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