Mind(fulness) over Matter
By: Ms. Sullivan
Students in Room 307 have been learning about Mindfulness with Laura Indigo. They take 15 minutes every Tuesday and Friday to practice mindful breathing, feeling their breath through their noses, stomachs, and chests. They have also been practicing listening and being aware of sounds they hear in the classroom and in their life. Additionally, they have been mindfully sending kind thoughts to someone special and recognizing how these kind thoughts make them feel. With these mindfulness practices becoming more regular in the classroom, students are sharing that they feel more calm throughout their day. They have also shared that mindful breathing is helpful to them when they are sad, angry, or upset. Room 307 looks forward to continuing the program!

Reading Buddies
By: Ms. Van Vleck
Ms. Katz' and Ms. Sullivan's second graders said good-bye to their Sanofi Genzyme Reading Buddies last Tuesday with a pizza party in the gym. While the children always love the pizza and ice cream sandwiches, the gift books they get to keep were the highlight of the party. With the advice of their Buddies, Lisa Van Vleck from Cambridge School Volunteers chose a book for each child. This year's choices ranged from dinosaur stories and a non-fiction history of the sinking of the Titanic, to Ada Twist, Scientist, and many copies of A Diary of a Wimpy Pikachu. The pizza and books were all funded by Sanofi Genzyme. The Reading Buddies program, which is coordinated by Cambridge School Volunteers, is in its 18th year at FMA. The program will resume in the first grade after February vacation.



From the Kindergarten
The students in the classrooms of Ms. Astrove, Ms. Basu, Ms. Courtney, and Mrs. O explored the Museum of Science with its dinosaurs, satellites, trains, baby chicks, and experiments! Thank you to Mr. H for joining in the fun!



Tech Currents
By: Mr. McGonegal
Accessing FMA Online Resources from Home
Every day, FMA students log into web-based resources to read, write, do arithmetic and more! Did you know that your students can access many of these resources from home (or the public library, or any other computer in the world with internet access) to extend their classroom learning? Many of these sites need to be accessed with login names and passwords, and our students have committed most of these combinations to memory! Read more >>



Poetry Slam
By: Ms. Martin's Class
In writing class, Mrs. Martin worked with 4th and 5th grade students on creating poetry for the annual curiosity challenge. Classes brainstormed about their curiosities and then focused in a subject they wanted to explore through poetry. Students completed their poems in only two class periods. Read the poems >>



FMA Participates in Quad Meeting
Did you know that after fifth grade, all students from the FMA, Cambridgeport, and King Open will go the Cambridge Street Upper School (CSUS). The elementary schools have collaborated in the past to bring the students together and allow them to get to know each other before they go to CSUS. An example of this collaboration is the Quad field day typically run by the PE teachers at the three elementary schools.

But we can do more. The leadership teams at the three elementary schools and one upper school met on January 18. We discussed how to further collaborate so we can prepare the elementary school students and their parents for the middle school transition. Stay tuned; more to come!



PBIS at the FMA
By: Ms. Pentz
FMA students are the Bee’s Knees! This school year we are starting up our school wide behavior program called PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. This program is a “school-wide system of support that includes proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create a positive school environment.” This program involves every student being committed to the “5 Bee’s” of FMA. Learn what these are >>



Room 303 Partners with EInc
Fourth Graders in Room 303 have begun a six week program through our partner EInc. Students are learning about meaningful ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. During our first class, Jackson and Kiarah's estimate on the number of pounds of waste annually produced by our global population was VERY close to the actual amount. (Check in with these scientists for the statistics!). This week, students built and tested a model of a landfill. Room 303's scientists have been inquisitive, insightful, and energetic during their weekly sessions.



Honoring Lisa Van Vleck (Reading Buddies)
Please join us on Tuesday, February 7 to mark thirty years and counting of Lisa Van Vleck's service to Cambridge School Volunteers and to the students of the Cambridge public schools. Lisa started at CSV in 1987, and together with our corporate partners and CPS teacher partners, she created all of our corporate programs from scratch, including Reading Buddies, KeyPals, and NetPals.

The event will be held at the Kennedy-Longfellow school on Spring Street. Lisa is looking forward to enjoying a moment with us to reflect on her remarkable career. We will have a short speaking program, but mostly time to mingle. Refreshments will be served. Join us to mark a milestone.
Feel free to RSVP online here or call us at 617.349.6794 (ask for Jen or Daisy).

What's Happening Outside of CPS?
Give Kids a Smile Day
February 11 | 9AM - 12Noon
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Learn more >> | View in Spanish

Housing Search Workshop
Every Wednesday | 10 - 11:30AM
Cambridge Multi-Service Center, 362 Green St. Cambridge
Learn more >>

MIT Science on Saturday 
Saturdays | February 4, March 4, April 1 
Time: Main presentation 10 - 11AM + hands-on activities 11AM - 12noon 
Learn more >>

Be a Engineer for a Day at MIT
March 11, 2017 | 9:45AM - 1PM
Students will design and build cars with Legos to improve their team's scores in two challenges. For children in grades 1 - 7. Event details >