Week 17

 For this weeks update I just a few pictures to share from our week.  

Wishing you all Happy Holidays!

We took a break from the classroom on Wednesday to enjoy some f

un in the snow at the Elmore State Park

Students exchanged their secret pal projects that they worked so hard on! 

Check out all these thoughtful and creative gifts!

(it appears the project didn't make it into the picture...sorry!)

Students bid Kath Miller fair well with a banner and some carols!

A chance meeting with Santa this week in front of the Elmore Store!

See you all in the the NEW YEAR!

Week 16

 

Students find creative ways to store their backpacks during ECO.

This was a whirlwind of a week filled with projects, ECO, and special surprises!  Though the air felt more like spring during the middle of the week, students were busy inside the school finishing up their secret Pal Projects!  What I love about these projects the most is the student engagement and thought that goes into each and every projects.   Every student has persevered through challenges and has set goals and problem solved along the way.  Students show empathy and compassion for others as they watch classmates struggle, persevere and  solve problems.  I hear words of encouragement and compliments to others as they see their classmates projects coming to completion.  While we might be taking some time away from our regular routines, students are growing and learning so much from creating these projects.  This week I wish to thank Caitlin Mahoney, Megan Batchelder, and Chloe Tartaglia who graciously donated their time to come in to help with projects.

On Monday Mrs. Leopold generously came for a whole class music lesson.  Students had the pleasure of playing Boomwhackers and Hand Bells to a couple of festive seasonal songs!  Later in the week we made Jingle bell bracelets and took the Boomwhackers our and played along with some more festive tunes!  

On Wednesday during ECO, our focus was on the coming of the Winter Solstice, birdseed treats for our forest friends (our gifts to them), and we baked bread on sticks over the fire.  Students also enjoyed forest choice where they made fairy house (or mouse houses) and larger den structures from materials found in the forest.  Thank you to our parent volunteers, Caitlin Mahoney, Hank Glowiak, Eric Schoeberlein, and Bethany Sagent!  

Hot lunch, provided by the Dryden's, was enjoyed by all on Friday!  The class enjoyed pancakes with maple syrup, and / or strawberries and sausage links.  For dessert they were treated to a green and red Jello parfait and gingerbread cookie!  Special Thanks to Ann Marie and Everett Dryden for this delicious feast!

We had a second visitor on Friday as Martha Twombly, a well known Elmore community member, stopped by to read a couple of books to the children and she brought cookies and hot cocoa for them to enjoy! Mrs. Twombly used to attend the Elmore School as a child AND her mother used to teach at the Elmore School (back when there were 8 grades!).  Each students also went home with a small gift from Mrs. Twombly!

Announcements

• Third Graders WILL HAVE recorders on Monday (a change from last week's announcements).
• If we get enough snow this weekend, I hope to take the class over to the state park to go Sledding on Wednesday afternoon.  
• A reminder that next week we have an early release on Thursday, December 23rd.  
• Winter break is December 24 - Jan 2nd.  School resumes on Monday, Jan 3rd.

Here are a few more photos from ECO last week!

 

Week 15

 

We had another great week at the Elmore School.  Students were busy making and creating as their Secret Pal projects got underway.  There are so many creative projects and there is a buzz of excitement as kids work to make something thoughtful for one of their classmates.  Our goal will to have our projects completed to present to our Secret Pals before we go on break on December 23rd.  I wish to thank Caitlin Mahoney and Heather Hill for volunteering their time this week to come in and help students with projects.  Having extra hands to help has been extremely helpful!

While projects are underway, students are practicing reading and phonics skills on Lexia Core 5 and reading or writing independently.  

Last week we finished our Read Aloud The Twits by Roald Dahl.  This week we began reading Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, a sweet story about a young girl and her dog who has a huge impact on the girls life.  

In Math, level 1 students are working on adding and subtracting with totals between 6-9 using concrete models (ten frames), pictorial models (number bonds), and abstract models (number sentence).  Level 2 students have been using base ten blocks, and place value disks (concrete) and number bonds (pictorial) to add and subtract within 100.  Level 3 students began using division to solve for the number of equal groups or the number within equal groups using concrete models (arrays), and pictorial models (linear model or tape diagram).  This week students have been enjoying playing the Dreidel Game as a math choice.

ECO

We had another fantastic morning outdoors with ECO on Wednesday.  Our focus this week was animal adaptations, as students learned about bears and why they hibernate. We began in the lower field near the pavillion, where we played Bear Tag, and had snack listened to Miss Carrie tell a story.  Then we gathered our belongings and headed up the trail to where we found a nice wooded area where the children worked in small groups to construct bear dens.  Students had to find a place that would make a good bear den and then collect materials to construct their den. Finally students had to collaborate to build their den structures together.   Thank you to Jess Wills and Caitlin Mahoney who volunteered their time this week.

We will have one more ECO lesson next week before breaking until March.  Next week we will focus on the Winter Solstice and will bring gifts for our forest friends.  We could use a little more firewood and some kindling as we will also be cooking over the fire next week.  I have 3 parent volunteers (Eric Schoeberlein, Bethany Sargent, and Hank Glowiak).  

Reading Reward

Students have reached the Summit of Jay Peak with their reading minutes and have earned another reading reward! Students voted for another PJ/ Stuffy Day and we will watch a short video.  We will plan this for next Tuesday, December 14th.  

Mastery Reports

You will find your students Trimester Mastery Report in their Friday Folder this week.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Announcements:

• Revisit Week 14 post for photo updates
• Library Monday - bring your books!
• Ms. Leopold is going to work with all student the next two Monday mornings - no recorders for 3rd grade.  3rd grade should continue to practice daily.
• PJ / Stuffy day: Tuesday, Dec. 14th
• Please remember sneakers for PE on Tuesday and Friday. 
• December 23rd will be an early release (noon).  I believe this is a change in the calendar
• Winter break: December 24 - Jan. 3rd.

Click HERE to view Superintendent Heraty's Lamoille Ledger update which includes an interview with Dr. Bob Arnot!

Week 14

 

We were back in the full swing of things this week as we enter into the busy weeks between Thanksgiving break and our next break at Christmas.  Being such a busy time of year, filled with so much awe and wonder as traditions abound, children are full of energy and excitement.  This week we began planning for our Secret Pal projects.  On Monday they drew names to determine who their Secret Pal would be.  On Thursday the students planned what project they would be making. The first step in the process is to think about what are their Secret Pals likes and interests.  Then students used craft books to find a project idea or they thought about what they would like to make and drew and wrote a plan.  Students also had to write about why the project they choose would make a good project for their Secret Pal.  We will begin working on our projects next week.  These Projects will completed at school.

In literacy this week students concluded their first writing unit and wrote one last (on - demand) personal, small moment story (narrative) in an effort to show me everything they learned about writing a good narrative with a beginning, middle, and end with details and some of the crafty ways they learned  that authors use ,such as descriptive language, similes, dialog , action, and feelings.

Additionally, all students had math quizzes on Tuesday.  throughout the week, Level 1 students worked on composing pairs to make 6 and 7.  Level 2 students began adding two double digit numbers to find the sum using base ten blocks and number bonds.  Level 3 students learned the rule for multiplying when one of the factors is 1 or 0, and  they used arrays and number bonds to find the product when multiplying by 3.

In Science this week students explored how baby animals have similar traits to their parents.  

During ECO on Wednesday our focus was giving Thanks.  We started by playing a fun predator and prey tag game in field where players had to ry to avoid being tagged while running through a series of paths.  If a player was tagged they had to say something they were Thankful for to be unfrozen.  Then we moved back to the camp-sight to enjoy snack and a story by the fire.  Then we did a Thanksgiving Address where students were read clues about several items in nature and then express Thanks for each ("We give thanks for the birds").  Students enjoyed forest choice where they whittled sticks with peelers, made Thankful sticks, explored the woods, and played a fun Native American math game called Kainsich.  Back at the school, each student spent time reflecting on their experience by writing in their ECO journals.  

Reminders: 

• Monday: 3rd grade recorders ( students should add practicing to their nightly homework), and Library!  Don;' forget your books!
• Tuesday and Friday:  PE.  Students need sneakers.  
• Wednesday: ECO 9:00 - 12:00.  Jess Wills and Caitlyn Mahoney are our parent volunteers
• Friday:  Hot Lunch Provided by the Gabaree family!
• EMAIL me you lunch orders for the week (Monday - Thursday)