October 24, 2025

 “One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world.” – E. H. Mayoli

While this quote might seem a little deep for our 1st and 2nd graders, it perfectly captures the incredible spirit I've witnessed over the past few weeks.

For the last two weeks, our read-aloud selections have focused on important social and emotional learning topics. These books have opened up wonderful discussions about the hurdles kids face, the feelings they have, and the behaviors they display.

But the true power lies in the actions the students are choosing on their own.

Every classroom is filled with children dealing with their own challenges, and to watch the way our students are helping each other through these is truly inspiring. Just this week, I saw a student walk over, bend down, and quietly whisper in a classmate's ear, which instantly helped that child "reset." It simply made me smile.

I am so impressed with how well our class is taking care of each other and demonstrating such wonderful empathy and support.

This week's read-a-loud titles were as follows:

Stay Cool at School: The main learning goal of this book is to teach children self-management skills, specifically focusing on identifying, expressing, and coping with big emotions in a healthy way. The book uses a story format with characters Jumpy and Sunny to help students learn to:

• Recognize and name a variety of feelings they experience throughout the school day (e.g., worried, angry, excited).
• Practice self-soothing techniques and coping skills to manage their emotions.
• Become mindful of their emotional state to promote a calmer learning environment.

In essence, it aims to empower children with the tools they need for emotional regulation and self-control.

I Have Ants in My Pants (no link available): This is a story about a young boy named Louis who struggles constantly with an uncontrollable urge to wiggle, fidget, and move. He is a good kid, but he just can't sit still—he wiggles in his seat at the movie theater, can't stand still in line, and accidentally bumps or kicks others during quiet activities like story time. Because of his constant restlessness, people around him frequently tell him he "has ants in his pants. "With a little practice, Louis learns that he can successfully calm his body and sit still when needed, making both him and the people around him much happier. The book normalizes restlessness and provides children with actionable strategies for self-control and impulse management.

What Were You Thinking: The story focuses on Braden, a humorous third-grader who loves being the center of attention. Braden frequently runs into trouble because he acts on his first impulse: he cracks ill-timed jokes in class, shouts out answers, or reacts impulsively during games, often resulting in hurt feelings or consequences. When his teachers and parents repeatedly ask, "What were you thinking?", they realize the answer is often, "He wasn't thinking at all!"

The adults in Braden's life step in and teach him a practical, four-step strategy to control his impulses and make better choices:

• Stop: Take a breath and pause.
• Think: Consider the different choices you could make.
• Decide: Choose the best option.
• Choose the Right Behavior: Act on the plan.

Through practicing these steps, Braden learns that a brief moment of thought can prevent larger problems and help him achieve his goal of being funny and well-liked without causing disruption or hurting others. The book empowers children to take control of their reactions and focus on positive long-term outcomes.

My Tiny Temper: This story helps children understand their anger by externalizing it as a "Tiny Temper" monster that grows bigger every time they feel frustrated or hear the word "No." The key lesson is that while it's normal to feel angry, children need tools to keep their temper from becoming overwhelming. The book teaches a simple strategy: to stop, take a deep breath, and have a "tiny chat" with their feelings to keep their temper small and manageable. We encourage you to reinforce this stopping and breathing technique at home to help your child manage big emotions.

The Boy With Big, Big Feelings: This story introduces a boy whose emotions—from intense joy to deep sadness—are so powerful they feel visible. When he notices his feelings making him different, he tries to hide and stuff them down, fearing he'll be judged. The powerful message of the book is that he realizes, through connecting with a friend who feels just as deeply, that his big feelings are a strength and a gift, not a flaw. It teaches all children that it's okay to experience and express the full range of their emotions, and that sharing them is the key to genuine connection and friendship.

Student of the Week:  This week's Student of the Week is pictured here. She is a 2nd grader in our classroom and has an older brother at our school too. Her favorite food is Watermelon. Her favorite color is yellow. She loves to do gymnastics and she wants to be a gymnast when she grows up. The thing she loves best about school is recess! Congratulations to this week's Student of the week. 

Global Read A Loud:  On Monday, I read the story I'm From. This is the third title for this year's Global Read A Loud. This book follows a young Black boy through the small, defining moments of an ordinary day, from waking up to bedtime. Using the phrase "I come from," the lyrical text explores his identity not just through a geographical place, but through the rich details of his daily life: family, food, community, school bus rides, games, and cultural pride. It also addresses the isolating experience of facing racial microaggressions, such as being asked, "Where are you from?" The book ultimately becomes a powerful and affirming celebration of self-awareness, belonging, and the sense of home found in family and heritage. After we discussed the book, the students made their own "I'm From" posters using construction paper and special construction paper crayons. It was great to see how each kid identified what was important to them and what defined who they are. 

The Rest of the Week's Academics: 

• In writing, the students continued writing personal narratives. I continued to focus on keeping the story about a specific moment and exploding that moment with their writing. I also led a mini-lesson on spelling and reminding kids how to stretch out the word and wrote the sounds they hear. 
• Our financial literacy learning had the class finishing up their work with the book Spend It! The class completed an activity that had them think of two items they would like to buy but then realized they only had enough for one of the items. They then were forced to solve the problem with the idea that they would have to make a decision. 
• Math class had first graders focusing on dominoes and having the ability to identify the fact family for each domino. A domino fact family is where students use the dots on a domino to create a set of related addition and subtraction equations (or multiplication and division equations). For example, a domino with 2 dots on one side and 4 on the other creates the fact family 2+4=6, 4+2=6, 6-2=4, & 6-4=2. The 2nd graders finished up their work with Unit 1 and spent the latter part of the week counting and organizing larger groups of items. 

NOTES:

*Please make sure your child has sneakers on gym days (Wednesdays & Thursdays). Kai really appreciates your help with this.

*Some of the kids have asked about another book order. I will send one out in November with the goal of having them delivered prior to the December break. More information will be shared when the order forms are sent home. 

*We had a new student join our class on Tuesday. This child (seen here) is a wonderful young lady and has immediately jumped right in to our routines and has already connected with some of her classmates. She has a twin in Mr. Hubbard's classroom and an older sibling in 4th grade. I want to welcome her to our school and community. 

*We will have a bus evacuation drill on 

. This is required (by our bus company) and the kids will learn what to do if the bus ever broke down or a situation arrived where they had to get off the bus). I have seen many classes do this over the years and it is always handled with ease by the students. 

*Picture retakes will be on Wednesday.  We will also be carving pumpkins with Mrs. Smith's class at the end of the day (On Wednesday). 

That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend. I am currently in Rochester, NY visiting my daughter. I have to laugh because she is already asleep and her "old man" is still up at 12:00 am getting this post done. It is good to know that I can still outlast a 24 year old!

We have a glasses club in our room!

Peace,

Mr. Young

October 17, 2025

This past Wednesday, I had a wonderful time introducing the class to essential life skills using the brilliant picture book: Spend It! (A Money Bunny Book) by Cinders McLeod. This charming story was a perfect way to continue our classroom discussion on financial literacy!

We met Sonny the Money Bunny, who received a weekly allowance of a modest three carrots. Like many of us, he wanted everything! His wish list included a cool toy rocket, a bouncy pogo stick, and a massive bouncy castle!

Sonny quickly learned a valuable lesson: three carrots didn't go very far, especially when that bouncy castle cost a whopping one hundred carrots! With a little help from his mom, Sonny discovered he had to make some tough choices about what to spend his allowance on.

He paused, thought things through (and did some bunny-math!), and ultimately decided on the pogo stick. He realized that being a smart spender meant figuring out what was truly valuable to him.

We used Sonny's story as a fun, effective lesson in money management. Here's what we focused on:

1. Wants vs. Needs & Prioritizing
The main concept we discussed was that you can't buy everything! Sonny's journey perfectly illustrated the difference between wants and the need for prioritizing purchases. We talked about having a limited budget.

2. Impulse Control 
The book gently addressed the natural urge for impulse buying and encouraged a more rational approach to spending. We asked students what they might have bought immediately and what they might have chosen after thinking about it.

3. Early Math and Value 
Using "carrots" as currency helped keep the concepts simple. The varying prices of the items naturally introduced ideas of value and basic math, showing that bigger items cost more.

During our lesson, we used Sonny's adventures as a springboard for discussions: "What would you have bought with three carrots?" and "Which items were your biggest priorities?" It was a great start to talking about saving, spending, and sharing! Ask your child what they remember about Sonny and his carrots! 

Global Read-A-Loud

This Week's Global Read-A-Loud book was Saturday by Oge Mora. This is a heartwarming picture book about a mother and daughter whose carefully planned special day together goes completely wrong, ultimately revealing the true source of their joy. Ava and her mother eagerly look forward to Saturdays, as it is the only day her mother doesn't work. They have a splendid routine planned: story time at the library, a new hairdo at the salon, and a special, one-night-only puppet show. However, this particular Saturday is one mishap after another:

• They arrive at the library only to find story time is canceled.
• On their way to the salon, a passing car splashes a puddle and ruins their freshly done hair.
• Their planned picnic in the park is spoiled by loud, noisy crowds.
• Finally, after rushing to catch the bus to the puppet show, they discover Mom forgot the tickets at home.  

Mom is distraught, feeling she has "ruined Saturday." But Ava, who has been resilient through all the setbacks, reminds her mother of the simple truth: "Saturdays are wonderful... because I spend them with you." Inspired by Ava's perspective, they head home and, instead of letting the disappointment win, they kick off their shoes and create their own special puppet show together, turning their ruined plans into a new, cherished memory.

The story highlights the themes of resilience, flexible thinking, and the priceless value of spending quality time with loved ones over perfect plans.

Math

This week the 1st grade math students were all about the dominoes. Using dominoes to teach the counting on addition strategy is highly effective because they are a concrete, tactile, and visually partitioned manipulative that reinforces core mathematical principles.

1. Visual Partitioning Reinforces the Strategy

The physical design of a domino directly supports the "counting on" concept:

Clear Distinction: The line in the center of the domino naturally separates the two addends, or parts of the whole. This allows the child to easily identify which side is the "starting number" (the larger group) and which side contains the dots they will "count on" (the smaller group).

Encourages Efficiency: The child is visually prompted to start with the group that has more dots, and then simply use the dots on the second, smaller side for the remaining count. This avoids the time-consuming and often confusing process of counting all the dots from one.

2. Supports Core Number Sense
Dominoes help bridge the gap between concrete objects and abstract numbers:

Subitizing: The patterned arrangement of dots (pips) on a domino helps children practice subitizing—instantly recognizing the quantity of a small group without having to count. When they see a side with 5 dots, they immediately know it's "5," which speeds up the counting on process (say "5," then count the rest).
The Commutative Property: When a domino is flipped (e.g., from a 2∣5 to a 5∣2), the total remains the same (7). This provides a concrete, self-correcting way to teach the Commutative Property of Addition (a+b=b+a). This principle is fundamental to the counting on strategy, as it assures the child that it’s always easier and correct to start with the larger number.

3. Tactile and Engaging Learning
Dominoes turn math practice into an enjoyable, hands-on experience:

Manipulative: The chunky, tactile nature of dominoes allows children to physically touch the dots as they count, which utilizes kinesthetic learning and strengthens memory retention.

Game-Based Learning: Dominoes are widely recognized as a game, which makes the activity fun and reduces the anxiety associated with formal math instruction. This increases engagement and the willingness to practice the "counting on" strategy repeatedly.This week's narrative unit focused on the crucial writing habit of revision and elaboration. The primary teaching point is to shift the students' mindset from simply completing a task to actively improving their work. The main goal of this lesson is to teach students that writers don't stop after the first draft. They must look back at their writing to see where they can add more detail to make their stories clearer and more compelling for the reader.

The second graders completed their Unit 1 assessment. The majority of their focus was on finding complements of 20. Knowing the complements of 20 (pairs of numbers that add up to 20, like $12+8$ or $15+5$) is crucial for young math students because it significantly boosts their number sense and arithmetic fluency.

Key Benefits for Math Students

• Builds Mental Math Fluency: It allows students to perform addition and subtraction problems within 20 faster and without relying on counting (e.g., they know $20 - 7 = 13$ because $7$ and $13$ are complements). This skill serves as a foundation for solving larger problems.
• Strengthens Number Sense: The number 20 acts as an important benchmark, often visualized using a double ten-frame , which reinforces the organization of numbers and begins to establish early place value concepts (the '2' in 20).
• Supports Subtraction: Students learn to view subtraction as finding the missing part of 20, cementing the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction (fact families).
• Extends Key Strategies: It's a natural progression from the vital "make a ten" strategy, allowing students to efficiently use grouping to solve more complex calculations.

Writing

The main goal of this week's instruction was to teach students that writers don't stop after the first draft.They must look back at their writing to see where they can add more detail to make their stories clearer and more compelling for the reader. 
The focus equips students with a concrete revision strategy: to re-read their work and ask questions about the events in their pictures and text. This week's lessons were vital for establishing the expectation of elaboration—stretching out a single small moment across multiple pages rather than simply listing many large events.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

This week's Student of the week is pictured here. This person is a 2nd grader and loves being a leader in the classroom. His favorite food is sushi and his favorite color red. He wants to be a heavy metal singer when he gets older. His favorite thing to do is to sing as well and he also likes to play with his friends. His favorite part of school is "being with Mr. Young." Congratultions to this week's Student of the Week. 

This week's Read-A-Louds were (they are once again linked):

*What Does It Mean to Be Present?

*I am Peace, A Book of Mindfulness

*My Magic Breath

*Belly Breathing

This week's books focused on how to calm yourself using a variety of techniques. It is important to teach the students how to self regulate and let them know that we all have moments that requires us to use a technique to help calm our bodies and minds. 

NOTES:

*As the weather turns please make sure your child has appropriate clothing and boots for mud and snow. Your child is welcomed to leave a pair of shoes at school if they wish to. Just let them know and have them tell me. 

*I will be out of school on Tuesday and Friday of next week. I have a longer eye appointment on Tuesday and I am taking a personal day on Friday. My wife and I are going to go visit my oldest daughter. She chose to live 6 hours away so we like to spend a full day there and have two half days of driving. Once basketball season starts, I can't get out to see her, so this is a great time for me to go.  

*Your child has their homework bag with a book and their Weekly News Journal in it. Please take time to read it with them and initial it after reading.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Tommy

October 10, 2025

Hello everyone! Despite the shorter week and the chilly weather outside, things were heating up in the classroom! We packed a ton of learning and fun into these four days. Ready for the highlights? Let's take a look at what we accomplished.

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” - Amelia Earhart. Kindness was the theme for our read-a-loud books this week. This week's titles were (each one is linked for easy listening):

Kindness Makes Me Stronger: This is a children's book where a boy named Nick teaches farm animals about the magic of kindness, empathy, and respect. Through the story, children learn that kindness involves helping others, showing gratitude, accepting diversity, caring for nature, and practicing generosity, ultimately making the world a better place and empowering the kind individual.

What Does It Mean to be Kind?: This book explains that kindness is a courageous act, a ripple effect, and a shift that can change a community. A young girl shows kindness to a new student, and her small act inspires others in the community to be kind, leading to a positive and caring atmosphere for everyone.

Ordinary Mary's Extra-Ordinary Deed: This story is about an ordinary girl, Mary, who performs one kind act—picking blueberries for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop—which sparks a chain reaction of kindness. Each person who receives a blueberry muffin from Mrs. Bishop then performs five kind deeds, which then leads to more acts of kindness, spreading throughout the community and eventually returning to Mary, demonstrating how small gestures can have a global impact.

Enemy Pie: In this story, a boy is upset by the arrival of a new neighbor, Jeremy Ross, and is told by his father to give Jeremy "Enemy Pie" to get rid of him. However, the secret recipe requires the boy to spend the entire day playing with Jeremy to make the pie work. As they play and have fun, the boy realizes Jeremy isn't an enemy, and by the end of the day, they have become friends, effectively "getting rid" of the enemy by turning him into a friend.

A Hands-On Lesson in Financial Literacy: Earning, Saving, and Spending

This week, we kicked off a major unit focused on the concept of earning money and personal responsibility!

We introduced the unit using the wonderful story, Earn It by Cinders McLeod. This book tells the tale of Bun, a bunny who initially desires instant fame and wealth through singing, but soon discovers that achieving her dreams—and earning her "carrots"—requires hard work and effort through chores like walking her dog and helping in the garden. It's a perfect guide for teaching our young students about financial literacy and the deep satisfaction of earning accomplishments rather than expecting instant results.

---

The Class "Job": Homework Bags for Dollars

To bring this lesson to life, your children will now have a real job!

Starting next week, their daily task of consistently returning their homework bag (with the book inside) will become a paying position.

• The Paycheck: They will receive $1 each day they successfully complete this chore.

• Maximum Earnings: Over the course of the unit, they can earn up to $22 just from this job.

• Bonus Opportunity: We are also connecting financial literacy with our class goal of thinking of others. Any time a student performs an act that demonstrates exceptional kindness or consideration, they will receive a $1 bonus!

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The Spending Challenge: Save for a Special Reward

Students have been presented with a list of items they can purchase with their earnings:

Item	Cost	The Value
Candy	$4	A sweet, immediate treat.
Small Prize	$7	A fun item from our classroom prize bin.
Movie Ticket	$17	Admission to our "Movie Night" event!

The Movie Night Event

The big incentive is the Movie Ticket. Buying this ticket secures a spot at our special Movie Night on Wednesday, November 19th, from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. This event will allow the children to stay right after school, running through the typical after-school program hours. It will be a full, authentic movie theater experience, complete with popcorn, drinks, and candy!

The Lesson in Saving

Here is the essential "catch": if a student decides to purchase a $7 prize early on, it will become very challenging to save enough for the $17 movie ticket. This is the core teaching point of the unit! Through this experience, the students will learn about earning, saving, and smart spending, as well as the importance of giving.

We will be working through these saving strategies in class, but it would be incredibly helpful if you could chat with your child at home about this new opportunity. Discuss why they might want to save enough for the movie ticket and what the benefits of delayed gratification can be.

Thank you for supporting this exciting and practical learning experience!

MATH:

First-grade students continued practicing the ability to recognize numbers on a Rekenrek because it is a powerful visual tool for building number sense and developing flexible mathematical thinking. The Rekenrek is designed to help students move beyond counting one-by-one by emphasizing key mathematical benchmarks:

1. Subitizing and Fluency

• Subitizing: This is the ability to instantly "just know" how many objects are in a small group without counting. The Rekenrek's design—two rows of ten beads, with the first five of one color (e.g., red) and the next five of another (e.g., white)—forces students to subitize.

  • For example, instead of counting to seven, a student instantly sees the group of 5 red beads and 2 more white beads, recognizing the total as 7 immediately.

• Efficiency: This practice encourages them to see numbers as groups (5 and 10), which is much faster and more efficient than counting every single bead.

2. Anchoring to 5 and 10

• Base-10 System: The Rekenrek is built around the base-10 system, which is fundamental to math. The visual break at the five-mark and the ten-mark helps students use these numbers as "anchors."

• Composing and Decomposing: It helps students visualize how numbers are composed (put

  • To make the number 8, a student can easily see and manipulate the beads to show $5+3$ or $4+4$, strengthening their understanding of number bonds.

•  together) and decomposed (broken apart).

3. Developing Mental Math Strategies

• By physically and visually working with the Rekenrek, students build a mental model for strategies used in addition and subtraction, which is a key first-grade skill.

  • Make-a-Ten: To solve $7+6$, a student can see that moving 3 beads from the 6 to the 7 makes a group of 10, leaving $10+3=13$. The Rekenrek makes this process concrete.

  • Doubles and Near Doubles: It provides a great visual for working on facts like $6+6$ (a row of 5 plus 1 on each row) and $6+7$.

In short, practice on the Rekenrek shifts first graders from basic counting to strategic thinking and a deeper, more flexible understanding of numbers.

Second grade math work pushed the students to become more flexible and strategic thinkers! We dove into three interrelated concepts designed to strengthen their overall number sense:

1. "Finding the Difference" Challenges: We worked extensively on finding the difference between two numbers. This is a crucial skill that teaches students to see subtraction not just as "taking away," but as the distance between two numbers. This conceptual understanding is key for developing advanced strategies.

2. Multiple Addend Equations: Students practiced solving equations with three or more numbers (e.g., $4+5+3=?$). This is an important step in building mental math fluency, as it encourages them to look for groupings like "making a ten" or using doubles to simplify the calculation.

3. Application Through Story Problems: We applied all of these new skills to a variety of addition and subtraction story problems. The focus was on moving past simple keyword hunting and encouraging students to model and visualize the problem scenario, enabling them to correctly identify and solve both "joining" and "separating" problem types.

This focused practice is essential for building a solid foundation as we move toward place value and multi-digit operations!

Launching Our Personal Narrative Writing Workshop

This week marked the start of our first formal writing unit: Personal Narratives. This unit is foundational, teaching students the essential craft moves required for compelling storytelling.

Our primary instructional focus has been on mastering the scope of a narrative, specifically the concept of the "Small Moment." We used the classic "Watermelon and Watermelon Seed" analogy to guide their thinking:

• Students are learning to avoid writing a "watermelon" story (a summary of a long period) and instead zoom in on a "seed" story—a single, focused event that took place in a short span of time (e.g., a few minutes or seconds).

• This intense focus allows them to apply essential writing techniques such as stretching the action and incorporating rich sensory details to show, not tell, their experience.

The early drafts from this first week already show a strong grasp of narrative focus, and I'm very excited to see how their descriptive writing develops throughout this unit.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:

I have to apologize to this week's Student of the Week. I forgot to take a picture of the student with the "Frame."  The short week threw me off and I realized (as I was writing this post) that I forgot to get the photo today.  Luckily I have this photo to use instead. This student is a 2nd grader and his favorite color is blue. He has a brother that is in 4th grade. His favorite food is pizza his favorite activity is to skateboard. He wants to be an F-1 driver when he is an adult. His favorite place to visit is Lego Land. Congratulations to this week's Student of the Week!

GLOBAL READ-A-LOUD:

On Monday, Mr. Mongeon came into our classroom and read the 1st book from the Global Read-A-Loud project. This is a project that Mr. Mongeon and I are collaborating on. The first week of our Global Read Aloud focused on introducing the beautiful, heartwarming story of Thank You, Omu! and the central themes of generosity and community. After we read the book, the students made thank you cards to someone that has been kind to them. They also mimicked the author and illustrator by adding touches of the collage concept. This project will have a dedicated bulletin board inside our classroom library. 

NOTES:

*Everyone that ordered books from the Scholastic Book Club should have received their books on Tuesday.

*Please don;t forget to send your child in with sneakers on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  These are PE days and Kai would like to see everyone with shoes that are meant for PE class. 

*With a long weekend scheduled, I did not send home the homework bags over the weekend.

*Remember, there is no school on Monday. Enjoy the long weekend.

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

Peace,

Mr. Young

October 3, 2025

I can't believe I am saying this after just 27 school days but our classroom is running like a well oiled machine. This "state of being" is important when it comes to your child's learning. "Keeping your classroom running like a well-oiled machine is one of the most important things I can do. It is proven that students learn about 20% more in a positive, regulated environment. I have been impressed how quickly the kids have picked up the routines and expectations that comes with being in our classroom.

It was certainly a very busy week, and these students have been engaged in a variety of learning both in and out of the building. Yesterday we had the most PERFECT fall day.  The hike at Mad River was amazing and every student accomplished the hike they set out to do. It was great to see the excitement, the engagement and enjoyment that the kids all shared. I would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped students along and for their support with this activity. We certainly couldn't do it (the way we do) with out all of the extra hands.

This week in math, the 1st graders worked on measuring units with connecting cubes (a non-standard unit of measure). I emphasized the importance of placing measuring tools in a straight line with no gaps or overlaps to ensure accurate results.  Using non-standard units to teach first graders to measure is important because it provides a concrete, hands-on way to introduce the foundational concepts of measurement without the abstract complexity of standard units like inches or centimeters. This method builds confidence, allows for the development of proportional reasoning, and helps students understand that multiple smaller units can be used to measure a larger object, all of which are crucial steps before they transition to standard units. The students also worked on graphing results of a penny/nickel game and continued work with number racks and identifying missing addends.  

Second grade math focused on adding and counting groups of 5s. This is important because it builds number sense, mental math skills, and counting by 5s patterns, which are crucial for mastering more complex math concepts like multiplication, money, and time. This skill improves problem-solving speed and accuracy by freeing up working memory, leading to greater confidence and success in math.

We started our first social studies unit of the year on Thursday. This unit is a Financial Literacy unit and focuses on 3 main academic goals:

1. Compare needs and wants and provide examples of both
2. Identify economic activities that use resources in the local community
3. Explain why people earn, spend and save money

When we are finished with this unit, the students should be able to:

• explain if something is a need or a want, and give examples of both
• give examples of businesses in our community that use local materials and hire local people
• explain why people need to earn money, why they spend money, and why they save money

Today we focused on learning the difference between wants and needs.

This week we made a Class Charter.  This is part of our school's SEL program and each classroom comes up with their own unique charter. The class charter is different from classroom rules because a charter focuses on how we want to feel at school. I always do mine once the classroom rules have been created. It is a great way to connect the relationship between how we act and the effect it has on how we feel. Our new charter is pictured in this post. 

This was also the first full week of direct instruction reading groups. I have 5 different reading groups and break them up to allow for more detailed differentiated instruction. This allows the students to work on the specific skills they need to make forward progress along the reading continuum.  The reading groups are part of the Daily 5 structure that I use.  If you would like to learn more about the "Daily 5 Routine," you can click this link. Please note I modified the routine to fit my teaching and classroom.  

 

This week we read the following books during read-a-loud time (each one is linked if you would like to listen to it with your child:

*The Invisible Boy

*The Rainbow Fish

*The Juice Box Bully

*I am Enough

*The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Today the students met with the Waitsfield Fire Department for a presentation on fire safety.  The students learned about ways to stay safe, what to do in an emergency, and what a firefighter looks like with all of their gear on. The students also had the opportunity to explore some of the trucks and the equipment. We are certainly lucky to have a vibrant volunteer squad in our community. 

Today your child has a Weekly News Journal in their plastic homework bag. There is a note inside the cover that explains the purpose and reasoning behind these journals. Please read the note, the entry your child wrote and then initial at the end of their entry. These should come back on Monday, inside the homework bags. 

The parent volunteers will start coming into the classroom this next week. The kids are really excited about this and are set for your arrival. I have talked with them and they know they will treat you like a teacher in the classroom. There are still a few available spots if anyone is interested. If saying goodbye is a challenge for your child, I will help with this (so it is not awkward). Here is the schedule:

KID OF THE WEEK

This week's kid of the week is this spectacular young lady (pictured here). She is a first grader and she has a May birthday. Her favorite food is cotton candy and her favorite color is pink. She has twin baby brothers too. She really wants to go back to the Jay Peak water park. She wants to be herself when she grows up. Her favorite animal is a unicorn and she has lots of unicorn clothing. He favorite unicorn is a Woodland Flower unicorn. Congratulations to this week's KID of the WEEK!

NOTES:

*The book orders have been delayed.  Apparently the box was destroyed during shipping and returned to Scholastic. They are sending a new box out today and sending it two day delivery. Sorry for the wait.

*I wanted to remind you all of how I will handle student absences (This was in the summer letter). Vacation Travel: I understand that kids will miss school for a variety of reasons. Between illnesses, family obligations, vacations, and anything in between, there will be times where your child might miss school. If your child is sick or has an appointment, I will be responsible for getting the make up work together for your child (most likely the next day). If it is possible to do it the same day, I will. However, this isn’t always possible. If your child is missing school for travel, vacation, and/or personal decisions, I will ask that you schedule a time to meet with me upon your child’s return to school. It will be your responsibility to create a plan to make up the missed work. While your child is out, I ask that you have he/she read everyday and write in a journal (about their travel) daily. I will ask that the journal be presented to me upon return. Please understand that some things may not be able to be made up, and your child will simply miss out on some of the opportunities.

*It was so great to see so many of you at Open House this past week. The excitement that the kids have for the evening and the joy in showing you their work and space makes me smile. I hope you found the evening enjoyable.

*The Ski and Skate Sale season has begun and the event is fast approaching. The PTA needs volunteers to make this event happen.  As of this morning, I have 10 of the 15 families (from my classroom) that have signed up top help. I am a little competitive and want to have the most families signed up. The PTA sponsors many events that all of our class accesses. They truly do impact every child with their financial support. I have already signed up for my shift too! I ask that you please find a way to volunteer and help our PTA team with this event.

*As I had mentioned (earlier in the year), one of my goals this year is to help the students focus on the concept of "thinking about others." I am already seeing students do that here at school. I would love to see this extend beyond our classroom walls. If your child starts to do this at home, in the community, or anywhere else, please have them let me know.  I want to share these moments with the class.

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


Peace,
Mr. Young

          

September 26, 2025

I wanted to start this week's post with a shout out to this week's Student of the Week. This amazing young child will be leaving our class and heading to a new school on Wednesday. His favorite food is hamburgers. Although Cheez-Its may be a close 2nd. His favorite color is yellow. His favorite activity is swimming and he loves being with his friends. Today we celebrated this person with a small going away tribute. I want to thank all of the students for making wonderful pictures and cards for him.

A couple of weeks back we created our classroom rules.  These rules were created by the class and were guided by the goals that each kid set for themselves. The rules are now posted and the kids have all signed the rules poster. Now that we have our rules set, I have introduced the concept of Logical Consequences. Logical Consequences help students understand the connection between their actions and the outcomes. These consequences are respectful and relevant to the situation.Logical consequences are not punishments. Instead, they are direct, reasonable, and respectful responses to a child's misbehavior that teach self-control and responsibility. They help children learn from their mistakes and fix problems they've created.

In our classroom, this approach focuses on three main types of consequences:

1. "You Broke it, You Fix it" (Reparation) 

This consequence is used when a child has physically or emotionally damaged something or someone. The focus is on repairing the harm done.

• Example: If your child draws on a desk, the logical consequence is for them to clean the desk.

• Example: If your child hurts a classmate's feelings, the logical consequence might be for them to apologize and ask what they can do to help the classmate feel better.

2. Loss of Privilege 

If a student misuses a privilege, they temporarily lose access to that privilege. This consequence is only effective when the lost privilege is directly related to the misbehavior.

• Example: If your child races dangerously on the playground equipment, they may have to sit out from the playground for a short period to observe the rules before returning.

• Example: If a child misuses a classroom supply (like scissors), they may temporarily have to use an alternative tool or complete the activity without that specific supply.

3. Time-Out or Take a Break (Positive Time-Out) 

This is a time for the child to calm down and regain self-control. It is not used as isolation or a threat. In our classroom, the student is often given the option to take a break when they notice they are getting upset or when the teacher sees them struggling to follow directions.

• How it Works: The child moves to a designated, comfortable, and safe area in the classroom (called the Take-a-Break spot). They are encouraged to take a moment to breathe or use a calm-down tool before rejoining the class ready to learn.

Key Takeaways for Parents 

• Focus is on Learning: The goal isn't to make your child feel bad, but to teach responsibility and self-management.

• Consistency is Crucial: Consequences work best when they are applied predictably and fairly.

• Respectful Language: Teachers deliver consequences calmly and firmly, focusing on the behavior, not the child's character ("I see you are having trouble keeping your hands to yourself. Please take a break.").

This method helps students develop the understanding that they are in charge of their own actions and must be responsible for the effects of those actions. Please let me know if you have any questions about the Logical Consequence approach.

The students have been learning how to write like scientists. They each have their own science notebook and have used their observation skills to complete entries in their notebooks. They have been observing flowers and leaves and then drawing, labeling, and coloring them in their notebooks. Today they will work on "I noticed" statements. They are really excited about this work.

This week's 1st grade math focused on the strategy of counting on. The counting on strategy is crucial in first-grade math because it develops essential number sense and fluency, transitioning students from concrete counting to more efficient mental math and laying the foundation for advanced mathematical concepts. It allows students to quickly solve addition problems by starting with the larger number and counting up, which strengthens their ability to conceptualize numbers and understand the relationship between them. This strategy supports the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) learning progression and helps students become more confident and independent problem-solvers.

This week's 2nd grade math focused on solving addition and subtraction story problems using 2 digit numbers. Addition and subtraction word problems are important in 2nd grade because they connect abstract math concepts to real-world situations, helping students build deeper conceptual understanding rather than just memorizing procedures. These problems foster essential skills like critical thinking, logic, and step-by-step problem-solving, which are crucial life skills. By using stories, students can activate their prior knowledge, see how math applies to everyday life, and develop a strong foundation for future mathematical learning, including understanding operations and problem structure.

This week's read-a-louds (all but 1) continued to focus on our fall theme. We have been talking about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. Next week's read-a-louds will focus on social emotional themes. I have linked them all so you can listen to them with your child.

• The Magical Yet
• There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves
• Goodbye Summer Hello Autumn
• How to Make an Apple Pie
• Windows

Sticking with the fall theme, the students all created their own fall leaves and they are hung above their cubbies. They look great and allows them to feel like the leaves are raining down on them.

NOTES:

*The Scholastic book orders should be in by Monday.

*The All School Hike will be this coming Wednesday. We will leave the school around 8:00 and will return around noon time. I will sign up each kid for a school lunch that day. If they decide to bring their own home lunch, it will not be a big deal at all. I do ask that the students wear sneakers and dress for the weather. I also ask that they come to school with very little in their backpacks. That way they are nice and light. Please, please have your child bring a water bottle with their name on it.

*We will have a fire safety assembly and a chance to visit the fire people on Friday, October 3rd. This will happen after lunch on Friday.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  GO STEELERS!

Peace,

Mr. Young