Persuasive Writing
Lilli and Urbana came by the office to share their persuasive writing pieces with Ms. Frost. Lilli's piece was about a movie called "Minions." She explained how it was a very funny movie and has a lot of action. We should consider watching over vacation. Urbana’s writing piece was about a Chinese restaurant called Sichuan Gourmet that is located on Mass Ave. in Cambridge. She explained that the shredded chicken and the fried rice are the best! And we should all go there to try it out! Thank you, Lilli and Urbana, for sharing your work with us.

Get Ready for Spirit Week!
Tobin Spirit Week starts on February 29th with Tobin Gear Day, so make sure you get your order in by February 11th! See order form >>



Spotlight on Ian Kenney
Here is our awesome School Adjustment Counselor! Get to know him in this handy Q&A >>

All School Assembly
Room 286 did an amazing job at the All School Assembly! They participated in a skit about animal hibernation. We learned that bats hibernate in caves, snakes can be found in rivers and bears hibernate in tree logs. The children helped write the song and made all the scenery themselves. Great job, room 286!

Chinese New Year
Room 282 has been learning from various families about Chinese New Year. One family came in and made red lanterns with us, read to us and shared real artifacts, such as traditional outfits to dress in. Another family wrote Chinese characters for us to later practice writing. On Tuesday, a mom came in and shared a presentation all about the lion dance. We created our own lion to dance with. She taught us the origin of the story, and we danced throughout the school "looking high, looking low and moving around."

Math Morning 
Here's a snapshot from our recent Math Morning at Tobin!



Vassal Lane Rock Band Concert
Four groups of VLUS students took the stage in a concert that was colorful, exciting, and unforgettably rockin'! The VLUS Rock Band is an afterschool program that allows students to learn and practice guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards and them perform in groups with their friends. On Thursday January 28th they had their first show featuring four student groups led by the new VLUS music teacher Dr. Tom Malone: The Godly Topaz (6th grade) The Greasers (7th Grade) The Trojan Donkeys (8th Grade) and YTUNE? (8th Grade). The venue was Cuisine en Locale in Somerville, an amazing restaurant and performance space with strong connections to Cambridge Public Schools and Vassal Lane in particular - thanks to the fabulous JJ Gonson and family for hosting us! Music ranged from "Louie Louie" to "Crazy Train" with a few more surprises thrown in as well. The turnout amongst students and parents was very strong, and funds were raised to keep the program running strong in the years ahead. There will be another Rock Band Show in June so all of our Tobin friends can come and experience the music and the fun.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month
Did you know that dental decay is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease – 5 times more common than asthma? It is almost entirely preventable, with a few simple measures.

The top 3 tips for families are:
1) Brush twice a day
2) Drink tap water (not bottled) to benefit from fluoride
3) See your dentist twice a year

During February, children in Grades K-4 are invited to participate in a "Healthy Smiles" art contest to enter in a drawing for an electric toothbrush. Look for a flyer in your child's backpack in February, or contact [email protected] to request one. Healthy Smiles is a program of the Cambridge Public Health Department.

Yoga Movement Breaks Come to Tobin!
Many of our teachers have recently been trained in doing yoga movement breaks in the classroom. These activity breaks are based on the Yoga4Classrooms card deck which are divided in the following categories: Let's Breathe, At Your Desk, Stand Strong, Loosen Up, and Imagination Vacation. All activities can be done standing beside or sitting at desks, not on the floor.

Teachers may use these activities for many different reasons:
•To provide opportunities for beneficial motor breaks throughout the day
•To ease anxiety and tension (such as pre-test or performance jitters).
•To encourage community and connectedness within the classroom.
•To enhance focus, concentration, comprehension and memory.
•To improve listening skills.
•To enhance motor skills and balance.
•To improve posture, assisting students to sit comfortably for longer periods.
•To wake up sluggish minds and creativity as needed.
•To create a calm and harmonious classroom

If you would like to know more about the yoga movement breaks at Tobin School, feel to speak with your child's teacher or the district trainer, Kim DeAndrade, Program Leader for Health/Social Emotional Learning ([email protected]).