Dragon Gazette_V2N6 - Haddonfield Public Schools

Dragon
Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School
Volume 2, Number 7 • MARCH 2016
Calendar of Events
March 4
Class Picture Day
March 7
1st Grade Field Trip:
Camden Aquarium
March 8
Minecraft Finds A Home at Lizzy
As you walk into our classrooms during sharing
time, visit the lunchroom, and see students playing
on the playground you hear our students chatting
about one of their favorite things; playing Minecraft!
According to The Atlantic Magazine Minecraft is the
best-selling computer game of all time with more
than 18 million downloads. Last year we decided it
was time to bring this phenomenon to EH by starting
the school’s first ever Minecraft After School Club!
Minecraft club is run by teacher advisors Lisa Murphy
and Cristina Kaubin and meets once per week after
school. This year 50 students in grades 1 thru 5
participated with two ten week sessions being run in
the computer lab. Students learn on a special version
of the game, MinecraftEDU, which is specifically
designed for use in education. Through Minecraft
students are learning to solve problems, develop
creativity, collaborate with peers, develop a spatial
understanding in the game, accelerate reading and
writing skills through communicating with one
another, practice math skills through problem solving,
and learn digital citizenship.
Each week the club advisors design a challenge for students to complete in MinecraftEDU
integrating various academic skills into the challenge. A few highlights have included students
choosing a famous piece of artwork and then recreating it in Minecraft using blocks. Another
challenged titled, “Number Zoo” had students working collaboratively to show numbers in various
ways such as through block arrays, addition, subtraction, in words, and through objects. Students
played a game of Clue in Minecraft searching for various objects in the game. A recent task had
students collaborating through building a house using various materials, but they were only given
one item forcing them to share and trade with other students. Here is what a few students said
about Minecraft Club:
“I really enjoy it. My favorite activity
is house building. Aaliyah and I are
building a house made of spruce
wood.” –George, 4L
March 8
Salad Bar Lunch
March 10
2nd Grade Field Trip:
Philadelphia Art Museum
March 10
School Store
11:50 AM – 12:40 PM
March 15
4th Grade Trip:
NJ State House and Museum
March 17
Community Meeting
March 17
Talent Show Dress Rehearsal,
HMHS
March 18
EH Talent
Show, 7 PM, HMHS
March 21-27
Here is what our students are saying
about Minecraft Club:
“All of my friends are here and I get
to play with them. I get to help people use
Minecraft and it feels good to help.”
–Jack S., 5D, Minecraft Assistant
BOE Bond Referendum Vote:
EH Art Room
“I like seeing my friends on
the screen. I liked the Clue game
because it was fun searching for
different objects.” –Gemma, 2M
Spring Break
March 28
School Resumes
Grades 1-5 Report Cards Issued
in Genesis 330 PM
because you
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Keep informed on Haddon
events, information and
happenings!
twitter.com/haddonES1
School website: haddonfield.k12.nj.us/elizabeth • PTA website: ehspta.org
Bond Referendum Special Election:
Tuesday, March 8th
Recent elections have been decided by very small margins. Your vote
DOES make a difference! Please plan to vote on Tuesday, March 8th.
To learn more about the issues, go to: www.HaddonfieldBondReferendum.com.
Kindergarten Celebrates 100 Days!
On February 17th, Lizzy Haddon Kindergarten
celebrated the 100 days of school. We are 100
days smarter!! It was a day full of 100 day
fun! The children brought in collections of 100
objects! Our three Kindergarten classes explored
100 through a variety of activities, games and
projects. Everyone enjoyed a 100 day snack.
Thank you to all parents for your help with the
collections at home and for volunteering to help
the day of our celebration!
Go Noodle Day
The 2G Go Noodle Junior
Ambassadors celebrated their very
first Go Noodle Day last week.
Second graders visited 8 different
classrooms throughout the day to
share their love of the diverse Go
Noodle interactive games, songs, and
activities. They completed over 25 Go
Noodle activities in one day! Some
highlights of the day were: going on
a virtual field trip of the brain with
1M, riding the “roller coaster” with
preschool buddies, Body Spelling
the Fundations sight words with
2MU, doing Zumba to “Lento” in
Spanish, and Dino-Stomping with
many siblings in 5D. The 2G Junior
Ambassadors had a very busy, funfilled day! Thanks to everyone who
helped to make this day so special!
Spaghetti Bingo Thanks!
We hope you enjoyed our annual Spaghetti
Bingo. The event was a “huge” success! This
Lizzy tradition that began in 2002 would not
be possible without the help of our community
partners. A big THANKS to:
Severino Pasta Company
Isgro Pastries
Jersey Java
Tina and Robert Berman
Spaghetti Bingo Fun Facts:
• Spaghetti Bingo is not a
fundraiser. It is a “family fun
night” brought to you by
our PTA. We take in just
enough $$ to cover
our costs.
• Every year we give out 50 prizes!! With
usually 300 or more in attendance, that
means the chances are about one out of
every six will be a winner.
• Over 600 meatballs served!! Imagine
making 600 meatballs!
• Spaghetti vs. Penne – we switched to
penne a few years ago because it’s easier to
manage in the kitchen.
Thanks to all who came out to make
this a great event!