Week 3

It seems a little strange to title this Blog pst "Week 3".  While students have only had 5 or 6 days of inperson school, we are already nearing the end of September and the foliage is not disappointing!  Everyday I arrive at school in the morning I feel so blessed to be surrounded by the beauty of the lake and the mountain.  We are continually entertained by the ducks who venture across the road on their daily adventures, the geese flying over the lake, and Friday we saw a seaplane land on the lake.  In out school yard, the chipmunks and squirrels are busy getting ready for winter.  Our classroom routines have become familiar and students are comfortable with our Health and Safety protocols.  

Our regular curriculum was put on hold a bit this week while I administered the STAR assessments in math and early literacy or reading.  We will have a chance to go over these assessments when we meet for parent teacher conferences on October 16th.  

On Monday the Green Cohort celebrated International World Peace Day.  We read Todd Parr's book The Peace Book, made Pinwheels for Peace, wrote about peace, while listening to songs about peace.  Pinwheels where planted in front of the school yard with the other pinwheels from Friday's group.  Students shared what Peace means to them.  The Pinwheels are now hanging on a bulletin board in the classroom. 

Students enjoyed their first Farm To School (FTS) class with our Farm to School coordinator, Molly Gellar.  Molly will be visiting the school one or twice a month to provide lessons for students around growing food and building a healthy relationship with the food we eat.  This week Molly read us a book about growing sunflowers, then we went outdoors and harvested sunflower seeds from sunflowers that were gown at the school gardens at MES.  Each student decorated a seed envelope which they should have brought home. The seeds can be planted in the spring (or given away to a friend)! Finally, we were treated to a delicious snack with carrots dipped in Sun Butter and Sunflower seeds!  Yum!

harvesting Sunflower Seeds

Harvesting Sunflower seeds.

The colors on the mountain have really Popped this week!  On Friday we decided it was time to paint the landscape.  First, we learned about the standard landscape composition. Students learned that landscapes are composed of three parts (thirds): The background (sky), the midground (in this case, the mountain), and the foreground (lake).  We packed up our paints and paintbrushes and set off across the street.  The children arranged themselves on the banks of the Lake Elmore where they spent the next forty five minutes painting. I was so impressed by their perseverance and their artistic interpretations!  Hopefully, next week we can find time for the Green Cohort to paint, too! (They only have one day next week...)

This week students brought home Writing Journals and a writing prompt calendar.  Writing prompts should be written in their journals from now on.  There is a letter explaining the expectations for journals.  For now, students should submit 3 journal prompts per week (one for each remote day)

Beginning next week, if remote assignments are not completed (to the best of their ability) on remote days, students will be working on them at recess time on their in person days.  

Students have been asking when iPads will go home.  We are working on our Digital Citizenship lessons.  when these are complete and all tech agreements (e-registration) are all completed we will start sending home iPads.  At this point, I imagine it will be after next week.

Reminders:

There is No School on Monday, October 28, 2020 (Yom Kippur) 

In students green take home folders, please find a permission slip for out field trip to the Elmore Fire Station.  We will be visiting the fire station as part of Fire Safety Week.  The Green Cohort will be visit the fire station on Monday, October 5th and the Gold Cohort will visit on Friday, October 9th..  Please return permission slips by the end of next week.

Jay Kennedy will be taking School Photos next week:

   Green Cohort: Thursday, October 1st @ 2:00

   Gold Cohort: Friday, October 2nd  @ 8:00 (or at drop off)

Unfortunately, we did not get our photo package envelopes yet.  The Green Cohort will not have school until Thursday, so we may not have envelopes for you before then.  All students will have their photo taken, so parents should be able to order packages after the pictures are taken.  We will figure it out!

There will be no class photo taken this year due to Covid-19 safety restrictions.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be Thursday, October 15 (afternoon / evening) and Friday, October 16th (all day - not school).  These will be remote conferences (either by phone or Google Meet) this year.  I will have a sign up sheet available next week.  Conferences will take around 30 minutes.  We will have a chance to talk about your hopes and Dreams for the year, go over some assessments, and talk about any concerns or questions you may have.  

Enjoy this beautiful weekend!  

We spent a lot of time learning outside this week!

reading outside!

Week 2

The second week of school proved to be full of friendship, fall, flowers and fog.   

We have worked to establish some routines in the classroom around Writer's Workshop and Math.  During Writer's workshop,  lessons focused on planning true stories (narratives).  Students learned that writer's plan before they write.  They: think of an idea (something that happened to you or something you did),  they plan across pages, and then write.  Students have been persevering at writing independently and using their writing "tools" to keep working.  I began using this Workshop time to provide individual or small group (two students) instruction with reading.  

In Math students have been working in their math journals to solve word problems.  Students are using the R.D.W.  (read, draw, write) method.  This is a great opportunity for students to show their thinking and apply strategies they have learned and it allows for all students to approach the same problem regardless of their grade level.   We also introduced an activity called "Which One Doesn't Belong".  In this activity students look at a "windowpane" with four related images. and they need to decide which one doesn't belong and explain their thinking.  Form more information check out WODB .  Each grade has begun lesson in Eureka Math.  

• First Grade: Is reviewing number bonds with a focus on 5 groups within 10 and concepts of 1 more.
• Second Grade: Is reviewing composing (adding) and decomposing (subtracting) 10 using number bonds and number sentences, and composing 10's and ones (3 tens and 8 ones is 30 +8 = 38) using ten frames.
• Third Grade: is using repeated addition to show equal groups of items or rectangular arrays (think dots on a Lego block) with equal rows or columns can be represented using multiplication (3+3+3+3 = 12 or 4 groups of 3 is 12 or 4 X 3 = 12).

Each Cohort had their first Physical Education class this week.  Just a reminder that these will be held outside for now (unless it is raining).  Please send extra sock on these days.  You may also want to send extra outdoor shoes so students have dry shoes for recess.

The Green Cohort will have Library this Monday (September 21st) rather than September 28th as I said in the last blog.  This is because there is actually NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 28th.  

The Gold Cohort has Library, Friday September 25th.  Don't forget to send library books back!

September 21st is International World Peace Day.  We read (or will read Monday) The Peace Book by Todd Parr.  Students designed a Pinwheel to show what Peace means to them which will be planted in front of the school yard.  Student shared What peace means to them and we listened to music about peace.  Additional, students are making their own individual flip books about Peace. 

We are also beginning our Digital Citizenship Lessons. We are using a curriculum from Common Sense Education.  Students will be sharing with you their ideas for their family to have Device Free rules for: Safety, Respect, Concentration, and Sleep.  

We also practiced our first fire drills this week and had some good conversations around Fire Safety.  We are working on planning a field trip to the Elmore Fire Station during Fire Safety Week which is the first week in October.  Look for more information about that later!

Students have been doing a great job remembering our health and safety procedures.  They have been great wearing their masks, washing hands, and physically distancing.  It has been very helpful to be able to practice these routines with fewer children in the room. We will continue to remind students as they need reminders. Morning Health Screenings are going smoothly.  Thank you for your helping us with this process to assure that our students attending school are of good health.  If you know your child is not feeling well, please take the steps ahead of time to keep them home.  If your child will be absent, please call the school that morning to let me know.

Reminder that remote attendance is taken when student work is returned on their next in person day.  If your child does not bring back their work, they will be marked absent for their remote days.  All students materials need to come back to school year day.  This includes: work folders, book bags and books, writing journals and any other materials that go home such as Math Kits, and Art kits, as we use these materials in the classroom as well (we are not sharing materials this year).

I want to extend my gratitude to Ann Marie Dryden and Caitlin Mahoney for the donation of perennials, compost, mulch, and time.  We came together on Wednesday afternoon to create a new flower bed next to the ramp and between the rocks in front of the fence.  The school yard is looking even more wonderful than it already did!

School Lunches:  

REMINDER:  Free lunch is available to anyone 18 and under Monday-Friday, even on remote learning days.

Please note the new pick-up times beginning September 21:

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.   Entrance to Peoples Academy gym

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.   Entrance to Stowe High School

To order a school lunch for in person school days, please let me know by Friday of the week before for Monday or Tuesday and by Wednesday for Thursday or Friday.  Students can choose chef or caesar Salad or PB&J or coldcut sandwich.

Don't forget that milk is available for snack or lunch for 5 cents!  (included with school lunch).

Book Orders are due on Monday, September 21st.   Order online Scholastic Books orders using the code JG8W3.

STAR Assessment:  Next week I will be administering the STAR Assessment to all students.  This is a district wide assessment we do three times during the school year (and may progress monitor students throughout the school year) in both literacy and math.  This assessment is a screening tool we use to help us identify students' strengths and weaknesses.  Each Assessment takes about 15-20 minutes and is done on iPads.  

 Picture Day(s): Jay Kennedy (Catamount Studios) will be taking school photos on the following days. All students will be getting their photo taken.  Parents have the option to purchase photo packages.  Look for envelopes to go home soon. 

• Green Cohort : Thursday, October 1st
• Gold cohort: Friday, October 2nd

NO SCHOOL Monday, September 28, 2020 in observance of Yom Kippur.

Fall is here!  We would like to continue to get outside as much as we can.  Please assure students have extra layers!

 

 

Dear Family,

 

Now more than ever it is so important for your child to have books in the home. Plus our class gets FREE books with every order!

 

Class Order Due Date: 09/21/20

 

Connect to Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/JG8W3

 

Shop the flyers with your child: https://editions.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=667328

 

All books ship to the class, and I hand them out to the kids to take home.

 

Thank you for encouraging the love of reading!

 

PS: Feel free to forward the class page link to extended family who may want to support your child's reading.

 

Mrs. Nicholls

 

Class Code: JG8W3

 

 

 

  

Week 1

Our first week is in the book!  It felt so good to back in the classroom and to be back with students in person!  Thanks you all for your gracious welcome!  The Elmore School has such a wonderful vibe and I am so happy to be part of this amazing community! 

In our first week we began to develop a routine.  During Morning meeting we focused on learning about each other.  On the first day of school I read the book First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, Which had a funny twist at the end when we discovered the main character, Sarah was actually the new teacher, not a students as many of us thought while reading the story.  Students shared how they felt on the first day of school and then wrote about it for a first day writing assignment.  

We also began learning about the  Zones of Regulation .

"The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones."

We read This is the Way We Go to School by Edith Baer.  We graphed how students arrived at school on their first day.  Then students conducted a survey of their family members to find out how they got to school when when they were children.  The Gold Cohort discovered that their parents and grandparents most often road the bus or walked to school.  In our class most students were driven to school in a car.  We will have discussions about why there has been a change over time.

On our second day of school (yet to happen for the green groups) we introduced Writers workshop, and math journals, and each grade had a brief math lesson.  Mrs. Boudreau came for our first Library class.  Library books will be due back:

Gold Cohort:  Friday, Sept. 25

Green Cohort:  Monday, Sept. 28

Evan Nigro and Aiden Speers and their mothers come on Friday afternoon to plant the blueberry bushes given by last years 3rd grade class.  They had been planted on the side of the flag pole.  Ann Marie Dryden would like to donate to the school some plants she is thinning out of her gardens.  While we have to be careful about creating a "crowd", if there are a couple of parents who would like to help us get them in the ground, we are going to pick one day this week afterschool (or possible Wednesday afternoon) to plant them.  Let me know if you would like to help!  I'm excited about adding more color around the school!

Physical Education begins this week.  Gold Cohort is Tuesday.  Green Cohort is Thursday.  Please arrive by 7:50 on these days as PE will begin at 8:00 am.

 Reminders:

• Students must return their work folders, completed work, and completed remote menus for their attendance on remote days.  If your child does not return their work, they will be marked absent on their remote days (until iPads go home).
• Work Folders, book bags, and (eventually) iPads need to come to school EVERYDAY with students.  
• Keep in mind, we are easing back into the school year.  We will increase the work expectations as we go. 
• Next week, students will be getting a "take home" folder.  These will be green pocket folders.  They will go home at the end of the week with completed school work and any school notices.  Please empty these and go through the work with your child.  Students should return them on their next school day.
• Returning students should return their Summer Reading Ice Cream Cones.  We will be celebrating with an ice cream party once they are all returned. 

Finally, thank you for your patience at morning drop offs as we work through the kinks in the health screening process.  We believe that the Wifi is not strong enough outside for the iPads to work property.  Our tech department will be working in relocated the airport inside in hopes of getting better outdoor reception.  Hopefully I figure out how to keep my glasses and face shield from fogging up!  Being able to 👀 is kind of critical!  haha! 😄

FYI...if you have more than one child or are carpooling, and one student is denied access to school during the health screening, ALL children in that home or carpool will be denied access to school and a plan will be made for re-entry into school. 

Spanish classes will happen!

As many of you know, our Spanish teacher, Senora Fry, will be one of the on-line teachers for the district this year which makes her unavailable to teach Spanish to our students, however I'm happy to let you know that the Spanish teacher at SES will be providing spanish lessons for students across the district in all elementary schools.  These lessons will be taught remotely and likely pushed through Seesaw or may be held occasionally as a Google Meet.  Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with Senora Reina!  We feel very lucky to share her with SES this year! (I apologize for the strange layout.  Her message did not copy and paste well into blogger. You will need to scole over to read each line.)

¡Hola! My name is Señora Reina and I have been teaching Spanish at Stowe Elementary School for the last 10 years. Prior to that, I was an Elementary School Counselor in Chittenden County for 9 years. 

I am originally from Madrid, Spain but went to college in Paris, France which is where I met my husband who was studying abroad and that is how I ended up in Vermont.

I have three children and I live in Essex with my husband, 3 cats and a fluffy, red husky pup. In my free time I love travel, tropical islands, family, food, flowers, nature and taking pictures of it all.

 

I am looking forward to working with your children this year! My hope is to spark a love of learning languages (I speak four) and inspire an interest in world cultures.