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New housing opportunity at BMPRSS for our pollinator friends

New housing opportunity at BMPRSS for our pollinator friends
Group of students and teacher stand in front of a pollinator pod

Group of students and teacher stand in front of a pollinator pod

They say home is where the heart is, and fourth graders at the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School are hoping some special bugs will make their homes in their courtyard.

Fourth graders in the Young Engineers class recently worked on a special project: pollinator pods. They researched exactly what that was, drafted some designs, and built several that will be placed around the gardens in their school’s courtyard.

For those who may be uncertain, a pollinator pod is a specially designed dwelling attractive to pollinators. These very special insects and mammals too, from bees and butterflies to bats, yes that’s right, bats, look for special cool areas where they can rest before venturing out to do their thing.

“We built them to bring more pollinators to the garden,” Chloe B. said. “Some need a certain environment, such as holes to live in, while others need a home away from home, like a hotel.”

“Some just need a place to stay and rest and feed on our plants,” added Aaron S. 

In their research students discovered that materials such as moss, pinecones and bamboo are helpful. 

“We used wood and leaves and other natural sources to help them feel at home,” Aaron continued.

With that in mind, the students decided to build a round structure and attach the materials to it. 

“We knew it had to be somewhere they would feel at home,” said Trini G. “And we also had to makes sure it was a place they would feel safe and nothing can harm them, so we have to put them up high.”

The pods sit atop a long pole and will be several feet up in the air once “planted” in the garden.

The students were all excited knowing that their project and designs would ultimately be benefiting the environment.

“It’s having that feeling that you are supporting the garden with what we made,” said Aaron.

Young Engineers Teacher Amanda Eckert explained that her class is considered a special, like art and music, and throughout the year students work to solve problems involving STEM activities. In this instance, students were looking to help pollinators in the garden.

“We chose what would be best to serve our needs,” she said of the designs the students developed.

Aaron was excited to possibly build one for his yard. He said his family is putting in a garden and he lives near woods, which would be perfect to help pollinators.

“I helped my dad plant flowers,” Matteo said, explaining that he too would like to build a pollinator pod for his yard. 

“I loved it,” Chloe said of the project. “It really was just fun.”

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¡Hola! Spanish comes to BMPRSS

This year, Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) is back at the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School, and both teacher Jasminne Paulino and students are exclaiming “¡Olé!”

Each day, Ms. Paulino steps into the classrooms of third, fourth and fifth graders where she spends 20 minutes introducing students to the Spanish language. She brings with her a rolling basket of resources that includes everything from message boards with images pertaining to vocabulary students will be learning, a speaker for them to listen to authentic Latin music and worksheets to help them write in a new language. Occasionally, she surprises the students with some playful puppets that she uses to enhance their engagement. Among these puppets, Arturo seems to be the favorite.

Ms. Paulino takes the approach that students want to be active and engaged. To that end, her lessons usually begin with a physical warm up where she and the students stand and recite the names of their body parts in Spanish—shoulders, ears, knees etc. Throughout her interactions with students, she uses Spanish 95 percent of the time. English is reserved for providing instructions that may be challenging for students to understand.

“There’s a lot of repetition, switching up activities, playing games,” Ms. Paulino said. “Everything is meant to establish that connection so while they are not in the classroom, they are using the language as much as possible.”

The teacher is spending the first half of the year teaching students’ everyday language, with the second half focusing on units of study about Spanish speaking countries.

“Opening their minds to that level of diversity is something I love to see,” the teacher said, adding that when she informed students those different regions have a different way to say the word “cool,” the students were impressed. 

“You are giving kids a glimpse into the culture,” she said.

“Starting a foreign language in elementary school is so wonderful,” Ms. Paulino continued. “It leads into the language program at the middle school. It will change the whole K-12 world language program.”

Most of the students she is working with are not native Spanish speakers. Many of them have relatives who are fluent in Spanish, or they possess some prior knowledge of the language. Some of her students have told her they are practicing what they have learned with older siblings who are also studying the language.

“I think the trick is to make it fun, make it engaging,” she said. “I feed off their enthusiasm. It’s a lot of fun for me.”

Just a few weeks into the new school year, Ms. Paulino has seen how students have embraced what they are learning. One afternoon as she left the building after school, two fifth graders spoke to her in Spanish.

“Seeing the children this excited a month in, it makes me look forward to the rest of the school year,” Ms. Paulino said.