Kindergarten
On Wednesday and Thursday, November 4th and 5th, the kindergarten classes took their annual trip to Christopher Morley Park to extend their ongoing unit in science on plants. Each child was given a leaf template as a guide and was instructed to find and collect five different kinds of leaves. Each child identified and collected an oak, maple, sweet gum, birch and tulip leaf. On the nature walk, the children used their senses (another kindergarten science unit) to become aware of the variety of wildlife and plants, and the signs of the changing season. At the beginning of this trip, the children were given an opportunity to peek into the home of the famous author, Christopher Morley, where they looked and compared his writing tools to ours.
Kindergarten SlideshowFirst Grade
November was an exciting month for the first grade students at Searingtown School. They learned all about how the Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated the first Thanksgiving. They also discussed the many things that they are thankful for and how their families celebrate the holiday. The students in 
Mrs. Hess and Mrs. Recinos' classes performed a Thanksgiving show for their parents. After the show, they enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
First Grade SlideshowSecond Grade
Searingtown's Second Graders have had a very busy November! Learning about multisyllabic words, trick words, suffixes, basewords, compound words, vowel teams, glued sounds, digraphs, and words of the day during our daily Fundations lessons has been incredible.
Implementing the Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Project curriculum, the second graders have been writing Small Moments. Carrying their "Tiny Topic Notebooks" around 
wherever they go reminds them to jot down ideas for future stories. Studying our mentor author, Kevin Henkes' writing style, has made the children's personal narratives even better by adding dialogue, figurative language, and detailed, descriptive language. After peer/teacher conferencing, revising, editing and finally, publishing, an author’s celebration was enjoyed by all.
In addition, Mrs. Finkelstein, our social worker, has been teaching the B.A.B.E.S. Program to all the second graders. B.A.B.E.S. stands for: Beginning Alcohol Basic Education Services. Some of the vocabulary words that the second graders have learned are: alcohol, myths, recovering, decision-making, and peer pressure. Having the parents visit the classrooms during American Education Month was very special too.
Third Grade
As the weather got cooler, things heated up in third grade. We completed our world geography unit,
and began learning about the United States. We are exploring the different states, and learning a bit about history, government, and culture. We started our new science unit, the phases of the moon. We have done demonstrations and reading in school. Children have even been observing the nightly phases at home.We took a trip to the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University to view a production of the Paper Bag Players’ The Great Mummy Adventure. The children enjoyed this show.
November was American Education Month. The children and their parents greatly enjoyed participating in a variety of lessons in our classrooms.Fourth Grade
Fourth grade had much to be thankful for in November. The PTA generously sponsored a performance of our beloved book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Students and teachers laughed out loud as we enjoyed watching our favorite moments of the book come alive.
Students were excited to have visitors in for American EducationWeek. Everyone benefited from the experiences of experimenting with crayfish, and playing games like “Are You Smarter than a Fourth Grader”, “Crayfish Jeopardy”, and “Who Wants to be a Fourth Grade Millionaire?”
Fourth grade classes are continuing their investigation into the genre of realistic fiction with one of our favorite authors, Robert Kimmel Smith. Students are noticing text to text connections, as well as, the attention Kimmel gives to humor, character traits, character change, similes and complicated family relationships.
Fourth graders are still in a New York State of mind with their continued exploration of our great state. They examined the regions of New York, including each region’s geographical features, products, industries, natural resources, cities, and climate.
Students have been having great fun watching their writing blossom! Fourth grade authors learned literary techniques on zooming in on small moments in the personal narrative genre. Students made timelines to help facilitate their sequencing, and incorporated more sophisticated leads, endings, and use of figurative language. Writing celebrations were abundant in the fourth grade hallway!
To sum it up, fourth grade mathematicians problem solved their way through addition and subtraction concepts. Students had fun as they estimated and calculated the cost of buying goods and products in real life situations using these skills in the context of money. We could tell you more, but what’s the difference?!?! :)
Fifth Grade
The entire 5th grade class had an amazing day at Brookville Outdoor & Environmental Education Center. The children participated in a series of physical challenges, hands-on activities, and survival stations. When faced 
with situations that involved communication, cooperation, and trust, the students had the opportunity to get to know one another on a more significant level. The 
children demonstrated creative problem-solving skills, teamwork, and respect for each other. It was truly a day to remember.
Music
Congratulations to Searingtown students Lauren Lee (5th Grade), Tania Panwar (5th Grade) and Brandon Wai (4th Grade) who attended the Long Island Flute Festival on Saturday, November 14th. Lauren, Tania and Brandon spent the day with other flutists from Long Island. They had the opportunity to
attend classes on solo and ensemble playing, improvisation, the flute family, and warm-ups. At the conclusion of the day they attended a concert by world renowned flutist Jamie Baum. Finally, Lauren, Tania and Brandon performed in a flute ensemble concert to finish off a phenomenal day of flute playing at Adelphi University!Art Studio
In the ART STUDIO, the first graders are creating their very first journal by drawing the courtyard as the seasons change. Each child draws what interests them in the courtyard, such as a squirrel, bird or chimes. They all draw one tree so they can see how the tree changes itself as the seasons change.
Art Studio SlideshowLibrary Media Center
Please stop by the Herricks Virtual Library Media Center website! Our site is frequently updated with announcements, great resources, and links for students, teachers, and parents!Physical Education
Mr. Lavey and Ms. Pasatieri have recently updated their Physical Education Webpage. It is full of information and photos, so please be sure to stop in and take a look!Gemini
Please see Mrs. Kenny's Gemini website to read about what's happening in Gemini.To find out even more about what's happening inside the classrooms, please be sure to check out the websites maintained by many of our Searingtown teachers!
