Week 9

We had another busy week at the Elmore School.  

During Writer's Workshop, students are continuing to write small moment narratives.  This week we worked on setting writing goals and working hard to achieve them, revising with intention, and looking closely at other writer's to see how they make their writing powerful using our senses (what we hear, see, feel, etc.).

During Reader's workshop we worked on fluency by scooping several words together, rather than pointing to and reading one word at a time.  We used the book There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat (based on the familiar story, There Was An Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly) to practice this strategy during shared reading.  Other lessons focused on comprehension strategies.  Students are encouraged to stop during their reading and at the end of their reading to Stop, Think, and Write about what they read.  They may use sticky notes during the reading process to mark their books with questions or discoveries about what they are reading.  

I have also been busy assessing reading fluency.  Doing so will help me determine the appropriate reading level for each students so I can offer more targeted reading instruction.  

In math we began using our "Math Menu" approach to instruction and practice.  A typical math class involves a whole class math warm up which will include a number talk, a critical thinking activity such as Which one Doesn't Belong?, teaching a new game or tool,  or an application problem in our math journals.  Then we will move into independent practice and targeted instruction. During this portion of the class, students will choose from a differentiated menu of options based on their grade level expectations, and will meet with me for targeted concept development.  Additionally, they may meet with Mrs. Bellavance for skill practice.  

On Friday we had fun with "Crazy Hair Day", and "All things Pumpkins"!  During the morning we carved a jack-o-lantern, while students crafted their own paper jack-o-lanterns, students helped sort out the pumpkin seeds which we then roasted and sampled later in the day.  We read From Seed to Pumpkin which teaches the life cycle of a pumpkin, then students completed their own pumpkin life cycle activity.  We wrote halloween poetry and used used adjectives (descriptive words) to write about pumpkins.  

On Friday afternoon students learned about the artist Vincent Van Gogh.  We studied his famous painting "A Starry Night".  Van Gogh is famous for his expressionistic style of painting, using texture, movement, and light.  Then students planned and painted their own expressionistic pumpkin painting inspired by Van Goghs', A Starry Night (see below).  We focused on the concept of "value"(light and dark) as we painted the pumpkins, noting that the pumpkin has shadows and highlights.  The end results are striking!

Students paintings inspired by Van Gogh

A Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh

  

As the holiday's approach the district would like you to consider you plans carefully and possibly reimagine you family holiday traditions so that schools can remain open to in person instruction.  It is no secret that Covid-19 is on the rise, even in Vermont.  If you must travel or are planning to host visitors, please check the Vermont Travel Map the Day before you leave as things are changing rapidly.  Keep in mind, if you choose to visit a "yellow" or "red" zone or have visitors from these zones, your children may have to quarantine for two weeks. 

Reminder: If you wish to have your child receive a school lunch,  please notify me by email prior to Monday (for Monday and Tuesday) and by Wednesday (Thursday and Friday).  

It seems that most students are accessing Seesaw, Dreambox, and Lexia on their iPads for remote Wednesday's.  Just a reminder that these are remote expectations for all students as well as their work folder assignments and reading.  Currently, there are NO iPad assignments for nightly homework (although this could change), but we will continue to send iPads home nightly in the event we need to close our school for in person instruction.  Please make sure these come to school with your child daily as we will be using them in the classroom, too.  

Additionally, students are asked to bring their book bags home each night.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  Students may have books we have read during reading groups.  We encourage students to reread these books to work on fluency and comprehension.  Additionally, we want students to be prepared to have their reading materials at home in the event we are asked to switch to remote instruction.  I understand that students have their own books at home.  They are welcome to read their own books as well.  The Reader's Workshop model encourages students to be reading several books and types of books at a time.

I have optional remote "Office Hours" from 2-3 each Wednesdays.  If your child wishes to meet with me, please email me prior to 2:00, so I know to expect them.  

Wednesday, November 11th is reserved for Professional Development.  We will have NO (remote) school 

Friday, November 20th - Early release - Dismissal is at noon

No School - November 25-27 for Thanksgiving Break.  

Much Thanks to Ann Marie Dryden for sewing a halloween face mask for each students!

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween!

Week 8 - All Together!

There was a new energy At the Elmore School as Monday brought a welcomed change with a full classroom!  The children were happy to be back together and enjoyed playing with their friends.  Seeing the row of desks filled was a welcomed sight!  On Monday we adjusted what our Morning Meeting looks like by moving our chairs to the perimeter of the desks to make a large square around the desks so everyone can see each other.  We've also adjusted snack and lunch to a split schedule to allow for fewer students to be unmasked at a time.  When the weather is comfortable, we will continue to eat outdoors as a whole group, but on those days when it is not favorable outdoors, we will split the group up so half (every other row) eats at a time, while the other half does something at their desk or have recess.  

We began the week by developing our school rules.  We watched a video about the Preamble to the Constitution and read the book We the Kids by David Catrow.  

Then we had a discussion about what rules are and why we have them.  From there, students listed rules they felt would be helpful at the Elmore School.  We categorized these ideas and came up with just a few rules we agreed upon.  They are: 

• Care for each other and the environment (and school), 
• respect other people's' choices, 
• and stay safe. 

On Friday we developed playground specific rules, which seemed necessary with more students using it at a given time.

On Tuesday students identified their Hopes and Dreams for the school year.  We discussed what a goal is and the difference between a short term goal and a long term goal.  Hopes and Dreams are a long term goal for the school year, vs.  a short term goal that you might identify at the beginning of a lesson or day.  The students created three goals: one for reading or writing, one for math, and one social goal.  They wrote their goals on the arches of a rainbow template and then they painted the rainbow using watercolor paint.  

We continued the theme of rainbows as a symbol of hope on Friday was we read the book Share Your Rainbow.

"Inspired by kids across the country displaying rainbows in their windows, acclaimed illustrators come together to imagine everything these rainbows represent: caring for one another, and our hopes for the future. In this collection of eighteen scenes, readers will lick an ice cream cone, swim in the ocean, cuddle close with cousins, and celebrate a birthday with a party full of friends and family. Each spread has a hidden rainbow for kids to find!" (Amazon.com)

After reading the book, students created their own "rainbows of hope", as their shared what they are looking forward to in the future (post Covid-19).  These drawing/paintings will be displayed in our front windows for all to see as they drive past our school.

Some of their works in progress

On Friday, we had Farm to School.  In this week's lesson, students did some taste testing of various apples, used their senses (tastes, smells, looks, and feels) to describe them.  Students used descriptive words to fill in a table to describe the apples.  Then they explored what the inside of an apples looks like (a star), and counted how many seeds each apple had.  Finally, they voted on their favorite apple and created a graph using and apple core to stamp their vote on the graph.  

Morning health screenings went pretty smoothly with full attendance.  We anticipated it taking longer, but we were able to get everyone screened prior to 8:00 allowing us to begin our day on time.  In the near future parents may be able to fill in the screening form on their own device.  Ericka or I would take your child's temperature and then you would enter it into the form and submit it.  This should help things move even quicker.  I am currently working with the district to find out what needs to happen in terms of acess to wifi to make this possible.  

Reminders:  

• Library is Monday.  
• iPads and headphones should travel back and forth from home to school everyday.  Chargers should stay at home, and iPads should be charged at home.
• Students should be filling out their Reading Logs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Total number of minutes read each day should be included as we are keeping track of our minutes to earn class rewards.  Parents are not required to sign the logs.
• In order for students to get credit for attendance on Remote Wednesdays, the need to be part of Morning Meeting (or a group), and/ or complete assignments.  If I have no evidence of participation by the end of the day on Wednesday, your child will be marked absent for Wednesday.  
• Morning Meeting will be at 8:15 on remote days.  Students may need to sign back into their Google account prior to accessing the google meet.  We've taped their Google login information inside their work folders.

Through the generous support of the USDA, Lamoille South Unified Union will be hosting a Farmers to Families Food Box Distribution beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, at Morristown Elementary School.

The Farmers to Families food boxes will contain fresh produce, chicken, milk and dairy products and the distribution is open to anyone needing to access food.  To reduce wait times, we ask that people pre-register.  We also encourage people to pick up for others who may lack transportation.  Please take a moment to complete this quick registration form –  thank you for your help in making this run smoothly!

Week 6

We've ended our split hybrid school opening schedule. Monday we we move into the next phase of our hybrid learning schedule as we begin four days of in person instruction with Wednesday's remain remote.  I'm eager to have the whole class together, finally.  We will be taking time next week to build our new classroom community, set class norms/rules, and review our health and safety protocol now that we are all together.  

Students will begin taking iPads home this week!  Expectation for "homework" will also change.  Chargers will go home with iPads and iPads should be charged at home each night.  In addition to work folders and book bags, iPads should travel to school with students EVERY day. Students will have nightly reading (min. 10, 15, or 20 minutes per grade), and a math assignment, spelling, or other (such as scholastic news) on Monday and Thursday nights.  There will be more work, including writing and on-line programs, for remote Wednesdays.  Remote menus will now be found and submitted on Seesaw on their students' iPads.  Students will fill out a reading log for the week.  We will keep track of our total reading minutes to earn class rewards.

Remote Wednesday expectations:

• Morning Meeting via Google Meet @ 8:15 
• Possible small group or individual Google Meets
• Writing Journal
• Reading (at least 10 min. times the grade level)
• Reading response
• Dreambox (20 - 30 min.)
• Lexia Core 5 (20 - 30 min.)
• Complete Seesaw assignments
• Play outside!

Please note the new minimum remote expectations for Wednesday attendance:

Students must participate in morning meeting, and /or small group, and/ or log onto Dreambox or Lexia for 20 min., and/or complete SeeSaw (spanish, music, or other) assignments, and/or read and write in their journal.

Please note that these are the minimum requirement for attendance. Assignments are expected to be completed to the best of the students' ability. Recess, or choice time may be used to complete any missing remote / homework assignments, or the work may be added to the next night's homework until it is completed.

Thank you to all who took time out of their schedules to talk with me this week for parent/teacher conferences.  It was great touching base with you and share your child's accomplishments. I appreciate the supportive and constructive feedback I received from many of you.  Please feel free to reach out at any time.  

Reminders: 

Library is Monday for all students from now on.  Please help your child remember to return their library books.  

PE is Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:00.  Please send extra sock and indoor shoes these days.

Health screenings will take longer with full attendance.  Please plan accordingly. We will do our best to get to you in the order you arrive.  We appreciate your patience.  

Week 5

 

This week we visited the Elmore Fire Station for Fire Safety Week.  Students were learned the importance of knowing their physical address and phone number when reporting an emergency, as well as planning an evacuation route which includes identifying a family gathering spot.  Students practiced making a 911 call and also identified fire hazards around the home.  They practiced STOP, DROP, and ROLL and crawling under the smoke to make and exit.  Favorite activities included crawling through a maze to get to the firefighter, and going into the fire trucks.  We saw a firefighter dressed in their gear and As Tradition holds,  the third graders got to try on the gear!  Students homework supports what students learned about Fire Safety.  Please work with your child and support them with these assignments as needed.

Back in the classroom, the students had the opportunity to practice getting on Seesaw, Dreambox and  Lexia Core 5 (Gold Cohort) this week. In writers workshop, the Gold Cohort learned how writers use their senses to help their reader envision the story and students have been editing our narratives to make them even.  We also squeezed in small groups this week to work on phonics and guided reading.

In math students have been working on problem solving using the R.D.W. (read, draw, write) process, critical thinking skills, and skill review.   I started doing the PNOA (primary numbers and operation assessment) with first graders this week.

Ms. Walman came on Friday for our first Guidance lesson.  We listened to a book titled Color Monster Goes to School.  Students identified which Zone of Regulation the monster was experiencing based on his feelings and color.  Then they made a craft to follow up.  Monday the Green Cohort will have a visit from Ms. Wlaman.

Students had Library this week.  The next Library class will be on Monday, October 19th when all students will be together.  From that point forward, we will have library on Monday every week (unless we go back to a split hybrid schedule).  Beginning the week of the 19th, PE will be on Tuesday and Thursday morning starting at 8:00.  Please make every effort to arrive prior to 8:00 on these days as we want to be respectful of Mr. Wills time.

Beginning October 19th, ALL students will attend school four days per week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Wednesday will continue to be a remote day. I am so proud of all the children.  Each student has done such a great job with wearing their mask (even if they don't like it), washing and sanitizing their hands, and staying physically distanced (as best as possible).  What we anticipated being a challenge, has gone much more smoothly than we ever would have thought.  I am eager to have our whole class together, and feel confident that the practice provided with with smaller groups has laid the foundation for students adhere to our health and safety protocols when we are all together.  One thing we anticipate is longer transitions (to allow time for handwashing and limiting students in the coat room). 

Health screenings will take longer when we have full attendance.  We would like to continue starting our day at 8:00 (especially on Tuesday and Thursday).  It would be helpful for students to arrive closer to 7:30 than 8:00.  We know that waiting will be inevitable, but we will do our best to get students checked in and parents on their way as quickly as we can.  It would be helpful for us to have parents park in the order which they arrive so we know who is next in the line up. The first to arrive should park on the far left (flag pole end) and then progress toward to the right.  Continue to the right until the last space is full.  When the last spot is full or the parking lot is empty (other than Ericka's truck and my car) begin again on the far right.  

Homework expectations will be adjusted when in person instruction increases.  You can expect reading and math homework to continue and we will be adding spelling over the next few weeks.  On remote days students can expect to also have writing, online assignments (Lexia and Dreambox), and some remote Spanish (and possibly some remote music) lessons.  We aim to send iPads the week of the 19th.  You can expect students to bring their iPads home each night so we are prepared in the even that school is closed for unexpectedly.  

There is NO SCHOOL next Friday (Gold Cohort)  to allow time for parent teacher conferences.  I will be sending out Google Meet Invitations to those of you who requested a Google Meet.  Each conference should take no more than 30 minutes.  We will have a chance to check in about the start of school, go over some preliminary assessments, and discuss any concerns (or celebrations) you may have thus far.

Just a reminder for parents who wish to order a school lunch for their child, please EMAIL me (diane.nicholls@lsuu.org) with your order.  You can check the menu on the LSUU website, however you should NOT ORDER through the website link.  This is different than the other schools.  

Some parents have asked if parent volunteers are now allowed.  The state has not changed the guidelines for parent volunteers in school, so at this time we are still not permitting parents to volunteer in the classroom (or with students).  I know some parents are eager to volunteer.  If these guidelines change, I will let you know.

Next week there will be a guest teacher on Monday and Tuesday for a planned absence due to a routine follow up medical procedure.  I should be back to school on Thursday.  

Book orders are due on the October 13th.

Here are a few more picture from our field trip to the Elmore Fire Station!

Week 4

We squeezed in a lot this week, despite our shorter than normal week.

Literacy:

Students have been working hard on their personal narratives.  During Writer's Workshop they persevered at using strategies to help figure out how to spell an unknown word.  These include:

• Stretching or tapping out the sounds (f - i - sh)
• Clapping multisyllabic words and chunking the sounds, then tapping or stretching the sounds in each part.  (pump - kin)
• Use the word wall (sight words) (and, this, where, play, what)
• Asking: Does the word sounds like another word I know (clown - town)

Additionally we worked on editing with intention.  In this lesson we talked making our writing even better by adding richer, juicier vocabulary, and adding additional details.

We began small groups with a focus on phonics this week.  Next week we will add guided reading groups to our schedule.

Last week I read the book,  Chicken Little, written and illustrated by Rebecca and Ed Emberley, with a focus on developing character voices while reading.  This week and each cohort enjoyed reading a readers theater version of the familiar tale.  Students read the script all together and then read it again with their assigned parts.  The students had a fun time thinking about what their character's voice would sound like and then using that voice as they read their parts.

Math:

During math we worked on critical thinking by using a process called "Which one Doesn't Belong", and students worked on developing problem solving strategies in their math journals.  Students are using the Read, Draw, Write (R.D.W) process to solve story problems.  I've been choosing math problems which ALL students can solve using their own approach and math knowledge.  For example: one student may draw a picture (diagram) and then count by ones to solve; another students may draw a picture and then group by tens and ones to solve; someone else may draw a picture and use repeated addition to solve; and a different student may draw a picture and use multiplication to solve.  Students have been using our document camera to share their math thinking with the group.  It is a great why for us to learn from one another.

On Friday, the Gold Cohort completed their digital citizenship pledges and were able to sign onto Dreambox on their iPads to have some time getting reacquainted with the program.  Students also signed into their Seesaw accounts and did two introductory lessons to practice using the various tools, and submitting their work.  The Green Cohort will do this on Monday.

The Gold Cohort had their first music lesson this week.  We worked on "beats in a measure".  Students practiced creating various rhythms with a focus on adding a rest on different beats in the measure.   We used red and blue "solo cups" to mark our 4 beat measures.  Red cups marked the played beats (clapping) and the blue cups marked the rests (no clap).  Then the students experimented with using different parts of their body( example: stomp, snap, tap legs, etc) or other objects (tap pencil, hands on desk, etc) to "play" their measures.  

The rain held off long enough on Thursday for the Green Cohort to paint their landscapes of Elmore Mountain.  

School Photos:

Both Cohorts had their school photos taken this week!  Students brought home photo envelopes in their Take Home Folders.  Jay will be picking these up at the end of the day on Tuesday, so if you plan to order photos, please return the envelope along with payment Monday (Green) or Tuesday (Gold).

Field Trip:

If you haven't already done so, please return your permission slip for our Fire Safety Field Trip to the Elmore Fire Station.  The Green Cohort will be going first thing on Monday (Oct. 5) morning.  The Gold Cohort will go on Friday (Oct. 9) morning.  

iPads and Remote Wednesday's

If all goes well, I am hoping to send iPads home next week, so students will have them for remote Wednesdays.  The plan will be to have a Google Meet morning meeting as a whole class at 8:15.  I will be inviting students to this meeting using a calendar invitation using their LSUU Google account.  Students should be able to go directly to their Google Meet app to find the Google Meet. Then, they will click on their green button that says "Join Meet".  I will send home more about this later.  As we begin to develop new Wednesday remote routines, some students may also have a small group.  This will also show up in the Meet app.  I will developing a schedule for this over the next few days.  

Once iPads go home, I will be sending home charging cords.  iPads should be fully charged at home each night.  Students should bring their iPad and headphones to school with them EVERYDAY!

On Wednesdays I will be offering Office hours for students between 2 -3 pm.  If students have questions with their school work or want extra help with something parents should send me an email prior to 2:00 and we will set up a time between 2-3 for this support.  

Parent Teacher Conferences

Virtual (Google Meet or Phone) Conferences will be the afternoon of Thursday, October 15th and all day Friday, October 16th.  I will plan to have you sign up this week at the morning drop off when we do our health screening.  If I don't see you, I will give you a call to schedule a virtual conference.