December 17, 2018

Good Afternoon,
  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Today the students continued writing their final narrative pieces.  These pieces will be scored, using a district wide writing rubric, and be used as a major part of your child's writing grade for the semester.  MY hope is that these are finished before the end of the day on Friday.  I am also conducting reading tests during our reading block this week.  This will allow me to reassess progression by all and refocus my instruction as we head into January.  I am also hoping to finish these by the end of the week.  Your child will have book of choice books in their homework bag this week.

SECRET PAL:  Please remember that Secret Pal starts tomorrow.  Here is the breakdown, one more time.  Please read through it carefully.

On Tuesday, December 18th, the kids will have to make a Happy Holidays or Happy New Year's card for their Secret Pal. Please put some time into this and do your best work. I can provide any paper or art materials.

On Wednesday, December 19th, the kids will have to make a snack for their Secret Pal. The snack should consist of a food and drink item.

On the Thursday, December 20th, the kids will have to bring in a wrapped gift for their Secret Pal (less than $10).

**ALL ITEMS SHOULD BE LABLED AS FOLLOWS:
TO: SECRET PAL’S NAME
FROM: YOUR SECRET PAL

The goal is to give hints of who you are but to keep your identity a secret. On the last day each kid will try and guess who their Secret Pal was. I hope everyone has fun with it.

NOTES:
*Please send in your page for Ms. Fornaby's Book.

*Wednesday afternoon will be an all school "Gifts For Giving" gathering.

*Friday will be our Secret Pal Gift Exchange Party. We will do this after Art class. If you would like to donate a food item, please click on this link to sign up.

December 14, 2018

Good Afternoon,
  I hope this post finds all of you well and surviving the madness of December.  I know how crazy this month can get, and the added stresses and mixed emotions that come with such a busy time.  I hope each of you finds a way to stop, reflect, and enjoy the positive things in each of our lives.

  Today your child will be bringing home a green folder.  Inside that folder is the schedule for the Secret Pal activities and the name of the child that your child has for the three days of fun.  I have also included a piece fo marbled card-stock that your child can use for a card (if needed).  Please don't forget the item each day and make sure they are labeled.  Feel free to send in any items early and I can store them.

  This morning we took a walk outside for out mindfulness time.  We ended up at the VG where I had planned on buying each of the kids hot chocolate.  However, when I went to pay, they told us to not worry about it.  A very nice gesture on their part.

This week I talked to the kids about the celebration of Hannukah.  We read a book about why there is 9 candles and the importance of the symbolic burning of the candle.  I asked a 6th grader to come in and present to us about Hannukah and her own family's traditions with the holiday.  The kids then made their own menorahs and today worked on writing about their learning. 

NOTES:
*Please finish the story book pages for Ms. Fornaby's book over the weekend. 
*Secret Pal card is due by Tuesday morning.  We will give them out at morning meeting.

That is all for now.  Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy

PICTURES FROM OUR TEAM PROJECT WITH MS> BELKNAP"S CLASS

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week. As my 2 weeks of solo teaching come to a close, I am feeling so grateful for the students in this class and all of you. I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming or supportive school community for my student teaching experience.

This week was packed full of learning and fun. On Wednesday we finished working on the literature project we began last Friday. Each student had drawn a picture to show something they would do to make the world a better place. The final step for this project was to add color to the drawings with watercolors. The paint really helped to liven up the pieces and they look absolutely beautiful! Next week they will be hung on the bulletin board outside of the classroom, so I encourage you to come take a look!

I continue to be so impressed by the writing abilities of your children. This week we continued our work on crafting personal narratives. On Thursday, each student had the opportunity to share a favorite moment from one of their stories. We are working on using strong words and detail to help the reader to see, hear, or feel something. Many students shared a comparison statement, like “the hot chocolate was as hot as the inside of an oven,” or “she was as hungry as a pig!” I just love the creativity that is showing through students’ writing!

Some of you may have caught word about the golden spinner. For each ticket students earn for being safe, kind, engaged, or responsible, they have their name added to the golden spinner. Later this month, names will be chosen from the spinner and those students will choose a special prize. Every student in the class has already had their name entered once, and some as many as NINE times! It has definitely been a great motivator for students to keep the school’s core values in mind.

It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of this classroom community, and to get to know all of you. Have a fantastic weekend, and I will see you around WES!

Best,

Sarah

December 4, 2018

Good Morning,
  Here is a post that Sarah sent me last week.  I just forgot to post it. As a reminder, today is the last day for book orders.-Tommy

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone had a great week. The snow didn’t stop us from having a productive week in 1st and 2nd grade. On Wednesday we wrapped up our science unit on light and sound. In this final lesson, students worked in groups to design a device that they could use to communicate over a short distance. They were challenged to use only a bandana, water bottle, flashlight, masking tape, and mirror. Their creations were truly impressive! I love how creative young students can be, and seeing their imagination in action is really something special.

For our literature project this week, we read Malala’s Magic Pencil, a true story written by education advocate Malala Yousafzai about her childhood. We talked about how Malala wished to use a “magic pencil” to draw things that would make the world a better place. I challenged students to think about something they would do to make the world a better place. By “better” we mean how it can be safer, kinder, or more beautiful. Students then turned their ideas into drawings. First they drew with pencil on watercolor paper. Their next step was to trace their picture with a metallic marker, to mimic the illustrations from the story. The final step will be to paint with watercolors in order to give the pictures some pizzazz. I can’t wait to see the final products!

Students getting some fresh air on mindfulness walk today.

Working together as a team during science.