April Newsletter
March 31, 2017
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Indeed, March came in like a lion, but certainly not leaving like a lamb. As I watch the snow
falling one last time out the office window I keep reminding myself that tomorrow is April 1st.
The staff and children alike are looking forward to putting boots and winter coats aside for the
school year.
Girls on the Run program at Tinmouth has been up and running since March 7th. The girls and
staff are looking forward to running outside in the soccer field rather than doing laps in the
gymnasium. Maybe next week the weather will be more forgiving!
We completed SBAC state testing for ELA as well as federal NAEP tests this month. Math
SBACs are scheduled to start the week after spring break followed by Science SBACs. We
certainly live in a data driven society! The students take these tests in stride. They devote an hour
or two to completing the online tests and then continue with their day. This generation of
students is technologically savvy and seems to understand that online testing is integral to their
learning.
Spring break begins on Monday, April 17th. Students return to school on Monday, April 24th.
This is an opportunity to take a day off to spend with your children reading a favorite book or
hunting for signs of spring such as new lambs, daffodils and peepers!
Many thanks to everyone for your ongoing support! Enjoy the break!
Maureen Fitzgerald-Riker
Knowledge is knowing what to say
Wisdom is knowing whether or not to say it!
Calendar of Events:
April 10 – Early release – NOON
April 17- 21 Spring break
April 26 – Library Day in-house with Kim Carr
May 15 – Early release – NOON
May 24 – School Trip – Shelburne Museum
May 29 – Memorial Day – No School
June 16- Graduation 6:00pm
June 19 – Last student day
Wee Folk News:
ASK ME ABOUT:
Focus Questions:
What is a map?
What do we use maps for?
What is a community?
What do you know about the work community helpers do?
MEETING TIME
Songs/finger plays-Signs of Spring, Jump Jim Joe, Hello Neighbor, Skunk Song, 2 Little
Blackbirds
CENTERS
Discovery-topo map
Dramatic Play-home
Toys and Games-USA puzzle
Library-Mapping and Community books
Art-rainbows on the easel and community helpers
Building-community buildings and helpers
Sensory-rainbow rice
BOOKS
(These books are connected to our focus questions)
Guess Who? Communities, My Map Book, Me on the Map
SMALL GROUP
Games/activities included the following areas:
Map of our classroom, length activities-longer/shorter/about the same as, taller/smaller,
comparing weight-heavier than, lighter than, about the same as
OTHER THOUGHTS
Happy 5th Birthday to Fiona!
Kindergarten News:
It was great to meet with parents for conferences. Your children have grown in so many
ways, both academically and socially, and it was rewarding to share their progress with you.
We are finishing up our weather unit. Some of the topics we have covered have been the
water cycle, sun, heat and wind. By popular request we will delve into tornadoes and hurricanes
next week, before wrapping up the unit. This theme has provided us with an opportunity to use
non-fiction sources as well as fiction to delve deeply and our vocabulary wall is growing daily.
Kindergarten students have even written their first opinion piece about their favorite kind of
weather! This week we are also writing poetry.
In math students continue to apply their newfound addition and subtraction skills with
practice and problem solving. They are moving from the concrete stage of using classroom
items and drawings to figure problems out to writing number bonds and number sentences.
A consistent saying in our class is “Practice makes progress.” That holds especially
true for reading. Thank you to everyone at home who listens to students practice their skills. It
is so rewarding to see beaming faces and hear, “I can read it!”
Grades 1/2/3 News:
Wow! It is almost April. April showers bring May flowers, but first we will start with
some snow. Maybe it will be our last snowfall.
I just wanted to send out a friendly reminder that students should be bringing all five
pieces of winter gear every day. Those pieces are a hat, gloves, coat, snow pants, and boots
(with socks). We go out to play many days. The students really need to get outside and get
fresh air. This helps them to be ready for their academics in the afternoon. Also, label each
piece they bring in, that way if it is misplaced we can return it to its rightful owner.
March has been a very busy month. First graders are working hard on learning to read.
Sight words, letter sounds, and picture clues are a few of the strategies we are using when we
come to words we don’t know in the passage. Please read with your first grader at least 10
minutes a night. Second graders are working hard on their comprehension skills. We just
finished reading the story The Best Place. It has a great theme. We completed a Somebody
Wanted But So Then organizer, which allows the reader to summarize the story without getting
lost in too many details. Ask your second grader what it was all about. Third grade is really
enjoying Winn Dixie. They are working hard to get it wrapped up by April break. Ask them
about their favorite part.
Math is rolling along well. Third graders have made great progress in relating
multiplication to division. One goal is to know or have a strategy to figure out their
multiplication facts by the end of the year. As the saying goes once you have your multiplication
facts you get division for free. Second graders are doing great work with place value. We are
using three digit numbers almost with ease. We are also going to be working on addition and
subtraction within 200. First graders are really working hard to know the pairs that make ten so
that they can use them in addition and subtraction.
It was so nice to be able to touch base with so many of you during Parent Teacher
conferences. Thank you for your continued involvement in your child’s education.
We will have our April half day on the 10th. April Break will be from April 17th – 21th.
We will return to school on the 24th. Hope you all have a safe and Happy April.
-Mrs. Coupe 
Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade News
March was another busy month for everyone at Tinmouth Elementary. The students
worked diligently preparing a slide show presentation to share with their parents at conferences.
They enjoyed sharing their academic and personal goals along with examples of work that they
were proud of producing this year. I would personally like to thank parents for coming to their
child's conference. Having the opportunity to work collaboratively to better your child's
education is so important. Thank you.
The students finished reading The Templeton Twins Have an Idea, by Ellis Weiner and
illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. They really enjoyed this author's sarcastic style of writing.
The students are now reading a biography of their choice. When they finish reading
various sources about their chosen person, they will be writing a report and preparing a speech.
This month in math, fourth graders are about halfway finished with the fraction module.
They will have a mid-module assessment on adding and subtracting fractions as well as fraction
equivalence and comparison before the April break. The second half of the module will explore
these concepts in greater depth.
Fifth graders have finished Module 2 as part of the Engage New York program. They
are now working within the Module 3 unit that builds upon the students' understanding of
addition and subtraction of fractions as it is applied to algebra.
The sixth graders completed their Module 2 unit as part of the Engage New York
program. The Module 4 unit focuses on expressions and equations. The students will have the
opportunity to extend their arithmetic work by including the use of letters to represent numbers.
Fifth and sixth graders would like to thank the Tinmouth community for their generosity
at their recent fundraisers. The students earned a total of $363.40 at Tinmouth's annual town
meeting luncheon and the bake sale on Election Day. The students enjoyed serving the residents
of Tinmouth, and truly appreciate the support they always receive from the community. Thank
you.
They would also like to thank Mrs. Lisa Barrett, Mrs. Shirley Bucceri, Mrs. Karen Eaton,
Mrs. Pam Garceau, Mrs. Carrie Gynan, Mrs. Maureen Riker, and all the parents who baked
goodies for their help in making the luncheon and bake sale successful. Whether you cooked,
baked, or donated your time to help out during the luncheon/bake sale, the students and I
appreciate your support in helping with making the fundraisers successful.
The students have now launched another fundraiser to earn money for their End-of-theYear Trip that they will be going on next year. A flyer went out last week for the opportunity to
buy Little Caesar pizza kits, cookie dough, and other items. You may order from any of the
students or drop off your orders with payment at Tinmouth Elementary School by April 10th,
2017. Shirley Bucceri is greatly appreciated for all the hard work she put into organizing this
fundraiser for the class. Thank you.
Gayle Wetzler
Little Caesars 5th/6th Grades Fundraiser
Please help support TES students raise money for the
end of the year trip. Little Caesars booklets and order
forms have been sent home with students.
All order forms are due back by April 10th