Dear Families,
It is bittersweet to say goodbye to Ms. Addie. Today was her last day at ABS. We are so excited for her new adventure as a classroom teacher in Vergennes but we will surely miss having her in our classroom every day. We hope she will stay in touch and perhaps even visit one day!
Here is our week in review:
Social-Emotional Learning:
This week, the students continued to practice using self-regulatory strategies more independently. This entire school year, they have had opportunities to master and practice using a variety of strategies to use when they experience emotions/feelings that are disruptive to their own individual learning focus and positive relationship-building. While we do not expect our young learners to fully be in control of their emotions, we hope that they discover the confidence and positive trust in self that comes from being willing to try some of these strategies. We reviewed our “super-powers” of self-control and the power of using your own assertive voice when advocating for yourself.
This week in our restorative circle, we talked about setting boundaries and maintaining positive and healthy friendships. Ms. Nicole helped us share our thoughts around what makes a good friend and what we can do to use our assertive voice when somebody uses unkind words and/or actions. The students used a (non-working, cordless) microphone as a prop to boost confidence and strength when verbalizing their thoughts. Ask your child to explain more. They loved it! We will continue this work when we return from our April break. Stay tuned.
The students also participated in a series of activities to create a culminating book project to reflect our thoughts and worries about Ms. Addie’s departure. It is crucial that young learners have full participation in any closure, or goodbye. They did, as always, an amazing job sharing their thoughts in a collection of letters that they wrote to Ms. Addie.
You Can:
You can support your child’s self-control at home too. Think about how you can facilitate your child’s emerging skills as your child encounters a situation or task that feels challenging or unfamiliar. Having a solid understanding of these strategies and skills can help our young learners develop better stamina, self-esteem, and a sense of control. At school for example, we review a special daily breathing activity to find those mindful moments. We also encourage our young learners to find a quiet spot or use some positive self-talk. In our classroom, we also practice restorative chats and circles as a way to resolve conflicts, repair harm and create positive relationship-building skills. Ask your child for a favorite, “go-to” strategy. I am confident your child can teach you some of the skills and strategies we’re learning at school.
As the school year draws to a close, consider talking to your child too about how to wrap up this year on a positive note. Talk to your child about worries and/or concerns your child might have for the upcoming year? Validate your child’s worries and concerns for the summer break too. While a long summer break can be positive and relaxing for many, a long summer break away from friends and familiar routines can be overwhelming and lead to anxiety. As always, please consider reaching out to classmates and schedule play dates and get-togethers outside of school.
Reading:
First grade readers continued to rotate through small groups and independent reading stations this week. At this point in the school year, we encourage all students to show increased reading stamina during independent reading times. All students have access to decodable books reflecting skills taught so they have ample opportunities to engage in repeated practice.
Ms. Addie continued to read from the Magic Tree House series for our daily read alouds and I have been asked to continue this series after the April break too!
You can:
Your child is bringing home an assortment of new and familiar books/texts/poems in this week’s Friday Home Folder (our apologies if there are multiple copies of a book or packet. That is because the packing was done by several adults over several days. The students helped too). Please consider asking your child to practice these books/texts at home in the next few weeks. To encourage home reading over vacation, your child also has a “Lucky Listener” sheet inside the Home Folder. Please follow the directions and return on Monday after the break for a special buzzy award. Have fun reading at home!
Writing:
The students finished their animal report pieces this week. They did an outstanding job writing about their animals and sharing information about their animal. Your child also created a special artifact to represent an adaptation specific to this animal. Please look for these inside your child’s backpack as well.
Math:
First grade mathematicians started to learn about geometry. This week, we primarily focused upon the various attributes of 2-dimensional shapes, such as triangles, trapezoids, rhombuses, hexagons and circles. We also learned how squares are special types of rectangles. Ask your child to explain why!
After our April break, the students will continue to learn more about these types of shapes while also learning about 3-dimensional shapes and their corresponding attributes.
First grade mathematicians also participated in an end-of-unit math assessment addressing their understanding of three addends.
You can:
You can support your child’s understanding of geometric shapes by engaging in conversations around their corresponding attributes at home. Make it more challenging, and ask your child to guess which shape you are thinking of by asking only a series of yes or no questions. We played a game called “There’s a shape in my pocket” and it was very tricky to ask clarifying questions which would help us figure out which shape was hidden.
News and Reminders:
There is no school April 22-26 (Spring break)
Please see this message from the ABS Front Office:
Any time a student is going to be absent or has a change to their dismissal/end-of-day plan, please notify the following:
The classroom teacher
Front Office: absfrontoffice@cvsdvt.org
ABS Team Assistant Celeste Plouffe, cplouffe@cvsdvt.org
Reminder: If there is any change to your student's typical end-of-day plan, please be sure to contact the school BEFORE 1:00 PM (or 12:00 pm on Wednesdays). Changes in your student(s) schedule will not be accepted after this time unless it is an emergency.
Reminder: If there are any medical updates on your child, please be sure to contact the school nurse.
Have a great April vacation week off from school. I hope you will all enjoy some special family time and relaxation. See you all when we get back.
Maria
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