Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• The students filled our classroom buzzy jar again for being safe, kind and responsible.  This time we celebrated with “Choose Your Own Adventure”, a time when the students chose to use chromebooks, listen to music, read or draw.  They made terrific choices reflecting their own preferences and needs.

• In mindfulness this week, the students learned about various breathing techniques.  They learned how deep breathing can help calm us down, feel happy and relaxed, while also helping us get back on track.  They learned that we can use visual images to help us stay focused on deep breathing.  The students learned about “the square”, “the triangle” and “the star” breathing methods.  For each image, the students practiced breathing in and breathing out as they imagined tracing their fingers along the outlines of these various shapes. They also learned about “the infinity breathing technique” and my favorite, “the belly breathing method”.  Ask your child to show you at home.  You might want to try some of these breathing methods as well?

• The students also learned how we can use “the mindful morning countdown” from 5 as a way to regain focus and regulate our emotions. In addition to using 5 deep breaths, the students learned a series of new strategies following the countdown structure from 5.  They did an outstanding job.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s new mindfulness strategies by having a conversation with your child about the different methods introduced this week.  Your child has our “mindful morning countdown” strategies in the Home Folder this week.  Perhaps you want to integrate some of these strategies at home when your child needs to regulate and refocus?  Using positive self-affirmations and thinking about something that makes you happy and grateful help children re-set their thinking patterns and get back to the task at hand.  Learning to self-regulate and choose that strategy works best is empowering for young learners and builds resilience, confidence and independence.  

Reading:

• First grade readers continued to practice reading strategies and skills this week.  We started our guided reading groups, a time when the students meet with the teacher/adult to receive individualized reading instruction.  The students are participating in reading groups through a series of stations and small groups. 

• We continued reading our classroom chapter book too and several shorter books during snack/read aloud  time.  The students love books and being read to!  A new favorite book is “The Peace Book” by Todd Parr.  They loved his illustrations too and we got many fabulous ideas for making new drawings in class too.

You can:

• You can support your child’s learning at home by reading together every day.  Daily reading with young children leads to many positive outcomes, not just in terms of reading skills and achievement, but also in terms of connecting on a personal level.  Thank you for reading the library books every week and returning them promptly the following week so other students at our school can enjoy them too.

• Since we cannot send home classroom/team instructional books with our students, I will start to send home printed books/texts and pages.  If your child has been working on texts that I can share with you at home, these texts will be inside your child’s Home Folder.  There is no need to return these books.  If there are no books/texts inside your child’s Home Folder this week (or next), your child received instruction from guided reading books that we unfortunately cannot send home.  Thank you for understanding. 

• Your child will periodically take home Scholastic magazines.  Sometimes, we read them at school and sometimes we send them home for optional reading and learning.  This week, we are sending home a magazine we read at school and another that we did not.  We hope you will read this together at home. There is no need to send back the magazine.

Writing:

• The students continued to develop their phonological awareness and decoding skills in our Fundations  and writing classes.  This week, they learned to tap our and represent the sounds of shorter CVC words.  We primarily focused upon the medial, vowel sounds as they can be tricky for young spellers and readers.

• The students also learned about heart words this week.  Heart words are words that break the traditional phonological spelling rules and thus cannot be “sounded out” so they must be memorized and learned by heart.  This week, we practiced the following words: said and because.

You Can:

• You can support your child’s emerging phonological awareness skills and confidence by encouraging your child to “sound out” words they attempt to write.  Stretching out each sound and tapping also help our students isolate each sound.

• You can ask your child to explain why “said” and “because” are considered heart words and why sounding out would not be an efficient strategy when spelling or reading these words.  Your child brought home these two words on index cards.  Please consider placing them in a safe place for future use as your child will need to practice reading and spelling these words.

Math:

• In math this week, the students continue to deepen their understanding of composing and decomposing numbers.  They played various games in our workplace stations and had the opportunity to play together in partnerships.  

• The students also learned about how “Number Bonds” can help us visualize smaller groups/parts of numbers.  A Number Bond mat provides a graphic organizer for young mathematicians to interact with physical objects as they build their understanding of smaller groups of numbers.  We used unifix cubes this week.  

• The students also learned how to mathematically represent these parts in abstract mathematical writing by using this format to write an expression to show their understanding.  Ask your child to show you at home! Here is an image of a Number Bond so you get the idea:

You can:

• You can support your child’s learning of mathematics at home by providing opportunities for your child to interact with smaller objects in an effort to build number sense.  Research shows that young students learn best when they have opportunities to use their hands/play/interact with materials while simultaneously using their verbal knowledge and showing their thinking in drawings and/or mathematical representations.  Most parents do not have rekenreks and unifix cubes at home.  Instead, consider using things your child can count and divide into smaller groups.  How about uncooked pasta?  Small rocks or pebbles outside, or use legos?  Encourage your child to represent their number parts by creating two small groups from their starting total and then show their understanding as a number bonds.

Science:

• We had another 4 Winds class.  This time the students of Harmony House learned about erosion.  We enjoyed a puppet show and explored erosion in different stations outside.
  
  

A note from PE:

We have completed our soccer unit and will now begin the first of our endurance runs that will occur sporadically throughout the rest of the school year.  This year we have chosen to run the Pacific Crest Trail which is 2,650 miles in length.  Each class from Kindergarten to Grade two will run and collect miles, we add up the totals and slowly move our marker along the route map which is displayed in the gym. The aim of this unit is to teach students how to pace themselves, how to set a goal set, how to persevere and how to keep their hearts and bodies healthy. If you take a walk/hike as a family please record how far you went and send a note of paper into school and we can add these extra miles to our total.

Thanks for all your help sending in spare shoes and socks during our soccer unit as we dealt with the morning dew. Our runs will take place on the bike path and lessons will return to the gym on the week beginning October 30th. Please remind students to bring their sneakers on PE days. Any questions please email us at kgrozier@cvsdvt.org and lporter@cvsdvt.otg.

Keep on running,

Ms. Kate and Ms. Porter

News and Reminders:

• Your child’s school pictures are inside the Home Folder today.  If you wish to re-take these pictures, please contact the front office.  I do not know when picture retakes will happen yet, but please make sure the front office staff knows your child will participate.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

It was great seeing you at our conferences last Friday and this week.  Thank you for taking the time to meet up and chat about your child’s learning and life at school.

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students continued to apply the listening skills we have learned in the last few weeks.  They practiced whole body listening and eyes on the speaker in all classes when adults and peers were sharing.  They are making such amazing progress and learning so much from each other when they are “brain in”, have eyes on the speaker and showing calm, quiet bodies.

• This week, the students learned about using their assertive voice.  They learned that it is okay for them to stand up for themselves and say no when unexpected behaviors occur or when they are distracted by others. We practiced using a polite assertive voice in different situations.  The students also practiced that they are standing up for themselves and asserting their needs when they ignore unexpected behaviors, give each other  friendly reminders to follow the group plan or move to a better, quieter learning spot.  They are making incredible progress in this area too and work together beautifully.  This week, the students also practiced “reading the room”.  A polite way to remind a peer to follow the group plan is to ask the peer to “read the room” to observe the behavior and actions of the rest of the class. You might want to try this at home too?

• The students filled the classroom buzzy jar again for being safe, kind and responsible.  This time our celebration was to bring a stuffed animal to school.  We had so much fun together!

You Can: 

• Your child has another HomeLink from our SEL Curriculum Second Step in the Home Folder today.  As always, it is optional to do this at home but we encourage families to engage in these conversations at home too.  Not only can you connect with our learning goals and social language, you can also implement strategies for home too! This week’s HomeLink reflects our work around focusing attention, something that the students have worked on for quite some time now.  They are experts and I am sure they will teach you all about these strategies at home!

Reading:

• This week, the students had the opportunity to rotate through different stations during our reading block.  Sometimes the students will meet with the teacher/adult and receive targeted, differentiated reading instruction to meet the reading needs of the members of the group. Sometimes, the students will engage in independent reading; a time when they are encouraged to read “just right” books (books assigned by the teacher/adults to reinforce phonological skills taught). The students will also engage in choice books during these times. Other times, the students will choose from a variety of options in a menu, ranging from handwriting, phonological awareness-building games and reading activities.  We started our new reading routines this week and the students did an outstanding job.  They were so engaged in our new hands-on games and rotating between groups.  

You can:

• You can support your child’s emerging reading skills at home too by encouraging your child to read every day.  If you read together with your child this week, think about how you can encourage your child to pay close attention to the sounds the letters make.  How about playing an alphabet scavenger hunt?  Ask your child to find a particular letter on the page.  Make it more challenging by asking your child to say the sound a particular letter says.

• Thank you for accessing Lexia at home.  Lexia is a fabulous online reading program that promotes student learning in phonics, phonological awareness, fluency and comprehension.  We hope to send home decodable texts/books next week.  Stay tuned for more on this next week.

Writing:

• This week, the students on Harmony House rotated through their different spelling groups in our Fundations classes.  They practiced finger-spacing between words, proper lower (and upper) case letter writing and tapping out the sounds they hear in CVC words.  CVC words are short vowel words, with a beginning consonant, followed by a vowel and another consonant.  Some of the words we practiced this week were: nap, bin, fin, cat, dog, nut, tub, red and bat.  

You Can:

• You can support your child’s emerging phonological awareness and skills at home too.  Ask your child to explain how we tap out the sounds at school.  Ask your child to isolate the sounds too.  For example, if you say the word nap, what is the middle/vowel sound?  What is the beginning sound?  Ending sound?  Notice how you ask for the sound, not the letter.  What happens if you replace the /n/ sound in nap with the /m/ sound?  What is the new word?  The students love these games!

Math:

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to rotate through our math learning stations.  They are truly amazing mathematicians and so focused and engaged.  We continued to build automaticity and fluency in partners to 10 (and 20) using 10-frames (and 20-frames).  The students learned two new games which encourage cognitive flexibility with addition and numbers.  They used dominoes and addition bingo cards to learn math strategies together.

You can:

• You can support your child’s flexibility with numbers by emphasizing the strategies used to solve a particular math problem.  For example, if your child is solving 9+6 at home, rather than asking for “the answer” (which we call the sum), ask your child to explain how the problem was solved.  If your child shares that he/she used his/her fingers to count, encourage your child to find another way to solve the same problem.  We have discovered multiple pathways together as a class already in our daily Number Talks.  The students have discovered many different addition strategies already.   “Counting on” is a favorite.  Counting on promotes number efficiency as the students are encouraged to start with the greater number and “count on” from that number to find the sum.  Another favorite strategy in class is finding “double facts” first and then adding (or subtracting) the remainder.   Some students also anchor  to 10 first as a strategy.  I tell the students that the number 10 is my BFF so I try to find 10 anywhere I can!

Technology:

• This week, the students used SeeSaw, our online classroom digital community.  Ms. Scott, our fantastic ABS Digital Learning Coach, helped us access SeeSaw and use some of the tools available.  The students learned how to draw and write on SeeSaw.  They also learned about the importance of finding a balance between using online activities/tools and Offline activities and tools. I will send information about how you can access SeeSaw from home soon.  I know some families used it last year in Kindergarten.  We all have new classroom accounts so please wait for new access codes and links.  Thank you.

You Can:

• You can support your child’s emerging understanding of technology usage by creating a schedule that works for you and your family.  Finding a balance is key.  Every family has different rules and expectations on how often, and how long, their children access technology.  Let me know if I can help.
  
  

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• The students of Allen Brook filled the hive this week! We celebrated with a schoolwide “wear your favorite color to school” day!  It was so fun to see the creativity the students put into showing off their favorite colors.  The adults were participating too.

• The students filled our classroom buzzy jar again too.  This time, I surprised them with an impromptu extra playground/recess time.  The weather was nice and sunny so the timing could not have been better! 

• This week, the students met Puppy and Snail, our two classroom puppets.  Puppy and Snail are part of our Second Step curriculum and they help the students learn about emotional self-regulation and empathy.  Puppy and Snail joined our classroom with a special puppet show performed by me and a very brave student who volunteered to help me teach the class.  What an amazing group of students we have!  

• This week, the students had the opportunity to build an understanding of how their actions impact the people around them.  It can be hard for young children to gain an understanding of this, but with continued conversations, practice and reflective, restorative practices, they will learn to master this skill as well.  This week, for example, we talked about how “following your own plan” instead of following the expected “group plan” disrupts other people’s learning and focus.  For example, when we need to clean up after playing with different materials, all students must help and contribute in a timely fashion.  When we sit on the rug for a read aloud or a mini-lesson, it is important that everyone shows their whole body listening skills so we can continue to learn and grow together.  At ABS, we respect safe bodies and everyone’s right to access learning.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s emerging understanding of how their actions impact others by engaging in those conversations at home too.  Point out positive behaviors that contribute to your “family plan” at home.  For example, when it is time to get ready for school in the morning, praise your child for getting ready and completing his/her morning chores on time.  When all members work collaboratively towards the common goal, the process is not only smoother and faster, it makes all members feel calmer and more relaxed too. If it is challenging for your child to follow the “family plan” at home, start by making sure that your child understands what is expected in that particular situation.  Tell your child that you rely on your child’s cooperation and support.  Young children love purposeful tasks and thrive on being asked to help the adults in their lives.  Build independence in areas that you feel are appropriate for your child and release responsibility as appropriate.

Reading:

• We started a new chapter book for our classroom read aloud book.  We now read the first book in the series about Humphrey the Classroom Pet by Betty Birney.  

• This week, the students also participated in several read alouds to learn to “read as writers”.  When you “read as a writer”, you pay close attention to the words the author chose, the way the text/font appears and how the author uses his/her craft to convey messages.  You also start to pay attention to words, spelling and letter combinations, which are all components of our science of reading approach to literacy.  The students learned that authors sometimes repeat words over and over again to convey emotions and/or suspense.  The students also learned that authors sometimes use different font sizes to reflect character dialogue.  They also learned to pay close attention to word endings that reflect rhyming.

• The students participated in reading  with me one-on-one, in partnerships with each other and they also practiced independent reading.  They are building their reading stamina every day.

You can:

• You can support your child’s independent reading at home by encouraging your child to engage with literature for longer periods of time.  In first grade, daily reading at home is important. Consider creating a special cozy place for your child to read.  Perhaps your child feels comfortable reading on the bed, in the kitchen or on a pillow on the floor?  Having a consistent place to read encourages young children to read since the routine becomes predictable and the norm.  Consider reading yourself.  It is very important that young children see the adults in their lives model the same expectations as we put on them.  Perhaps you want to try a common reading time at home for 10 minutes?  During this time, mom/dad/siblings will read too.  

• Please consider helping your child access our fabulous online reading program Lexia at home too.  Consider creating a schedule that works for you and your family.  Some families only use Lexia a few days a week, while others let their children access it every day for 10 minutes.  Let me know if I can help create a working schedule for you.

Writing:

• The students continued work in their Fundations/spelling groups this week.  They worked in their groups on building an understanding of how the sounds they hear when they speak and write correspond to letters and letter combinations.  They practiced isolating sounds in the beginning, the middle and the end of simple, shorter words.  They also had opportunities to connect these sounds to the letters we use in the English language to spell these words.

• The students practiced hand-writing this week.  In first grade, the students are learning to use lower case letters and saving the upper case letters for the beginning of sentences, names and places.  The students practiced proper pencil grips to help in writing and they were encouraged to practice finger-spacing between words. 

You Can:

• Your child might have brought home some hand-writing pages this week inside the Home Folder.  (If not, your child will bring these pages home next week)  You can celebrate your child’s hard work and writing by praising your child’s efforts at school and point out that you notice the various features they are learning about in first grade.

• You can support your child’s emerging understanding in phonological awareness by engaging in various rhyming activities at home and by reading books that reflect and include rhyming words and phrases.  Young children love to “play” with words!  In school, we also practice “sounding out” nonsense words (words that are not real English language words) but the students are exposed to them as a way to build a stronger phonological awareness and understanding.

Math:

• First grade mathematicians started working in weekly small group rotations this week.  They will rotate through several stations every week.  Sometimes, they will meet with a teacher/adult, and sometimes they will work independently, use technology or engage in hands-on games.  They did an outstanding job navigating these new structures and routines this week.

• First grade mathematicians also continued to practice partners to 10, composing and decomposing numbers.  This week, they used rekenreks and developed cognitive flexibility with numbers and groups.

• Your child has an informational sheet about how you can access technology tools from home using a home computer.  Your child’s passwords are listed as well.  Please keep this in a safe place for future use or consider accessing Dreambox, our online math program.  

You can:

• You can support your child’s emerging mathematical flexibility by talking to your child about numbers and math.  Math is all around us and math is a social activity. Ask “keep thinking” questions to encourage your child to explain/justify his/her thinking.  Ask “Can you explain that another way?”, “How do you know….?” or “Does this make sense?” when you talk about math at home!

• Celebrate your child’s math learning every week by checking your child’s Home Folder.  A simple way to stay connected with our learning is to see if there are any finished math games/worksheets inside.  If so, ask your child to explain the math they are learning.  Please note that your child will not bring home sheets every week as we mostly do hands-on, conceptual math learning activities/games that do not always require traditional “paper writing”.

News and Reminders:

• There is no school tomorrow, Friday 10/6/23 due to our parent-teacher conferences.  Please click here to access the sign up doc for available times and the link for tomorrow’s remote meetings.  Thank you!

• There is no school on Monday, October 9th (Indigenous Peoples Day)

Have a great weekend,

Maria