Whittier Elementary

Welcome

Whittier Elementary School is situated at the western end of Teaneck with approximately 400 students in grades one to four. The school was built in 1923 and is named after the poet John Greenleaf Whittier and is located in the West Englewood area of Teaneck.

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Something New on the Menu

Beginning Monday, December 19, 2011 Physical Education Specialist Randi Badras and Art Teacher Donnie Thurmond will be reading five to ten minutes of a chapter book to the first and second grade students during lunchtime. We will post the name of the book next week—along with vocabulary words that will provide clues for guessing what is coming next in the book.
 
First and second grade classes are enjoying the experience of hearing Louis Sachar's Sidewise Stories From Wayside School.  Parents who interested in discussing this book with their children make ask about the importance of the following vocabulary words in context of the bookto date:
 
flabbergasted
accidentally
chimpanzee 
 
(Parent tip:  the more specifically one asks a question the etter the answer one is likely to receive.  Although open-ended questions, those questions that can be answered with opinions and different answers are my favorites, when they are more carefully crafted--they often result in more satisfying answers.  I have found that the question--Why is the word discipline important in the beginning chapters of this book and who uses the word? will often help me engage a child in conversation more easily than Is the word discipline used in the book?)

Whittier Wellness Wednesday

Do you know the difference between what an occupational therapist does and what a physical therapist does?  Try asking your Whittier school student--he or she might surpirse you by being able to tell you how the two roles vary.  This week Nurse Farrell's Whittier Wellness Wednesday Lesson focused on the roles of different workers in the school building.  I bet you can guess which two she started with.
 
Vocabulary words:
 
occupational
physical
therapist
occupational therapist
physical therapist
 
Every Wednesday morning the entire Whittier School Family is greeted by Nurse Farrell on the loudspeaker system. She delivers a brief health lesson which is almost like a public service announcement. This lesson is reviewed by the classroom teachers. In some classrooms the vocabulary included in the lesson has become part of the weekly spelling tests.

Every month a timely an important health issue is presented during these brief Wednesday morning lessons. September’s lessons reviewed hygiene and hand washing routines. October is devoted to the study of bones. November is American diabetes Month and we focus on diabetes. December is flu—how to prevent it and what to do if you think you have it.

This curriculum is aligned to Core Curriculum Health Standards. Some classrooms have incorporated the medical vocabulary into their work, post the words and sometimes test them. As of January we will post the words on this site so that parents can speak with their children about these topics.

Announcements

  • Moving Up Ceremony will be held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Monday, June 18th, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
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