and melody as well as timing, focus and concentration, teamwork, collaboration and hand-eye coordination. Craig Ramsell invented the instrument in 1994 while cutting down a cardboard gift-wrap tube for recycling. He noticed the different tones produced by the two pieces of the tube and realized he could tune them to play music. Ramsell experimented with different plastics, eventually settling on plastic mailing tubes. He and his wife created the first plastic model in 1995.

District fourth-graders, like Jenna Colman’s and Victoria Frascone’s Otisville fourth-graders, are learning about French explorer Samuel de Champlain and Native Americans as well as de Champlain’s impact in New York State and North America during their Social Studies/history lessons. Learning about this explorer is important to New York State because de Champlain mapped and explored the area that is now New York in addition to Vermont, and the Great Lakes. He’s also known as the "Father of New France." He relied on Native Americans, who had great familiarity with the area’s land and rivers, to assist in his exploration of the area, knowing that maintaining a strong and healthy relationship helped create a profitable fur trade. In turn, this stable and profitable fur trade allowed for permanent French settlements to be created. Samuel de Champlain played a pivotal role in establishing French presence in North America, particularly in the region now known as Canada, by founding Quebec City. His detailed maps and accounts of the land and indigenous peoples also provide valuable historical insight into early exploration of the area.

Germination! It’s a big word! But district second-graders, like Kelly Bernice’s second-graders, understand this big word and are learning about this process during their studies about plants and flowers. In second-grade, learning about germination provides a foundational understanding of how plants grow, introducing key concepts about the life cycle of plants, the role of seeds, and the necessary conditions for growth (like water, light, and air). These are essential concepts for young students to grasp as they learn about the natural world around them in addition to fostering curiosity and elementary scientific thinking skills.

Brrr…baby, it’s COLD outside! And that means it’s indoor recess in our elementary buildings! Take a peek at these Otisville kindergarteners, who are spending some time during their indoor recess period working their way around the school’s sensory path in the main lobby! Too cute! These little students are engaged in different kinds of physical movement activities as they saunter around the pathway. Before returning to their classrooms to play with toys before lessons resume, they conclude with a fun freeze dance! A "sensory path"is a designated area or pathway designed to provide children with physical movement activities that stimulate different senses like sight, touch, and balance. It's often used as a "brain break" to help kids regulate their energy and focus by engaging their bodies through various movements like hopping, crawling, or balancing along a marked route. It can be set up indoors or outdoors using visual cues like colored tape, textures, or different floor surfaces. See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

Kara Walsh's Otisville K-5 art students haven been creating some very innovative found-object mandalas as one of their art stations in recent weeks. They have been working together to arrange the objects considering radial symmetry. Take a peek at their creativity, and see more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD Radial symmetry in art refers to a design where elements are arranged evenly around a central point, creating a balanced composition that radiates outward like spokes on a wheel; essentially, it means the artwork is symmetrical if you rotate it around a central axis, with repeating patterns on all sides Radial symmetry in art refers to a design where elements are arranged evenly around a central point, creating a balanced composition that radiates outward like spokes on a wheel; essentially, it means the artwork is symmetrical if you rotate it around a central axis, with repeating patterns on all sides.

Before the break, the Middle School’s Minisink Motivates Club traveled to Otisville Elementary for their annual reading of the "Weird" series by Erin Frankel to second-grade classrooms. Middle schoolers read a story from the series and then completed an activity with students. For the third consecutive year, middle school students and elementary school students had a great time interacting with one another and completing the activity. This is wonderful example of inter-school cooperation and relationships!

Before the break Cynthia Muccari’s Otisville second and third-grade students made gingerbread houses out of milk cartons, graham crackers, frosting and candy! There were many creative and tasty creations! They also made beautiful gingerbread ornaments and listened to the story “The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School!” What a fun, seasonal activities! Take a look!

STAR MATH BAKERS! Before the break, Lillian Preziosi’s Otisville fifth-graders completed their math unit on addition and subtraction with unlike denominators. Students took part in a fun project which focused on the topics they’ve mastered! To complete the assigned tasks, students pretended they were bakers on a competition show. They had to complete their baking competition by adding and subtracting fractions (planning and timing their morning, prepping in the kitchen, shopping for items, baking, etc.). After they finished their “baking” project, they made and ate "Sprinkle Chow"!

"Otis," Otisville Elementary's magical elf, has had a great time watching students and their wonderful, kind behavior this holiday season! Today, he and his reindeer friend greeted students in the cafetorium!