Pictures from our week together

 Learning about SeeSaw with our fabulous Technology Specialist Ms. Scott.  Thanks for helping us Ms. Scott!

Listening to a read aloud outside along with the second graders and learning about kindness and how it spreads.

Learning about numbers and how we can show numbers in different ways.  Do you have a favorite way of showing numbers?

Here is our class contract.  We are so proud of the ideas we all agreed on.  All the children signed this contract too.

Learning how we can practice social distancing while being happy and silly too.  The children created "cross-walks" and signs for each other to do.

Pictures from our week

 Playing games outside with the second graders:

Doing math and exploring our math tools:

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Social-Emotional Learning and Team-building Activities:

• Second Step: We began the COVID related unit around re-building the community. The first lesson covered the definition of community, getting to know each other and being respectful. 

• Team Building/Listening: 

                *First and second graders have been playing a game called Twizzle together. It involves following verbal directions while listening carefully to each other.

               * Group greeting:  We connected the two grades through a call and response greeting which included some student  generated knock knock jokes!

• Buzzy Celebration: The two classrooms celebrated together with a pajama day.  The students filled the classroom buzzy jars for being safe, kind and responsible.  We are so proud of them all!  The students  voted to have a pajama party.  Pictures will be posted on your homeroom teacher’s site/blog.

In Literacy students: 

• Continued listening to Kevin Henkes books

• Discussed the importance of independent reading for practice

• Discussed the importance of learning and applying writing skills

First Grade Math:

• Are learning about the importance of having a growth mindset and a positive attitude when we do math. At home and at school.  We learned that it is important to have mathematical confidence and trust ourselves when we solve mathematical problems.

• Are learning that mathematicians look at numbers in different ways.  Mathematicians subitize, look for groups/patterns within larger numbers and show their understanding in number writing, on their math hands and through pictures.

• Began exploring their math tool kits and dominoes

In second-grade  math students:

• Are learning about having a growth mindset

• Are learning about the importance of mistakes and stuck points

• Began thinking of themselves as mathematicians and how we use math in everyday life

• Began learning about interpreting and collecting data

During technology students

• Signed in, bookmarked and practiced finding their remote schedules

• Next week, first and second grade students will learn how to access and use SeeSaw, our digital portfolio at ABS.

New Routines/Communications

• Please make sure your child brings a filled water bottle to school every day

• The weather is getting colder, especially in the mornings.  Please make sure your child is dressed according to the weather.  We spend a lot of time outside every day.  Layers are best (as it warms up towards the end of our day)

• Please make sure you talk to your child every morning (on in-person days) about lunch.  Classroom teachers must notify the kitchen staff about possible lunch orders.  It is helpful if your child knows if he/she will have to order lunch at school, or if one was already packed from home.  Thank you for helping us in this new procedure while making sure all children are fed.

• NEW REQUEST: Please send in head-phones for your child as soon as possible.  The larger ones (the ones over the ears) work best for our young learners as the ear-buds usually hurt or fall out.  Please place your child’s head-phones inside a ziplock bag with his/her name clearly marked.

• Fundations started this week.  Fundations is the spelling program we use at ABS.  Mrs. Benoit and Ms. Carah teach first grade Fundations.  Mrs. McCormack and Ms. Casey teach second grade Fundations.  If you have specific questions regarding spelling, please contact your grade level teacher first (is first grade questions would still go to Mrs. McC and second grade inquiries would go to Mrs Benoit).  We hope to continue the streamlined email chain as much as we can.  If you have a specific question/situation, we will, of course, get you in touch with that teacher, if needed.

• Math started this week too.  Mrs. McCormack and Ms. Carah  teach first grade math.  Mrs. Benoit and Ms. Casey teach second grade math.

Upcoming Events and Reminders:

• Bring back to school: 

1. Charged Chromebooks!  You do not need to send the chargers back and forth. 

2. Home folders.  

3. Remote work that was requested on the remote learning page.

• Water bottles: Please be sure your child has a water bottle every day. 

• Attire: Please send your child to school dressed for the weather and being outside

• Towels:  Some students still need a towel of some sort to sit on in the Kiva or outdoors

• Picture Day: Tuesday, September 29th:. Picture forms will go out on Tuesday.  We are unable to accommodate outfit changes.  Pictures are close ups including the top portion of clothing. Students could even wear a nice top with comfortable bottoms and sneakers.

• Online ordering site for schools

• Passwords are as follows:

• ABS - abs20

• https://bsnap.hhimagehost.com/V2/Home/EventList

The School Bell -there are revised drop-off and dismissal procedures.

Best,

Justine, Maria and Carah

Pictures from our first two in-person days

 Morning Meeting outside:

Extra outdoor time and explorations:

Read Aloud outdoors with the second graders:

Reading and writing outdoors:

Building a community of learners together with the second graders:

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning and Team-building Activities:

We had a wonderful few days of in person learning! It was obvious that students were very happy to be back in the building. 

 This week students:

• Spent time outside as a whole group learning a social distancing game and listening to read aloud 

• Began a Kevin Henkes author study

• Practiced hand washing and social distancing routines

• Were given individual milk crates that include learning and choice time materials.  The students did an amazing job taking care of their belongings and school materials.  

• Learned about their classroom library and chose books for their book bins

New Routines/Communication:

Masks: (a note from the nurse)

• If your child is wearing a neck gaiter as a mask, it is not ideal.  Please be sure it is at least a double layered gator.

• Masks with vents are not permitted as the person wearing it is protected, but they allow droplets to exit the mask. 

• At home, please reinforce the importance of distancing and keeping hands off of other student’s belongings.

Chromebooks: 

• We will be sending home chromebooks on Tuesday next week.  Please look for it inside your child’s backpack.  Your child will also bring home an envelope containing his/her passwords and sign-in information.  Please keep this in a safe place for future reference.

• Please review the written expectations with your child attached regarding google meets and how to care for your chromebook.  Remember, chromebooks must be charged at home before coming back to school again every day we have in-person learning.

Reading:

• The students learned how to choose books for their individual book boxes.  The students browsed the classroom and chose books from the library too.  Please bring back your child’s library books on his/her library day.  Thank you.

Upcoming Events and Reminders:

• The students filled the classroom Buzzy Jars already!  WOW! The students voted and we will celebrate with a PAJAMA DAY on Tuesday, September 15th.  We will still have regular classes and outdoor recess, so please make sure your child wears a weather appropriate pajama for these activities.  Please do not send in slippers, stuffed animals or snuggly blankets.  Please do not choose pajamas with “built-in feet”.  They tend to hurt little feet inside the sneakers.

• We will start Fundations (spelling) next week during our in-person days.  Your child will have asynchronous learning activities for all remote learning days.  They will be in the take-home packets for you, going home on Tuesday next week.

• Your child will start math class next week.  Your child will be taking home a large ziplock bag containing math tools needed for all remote learning days  The daily math activities will be linked and modeled on the remote learning schedule for each day.  Please use the materials for each activity.  We will send home a math bag with all mathematicians on Tuesday.  The materials are needed for the remote learning activities.  All materials inside this bag must come back on Monday again.  The students cannot share materials at school and we will use them in the classroom as well.

• We will start synchronous google meets next week.  The links will be in the remote learning schedule.  The first google meet will take place between 8:20-8:45.  This is a whole class morning meeting.  We will start our weekly sharing next week.  Your child has been assigned a “Share Day”.  Each week, we will have a special “Sharing Topic”.  Next week, we will share something special about ourselves.  It can be a special stuffed animal, a picture or a book.  It can also be a verbal share.  Perhaps your child enjoys dancing or singing?  Perhaps your child wants to share about a special hobby or sport they do?  This week’s share is based upon Friday’s read aloud “Owen”, by Kevin Henkes.  If your child feels nervous about this, please tell your child he/she can pass this week.  We would still like for your child to attend our google morning meeting.  Thank you.

• Tuesday, September 29th: Picture Day, details to follow.  

• The School Bell

Best,

Justine, Maria and Carah

Remote Learning Schedule and Back to School

 Dear Families,

I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day and feel excited about coming back to school tomorrow.  I have to be honest; I am feeling both excited and nervous.  We have not been in school in so long and having to go back into a completely different school environment feels strange.  It is absolutely normal for your child to experience a wide range of emotions as we approach the first day of school.  I know, I do!  Please know that all the adults at ABS will help your child ease these worries and concerns.  

I am attaching a video tutorial for you to show how to access and navigate the remote learning schedule.  Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

I am also attaching our in-person schedule for Mondays and Tuesdays so you have a general idea of our learning day.  As you will notice, we have library time on Mondays.

 Please get into the habit of checking your child’s backpack every day.  Tuesdays will be the days we send home all materials needed for the remote days (although this week we will send that home on Wednesday).  In the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Benoit and I will also provide a small “homework check-list” to help families navigate all the home learning options so you know what is expected.  Please return this homework check-list on Mondays the following week, when we return to in-person learning again. 

I also want to welcome Shelby Haselman, our fabulous UVM Intern, to our classroom.  Shelby will be with us on Mondays and Tuesdays when we have in-person learning.  She will also join us in our remote learning.    Please note that our school district and UVM work closely to ensure proper testing and social distancing guidelines are being followed by all student interns. You can read Ms. Shelby’s letter of introduction here.

Have a great day.  I will see your children tomorrow!

Warmly,

Maria

Welcome back to school!

 Dear Families,

We are so excited to welcome you back to school next week!  We are busy setting up our classrooms to adhere to our new social distancing guidelines and look forward to seeing all the children in person!

School will look very different this year as you know.  This letter will help outline some of the new protocols to help us start the school year together.  Please know that things change often, sometimes daily, and we are all doing our best to make sure your child can come to school and feel safe while engaging in learning with peers.  We will communicate with families via email weekly.  While we are co-teaching at school, we will communicate a little differently with each grade level.  Mrs. Benoit is the primary contact person for second grade, while Mrs. McCormack will be the contact person for first grade.  We hope this will help stream-line communication.  For example, Mrs. McCormack will post the newsletter on the classroom blog, which is always linked at the bottom of her email so families can easily find it at any time.

We hope to email a weekly team newsletter, outlining some of the things we focused on during the two days together while at school and explain what the overarching goals are for the upcoming week for remote learning.  Before our first day of school, however, you will be hearing from me a little more often. For example, I will share my remote learning schedule as well as the in-person schedule with you in another email in the next few days. 

There are many new procedures to plan for before the first day of school.  Here is another copy of our informational letter so you and your child can get ready and arrive prepared on the first day of school.

. 

Please make sure that any changes in your child’s dismissal plans must be emailed to all the following people:

mmccormack@cvsdvt.org

lgigliotti@cvsdvt.org    (Laura Gigliotti in our front office)

lsaladino@cvsdvt.org    (Lori Saladino who is helping with attendance and dismissal)

This is to make sure all staff involved in Harmony’s dismissal changes are informed.  If you need to make a sudden change please make sure you dial Lori Saladino directly and speak to her (ie it is not enough to leave a voicemail).  Lori’s extension is 6261. If she is not available, please call the front office and speak to Ms. Gigliotti.  Since I am with the children, I might not get the voicemail or email on time.  Thank you.

Please also make sure that you include our school nurse in all communication with the school if your child is sick and needs to stay home.  Her email is slove@cvsdvt.org

Nurse Love also shared some helpful posters/articles for families and children as we navigate this pandemic.  These are very helpful and address wearing a mask at school.  I hope you and your family will explore these.

Wear a Mask

Masks and PPE

If you want more school-related information, please visit the CVSD Reopening Site.

If you did not already hand in your child’s computer contract, signed and dated, it will be in your child’s backpack on Tuesday along with all the other parent informational sheets about school and the worksheets for your child’s first two days of remote learning. Stay tuned for more information in a couple of days.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this.  We hope this will help you and your family prepare for the first couple of days of school.  We will send another letter explaining the schedules and student work-pages and materials in the next few days.  

Thanks for supporting our hybrid model.  Don’t hesitate to contact me iif you need additional information.

Warmly,

Maria, Justine and Carah