February 13, 2026

"Children have an amazing way of becoming exactly who we tell them they are, as our words often become their inner voice and shape their identity. By consistently speaking strength, kindness, and capability into them, we help them believe they can face challenges." This quote reminded me of the approach needed for the last two weeks of February. I find these two weeks to always be the most challenging time for students and their ability to focus and be their "best."  Needless to say, we have spent some time discussing how to make good choices, how to fight distractions, and how to help each other. I love reminding them of all they can do.

It’s been a busy and productive week of growth in our math classrooms! Here is a look at what our 1st and 2nd graders have been tackling:

1st Grade: Our 1st graders spent the week diving deep into the world of 2-D shapes, mastering their names and specific attributes. Through hands-on exploration, students learned how to compose larger shapes using smaller ones and put their spatial reasoning to the test with a shape puzzle game.

2nd Grade: In 2nd grade, the focus shifted to the practical world of currency. Students practiced making coin trades and calculating the difference between various monetary amounts. Understanding the value of money—and realizing there are multiple ways to create the same total using different coins and bills—is a vital life skill. These lessons are helping our students comprehend the cost of items and the mechanics of making change, ensuring they are well-prepared for real-world transactions.

The circus excitement continues to roll on as we deepened our focus on the whimsical world of clowns! Drawing inspiration from last week's presentation, the students put the finishing touches on their clown portraits, and the results are truly fantastic. Beyond the art, the class has been busy documenting their discoveries in their circus journals. By applying the same observation and recording techniques used in their science units, the students are keeping their technical writing skills "in tune" while exploring a creative theme. It is wonderful to see them having so much fun with this unit, and we are all eagerly counting down to our culminating work with the talented Troy Wunderle!

Last week's read a louds focused on the series of books titled "What If You Had Animal . . .." The "What If You Had..." book series, written by Sandra Markle and illustrated by Howard McWilliam, is a brilliant blend of whimsical imagination and rigorous biological science. Each book poses a playful "what if" scenario—such as having a shark’s teeth, a polar bear’s fur, or an elephant’s nose—and explores how those specialized animal traits would function on a human body. They are incredibly instructional because they break down the concept of biological adaptations into digestible, fascinating facts, showing exactly how an animal uses its unique features to survive in the wild.

The students took big strides in their persuasive writing unit this week as they tackled a topic close to their hearts: "Do kids need more recess time?" The classroom was full of passionate arguments as students focused on crafting solid endings that leave a lasting impression on their readers. Our 2nd graders leveled up their writing by practicing "twin sentences," a technique used to elaborate on their thinking and provide deeper detail for their arguments. To wrap up their pieces, everyone practiced the vital habit of self-editing, with a specific eagle-eye focus on consistent capital letters and correct ending punctuation.

NOTES:

*There are no Weekly News entries for this week so the journals are not in their bags. We will pick up with these again after the break.

*On Thursday, February 19th the school will be performing in a circus. This is a culminating event from our work with Troy. The event will start at 6:00. We will have a 1st and 2nd grade open house from 5:15-5:45 that evening. This will be a chance to stop by the classroom and see some of the work that your child was involved in during the circus unit.  I hope you will all have a chance to stop in and take a look. This will end promptly at 5:45, so that we can all get to the gym and set up for our performance. Please plan accordingly.

That is all for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Peace,

Mr. Young

February 6, 2026

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and this first week of February was a whirlwind. I’m so proud of how the students balanced the whimsy of our circus activities with the grit required to wrap up their math units and sharpen their persuasive arguments. The smiles I see at the door each morning are the result of some truly impressive hard work and a lot of fun.

Our circus unit took a hilarious and heartwarming turn this week as we explored the art of the clown! We were so lucky to host Olive parents Collen and Bobby Kintz, who treated the class to an incredible, hour-long presentation. From discovering the "smallest mask in the world" to learning the different personalities and types of clowns, the students were absolutely spellbound. They spent over an hour teaching us the history, the makeup, and the heart behind the character. The kids were leaning in the entire time! We are so grateful to the Kintz family for sharing their time and expertise with us.

If you want to see the magic for yourself (or if your child hasn’t stopped talking about it), you can watch the full presentation here.

This past week both first and second grade math students finished up their Unit 4 work and took the end of the unit assessments. The first graders are now moving on to a geometry unit that the students explore geometry by identifying, describing, and comparing 2-D and 3-D shapes. The unit focuses on composing shapes to create new figures, understanding part-whole relationships, and splitting shapes into equal parts (halves, thirds, fourths). The 2nd graders are now moving on to focus on place value concepts. The students will focus on building deep place value understanding up to 1,000, using manipulatives like base ten pieces to organize numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones. Key skills include adding/subtracting multiples of 10 and 100, money calculations (nickels, dimes, quarters), and identifying patterns in sequences.

Developing Young Persuaders: Writing a good argument is one thing, but making a reader care is another! This week, our writers focused on the craft of engagement. Students revisited their previous persuasive pieces to add compelling hooks. We discussed the goal of sparking curiosity and "pulling" the reader into their work. This is a sophisticated writing skill, and the progress has been impressive. Looking ahead, we will be polishing these pieces further by drafting powerful concluding statements.

Move over, Halloween! The excitement for Valentine's Day is officially here. We will spend time passing out Valentines on Friday, February 13th (just before our Language Arts rotations). Participation is optional, but if your child would like to bring cards, please ensure they have one for everyone on the list below:

Our Classmates: Paxton, Luna, River, Beau, Vincent, Olive, Ellie, Stella, Keegan, Elowyn, Hewitt, Olen, Elsie, Emma, and Jayden.

 *Note: We do have one student that has a gluten allergy (if the Valentine's have a treat attached to them).

NOTES:

*We will have the Winter Sports Program again on Wednesday. This will be the last Wednesday in February. The program will start back up in March. 

*Your child has a new Weekly News Entry in their homework bag. Please take a moment to read over it with them. 

*SNEAKERS, SHOES, FOOTWEAR.  Please make sure your child has something besides boots to wear.

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

Peace,

Tommy 

January 30, 2026

 I hope you have all had a great week. There is a thought (in education) that momentum is an important factor when teaching kids. January's weather and holidays have certainly put that thought to the test. I am looking forward to moving on to February and hopefully what will lead to three solid weeks of learning before our winter break.

Step right up! Our classroom has officially transformed into a center of wonder as we begin our immersive unit on the circus. This curriculum, which I developed over the summer, serves as the foundation for our upcoming Artist in Residence program with Troy Wunderle. We kicked off the unit by exploring the historical and cultural significance of the circus "coming to town," using a blend of engaging read-alouds and informational media to build a shared knowledge base. To document their journey, students are maintaining "Circus Journals" to capture new facts and personal reflections. This week, we tapped into our artistic side by analyzing vintage circus posters and designing our own advertisements for our February performance. The energy in the room is electric—further amplified by having Mr. Hubbard’s class join us for these collaborative lessons—and we can’t wait to share the students' hard work with you during our open house on performance night! If you would like to learn more about Troy, check out his website here.

This week, our math classes focused on building a strong visual and conceptual understanding of number relationships. The first graders dove into the world of relative magnitude, using 0–100 number lines to visualize how numbers relate to one another; they practiced identifying that numbers to the right represent "more," while those to the left represent "fewer," helping them grasp the physical distance between values like 20 and 80. Simultaneously, they sharpened their skip-counting skills by 5s and 10s to navigate these larger scales with ease. Meanwhile, the second graders expanded their fractional thinking by exploring the concepts of halves and wholes. They moved beyond simple identification to analyze relative size, determining whether specific numbers were "more than" or "less than" half of a given total, which strengthens their foundational number sense for more complex operations ahead.

This week's read a loud's focused on the author Audrey Wood. We did get to the stories Piggies and the Napping House. Unfortunately we lost two of our read a loud times to weather and one to the time constraints with the winter program. If you would like to listen to the other books (that we didn't get to) please check out the list below and the links.  These books are also available in our classroom library. 

Quick As A Cricket

Silly Sally

Little Penguin's Tale

This week's writing focus led us to our 2nd lesson in our persuasive writing unit.  All of the January events (mentioned at the start) had caused us to miss a chunk of writing time. It was great to get back into it.  The kids picked up with their favorite toy discussion and chipped away at trying to convince me why. We will use these as anchor pieces as we elaborate and expand our learning and work.  

NOTES:

*Your child does have their Weekly News Journal in their homework bag. Please take a look at it and talk with your child about their entry. 

*We will have the winter sports program this Wednesday. Please make sure your child has all of their gear. This group has been exceptional at getting ready and helping each other. It might be my most efficient group ever!

*The kindergarten class is collecting paper towel and toilet paper tubes. Please send them in if you gather any over the next two weeks.  

That is all for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend. Please stay warm and enjoy the snow.  

Peace, 

Mr. Young

January 16, 2025

It has been a busy week full of learning and community moments. The students have had a full week and many have persevered through illnesses and feeling a bit tired. I think the long weekend is coming at the perfect time. 

Winter Sports & Important Dates

The students had a wonderful second week of the Winter Sports Program. This group is becoming incredibly efficient at getting ready, and it is heartwarming to see so many students helping others with their boots—such kindness!

Please keep in mind that there is no school this coming Monday and Tuesday. Our first day back will be a ski day, so please ensure your child arrives with appropriate warm clothing and all required gear. Additionally, if you haven’t yet sent a photo of your child with their collection or three favorite things, please email that to me at your earliest convenience.

Curriculum Highlights

• Reading: We enjoyed a week of "Bears! Bears! Bears!" Our read-alouds included favorites like Bear Snores On, Bear Says Thanks, and The Berenstain Bears' New Pup. It was a treat to have so many student bear stuffies joining us for stories each day.

• Writing: The class dove into persuasive writing. Using a collection of stuffed animals, students voted for the "best" one, formed teams, and wrote pieces explaining their choice to convince others.

• Science: We welcomed Luke for his final visit of the unit. Students experimented with animal pelts, water, and various seeds to see how they travel through the environment. While students are currently finishing their final unit assessments and posters, we are happy to share that Luke will return in the spring to work with us on erosion.

• Math: Our 1st graders practiced doubles and near-doubles facts, explored number lines, and created their own story problems. Meanwhile, our 2nd graders completed their end-of-unit assessment and practiced skip-counting by threes.

Community Moments

On Monday, we hosted a visitor from the Barre Vocational Center who is exploring a career in teaching. She spent the day observing our community and even joined us for read-aloud time.

We also want to celebrate our Student of the Week! He is a 7-year-old 2nd grader who loves the color orange, watermelon, and the Fly Guy series. He enjoys traveling to Florida to play in the sand and dreams of being a Formula 1 racer one day. We are so proud of him!

NOTE:

As part of our upcoming classroom activities, I am still looking for a few more photos of the students with their special collections or three favorite things.

If you haven’t had a chance to send one in yet, please email a digital photo to me at your earliest convenience. The kids really enjoy sharing these personal items with their peers, and we want to make sure everyone is included!

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I hope you all have a restful long weekend. Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

Peace,

Mr. Young

PS:  With a short week upcoming, there will be no blog post next week.

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful December and were able to enjoy some restorative family time. It was lovely to spend the holidays with my own daughters and extended family. It has been a week of transitions in my household: my oldest daughter headed back to New York, and my youngest just left for a semester in Madrid this past Wednesday. I am already looking forward to visiting her during our April break!

Back in the classroom, we hit the ground running with a focus on fresh starts and community. Here is a look at what we’ve been up to during our first week of 2026:

Our read-a-louds this week all centered on the theme of New Year’s and the idea of a "refocus." I took this opportunity to remind the students of our overarching class goal from the start of the year: "Thinking of Others." To bring this goal to life, each student created their own personal New Year’s Resolution centered on how they can help us achieve that classroom mission. Their resolutions are now proudly displayed on our walls! Our literary inspiration came from:

Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution
Carter and the New Year’s Resolution
The New Year's Resolution Checklist
The Night Before New Year’s

Math Highlights
We dove right back into our numbers this week with some targeted skills practice:
1st Grade: Students focused on complements of 10 and 20. They also practiced their "detective skills" by finding missing addends and subtrahends in both addition and subtraction equations.

2nd Grade: The focus shifted to fractional parts. We also spent time playing a math game that challenged students to use doubles and "doubles +/- 10s and 1s" to solve problems quickly.
Science & Exploration
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Today, we had a fantastic science session with Luke. We explored the world of nocturnal animals, specifically investigating which creatures are active at night right here in our own schoolyard habitat. The students will start working on their assessment posters next week.

STUDENT of the WEEK:

This week's Student of the Week is pictured here. This 2nd grader joined our classroom in October. She is 8 years old. She has a brother and a sister who also go to Waitsfield. Her favorite colors are pink, purple and blue. She also loves celebrating holidays. Her favorite thing to do is to paint pictures.  She also just loves school. Her favorite foods are watermelon and celery. She wants to be an art teacher when she grows up.

ACTION ITEMS:

Please take note of the following two things as they are pertinent to work we will be doing next week. 

1. Next week's read-a-louds will all focus on books about bears. I thought it would be fun to allow the kids to snuggle with their own bear stuffy as I read the books next week. They are welcome to bring them in and leave them for the week (if they wish).  

2. As we dive into our persuasive writing unit, I will need the students to identify a collection of their own (toys, cards, hair bands, etc.) and to take a picture of the favorite three things from that collection. If you could take a picture of your kid with each item and dump them in this folder, the students will use these as prompts for their writing. 

NOTES:

*The students will always bring home their homework bags on Tuesdays (of a ski week). Please make sure they bring them back on Wednesdays. If your child uses a ski bag and not their backpack, please make sure to slide the bag into their ski bag. I will not send homework bags home on the Wednesdays we ski.

*I did have the students all bring home their sneakers over break. If your child wants to leave a pair at school, they can do so. A few kids forgot sneakers this week.

*The students had a very successful Winter Sports Program this week. The weather was great and there were lots of fun stories the next day. We are very fortunate to have the PTA fund this, the many volunteers who make the mountain visit possible and Kaiya and Susan who put in a ton of time and help it run so smoothly.  

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

Peace,

Mr. Young

Ski Phots by: Photos by Kintz