Good Afternoon,
This weekend I met with Tom Thurston, the teacher of our pen pal class. We are looking to set up a visit to his class on Wednesday, February 22nd. We would travel to TBPS eat lunch with them and then go x-country skiing right by the school. I am looking to see who would be interested in chaperoning the trip. Please email me if you are interested. More detail about the trip will be posted soon.
This morning the students continued writing about a science report and focusing on details with in the write up itself. This is all part of the procedural writing unit that we are focusing on.
NOTES:
*There is the Winter Sports program this week.
*There is reading homework each night. Please help your child remember.
I hope you all have a great week
Peace,
Tommy
January 30, 2017
January 27, 2017
January 27, 2017
Good Afternoon,
I hope this post finds all of you healthy and successfully dealing with all that comes your way. We had another weathered shortened week and it certainly seemed to fly by. In writing, the students continued to work on informational writing. On Thursday, the kids went back to their lab write ups and focused on the procedural section of the lab report. We looked at experiments written up by actual scientists and discussed the techniques they used to have a detailed write up of their procedure. The students then tried those techniques in their own pieces. We will continue this work on Monday.
I received a few questions about reading homework this week and I figured I would review the schedule and what homework looks like each week. We have reading groups on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. The kids' reading homework will be based on the reading group work from that day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the students will pick a book (or two) of choice. This will be a book that they can read, would want read to them, or a book that they want to read jointly with you. I hope this helps clear up any confusions.
Notes:
*Weekly News journals are in your child's bag. This week I asked them to focus on one of their special classes from the week.
*Your child has reading group homework over the weekend.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
I hope this post finds all of you healthy and successfully dealing with all that comes your way. We had another weathered shortened week and it certainly seemed to fly by. In writing, the students continued to work on informational writing. On Thursday, the kids went back to their lab write ups and focused on the procedural section of the lab report. We looked at experiments written up by actual scientists and discussed the techniques they used to have a detailed write up of their procedure. The students then tried those techniques in their own pieces. We will continue this work on Monday.
I received a few questions about reading homework this week and I figured I would review the schedule and what homework looks like each week. We have reading groups on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. The kids' reading homework will be based on the reading group work from that day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the students will pick a book (or two) of choice. This will be a book that they can read, would want read to them, or a book that they want to read jointly with you. I hope this helps clear up any confusions.
Notes:
*Weekly News journals are in your child's bag. This week I asked them to focus on one of their special classes from the week.
*Your child has reading group homework over the weekend.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
January 22, 2017
January 20, 2017
Good Evening,
I am sorry I am not getting to this post until now. I hope this finds everyone well and healthy. There has certainly been a bit of illnesses. This week, the students started a new writing unit. The overall theme is writing to inform but we started with writing liking scientists. The students reviewed the scientific process and conducted an experiment as a class. On Monday, they will write up their experiment using detail to explain the whole experiment.
I will be out of class on Monday. Ms. Jane will be our substitute. I am a huge Steeler fan and will be at the game on Sunday. Mt brother was able to provide me a ticket and even on field passes. Needless to say, I feel like a little kid at Christmas.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
I am sorry I am not getting to this post until now. I hope this finds everyone well and healthy. There has certainly been a bit of illnesses. This week, the students started a new writing unit. The overall theme is writing to inform but we started with writing liking scientists. The students reviewed the scientific process and conducted an experiment as a class. On Monday, they will write up their experiment using detail to explain the whole experiment.
I will be out of class on Monday. Ms. Jane will be our substitute. I am a huge Steeler fan and will be at the game on Sunday. Mt brother was able to provide me a ticket and even on field passes. Needless to say, I feel like a little kid at Christmas.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
January 13, 2017
January 13, 2017
Good Afternoon,
A quick post and a few photos from our trip today. We got back a little later than we thought and I wanted to get something out quickly. Let me start by saying how proud I was of the class. We were sitting in a crowd of students from other schools (of all ages) and there were many behaviors demonstrated throughout. Our students did a spectacular job of modeling our expectations throughout. The show had some high points and some not so high points yet the class never let that distract them. A great job done by all.
NOTES:
*Your child has a book to read this weekend.
*Their Weekly News is also in their homework bag.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend and GO STEELERS!
Peace,
Tommy
A quick post and a few photos from our trip today. We got back a little later than we thought and I wanted to get something out quickly. Let me start by saying how proud I was of the class. We were sitting in a crowd of students from other schools (of all ages) and there were many behaviors demonstrated throughout. Our students did a spectacular job of modeling our expectations throughout. The show had some high points and some not so high points yet the class never let that distract them. A great job done by all.
NOTES:
*Your child has a book to read this weekend.
*Their Weekly News is also in their homework bag.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend and GO STEELERS!
Peace,
Tommy
January 9, 2017
January 9, 2017
Good Evening,
I hope everyone had a good weekend and found a way to stay warm and stay healthy. There is a variety of illnesses floating around and it seemed to hit a few of our classmates at the end of last week and again today.
Today I once again reviewed the student goals that each student set during our fall parent conference. I asked them to think about their goal and how they have progressed with it. I then assigned each student with the task of writing a reflection on their goal. I explained that these reflections would be included in the narrative that I write for the report card. Although I can't take credit for this idea, Ms. Hale, Mrs. Belknap, and a colleague from Waterbury get that, I do think it is a great way to reinforce the importance of each goal, validate the time spent with them during conferences, and create a personal ownership of the report card for each student. I look forward to sharing these with you in a few weeks.
Field Trip Reminder. As I mentioned in last week's blog, we will be headed to Burlington on Friday. We will be leaving around 8:15. I ask that the kids eat a good breakfast since we will be leaving before snack time. The kids can pack a snack for the afternoon, once we are back at school. We will be back in time for lunch and a bagged lunch is not required.
NOTES:
*Please send in your child's homework bag each day.
I hope everyone had a good weekend and found a way to stay warm and stay healthy. There is a variety of illnesses floating around and it seemed to hit a few of our classmates at the end of last week and again today.
Today I once again reviewed the student goals that each student set during our fall parent conference. I asked them to think about their goal and how they have progressed with it. I then assigned each student with the task of writing a reflection on their goal. I explained that these reflections would be included in the narrative that I write for the report card. Although I can't take credit for this idea, Ms. Hale, Mrs. Belknap, and a colleague from Waterbury get that, I do think it is a great way to reinforce the importance of each goal, validate the time spent with them during conferences, and create a personal ownership of the report card for each student. I look forward to sharing these with you in a few weeks.Field Trip Reminder. As I mentioned in last week's blog, we will be headed to Burlington on Friday. We will be leaving around 8:15. I ask that the kids eat a good breakfast since we will be leaving before snack time. The kids can pack a snack for the afternoon, once we are back at school. We will be back in time for lunch and a bagged lunch is not required.
NOTES:
*Please send in your child's homework bag each day.
*Winter sports program is planned for this Wednesday. Last week, I did not send home reading homework on this day. I thought they could use the break the 1st week back, but will send reading this week. Please let me know if it prevents any issues.
(This is a little late) Mad River Youth Basketball will be starting a weekly clinic for boys and girls grades 1/2. This is open to any child in the Mad River Valley. This clinic will be hosted by Jesse Carst and other MRYB Coaches. We will focus the clinics on basic skills. Children of all abilities are welcome and encouraged.
Program Dates:
Mondays (1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30)
Location: Fayston Elementary (if no school then no clinic)
Program Dates:
Mondays (1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30)
Location: Fayston Elementary (if no school then no clinic)
Times: 5:30-6:30
Cost: $10 for entire 4 Clinic session
Limited to 16 1st and 2nd Graders
Please bring sneakers (no boots). We will provide the basketballs.
Cost: $10 for entire 4 Clinic session
Limited to 16 1st and 2nd Graders
Please bring sneakers (no boots). We will provide the basketballs.
January 6, 2017
January 6, 2017
Good Afternoon,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyous, reflective, and rewarding holiday/break. I always finding it rewarding to catch up with friends, family, and to take a little time to appreciate my surroundings.
We have eased back into the week and the kids benefitted from a 4 day week with a winter sports day mixed in. Although the winter sports program does effect some academic realms, it does offer many positives that just can't be emulated in the classroom setting. You can see the excitement and joy in many of the kids eyes as they get ready on Wednesday afternoons. We are truly lucky, as a community, that our kids have access to these opportunities.
This week, the students have been working on responding to their pen pal letters. Each child should have brought home a letter they received form their pen pal. I took time to teach the children how to respond to questions their pen pals asked and to ask new questions to gain more information about their pen pal.
We will be headed to Burlington on Friday, January 13th. This year's Flynn trip will have us headed to Leddy Park to see La Patin Libre. The secription of the show goes like this, "You’ve never seen ice skating like this! Founded by professional figure skaters who loved the ice but hated the industry’s kitsch and sparkles, Canada’s Le Patin Libre have created something entirely new. Blending modern dance, hip-hop, breakdance, stepping, and of course the jumps, spins, and heart-stopping speed of professional skating, these dancer/skaters absolutely take your breath away! The attitude and energy of street dance combine with the soul and structure of contemporary dance, and the tools and panache of an Olympic sport. We don’t just mean it literally when we say this is one of the coolest shows we’ve ever seen!" Below is a clip from one of their performances in Montreal.
Over the break, a friend of mine sent me a video regarding social media and kids/adults. I found it very interesting and it certainly made me think about my own kids and my responsibilities as a parent (in regards to educating and monitoring). Although your children aren;t at the age where social media is a constant for them, I thought you might find it interesting.
NOTES:
*Please, please send your child's homework bag back each day. I had 5 students without it today and it made reading group work tricky. I really appreciate your help with this.
*We will pretty much go outside for recess all winter long. Please make sure your child is dressed for recess success. A coat, hat gloves, and boots allow your child to be warm and for me to not judge you (just kidding but wanted to see if anyone was reading this far down the post). However, we will be outside most of the winter during recess time.
I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyous, reflective, and rewarding holiday/break. I always finding it rewarding to catch up with friends, family, and to take a little time to appreciate my surroundings.
We have eased back into the week and the kids benefitted from a 4 day week with a winter sports day mixed in. Although the winter sports program does effect some academic realms, it does offer many positives that just can't be emulated in the classroom setting. You can see the excitement and joy in many of the kids eyes as they get ready on Wednesday afternoons. We are truly lucky, as a community, that our kids have access to these opportunities.
This week, the students have been working on responding to their pen pal letters. Each child should have brought home a letter they received form their pen pal. I took time to teach the children how to respond to questions their pen pals asked and to ask new questions to gain more information about their pen pal.
We will be headed to Burlington on Friday, January 13th. This year's Flynn trip will have us headed to Leddy Park to see La Patin Libre. The secription of the show goes like this, "You’ve never seen ice skating like this! Founded by professional figure skaters who loved the ice but hated the industry’s kitsch and sparkles, Canada’s Le Patin Libre have created something entirely new. Blending modern dance, hip-hop, breakdance, stepping, and of course the jumps, spins, and heart-stopping speed of professional skating, these dancer/skaters absolutely take your breath away! The attitude and energy of street dance combine with the soul and structure of contemporary dance, and the tools and panache of an Olympic sport. We don’t just mean it literally when we say this is one of the coolest shows we’ve ever seen!" Below is a clip from one of their performances in Montreal.
Over the break, a friend of mine sent me a video regarding social media and kids/adults. I found it very interesting and it certainly made me think about my own kids and my responsibilities as a parent (in regards to educating and monitoring). Although your children aren;t at the age where social media is a constant for them, I thought you might find it interesting.
NOTES:
*Please, please send your child's homework bag back each day. I had 5 students without it today and it made reading group work tricky. I really appreciate your help with this.
*We will pretty much go outside for recess all winter long. Please make sure your child is dressed for recess success. A coat, hat gloves, and boots allow your child to be warm and for me to not judge you (just kidding but wanted to see if anyone was reading this far down the post). However, we will be outside most of the winter during recess time.
I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
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