February 16, 2011

Good Morning,
  Very busy morning!  We had a math lesson this morning that worked on multiples of ten and called upon our knowledge of groupings of 10.  The lesson was also observed by 4 other professionals.  I hope the kids were not intimidated by so many adults in the room.

*Please send in the $6 for the Montshire trip.

Peace,
Tom

February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today marked the kickoff of our artist in residency.  We started the day with an assembly that focused on the concept of African drumming and how it is considered the heartbeat of Africa.  The students also had their first session with the drummers.  We joined Mr. Hubbard's class and spent the majority of the time dancing to the beat of the drums.

Montshire Trip:  We are all set to go to the Montshire Museum on March 15th.  Our chaperones will be Rachel Rosenblum and Bill Curley.  The cost of the trip is $6 per person (chaperones must pay too).  I would like the money turned in to me by Friday.  If you are sending a check, please make it out to Waitsfield Elementary School.

I will be in the building but out of the classroom on Thursday and Friday.  I will be testing kids in both reading and math.  These are one on one tests that will allow me to work on report cards over vacation.  Please do your best to have your child in school on these two days.

There will not be math homework this week.  There is a lot going on and the end of the week is going to be a bit hectic.

I will not need any parent helpers on Wednesday.  We have to do math in the morning.  There will be a group of teachers observing the lesson.

Have a good week.
Tom

February 11, 2011

Happy Friday!

  We had a great time in the computer lab today.  The students were all able to create a digital version of our orchard map.  Below is a picture of Anda's completed project.  Eventually we will be able to add a key to the map.  The students really seemed to enjoy the work.

An aerial view of the orchard with apple, pear, and cherry symbols marking the spot of each tree

Valentine's Day:  I will allow the students to have time to pass out cards on Valentine's on Monday.  If your child would like to bring in Valentines, he/she must bring in one for each student.  Here is the list of names:  Julia, Angela, Greta, Ayla, Kelci, Anda, Winter, Molly, Abby, Aliza, Piper, Charlotte, Sawyer, Jacob, Marieke, and Bryn.

Artist In Residence:  We will have a kickoff assembly on Monday morning.  It will be a rather short one, so please have your child here on time so he/she doesn't miss the event.  We will have a final presentation next Friday morning.   I hoe you can join us.

Stamina:  I have had three or four students expressing how tired they are.  Although I can talk to them and give them ideas on how to help with this, I am encouraging the students to talk to you about it.  I feel this is more of a parent/child conversation for which solutions will need to come from home.  I appreciate your support in fostering and dealing with this conversation.

I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom

February 7, 2011

Good Morning!  I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend.  It was nice to get out and play in the snow.  It looks like we are going to get another round or two of snow this week.  We have a lot going on over the next two weeks.  Below is an outline and/or brief description of upcoming events.

Sound Assessment Write-Up:  The students will spend time this week explaining how their instrument works (how sound is made), how they can change the sound of their instrument, and comparing it to any other object in their life that makes a sound.  I will share the results of these assessments during our parent conference.

Sound Field Trip:  The Montshire Museum currently has a "sound" exhibit that was developed by the Blue Man Group.  Although it is a lengthy bus ride, it sounds like it would be worth the trip.  I am hoping to go Tuesday, March 15th (leaving around 8:00).  If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know by Wednesday.  Mrs. Belknap's classes would be joining us.

Ski Program:  Wednesday will mark the last ski day before vacation.  Please make sure your child brings his/her items needed to be safe and warm.

Mapping Project:  This Friday we will be working in the lab on electronic versions of the orchard map.  Some of the students will be creating digital maps from scratch and others will be using a still shot from Google Earth to create a map.  We will be in the lab at 8:30.

Artist in Residence:  This year's program will focus on African Drumming and will start next Monday.  Although the final schedule is not posted, I believe our morning routine will be somewhat different.  Most of our schedule times will incorporate our PE blocks.  The final presentation will be held during the Friday Morning Assembly before vacation.  I hope you can join us for the big show.

Homework:

There will be reading and math homework this week.  

I hope you have a great week.

Peace,

Tom

February 4, 2011

Good Afternoon,
  What a crazy week.  It seems like between illnesses, meetings, and snow days, it is hard to put together a good string of teaching days.  I am hoping everyone can use the weekend to get rested and recover from any colds that are going around.

  Today the kids continued working on their Jacques Cousteau summaries.  Their pictures are beautiful and once the writing piece is complete, I will put them all up on the big bulletin board in the back of our room.

We also had an assembly this morning, quickly wrote in our Weekly News Journals, and worked on our Literature Projects.

  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  GO STEELERS!!
Peace,
Tom

February 2, 2011