Finding Balance with Technology

Finding balance with technology is essential for elementary students because it supports healthy development across all areas—social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. While technology can be a powerful tool for learning and creativity, too much screen time can limit opportunities for face-to-face interaction, active play, and hands-on exploration. Encouraging a mix of tech use and offline activities helps children build critical life skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and self-regulation, while also protecting their sleep, attention, and overall well-being.

"Howe We Talk' Podcast Launched at Howe Manning

Sixth graders in Ms. Nasser's enrichment classes at Howe Manning Elementary School are taking the lead as writers, hosts, editors, and producers of an exciting new student-led podcast - "Howe We Talk". This collaborative project empowers students to explore topics that matter to them—from school events and local news to interviews with teachers, peers and community members—while building real-world skills in research, storytelling, technology, and communication. Using podcast equipment that was generously donated by a PTO grant, along with learning about editing tools, students script episodes, record conversations, add music and sound effects, and publish their final product for the school community to enjoy. The podcast gives students a voice, fosters teamwork, and brings fresh energy to school storytelling.

Our first podcasts "Kid Slang" and "Advice for Life" have been published to Spotify for Podcasters. We are in the middle of our next two episodes, "Haunted Middleton" and "Winsor Manor". Follow us "HoweManningPodcasters" and "Howe We Talk".

A big THANK YOU to our Middleton PTO for providing a grant for podcast equipment. We are truly grateful!

Digital Resources for May

May the 4th Be With You Star Wars Library Cinco de Mayo Library Memorial Day Library May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Spring Library

Digital Resources for April

April is Poetry Month Easter Digital Library Earth Day is April 22 For more digital resources, check out our website.

Middleton Schools host STEAM Carnival

This week, we hosted our third annual STEAM Carnival. The STEAM Carnival is a vibrant, hands-on celebration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, designed to engage both students and their families in creative exploration and discovery. The gym has been transformed into interactive exhibits where participants engage in activities—from engineering challenges and coding demonstrations to art installations and virtual reality. Families participated in activities such as building structures, experimenting with virtual worlds, exploring robotics, and engaging in design challenges that highlight the real-world connections between these disciplines. The event fosters curiosity, collaboration, and a shared excitement for learning across generations.

Check out our explorations.

Thank you to our staff and student volunteers who helped make this event so successful.

The big THANK YOU goes to the co-creator and organizer of the STEAM CARNIVAL - Catie Nasser. Ms. Nasser worked extremely hard to bring this event to our schools and always works non-stop to make it possible. Her energy, innovation and creativity are appreciated by all of us!

Digital Resources for April

April is Poetry Month Easter Digital Library Earth Day is April 22 For more digital resources, check out our website.

Fuller Meadow Digital Happenings: Kindergarten Meteorologists, Lexia for ELA skills and Math Fact Lab for math fact fluency

Hello everyone! Today, we're meteorologists! We're going to talk about severe weather, like thunderstorms and tornadoes, using our cool green screen by DoInk. We've researched severe weather and how you can prepare for it. Thunderstorms have loud sounds and bright flashes of lightning, but we stay safe indoors until they pass. Tornadoes are very strong winds that spin in a circle. They can be scary, so it's important to know what to do if one comes near us. Let's learn more about weather and how to stay safe together!

In this engaging project-based learning (PBL) lesson, kindergarten students became meteorologists. They explored extreme weather and how it affects people and communities, aligning with Massachusetts science standard K-ESS3-2. Through hands-on activities, they investigated different types of extreme weather, such as hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and thunderstorms, and learned how to stay safe during these events. Using creative storytelling and technology, students scripted and recorded their own weather reports in front of a green screen, bringing their learning to life as they "broadcasted" from different weather conditions. This immersive experience fosters curiosity, collaboration, and communication skills while building foundational science knowledge in a fun and meaningful way.

Watch our Kindergarten meteorologists in Mrs. Newton's class.

Students in Kindergarten - 3rd grade in Middleton Schools use Lexia. Lexia is a valuable tool for lower elementary students, providing personalized, adaptive literacy instruction that supports foundational reading skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Its game-like activities engage young learners while offering targeted practice and immediate feedback. Teachers benefit from real-time data that helps them monitor progress and provide individualized support. Lexia’s structured approach ensures that students build essential literacy skills at their own pace, making it an effective supplement to classroom instruction.

Our students in grades 1-5 are using the fun digital math program "Math Fact Lab" to practice thier math fact fluency. Math Fact Lab is a digital program designed to help elementary students build fluency in math facts through engaging, research-based activities. It provides a structured, scaffolded approach that moves students beyond rote memorization by focusing on number sense and strategy-based learning. The program offers adaptive practice tailored to individual skill levels, ensuring that students receive the right level of challenge and support. With visual models, interactive exercises, and real-time feedback, Math Fact Lab makes fact practice more engaging and effective, helping students gain confidence and accuracy in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.