Welcome back to another school year!

 Welcome Back!

I hope you had a great summer with family and friends. Here is some helpful information and reminders that will set the tone for a successful school year together:

Labeled items your student will need at school:

• Art smock (big tee-shirt works well)

• Sneakers for P.E. on gym days (We will have PE on Mondays and Wednesdays)

• Personal earbuds/headphones for Chromebook use (Please label with your child’s name)

• Extra change of clothes (can be stored in the top of lockers) 

• Healthy snack & water bottle every day (please refrain from packing candy and sweets)

Things your student does not need:

• Pencils/cases/folders/individual supplies (We have all of those items here!)

• Toys, stuffed animals, personal devices, collectible cards, and other valuables should stay at home.

Weekly Procedures:

• Students can be dropped off at ABS between 7:25-7:50 each morning. Students dropped off prior to 7:35 will wait in the Cafeteria.

• Regular dismissal is at 2:35 each day. Wednesday early release dismissal is at 1:35.

• Library books are due on Tuesdays.

• Home Folders are sent home on Fridays and due back to school the following week, preferably on Mondays.  This year, our Home Folders are green.

Communication:

• Email: I will send out email updates on most Fridays with relevant reminders and up-to-date information about our studies and any important dates to be aware of. Pictures will be included as well (like last year)

• Classroom Blog: See photo updates and past parent letters on our classroom blog.

• Digital Learning: Students will post a variety of work to an online portfolio throughout the school year. Be sure you are connected to your student’s account so you can see what they’re up to! Stay tuned for more information regarding platforms and start date. Thank you.

• ABS will host an Open House on the evening of Thursday, September 29.Stay tuned for more information about time.

• Please feel free to communicate any questions or concerns that you may have. Email (mmccormack@cvsdvt.org)  is the best way to reach me. You can also reach me via phone (802-871-6200).

Birthday Celebrations: We have non-food birthday celebrations in Harmony House. Your student’s special day will still be celebrated, not to worry! You may choose to bring a non-food treat in for the class (pencils, erasers, etc.) however, this is not necessary. If you or a loved one would like to come in for a special activity or read aloud you are more than welcome! Your child can also bring in a special book for a read aloud in the classroom.

Schedule Changes/Absences: For safety reasons, we cannot send students to a destination other than documented on their paperwork without direct communication from a parent or guardian.  

• If your student has a change in their after school plans, please email, call or send a signed note. The end of the day can be hectic, so the earlier the better. Of course, we understand that last minute changes are inevitable! 

• As soon as you are aware of an absence or change of plans, please email: 

• Laura Gigliotti lgigliotti@cvsdvt.org and absinformation@cvsdvt.org 

• Mrs. McCormack (mmccormack@cvsdvt.org)

• Nurse Love slove@cvsdvt.org (if student’s absence is illness-related)

Newsletters

 Newsletters are now only sent via email.  Thank you!

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, first graders continued practicing strategies for calming down when they experience big emotions.  We listened to the Calm Down Song (linked here) and created different scenarios to practice our strategies.  A favorite strategy is to use positive self-talk and to think of something that makes us happy.  Some students might think of a beach or a favorite hiking place, while others think about a cozy corner at home or a stuffed animal.

• We also played a game similar to freeze dance to practice listening, following rules and solving big feelings.  Here is a picture of the visual poster we use to help us cope with big feelings.  Perhaps this can help at home too?

Reading: 

• This week first grade readers continued to read nonfiction books.  They participated in guided instruction groups and learned more about the purposes of the table of contents, photographs and bold print.  

• First grade readers also participated in a word hunt, searching for trick words and high frequency words found in magazines and books.  One day, the class also tried to read as many trick words as they could in one minute.  They beat the record from last year!  What a terrific group of readers we have!

• In partner reading this week, we continued practicing reading stamina while listening and staying engaged with our partners.

Writing:

• First grade authors continued writing their animal reports this week.  They worked in small groups with a teacher to better understand the content and the information provided.  They practiced invented spelling, sounding out words and creating complete sentences on their own.  In our small writing groups, the teacher would read a small passage out loud.  The students re-voiced the information using their own words and then wrote it down in its appropriate chapter.  They did an excellent job!  Next week, we will start to assemble our books, add labels to our pictures and create a glossary to go along with the writing.

• First grade writers also continued working on, and identifying, word endings for more fluent writing.  This week, we primarily focused on the word endings -all, -am-, and -an.

• The students also created a spelling bingo reflecting our nine trick words this week.  Ask your child how you can easily create these bingo boards at home too.

First Grade Math:

• This week, we started a new number corner calendar, reflecting the new instructional goals of the month of April.  Every day, the students are presented with a number bond, or an equation, with a missing addend or subtrahend.  The students are encouraged to figure out the missing part and show how they know. The students have whiteboards to show/draw their thinking.  The students share their thinking verbally with each other after they have had a chance to privately work on the problem.  The students are also encouraged to think deeply about what their friends say and make sense of it.  They are learning how to ask clarifying questions, such as “Can you tell me more?” or “What do you mean?”

Science:

• We continued our unit on animal adaptations and structures this week.  We learned more about how animals use their physical traits/adaptations to help them find food, for example.  The students participated in an experiment in which they used different materials to illustrate different types of bird beaks to gather food.

News and Reminders:

• We are still in need of show boxes or smaller cardboard boxes for our rainforest dioramas.  Please consider sending them in for this project.  Thank you!

• We have Spring vacation and no school the week of April 18th.  Students return to school again on Monday, April 25.

Have a great weekend,

Maria and Zoe

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, we focused on what we can do when we experience “big feelings”.  We talked about different situations in which the students sometimes experience these big feelings, such as in math when a problem seems hard, or in writing or reading when the task at hand seems difficult.  The students discovered that they sometimes have big feelings in social situations too, such as when they are asked to share materials or collaborate to play a game. We played a game called “In the river-On the bank” to explore these feelings and different strategies for how to solve them efficiently.  For the last few weeks, the students have explored different steps to calm down.  They are encouraged to first stop the activity and then name the feeling.  Then, they are encouraged to choose a strategy that works for them.  Some children prefer calm breathing, while others use positive self-talk, taking a quick break or another mindful activity.

• The students filled the classroom buzzy jar again!  This time, they voted for stuffed animal day again.  

Reading:

• This week, we started exploring nonfiction books in our guided reading groups.  The students learned how the nonfiction text features can help us navigate and better understand the topics.  This week, we primarily focused upon the importance of photographs and the table of contents to organize and present information.  The students had so much fun taking turns choosing which chapters we should read first since readers do not have to read these books sequentially!

• In partner reading, the students worked in small groups reading and discussed books about the rain forest.  They jotted down words/pictures on post-it notes, which we gathered on a class chart to show what new information we learned from these books.  Jotting down what you learn when reading nonfiction books is a powerful way for young readers to stay engaged with the reading process and it encourages deeper comprehension as it requires specific information to be written down and shared.  Perhaps you want to try this at home too when your child reads his/her own books?

Writing:

• First grade authors started their animal writing this week.  All the students have chosen a rainforest animal that they will learn to write about.  This week, they completed their table of contents and they started writing about what their specific animal looks like.  Each student received several photographs of their animals .  They were encouraged to use their own words to write sentences describing their animal in as much detail as possible.  They did a great job!  The students also started writing about the rainforest habitat, their second chapter in these animal books.  This week, we added a few sentences about the layers of the rainforest.  Lastly, the students used pebblego again to gather new information to place inside their books.  The students learned to “re-voice” what they learned and write it down using their own words.  Copying down word for word what someone else has written is discouraged since they will learn later in the upper grades about the importance of copyright and plagiarism.

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians continued to deepen their understanding of clocks and telling time to the hour and half hour.  They participated in a unit assessment, showing their understanding of these concepts too.

• First grade mathematicians also continued to practice various strategies for “anchoring to 10” and the next decuple when solving addition problems and identifying numbers.  We played many new games together, but I think a new favorite is “Racoon”.  Ask your child to explain how we play this game while learning about “teen” numbers and “ty” numbers (ie thirteen is different than thirty, etc)

Science:

• First grade scientists learned about the tropical rainforest and its different layers this week.

• First grade scientists also learned about animal adaptations and survival techniques.  Through a series of experiments and hands-on activities in the next few weeks, we will explore how different animals have evolved to adapt to their respective environments.  We will eventually apply this understanding to our rainforest animals and learn how they have adapted to their unique environment.  This week, we specifically learned more about birds.

News and Reminders:

• If you have extra shoe boxes or paper towel tubes at home, please consider donating them to our classroom for our science unit.  The students will create their own rainforest habitat.  Thank you!

• Please read this message from the school nurse regarding return to school after illness:
  
  

We are seeing a spike in viruses other than COVID. We need to remember just because it isn't COVID we still don't want kids or adults coming to school and spreading "any" virus. 

If your child is sick, keep them home from school and other activities. If they have symptoms of COVID-19, get them tested. Talk to their primary care provider and school nurse about when to return to school.(VDH)

Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.

This guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies to protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, and other members of their households and support in-person learning.(CDC)

Sore throat and runny nose are usually the first signs of a cold, followed by coughing and sneezing. Most people recover in about 7-10 days. You can help reduce your risk of getting a cold: wash your hands often, avoid close contact with sick people, and don’t touch your face with unwashed hands.

Common colds are the main reason that children miss school and adults miss work. Each year in the United States, there are millions of cases of the common cold. Adults have an average of 2-3 colds per year, and children have even more.(CDC)

See the CDC Link here: CDC Common Cold Protect Yourself and Others

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Ms. Clark finished her last solo week this week.  Congratulations, Ms. Clark!  We are so proud of you.  She will still be with us full-time for another few weeks.  We are grateful for that.

Social-Emotional Learning:

● This week, we continued our focus on community. Every day, we introduced a

new word of the day and tried to implement those words into our daily conversations. Some words this week were  “compromise” and “responsibility.”

● During Second Step, Ms. Clark led a lesson on managing worries. We read the book “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes and identified the worries that the main character experienced.  The students made personal connections and shared their own worries and ways to calm down.

● We continued to work on what it means to be respectful listeners when our friends are

presenting. We primarily focused upon the importance of having calm bodies and how our facial expressions signal to others how we feel and react.

Reading:

• First grade readers worked hard again this week on improving their independent

Reading stamina. They continued using their reading packets with several reading choices such

as reading to a stuffy or being a sentence detective (having to find a question,

exclamation, and statement in their books).

• First graders also rotated through guided reading groups throughout the week as well.

• We also started to read nonfiction books about the rainforest.  We will continue this work for the next few weeks as we attempt to bridge the gap between reading and writing and encourage the students to also read to gain new information.  The students will also learn more about the differences between fiction and nonfiction books and their respective characteristics.  Stay tuned for more information next week!

Writing:

• This week we began our rainforest unit. Students used pebblego to choose which rainforest animal they want to learn more about.  Pebblego is a fabulous online reading platform, which can also be used from home.  The url is pebblego.com. Please see my email for usernames and passwords to access this from home.  Have fun reading and learning about science at home!

• This week acted as an introduction to the rainforest. The students learned about the  different layers of the rainforest. In small groups, they drew pictures of each layer and its animals. Towards the end of the week students had a writing prompt on the following topic: “IfI went to the rainforest I would...”..  They did an amazing job!  They had great ideas about what to do there as well.  We can’t wait to share these with you.  Ask your child to share what he/she would like to do in the rainforest.

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians continued practicing their clock skills this week. We began

each math class with having our student leader for the day state the date and what time

the clock on our clock calendar showed.  The students played “clock memory”, matching analog and digital clocks.  

• The students also continued their work on adding three digit numbers and anchoring to ten efficiently.

Science:

• Science this week was directly connected to our new learning about the rainforest. In addition to learning more about this specific habitat, the students also learned to locate these habitats on a map. 

• In a few weeks, the students will create their own rainforest animal diorama.  We are in need of shoe boxes and paper towel tubes for this project.  If you have any at home to share, please consider donating them to us for this special science project.  Thank you!

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

This was Ms. Clark’s first solo week.  She did an outstanding job as our lead teacher.  We are so proud of her and grateful for her work, insights and positive energy in our classroom.  Ms. Clark will continue as our lead teacher again next week.  I will be supporting her and the students.

It has been great to connect with families online for our parent-teacher conferences.  Thank you for taking the time to chat and thank you for your continued support of ABS and our learning.  We could not do this without you all!

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week we began focusing on the idea of community. One of the walls in the classroom is now our “community wall” where we hang up our community word of the day, job chart, and student artwork which is becoming a class mural! When we all follow the group plan, our class community thrives. 

• We have also been focusing on “whole-body listening”. Whole body listening means that students show that they are listening when their eyes are looking, voices are quiet, and bodies are calm. The class has been responding quite well to demonstrating whole body listening when Ms. Clark says, “Show me what it looks like to have whole body listening…show me what is sounds like”.

• During second step, Ms. Clark led a lesson on diversity lesson on deafness. She read a book to the class about a deaf boy and how his life is different due to his inability to hear. The class then learned to say “hello” in sign language.

Reading:

• First grade readers worked hard this week on improving their independent reading. They received new independent reading packets with several reading choices such as reading to a stuffy or being a sentence detective (having to find a question, exclamation, and statement in their books). They seemed enthusiastic about these reading choices as the packets were something new and challenging. 

• First graders also rotated through guided reading groups throughout the week as well. 

Writing:

• This week in writing we focused on fiction versus nonfiction writing. The students were taught the difference between a fiction book and a nonfiction book. In the beginning of the week, we read a fiction book about a silly penguin named Tacky and later the students were asked to create their own fiction story about a penguin using their imagination. Because fiction is fake, we discussed how our characters could be fun-silly and creative. They were excited to share their fiction stories with the whole group once they were finished. 

• Later in the week we read a non-fiction book about penguins and the students were asked to use their good listening skills to pick out 4 facts about penguins that were read by Ms. Clark. They drew pictures or wrote words to represent those facts before putting those facts into a formal writing text.  Our next writing unit will start on Monday.  This time, the students will learn to write animal reports, reflecting information about their respective animals while also reflecting nonfiction text features, such as captions, glossaries and chapters.

• In our conferences, some parents asked me to share the trick words the students are learning to spell in first grade.  Here is the first grade trick word list. These words are different from “regular decodable words” for spelling.   Trick words cannot be “sounded out” but must be memorized.

First Grade Math:

• First grade mathematicians continued practicing their clock skills this week. We began each math class with having our student leader for the day state the date and what time the clock on our clock calendar said along with writing the digital time for it. The students had different clock activities throughout the week such as “time bump” which challenged students to match analog times on one game board to digital times on the other. Students also were given clock packets with different time telling tasks. 

• First grade mathematicians also continued working on strategies to add 3 one-digit numbers together.  We started a new anchor chart in our classroom, illustrating the different strategies we can use as we solve these math problems efficiently.  The students are encouraged to “anchor” to 10 first and then add some more.  The students are also encouraged to “use what they already know” or find double facts too.  The list we have is quite innovative since they all have different ways of solving these three digit math problems.  What a terrific group of mathematicians!

Science:

• Science this week was tied in with writing as the students were exposed to non-fiction books specifically about penguins. 

• We also participated in several Mystery Science guided videos, which the students are enthusiastic about. This week we did a guided video and lesson on “Why do birds make nests” and “Why do some animals migrate?” 

News and Reminders:

• It is very muddy outside on our fields and playground.  Please make sure your child comes to school with mud pants, or snow pants, boots and a warmer jacket.  It is also a good idea to pack extra socks and pants inside your child’s backpack as it is very uncomfortable to sit in soggy clothes after recess.  Thank you.

•  I have been impressed by your child’s resilience as we switched to “mask optional” at school.  There will most likely be changes to guidance on testing, isolation, and response to illness symptoms in the future. I will provide updates as soon as I have new information and I will keep sharing newsletters from our school nurses as these guidelines change.  Thank you for reading them and for your continued support in keeping your child home when necessary.

Have a great weekend,

Maria and Zoe

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

I hope you all had a relaxing and fun Winter Break from school.  It was great to see the students again and hear about all the fun activities and adventures they had.

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students continued to learn more about, and practice positive self-talk to calm down and continue productive learning.  Through a series of classroom activities and discussions, they completed a classroom poster with speech bubbles reflecting the different positive statements students can practice in times of frustration.  It is hanging in our locker area for all to see.  They are very proud of it!

Reading:

• We continued our focus on fluency in our guided reading groups this week.  As you may recall, fluency in first grade primarily emphasizes pace, expression and phrasing.  In other words, the students are encouraged to make their reading sound like spoken language and to reflect the plot and punctuation in the text.  In order to learn this efficiently, the students practice reading the same text many times.  They are also encouraged to to practice their trick words to build word recognition and speed.  The students also used our classroom “read-a-phones” to hear themselves more clearly when reading in a whisper voice.  Our read-a-phones are small tools used for reading that resemble little telephone receivers.  They did an amazing job reading with fluency!

• We continued our new author study and listened to a few more read alouds.  This time, we are enjoying the books written by Helen Lester.  This week, we learned more about “Tacky, the Penguin”, a very interesting character, filled with silliness and creativity.  Ask your child to explain more.

Writing:

• First grade authors continued building their understanding of how to craft an opinion writing piece with less scaffolds and teacher support.  Their growing independence and confidence as writers show! This week, they learned how to plan their writing piece using a graphic organizer, which later served as a guide as their writing pieces were crafted.

• We started a new unit again in Fundations.  This time, the students will learn about glued sounds and word endings such as -an, -am, and -all.  Try rhyming at home with these endings and see how many words your child can write down!  We call it “BOGO spelling”-Buy one, get one free–If you know one word/word family, you automatically know another one!

First Grade Math:

• We have a new March Number Corner Calendar.  It introduces the students to clocks.  In first grade, mathematicians learn how to tell time to the whole hour and the half hour.  They also learn the differences between telling time using an analog clock and a digital clock.  The students will play many new interactive games learning about clocks.

• First grade mathematicians also continued to build a deeper understanding of equality this week. They continued to use math tools and representations/drawings to justify and reason why the two expressions are equal (or not). 

• First grade mathematicians also used SeeSaw, an online classroom tool, to show their understanding of mathematical equality.

• Ms. Bianchi also visited our room again this week and helped us in our small group work.  Thank you!

Science:

• This week, the students planned and built their musical instruments as part of our ongoing science unit on light and sound.  The students met in small groups with Ms. Clark to choose materials needed for this engineering task.  They did a terrific job planning and building their instruments. Thank you Ms. Clark for providing this wonderful opportunity!

News and Reminders:

• Here is the link for the upcoming parent-teacher conferences. I have added the google meet link for all of these meetings. If your family needs to find another time slot, please let me know and we will try our best to find another time.

• There is no school on 3/18/22 due to parent teacher conferences.

• Our fabulous intern, Ms. Clark, will do her solo weeks, starting on 3/14/22.  She will be the lead teacher for two weeks.  I will be in the classroom, but in a supporting role.  We wish her luck but we know she will do great!  We are so lucky to have her in our classroom.

Have a great weekend,

Maria