September 28, 2018

Mr. Mongeon working with a student using Adobe Spark

The final week of September, are you kidding me?  It feels like we just started school last week.  We have had a very busy week in the world of small chairs and big pencils.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, we are working with a 1st grade class in Tampa, Florida.  We wanted to see how our schools were similar and different.  We decided to make an audio book of our school.  Mr. Mongeon came in and help us create our final product using Adobe Spark.  The students used i-Pads to capture a variety of pictures from the school.  The ideas cam from a class brainstorm and discussion on Tuesday.  Yesterday, we sent our final version to Ms. Valdez's class.  They were so inspired by our use of Spark that they created their own version and sent it back.  To access our version click here.  If you want to access the school tour from Florida, click here.  Today, the class had a video call with our Florida friends and they talked about the similarities and differences of the two schools.

Two kids comparing their families using a Venn Diagram

On Wednesday, we continued our focus of our own families and how they are similar and different.  They shared their family portraits that they created.  I then introduced them to a Venn diagram and we practiced using one to compare two different families.  The kids then partnered up and used a diagram to compare their family to that of a peer.  We will continue this work next Wednesday.  

Once a month, my class will work with Ms. Belknap's class on cooperative projects, challenges, and/or tasks.  This week was the 1st time we gathered.  The theme was bridge building and the kids had to build the best bridge that they could using 24 popsicle sticks, 3 feet of tape, two chairs, and markers.  I view this joint effort as an important piece in teaching teamwork, social skills, and using clear and precise communication.

Testing bridge concepts as a small group

Throughout this semester, Ms. Fornaby will take over different parts of the day, as part of her student teaching experience. Two weeks ago, she took over the read a loud time (after lunch). I have asked her to prepare some thoughts about the read a loud selections this week. Here is what she had to say: This week we read a variety of different books during read aloud. On Monday we finished Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd, which we had started at the end of last week. The book taught us about who he was (he was a real person!) and how he shared his apple seeds with other people who then went on to plant them. We discussed what made Johnny a kind and helpful person.Next we read Night Animals by Gianna Marino. This was a silly book about a group of nocturnal animals who are spooked by the noises they hear the “night animals” making late at night. They don’t realize that they are the night animals! The story and illustrations gave us all a good laugh. On Tuesday we read It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr. This was a colorful and light-hearted book about embracing and accepting the things that make us all different. From missing teeth, to making mistakes, or dancing by yourself, this book stresses that all of these things are okay and help to make you, you! The final book we read this week was Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. This is one of my personal favorites from when I was a kid. I was excited to share this book with the class,

Ms. Fornaby leading the class in a morning dance

and was thrilled that some of them already knew it! It is the story of a baby fruit bat and the chaos that ensues when she lands in a nest full of baby birds. Read aloud has been so much fun and I look forward to sharing more books with the class! 

NOTES:

*Remember, parent volunteers start Monday, October 15th.

*We will officially start our spelling, writing, and reading groups this week.  It is important that books and homework bags are returned each day.

*10/2 Zones of Regulation Presentation with Vicky Hoefle 6 - 7:30 p.m. @Waitsfield School

*10/5 Inservice-no school for students

*10/8 Holiday-no school

That is all for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Tommy & Sarah

September 24, 2018

Good Evening,

Our new math program has "workplace" time for kids to
how they wan to learn and explore math concepts.

  Today the students took a developmental spelling assessment.  This test allows me to see at what spelling stage each student is at and then plan instruction to meet each student at their individual need.  This week will mar the last week of tone setting, explicit focusing on creating and modeling expectations, and we will start formalized reading and writing instruction next week.

  During our mindful moment today, the kids worked on an exercise that had the kids imagining themselves being in the woods with very tall trees all around and sitting on the edge of a small pond.  I asked them to envision the water being very calm.  The students then took slow deep breaths as they visualized reflections in the water and a pebble being dropped in creating ripples across the water.  This is an example of how I am teaching kids to self regulate their emotions and energy through mindfulness practices.  Hopefully you saw the Zones of Regulation poster during the open house.  Here is a link to learn more about the Zones of Regulation.

Here is the Parent Volunteer Schedule (for in classroom help).  The full volunteer schedule and job sigh up can be found using the tab on the right side of the blog page (titled: volunteer schedule).

Mondays:  Tara Tucholski: 8:30-9:45 Math, & 12:30-1:15 Writing
Tuesdays:  Kellee Morse: 8:30-9:45 Math, Maya Sargent: 12:45-1:30 Writing
Thursdays:  Maya Sargent: 10:00-10:40 Writing
Fridays:  Ryan Kraman: 8:30-9:45 Math, Tara Tucholski: 9:55-10:40 Project Time, Scott McGinty: 1:20-2:10 Writing (winter months only).

Parent volunteers will start Monday, October 15th.

NOTES:
*Just a friendly reminder to help your child remember to put their homework bag in their backpack each night.  We had 5 missing today and these kids couldn't bring home a new book tonight.

*I will be out of school on Friday.  I am taking a personal day to head to Maine for my daughter's x-country race.  Ms. Fornaby will be in charge.

That is all for now.  Have a great week.

Peace,
Tommy

September 21, 2018

Even the rest area had a small orchard!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I really appreciated seeing everyone last night.  It's always rewarding to see how excited the students are to share their school experience with you.  We had a fantastic time at the apple orchard yesterday.   The crisp fall weather definitely helped set the tone for a great morning. The orchard arranged a fun-filled and educational morning for us, including everything from a cider press demonstration to a tractor ride through the orchard. We learned about the steps involved in making apple cider, and got an up-close viewing of how it’s done. Did you know it takes 40 apples to make 1 gallon of cider? After a short walk through the orchard, we learned how to properly pick an apple off the tree using the “eye to the sky” technique. This helps preserve the important parts of the tree that hold the apple buds and blossoms for next year's apples. Each student got a bag to fill with macintosh apples, which is just 1 of the 22 varieties present at Adam’s Orchard. After some apple picking fun, we boarded the tractor for a scenic ride through the orchard. We then enjoyed an outdoor lunch with Ms. Boyden’s 1st grade class from
Fayston School. We ended our morning with cider samples and some group photos. We hope your child enjoyed learning about the Vermont tradition of apple picking, and we are excited to continue our Social Studies unit on families & traditions. Thank you to the parent chaperones who joined us and helped make our trip a success.

Working with our new friends in Tampa

Every year, I use my social studies curriculum to teach an aspect of thinking globally and learning about others from different areas of our country and other countries too.  This year I am using a company called Emaptico.  This free online tool connects classes with others classes and allows them to jointly work on units of study together.  This year we will be working with a 1st grade from Tampa. Florida.  Mrs. Valdez's class has a much different ethnic makeup than ours(half her class is from Cuba) and it will be a very enriching learning experience as we compare and contrast our traditions and celebrations.  Ms. Valdex and I are meeting once a week, virtually, to plan out activities and to make sure this is a valuable learning experience for all.

That is all for now. We hope you have a great weekend.

Peace,

Tommy & Sarah

September 17, 2018

Students exploring geo-baords

Finding number matches with dominoes.

Happy Monday all.  I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy yet another beautiful weekend in Vermont.  Today we introduced the 1st of the three logical consequences we will use this year (when a classroom rule is broken).  Logical consequences are not meant to be punitive but rather allow students to regain self control, fix a mistake, or to not be asked to handle a responsibility they are not ready to handle.  The first one introduced was "taking a break."  This is usually used if a student is showing that they have lost the ability to control themselves in a particular moment.  This is not timeout in the sense of how you probably understand the term.  Kids are not "in trouble" if they take a break.  This is simply my way of asking them to think about what they are doing, how they are going to fix it, and then rejoining the group.  The take a break chair is right in the classroom, in a spot where they can still see and hear instruction.  Here is a quick video that will give you an idea about the concept. 

Students practicing lip-sync dances in PE class.

Our field trip for Thursday is all set.  If you would like to still make a $6 donation, please send it in.  We will be leaving our school around 8:30.  The bus will pick up the Fayston 1st and 2nd grade and then come get us.  We will have Ms. Fornaby, myself, and three other parents joining us (Shane's, Steel's and Riley's moms).  I think we will miss all any rain that day but keep our eye on the weather and dress appropriately. 

That is all for now.  I hope you all have a great week.

Peace,
Tommy

September 14, 2018

Good Evening,

Three of our classmates enjoying the Friday hike

  I hope this post finds all of you well and hopefully enjoying a relaxing Friday evening.  There is some pertinent information that I need you to take note of throughout this post.

  Today almost the entire school went up to Sugarbush and hiked a variety of trails.  Although the temperature was certainly warm, I was told that the kids did a great job.  Rumor has it that some of the younger kids out hiked some of their older peers.  Ms. Fornaby was able to capture this photo from her group.

Ms. Stockton sharing at Morning Meeting.

  This morning, Ryan Dreimiller presented at our morning assembly.  He helped the students understand ideas about graphic layout as we start to think about a new t-shirt design for the official WES school spirit shirt.  The idea with the shirt is to promote spirit around our awesome school.  We envision these being worn at weddings, services and for fine dining and oh yeah maybe even to school.  Today, in your child's homework bag, you will find a blue note that describes how your child can create a design entry for the t-shirt design contest.  We will work on this in school next week too.

Deep in math thinking

NOTES: 



Book Orders:  They will be submitted Monday.  If you have not ordered and would like to, please do so by Monday.  There will not be another order until December.  You can email me over the weekend if you have any questions about this.

Field Trip:  We will be headed to Adam's Orchard on Thursday of next week.  If you would still like to give the $6 suggested donation, please do so.  I will take lunch orders (for school provided bagged lunch) on Monday.  I will post a list of who ordered one in Monday's blog post.

Open House:  Please remember that Open House is next Thursday.  This is an opportunity for your child to show you what they are most proud of in their room.  Trust me when I say, it is one of the more exciting school events for them.  I hope to see you all there.

That is all for now.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Peace,
Tommy

Monday, September 10th

Good Afternoon,
  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I certainly enjoyed the cooler and sunny days.  Today we created our class rules.  The students came up with 27 different rules that they needed.  A few students suggested that we group them by categories so that there weren't so many.  We have narrowed it down to 4 of them.  We will review them tomorrow and I will post the final product in Friday's post.

  The blue forms on families, traditions and celebrations is due tomorrow.  I have only received forms from Adele, Riley, Kai, Ben, Donovan, Libby, and Noah.  I appreciate the effort in getting the rest in by tomorrow.

I AM REPOSTING THE BELOW INFORMATION.  PLEASE< PLEASE TAKE NOTE:

 *HOMEWORK BAGS:  Please, please make sure the bag and book inside are returned on a daily basis.  This is a great time of year to establish a routine, at home, where your child places it in their backpack each evening.

*Book Orders:  Book orders are due by next Friday.  Please make sure to make your selections this week.  Let me know if you need any help with this.

*All School Hike:  We are scheduled to go on an all school hike, up at Sugarbush, on Friday of next week.  Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear, clothing, and sunscreen, if needed.

*Field Trip:  As part of our study of traditions and celebrations, I want to explore a Vermont tradition in the fall, winter, and spring.  The fall focus will be on apple picking.  We will be taking a trip tp Adam's Apple Orchard (Facebook Page click here) on Thursday, September 20th.  Mrs. Boyden's 1st and 2nd grade (Fayston) class will be joining us too.  We will be leaving around 8:30 a.m. and returning around 12:45.  We will eat a picnic lunch at the orchard.  Please pack your child a lunch or let me know if your child needs a cold lunch provided by the school's lunch program.  You can email me to let me know if this is needed.  Please do so by Friday of next week.  If you would like to chaperone on the trip, please let me know by next Friday as well.

  While at Adam's Orchard, the kids will take a wagon ride, learn about the cider making process and receive a sample, pick their own 1/4 peck of apples (to take home) and learn about celebrations that the orchard does to celebrate the apple harvest.   If you are able to make a donation to help support our participation in this event, that is appreciated but not required. A suggested donation of $6/student may be made out to Waitsfield School and will help support this and other field trips; please know that such a donation is not, however, required.  I need all donations by Thursday, September 13th.

Have a great week.

Peace,

Tommy

September 7, 2018

Mr. Mongeon demonstrating how to log into account

Good Afternoon,

Today was picture day!

What a productive week 2.  It feels like it lasted 20 minutes yet the kids accomplished so much.  The students have been introduced to three of the four language arts activities that happen during reading instruction.  The activities are reading to self, listening to reading, and Core 5.  These activities allow student to engage in academic choice activities that enhance skills that I amdirectly teaching during our reading instruction.

  Please take note of the following:

*HOMEWORK BAGS:  Please, please make sure the bag and book inside are returned on a daily basis.  This is a great time of year to establish a routine, at home, where your child places it in their backpack each evening.

*Book Orders:  Book orders are due by next Friday.  Please make sure to make your selections this week.  Let me know if you need any help with this.

*All School Hike:  We are scheduled to go on an all school hike, up at Sugarbush, on Friday of next week.  Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear, clothing, and sunscreen, if needed.

*Blue Forms on Celebrations and Traditions:  Please make sure to send those back by September 11th.  We will be using these for our social studies unit over the next few weeks.  I appreciate your help with this.

*Field Trip:  As part of our study of traditions and celebrations, I want to explore a Vermont tradition in the fall, winter, and spring.  The fall focus will be on apple picking.  We will be taking a trip tp Adam's Apple Orchard (Facebook Page click here) on Thursday, September 20th.  Mrs. Boyden's 1st and 2nd grade (Fayston) class will be joining us too.  We will be leaving around 8:30 a.m. and returning around 12:45.  We will eat a picnic lunch at the orchard.  Please pack your child a lunch or let me know if your child needs a cold lunch provided by the school's lunch program.  You can email me to let me know if this is needed.  Please do so by Friday of next week.  If you would like to chaperone on the trip, please let me know by next Friday as well.

A student using the Smart board as they fill in the # line

  While at Adam's Orchard, the kid swill take a wagon ride, learn about the cider making process and receive a sample, pick their own 1/4 peck of apples (to take home) and learn about celebrations that the orchard does to celebrate the apple harvest.   If you are able to make a donation to help support our participation in this event, that is appreciated but not required. A suggested donation of $6/student may be made out to Waitsfield School and will help support this and other field trips; please know that such a donation is not, however, required.  I need all donations by Thursday, September 13th.

That is all for now. I hope you have a great weekend.

Peace,
Tommy

September 4, 2018

Good Evening,
  I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend and enjoyed the weather.  I found myself at a x-country meet in Burlington, a shrimp boil in Fairfax and on a boat in Lake Fairlee. All in all a wonderful weekend to be in Vermont.

  Today we started our first official lessons in the new Bridges math  program.  This is a K-5 district wide implementation.  I have to say it is a hefty program and requires an extensive amount of prep time to get ready for each lesson.  I hope the students find it both engaging and exciting.  If you would like to learn more about the Bridges click here.

  The students spent some time illustrating their Hopes and Dreams for the start of school.  We share these illustrations tomorrow and then use them as we start to develop our classroom norms (rules).


  Today your child brought home a very attractive yellow piece of paper.  This is for volunteer opportunities in the classroom.  If you are looking to be a driver on field trips or a field trip chaperone, I need you to make sure you have completed the required background check.  Please contact Kaiya for information on this.

  We also started our daily mindfulness focus today. Over the past 5 years I have seen the need for students to learn techniques too help self regulate their energy and emotions, when needed..  I have found that introducing mindfulness techniques has helped many of my students develop these skills.  This year, Katie Babic, our guidance counselor, will join us for two of our sessions each week. Today we focused on breathing from our diaphragm. 


Notes:
*Picture day is Friday.

*Tomorrow your child will have a blue form in their homework bag.  Please fill this out and send it back to school.  We will be using this information for part of our Social Studies Families and Traditions.

*Please make sure your child's homework bag is returned each day with the book inside it.  It is the easiest way for me to keep track of books and to get you any information you may need.  I really appreciate your support with this.

Have a great week.

Peace,
Tommy