Week 29

 

Spring is officially here and the weather this week did not disappoint!  The snow has melted from the majority of our playground and pick up soccer games have resumed!  The swings have been busy and a "band" is in the works. We even ate lunch outside on Thursday!  It seems there is a new energy as we shift into our final trimester the the school year.  

During Writer's Workshop students continued writing persuasive letters.  Our focus this week was generating ideas and writing to change the "world".  

During Reader's Workshop we focused on the book Stone Soup  by Jon J. Muth.  We did repeated reading of the story with a different focus on the characters each time. One day we examined how the characters changed throughout the story.  On another day we explored character motivation.  Students were asked to show evidence from the book to support their claim.  We used a readers theater script to practice a group reading of the story.  Each students was assigned a part to read.  Students worked on developing a character voice and reading fluently. We concluded the week by making "Stone Soup" which we sampled on Friday afternoon.

In Math, first grade began module 2 with a new focus on place value.  This week we explored the idea of addition with more than 2 addends by making a 10 ( 3 + 7 + 4 = 10 + 4 ) using a number bond model and drawings.  Second grade continued working on place value and regrouping.  This week the had to rethink their idea of tens to include how many tens are in number 256 (25 tens).  Third grade this week is learning about using the associative property to solve harder multiplication problems.                                                         ( 16 x 3 = (8x2) x 3 or  8 x (2x3)).  The associative property allows us to shift the parenthesis within a problem when the the operations are the same, thus creating a more friendly problem to solve.

In Science we explored light.  First we learned about about how light affects sight.  Then we explored using light a means to communication.  A Traffic light is an example of this.  Students worked with a partner to create their own light signals to send a message.  

On Friday, Ms. Molly came with another engaging lesson for Farm to School.  We started with a book about planning and caring for a garden.  Then student brainstormed what they would like to grow in a garden at the Elmore School.  The each drew a garden plan and students each planted a seed to grow for our future garden.  We ended the day with a blind taste test of purple, orange, and white carrots.  In the coming months we will be preparing our garden space and planting our new school garden.  

Mastery reports should be ready to go home shortly.  I have not received printed copies from central office quite yet.  If you have questions after reading through the report, please reach out. 

Just a reminding as we approach the last part of the school year.  While more and more people in VT, including grandparents, and many of you, have gotten, or will shortly be getting your Coronavirus Vaccine, our students will not be eligible for a vaccine until a vaccine is approved for children under 16.  The state of Vermont continues to require a quarantine if unvaccinated individuals travel in or out of Vermont.  This means if you choose to travel outside of Vermont with your child (unless for essential travel reasons), your child will need to quarantine at home for 14 days or 7 days and a negative covid -19 test before they can return to school.  I know we are all anxious to get back to our "normal lives...and it is coming!              

Fully vaccinated individuals can travel to Vermont without quarantine restrictions.

Click here for more information on Travel and Quarantine requirements.

Announcements

• Library is Monday!  Remember to bring your Library books and activity bags!
• Tuesday and Thursday are PE at 8:00.  Students need their sneakers! 
• Students should have "indoor" shoes to put on after recess.
• We have a early release on Friday, April 2nd. Dismissal is at 12:15
• Spring Break is April 19 - 23, 2021
• Please email me your lunch orders

Students prepare vegetables for "Stone Soup"

Week 28

 

A little bit of spring adorns our school windows!

Happy Spring!!!

It was another quick week in the classroom.  The promise of springs arrival was evident.  With days get warmer and the light stays longer, we are all getting anxious for the the snow to melt and to spend more time outdoors again soon.  As the weather allows, we will once again transition to eating outdoors which will allow us to have lunch and recess all together once again.  

This week students began drafting persuasive letters.  There first letter was written to me persuading me to spend $10,000 on something to improve our school.  Then, students were encouraged to think of a cause they would like to write about.  I also continued assessing reading levels this week with individual students as time allowed.  

During math this week we attempted to get back on a more regular schedule. I was able to meet with each grade at least once.  3rd grade worked on decomposing (break apart) and distributing to multiply and divide unit of 6 and 7.  2nd grade worked on using place value disks to represent a 3 digit number on a hundreds chart, and first graders worked on subtracting within 10 using a number bond and number sentence.

This week students explored concepts of transparent, translucent, and opaque as they begin learning about light in our sound and light waves science unit.  As a follow-up activity the students created the "stained glass" windows pictured above.  

This past week also marks the one year anniversary of our school closures due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  This past year has been an extremely stressful year for everyone, but we also have so much to celebrate!  I feel so grateful to be part of the Elmore School Community. We have not been able to return to "normal" yet, but we are getting closer all the time!  Thank you all, for welcoming me to the Elmore School last fall, and for all you have done and continue to do to support your children while we have gone from fully remote learning last spring, to split hybrid at the beginning of the school year, to four days in person (full attendance) with one day remote. This past Sunday I was able to receive my first vaccine, and look forward to getting my second shot on April 4th!  Covid-19 remains a threat and we are still seeing outbreaks in communities close to us.  We need to continue following state guidance on social distancing, continue wearing masks, and washing hands often,  BUT...we are getting closer to getting back to our normal lives.  

Finally, I wish to thank you for taking time from your busy lives to meet with me this week for our Parent / Teacher conference.  It was so nice having a chance to connect with you all and share your child's achievements!  2nd trimester Mastery Reports will be forthcoming in the next week.  Once you have had a chance to look it over, if you have any questions, please reach out.

Jon Gailmor sings our school song "Jewel of a School"

Announcements: 

                               

• Students do have homework this weekend! - Spelling quizzes will be Monday!
• Library is Monday!  Remember to bring your Library books and activity bags!
• Tuesday and Thursday are PE at 8:00.  Students need their sneakers! 
• There IS School on MONDAY (March 22)
• We have a early release on Friday, April 2nd. Dismissal is at 12:15
• Spring Break is April 19 - 23, 2021
• Please email me your lunch orders

Week 27

 

Elmore students display of "When I'm 100 years old" writing prompt and portraits

This week students enjoyed some warmer temperatures as spring gave us a little preview of days to come!  This weekend we spring ahead, setting our clocks one hour forward brings the promise of longer days!  I finally made it back to the classroom on Friday, after recovering from a severe muscle spasm in my back. During my absence, the students were in the very capable hands of Mrs. Bellavance along with some help from staff at MES and Elmore's own local celebrity, substitute teacher, Jon Gailmore.  

This week students continued crafting persuasive essays.  I had a chance to read some of these on Friday.  Persuasive essays are a little different because students need to think of a cause that is important to them or something they really want.  In the process they have to think about why someone else might not agree with them (another perspective) and include this idea and then write a rebuttal to it.  Next week we will shift this writing style slightly to draft persuasive letters.  Students also spent time each day reading and had some practice and review time using Lexia Core 5.

During Math, this week, students worked on problem solving, practice with fractions, Dreambox, and completed their math menus.  On Friday, third graders worked with me on using the "break apart and distribute" (distributive property) of division as a way to solve division problems involving larger numbers.

Science lessons included using observation skills (remote lesson), and students continued learning about sound and vibrations (sound waves).  Students created a "head harp" using a piece of string wrapped around their head going over the top of their ears.  Students plucked the string creating a vibration.  They explored with adjusting the length of the string to see how that affected the pitch of the vibration.

Our current chapter book read aloud is titled Dear Austin. Letters from the Underground Railroad. This story of friendship is told through a series of letters written by 11 year old, Levi to his brother Austin, telling tales of how he helps his young African American friend in his harrowing flight along the Underground Railroad where they meet Harriet Tubman (known as Moses).  

On Friday students had fun created 3 dimensional sculptures using aluminum foil.   Students were asked to think of an activity they enjoy doing and then molded their sheet of aluminum foil to show the action of the activity they choose.  (see the example below).  This was our first work with 3D art forms this year.  Students learned that 3 dimensional art is unique because it can be viewed from all sides.  

Announcements:

• Library is Monday!  Remember to bring your Library books and activity bags!
• Tuesday and Thursday are PE at 8:00.  Students need their sneakers! 
• The 2nd marking period ends on March 15th
• Early Release On Thursday March 18th (dismissal is 12:15) - we will eat lunch.
• No School on Friday March 19th.  We will have remote (either by phone or Google Meet)        Parent / Teacher Conferences.  
• Please email me your lunch orders

A closer look at one students work.

Week 26

Welcome back!  It was so great to see everyone back together in the classroom on Thursday after a nice long break.  Our official day back was Wednesday with our remote day.  I want to commend everyone for the extra efforts you have made to assure your kiddos attend our weekly remote morning meetings.  We have had nearly 100% attendance in our remote morning meetings this year!  Some students have  attended from childcare, from a car, and from their parents' meetings at work!  Your flexibility this year and commitment to your students' education is greatly appreciated.

We began our week by going back to the basics, reviewing our school rules and expectations.  Students shared many examples of good chooses that support our rules.  It easy to feel compelled to rush back into our schedule and push to get things done, but experience has taught me that sometimes we have to slow down and go back to the basics in order to move forward more effectively.  We are focusing on self-regulation and self-control.

This week we launched our next writing unit.  In this unit students will learn the art of persuasion, as the craft persuasive essays and letters.   We began by writing about our favorite season.   Then students were asked to write about something they want or something that is important to them.  Mini lessons included using our sound powers to spell harder and harder words.

In Math we had a day of practice and review as I finished first grade PNOA's.  On Friday the whole class learned about fractions and created their own "fraction kit" with stripes of paper.  This was our first introduction to fractions this year.

We also started our next science unit this week.  In this unit students will be learning about light and sound.  Our lesson this week was about sound effects and how people create sounds in cartoons.  Students had an opportunity to explore making their own sound effects with a ruler and the class created a sound effect rain storm with our bodies.  On Friday we we listened to Peter and the Wolf, while students created original art inspired by the sounds they were hearing.  In this narrated composition each character in the story is represented by a different instrument in the orchestra.  Each student had a different artistic interpretation with some drawing representational pictures, while others made various lines and colors to represent the sounds.  

On Friday, Ericka was able to schedule parent teacher conferences for March 19th with most of you.  There are still a couple of parents that we need to schedule with.  If you have not set up a conference yes, please contact me to schedule an appointment.  I will also have a couple or times available on Thursday, March 18th if that works better.   I usually do student led conferences in March, however this year Covid-19 restricts us from meeting in person, so these will be standard parent teacher conferences via Google Meet or phone.  Students are welcome to join us, but it is not required.  I do encourage you to ask your child to show you some of their work on Seesaw if this is something you have not been looking at.  Keep in mind this is just a sample of your child's work. Additionally, listen to your child read, and look at some of their writing.  This week we cleaned out their writing folders, so some of their "teaching books" went home.  I still have their final "published" books in my possession for assessing, so those will not be in their folders.

Announcements:

• Library is Monday!  Remember to bring your Library books and activity bags!
• Tuesday and Thursday are PE at 8:00.  Students need their sneakers! 
• The 2nd marking period ends on March 15th
• Early Release On Thursday March 18th (dismissal is 12:15)
• No School on Friday March 19th.  We will have remote Parent / Teacher Conferences.  
• Please email me your lunch orders