Get to Know 4th Grade!

4Bl INTERVIEW

We went to Mrs. Blinn’s fourth grade class and asked them what they liked and disliked about Maple Street School, and how they felt about it just in general.

For the most part, Mrs. Blinn’s fourth grade class loves Maple Street School. “At first, I was nervous, but now I feel great!” says Henry. Students also like that, because they aren’t in the same building as younger kids, they aren’t treated like younger kids. Now, they feel more independent and mature. The fourth grade also feels like there are some perks to Maple Street that weren’t at Harold Martin…. “It’s great here, and I’m obsessed with the snack cart,” says Charlotte. Some comments we heard were, “It’s awesome to not have to climb up and down so many stairs.” “Instruments besides squealing recorders are great!” They love the playground and soccer field, though they feel as though there could be room for improvement in the four squeaky swings.

However, there are some cons to all of these pros. We heard that switching classes for science is great, though switching the recess pattern is not. Fourth graders wish to have their own recess back, and not to have to share the already small playground and swings with the fifth graders. The lunch schedule can also be confusing for these students.

Overall, this is how students in Mrs. Blinn’s fourth grade class feel about Maple Street.

4 Brown - Interview

We went straight into the madness of fourth grade to interview Mrs. Brown’s class. We wanted to know how they felt, and what they like about this new school. The answers they gave us were very interesting.

Did you find the transition from HMS to MSS difficult?

“It was hard because we don’t get to see our teachers that we had last year,” Emma, one of Mrs. Brown’s students told us. All of Mrs. Brown’s fourth grade students found it hard. Other kids told us that Harold Martin was easier in general.

What is one change from HMS to MSS?

“Our recess is five minutes shorter,” Conrad, another one of Mrs. Brown’s students said. Also, Harrison told us, “The gym is a lot smaller than Harold Martin’s gym.” We, as the interviewers in 6th grade, can definitely agree.

Is your class routine a lot different from the routine at HMS?

The fourth graders told us that they don’t get snack recess. “We don’t get to move around the room during snack. So, if you want to talk to your friend and they sit across the room from you, you can’t go eat with them,” Liz explained. Additionally, we learned that fourth grade snack is shorter than it was at HMS.

Do you like the layout of MSS better than the HMS layout?

Maria, who moved from Manchester, said that the schools in Manchester were a lot smaller than Maple Street. This came as a surprise to us mainly because Maple Street is a lot smaller than HMS. But, Jack had a different opinion. “I think the school is smaller and easier to get around.” The fourth graders didn’t seem to mind that the school is smaller, as we thought they would.

Does having the same art teacher as the one at HMS make the transition easier?

Mrs. Emerson seems to make the transition easier for the new fourth graders. Scott told us that, “it makes it a lot easier because it is a familiar face.” Other students seemed to agree.

Do you like the playground here better than the HMS playground?

“I like the spider web and the ziplines” Mrs. Brown’s student, Ally, told us. Another student told us that there were more monkey bars here than at Harold Martin, and we definitely agree.

Do you like having the snack bar?

The snack bar seems to be a favorite for these fourth graders because lots of hands went up. “It’s good because there are a lot of things to choose from. I like the pizza,” Ethan told us. Students also like the snack bar because they know that in case they forget a snack, and they have money on their account, they can just go buy a snack. The smoothies were another favorite at the snack bar.

Do you get a lot of homework?

When we asked this question, all hands immediately shot up. Amaya explained, “We get more than at Harold Martin.” Another student told us, “I had to do two pages last night!” We told them that they should embrace fourth grade because we get a LOT of homework in 6th grade.

What is your favorite subject? (Other than specials)

When we asked this, a lot of hands shot up, but once Mrs. Brown explained that we didn’t mean lunch, recess and the specials, a lot went down. But we were surprised to find that the class didn’t have the same opinions, and that they liked writing, social studies, reading and science!

What instrument do you play?

We took everyone’s answers, and found that, unlike in our grade, not many fourth graders play the saxophone. Ethan, Emma, Liz and Harrison all play the clarinet. Conrad, Jack and Tad play the trumpet. The flutists in Mrs. Brown’s class are Amaya, Izzy, Scott and Ally. Maria is the only drummer in the class.

After going into the fourth grade classes, the happy memories from fourth grade came back to us. The fourth graders seem to like fourth grade and are happy to be at Maple Street. Page 3

Getting To Know the Fourth Graders 👻

By: Maddy and Ellie

Being at a new school can be scary, especially if you’re the youngest in a new school. The fourth graders have a lot of courage to be able to take the next step in their life. So we decided to make them feel more welcome and interview them about their transition to MSS (Maple Street School) from HMS (Harold Martin School). Mrs. Jenkins' class was a blast to talk with; they were so enthusiastic about being in fourth grade. The majority of the fourth graders thought that the transition was easy. Here’s what they thought: Nate thought that the transition was easy because his friends were there to make him feel comfortable. “The move up was easy because everyone was so welcoming,” said Gelson. Almost everyone's hand was up to answer the next question. The question was: Why do you like MSS? Avery said “I really like the ice cream on Friday!” “The snack cart is so cool, I love it!” Keegan said. And Paige said: “The teachers are my favorite part. They’re all so nice!” This is what Keegan thought about 4J’s class routines: “Compared to HMS, our school routines are different because in HMS we didn’t switch classes. But here we do. And there are more specials.” The next question we asked them was: What could help the school? Natalie suggested that in the winter, instead of ice cream, that they serve hot chocolate and cookies. Rhenna thought that Mr. A could use a music room. And Paige thought that MSS could use a bigger gym. Mixed emotions were implied on this question. A lot of kids liked the playground here but some didn’t. Jackson doesn’t like our playground because it’s smaller than the one at HMS. On the other hand, Thaddis really likes it because we have big soccer fields and ziplines too. The majority of the kids love the snack bar. Gelson says: “The snack bar is cool because if you forget your snack then just go to snack bar!” But Griffin says: “There is no gluten free food at the snack cart." These are 4J’s opinions about MSS. Have a spooky Halloween. Ellie and Maddy, over and out.

4R Interview

By: Francie and Emma

Overall, 4R seems to be pretty happy with Maple Street School. They are very pleased that they can choose an instrument to play, since only about three people don’t play one. Probably, because they are growing up, not many of them seem to mind the new responsibilities that come along with being a Maple Street School student. Grace, when asked the question “What are some things that changed from HMS to MSS that you don’t like?” said that there were more responsibilities. Parker, in contrast, said to the same question, “Nothing really.”

Most of the 4R students also seemed to find the transition from HMS to MSS fairly easy. Shelby says “No,” and John says “Not really,” in response to the question, “Did you find the transition from HMS to MSS difficult?”. The answer to the question, “Did having the same art teacher and librarian at MSS as at HMS make the transition easier?” was also positive. Greta said “Yeah,” and Mason said “Yes.” The kids we interviewed liked the layout of MSS better than HMS mostly because MSS is smaller, simpler, and as Cam said, “There are more things to do and fewer places to go.” However, when asked what could help improve MSS, we got helpful responses. Shelby replied “More playground equipment and no recess with the 5th graders,” and Jackson responded “A bigger gym.” There were definitely positive replies for the snack bar, just as we thought. Thia said “Yes, I like having it,” and Adia said “Yes.” Responses to class routines were happy and homework didn’t seem to be an issue. Elizabeth answered the question “Is your class routine different than it was at HMS?” by saying “Yes, there are a few different people,” and Lucas said “Not much, it’s not very different.” When asked if they get a lot of homework, Maddy, a new student to the school and 4R, said “Not really. We get one packet a week and we have to study words.” Grace, on the other hand, said “We get a lot more than at HMS.” Favorite subjects (not including specials) surprised us. Math was a favorite with Ava, Davey and Adam. They expressed that they liked math here better than at HMS.

Instruments are a popular topic in Mrs. Roberts room. Flutes were the most popular instrument with five players, closely followed by clarinets with four. Saxophones came next with three players, after which came trumpet with two players. Sarah, Liam, Greta, Adam, and Lucas play the flute. On the clarinet are Elizabeth, Thia, Adia, and Ava. Saxophone players are Davey, Will and Jackson. Playing the trumpet is Samantha and Cam. When asked about playing the clarinet, Elizabeth said, “I love playing the clarinet. It just seems like a good instrument for me.” Thia said, when asked the same question, “I don't know why. I think it's fun.”

The Student Council representatives, Grace and Will, seem to enjoy their job so far. Will responded when asked the question, “What made you want to run for student council?”, “I wanted to run the store and am excited to judge contests. Grace gave us the answer, “No, not yet, but I like getting it ready” when asked if she had run the store yet. Grace also answered with “I like knowing what’s going to happen in school and I want to judge contests.” when asked why she likes being in Student Council.

4R’s school year has started out with a boom. There are lots of new teachers, a different setup and more responsibilities, and we think they are ready to take it on. They are doing a great job of settling in and seem to be enjoying their 4th grade year so far. The Student Council representatives are doing a great job and instruments are going strong. 4R has made great progress settling into the new school year and we hope that they will continue to love their first year at MSS! Happy 4th-grade year Mrs. Roberts's class and Happy Halloween!