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John
Paulding 2007-2008 School News
Girl Scout
Gold Award
The John Paulding After School Program
students were the
recipients of a generous gift from Tiana, a
girl scout, working on her Gold Award.
Tiana, daughter of Evelyn Rivera, a teacher
at the John Paulding School, has been
working for a year and a half on her Gold
Award Project requirements. Tiana decided
that she wanted to give back to the
Tarrytown community. Tiana created a
program called “Bookworms” which took place
at Warner Library. She spent eight
Saturdays volunteering at Warner Library
reading a story to the children and doing a
craft related to the book. All of the
students from John Paulding were invited to
attend and the activities were also open to
the children at the library. “Bookworms” was
such a hit that by the last session at least
18 families were in attendance.
As a culminating project, Tiana collected
donations of new and gently used books to
continue to provide our John Paulding After
School students with the love of reading and
writing. All students received a bright red
summer reading tote bag with books and a
journal. Tiana and her fellow Girl Scout
troop members recorded one special book for
each child on CD and included it in the tote
bag. The students were very excited to
receive such a special treat to help them to
continue developing their reading and
writing skills during the summer. The John
Paulding community is very grateful to Tiana
for providing our students with such a
unique and memorable gift.
(Posted 6/17/08)
Egg to Chick
Project
 John
Paulding School recently completed our
annual Egg to Chick life cycle. Every
class went to Stone Barns in April as a
kick-off to the project. BOCES
Environmental Education Funds helped to
fund the trip. At Stone Barns, the
children were able to see hens,
roosters, eggs and baby chicks in their
winter environment. In May, we received
our eggs. Each class had almost a dozen
eggs. The children made their
predictions on how many of the eggs
would hatch. It took 21 days for our
chicks to grow and finally hatch! The
week after Memorial Day Weekend, 77
chicks hatched! The children were
excellent caregivers. They gave the
chicks food and water and even were able
to play with them. Sadly, our feathered
friends returned to the farm on June 5,
2008. The Egg to Chick project
continues to be a wonderful way for a
life cycle to come to life!
(Posted
6/8/08)
John Paulding
Reading Partnership with Hitachi America
On Friday, May 30th, John Paulding School
wa s
invited to Hitachi America, Ltd. to
celebrate our year-long reading
partnership. Each class was greeted at
the front door by the Hitachi employee
who had been their special reader all
year long.
The children were then given a brief
tour of the facility. The children were
intrigued and excited by the large flat
panel televisions in the lobby and the
amazing video conferencing technology in
some rooms. They were also impressed by
the calm, professional working
environment and the gorgeous views of
The Tappan Zee Bridge. After the tour
we gathered outside in the back for ice
cream and photos of everyone. The
children were given some very cool
pencils and handmade origami-style hats
made by Hitachi employees as souvenirs
of the event. This reading partnership
has been an ongoing success for a number
of years. We look forward to our
continued collaboration again next
year! (Posted
6/8/08)
John Paulding's New Garden
 This
past Thursday and Friday the students of
John Paulding School were working hard
in their new garden. The results are
amazing! Thanks to the coordination by
Liz Kaplan and the staff and parent
volunteers at John Paulding, there are 4
new planting beds in front of the school
filled with beautiful flowers and
plants. The children worked together as
a team to dig holes and put these plants
in the ground. They added their own
touch by putting their names on paint
stirrers that were then used to make a
picket fence for their new garden. With
help of volunteers and teachers at John
Paulding and the support from the
administration, this experience has
given the children the opportunity to
connect with their environment in a very
tangible and meaningful way.
(Posted
6/3/08)
Dance
Residency
Program
As part of
the School Districts Cultural Arts
Program, the Children of John Paulding
participated in a Dance Residency
Program. Facilitated by Ms. Laura
Danelski of the Tappan Zee Dance Group,
this five-week curriculum took place
from Monday, April 28, 2008 to Friday,
May 30, 2008. The children participated
in the program once a week during a
regularly scheduled Physical Education
class.
The
objectives of the residency were to give
the children an:
-
Overview for
dance
-
Understanding of
dance vocabulary
-
Experience in
using formal dance steps
-
Opportunity to
explore different actions and shapes
with their bodies
-
Occasion to
utilize their imaginations and be
creative
-
Opportunity to
increase muscle strength, endurance
and flexibility
-
Activity that was
physically challenging
-
Experience that
was fun
This program
was made possible with funds provided
through the District Elementary Arts
Plan, which is funded by the school
district, the Foundation for the Public
Schools of the Tarrytowns and the EPTA.
The residency reinforced the school’s
academic curriculum through movement.
Since every child learns differently,
education through movement touches some
students very deeply, driving home
creative and academic concepts. Also,
this dance residency was fun, physically
challenging and a great creative outlet
for the children. The students had the
opportunity to explore movement and
develop their confidence by
participating in a positively structured
experience. In addition, this residency
taught students about the arts, how to
view dance and how to behave as an
audience of the arts.
The children
had a wonderful experience and this
productive program was a huge success.
(Posted
5/28/08)
John Paulding Students
Make Their Radio Debut!
On
Thursday, April 3 John Paulding’s first graders were the featured school
on WHUD (100.7fm) radio’s Pledge of Allegiance. The school tradition of
saying the pledge each day together in the all-purpose room was taped by
the station in early March. The airing took place during Mike & Kacey’s
8th anniversary morning show. Despite a few errors in
identifying the 11 classes of first graders that took part the
students sounded great and made their teachers proud! Click
here to hear our newest radio stars!
(Posted
4/7/08)
First Grade Students
Visit Kendal On-The-Hudson
Children from Room 6 at the John Paulding School had an exciting visit to
Kendal On-The-Hudson Nursing home. While they were there, each child
decorated spring eggs with residents
 of
Kendal. Students have been learning about egg decorating as an art form
from around the world. This experience provided them with a wonderful
hands-on opportunity to create eggs much like the ones they learned
about in class. In addition, children started to form friendships with
the staff and residents of Kendal. Before visiting day, students were
taught how to pose questions to the elderly members of Kendal and carry
on conversations. Some questions asked were “What was school like when
you were my age?” “Did you ever attend John Paulding School?” “What did
you do with your children during family holidays?”
The conversations were inspiring and several children remarked as they
were leaving their new friends that “This was the best day ever!”
(Posted 4/1/08)
Poet
Ted Scheu Comes to John
Paulding
Thanks to
funding by The Foundation and a the EPTA, the students of John Paulding
recently had the Poet, Ted Scheu, come to work with them. The students
first met Ted with a whole school assembly in the morning. Ted
introduced himself and shared his love of poetry with the students by
reading them some poems he had written. He made the students laugh and
giggle. He taught them that poetry can help you see the world in a
different way and showed them that poetry can be both beautiful and
fun! Then, he created a Spring Is… poem with the students.
After the school wide assembly, Ted spent two days going
to individual classrooms and taught the students about poetry. He
continued to inspire and motivate the students to the craft by sharing
some more of his own work. He taught the students about similes and
metaphors and how to create them. After teaching the students in a
whole group, he had the students create a poem using similes. Their
poems were titled, I Am... Ted had the students compare
themselves to objects that they connected to. The students had so much
fun experimenting and being creative with their poems!
At the end of the lesson, Ted had the students practice
reading their poem out loud. Then, he went around the classroom and
asked for volunteers to share their work. He gave each child
constructive feedback and positive praise on a job well done. After Ted
left, the students felt motivated and encouraged that they could revise
their poems and continue creating more poems during poetry month in
April!
Ted’s future endeavors include a K-2 collection of poems
due to be published in 2009. This collection of poems follows the theme
of his latest work that just came out titled, “I tickled my teachers”
which includes poems that are geared more for students in grades 4-6.
(Posted 4/1/08)
John Paulding Students
Create in Collage!
 John
Paulding’s first grade artists took on the challenge of collage!
Creating all of their own materials, the students designed patterned
papers as well as solid-color papers that could be used for skin tone,
sky, plant life, and other natural elements. Colors were selected and
mixed in order to best represent those found in our world. Creating
images that present the illusion of depth, the students had to develop
background, middle ground, and foreground components. In order to do
this, the decorated papers were cut into representational shapes that
became part of a believable interior space or outdoor landscape. Once
the scenery was finished, main characters and other captivating elements
could be adhered to the surface. Studying diverse collage artists
including Pablo Picasso, Romare Bearden, and children’s book illustrator
Eric Carle, the students worked hard to create their own pieces. Each
work is a whimsical exploration of color, line, shape, balance, pattern,
and depth. (Posted 3/25/08)
John Paulding Celebrates
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through Acts
of Justice and Kindness
Martin Luther King was the subject of
many discussions and activities in
schools throughout our great nation in
January. Students of the John Paulding
School joined a special project started
by Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King
III, called: “Do Something: Kindness and
Justice Challenge.
Dr. King believed that kindness and
justice are the foundations of a noble
life and that individuals can change the
world. “Young people across America are
putting into practice the ideals to
which my father devoted his life.”
stated Martin L. King, III. “If students
can commit to one day of kindness and
justice, then…it may become a week, a
year, or a lifetime.” With this worthy
purpose, children at John Paulding
created lovely gifts for area nursing
homes that were delivered on Valentine’s
Day. Tarry hall Nursing Home,
Kendall-On-Hudson, Senior Citizens at
Neighborhood House, Tarrytown Senior
Nutrition Program, and the Orthopedic
Rehab Floor at Phelps Memorial Hospital
were all recipients of the efforts and
thoughts of John Paulding children. In
addition to the work and creativity of
our students, school parents, Tina
Clarke, Christina Kareem, Francesca
Spinner and Rich Chulla became our very
special delivery people of these
“Kindness packages.” Each year John
Paulding hopes to continue participating
in this project. By turning our beliefs
into action, we continue to make our
community a better place for everyone.
(Posted 3/9/08)
Family Math Night by
the Numbers
On
Wednesday, February 27th John
Paulding Elementary School
held its annual Family Math Night for
first grade students and their parents.
Family Math night is designed to
reinforce math concepts while fostering
an enjoyment of mathematics in a
non-threatening and entertaining
environment. The evening was a well
attended, collaborative effort between
parents, teachers, administrators and
students. Over one hundred parents and
children braved the cold winter
temperatures to come to this event, and
were we ever glad they did!! Everyone
had so much fun -- playing together,
laughing together and learning together.
Families joined together in the
gymnasium for an exciting evening of
math games, which offered both practice
and enrichment in an entertaining way.
More than twenty activity stations
ranging from domino games to chain
races, were devised and set up by the
John Paulding faculty who provided
activities which reviewed the NY Core
Curriculum Content Standards in
Mathematics. The faculty helped to man
the stations, introduce games and
activities and provide assistance with
the completion of tasks when needed.
All of the games and activities were put
into place to encourage communication
and learning as students and parents
worked together at math stations sharing
and clarifying their understanding
of mathematics.
Parents and students spent an hour and a
half playing with tangrams, geometric
shapes, icky sticky trap subtraction
webs, measuring lizards, and playing
time BINGO, among many other math
activities. The stimulating games and
activities enticed kids in playful ways
to master math concepts. Parents
realize that learning math can be
combined with fun and educational
activities that challenge their
children’s problem-solving skills. The
children were able to communicate and
actually show their parents the
activities they are exposed to in the
classrooms with the “Growing with Math”
curriculum. Parents went home with
activities to encourage and further math
at home. The evening truly was a fun
way for families to discover hands-on
math together!
(Posted 3/3/08)
Music
Therapy Makes a Difference
The students in Ms. Jones’ first grade class at
John
Paulding Elementary School have been involved in a weekly music therapy
group, learning about music, about themselves and about their peers.
 It
is a program funded by the Westchester Arts Council, which distributes
funds set aside by the County Legislators directly earmarked to increase
music therapy services in the county. Children with differing learning
abilities find themselves successful in the group and are eager to try
new ideas and motivated and supported by the music to express
themselves.
For the past two years music therapists, Lisa Sandagata and Carter
Thornton from The Music Therapy Institute at the Music Conservatory
of Westchester have worked hard to establish a weekly program that
addresses and integrates multiple skill sets. The students are provided
opportunities to interact with their peers in a fun creative manner
while they work on expressive communication, sequencing, patterns and
impulse control. Each weekly session begins with a simple
“introduction/hello” song, and concludes with a similar “good-bye” song;
not only giving each student a sense of group inclusion, but also one of
independence and personal contribution. Listening skills, appropriate
social behavior, turn-taking, and cooperation are areas of significant
emphasis. Students are presented with activities involving musical
instruments as they negotiate skills such as problem solving, sharing
and turn taking. Individual choice is encouraged and is highlighted
through instrument and song preference.
The Institute’s music therapists use many different instruments to
facilitate the group (specifically guitar, keyboard, and drums) and
utilize a range of musical techniques to allow students a wide range of
exploration and exposure, in addition to addressing the various levels
of auditory/tactile discrimination quite often associated with this
population of students. The number of smiles, laughter and fun
exhibited by the students is quite evident. Students look forward to
the weekly music therapy sessions with great anticipation; a clear sign
that both Lisa and Carter have developed a positive learning
environment, and a special rapport among the students. We sincerely
appreciate their contributions!
(Posted 2/25/08)
Mrs. Buckley and Mrs. Guerra’s First Grade Blog
Our class has written and recorded their very interesting how to
books. Listen and you can learn how to make brownies, how to do a
cartwheel and even how to get tested in case you have a peanut allergy!
You can even respond to the author from the comfort of your own home!
So
listen and have fun! Click here
to listen. (Posted
2/6/08)
The
Daley News
We
are very excited to announce the arrival of The Daley News Blog.
Our first podcast is our Winter –ing Books. You can hear them on
our podcast and/or read them outside our classroom on our bulletin
board. You will be able to post comments for the children. Keep in mind
that Tom B. can receive comments in Brazil!!! Look forward to our next
podcast of winter poems that will be read as well as posted on
The Daley News
Blog before
the February Break. Enjoy! (Posted
2/3/08)
Blogging is Alive and
Well in Mrs. Chulla’s First Grade Classroom!
The students have been doing lots of writing and are ready to share it
with the world (wide web, that is.) We have most recently posted our
Important Poems written with inspiration from Margaret Wise Brown’s,
The Important Book published in 1949! This was a not only lesson in
learning about attributes, and writing poetry but the timelessness of
books as well. We will be posting both students work and their
narrations as often as possible. Check back often to see just we’re up
to in first grade!
Click here to read our
poems. (Posted 1/29/08)
Mrs. Meehan's Class has
been very busy writing!
We
learned how to write HOW TO pieces of writing. We learned that we need
to use key words in our writing to tell what comes first, next, then and
finally. So, First click on our site. Next read our
writing. Then listen to our voices. Finally make a
comment on how we did! We can't wait to hear from you! Click
here to go to our
page
(Posted 1/15/08)
“How to”
Last month, our class used sequencing words to write “How to” stories.
Here is an example “How to” about our process. First reading
fiction and non fiction “How to” stories. Then, we discussed the
differences and similarities between fiction and non fiction. Next,
we learned about why someone would write a non fiction “How to” story.
We learned that non fiction “How to” stories give people information and
facts about how to do something. After that, we learned about
different ways you could write “How to” stories and realized that all
“How to” stories are written in a sequential and logical order step by
step. We also talked about “sequencing” words and used them in our
writing. Then, we brainstormed all the different things that we
know how to do and practiced writing many different kinds of “How to”
stories. Finally, we selected one to revise, edit, and publish
and now we are sharing our published pieces with you! Click
here to read our "How
to" stories. (Posted 1/9/08)
Sleepy Hollow Orchestra
Plays at the John Paulding School
What happens when you mix a group of
violins, violas, cellos,
bases, high school students and happy
first graders? If you guessed a magical
morning music treat presented by the
talented Sleepy Hollow Orchestra at the
John Paulding School, you are correct.
Upon arriving at school, the children of JP were met with the vibrant
sounds of over 25 string musicians. Under the direction of Mrs. Brittney
Trenczer, the High School orchestra played several pieces to entertain
and inspire these young students. Every day this semester, John Paulding
was the location for all the high school and middle school orchestra
rehearsals while construction was taking place in their buildings. The
sounds of these aspiring musicians were not only enjoyable, but served
to set a wonderful example to the children of JP. The comment of one
child really summed up the experience for the whole student body: “I
can’t wait until I can learn to play just like them!” It won’t be long
before this child gets her wish, because when Mrs. Mercado-Belvin asked
the Orchestra, “Who had attended John Paulding?” almost every orchestra
member’s hand went up. (Posted 12/26/07)
Sounds of Maracas, Tambourines and Taco
Making Permeated the Classrooms of
Tappan Hill and John Paulding
Where can you have children read in both
English and Spanish, telling stories to
Kindergartners and first graders?
On November 2nd and 6th
the fifth grade Dual Language students
visited both Tappan Hill and John
Paulding and became facilitators of
storytelling in both languages. The
English dominant students read in
Spanish and the Spanish dominant
students read in English. What a
wonderful way of empowering students to
read in both languages! The fifth grade
Dual Language students became role
models and encouraged future bilingual
story tellers.
Please stay tuned for our spring visit
to the second and third grade Dual
Language classrooms at Morse.
(Posted 12/12/07)
Diwali Celebration
John Paulding students in Ms. Ferrari
and
Ms.
Franco’s
class were treated to an interesting
cultural lesson on the Hindu Festival of
Lights called Diwali. This was one of
the many presentations given to students
of the various Fall/Winter
cultural events celebrated in our richly
diverse district. Pictured above is
Mrs. Vinki Makhijani, whose daughter,
Amrita, was among the many children who
listened to stories about this happy
celebration. Children learned that
Diwali is a time to come together as
family and friends and hope for a year
of happiness, good health and
prosperity. Diwali is also a time when
sweetmeats and gifts are exchanged. When
Mrs. Makhijani completed the story of
Diwali, all the children in class were
treated to a delicious bowl of homemade
rice pudding. (Posted 12/11/07)
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