Friday, November 19, 2021

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,


Here is our week in review:



Social-Emotional Learning:

  • This week, the students continued participating in many different learning activities around kindness.  They made special kindness cards to their buddies in second grade, which we delivered to them in person.  They also made some extra kindness cards to each other in class.  It feels great to spread kindness randomly around us!

  • The students at ABS filled the school Bee Hive again for being safe, kind and responsible.  This time, we celebrated together by stopping what we were doing to just play when we heard Ms. Filion’s announcements on the intercom.  The suspense throughout the day was certainly exciting as the children eagerly waited for this special event!

  • The students at ABS participated in a special Vermont-wide competition to name new plow trucks that were purchased for the state.  The name “Salty” won at ABS.  This week, the plow truck “Salty” visited our school.  The students had a chance to see “their” truck and meet its driver Sean.  They hope to see “Salty” on the roads in Williston this winter.

  • In connection with our focus and learning around kindness, we deepened our understanding of empathy this week as well.  Through read alouds and puppet shows, the students gained new understanding and discovered the importance of being able to show empathy.  Puppy and Snail, our two favorite puppets from Second Step, helped the students realize how important it is to show kindness even when really unexpected behaviors and choices occur.




Reading:

  • This week, the students continued practicing their independence and stamina while Ms. Emily and I provided small group instruction in reading.  As a class, we focused on gaining new strategies around vowel sounds.  The students are encouraged to try both the long and the short vowel sounds when deciphering a challenging, new word.

  • The students also continued partner reading in class.  They took turns reading with each other and used whisper voices.  Reading out loud can be tricky, but it is important for emerging readers as it allows them to slow down, attend to the text on the page and start paying attention to their own fluency.




Writing:

  • We took a little break from our “All About Me” books this week to focus on kindness and writing related to that specific topic.  

  • The students also did writing related to Thanksgiving.  They wrote about things they are thankful for.  Their beautiful projects are inside their Home Folders today.  They worked hard.  We hope you like them!

  • We celebrated the publishing of the students’ personal narratives.  They had the opportunity to read their stories to partners in class.





First Grade Math:

  • First grade mathematicians continued their work on fractions.  This week, they divided circles into two equal halves. They also explored quarters.  We will continue work around quarters and fourths after the holiday break.

  • First grade mathematicians also played new games for practicing and building an understanding of doubles and doubles plus 1/minus 1.  Building a solid understanding of double facts and understanding the number sequence help all mathematicians efficiently solve increasingly complex calculations.

  • First graders also worked in small groups to build a better understanding of numbers and counting, both forward and backwards.



Science:

  • Science was all about turkeys and Thanksgiving this week.Ask your child to explain what we learned from Mystery Doug!



News and Reminders:

  • We have Thanksgiving Break next week so there will be no school.  We return again on Monday, November 29th.  We hope you have a safe and relaxing holiday break.  There are so many things to be thankful for.

  • If your child has received his/her first Covid vaccine, please notify our school  nurse.   You can email her at slove@cvsdvt.org


  • Please unpack  your child’s  Home  Folder before sending it back on Mondays.   Looking through your child’s  work from the school week is also an excellent way for your child  to share his/her learning in different classrooms, review concepts  and celebrate their hard work.  Thank you for acknowledging their work.

  • Here's a link to this week's Bell



Have a great weekend,

Maria


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