Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Thank you for coming to our school wide Open House yesterday!  It was great to see everyone and chat with you. I hope you enjoyed your visit to ABS and made many new connections with friends and families on Harmony and ABS.

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students continued to learn about how we can use clues from other peoples’ facial expressions, tone of voice and body language to better understand how they are feeling.  The students had the opportunity to show their own understanding of what those facial expressions might look like through art and while we discovered many similarities in our drawings,we also discovered that we also show our emotions in many different ways.

• This week, the students celebrated each others’ growth mindset, resilience and perseverance in our math classes by honoring their peers and giving them buzzies for being safe, kind and responsible.  They are “growth mindset detectives” and doing a fantastic job!

• The students are learning that our brains grow when we think, engage with learning and make mistakes.  They are learning that mistakes lead to new learning and powerful connections in the brain.  The students are encouraged to see mistakes as learning opportunities and ways to grow their brains.

• The students also learned more about our listening skills and how we can build our brains by paying close attention to what other speakers are saying.  Among other things, we played a game called “My turn, your turn” and the students learned how they can focus their attention by using their “attent-o-scopes” (cupping their hands around their eyes to help zoom into the learning).  We can also focus our attention by giving the speaker eye contact, listen attentively to what the speaker is saying and having a quiet body and voice.

• We practice Mindfulness every day in our classroom.  Mindfulness is a time when the students are encouraged to “be in the moment” and learn to relax and do something calming and quiet.  They love this time when we listen to calming music, draw or read our books.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s emerging growth mindset at home too by encouraging your child to persevere during challenging times.  Celebrate situations when your child showed resilience and discuss solutions for situations when your child feels frustrated.  You might want to use the same language we use here at school?  For example, I ask the students to show each other that they are “brain in”, which means that they chose a good learning spot for them so they are ready to grow their brains.  I encourage the students to try on their own first because they should grow their own brains, not mine!

• You might want to create some mindful moments at home too?  It is particularly important in today’s busy world that we all have opportunities to relax and engage in some calming activities.  Consider finding some time when you and your child do some deep breathing together or listen to some calming music?  How about carving out five or ten minutes of quiet reading time or a time to draw a picture together?  

Reading:

• I started formal reading assessments with the students this week.  It is always wonderful to have the opportunity to read together.  We had a guest teacher and we are so grateful to have extra help so I can read one-on-one with the students.  I will continue next week too.  At ABS, we assess phonological awareness, phonics and sight words.  I also read shorter texts/books with the students. When all the assessments are done, we will start guided reading groups.  In guided reading groups, the students will receive individualized and explicit reading instruction for future reading progress. I will share my findings with you when we get together for our parent-teacher conferences.

• We continued our Kevin Henkes author study.  This week, we read the books “Owen” and “Jessica”, to name a few. Your child wrote about their favorite parts in these books and drew pictures of special things in their lives as part of their reading responses to these books.  They did an amazing job!  They have wonderful ideas to share and they are very artistic!  

You can:

• You can support your child’s reading progress at home by reading to (and with) your child every day.  As I have mentioned in my other newsletters, it is okay for you to read to your child.  At this point, it is important that your child makes a positive connection with literature for future reading success.  The students love our read alouds in the classroom.  We read books during snack and during read aloud times.  Sometimes, we even read books during writing times and science.  Expose your child to a variety of genres too.  Some students connect deeply with nonfiction books, while others prefer graphic novels or fictional narratives. Keep trying.  Give your child opportunities to listen to a variety of books and texts.  

Writing:

• We started spelling/word study groups this week.  Team Harmony runs several small spelling groups in an effort to meet the students’ varied spelling needs.  Some students will have spelling classes with the core classroom teachers on Harmony, but others will have spelling groups with Ms. Casey or Mr. Roth.  We are so lucky to be able to differentiate our instruction and make it meaningful for all students.

• A large component of our spelling groups is learning how to isolate the sounds and “tap out” these sounds.  Don’t be surprised if your child raises his/her elbows to tap out the sounds heard before attempting to spell a word at home too!  Another aspect of our spelling curriculum is for students to learn about “trick words/heart words”.  These words do not follow the phonological rules and thus cannot be “sounded out”.  They are therefore “tricky” and must be memorized “by heart" (hence, the term “heart words”).  Don’t be surprised if your child confuses these different types of words as they make sense of new spelling rules.  

You Can:

• You can support your child’s emerging understanding of these different types of words by asking your child if the word they are trying to spell can be “sounded out” or if it is a trick word.  As we introduce new “trick words/heart words” to our first graders, we hope these new words will be mastered and recognized.  Your child will have their own special “trick word” flashcards to practice at school.  They will also bring these home for optional practice. Stay tuned for more information at a later date.

Math:

• First grade mathematicians continued to work on developing their growth mindsets in math this week.  We are establishing a math thinking classroom, a place where all students are actively engaged and have a voice.  We try to create tasks that have an entry point for all learners with open-ended solutions, allowing multiple pathways, creativity and sense-making.  The students sometimes work in groups and sometimes with a partner.  They are learning how to share materials and math tools while also listening respectfully to other perspectives and strategies.

• This week, first grade mathematicians also worked on decomposing and composing numbers to 10.  We played a game called “Snap”, for example, which encourages young students to build an understanding of number partners up to 10.  The students create two groups and build an understanding that these groups can be unequal and if one group gets larger, the other group must get smaller.  We played with many numbers up to 10.  

• First grade mathematicians also accessed our school’s online math program Dreambox. Next week, they will rotate through small groups and have access to this program once a week for continued, targeted practice.  Your child will receive home access soon so stay tuned.

You can:

• You can support your child’s emerging number sense and understanding of numbers up to 10 by encouraging your child to decompose any number to 10 and then say what number of objects are in each group.  Let’s say your child has a collection of 7 pinecones.  Ask your child to split that into two groups.  Can your child find another way?  Another?  How many are in each group?  What happens if you move one pinecone from one group to the other? Asking “Keep thinking” questions promotes a growth mindset as your child is encouraged to continue thinking rather than giving up after one “solution” is found.

Technology:

• The students used their chromebooks for Lexia this week.  Lexia is an online reading program that provides targeted, explicit practice in the areas of phonics, word study and comprehension.  It is a wonderful online platform and the students are usually very motivated to use the program and “earn” stars as they progress through the different levels.  Your child will access this program at school too through our station rotations in reading.  Your child has a letter with instructions how to access this at home too.  Please consider using Lexia at home too as part of your child’s reading at home too.  Let me know if you have any questions or problems accessing Lexia from home.
  
  

News and Reminders:

• Here is the link to our upcoming parent-teacher conferences.

• Don’t forget that we have a schoolwide buzzy celebration on Monday, October 2.  The students are welcome to wear their favorite colors to school.  No costumes or “extras”, please.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter, 9/22

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students learned about feelings.  They learned that all people experience different feelings. Sometimes those feelings are conflicting and they differ between people.  People can react and experience the same situations differently. We read the book “A Little Spot of Feelings” by Diane Alber to learn more.  The students had the opportunity to act out different feelings and be “emotion detectives” to figure out what feelings their friends acted out.  The students learned that facial expressions, body language and tone of voice/volume give us clues.  They also learned that we can show empathy and kindness by anticipating other people’s feelings by adjusting how we interact and act in any given situation.

• Team Harmony students also participated in a series of activities with all the teachers on Harmony.  The teachers rotated between the classroom and provided a short activity for the students so we all had a chance to get to know each other better.

• The students continued to share their “Me Bags” this week.  They all did a great job sharing about their carefully selected items and the audience members showed respectful listening.  We learned so much about each other.  Thank you for helping your child at home to prepare for this special activity.

• The students filled our classroom buzzy jar twice again this week.  This time, we had extra arts and crafts time.  We also had a longer snack break outside as a class picnic.  It was wonderful.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s emerging understanding of different emotions at home by encouraging your child to name his/her emotions.  Having the ability to label one’s emotions allows young children  to start understanding what they are feeling and why they are feeling that way, which helps them make more responsible decisions in managing those emotions.  Encourage your child to use nuanced words.  For example, if your child says “I am mad” encourage your child to use more descriptive adjectives such as frustrated, furious, agitated, irritated or angry. Young children do not have the vocabulary yet to describe and label their emotions so explicit instruction, patience and time must be given to our young learners as they start to learn these social-emotional skills.  Always validate your child’s emotions and help your child name them.  Share your own too.  Young learners benefit from seeing the trusted adults around them model the same social language and expectations.

Reading:

• We continued reading books written by Kevin Henkes as part of our reading mini-unit.  Ms. Lucy, our UVM Intern, read a book to all of us. She read the book “Sheila Rae, the Brave” by Kevin Henkes.  The students made personal connections to the character in the book and shared times when they can be brave.  They had wonderful things to share with the class.  For example, some students shared that they are brave when they show a growth mindset in learning! WOW!

• This week, first grade readers practiced increasing their reading stamina and looking at a variety of books.  They practiced independent reading, while having a calm body and eyes on the book.  They are doing great by increasing their independent reading time every day.

 

You can:

• You can support your child’s reading at home by reading together every day.  Daily reading is important for continued literacy progress.  It is great to establish a routine for daily reading at home.  Perhaps your child wants to do some “popcorn” reading with you?  Perhaps your child will start recognizing some trick words/heart words in the text? (More information on these words below)

Writing:

• We started spelling this week in our classroom.  All first graders participated in a beginning-of-the-year spelling inventory.  This week, first graders started to practice letter writing and matching the sounds they hear to each letter correctly. On Team Harmony, we integrate phonics instruction along with phonological awareness skills and penmanship practice.  Our curriculum is called Fundations.  We do not send home spelling lists, but you will receive some practice pages along with a parent letter when new units are introduced so you know which writing skills we are working on at school.  The practice pages are optional, but we encourage parents to support this learning at home too.  More on this next week!

• Your child will also bring home individualized collections of “trick words/heart words”.  These are words that must be memorized since their spelling patterns do not follow our phonological rules.  When these words come home, please consider practicing them at home and place them in a location so your child can access them many times for repeated learning this year.  We hope to start this next week too!

You Can:

•  In first grade, one of the expectations in writing will be to adhere to lower case writing and save the upper case letters for the beginning of sentences, names and places. You can encourage lower case writing at home too!

Math:

• This week, our first grade mathematicians started to learn about subitizing.  Subitizing in first grade is the ability to see groups of objects in a larger group without counting by one and being able to add them together to see the total number of objects.  Subitizing is a powerful strategy and helps students understand that mathematicians group objects into various sizes, which helps them make more efficient calculations.  This week, the students practiced their emerging skills by using dominos, dice patterns and dot patterns. They practiced finding different groups of dots and adding them together. They did an outstanding job.

• First grade mathematicians also learned about the importance of having a growth mindset in math (and all other subjects too).  They learned that the brain grows and makes powerful connections when it is working and making mistakes.  They learned that mistakes lead to new learning and allow the brain another opportunity to make connections, strengthening learning.  We are building a thinking classroom culture, a classroom culture that encourages all students to see themselves as fully capable mathematicians with the power and ability to participate, think and problem-solve.

You can:

• You can support your child’s subitizing skills and strategies at home by encouraging your child to group objects into smaller groups for more efficient counting.  How about taking a handful (or two) of legos and instead of counting them by ones to find the total, encourage your child to group them before counting?  How about using dice and looking at each side.  Can your child quickly identify the pattern represented for the number 5?  Can that pattern of dots be replicated and found in a larger group of objects?  

• You can support your child’s learning about the importance of having a growth mindset by supporting your child when a specific task feels challenging.  Rather than giving up and immediately stepping in as a parent to help/solve the perceived problem (within reason, of course, always considering the situation and their young developmental age), ask your child what can be done.  Can another solution be attempted?  How about taking a quick break before continuing?  How about taking some deep breaths first and then trying again?  It can be difficult as a parent to give your child the time to figure things out by themselves, but they are very capable of showing these strategies in our classroom.  Practicing and experiencing a little frustration and then overcoming that to return to the task at hand leads to self-confidence, resilience and perseverance. Praise them for having a growth mindset and for showing effort.  

• Your child has several math games for optional home practice inside the Home Folder today.  Please consider playing these games with your child at home to reinforce the math skills worked on at school.  There is no need to bring these games back to school.  Place them in a safe place for repeated use.  Have fun playing with your child!

4 Winds:

• Harmony students had their first 4 Winds class together this week.  For those of you who are not familiar with this, 4 Winds is a parent-run hands-on science program.  We typically meet once a month for science explorations.  This year, we will be learning about the earth. The students will learn about the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. In our first lesson, the students had the opportunity to go outside and learn about the sun and the earth’s rotation by measuring shadows.  Thank you parents for providing these opportunities for our young learners.

News and Reminders:

• There is no school on Monday, 9/26 (Yom Kippur)

• We have a UVM Intern helping us in our classroom twice a week this semester.  Her name is Ms. Lucy and we are so grateful that she is with us this semester.  Welcome Ms. Lucy!

• Our ABS Open House will occur on Thursday, 9/28 between 6-7pm.  More information will follow shortly but please keep that night open for some socializing and visiting at ABS!

• Some students asked me to share the link to our school songs again.  Here is the link to my school web-site again with a variety of links you might find useful at home.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter 9/15

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• The students filled our buzzy jar twice for being safe, kind and responsible!  We celebrated with extra exploration/game time and with making paper airplanes that we tested outside.  What an amazing group of first graders we have!

• The students participated in several collaborative group games and activities to build our classroom community of learners who respect and trust each other.  We played many new games together and the students had a chance to share their “Me Bags”.  It is so much fun getting to know each other better through these special collections.  Thank you for helping your child select items that reflect your child’s passions and preferences. While the students share the contents of these bags, they have also learned more about what it means to be a respectful audience-member and how we can listen to each other respectfully.  The students are learning that having a calm body with eyes on the speaker shows that we care what the speaker has to say.  Additionally, having hands to yourself also shows respectful listening.  The students also learned that when we’re presenting, we use a “big” presentation voice.  We have some visuals in the classroom to support this learning and help the students.  They did an outstanding job! We will continue sharing our “Me Bags” next week. If your child’s “Me Bag” came home this week that means that your child already shared.  Ask your child to tell you how it went.  They all did a great job.

• We continued to build the routines and expectations around our restorative circles, a time when all the students have a chance to share their voice about the topic we are discussing. Restorative circles provide a safe and nurturing way for our learning community to share thoughts and feelings and repair harm and relationships. All students have a voice and all students have something to contribute to our circle conversations.  They are doing a wonderful job sharing their perspectives and ideas. I am so proud of them.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s emerging listening skills by encouraging them to have a calm body and pay attention to the speaker when you are conversing at home.  Simply waiting for your child to show you that they are ready to listen before giving a direction, for example, helps establish a calmer, quieter conversation. In class, we use the phrases “whole body listening” and “brain in”.  When speakers and listeners are “brain in”, they are paying attention to each other! 

• Encourage your child to share his/her thoughts and wonderings with you daily.  Validate the feelings your child expresses and find ways in which all voices can be heard at home too.

Reading:

• This week, the students practiced reading together in the classroom and in our library.  They practiced what it looks like and sounds like to listen to another teacher/adult read out loud to them.  They had the opportunity to practice active listening with their whole bodies.  They are encouraged to find a responsible listening space on our rug before the reading starts.  

• We also discussed how people read books.  We discovered that sometimes readers read out loud, but at other times readers read with whisper voices or quietly in their heads.  Readers sometimes partner-read and share stories with a friend.  During those times, readers sometimes whisper-read together or “popcorn” read (which means that each reader reads a page before the reading “pops” back to the other reader. Ask your child how we popcorn read a Pete the Cat book together in class.

• We started a new reading mini-unit in our class.  The students will learn more about the author Kevin Henkes and his amazing books.   

You can:

• You can support your child’s reading at home by asking your child to do different kinds of readings with you.  Ask your child to “popcorn” read a book with you.  Ask your child to whisper-read to you or a stuffed animal.  How about reading a book out loud to a sibling or caregiver?  Don’t forget to read your child’s library books together this week! If your child struggles with finding “just right” books to read, encourage your child to point out words he/she can recognize.  Harmony House will start sending home “just right” books and sight words for your child to read soon.  Stay tuned.

Writing:

• First grade spellers participated in a district-wide spelling assessment this week.  Team Harmony will start spelling groups in the next few weeks.  Traditionally, we run several spelling groups on Harmony so the students are mixed up based upon spelling instructional needs.  More information will follow soon.

• This week, the students did a written response to the book “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes.  This book tells the story about Wemberly who is feeling nervous about “big things and small things and everything in between”.  We had wonderful conversations about the different things children and adults worry about and we discovered that we have so many things in common.  The students wrote about what Wemberly was worried about in the story and they shared about what they themselves worry about.  Ask your child to share more.

You Can:

• You can support your first grade speller's emerging love of writing by encouraging him/her to take risks in writing and not give up during writing at home.  Having a growth mindset in writing is key to future success, well-being and a sense of accomplishment in writing.  Writing can typically be a daunting task for first grade students, but with support and time, even the most reluctant writer discovers the joys of writing stories and ideas down on paper.  If your child is writing at home, encourage your child to do his/her best.  It is okay if the word is not spelled correctly and perfectly.  Invented spelling is just right at this age (and at this stage in the school year).  Young learners develop a sense of independence and confidence in writing when they know that mistakes are okay.  We want those wonderful ideas down on paper so other people can learn from them too!

Math:

• We continued to build our classroom community of mathematicians by focusing on collaborative games, personal responsibilities and active listening this week.  As more math tools are introduced to our young mathematicians, it is vital that they understand the importance of using these tools for math learning (and not for playing games, etc).

• First grade mathematicians continued to practice proper number writing to build speed and fluency, while also building confidence in their ability to show their thinking.

• This week, we looked at numbers to 10, using ten-frames and finger flashing combinations.  The students also used rekenreks to build numbers to 10 (In first grade, a  rekenrek is a mathematical tool that shows the number 20 with 2 groups of red beads and 2 groups of white beds, in two rows)

• First grade mathematicians also started their number scrolls.  This week, they created their first decade.  They are learning that the same number sequence is repeated in our number system but each digit has a different place in our numbers.

• First grade mathematicians also learned some new games this week.  They learned a game called EggHead and some new dice games while also practicing addition facts. They also used dominoes to practice addition facts too.

You can:

• You can support your child’s love of math by engaging in daily conversations about numbers.  Numbers are all around us and math should be a social activity.  In our classroom, math is something we engage in together.  Sometimes, we tackle math problems as a whole group and sometimes the students work in partnerships or smaller groups.  Sharing ideas and solutions, while using words and drawings to justify one’s thinking are key components to math.  Ask your child to find groups of 5s, for example.  How many groups of 5s are there in 10, in 15?  Where can we find groups of 5s?  Groups of 10s, or 2s?  Other groups? Finding groups of things outside provides hands-on experiences that encourage your child to see how math is connected to real life too.

• Count forwards and backwards with your child.  This week, we practiced the first decade and beyond.

News and Reminders:

• There is no school on Monday, September 25th (Yom Kippur)

• Our school picture day at ABS is fast approaching.  School picture day is on Monday 9/18. We are scheduled to have our pictures taken at 8:05am.   If you wish to order photographs for your child, please return the photo-order form to the classroom or contact the photographer online per the directions on the slip that was sent home a couple of weeks ago.  If you and your family need another copy of this photo order form, please contact the front office.  Thank you.

• Our ABS Open House will occur on Thursday, 9/28 between 6-7pm.  More information will follow shortly but please keep that night open for some socializing and visiting at ABS!

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, we continued to get to know each other and establish our new classroom community.  We played many collaborative and team-building games and learned some new songs too.  Ask your child to explain some of our new daily morning meeting activities that we play together

• This week, we started our weekly job chart too.  Every week, the students will rotate through a variety of different jobs to help keep our classroom efficient.  We have a line leader and a line ender.  We have a greeter and a paper passer.  We also have a student helping us with attendance, lunch orders and returning our books to the library.  We also have many more jobs.  The students are eager to help out and very responsible in their chores!

• This week, we learned about active listening skills in our Second Step lessons.  The students learned that listening skills are important for learning and engagement.  They also learned that the brain grows and gets stronger when learning is happening. Students can show active listening by using their whole body listening skills with eyes watching, ears listening, body still and voices off.  

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s love of helping out by asking your child to help you at home too.  Having simple, developmentally/age-appropriate tasks boost confidence and provides a sense of purpose.  Young children love to help out.  Talk to your child about what specific tasks your child can learn to manage more independently at home.  For example, does your child have a morning routine or a bedtime routine that your child can independently complete?  Does your child help you set the table, or pack the library books?  How about unpacking the backpack on Fridays and emptying the contents of the Home Folder for you to read?

• You can also support active listening skills and the social cues by following the steps presented in this week’s Second Step HomeLink.  This assignment is optional but we encourage families to engage in these conversations at home.  Having the same social language bridges the school and the home and young learners thrive on clear and similar expectations.  If your child wants to hand in the HomeLink for me to check (and to earn a buzzy for our classroom buzzy jar), please return it to the classroom on Monday along with your child’s Home Folder. Thank you.

Reading:

• This week, we continued to read our classroom read aloud chapter book, “Diary of a Pug” by Kyla May; a book about a little dog’s adventures, written from the perspective of the dog.  For the next few weeks, I will read the first book in many different series to spark an interest in different types of books and encourage the students to try new books (and genres) to read.

• This week, we also had a special visit from our school principal, Ms. Filion, who read a book to us. Thank you Ms. Filion for spending time with us and reading us a book!

• This week, the students also participated in discussions about why we read and why it is important.  Ask your child to share his/her ideas.  Their answers are always insightful and poignant.  For example, they said that we read because teachers/adults ask them to read, because it is homework, or because that is how they learn new information.  All of this is true, of course, but let’s not forget the most important reason why readers read: it makes you feel good and happy.  Reading should be enjoyable and relaxing.  We will work on this together this year!

You can:

• You can support your child’s love of reading by reading to, and with, your child every day.  Expose your child to different kinds of books and magazines.  Read recipes and lists together too.  Once you start looking, there  are things to read together everywhere!  Be Reading Detectives together!

• Please read your child’s library books together too.  Remember that your child chose these books independently and they are important to them. 

Writing:

• This week, the students started writing their Hopes and Dreams for this school year.  On Harmony, we encourage the students to think about goals for school rather than goals that pertain to life outside of school.  The students will also create a small art project to go along with the writing.  When everything is done, we will hang our creations on display along with the students in Ms. Fisher’s class by the lockers for all to see. The students are very excited!

You Can:

• You can support your child’s writing at home by encouraging your child to express himself/herself on paper, using drawings and writing.  Celebrate your child’s writing/drawings and listen as your child reads the writing out loud.  

• Perhaps your child wants to start a diary at home too just like the main character in our read aloud?  This does not have to be a fancy journal or book.  It can be some blank papers folded over to make a little book.  Some students started making them already in our classroom.  They are so creative!

Math:

• We started having math classes this week.  We will have math every day.  This week, the students participated in a scavenger hunt to learn where some important math tools are located.  

• They also learned about the importance of having a growth mindset and showing perseverance and resilience when things feel challenging. We also learned that mistakes lead to new learning and grow our brains!

• Math students practiced parts of 5 in many different ways this week.  First grade mathematicians used their math hands and our magnetic ten-frames to show 5.

• First grade mathematicians also started to practice proper number writing.

You can:

• You can support your child’s engagement in math by emphasizing the importance of having a growth mindset. In our math community, we help each other overcome those obstacles.  Having a positive attitude and being willing to try new things help us learn together.

• Please celebrate your child’s math work when it comes home in the Home Folder.  Your child will not take home math work every week because many of the learning activities are partner/group games and, thus, not paper-based.  You will notice that your child is currently learning about proper number formation and number writing.  While your child will learn about this at school, you can support this learning at home by reinforcing that all number writing starts from the top!

News and Reminders:

• Please see this link for our upcoming Ice Cream Social.

• If your child has an ABS Chromebook Student Pledge inside his/her backpack this week, please read this document with your child and sign it.  This document should be returned on Monday so our class can start using chromebooks soon.  Thank you.

• Your child has a homework assignment inside his/her Home Folder this week!  We want to get to know each other!  Please follow the directions and return the ME BAGS as soon as you can.  We hope to start this project sometime next week.  Thank you!

• We have library exchange on Wednesdays every week.  Here is a message from our fabulous librarian Mrs. Clopton: Your child visits our library each week for lesson time and book exchange with Mrs. Clopton. This blue bag will be a safe place to keep and transport library books. Kids can also visit our library EVERY day in the mornings from 7:35-10:00 a.m. during flex time to exchange books.

• If your child will be out due to illness, please include our school nurse, Sylvia Love on all communication with the school and me.  Thank you.  Her email is slove@cvsdvt.org

• We would like for you to add an additional contact person for your child’s pick-up/appointment/dismissal plans.  Please add Lori Saladino at lsaladino@cvsdvt.org to your email to me and Laura Gigliotti in the front office.  Lori can also be reached via phone at 871-6282 if you need to call.  Thank you.

• Your child’s Home Folder includes information about our school picture day at ABS.  Please follow the directions from the photographer if you are interested in ordering additional pictures of your child.  Thank you.  School picture day is on 9/18.

Have a great weekend,

Maria