Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• The students filled the classroom buzzy jar again for being safe, kind and responsible!  They are truly amazing.  This time we celebrated with a classroom balloon party.  What was extra fun was that we stopped what we were doing as soon as we filled the buzzy jar to have our balloon party!  Here are some pictures:

Reading:

• This week in reader’s workshop, the students practiced using the new reading log.  The students have many different choices during their independent reading times (a time when they do not meet in guided reading groups with a teacher).  The choices are intended to increase engagement and active reading, while exposing the students to a variety of literacy activities.  The students practice their trick words, read short songs and poems for fluency or write and draw about the books they read in class.  This week, the students practiced “Roll A Die, “ the new reading log.  They rolled a six-sided die to quickly choose the reading response.  They did an amazing job showing their understanding in different ways.  Have fun reading and writing at home too!

• We finished reading our classroom read aloud book about Knut this week.  The students loved to learn more about this adorable polar bear cub and how we can all do little things to help save the polar regions and environments for these Arctic animals.

Writing:

• We started our new writing unit this week.  Our new unit will focus on poetry reading and writing.  Throughout this unit, the students will learn about alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyming and similes/metaphors.  They will write a variety of poems, reflecting these styles.   We will write many poems together as a class through collaborative writing.

• We started this unit by playing a “Vocabulary Battle”.  The students were partnered up and worked together to come up with as many synonyms for the word “good” as they could.  We created a class list together and then we took turns reading these words out loud to the beat of drums and music.  We had so much fun discovering the power and rhythm of words.  The students were also encouraged to create their own made-up words for “good”.  Some ideas were: doog, rufferrific and legotastic.

• Our vocabulary focus continued this week with an online review with Ms. Patti for our weekly “Word of the Week” learning activities.  The students started brainstorming their favorite words from this year.  We created leaves for our vocabulary tree with the suggestions.  Eventually, the students will pick one word, which will be illustrated and shared through a Flipgrid project online.  Stay tuned for this end-of-the-year celebration.

• We read the book “Big Words for Little People” by Jamie LeCurtis and Laura Cornell in our online meeting on Wednesday.  We discovered that we have already used many of these words this year, but some were new to us too.  We learned that some of the most powerful words are short and simple words, like family, community, love and respect.

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians returned to the classroom ready to work hard and share their mathematical thinking.  We continued our work on Number Bonds in our Number Corner components of math class. 

• The students continued practicing their understanding of place value by adding decuples and ones to any given number while playing board games in partnerships.

• Ms. Schaw, our fabulous ABS Math Interventionist, also joined our class this week.  She and I will co-teach math together for the remainder of the school year.  We are so thrilled and grateful for her assistance and time.

Friday Workshops:

• We learned about trees, soil and seeds together with our second grade friends this week.  We planted grass seeds in small cups, which we will carefully water and nurture in the weeks to come.  Each child has his/her own cup to care for.  This is part of a larger unit on nature/Spring and part of our school celebration of Arbor Day.  More information will follow.

News and Reminders:

• Here is a letter from Ms. Porter:
  Dear Families -

You received an order form to order a book that your child has a part in publishing in Physical Education.  There is no pressure to order the book.  I do however need ALL order forms back Monday morning.  At the very bottom of the order form, there is a place to mark No I am not interested and then you would sign the form and place the signed form in the accompanying envelope.  Please return the order form either way by Monday morning.  I need to submit all the forms with the book to be published.

• Thank you so much

• Lyn Porter Lporter@cvsdvt.org

• Here's a link to this week's Bell

Have a great weekend,

Maria