Music: Students in grades K-3 are working on St. Patrick’s Day songs and games while fourth graders compose music for an old Mickey Mouse Cartoon.The choruses are in full swing and are gearing up for the spring concerts.World Music has been working on songs for the performance in June.SCMEA vocal students just finished two weekends of intensive rehearsals and performed a fantastic performance this past Sunday. The Drama Club finished up a fabulous performance.

Spanish: The students are currently working on the following:

Grade 6:Analyzing class school schedules from a variety of Spanish speaking countries.

Grade 5: Dissecting family trees and giving verbal descriptions of relationships.

Grade 4:Retelling telephone numbers in a culturally authentic manner (grouping instead of single digits).

Grade 3: Investigating the weather through Latin America.

Grade 2: Labeling and matching various popular food vocabulary.

Grade 1: Naming farm animals.

Kindergarten: Counting from 1-10.

Art:

Kindergarten: Working on self-portraits and how to draw the parts of the face.

Grade 1: Learning about implied texture and how to use lines to make spring animals appear soft and fuzzy.

Grade 2: Learning about hot and cold colors and using them to symbolize a mood. Drawing and painting traditional Mexican suns and moons.

Grade 3: Learning about the Baroque period of art and recreating Johannes Vermeer’s famous painting,“Girl With a Pearl Earring.”

Grades 4 and 5: Working on designing agenda book covers for next year's agenda books. The theme this year is STEAM or science. The winning designs will be revealed the week before spring break.

Grade 6: Learning about figure drawing and illustration. Choosing a figure from Greek mythology to create an illustrative drawing and connecting with their recent reading of“Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,” which was read in ELA.

Garden:

Students have started to plant seeds in the greenhouse for the summer garden. All classes have started tomatoes, eggplant, onions and peppers.

Kindergarten: Will soon start seeds for their Mother’s Day gifts. 

Grade 1: Has wrapped up a unit learning about seeds. 

Grade 2: Learned about bugs and has spent a class period observing worms in the worm composter. 

Grade 3: Finished learning about soil and has had their soil station day sifting, forming and mixing soil for our seed starting efforts.

Grade 4: The worm composting bin arrived, and students had a lab day working on experiments similar to Charles Darwin’s study of worms. Did you know worms don’t have eyes or ears? Don’t worry no worms were harmed in the experiments!

Grade 5: Completed their study of composting in their group project of compost jars and have recorded their results. 

Grade 6: Brought home last month's successful plant propagations and conducted Darwin’s worm experiments in the greenhouse during science period.

STEAM:

Kindergarten: Students are learning about 2D and 3D shapes. They are preparing to make and test bubble wands using TinkerCAD and the school’s 3D printers.

Grade 1: First grade is reviewing 2D and 3D shapes. They are preparing to make and test bubble wands using TinkerCAD and our 3D printers.

Grade 2: Second Graders are learning about how 3D modeling and printing works. They will make backpack tags using TinkerCAD and our 3D printers.

Grade 3: Third Graders are researching a dinosaur of their choice. They will learn about their dinosaur and create a model of its skeleton.

Grade 4: The class is beginning a mini-golf unit. They will learn about simple machines and then work in groups to create mini-golf holes out of cardboard.

Grade 5: The fifth grade just wrapped up an Engineering Challenge Competition. Students will continue with 3D modeling and printing.

Grade 6: Sixth Grade is beginning a 3D modeling and printing unit. Students will create three unique projects and choose one item to send to the printer.

Library: This month marks the kickoff of Pick A Reading Partner (PARP) Month and our Beanstalk Reading Challenge, where students track their reading, earn badges, and participate in a school-wide challenge. Every grade has been introduced to the program, and we encourage families to join in by reading together at home and to reach out with any questions. Here’s what each grade has been up to in the library:

Kindergarten – Students have been enjoying fun, interactive read-alouds.

Grade 1: ELA lessons are supported by focusing on characters and settings in stories.

Grade 2: Students’ exploration of animal stories continues as they investigate how animals are portrayed in different literature genres.

Grade 3: After completing an illustrator study, the class has moved onto an author study, focusing on writers who have adapted traditional tales or drawn inspiration from folktales. One example is“The Gruffalo”by Julia Donaldson, which is based on a Chinese folktale.

Grade 4: Students are celebrating Women’s History Month by exploring biographies of inspiring women, including“Shark Lady”by Jess Keating and“The Oldest Student”by Rita L. Hubbard.

Grade 5: Students are being introduced to different reading tools and resources, while also discussing media balance as part of their digital citizenship lessons.

Grade 6: Students are creating book trailers using iMovie and Canva. This exciting project will wrap up with a book trailer showcase during the school’s upcoming book fair.

Physical Education:

The students participated in a fun game called Cageball. A giant ball is inflated, and students are arranged in a big square. Each student is assigned a corresponding number with peers from three other teams.When their number is called, students crab walk to the middle of the square and try to kick the ball over one of the other teams’ lines. The kids loved it!The circus is also back in town. Each grade will participate in two circus sessions, run by the National Circus Project team.The fifth and sixth grade will perform in the circus show at the conclusion of circus week.

Date Added: 3/13/2025

MUSIC:

• * Fifth and Sixth grade music classes with Ms. Russo have been learning about musical form and the musical elements melody, harmony, and rhythm. They were introduced to the App “Incredibox,” whereby students can create their own “beatbox style” song.

• * Using AB musical form and including ostinato patterns, harmonic rhythms, and various other loops, students were to create their “Final Project” and turn in their work during the first week in February, with a focus on rhythms and the rhythmic roots from African American beat styles.

• * Thank you to the PTA for providing such an incredible opportunity for our students in having Michelle Quigg spend the last two weeks here. Our students learned songs, games, and played instruments from all over the world and put on a showcase at the end of the two weeks to demonstrate what they learned. Everyone had a great time and learned so much.

• * Ms. Clemensen’s music classes, worked on closing up units from Ms. Quigg and learning Valentine’s Day songs and games.

SPANISH

• *6th grade: Composing a poem to describe themselves using the verb “ser,” physical adjectives, and personalityadjectives. 

• * 5th grade: Composing a 100-word essay of their home and its furniture.

• * 4th grade: Listing, matching, and recognizing numbers 1-100. Asking and answering, ¿Cuál es tu número favorito? (What is your favorite number?)Asking and answering ¿Cuántos años tienes tú? (How old are you?).

• * 3rd grade:Stating weather conditions in Columbia, Costa Rica, East Quogue and various locations throughout the world.

• * 2nd grade: Labeling and matching various food vocabulary. Expressing verbally and conveying their love of food with culturally appropriate phrases.

• * 1st grade:Identifying the 5 senses.

• * Kindergarten: Identifying family members through drawings, labeling, singing, and writing.

ART: 

• * Kindergarten and first graders are learning monochromatic color schemes. Kindergarteners read Harold and the Purple Crayon and then chose a single color to draw their favorite place Harold has visited, or a place they think Harold will go next. First graders drew a self- portrait using only one color. They based the color they chose on how they were feeling that day.

• * Second graders learned about artist Jim Dine and his famous paintings featuring hearts. They learned an oil pastel smudging technique to make their hearts appear more three-dimensional.

• * Third grade students worked hard to finalize their artwork for their upcoming exhibition at the Quogue Public Library. They are collaborating on signs and labels for the gallery space, as well as adding finishing touches to their artwork. The opening reception for the gallery was on Thursday, February 27th from 3:30-5pm. The artwork hung in the library throughout the month of March.

• * Fourth and fifth grade students finished learning about color values. They added silhouettes to their monochromatic works of art using tints and shades to add dimension.

• * Sixth grade students wrapped up learning about value using graphite. They learned about the spectrum of drawing pencils and how to use pencils that have harder graphite to create lighter shades of grey, as well as pencils that have softer graphite to make darker shades. They are used this knowledge to create a still life drawing of an apple.

GARDEN:

This month, we’ve been caring for the greenhouse plants and getting ready for seed starting time. Kindergarten and 1st grade continue to learn about seeds and how they travel.Second grade is learning all about predator and prey in the garden and what bugs are important for our garden environment.Third grade continues their exploration of soil, with soil testing and evaluations to prepare our garden beds properly for the growing season. Fourth grade is getting ready to care for our earthworms and learning all about vermicomposting. Fifth grade has made experimental compost jars to compare and explore the best ways to make our outdoor compost bins as successful as possible.Sixth grade spent time in the greenhouse learning about propagation and the different methods to propagate a plant. Every student propagated their own plant in hopes of having their own piece of the school greenhouse.

STEAM:

• * Kindergarten is wrapping up learning about using devices, technology, hardware, and software. They are learning to use QR codes to access websites, reinforcing letter recognition skills.

• * First graders are using devices to practice using Chromebook keyboards and trackpads to give input to computers. They’ve been practicing introductory drag-and-drop and touch-typing skills using the Keyboarding without Tears program.

• * Second graders are wrapping up their LEGO Spike Essential Unit. After the Winter break, they will be practicing some basic touch typing skills before moving on to 3D printing in March.

• * Third grade is finishing up their LEGO Spike Coding unit. After the winter break, they will review basic touch typing skills and typing from home row before moving on to their Dinosaur unit.

• * The fourth grade is the middle of their Stop Motion Animation using. They are telling stories about electricity, using paper to create their Stop Motion Animation.

• * The fifth grade is participating in the annual Science Buddies Engineering Competition. They will use the Engineering Design Process, cardboard, paper, and tape to engineer a rocket catcher that will catch their paper rocket at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees. Their work will be completed in March.

• * Sixth Grade is wrapping up a LEGO coding unit. After break, they will practice their touch typing skills before moving on to their 3D printing unit in March.

LIBRARY:

• * Kindergarten– WithNational Tell a Fairy Tale Dayon February 26, kindergarten readers are celebrating fairy tales this month. We’re exploring both classic and contemporary stories, includingThe Knight Owland Mac Barnett’s retelling ofThe Three Billy Goats Gruff.

• * First Grade– As we wrap up ourEndangered Animalsunit, students are transitioning intoCommunity Helpers.Through read-alouds and engaging activities, we’re learning about the important roles people play in our communities.

• * Second Grade– Our second graders have been exploringNonfiction Bug Booksand are now moving on toNonfiction Animal Books.We’re learning to navigate nonfiction text features while discovering fascinating facts about the animal world.

• * Third Grade– After completing theMock Caldecottand illustrator study, third graders are shifting their focus toInventions! We’re exploring how creative ideas turn into real-world innovations and reading books about young inventors who changed the world.

• * Fourth Grade– This month, we’re exploring books in different formats to spark new interests. Students have been readingChoose Your Own Adventurebooks and discoveringmagic booksthat can seemingly read their minds. These unique formats help us think about storytelling in new and exciting ways.

• * Fifth Grade– Our focus has been onbuilding library skillsand becoming more familiar with our library’s collection of over 20,000 books. We’ve watchedbook trailers,learned how thelibrary catalogworks, and even participated in abook tastingto sample new genres. Soon, we’ll transition intoresearch skillsanddigital citizenship.

• * Sixth Grade– Students have been hard at work creating their ownbook trailersusing iMovie. Once finished, we’ll be sharing them with all classes to inspire new reading choices. As we move into late February and March, we’ll be diving intoresearch skillsanddigital citizenshipto prepare for responsible online learning and inquiry.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

Students were working on their basketball skills. Last Friday was our annual Kids Heart Challenge (AKA as Hoops for Heart).So far we have raised over $9,000 for the American Heart Association. We are really thankful for everyone's support.

Date Added: 2/12/2025

Spanish:   

6th grade: Constructing questions and formulating answers on the topic of likes and dislikes in regard to common activities. (ex. I like to play sports) 

5th grade: Listening to Entertainment Tonight segments in Spanish and answering questions regarding the homes of famous Latinos. 

4th grade: Listing, matching, recognizing numbers 10-20. 

Asking and answering, ¿Cuál es tu número favorito? (What is your favorite number?) 

Asking and answering ¿Cuántos años tienes tú? (How old are you?) 

3rd grade: Identifying the four seasons of the year and connecting those seasons to months of the year. 

2nd grade: Naming, matching, recalling a variety of fruits vocabulary. Asking and answering, ¿Te gusta?( Do you like it?) Me gusta (I like it). 

1st grade: Dancing to a variety of songs( “Cabeza, Hombros Piernas, Pies” y“Cuando un Amigo Baila”)while identifying parts of the body. 

Kindergarten: Identifying the letters of the Spanish alphabet and recognizing beginning sounds of words in Spanish. 

Art: 

Kindergarten and first graders are learning about the element of art “form” and creating small 3D paper sculptures. 

Second Graders are continuing learning about architecture and are designing and painting their own castles 

Third graders are learning about medieval times and symbolism while designing their own coat of arms. 

Fourth graders are experimenting with drawing two dimensional shapes and using light and shadow to make their drawings look three dimensional. 

Fifth graders are doing a cut paper project called a “Notan.” They are focusing on balance between light and dark spaces in their art. 

Sixth graders are using stoneware clay to create small sarcophaguses in alignment with their Ancient Egypt unit in social studies. They are hand building and using slabs and coils to create their sarcophaguses. 

Garden: 

The gardeners in all grades have finished prepping the garden for the winter, while also observing the effects of the first frost on our garden.This week, we begin our annual Night Tree project and make edible ornaments for our East Quogue wildlife and to decorate the evergreen tree in the Reading Garden.All grades will participate by using cheerios, dried and fresh fruit and popcorn to make ornaments.Students will also be learning about migration and hibernation as it relates to feeding our winter wildlife. 

Click here to view the December School Happenings in Special Areas slideshow.

Music

Our younger students are working hard on songs celebrating fall and Thanksgiving. Third grade is excited to start playing the recorder, while fourth grade is wrapping up an in-depth study of composers. The Senior Chorus is off to a wonderful start, preparing for their upcoming Tree Lighting and concert. Meanwhile, the Marimba ensemble is doing an exceptional job, showcasing their talent.

Spanish

Fifth graders are identifying the rooms of the house in Spanish, as well as analyzing and answering questions based on a visual interior picture of a house.

Fourth grade is listing, matching and recognizing numbers from 0-20.

They are asking and answering, ¿Cuál es tu número favorito? (What is your favorite number?)

Second grade is naming, matching and recalling a variety of vocabulary regarding fruits. They are also learning to ask and answer ¿Te gusta?( Do you like it?)and Me gusta (I like it).

First grade is dancing to a variety of songs ( “Cabeza, Hombros Piernas, Pies” y “Cuando un Amigo Baila”) while identifying parts of the body.

Art

• Kindergarten and First grade are making pictures using shapes. Kindergarten cut squares and rectangles to make a robot using collage materials. First graders learned about author and collage artist Lois Ehlert. They read her story, “Growing Vegetable Soup,” and cut paper to make a collage of veggies! 
  
• Second grade learned about what an architect does and used shapes to create detailed designs of their very own castles. 
  
• Third grade is learning about geometric and organic shapes. They are using mixed media to create pictures of lava lamps. In their art history class, they are finishing up learning about Ancient Greek architecture and the different types of columns. Next, they are going to learn about Ancient Egypt! 
  
• Fourth Grade islearning about medieval times and artists who created books called illuminated manuscripts. They are learning about fonts and patterns and are working on creating their own initials using different fonts and patterns inspired by the lettering in the books from this time period.
•  Fifth Grade learned about the artwork of contemporary artist, Shantell Martin. They created line drawings inspired by her style of “following the pen” and by drawing inspiration from their own experiences, interests, cultures and hobbies.
• Sixth Grade learned about observational drawing techniques. They did drawing exercises, such as conducting blind and regular contour line drawings on objects like guitars, candle sticks and seashells. Their final drawing was a self-portrait. These line drawings will prepare them for the next unit on shading.

At the end of November, all grade levels will be working on a class decoration to be hung up in a store window on Main Street for the annual Holiday on Main Festival.

Garden

Students are continuing to clear and prep the garden beds for next season. With the warm weather, the school has been outside enjoying nature and our garden spaces longer than normal.Classes have been learning about concepts like “leave the leaves” and the benefits of saving our perennial cutting-back for the spring to ensure seeds and hiding places for local winter wildlife. The school also observed a praying mantis egg case. Lastly, fifth grade planted garlic seed to be harvested in the summer and learned about the process of bulb planting.

STEAM

• Kindergarten is doing Thanksgiving Challenges and are building Thanksgiving tables and turkey hideouts.
• First graders are using STEAM Lab materials to build some of the most important things needed at Thanksgiving, such as tables and chairs for families to share.
• Second Graders are exploring their Chromebooks and learning about STEAM activities like typing, coding, and more. They are earning 3D printed keychains once they log on to their Chromebooks independently five times in a row.
• Third grade graphic designers finished digital citizenship posters using Google Slides. They also participated in a scavenger hunt to find the GoogleSlides tools they need to create professional looking posters and presentations.
• Fourth Graders have finished their 3D modeling and printing unit with a team project. They created themed Tic-Tac-Toe boards to donate to classroom teachers for indoor recess days.
• Fifth Grade students are starting their LEGO Education unit. They’ll work in small groups and trade the roles of director, builder/coder, and finder to create and program LEGO builds with Science Connections.
•  Sixth graders wrapped up their prosthetic arm units with advertisements and presentations. They will be moving on to 3D printing in December.

Library

Students are engaging in various topics in the library. To learn about civic engagement, students have been casting votes for their favorite books. In honor of Veterans Day, they read stories that helped them appreciate the service and sacrifices of veterans and discussed what it means to be a hero. Students are also taking time to explore indigenous history and traditions, using literature to better understand diverse cultures and celebrations. With Thanksgiving approaching, students will share what they’re grateful for and will learn about holiday traditions. Additionally, while the school gets ready for winter, the students are exploring weather in first grade, eco-systems in fifth grade and seasonal changes through activities. Fifth graders will also identify resources for their class research projects.

Physical Education

November started off with a fitness week as students burned off all the candy they collected on Halloween.The students participated in the Fit Pit and the Gaga Pit, as well as activities called The Game of Chance and Zombie Tag. All activities were aimed at elevating the students' health, wellness and fitness levels, while also having fun.

The school year is off to a great start. These are some of the activities going on in the East Quogue School’s specials during the month of October.

Music

Our music classes are off to a fantastic start this school year! We want to extend a big thank you to the PTA for another wonderful Fall Frenzy event. Our K-2 students have been engaged in songs and games to kick off the year. Meanwhile, our 3rd and 4th graders are focusing on music literacy in preparation for 3rd grade recorders and the 4th grade instrumental band program. The Senior Chorus is also off to a great start, exploring holiday and winter songs as early as last week!

Spanish

In Spanish class, for the month of October students will be :

• 6th grade: Recognizing and retelling several forms of greetings and farewells. Also presenting an unknown person, asking and answering how someone is doing, asking where someone is from and utilizing expressions of courtesy such as “es un placer” (it's a pleasure to meet you).
• 5th grade: Locating and recalling question words. Analyzing and interpreting authentic Spanish invitations for who, what, when and where.
• 4th grade: Listing, matching, recognizing number 0-10. Composing telephone numbers verbally using numbers 0-10. 
• 3rd grade: Identifying days of the week. Differentiating between a traditional Spanish Calendar and an American calendar. Constructing written and verbal sentences stating days of the week using a Spanish calendar.
• 2nd grade: Naming, matching, recalling a variety of fruits vocabulary. Asking and answering, ¿Te gusta?( Do you like it?)  Me gusta (I like it). 
• 1st grade: Identifying and using appropriately “feliz (happy), triste (sad), cansado (tired), enfermo (sick) when asked ¿Cómo estás?   
• Kindergarten:  Memorizing and using appropriately the following phrases adiós, muy bien, hola, and ¿Cómo estás?   Reciting words to the Hola, Hola, Hola song by Mariana Mallol. 

Art

All grades are working hard on their fire safety posters! Every year we collaborate with the EQ Fire Department to do a fire safety poster contest aligning with the theme of the National Fire Prevention Association’s Fire Safety week. This year the theme is “Smoke Alarms, Make them Work for You.” Each student is working on drawing cartoons, comics, and other infographics to teach people about the importance of smoke alarms and fire safety. The firefighters will judge the poster contest and will be coming to school on Friday, October 25th to award students in each grade with the “Most Original Poster,” “Best Craftsmanship,” and “Most Informative.”

Garden  

September brought us the Harvest Moon Celebration, which was a great success. Thanks to everyone who supported and volunteered and especially the PTA for providing the yummy snacks! September also brings the end of our garden season and the beginning of our preparations for next year. All classes are visiting and helping clear and prep the beds for the winter. We harvested a bumper crop of string beans, which was served with lunch in the cafeteria on Fall Frenzy Day.  

STEAM

• Kindergarten was introduced to all the wonderful things about STEAM! They are practicing using their problem-solving skills to practice building things for the characters in the books we share in class.
• First graders are exploring STEAM literature and imagination. They are getting to do STEAM Centers for the first time this year!
• Second Graders are learning and practicing the important skills they need to use their new Chromebooks with ease. They’re working very hard to learn how to use the trackpad to drag and drop items and click on small spaces on their screens.
• Third Grade Graphic Designers are creating Digital Citizenship posters using Google Slides. Their posters will share important advice for being a Good Digital Citizen. They’re also practicing using their touch typing skills from Home Row.
• Fourth Graders just wrapped up their Lego Education Unit. They shared group roles (director, finder, and builder/coder) to create awesome collaborative Lego builds and then coded their electronic components to turn on motors, lights, and more.
• Fifth Grade graphic designers are creating digital citizenship stickers on their Chromebooks. Two of their designs will be turned into REAL stickers thanks to Miss Bonner’s generous donation of a Cricut to the STEAM Lab.
• Sixth graders are learning about biomechanical engineering while they work in small groups to build a functional prosthetic arm. When the project is done, they’ll be creating an advertisement in Canva to “pitch” their completed design to doctors.

Library

September is officially in the books, and we are ready for all the exciting things October brings! Our K-2 students have been enjoying seasonal read-alouds that connect with classroom themes such as fall, fire safety, and animals like bats and spiders. For our 3rd-6th graders, we’re focusing on exploring new texts. A big thank you to everyone who made the Fall Frenzy a fun-filled event, in the library that week. Our focus was kindness. We're looking forward to a month of reading, learning, and creativity in the library.

PE

We’ve been really moving in PE so far this year.  The students have completed their fitness testing and a week each of soccer and tennis. The students are currently playing in some pickleball king/queen of the court games.  Hopefully they will utilize the pickleball court here at EQ elementary. Thank you to the PTA for a super successful Fall Frenzy.