Raymond C. LaPerche Elementary School

On Saturday, former and current LaPerche students volunteered in the community at the Mat Ministry. They worked together to prepare plastic grocery bags to get them ready to be woven into water proof, lightweight mats that are given to homeless people. The mats provide insulation from the cold and the heat. They are water proof and lightweight in design which makes them portable. It takes 500 bags to make one mat! If you have extra clean, dry grocery bags please send them into school. Students may place the bags in the white trash can across from the office. LaPerche students care about others!

Mrs. Caswell's kindergarten students look at pictures of a variety of animals and then discuss with partners if they think they are domestic or wild animals. The class discussed the difference and the fact that sometimes animals can be both since they are found in the wild and the zoo.

Still as a ROCK-Mrs. Martel's first graders practice focus and self control while playing Still as a Rock, an energizer from Responsive Classroom. During this energizer, students dance around until Mrs. Martel calls out STILL AS A ROCK! She sets a timer for 30 seconds and the students try and remain completely still during those seconds. Practice with your child and see if she/he can remain still. Start with 5 seconds and build on that success!

Investigation 3.1 from here to there. Focus Question-What are some important features of a cart that will help you get from here to there? Mrs. Ferreira's students used prior knowledge of wheel and axle systems to become engineers. They were to create a cart that would travel down a ramp with little force. Students were given materials but no directions. They built their carts and questioned why their designs were not allowing the axle to turn the wheels. Ask your child what she/he discovered and how she/he was able to be successful.

Please join us at LaPerche on Monday, February 11 between 3:00 and 7:00 for our annual blood drive! Donate and save a life! If you join us after school hours, please arrive through door #3 on the Limerock Side of the building.

Miss Zucker's first graders experiment with the science of sound with music teacher, Mrs. Barrette. Mrs. Barrette ties the science and music curriculums together as students experiment at stations testing high and low pitch and loud and soft sounds. The stations included boom tubes, xylophones, glass bottles with mater in them and string instruments.

Second graders were engineers during science as they used various materials to construct towers! Students worked with their partner to answer the focus question, what are the properties of successful towers? Ask your second graders what he/she discovered.

On Thursday, January 24, the winners of the fourth and fifth grade classroom spelling bees competed in the LaPerche spelling bee to be named the LaPerche spelling bee champion. The two winners will move onto the district spelling bee to be held on Friday, February 1 at 9:45. Congratulations to all of the winners!!

Smithfield Public Schools will be on a one hour delay for Tuesday, January 22, 2018 due to prepare for icy conditions around our schools. 12 month employees should report on time.

In kindergarten, students learn new sight words everyday. Accuracy, speed, and fluency in reading increase reading comprehension (understanding what you read). The sight words are a collection of words that a child should learn to recognize without sounding out the letters. The sight words are common, frequently used words that students will see in all the books they read. Here the students take on the role of teachers as they quiz each other and when needed offer clues and guidance. Students as leaders is an important focus at LaPerche.

Third and fourth graders work together to make complete circuits and understand the transfer of energy! Hands on learning engages all.

Mrs. Ferreria's third graders each chose a book they thought their kindergarten reading buddy would enjoy. They practiced reading the book fluently as a partner records the words that they have difficulty with. When they have practiced and are performance ready, they will use Seasaw to record themselves into their digital portfolio and then share that recording with their reading buddies. The kindergarten friends then have a library of books that can be read to them. What a great partnership and amazing online tool!

Reading Buddy Time-LaPerche Fourth graders introduced the first graders to Prodigy, an engaging online math platform that allows students to work at their own pace. One goal of reading buddies is to provide opportunities for students to be leaders. The fourth graders took on the role of teacher as Prodigy was launched in first grade.

It is that time of year...time to register for Kindergarten! If you have a child who is attending kindergarten next year, keep reading! Registration for Kindergarten at our elementary schools for the 2019 – 2020 school year will be held from January 28, 2019 - January 31, 2019, during school hours. Please call our school secretary, Sandra Bazinet, at 231-6652 to schedule a registration appointment. The appointment will take approximately 15-20 minutes. If you are new to Smithfield, please call central office at 401-231-6606 (ext. 0) to confirm your child’s “home” school prior to scheduling a registration appointment. Visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dmbLz1-hZSBCZeOUAbJFbqaleWWr_HoQQ5QXMV8LXT0/edit for all the details!

The Smithfield Education Foundation is hosting an ‘Open House’ Meeting on Monday, January 14, 2019, at 4pm in the Smithfield High School Media Center. Come learn about the Smithfield Education Foundation’s mission and how we support the Smithfield Public Schools by awarding grants to teachers. The Smithfield Education Foundation is looking for new volunteers. If you are interested but cannot attend, please contact us at smithfieldedfoundation@gmail.com. We hope to see you on January 14th!

Calling all LaPerche Families--Please come and join us for a delicious pasta dinner on Friday, January 25. The event will take place at Smithfield High School. That evening, the 5th grade students from LaPerche will be your hosts, wait and bus staff and will be ready to take care of your every need! Click on this link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/x1NKUWttEWSlUmHp2

Welcome back to school! Happy New Year. Take some time to check out the latest update from LaPerche! https://www.smore.com/app/pages/preview/cpvdn

As the weather gets colder we want to remind students to bring their hats and gloves to school! Smithfield school understand the importance of fresh air and outdoor play. Gear up so you can have fun in the cold!

Thank you to Smithfield High School for inviting the elementary students to a holiday concert featuring the SHS band and chorus. The student enjoyed the upbeat tunes and sang along to the holiday classics. Thank you for the invitation Mrs. Chartier and Mrs. Young!

Every student in 5th grade in Smithfield has the opportunity to play an instrument in the band. Today the trumpets and saxophones practiced together to get performance ready!