Starring…

It’s no secret that Mrs. Witschy has the most talented kids in her class every year! To show our off what we’ve got, we put together a whole class performance for the Talent Show, held every March in the auditorium.

My first year at John Wallace, my class created a skit and a dance that captured the adventures they had every day in school. They began their “day on stage” with a morning meeting. The students entered one at a time, singing to a song especially co-written for them by Sean Fournier and Mrs. Witschy, called “The Fifth Grade Blues.” One of the students borrowed a Halloween costume of a witch from me, and dressed to play the role of “Mrs. Witschy.” She greeted each student as they arrived to “school” for the day.

After the morning meeting was finished, the “class” began a lesson on fractions. They were in the middle of the lesson when suddenly the electricity “went out!” Electricity Boy came to their rescue by using his knowledge of simple circuits to complete a circuit to shed some light on their dark scene. He proudly announced, “Have no fear, Electricity Boy is here!” When the lights did come back up, the class was lined up to dance to their version of the hit song, “I Like to Move it!” Those who listened carefully would notice that the words of the song had been changed to “I Like to READ it!” Their performance brought the house down and earned a standing ovation!

Last year, my class knew they were up for a challenge. With many after school rehearsals, and a little help from some eighth grade friends, they created a dance to the Rascal Flatt’s version of “Life is a Highway.” With their cool jeans, white t-shirts and shades, they were such a smash hit! During their performance they went right out into the audience to dance! This group of fifth graders brought the show to a whole new level of enthusiasm! They did such a great job with their performance that they were invited to perform with the Eighth Grade Show Choir at their Outdoor Concert at the end of the school year. They are the only class to have ever been given such an honor. Even though the music was a little different because they were performing with a live band, the performance they gave that night rivaled their first performance.

With that in mind, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us! This year we’ve started to put together a performance that will be sure to get the audience up and out of their seats! Many parents, past and present, have shared their anticipation toward what the future classes of Mrs. Witschy will create. Each performance is sure to be unique and memorable!

Helping Hands, Helping Hearts

How can just one person make a difference? By caring, that’s how! For two years, the fifth graders in room 511 have made a difference in the lives of the residents at Newington Health Care Center.

It all started in the Spring of 2007. We all started collecting cans and bottles, or doing extra chores around the house to earn extra allowance. Each student brought in ten dollars, and many students were so inspired, they brought in more!

I then took the money we collected, and went to the store to purchase “supplies” for the students to create gift baskets with for an adopted grandparent from the Newington Health Care Center.

The next day in school we created our baskets and made pictures to decorate the rooms of our grandparents. Filled with pride, we walked the short distance to the Health Care Center to meet our grandparents and share a smile.

While we were there, we enjoyed ice cream sundaes and entertained with a special dance we had created. It was such a positive experience, and some students kept in touch with their adopted grandparents even after the school year ended.

In order to build a relationship with our grandparents earlier the next school year, we were invited to spend part of Halloween in the Health Care Center. The students brought their costumes to school, and put them on in the Health Care Center to parade around for the residents. Before we left, we sang some spooky songs and shared some Halloween treats.

This spring we are going to head back over to the Health Care Center to surprise our adopted grandparents with yet another round of gift baskets that we have worked hard to earn. This has proven to be a rewarding experience for all involved!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find Out What it Means to Me!

It all started when I was in third grade, in Mrs. Whurstorn’s class. On the first day of school she asked me to sit next to this “new girl.” Having just turned eight, I had a dilemma. I really wanted to sit with my friends, yet I also wanted to make a good first impression on my teacher. I sat down, and found out this “new girl’s” name was Ellen. That first day Ellen didn’t have a snack with her for snack time, and not wanting to be rude by eating mine in her face, I offered to share mine. Ellen gratefully accepted.

As the year went on, I realized that Ellen didn’t have a lot of the same things my friends and I had, and I went out of my way to be kind to her and include her in our group. I learned that Ellen’s family lived in an old chicken-coup that was renovated for her family by her dad’s company for them to stay in. As I recall, there were approximately 3 rooms total in the whole “house.” Needless to say, there weren’t many children who wanted to be seen with a child who wasn’t always showered and was socially awkward. As the years went on, I kept my friendship with Ellen up, knowing that was one of the few things she could call her own.

One day, in eighth grade lunch, I noticed Ellen sitting by herself at a lunch table, while I enjoyed my 25 minutes of freedom laughing with my friends. I got up from my table, went to Ellen and invited her to come sit with us. Being typical “middle schoolers,” my friends were less than thrilled. Later that day, I received a nasty note from a “friend” blasting me for ruining our reputation. It was a hard day, but I learned who my true friends were, and what really mattered.

Fast-forward about ten years, to when I was working as a bank teller during the summer between college semesters. In walks the girl I fell out of touch with after her family moved from town. Ellen recognized me right away, and was so happy to see me. In the brief conversation we had, she was sure to thank me for sharing my snack with her all those years before. At 21, she still knew what was in my lunch box that day. I never knew what an impact I had (inadvertently) on her life, but I will never forget it. Being kind is one of the most important qualities a person can have. It is my goal to teach children the importance of including everyone in all areas of their lives. They will never know how far the smallest good deed will go.

To reinforce respect in my classroom, every Monday morning we have a Monday Morning Meeting. The meeting is lead by a student, and the children learn to greet each other, play together, share with one another and really listen to what others say. So that no student is left without a friend at lunch like Ellen was, the children choose a lunch buddy whom they will sit with every day. The lunch buddies will change throughout the year so students will have the opportunity to make new friends. By including everyone, we all can make the world a better place, one person at a time.

Student Testimonies

Having Mrs. Witschy as my 5th grade teacher was awesome. She is definitely my favorite teacher of all time and I wish she was still teaching me. We would have so much fun in class. We would make jokes and play games, but when it was time to get serious and learn the stuff, she always taught it to us in a way we could understand and she would make it so it didn’t seem as difficult. For example, when we were learning fractions, and we had a word problem that was tough, she would explain it to us a different way and actually show us how to do it. That is one reason why I loved Mrs. Witschy as a teacher.

Sometimes, when Mrs. Witschy had some free time after school, she would let any kids stay after for help or if they just wanted to hang out. I remember staying after all of the time with my friend and hanging out with Mrs. Witschy. I don’t think that many other teachers would do that. Also, if she was all done with her work after school, she would invite people for a kickball game after school. She would bring snacks for everyone and we would all enjoy a nice game in the fields at Paterson. It was everything I could have asked for from a teacher.

Lastly, what we learned. Mrs. Witschy taught us everything from spelling, grammar, math, science, health, reading, writing and social studies. Social studies was my favorite. Our big project was on Japan. We got with a teacher-selected partner and did a project on something to do with Japan. My partner and I did a tri-fold poster on festivals and volcanoes. It was the best. Mrs. Witschy let us use all of her books and the computer on our project. When everything was done, we presented it to the 4th grade class and told them what we did. I was nervous but in the end, it turned out great.

So over all, I think that Mrs. Witschy was my favorite teacher. She was the BEST.
-Patrick

Mrs. Witschy is the complete opposite of what her name sounds like. She is a great teacher! In her class, I had lots of fun while I was learning. She is very organized. There is a job chart on the closet door. If your stick was in a certain pocket, that is your job for the week. Every Monday, we have our Monday Morning Meeting. In morning meeting, we have a greeting, (a message) to read about what we will do today, share time, and many games to choose from. After we do one game, that is the end of Monday Morning Meeting.
Mrs. Witschy is always very clear with what she is teaching. I understand it the first time she explains it. She also thinks of fun projects to do. There was this project where we had to write a diary of the main character in the story you are reading and then actually make your character.

Mrs. Witschy has these things called treasure tickets. If you have done something great, or just been really good, you can earn treasure tickets. On any random day, she will open the treasure box, which has some items in it that you can purchase with the treasure tickets you earned. If our class has been very good, we will sometimes play kickball after school. So that is usually what we do in Mrs. Witschy’s class.
-Brooke

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Throughout the day, fifth graders learn a lot about a variety of exciting things! Below is a brief overview of the major areas of the fifth grade curriculum.

Reading:
In 5th grade we use the Harcourt Trophies reading program. It is a comprehensive standards based program, which directly addresses the skills being measured on the Connecticut Mastery Test. It provides instruction in varied reading strategies. The program features read alouds, shared reading of anthology selections, and guided reading. It meets the needs of students who require varying levels of intervention and challenge. Another component of the reading program is independent reading and journal writing in response to books. There will be times when students create book projects to demonstrate their comprehension and responses to independent reading books in place of journal writing.

Language Arts/Writing:
Students will be learning a variety of specific targeted skills in writing, grammar, and spelling. Expository writing is a main focus. Students will also develop skills in researching and note taking. Creative writing and journal writing are also part of grade 5. Students will be maintaining a writer’s notebook, which will be a tool for fostering ideas for creative writing.
Math:
The fifth grade uses the Math Trail Blazers program. It features a hands-on, exploratory approach to math skills and problem solving. Many of the lessons are science based and involve cooperative group work in the exploration and development of concepts.

Science: (first half of year)
There are three major units in science; sound, electricity, and light. Sound includes a study of the properties of sound, sound waves, and how sound travels. Electricity includes hands on investigations with current electricity, simple circuits and parallel circuits. Students will learn about conductors and insulators. Light includes study of the electromagnetic spectrum, colors of visible light, lenses as well as reflection and refraction of light.

Social Studies: (second half of year)
Map Skills/Geography
In the first unit of study, students will learn about types of maps, geographical features, latitude and longitude, and continents as well as other main features of the world. Students will apply learning to the study of Africa’s physical features. In addition, students will be introduced to the term “culture” and have the opportunity to learn about Kenya and some aspects of Africa’s geography and people.
Japan
Japan will be a featured country of study along with map skills related to Asia. Students will learn about the culture of Japan as well as geographical features. Topics include Japanese schools, sports, art forms, tourist attractions, performing arts and Japanese cuisine. This unit is a favorite, featuring many interesting and creative hands on projects. To conclude the unit on Japan we take a trip to Japanica to sample authentic Japanese food and we have “Japan Night” where the students present their projects.

Welcome!

Hello! I am so excited to have your child in my class this year, and I will be spending a lot of time getting to know him or her. I can’t wait to find out what really makes them excited, and also what makes them want to run screaming in the opposite direction. As I am getting to know them, I thought you might be interested to know about me.

My full name is Jennifer Mary Witschy, and I have been happily married for two and a half years. My husband, Ian, is an accountant in an architecture firm. Our house is in East Hartford, where we live with our two cats, Kelsey and Darcy. I am the oldest of three children, and our parents raised us to be kind, compassionate people. My family is extremely important to me. I grew up in Marlborough, CT, which is a small town with only one stoplight. My neighbor was a farmer, and there were times his cows got loose and found a cool drink by slurping from the pool water in my backyard. After graduating from East Catholic High School I headed to Central Connecticut State University. There I majored in Elementary Education and Mathematics and graduated in 2004. I am currently working on completing my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology at CCSU. In 2005 I began teaching 5th grade in Newington, and hope to stay here for many years to come!