Good Afternoon, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Jonah Ibson is a teacher at Harwood Union and I have taught both of his kids at the Waitsfield School. He recently started a class on Native American Literature, and kicked things off by learning about the oral tradition. His students selected, studied, reimagined, and transformed traditional stories from a range of Indigenous Nations into illustrated children's books. They will now be sharing their stories with our class over Zoom, and we can't wait to see their reactions. Readings will be recorded, shared, and posted so that everyone in class will have a chance to listen to all of the rich and vibrant, reimagined tales, from the Navajo, Iroquois, Abenaki, and more. The high school kids will be reading to two or three kids at a time, that is why we will record them for everyone else to view. If you see that your child is receiving a zoom invite, from a high school kid, in their email; you will know why. I think this will be a great project for both the high schoolers and my students. Today Jonah red aloud his stories to our class so that his students could see what a model presentation looks and sound like. You can view the video here (the passcode is @cX2%0er).
Jeanne presenting to the class
Today we started our visits to Connecticut. Last week we visited New Jersey. My friend, Jeanne Delcolle joined our class (via Zoom) and taught us about her home state. The children learned about the agricultural south of New Jersey as well as the metro north. Jeanne also took them on a tour of the boardwalk in Ocean City. She even had the famous Johnson's Popcorn send the kids their own bin of caramel corn. Students also learned about the populated north and the agricultural south. Jeanne even explained why New Jersey is the brunt of so many jokes. Jeanne is a colleague and she and I have done some work globally and ran a teacher mentorship program out of DC over the past four years.
NOTES:
*I have been using a site called recess room to work on specific math skills (with a focus on fluency). Your children Love this site. Check it out! Right now they could do the addition or subtraction Snowball Fight, Shot Clock, or Time Teller games (to hours and half hours for most). The site can be located by clicking here.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great week.
Good Afternoon, I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. This week we started our visit and learning about New Jersey. Yesterday, my friend, Jeanne Delcolle joined our class (via Zoom) and taught us about her home state. The children learned about the agricultural south of New Jersey as well as the metro north. Jeanne also took them on a tour of the boardwalk in Ocean City. She even had the famous Johnson's Popcorn send the kids their own bin of caramel corn.
Jonah Ibson is a teacher at Harwood Union and I have taught both of his kids at the Waitsfield School. He recently started a class on Native American Literature, and kicked things off by learning about the oral tradition. His students selected, studied, reimagined, and transformed traditional stories from a range of Indigenous Nations into illustrated children's books. They will now be sharing their stories with our class over Zoom, and we can't wait to see their reactions. Readings will be recorded, shared, and posted so that everyone in class will have a chance to listen to all of the rich and vibrant, reimagined tales, from the Navajo, Iroquois, Abenaki, and more. The high school kids will be reading to two or three kids at a time, that is why we will record them for everyone else to view. If you see that your child is receiving a zoom invite, from a high school kid, in their email; you will know why. I think this will be a great project for both the high schoolers and my students.
Notes:
*Tomorrow's online meeting is at 8:45. Your child will need a piece of the white paper that I put in their blue folders. Please join the meeting by 8:45. Remember, once I start a screen share, it doesn't allow me to see people requesting access to get into the meeting.
*Please make sure your child does their Weekly News entry, a zearn lesson (or two) and 30 minutes of Lexia/Core 5.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great week.
I hope you all had a great weekend. It not be certainly a unique time as we navigate the holidays while trying to adhere to the guidelines outlined by our governor. As we approach Thanksgiving, I know it will be difficult making for some to not be with their extended family. I know my wife and I will not go see out parents, in Vermont, for the 1st time in almost 20 years. I want to make sure I make decisions that give us the best chance to keep school open for the students to keep attending in person as much as possible. If you find yourself going against the Governor's guidelines, please do the right thing and quarantine. If family comes to you, please do the same. I appreciate your respect of making decisions that are better for the whole.
A student trying to save 10 Turkeys
Today the 1st grade math did an "Escape Room" type subtraction challenge. The had just over an hour to save 10 turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinner. There were several clues hidden around the room and they needed to solve subtraction problems to receive the next clue. In the end, it worked out. The students solved all the problems and saved the ten turkeys, with 48 seconds to spare.
We spent this afternoon and will spend tomorrow afternoon writing about why we are thankful. This stems from the book and pre-writing we did last Wednesday during our virtual meeting. I am hoping each student will have a letter that they can read during your thanksgiving celebration.
Winter Recess: We don't have clothing to give out this year for recess time. If it is drizzling, kids will most likely still go out. Please make sure your child has a coat, gloves, a hat, and boots. It may be a good time, during break, to go through your child's bag and get them set up for winter.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to stop and think about the positives we do have in our lives. Right now it is easy to think about all that is challenging and different. However, I know even during this pandemic, there are still many things that I am grateful and thankful for.
Good Evening, You may have noticed a red folder in your child's homework bag today. This folder should remain in their bag for a period of time. It is basically the paper they would need to work on their passports if we were suddenly moved to remote learning and didn't have access to the classroom. I am not worried that we will have to use it but want to be prepared just in case. Your child may have mentioned that my daughter, Abby joined our class today. She is a sophomore at Harwood Union, and is taking on an internship this semester. She has an interest in becoming an educator and this will give her a chance to be in the field and be part of the class. She will be joining us on Mondays for the rest of the school year. It was great seeing her connect with so many different kids, as they worked, throughout the day.
Today I introduced the "Captain's Armband" to the class. I talked to them about how captains of teams, ships, planes, are people that lead by example. They are looked at as leaders and can be counted on to do their best. Over the next 16 school days, I will let each student be a captain for the day. They will be the line leader and will help set the tone for the class for that day. I also talked about how being named captain comes with responsibility and we related our classroom responsibilities to this position. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.
Abby (#20) joined our class today
Wednesday's Asynchronous Work:
1. Fill out attendance form.
2. Class meeting at 8:45. We will begin a project about being grateful. Kids will need materials that I send home tomorrow in their homework bag.
3. A Zearn Lesson
4. An entry in their Weekly News (please make sure the Neck of the Woods people are aware of this)
5. Lexia/Core 5 (30 minutes)
Note:
*Please make sure your child has sneakers or shoes to wear. With boot season upon us, it's important that they have a change of footwear for the in class portion of the day.
Thank you all for taking time to meet with me during conferences. I have one more left to do, rescheduled because of my needs, I appreciated the opportunity to chat about your child and what the plan is for each student. Again, if you have any additional questions please reach out.
A student writing equations for a # bond
This week I tested the 1st grade students on their understanding of their complements of 10. We have been working on these and I am looking for fluency with them. Those who demonstrated mastery have been working on complements of 20 and for some 100. I am hoping each student has the ten complements down by the end of November. The 2nd grade math students have been working on writing numbers using expanded notation. I was impressed with the work that Mr. Hubbard showed me and know they are working diligently with this concept.
Mr. Hubbard and I discussed the current Covid situation and the endless scenarios that could come about. We have both agreed that if we have to switch to an all remote scenario that we would only assign Lexia and Zearn the 1st day and use that day to get all of the students materials, to be used at home, ready for pickup. This would allow you to not have to try and navigate your work schedule and getting kids on a video call that first day.
We will be headed to the state of New York this week as we once again get back in the old class RV and head west. After taking a week off to get everyone caught up with their work, it will be fun to head to our neighbors to our left. It has been nice hearing from you, that your child is excited and enjoying this work. I can't wait to see what each student find s interesting this week. There will be new scoring rubrics, for the passport and video entries, posted on our Google Classroom site on Monday.
On Tuesday, I spent some time talking about Veteran's Day and what a veteran was. We watched a video about it and also heard a story read aloud. The students also talked about Veteran's they know. I wanted to make sure they understood why we honor those who served.
Students learning about Veteran's Day
NOTES:
*Please make sure your child brings their reading group and/or book of choice book back each day.
*Please make sure your child has a pair of shoes to wear if they wear boots to school.
*We will be keeping the windows open for the foreseeable future. Your child may want to bring an extra sweatshirt or jacket to leave at school. Just make sure his/her name is in it.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great Sunday.
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. It was so nice to have such beautiful weather to enjoy late fall in Vermont. I noticed today that my post for October 30 was posted on my professional blog and not my classroom blog. I will include that post at the end of this one. Sorry about that.
We will not be visiting a new state this week. The kids needed some time to finish up their work on Massachusetts. Between the short week last week and my wanting to go over their entries individually, I felt like this would be the best way to proceed this week. Next week the criteria, for entries, will be upped for both grades and I want to get everyone in the same page,
Today the students had art and they used water colors with Ms. Morse to create their own lanterns for a display that the school is doing. Ms. Morse also referenced a book called The Dot by Peter Reynolds. I read this story to them this afternoon. "Reynolds’ book The Dot showcases that theme through the tale of a caring teacher who invites a doubting student to trust in her own abilities, inviting and encouraging her to be brave enough to “make her mark.” The student begrudgingly rises to the challenge and a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing." If you want to watch/hear the story with your child, see below.
Notes:
*Please make sure your child's Chromebook is charged each day. Today was the first day that multiple kids came in and needed charging. It was hard to find outlets in work places to make this meet the charging needs.
*Parent Conferences are Wednesday and Thursday. Please see Friday's post for the complete schedule of times. Again the link to join your meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9886582893.
*Open House: You should have received a video of our class' version of Open House, Covid Style. YOu can access it by clicking this link.
That is all for now. Below is the post from October 30th too.
Peace,
Tommy
Good Afternoon,
I hope you are all gearing up for what is about to come at you this weekend. A full moon, Halloween, and a growing need to curve the upswing in COVID cases. I wish you all the best!
Today we finished up our travels in Maine. The students all filled in their Maine facts and some even finished their videos. I made the kids fresh Wild Maine blueberry muffins to enjoy this morning. Did you know that the wild blueberry is Maine's official state fruit?
Yesterday the students, who were able to be at school, carved pumpkins. Every students, at the Waitsfield School, decorated a pumpkin and they will be lined along the Loop Road (Old County Road) on Halloween night. The students enjoyed having the opportunity to decorate their own pumpkin. If you are out an about on Saturday night, take a stroll along the Loop Road.
Notes:
*Your child has a Halloween treat bag from me. I stapled them shut and asked them not to open it until they saw you. There is enough candy in each bag to share with siblings, if they choose to.
*Please refer to the email about Zearn pacing that I sent to all 1st grade parents yesterday. This gives you an idea of how your child is doing as far as keeping up.
*Your child will have a book, from reading group, that he/she can read over the weekend.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great weekend.
Students conducting a table greeting during our Morning Meeting
Good Afternoon,
Well that was a quick, in person, three day week. I am looking forward to being back in person 4 days next week. This week, we worked our way through Massachusetts and the kids documented some of their learning. We will not start a new state next week but rather give some more time to spend in Mass. and give students the chance to fix some of their work from Maine. I want to get everyone caught up on the same page before I switch the grading criteria for the writing and the video. Once I share the new scoring rubrics with them, I will put them in Google Classroom.
PARENT CONFERENCES
We are all set for parent conferences on November 11th & 12th. These conferences will all be done via Zoom and you will use this link to access your conference https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9886582893. Please note that I have a lot of back to back conferences and I need you to please be on time or your conference time will be cut short. When you come to your conference, I will talk to you about how your child is doing, a goal that he/she has set, and anything else I feel is important about your child. Please come ready with any questions you may have too.
November 11 November 12
8:00 Ben Reese 2:55 Arlo Kiviranna
8:25 Hardin McCoy 3:20 Callum Kielich
8:50 Micah Selvagio Welsh 3:45 Vera Pashby
9:15 Miles Zena 4:10 Elijah Joseph
4:30 Quinn Lazorcheck
Break For Mr. Young
9:40 Brayden Cannarecci
10:30 Otto Duckworth
10:55 Koji Lindberg
11:20 Berkley Plouffe
11:45 Tobin Foley
12:10 Hunter Lucier
Vera's Tikki Lounge
You may have heard talk about a tikki lounge that has popped up in our classroom. As you know, Vera is the only girl in our classroom and I promised to do some special things for her this year. I am sure you will understand the reasoning behind this and appreciate your support. The tikki lounge seats 3 other people at the table. For now I will pick two others to sit with Vera each day or she will pick someone too. We will leave one seat for the other girl that joins her during lunch (from Mr. Hubbard's room). However, the boys will be earning points to be able to make a reservation to join Vera in the tikki lounge. They can tell you about how it works. Below is a picture of an almost completed tikki loungs. I have a few things to get this weekend.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend.
I hoped you all survived the weekend and found a way to honor a tradition that is liked by so many. As I am typing this, I am staring out my classroom window, seeing the swirling snow, and thinking about the students playing outside at recess right now. I took a picture of the group,before they went outside for recess. If you see your child is missing any clothing or boots they might need for a snowy recess, please work that out with them and send it in. After I took the picture, I did check two kids backpacks and found clothing they insisted they didn't have.
Today we had music class with Mr. Hill and Library with Mr. Mongeon. If your child has any overdue books, please send them in so Eric can let them check more out. We started out exploration of Massachusetts today. After this state, I will change the writing criteria to up it a bit more for each grade. This will be the last week using the current rubric.
This afternoon we read the story M Is For Mayflower by Margot Raven. This story is an A-Z book all about Massachusetts. This book can also be found in Epic Books, if you want to read it with your child. We also had reading groups and Literature Block rotations after lunch time.
NOTES:
*No school tomorrow. No asynchronous work assigned but Lexia and Zearn are always available and great choices.
I hope you are all doing well. I don't know about you but I was quite surprised to see the snow this morning, when I went out to cook my breakfast on the grill. As I said last week, if your child is wearing boots to school, please make sure he/she has a pair of sneakers or shoes to change in to. They are welcome to leave the shoes here at school,if you wish.
A view from my deck this morning.
Today the students recorded their New Hampshire learning using Flip Grid. I will go through them tonight and score them. If you want to see/listen to their recordings, click here. The goal of the passport entries, at the current time, is to get 1st graders writing sentences and for the 2nd graders to write paragraphs. As we progress, we will change the criteria for each grade level. The writing has been great and the kids seem to be enjoying this study of the states. Below is a picture of a 2nd grade passport entry. It is great to see what catches their interest as they study each state.
Wednesday's off site day. We will have a meeting at 8:45 on Wednesday. We will be working on a literature project using the book The Day the Crayons Quit. The students will also have to do several asynchronous activities, Please see this schedule or check the last few emails that I have sent you. PLEASE note the homework schedule that is on the linked schedule.
NOTES:
*Several students did not complete their remote writing assignments while they were remote this past Thursday and Friday. Your child will have that assignment in their plastic bag tonight. Please have him/her complete it and bring it back tomorrow.
*Reading Groups Started today. Your child will have a book to share and/or read, this evening. If you child doesn't have a book, it means that they still have one of mine at home. Please find it and return it ASAP.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great week.
I hope you all had a great week and are ready for the weekend. This week we welcomed a new student to our classroom. Otto Duckworth joined our class (in person) on Thursday. Otto is a first grade boy and comes to us from Antarctica. He has spent time swimming with penguins and is working on his role in Happy Feet 3. JUST KIDDING! Otto has moved up here from Massachusetts. I am psyched to have Otto join our class. Speaking of new connections, all of the students will now be in person 4 days a week. It will be great to have everyone in school together and give everyone the opportunity to meet each other.
4:1 Model Notes: Click this link to see the schedule for our class during the newest learning model. I have set it up so that Wednesday's can be as flexible as possible. We will have one live meeting each Wednesday and then the students will have some asynchronous tasks. The idea is that it will give you the most flexibility in your schedule. The asynchronous work can be done at any point during that day. Please let me know if you have any questions.
A student sharing their journal entry
This week we journeyed to New Hampshire. The students did a great job with their passport entries. They will make their New Hampshire video on Monday. Here is a link of the videos they made about their Vermont learning.
Monday will mark the start of formal reading instruction and we will be in full swing with all of our academic instruction. The students have been split into small groups and I will meet with each group daily (every in person day). The groups are not based on grade level but rather on instructional needs of your child. Each night your child will bring home a book to read. Please make sure the book is brought back each day. The books should be kept in your child's homework bag.
PARENT CONFERENCES: In a week or so, you will be sent a link to sign up for parent conferences. These conferences will give us a chance to talk about your child, how their start has been, and about the goal they have set for the 1st part of the year. I would like to have your child be part of the conference. If your child isn't with you and we are doing a virtual conference, we can do have them join via Zoom too. Please be on the lookout for the sign up link. You will receive it via email.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
A student is practicing the skill of subtraction during math class
I hope you all had a great weekend. I trust that you all saw my email last night and watched the videos that were attached. Remember, there is no live meetings with me this Wednesday.
Today the students journeyed to New Hampshire as they started their study of our 2nd state in our unit of study. This week they are spending their time in New Hampshire. During read aloud time we read the book G is for Granite. You can check it out through your child's Epic book account or use this link.
Pictured to the right and down below are two student passport entries from their Vermont page. This is a great illustration of our green mountains and the other is of our state flower, the red clover.
NOTES:
*Please watch the videos I emailed you all yesterday.
*If your child has a whistle or a loud noise maker, please save it for dinnertime t your house and reserve from sending it with them to school.
*If your child is not bringing home a reading book, each night, it is because he/she still has one at home. Please remind them to put it in their plastic bag.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great week. Next week starts our 4 days in person. I don;t know about you but I Can't Wait!.
I hope this finds you all well and coming off a great weekend. I feel like we received some bonus early fall weather this weekend and it was nice to have some time to enjoy it. Today the students walked into a classroom full of tables and chairs. We are starting to prep for the return of all of the students. Although the plexi-glass isn't installed yet (will be tomorrow) we were able to space the group at a safe distance and use them today.
Speaking of all the students coming for 4 days a week of in person instruction, we will be moving to our 4:1 model very soon. This will be a relief for so many parents trying to work and keep their child caught up with school work. I would like to have a informational Zoom meeting (I would like to have a informational Zoom meeting regarding this learning model on Thursday, October 15 @ 8:00 pm. This will give you all time to get your families fed and maybe even in bed. The meeting is not intended for students so please don;t ask them to join. It will give me a chance to go over the schedule and outline what the Wednesday (off site day) will look like. It will also allow you to ask any questions you may have. To join the meeting please click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9886582893.
I ASK that you register for the meeting by signing up on this document. This will allow me to know who is attending in advance.
Today's Tom Thumb Award winners from math class (pictured left). These kids won a prize and got a picture with the trophy. You will see there are no girls in the picture. This is not a sexist thing but rather none of the families provided me a first grade girl for my Monday/Tuesday group. Just wanted to be clear 😀.
That is all for now. I will see everyone at 8:45 tomorrow for our Morning Meeting followed by a literature project meeting at 9:45.
Today we started our travels around the United States. The students filled out their passports and dove into learning about the state of Vermont. They all seem really psyched with this project and the writing that is going on (already) is amazing. If you haven't watched the video that I posted (on Friday's blog post), I highly recommend that you watch it by clicking here. If any of you would like to be a guest (virtual) speaker about a state or read a children's book about a state, please let me know.
A Passport Entry
Sorry For the Confusion:
I apologize if there was some confusion with the asynchronous writing tasks for the Monday/Tuesday students. The only writing you have to do for Monday and Tuesday is the Weekly News Journal. I never sent the leaf pictures back home so we will start those Thursday in class and then make it part of next week's work).
Homework Bags & Reading Books:
I wanted to reiterate how the book of choice and/or reading group books are kept track of. I have a lot of books in my classroom library and love that kids can pick out books to read. Each night, I let the kids bring home a book of choice or an assigned reading group book. I don;t waste the time to write down each selection but rather put it in their Ziploc bag and send it home. When they return the next day, I check to see that a book is in their bag. If there is no book a new one won;t be sent home. Please make sure your child brings back the book. in their Ziploc bag each day. I appreciate you developing a routine that will allow your child to be successful with this.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great week.
Good Morning to all of you. I am sorry I didn't get to post yesterday but I left school right at the end of the day to get to my daughter's soccer game in Lyndon. I love watching my girls compete and love that they get the opportunity to play games again. They won 10-0 and are now 2-0!
This week we read two different books during read a loud time. One book was What Do You Love About You and the other was I Like Myself. We continue to focus on books that focus on each individual and promoting that our differences make us both special and unique. I have linked a video read a loud for each book, if you want to listen to them with your child.
Progress Reports:
I hope you all found the progress reports both informative and helpful. The point of these was to give you an update about your child's pacing and for you to help your child adjust if they need to catch up with things. I also wanted you to know where they were starting (in some areas) to give you an idea of they are doing the work that they are. I also hope it gives you a sense of how important the asynchronous and Wednesday work is in regards to your child's learning. The work being assigned is not busy work but a crucial cog in the development of their academic skills. Although these did take a bit of time to do, I felt the time was worth keeping you all in the loop and giving feedback to allow for adjustments where needed. Please let me know if you have any questions.
A Tour of The United States of America:
Next week will start our Social Studies unit focusing on the United States of America. Throughout the year we will travel to each state to learn about it and document our learning. The research will happen through a variety of means including readings, videos, pictures and other platforms.
Each student will be receiving a passport (see a passport photo to the right) that they will be using to record their learning in. It is very important that this doesn't get lost. Please make sure that if your child isn't using it, they keep it in their Ziploc bag and in their backpack. They will also be using Flip Grid to record their learning. This past week, each child had a chance to record a video and learn how to use this technology. If your child wasn't in school this week, have them go to the social studies section of my Google Classroom, find the flip grid assignment and complete the task.
I am very excited about this unit and wanted to create something that would be interesting for the students, would allow continuous learning whether it is in person or remotely.
Here is a video that I strongly urge you to watch. It is 15 minutes long but it explains how the unit will work, how your child records their learning, and how he/she will be graded. The video cuts out at the 15 minute mark because of time limits. The only other thing that I was going to add was that you can add anything else to any state. In other words, if you love Montana and want to teach your child other interesting facts, feel free to do so when we visit that state. We will be starting with Vermont this coming week. I want to thank Mr. Mongeon for all of his help in creating this unit. The two of us have put some time into it and hope your child enjoys the journey.
NOTES:
*You all did a great job getting your child to bring back all of their work last week. Thank you so much and I appreciate the effort. It certainly makes life easier on my end.
*You may have noticed that you can't access the writing "turn in" sheet anymore. I was asked not to make that viewable by all of you. Sorry for any inconvenience.
*We are getting to the point where kids may be wearing boots to school. I ask that your child brings a change of shoes with them or leaves a pair at school. Since we are sitting on the floor, I want to keep the dirt and water off the carpet. If you want your child to leave a pair of shoes at school just remind them or let me know and I will remind them.
*As great as backpacks are, some children may benefit from having a reusable grocery bag as a school bag. This will offer more space for bringing things back and forth. This is just a suggestion and not a requirement.
I hope this finds all of you well and coming off a wonderful weekend. My wife and I spent yesterday driving a variety of back roads taking in the scenery and then finished our trip with some apple picking. The colors of the leaves were incredible this weekend.
Today the students took our districts math and literacy assessments, using Star 360. If you would like to read more about it, take a look at this link https://www.renaissance.com/resources/product-brochures/star-360/. The 2nd grade math students will take the math portion tomorrow with Mr. Hubbard. This data will act as a screening tool and offer advice on where I should start teaching each student.
Today's read a loud was What Do You Love About You? by Karen Lechelt. This book focused on what special traits each animal liked about themselves. It was great to see why a giraffe loved its long neck or the chipmunk love its puffy cheeks. When we finished, I asked the students to all share about something he liked about himself. It was great to hear their answers. I encourage you to continue this discussion with your family. If you want to hear a version fo the story, click here. in their writing prompts about what they liked about fall. They also turned in their pointillism picture of a fall tree. These writing and pictures are displayed outside our classroom. Today also served as a teaching point about writing assignments. Please make sure your child follows the prompt directions on the weekly plan and uses pencil for his/her writing. I did ask some 2nd graders to add more to their writings today or to start again. We talked about best work and looked at different pieces of writing, that had been turned in, to look at things we noticed about each piece. I wanted to explain the writing process a bit more. Please watch this video to understand why I have the process that I do.
NOTES:
*Every child has now been given a big clear glue stick for Wednesday's project. Please make sure he/she grabs a few colored leaves from outside for the project. It would be best to have them in by Tuesday to allow the to dry a bit.
*There are 2 writing tasks for asynchronous work this week. Please make sure your child completes them both and brings them to school on Thursday or next Monday. If you want to know what writing prompts have been assigned and turned in, please check out this spreadsheet. There are no grades or assessment comments but rather just a checklist for your convenience and sanity of work going to and from.
Happy Friday Everyone! We have had a great week and it was certainly nice to have each group for two full days in person. This week I completed the Developmental Spelling Assessment with each student. The results of this will show me where to start with their phonetic instruction. I have all started the reading test with some fo the students. I hope to finish these next week. The results of these tests will allow me to develop a reading group that is a "best fit" for their individual need.
This week in math, the 2nd graders continued their look at attributes of shapes. They are learning to use Venn Diagrams to record their sorting results. The 1st graders continued working on proper numeral formation, worked with addition equations and also looked at the concept of teen numbers being ten and some more. Wednesday, I asked the students to join me as we read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. This read-a-loud was in conjunction with this week's writing prompt. After reading the book, I introduced the students to an artist named George Seurat. George is known for his technique of pointillism. I challenged the students to make a picture of a tree in fall, using this technique. The pictures will hang with their writing prompts out in the hallway. I chose to use the pointillism technique to work on the students abilities to have to spend time on a piece of work rather than rush through it. This is a skill that will be called upon throughout the year and it is a great and "safe" way to push them toward that concept. During our Morning Meetings, this week, I had the students share their Hopes and Dreams for the year. The students each illustrated their Hope and Dream and they are displayed in our classroom for all to see (see picture). These represent their first academic goal for the year. We will also use these to help develop our classroom norms (over the next two weeks).
I have also displayed each of the student's self portraits that they did back in week 1 of school. These portraits are also a form of assessment. I use the book Yardsticks, by Chip Wood as a guide when looking at where students fall developmentally. It is a book I usually give to my relatives, when they have a child. I linked it (above) so you can check it out if you wish to purchase one. However, if you have a baby while your child is in my room, I will buy you one! It is a win, win. You get a free book and a baby and I get job security by adding another child to our school system 😉.
NOTES:
*For the Monday/Tuesday in person group, make sure you bring your writing assignment and your fall picture back to school on Monday.
*This week book of choice selections started going home. I have built an extensive classroom library and love letting the students take home a book of choice. The choice may be a book that they can read or it may be one they would like read to them. I only rule is they are always kept in the big Ziploc bag and returned each day your child comes to school. If even you don't get to read it, keep it in the bag. If a student brings a book back, that will give them the ability to take another one home.
*DAILY ATTENDANCE: Anytime your child has an offsite day of learning, he/she must complete the Daily Attendance Form that is found in my Google Classroom. Please, please do this each time.
*PHOTO DAY SUCCESS: Photos have all been taken and since we couldn't do a class picture this year, I took one of each group. You can find them below.
*Your child is coming home with a glue stick. Please keep this in a spot where they can access it when needed. We will be using them throughout the year. If you can show them how to use them, it will prevent a big glob of glue from getting everywhere. Your child will also need a few fall colored leaves for this activity. Can you have them grab some over the weekend.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great weekend.
Good Afternoon Everyone! Let me start off with a huge thank you! Every child arrived today with their Ziploc bag and all of their materials. I appreciate the effort on your end and know you all are balancing a lot.
Today We read the story What Does It Mean To Be Kind? by Rana DiOrio. In this story, A girl is kind to a new student in her class. Her kindness spreads, an act of kindness after an act of kindness, until her whole community experiences the magical change that happens when everyone understands and act on, what means to be kind. I tied it into our previous discussions on acts of kindness and challenged the students to start adding their own acts of kindness to their little kindness books. I can't wait to see how they each demonstrate acts of kindness.
Upcoming Assessments:
I will be spending the next few weeks conducting a variety of assessments that will allow me to see what your child can do and what he/she needs to be taught. Some of the assessments will be done 1:1 and some are whole group. Here are the assessments and what purpose they serve.
F&P Reading Test: This is a 1;1 assessment that allows me to see how your child reads, what strategies they have in their toolbox, and it gives me an indication of what level book to use with him.her. It is done on a 1:1 basis and they will be conducted over the next few weeks.
DSA: This is the developmental spelling test. It is a whole group test where students are asked to spell a sequential set of words that help me zero in on what spelling stage he/she is at. I did this today with the Monday group and will do it again on Thursday.
Letter ID & Sound: This is a 1:1 test that will allow me to see what letters your child knows and what sounds they think each letter makes.
Star 360: This is a district wide math and language arts test that serves as a screening tool for your child's abilities and strengths. It helps us identify where to start with certain aspects fo the curriculum.
NOTES:
*Please make sure your child's Chromebook is charged each night. This is critical for usage at school.
*Make sure you are checking the work schedule for week 3 on the blog.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great week.
Today marks the end of our current 1:4 model and we will now move to a 2:3 model. I have to say, I am glad that I will get two straight days with each group and only 1 day of online meetings (Wednesdays). The Tuesday group will now be Mondays and Tuesdays in school and the Thursday group will now be Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will consist of a live Morning Meeting, A live literacy block, and two asynchronous activities from me. There will be Integrated Arts check-ins offered on Wednesday afternoons too.
It will be important that you help your child or their child care provider stay on top of the asynchronous activities, for the days he/she is not in school. On another please make sure your child is on time for each meeting. When you have 15 or so 6&7 year olds on a Zoom call, it is best to get them going and get them off the call as soon as possible. Having to catch a "late arriving student" is not only difficult but really kills the momentum of the lesson and my ability to keep all focused. Please be respectful of everyone as you do your part.
Today the students head the story Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra Bradley. "Henry Holton’s whole family is hockey mad. Everyone, that is, except Henry. When he holds a hockey stick, Henry becomes a menace to the game—and an embarrassment to his sports-minded family. It’s not until he sees his first ice dancing performance that Henry realizes there’s something he can do on the ice that doesn’t involve boarding and body checking. Henry is ready to hang up his gear and try on some figure skates, but first he has to convince his hockey-obsessed family to let him follow his own path."
This week the students were treated to a very tine donut after a recent survey showed that my whole class loves donuts. I use surveys as part of Morning Meeting to teach the Data and Analysis of the curriculum. It's also a great way to learn new information about the students in our class.
Students Showing Off Their Donuts
Learn About Our Class
This week the students finished their All About Me posters. I used these to create a short video introduction about each student. Please go to my Google Classroom page and access the videos through there. Once you are in Google Classroom, go the the classwork tab and then find the section that is titled This Year's Students.
Weekly News Journals
Today we started our Weekly News Journals. This year I will use these to teach the concept of writing good paragraphs. Each week the students will get to write to their parents or me and write about something from their week. This is something that will be a slow process especially for 1st graders) and will take a lot of time and teaching to get it to wear I want each piece to be. I promise you they will get there just be patient and trust the process. We will use in person time, this week to finish up the 1st entry. If you missed today's lesson, click here, and you can watch it with your child and get them caught up. Please make sure the journals come to school with them this week.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the beauty of fall in Vermont. I will see or talk with all of you next week.
Peace,
Tommy
Our class out on a walk. Our umbrellas keep us safely apart.
I hope you all are doing well and found today's navigation, of remote learning, a bit easier. We had 10 students on for our Morning Meeting today. I knew 2 students were not going to make it. It seems like the Neck of the Woods Program is still trying to work out the kinks on their end. I hope they can figure it out sooner rather than later.
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Today we read the story Try A Little Kindness. I love this simple book that demonstrates so many ways to share acts of kindness. In a world where looking for the positives in life, is a must, this book demonstrated how simple acts of kindness can mean so much for others. When the students come to school this week, he/she will receive a mini composition book (see picture). The idea is they will keep it with them and when they do an act of kindness, they can either draw a picture or write about it. They should date each entry. Below is a reading of the book, if you would like to hear it too.
During our writing time, the students each came up with an academic goal that they wanted to work on this year. This was after a discussion of why e come to school. If your child missed this meeting today, please watch this recording, discuss it with your child, and then email me their goal. They will need their goal identified to do a project later in the week.
To Do List:
*Make sure your child brings in their completed poster, self portrait, and their writing prompt, when they return to school this week.
*Your child should have their Zearn binder, charged chrome book, and their blue writing folder too.
*Please make sure your child is getting to 4 Zearn math lessons a week. I will start giving progress updates in two weeks.
*PLEASE, PLEASE if your child is in Person on Thursdays, make sure to stop by school and pick up two pieces of card-stock. The bins are located outside my side classroom door, in the clear tub. The Tuesday students will be given their sheet tomorrow at school. We will be using this paper on Wednesday.
I hope you all take a moment to pat yourselves on the back as you successfully completed your first week of navigating our new world. Compared to the last time we had to start the school year in a "pandemic mode" . . .oh wait, we never have. So let's just celebrate the successes.
Today the students finished the All About Me posters and completed their self portrait. If your child missed the writing lesson today, please find time, before his/her next in person day, to complete the work. Both posters should be returned on their in person day this coming week. I did record the lesson today, so if you want to watch that to get the directions, please do so. The lesson can be found here. There was a little bit of down time because we had to wait for people to join. You may want to skip ahead.
When your child returns to in person schooling this week; please have them bring the following assignments that are due:
1. Self Portrait (drawn and colored in)
2. All About Me Poster (filled out and colored in).
3. Week 1 Writing Prompt: My Favorite Thing I Did This Summer. Note: Most of the Thursday kids turned that in when they came on Thursday.
This morning we listened to the story When a Dragon Moves in by Jodi Moore. "If you build a perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in. And that’s exactly what happens to one very lucky boy at the beach. Dad is busy sunbathing and Mom is busy with her book, so the boy and dragon roam the beach together, flying a kite, braving the waves, and roasting marshmallows. But no one believes him when he shares the news of his magnificent dragon: Mom only hears the roar of the ocean, Dad thinks the dragon feather is a seagull feather, and know-it-all sis claims there’s no such thing as a dragon. That’s when the sandwiches mysteriously disappear, claw prints are found in the brownies, and dragon-giggles erupt from the strangest of places. Heh-heh-heh. Is there truly a mischievous dragon running around on the beach or is someone’s imagination running wild? Decide for yourself When a Dragon Moves In."
This week the students met with Mr. Hill, our music teacher, our librarian Mr. Mongeon, and our counselor Ms. Ashley. Ms. Ashley is new to our school and I was glad the kids got a chance to meet with her. Speaking of Mr. Hill, he asks that you use this link to join his virtual music class on Monday at 10:40. The link will also be in my weekly plans that you get on Sunday.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend with no screens and lots of outside time. We are off to a great start and I can't wait to see what week 2 brings us. Please reach out if you need anything.
WELCOME BACK! It is certainly nice to be back int he classroom with some students. We spent the morning learning names, and we had our first Morning Meeting. We talked about why we meet and the goal of our meetings. Ms. Ashley, our new guidance counselor, also joined our meeting. She took time to introduce herself and played a quick little game with the class. We also had our first math class today. The first graders all came to my room and the 2nd graders went to Mr. Hubbard's room and worked on attributes. The first graders spent some time working on making the digits 0 and 1. Some of them will need to finish their work at home. They will need their number writing packet for tomorrow's online class too.
This afternoon, I read the book First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. "Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn't want to startover at a new school. She doesn'tknow anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition."
Tomorrow will be our first whole class Morning Meeting. Please make sure your child logs on by 8:40. It will start at 8:45. The link for the meeting can be found here. The first graders will also have a virtual math class. Your child can access this meeting by clicking here. Your child will need their number writing book, their computer, and their Zearn binder. Again the math class is for 1st graders only.
There are two bins outside my classroom door (see picture). These bins are for you to be able to drop your child's work off for me (if it can't wait until the next time they come to school) and the other is a bin for me to leave work for you. They will stay outside all of the time so you can access them when it works for you. If I am leaving something for your child, I will email to let you know.
Good Evening,
I hope you child enjoyed the final meeting today. It was fun to see so many talents from flipping to dancing, to magic, we have a very talented group of students. It was a fun way to end a new phase fro all of us. I have been very pleased with the class, their work, and their attitudes toward online learning. I thank all of you for your support during this time.
I hope everyone enjoyed the "Inverse Parade" today. It was great to see so many smiling faces and all of my colleagues too. Waitsfield is such a special place and in the midst of global chaos, it is nice to have such wonderful colleagues, friends, parents, and students in my life. Thank you for the reminder again today.
This is the final post of the school year. Thank you for a fantastic year and for sharing your kids with me. I hope you all have a wonderful summer. I will see you all in the fall (Hopefully)! Below are pictures from the 1st day of school this year. Enjoy.
