Good Afternoon,
I hope you had a nice weekend. I found myself helping my wife find a dress and my daughters spending gift cards at Barnes and Noble and Old Navy. Needless to say, it was an interesting adventure.
Today we read Don't Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus, by Mo Willems. This is a great interactive read-a-loud and a great example of a circular ending. The students really enjoyed the story.
Notes:
*There is a new 1st grade game this week.
*Next week, I will be headed to Washington DC to take part in the "Teacher of the Year" festivities. I will be out of school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Mrs. Lea will be leading the class. I have all of the confidence that she will do a fabulous job.
*Wednesday's Winter Program; Your guess is as good as mine? We should know more in the next day or so. I am planning on teaching but we will see.
*Flynn Trip: We will be headed to the Flynn theater in March. We will be seeing the Taiko Drummers. The PTA funds over half of the trip. However, I do need to collect $3 from each child. Please send it in ASAP.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
January 28, 2013
January 25, 2013
January 25, 2013
Yesterday during Writer's Workshop we completed our circular
story about Hamster, a furry little guy that cures his boredom by joining a
game of tag.
Today, we started off with a fast game of Silent Dodgeball to
get everyone up and moving. This morning, we also continued to learn
about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The students began working on murals to
bring his message to the halls of WES. We will keep you posted about when
and where they will be displayed.
Best,
Mrs. Lea
January 23, 2013
January 23, 2013
Good Afternoon,
I hope everyone is succeeding in their quest for warmth. Yesterday, I spent the day in Montpelier as we continued to "dive" into the new Math curriculum that will be implemented next year. It was a good meeting and I will now bring the information back to the staff through future staff development.
This afternoon we continued to investigate the idea of vibrations and how the rate of vibration effects the tone of a sound. The kids investigated this by exploring 4 different sound stations. They had the chance to use a triangle, guitar, dulcimer, and their own vocal chords.
Since we lost all of our planning time this morning, I will send a new first grade math activity on Monday.
Have a great evening.
Peace,
Tom
I hope everyone is succeeding in their quest for warmth. Yesterday, I spent the day in Montpelier as we continued to "dive" into the new Math curriculum that will be implemented next year. It was a good meeting and I will now bring the information back to the staff through future staff development.
This afternoon we continued to investigate the idea of vibrations and how the rate of vibration effects the tone of a sound. The kids investigated this by exploring 4 different sound stations. They had the chance to use a triangle, guitar, dulcimer, and their own vocal chords.
Since we lost all of our planning time this morning, I will send a new first grade math activity on Monday.
Have a great evening.
Peace,
Tom
January 18, 2013
January 18, 2013
Happy Friday!
We had an absolutely wonderful day. The students started the morning with a "intense" game of Silent Dodgeball, and then transitioned right into writing in their Weekly News Journals. I then led a discussion about Martin Luther King and why we have Monday off. We used the book Martin's Big Words to guide our discussion. We also watched clips of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream Speech." The students then broke into groups and did some additional readings and worked based around Dr. King's beliefs. We are using Dr. King's birthday to begin our study on the celebration of Black History month and some deeper work with Dr. King's message.
*Mr. Hubbard's class is having a hard time collecting recycled materials for the music assessment. So, I will take any materials that you might have over the next week.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will see you on Tuesday.
Stay Warm!
Tom
We had an absolutely wonderful day. The students started the morning with a "intense" game of Silent Dodgeball, and then transitioned right into writing in their Weekly News Journals. I then led a discussion about Martin Luther King and why we have Monday off. We used the book Martin's Big Words to guide our discussion. We also watched clips of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream Speech." The students then broke into groups and did some additional readings and worked based around Dr. King's beliefs. We are using Dr. King's birthday to begin our study on the celebration of Black History month and some deeper work with Dr. King's message.
*Mr. Hubbard's class is having a hard time collecting recycled materials for the music assessment. So, I will take any materials that you might have over the next week.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will see you on Tuesday.
Stay Warm!
Tom
January 13, 2013
January 14, 2013
Good Morning,
We have a busy start to the week in preparation of the music performance on Tuesday evening. The performance starts at 6:00 p.m.. Just a reminder, that I won't send home the homework bags on a night that there is a school function.
Mrs. Lea led her first Morning Meeting today! We continued to look at writing structures with a particular emphasis on the use of a circular ending. We have been using a variety of picture books to demonstrate how writers use this technique. We also had spelling, reading, and math today.
Reminders:
*1st Grade Math survey is due on Thursday.
*Winter Sports Program is on Wednesday.
* I am at a doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
Peace,
Tom
We have a busy start to the week in preparation of the music performance on Tuesday evening. The performance starts at 6:00 p.m.. Just a reminder, that I won't send home the homework bags on a night that there is a school function.
Mrs. Lea led her first Morning Meeting today! We continued to look at writing structures with a particular emphasis on the use of a circular ending. We have been using a variety of picture books to demonstrate how writers use this technique. We also had spelling, reading, and math today.
Reminders:
*1st Grade Math survey is due on Thursday.
*Winter Sports Program is on Wednesday.
* I am at a doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
Peace,
Tom
January 11, 2013
January 11, 2013
Good Afternoon,
What a wonderful Friday! The class was one focused and productive group today. This morning we read a book called The Great Fuzz Frenzy. This is a wonderful story about a group of prairie dogs that have a fuzzy green ball appear in their den. Immediately the fuzz becomes the buzz of the group. The story goes on to show how greed caused fighting and arguing amongst friends and family. Afterwards, the students created their own interpretation of what they would do with the fuzz of a great big tennis ball. The pictures and writing will be completed next week and be hung in the hallway.
I am sorry I was out yesterday. Abby was on day two of the stomach bug. I will be out next Tuesday morning for another doctor's appointment. Mrs. Lea will be subbing for me. The kids have a special and rehearsal in the morning, so I won't miss much of the academic day. Mr. Hubbard and I will be out on Friday afternoon. We have to attend a district wide math assessment meeting. Mrs. Lea will also fill in for this.
Notes:
*No parent volunteer needed on Tuesday (rehearsal).
*Performance is Tuesday night at 6:00.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Peace,
Tom
What a wonderful Friday! The class was one focused and productive group today. This morning we read a book called The Great Fuzz Frenzy. This is a wonderful story about a group of prairie dogs that have a fuzzy green ball appear in their den. Immediately the fuzz becomes the buzz of the group. The story goes on to show how greed caused fighting and arguing amongst friends and family. Afterwards, the students created their own interpretation of what they would do with the fuzz of a great big tennis ball. The pictures and writing will be completed next week and be hung in the hallway.
I am sorry I was out yesterday. Abby was on day two of the stomach bug. I will be out next Tuesday morning for another doctor's appointment. Mrs. Lea will be subbing for me. The kids have a special and rehearsal in the morning, so I won't miss much of the academic day. Mr. Hubbard and I will be out on Friday afternoon. We have to attend a district wide math assessment meeting. Mrs. Lea will also fill in for this.
Notes:
*No parent volunteer needed on Tuesday (rehearsal).
*Performance is Tuesday night at 6:00.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Peace,
Tom
January 9, 2013
January 9, 2012
Good Morning,
I want to thank everyone for the great preparation for today's ski day. For the most part, the students are very excited for today. This morning we talked about the volunteer coaches that help make this program a success, and what we can do to be our best for them. Wednesday's schedule (on skid days) is quite packed. We will eat at 11:00 and have math at 11:25. This will allow us to get math in each Wednesday before we ski.
Yesterday, the students continued their study of sound. The children worked in teams and used a slinky to gain a visual understanding of "waves." We also used tuning forks and a pot of water to demonstrate how waves travel all around. Below are some pictures of yesterday's experiment.
Notes:
*Next Tuesday is our Winter Music Concert presented by Mr. Hill. We will have two rehearsals next week. One of the rehearsals will be on Tuesday from 9:30-10:30. We will not need our parent volunteer for this day. My guess is the rehearsal won't be done by 10:30, and we will not have reading and writing this day.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
I want to thank everyone for the great preparation for today's ski day. For the most part, the students are very excited for today. This morning we talked about the volunteer coaches that help make this program a success, and what we can do to be our best for them. Wednesday's schedule (on skid days) is quite packed. We will eat at 11:00 and have math at 11:25. This will allow us to get math in each Wednesday before we ski.
Yesterday, the students continued their study of sound. The children worked in teams and used a slinky to gain a visual understanding of "waves." We also used tuning forks and a pot of water to demonstrate how waves travel all around. Below are some pictures of yesterday's experiment.
Notes:
*Next Tuesday is our Winter Music Concert presented by Mr. Hill. We will have two rehearsals next week. One of the rehearsals will be on Tuesday from 9:30-10:30. We will not need our parent volunteer for this day. My guess is the rehearsal won't be done by 10:30, and we will not have reading and writing this day.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
January 7, 2013
January 7, 2013
Good Morning,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. This morning we read the comments that you wrote in your child's Weekly News Journal. Thank you for the thoughtful responses. The students enjoy hearing them read aloud to the class. We also continued reading the story The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me by Roald Dahl. This is quite an amusing story of a ladder-less window cleaning company. Your child may talk to you about why it would be a wise investment to buy a monkey!
We also had reading groups, writing, and math today. Our specials were PE and Library.
Notes:
*Continue to send in supplies for the instrument project (See Friday's Blog for details).
*Please make sure your child knows if he/she is staying at the mountain or riding the bus back after skiing on Wednesday. It saves a lot of confusion and worries if you can have that discussion ahead of time.
*On Wednesday, your child should have all of their stuff for the Winter Program. They can line their stuff in the hallway outside our door. Please make sure to label each piece of clothing, hats, gloves, etc. When we leave, our class will line up all of their stuff in the library. When they return to school, that is where they can find it.
*Homework on Ski Days: I will send home books of choice on ski days. This way you can decide of your child is capable of doing any homework. I understand if they are exhausted. The homework is optional. If you choose to not have your child do it, please just note it in the book log.
*There is 1st grade math homework this week. Play it a few time between now and 1/17/13. The survey will be sent home on 1/17/13 and must be returned on 1/18/13.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. This morning we read the comments that you wrote in your child's Weekly News Journal. Thank you for the thoughtful responses. The students enjoy hearing them read aloud to the class. We also continued reading the story The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me by Roald Dahl. This is quite an amusing story of a ladder-less window cleaning company. Your child may talk to you about why it would be a wise investment to buy a monkey!
We also had reading groups, writing, and math today. Our specials were PE and Library.
Notes:
*Continue to send in supplies for the instrument project (See Friday's Blog for details).
*Please make sure your child knows if he/she is staying at the mountain or riding the bus back after skiing on Wednesday. It saves a lot of confusion and worries if you can have that discussion ahead of time.
*On Wednesday, your child should have all of their stuff for the Winter Program. They can line their stuff in the hallway outside our door. Please make sure to label each piece of clothing, hats, gloves, etc. When we leave, our class will line up all of their stuff in the library. When they return to school, that is where they can find it.
*Homework on Ski Days: I will send home books of choice on ski days. This way you can decide of your child is capable of doing any homework. I understand if they are exhausted. The homework is optional. If you choose to not have your child do it, please just note it in the book log.
*There is 1st grade math homework this week. Play it a few time between now and 1/17/13. The survey will be sent home on 1/17/13 and must be returned on 1/18/13.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
January 4, 2013
January 4, 2013
Good Afternoon,
We had a great first three days back. I was able to test most of the kids for their current reading levels. I will finish the rest next week. Today the kids finished writing and publishing a class book that we started before vacation. It is a book all about using the playground safely. It will be on display in our classroom library.
Mr. Hubbard and I need your help! Part of the assessment on the sound unit is having kids create their own instrument in class. For this, we are seeking some supplies. Please read through the letter that Mr. Hubbard wrote and send in anything you might have.
*FYI: I goofed on the spelling of Britta's new last name: It is Lea not Lee
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom
We had a great first three days back. I was able to test most of the kids for their current reading levels. I will finish the rest next week. Today the kids finished writing and publishing a class book that we started before vacation. It is a book all about using the playground safely. It will be on display in our classroom library.
Mr. Hubbard and I need your help! Part of the assessment on the sound unit is having kids create their own instrument in class. For this, we are seeking some supplies. Please read through the letter that Mr. Hubbard wrote and send in anything you might have.
*FYI: I goofed on the spelling of Britta's new last name: It is Lea not Lee
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom
Dear Parents,
Mr. Young's class and Mr. Hubbard's class are currently
investigating sound as our science theme. We have numerous hands-on activities
planned and are even incorporating some music composition during the unit. Our final
project will require students to make an "instrument" at school. To
this end, we need certain materials to create our instruments. If you have any
of the following at home, we would greatly appreciate your help.
* metal cans
* beans
* Saran Wrap
* oatmeal containers
* tissue boxes
* paper towel/toilet paper tubes
* large rubber bands
* anything you think may help
Please send in supplies by next Friday. (Jan 11th)
January 2, 2013
January 2, 2013
Happy New Year to each and everyone of you! I hope it was a nice break for every family. I certainly enjoyed the family time and the fin in the snow. Mrs. Britta Lee joins us today. She will be here until June and is finishing up her student teaching responsibilities. I am looking forward to getting to know her and watching work with the class. As always, please let me know if you have any questions regarding Britta's student teaching.
There will only be book of choices sent home this week. I am going to retest kids reading abilities over the next two days and then start reading groups again next week. Math homework will start again next week as well.
Reminders:
*Please don't just send the students to school with only boots. They need to have a change of footwear. They are welcomed to leave a pair of sneakers here at school.
*Please make sure all of your child's winter "garb" is labeled.
I hope you have a great 2013 and a wonderful week.
Peace,
Tom
There will only be book of choices sent home this week. I am going to retest kids reading abilities over the next two days and then start reading groups again next week. Math homework will start again next week as well.
Reminders:
*Please don't just send the students to school with only boots. They need to have a change of footwear. They are welcomed to leave a pair of sneakers here at school.
*Please make sure all of your child's winter "garb" is labeled.
I hope you have a great 2013 and a wonderful week.
Peace,
Tom
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