Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students participated in multiple collaborative learning activities and games  to build trust and strategies for cooperation.  For example, they worked together in small groups to sort books into two categories; fiction and nonfiction, while figuring out how to share their understanding with the rest of the class.  As a class, the students discovered that collaboration can work in many different ways.  For example, one group solved the problem by taking turns to sort one book at a time, while another group checked in with its members after the book sort was completely done.  

• This week, we continued our work around restorative practices; both as a class but also in conflict-resolution between friends.  The students are doing a great job verbalizing their needs and using affirmative strategies and statements to help each other navigate big and small problems.  The students are also doing a great job listening respectfully to each other.  We continued to build a deeper understanding of this when we read a book about  a character who blurts out a lot and how those choices can interfere with relationships and learning.  The students shared ideas and strategies they can do to avoid blurting out.  Ask your child to share a strategy to use at home.

• Please read this message from Ms. Nicole:

We have filled The Hive twice by showing We are Safe, We are Kind and We are Responsible at Allen Brook School. We will celebrate with Spirit Week next week. Here is a copy of the week's activities. Students do not need to participate, but if they would like to, that's great!

Please feel free to reach out to our PBiS Coordinator, Nicole,  if you have any questions or concerns at npfende@cvsdvt.org

Thanks all, Looking forward to having fun next week!! 

Reading:

• This week, the students continued to listen to the Red Clover books in our library time.  Soon, the students of ABS will vote for their favorite book (out of the 10 nominated books this year).  This week’s book addressed the importance of understanding each other’s perspectives and differences.

• This week, the students also had the opportunity to read nonfiction books with their reading partner.  This week, we immersed ourselves in books about different cultures and countries.

Writing:

• The students had opportunities to learn more about collaborative writing this week.  They have editing partners who will help them in the revision process, making sure that age-appropriate grammar is represented.  They also wrote letters and commented on each others’ google slides/book recommendations on SeeSaw.

• The students learned that making comments online must be related to academic work and reflect school policy of what it means to be a safe digital citizen.  Comments and posts on SeeSaw reflect full sentences and words.  We do not use emojis and other short-cuts for showing our understanding.  We use positive feedback and try to engage in a conversation by asking for clarifying questions.  All writing on SeeSaw will need to be approved by the classroom teacher.  It will not be visible until it has been approved. The students also practiced using their “best spelling” and typing/keyboarding skills.

Math:

• Second grade mathematicians celebrated their 100th day of second grade this week too!  We celebrated by looking at the number 100 in many different ways, using many different groupings to show groups of hundreds too!

• We started a new unit on fractions in our math class too.  The students reviewed wholes and halves from first grade.  They will continue to build their understanding as we explore quarters and thirds too as well as how we can add them together to get “larger” parts.  We also explored the importance of equal parts in fractions.

News and Reminders:

• Your child has an informative letter about accessing SeeSaw from home and how parents/guardians can comment and view the content.  Please follow the directions if your family is interested in connecting digitally with your child using this platform.  We have new SeeSaw accounts this school year.  Our SeeSaw community as a class is private for our class.  Other people cannot access the content.  All comments and posts must be approved by the classroom teacher before becoming available on SeeSaw.   Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• Ms. Nicole joined our classroom for another restorative circle.  Last week, the students learned about what they can control and what they cannot control in their lives. They learned that they have many positive choices in their daily routines and lives.  This week, we built on that idea by focusing on the reactions we have to other people’s statements or actions.  Choosing a safe and productive reaction is part of growing up and learning self-control.  The students also learned that if they know what is upsetting to their peers they can make stronger, more empathetic choices to help their friends remain calm.  In other words, we can help each other by not purposefully upsetting our friends or classmates.  

• This week,, the students also learned about a restorative circle practice called “the Fishbowl”.  In this type of circle, the participants form two circles, an inner circle and an outer circle.  The students in the inner circle discuss a topic, or an issue, while the students in the outer circle listen actively.  The roles then switch.  After all students have had a chance to share their thoughts and ideas, the whole class comes together to form a consensus. In this type of circle, the students learn to build a strong community necessary for productive learning, a sense of belonging and trust.  The overall structure provides a framework of expectations.  The students know they will all have a chance to speak and share their own thoughts and ideas, but since the talking switches, the learners are also encouraged to add to their thinking/change their thinking because of what was shared already by somebody else.  The students did an outstanding job showing respectful listening and perspective taking.  This week, for example, we discussed how we can share math materials and tools more fairly and how we can show good sportsmanship when playing games together.  We also discussed strategies and solutions for solving recess problems.  They came up with many terrific ideas!

Reading:

• This week, second grade readers continued to explore various nonfiction books.  We added new books to our classroom library for independent reading times.  We added books from the National Geographic series, the Magic School Bus series as well as books from the series called “My First Sports”.  

• We continued to learn about important people in science during our read alouds.  This week, we learned more about Katherine Johnson and her amazing mathematical achievements which helped bring people to the Moon.  

Writing:

• The students finished their opinion writing pieces in google slides this week.  They met with me one on one to edit their writing.  We will share these google slides next week on SeeSaw (see information about SeeSaw below)

Math:

• This week, second grade mathematicians learned a new structure for rotating through work place stations.  These work place stations will not only address mathematical concepts and provide additional practice, but they will also help the students develop self-awareness and responsibility as they navigate multiple choices.  This week, the students had the opportunity to play games addressing  addition and subtraction skills using coins/money and games addressing number sense and finding the number just before in a sequence to 120.

• The students also created a “Partner’s Pledge” with each other.  As a class, they decided on a set of norms for successful completion of these games.  They agreed to the following rules:

 

Technology:

• This week, second graders used SeeSaw, an online platform which allows students to share their thinking and work digitally with each other, their teachers and families.  Home access will be shared with you all sometime next week.  We have new SeeSaw accounts this year (so last year’s account is no longer valid). This week, the students started working on a learning activity around Kindness.  Stay tuned for more information.

News and Reminders:

• We will celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th.  I emailed you a list of all the students in our class.  If your child wishes to share Valentine’s Day cards/pictures, please make sure all students are included.  Also, please do not send in food/treats or candy to be shared among the students.  Thank you.

• It is cold outside and our playground/fields are covered in snow.  Please remember to send your child to school daily with weather-appropriate clothing.

• Please take a moment to go through your child’s backpack periodically.  Many times, soggy/wet clothes are left in the various pouches, or at the bottom, making papers and books wet as well.  Checking your child’s backpack daily is strongly recommended.  In fact,Harmony House encourages all families to encourage their own child/children to start taking some responsibility at home with packing and unpacking backpacks.  For example, encourage your child to pack the library books on Mondays, and unpack the backpack daily.  Not only will this empower your child and improve their confidence and independence, we also hope families will notice if any items of clothing are missing.  Our Lost & Found racks/bins at ABS are overflowing with left-behind winter gear and sweatshirts.  We encourage families to inventory items of clothing that might be missing and encourage their children to look for them at school.  Please also label your child’s clothing clearly.

• Winter gear gets wet and soggy quickly.  We encourage families to send in a grocery bag for these clothing items as backpacks often are too small to fit boots, mittens and snow pants.  Having an extra bag for packing winter gear will also reduce frustrations and stressors for our young learners’ end-of-the-day dismissal procedures.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Stay safe and warm today and this weekend!  It is cold out there.  

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, second graders continued their work on empathy and compassion.  We explored how active listening and focused attention help us understand other peoples’ feelings and perspectives better.  These skills for learning can be improved with continued practice, positive self-talk and strategies for a calm body. We played a game called “Mum’s the word”, a brain builder game that allows the children to practice these skills in a playful setting.  Ask your child to explain how we played it.  Perhaps they can teach you at home too.

• We had another restorative circle with Ms. Nicole too.  These weekly circle times are very special times to us.  The children are showing an increased self-awareness about their own feelings and needs while also showing a better understanding of those of others.  

Reading:

• This week in reading, we switched our focus to nonfiction books and features.  While we will still be reading fictional books and stories, the students will be immersed in nonfiction books during our guided reading groups and read alouds.  This week, we started reading short stories about different famous scientists and we learned more about their true childhood experiences as told in the book “Kid Scientists” by David Stabler.  In the month of February will read biographies and books exploring Black History Month as well.

Writing:

• The students worked on age-appropriate proper English language conventions in our handwriting classes this week and they continued to add pages to their google slides reflecting their book recommendations.

Math:

• This week, second grade mathematicians continued their work on measuring.

• This week, second grade mathematicians had the opportunity to rotate through several math stations to deepen their understanding of subtraction, place value and money/coins.  Ask your child to explain how our workstation log works to encourage student accountability and work.

• Mr. Matt led us in several Number Talks this week, focusing upon different subtraction strategies.  It is wonderful to listen to these students share their mathematical understanding and solutions with each other.

• Here is a reminder again that the students have access to Dreambox, an online math learning program.  We strongly encourage parents to use this at home.  To access Dreambox from home, please use this information: Passwords and usernames were sent home earlier this school year.

This is the Web page link or use the school portal (scroll all the way down to Williston Schools and Dreambox).  Thanks for supporting math learning at home!

A message from our school principal, Angela Filion:

Dear ABS Families and Caretakers, 

We wanted to reach out and share with you that we have seen an increase in the amount of students who are coming in wearing smartwatches.  While we understand that these can be fun for kids to have, we are noticing that they are becoming more of a distraction to the magical learning that is happening in the classrooms.  Per the policy in our handbook on electronics, we are asking that you refrain from having your student(s) wearing these at school to better meet the focused learning needs of our students and to reduce social and emotional distractions that they often cause.

To increase focus and decrease distractions during the school day, the expectations are:

● Students will not wear a smartwatch (or have other personal devices) with them during the

school day. 

● If a student is observed to have their smartwatch/ device with them or using it during the school day, he/she will be asked to give it to their teacher for the remainder of the day.

● Prior to dismissal, students will retrieve their device to take home and a friendly reminder will be sent home to discourage them from coming to school again.

Thank you, in advance, for understanding that student learning is at the center of this decision.

Be well,

Angela Filion

ABS Principal

News and Reminders:

• It is cold outside and our playground/fields are covered in snow.  Please remember to send your child to school daily with weather-appropriate clothing.

• Please take a moment to go through your child’s backpack periodically.  Many times, soggy/wet clothes are left in the various pouches, or at the bottom, making papers and books wet as well.  Checking your child’s backpack daily is strongly recommended.  In fact,Harmony House encourages all families to encourage their own child/children to start taking some responsibility at home with packing and unpacking backpacks.  For example, encourage your child to pack the library books on Mondays, and unpack the backpack daily.  Not only will this empower your child and improve their confidence and independence, we also hope families will notice if any items of clothing are missing.  Our Lost & Found racks/bins at ABS are overflowing with left-behind winter gear and sweatshirts.  We encourage families to inventory items of clothing that might be missing and encourage their children to look for them at school.  Please also label your child’s clothing clearly.

• Winter gear gets wet and soggy quickly.  We encourage families to send in a grocery bag for these clothing items as backpacks often are too small to fit boots, mittens and snow pants.  Having an extra bag for packing winter gear will also reduce frustrations and stressors for our young learners’ end-of-the-day dismissal procedures.  Thank you.

• Report cards will go out next week due to the school closure today.  Please read the report with your child and return the envelope signed and emptied for our school to use again.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria