OPEN HOUSE- SAVE THE DATE

Cutler Open House

Monday March 25th

5pm to 7pm

PLEASE DONATE- New Pajamas

5^th Grade and Cultural Enrichment: Now through March 15th, 5th graders are accepting donations to give to Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons is an organization that collects new or gently used donations of clothing, toys, school supplies and books "to give to children from birth through aged 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive". The 5th Grade Kindness Committee have designated the following items to be donated for each grade: 

• Kindergarten: Toys (NO STUFFED ANIMALS)
• 1st Grade: Pajamas (must be new)
• 2nd Grade: Books
• 3rd Grade: Socks and Shoes (must be new socks)
• 4th Grade: School Supplies
• 5th Grade: Clothing: infants through age 12 

5th graders will bring all of the collected items to the Cradles to Crayons warehouse in late March to help them sort and organize donations. Thank you for your help in supporting 5th graders' leadership in this very important cause.

Community Groups

On Friday, we continued our tradition of meeting in our community groups to share writing. Also, each group completed a stem challenge. These groups with students from each grade level are another wonderful way to build relationships. Each group is led by the 5th graders with guidance from the faculty member.

Our Buddies Charity Projects

The 5th graders completed a charity giving project. Each 5th grader researched a charity that was important to them and designed a way to share the charity with others. The 5th graders shared their projects with us. What a wonderful way to lead!

Our Valentines Celebration

We had a delightful time creating our Valentine bags and reading our valentine cards. My thanks to everyone for the decoration donations.

Artists For Humanity

Our thanks to the Friends of Cutler Cultural Enrichment Committee for bringing Artists For Humanity to Cutler. This organization promotes leadership and arts through a unique program. The group created a mural for our school based on words we felt embodied leadership qualities. After the presentation, each student completed their own poster and 6 students from each grade level worked with the artists to complete our school piece.

Here is a link for more information:
http://afhboston.org

Math Update

In math, we have been focusing on place value and counting to 120. We have discussed patterns we notice when counting or using a 120 chart. We played a hidden number game and created our own counting strips from 0 to 120. We visited our 4th grade buddies and practiced our oral counting, Also, we focused on how to count accurately and efficiently with larger numbers. Our next math unit will focus on measuring and fractions.

SCIENCE

In Science, we have been learning about animal features and their functions. The students worked in pairs to study a specific animal and report on the features of that animal. Also, we studied informational text cards and completed a scavenger hunt. Each student chose an animal and completed a research poster on the animal and its features. This coming week, the students will work with their 4th grade buddy to design an invention inspired by an animal feature. Our next science unit will focus on plants.

Current Standard Focus
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human problems that can be solved by mimicking plant or animal solutions could include designing clothing or equipment to protect bicyclists by mimicking turtle shells, acorn shells, and animal scales; stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and roots on plants; keeping out intruders by mimicking thorns on branches and animal quills; and, detecting intruders by mimicking eyes and ears.]
1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).]
1-LS3-1. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include features plants or animals share. Examples of observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are the same shape but can differ in size; and, a particular breed of dog looks like its parents but is not exactly the same.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include inheritance or animals that undergo metamorphosis or hybrids.] The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for

Loved This List!!

Writers Workshop

We continue to enjoy o ur Writers Workshop sessions. During our mini-lessons, we have been discussing word choice, the importance of details and how writers find ideas for new books. Also, we are studying the illustrations of Marla Frazee.