Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, first graders continued to practice empathy and compassion.  We focused primarily on what we can say to others in order to show empathy and compassion. We made empathy hearts for our classroom calming box.  The empathy cards were decorated and contained words/short phrases of kindness, such as “You are amazing”, “You are a kind and great friend”.  These cards will be available for students in need of some extra kindness when taking a break.

• This week, we also continued working on our Friendship booklets.  We started these booklets last week with our second grade buddies and this week we had a chance to add more words of kindness to each other.  

• We practiced yoga every day this week.  We used gonoodle to learn new effective strategies to calm our bodies to get ready for learning and listening. 

Reading:

• This week, we continued to learn about interesting people who persevered while showing bravery and resilience.  The people we read about this week also demonstrated creativity and individuality.  We read the book “Just being Dali” by Amy Guglielmo, and learned about the artist Dali who just wanted to be himself and show his tremendous individuality in his art.  

• 

We also read books about Dizzie Gillespie and Stevie Wonder.  We learned so much from these books and about the importance of being true to, and, expressing yourself!

• We had partner reading again this week too.  This week, the students practiced taking turns reading our books while listening carefully to their partners reading.

• The students also continued working on their sight words this week.  Being able to quickly read trick words and high frequency words help young readers read more fluently and with more automaticity.  We had some of our words on index cards.  The students created their own duplicate set and played a matching game, almost like “Go Fish”, to find their word matches.  These cards/words will come home before the holiday break. We also used jenga blocks and popsicle sticks to practice our trick words.

Writing:

• The students added another chapter to their “All About Me” books.  This week, first grade authors wrote about what they want to do when they grow up.  They had wonderful ideas.  We have a class filled with aspiring animal trainers, astronauts, marines, authors and teachers!

• We also continued working on building independence in writing, while also checking to make sure that the writing reflects capital letters at the start of each sentence, includes finger spacing between words and ends with a period (or question mark).

• First grade spellers are learning about digraphs this week.  We were “digraph detectives”, searching for them in books and other texts.  We were also learning how to carefully listen for these sounds and spell them.  The digraphs covered this week were: ch, wh, sh, th, ck

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians learned about data collection this week.  Through small groups and whole class discussions and work, they learned about tally charts, bar graphs, pictographs and pie charts.  I hope you get a chance to look through their Home Folders today because you will see their data collection work.  They are true mathematicians and budding statisticians!  In addition to learning that mathematicians use a variety of charts to organize information, the students learned to interpret them by answering questions such as “how many more or how many fewer”, “how many in each category” and “how many participated in this study”.

• First grade mathematicians also continued building their number sense understanding in our Number Corner activities and classroom games.

Technology:

• The students continued to explore computer coding this week.  They learned how to persevere through challenging computer puzzles and coding problems.  They did a nice job!

News and Reminders:

• Our last day of school before the holiday break is Wednesday, December 22nd.  This will be a pajama day.  If your child wants to bring his/her stuffed animal that is fine too.  Please make sure the stuffed animal is small enough to fit inside his/her backpack and on his/her desk.  We will have regular outdoor recess so please make sure your child does not wear slippers or pajamas with built-in socks/feet.  

• If your child has been vaccinated for Covid, please email the school nurse a copy of the vaccination card.  Her email is slove@cvsdvt.org

• We try our best on Harmony House to make your child feel special on his/her birthday.  Your child gets to choose a special birthday surprise from the front office and from the classroom prize box.  Your child also gets a balloon and a special cupcake covering on his/her desk for the day.  We sing as well; both in Swedish and English!  Please refrain from sending in food treats as we have many different dietary restrictions and allergies.  If your child wants to share a special book from home, I would be happy to read it to the class too. Students whose birthdays are in the middle of summer or during our holiday breaks will get to celebrate their birthdays in class at another time.  Please do not worry that we will forget! Please email me with any questions you might have.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Pictures from our week together

 

Computer coding with Ms. Scott:

Puppet show:

Celebrating Ms. Emily's last day with us!  We will miss her so much.  In this picture, Ms. Emily is reading a book we made, filled with letters from the students.

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

It was Ms. Emily’s last day with us today.  We will miss her but we hope that she will be back to visit and work as a Guest Teacher in our classroom again next semester.  Thank you Ms. Emily for working with us this semester! 

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, we learned that people can have different reactions to the same situation.  What is a small problem to one person can be perceived as a big problem to another.  We learned that we can build understanding of others by carefully paying attention to their facial expressions, body language and words used.  We listened to the “Feeling Song” again too.  Singing and listening to music help us connect and it also helps us calm our bodies.  

• Some students also had the opportunity to perform their puppet shows to our second grade friends.  Some students choose to just share their puppets and others will wait to perform next week.  They all did an amazing job.  The puppets will come home next week.

Reading:

• In reading, the students continued building their independent reading stamina and choosing “just right” books to sustain reading for longer periods of time.  We also focused on having quiet whisper voices during this time.

• We continued learning about interesting historical figures who showed perseverance and grit during difficult times.  Learning about other people helps us connect and show empathy to each other.  A highlight this week was a book about Jacques Cousteau whose adventures underwater taught the world about how to better understand and protect marine life in all of its forms.

Writing:

• The students added another chapter to their “All About Me” books this week.  This week, authors focused on writing about things they like to do outside of school.  They had so many different things to share.  Some students like to play with friends nd do sports, while others prefer to watch TV or even help mom at home with chores!

• The students continued to tap out sounds to slow down and listen for the sounds in the words we spell.  They even wrote their trick words in sand this week!  

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians continued to build a deeper understanding of partners to 10 while participating in several small groups and games.  Ask your child to explain the game “Drop the Beans”, a game in which the players find all the possible combinations to 10 while visualizing the parts.

• First grade mathematicians also learned a game called “Cats and Mice”.  In this game, they learned to compare numbers using the language “greater than”, “less than” and “equal to”.  They also learned to use the mathematical symbols to represent these relations (>, <, =).  Mathematicians are building an understanding of how finding the difference between numbers will help us solve both addition and subtraction problems.  Comparing numbers (and having a variety of strategies) will help them solve these math problems more flexibly.

• The Number Corner Calendar for December addresses data collection.  The students are learning about surveys and how different types of graphs help us illustrate larger data sets into easily digested pictures.  So far, they have learned about bar graphs and pictographs. We will learn more about graphing next week.

Technology:

• This week, our class participated in a nation-wide coding adventure.  All across the country (and the world), students of all ages learn to better understand computer programming and how important it is for our daily lives and learning.  Thank you Ms. Scott for helping us start this engaging and educational learning.  We started with codemonkey.com  Next week, the students will get a trial account with us at ABS and we will continue to learn how we can code computers and how coding improves our lives every day.

News and Reminders:

• The weather is getting colder so please make sure your child has weather appropriate clothes for school.  With the arrival of winter and snow, your child will need snow-pants, gloves/mittens, boots, hats and a winter jacket as well for everyday outdoor fun.  Having indoor shoes, such as sneakers, helps your child stay dry and comfortable throughout the day (and prepared for PE too!).Thank you.

• If you have an extra plastic grocery/shopping bag, please send it in with your child for him/her to keep their soggy outdoor gear in.  The lockers are narrow and it is crowded with other children’s backpacks hanging on the locker doors.  Having a large grocery/shopping bag for wet/soggy snow pants, hats, mittens, etc, make packing up for the end of the day easier and less frustrating.  It also helps your child during dismissal time since all gear neatly fits into a bag, rather than being dragged, or worse, lost, in our hallways as we walk to the buses or cars. Thank you.

• Last reminder about the changing weather; Please make sure you swap out your child’s extra clothing to reflect the changing temperatures too.  We will do our best to help your child bring home his/her ziplock bag of extra clothing this week so you can check what is inside.  Many parents have not changed the contents of this bag since the beginning of the school year and having to put on shorts if your pants get wet during the school day is not cozy!  Thank you.

• If your child has been vaccinated for Covid, please email the school nurse a copy of the vaccination card.  Her email is slove@cvsdvt.org

• Here's a link to this week's Bell

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Pictures from our week together

 Creating polar habitats with snow in the classroom:

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

It was great to be back after our Thanksgiving break.  The students were excited to be back in school to play and learn with their friends again.  It was nice to hear them share about their holiday adventures and activities.

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students filled the classroom buzzy jar again for being safe, kind and responsible.  We celebrated with “Bring your stuffed animal to school” day!  The students had so much fun sharing about their stuffed animals and playing and learning with them during the day.

• This week, we continued our work on empathy and kindness.  We continued sharing ideas and questions around unexpected choices and what we can do to show thoughtfulness in all situations. Ms. Nicole visited our class again for some of this work.  The students did an amazing job sharing their ideas and opinions respectfully and with compassion. We also wrote letters to local postal workers, thanking them for their service during the year but particularly now during the busy holiday season.

• The students also started planning a puppet show. The students are partnered up and they are writing a story together, which they will perform with their puppets next week. We will invite our buddies from Mrs. Benoit’s class. The stories will reflect our Problem-Solving Steps taught in Second Step.  The students did an amazing job planning their characters this week.  We have animals from all parts of the world and its habitats represented! 

• .

Reading:

• This week, we focused on improving our reading stamina.  Coming back to school from having had a week off from school can be challenging.  Every day, the students read for a little longer. They also tracked their own reading stamina by coloring in books on a reading log, representing the books read.

• We did many read alouds in class this week around perseverance and having a growth mindset. All the books this week were around sports and different athletes too.  We read a book about Pedro Martinez, who eventually ended up playing baseball for the Boston Red Sox, and we read the books “Touch the Sky” (written by Alice Coachman) and “Dream Big” (written by Dave McGillivray).  All of these books taught us about facing different sorts of challenges in life and how the community around us and our own inner drive can help us reach our fullest potential.

Writing:

• The students added another chapter to their “All About Me” books.  This week, they wrote about their families.

• This week, first grade authors were also asked to show proper punctuation in their own writing.  They were also asked to start each new sentence with a capital letter and adhere to proper spacing between words inside each sentence.

• First grade writers also participated in our unit 2 Fundations spelling check-in.  After each unit they have the opportunity to show their understanding of the concepts taught and practiced.  Next week, we will start unit 3.  A parent letter was packed inside your child’s Home Folder today for information about upcoming trick words, skills and concepts covered in this unit.

First Grade Math:

• I wish to welcome Ms. Bianchi to our busy math classroom.  She is our Williston Math Coordinator and she will join our math class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We are so grateful to have an extra adult in our class to help us.  Her expertise in math will benefit everyone!  You might hear your child mention her name as she will assist in our small groups twice a week.

• First grade mathematicians continued building their understanding of fractions this week.  The focus was on fourths/quarters.  The students folded pieces of paper to snow the many ways we can create fourths.  Look for these inside your child’s Home Folder today.

• First grade mathematicians also learned a new game called “Sort the Sum”.  They used dominos to graph them according to their respective sums.  We are building an understanding towards mathematical equality, understanding that 3+1=2+2, etc.  

• We continued working on doubles and building a deeper conceptual understanding how doubles can help us solve math equations and math problems more efficiently.  Friday’s math story problem contained doubles.  Ask your child to explain how the following story problem can be solved: Mrs. McC brought in some cookies to school to share.  Ms. Emily had 6 cookies.  They were so yummy she doubled her serving!  How many cookies did Ms. Emily eat in all?

Science:

• We brought snow into the classroom this week!  We packed plastic tubs filled with snow and the students worked in partnerships to create polar habitats for our plastic polar animals.  They worked collaboratively, shared the snow/animals and took turns deciding on what to build.  Having opportunities to share, take turns and practice a flexible mindset are skills all first graders work on.  They are making great progress. The students also explored placing tropical animals in this snowy habitat and they also built sledding hills for the animals.  So much learning! So much fun!

News and Reminders:

• The weather is getting colder so please make sure your child has weather appropriate clothes for school.  With the arrival of winter and snow, your child will need snow-pants, gloves/mittens, boots, hats and a winter jacket as well for everyday outdoor fun.  Having indoor shoes, such as sneakers, helps your child stay dry and comfortable throughout the day (and prepared for PE too!).Thank you.

• If you have an extra plastic grocery/shopping bag, please send it in with your child for him/her to keep their soggy outdoor gear in.  The lockers are narrow and it is crowded with other children’s backpacks hanging on the locker doors.  Having a large grocery/shopping bag for wet/soggy snow pants, hats, mittens, etc, make packing up for the end of the day easier and less frustrating.  It also helps your child during dismissal time since all gear neatly fits into a bag, rather than being dragged, or worse, lost, in our hallways as we walk to the buses or cars. Thank you.

• Since we are on the topic of soggy clothes, I wanted to ask you to send in some extra masks for your child as well.  They more easily get wet now during outdoor time.  It is not comfortable to learn with a soggy/wet mask on.  Thank you.

• Last reminder about the changing weather; Please make sure you swap out your child’s extra clothing to reflect the changing temperatures too.  We will do our best to help your child bring home his/her ziplock bag of extra clothing this week so you can check what is inside.  Many parents have not changed the contents of this bag since the beginning of the school year and having to put on shorts if your pants get wet during the school day is not cozy!  Thank you.

• Here's a link to this week's Bell

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Pictures from school

 Playing together during explore time:

Partner Reading:

Waiting for "Salty:

Working on Thanksgiving projects:

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