November 28, 2016

Good Afternoon,
  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It was certainly nice to have some time with friends and family, eat some good food, and watch a little football.  This week, I will be out of the room from Monday-Thursday as Jane leads her solo teaching week.  I will be in the building and conducting language arts assessments during the week.  If you need to address anything this week please email both Jane and I.  Jane's email is jpiselli@antioch.edu.

  This week The kids will continue their focus on writing narratives, investigating coding in science, and continue meeting in their reading groups.

NOTES:
*New book orders are being sent home today.  They are due by Thursday of this week.  It will be the last order before December break.

I hope you all have a great week.

Peace,
Tommy

November 18, 2016

Good Afternoon,

  We spent most of this week wrapping up a variety of assignments that kids have been working on.  The students completed their study of animal adaptations and hopefully you all saw the shoe that your child brought home on Thursday. Take time to ask them about the features they created and why they added them to the shoe.  Our next unit of study will have a technology focus and the concept of coding will be evident throughout.  Here is a brief synopsis:  "Students explore the sequential nature of computer programs through hands-on activities, both with and without a computer. They examine key aspects of storytelling and devise how to transition a narrative from page to screen. Students discover the design problem through a story about Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi, who wish they could find a way to create a story with characters who move and interact with each other. Combining fundamental principles of computer science with story-building skills, students develop animations that showcase characters, settings, actions, and events from short stories of their own creation."

  Have you ever heard of a move called a Jane Yolen?  This week the use of Jane Yolens was abound int he students writing.  We continued our focus on narratives and looked at how the author, Jane Yolen, used writing moves in her story Owl Moon.  Jane does a wonderful job of hitting the reader's senses, using comparisons, and allowing the reader to crete vivid pictures in their mind.  We described these moves as Jane Yolens and the class has taken off with them.

  Next week is a two day week.  We will change our schedule a bit.  Monday will have a typical start but after math class we will have a science lesson.  The same will go for Tuesday.  Monday afternoons will be focused on a writing lesson.  Tuesday afternoon will be a school wide celebration of obtaining our PBIS school wide goal.  Tuesday will also be our Thanksgiving feast.

Notes:

*Your child has weekend reading and their Weekly News journal in their backpacks.

*The week after vacation will be Ms. Jane's solo teaching week (Monday-Thursday).  I will be in the building and using the time to conduct assessments with each child.  I know Jane will do a great job with the week.

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

Peace,
Tommy

November 14, 2016

Good Morning,
  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  The news here is that the PTA was able to fund their entire budget through the proceeds of the Ski and Skate Sale.  I want to thank all of you that were able to participate in making this event both happen and to be successful.  The children truly benefit from teh profits of this sale.

Below is a video from last week.  I had trouble with i-movie on Friday and needed to work on it over the weekend.  I hope you enjoy.

Peace,
Tommy

November 11, 2016

Good Morning,
  What a week to be in 1st and 2nd grade.  The week started with the students gearing up for election day. The students all made posters that said, "Tell Me Why You Vote."  We used real campaign signs to learn how to make signs that would catch the reader's attention.  The students then used the signs on election day to elicit feedback and opinions from Waitsfield voters.  later on in the week, the students used the information to write a persuasive piece on why a person should vote.

Each year children, from around the state, are asked to read a collection of Red Clover books. The Red Clover Award is then voted on by every k-4 student in the state and one book is chosen the winner.  This week I read the story Granddaddy's Turn, A Journey to the Ballot Box to the class.  This is a very powerful story based on one family's experience with their first time voting.

On Wednesday, the students worked on designing a shoe that would help a traveler move around in the extreme environment that they had studied.  The students had to use the Engineering Design Process to develop their shoe.  The students will finish their shoe next week.

Notes:

*There is no homework for the weekend.  Please contribute to the ski and skate sale and enjoy your family.

Peace,
Tommy

November 4, 2016

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Today the class walked to the Waitsfield Municipal  Building to cast their vote for Vermont's next governor.  Jen, the town clerk, chatted with the kids about how the voting would work, had them each fill out a ballot, and then showed them how to tally the votes.  Before they could vote, the student had to state their full name to properly id themselves and to have their name checked off the list.  When all of the votes were tallied up, we ended up with a 7-7 tie.  I found this amazing being that this is the projection of the race itself  We will conclude this part of the civics study by talking with voters next week.  Stay Tuned!

I hope you found our conference time useful and productive.  This was the first time that they weren't tied to a report card but rather connected to goal setting.  I would love to hear your feedback on the process.  Feel free to send suggestions, ideas, and/or thoughts via email. 

Notes:

*Winter Sports Forms were due today.   I hope everyone got theirs in.

*Weekly News Journals are in your child's homework bag along with a book of choice.

That is all for now.  I hope you have a great weekend.  I am excited to watch my daughter and her team compete for a State Championship on Saturday.  

Peace,

Tommy

October 31, 2016

Good Afternoon,

   Happy Halloween!  There is no homework tonight.  I want the kids to be able to just enjoy the evening.  As a reminder, I ask that kids don;t bring in candy for snack or in their packed lunches.

  I am looking forward to meeting with everyone at conferences this week.  As a reminder, it is expected that your child attends the conference with you.  Below is a copy of the schedule.  As you can see the conferences are scheduled back to back so please be on time.  I can;t extend your conference if you are late.

Wednesday:
4:10  Caroline
4:30  n/a
4:50  Navin
5:10  Hannah
5:30  Logan
5:50  Zach
6:10  Graycen

Thursday:
2:30  Adelaide
2:50  Brynley
3:10  Clara
3:30  Wyatt
3:50  Waylon
4:10  Sam
4:30  Kane

Have a safe Halloween.

Tommy

October 28, 2016

 Good Morning,

   Another week is officially in the books.  It seems like October was nothing but a flash.  Here is the scoop from this week.  In writing, the students continued to focus on the editing process and finding ways to make their story interesting.  A few students have really gotten into the use of exaggeration. One story talked about a zip line that was "as tall as a sky scraper."  On Wednesday, the students continued focusing on adaptations.  This week they were asked to design clothing for a traveler that was heading to the extreme environment that they studied.  The class worked on this for over

 90 minutes with out wanting to stop.  They were challenged to think about how animals and plants adapted and to use those type of adaptations to create items for their traveler.  We will finish this project next Wednesday and then hang up the final pieces in the hallway outside the classroom.

 Election Update:  We will be heading to the new town hall on Friday to vote.  I have worked with the town clerk to set up some activities around the vote itself.  On Wednesday, the class will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the 2 candidates.  I can;t wait to see the results of our class vote.  If you pick up next week's issue of Seven Days, our class will be mentioned in an article about the election.

Golden Bucket Victory Photo

  Yesterday we completed a project that we have been working on, from time to time, over the past few weeks.  The students all created a miniature version of themselves.  I then had them put their name on a piece of blank paper and had them lay their papers across the tables.  We then had a discussion about adjectives/describing words.  The students were then given 10 minutes to walk around the room and write a describing word about each student (on each students paper).  When the ten minutes was up, each child had a list of kind words about themselves.  The students then chose four of the words they wanted and attached them to their "Mini Me."  These will be displayed around the room.  What was truly wonderful was the fact that so many of the kids wanted to keep the list of kind words.  It really made a lot of them smile to read such kind things about themselves.

  Yesterday, we learned that we won the coveted Golden  Bucket.  The class has really taken on Joe's challenge of cleaning up after ourselves, respecting our space, and Joe and Roy's work.  Needless to say the kids were psyched and there is already talk of a 3 Peat next month.  That's right, Back to Back Baby!!

NOTES:

*Halloween:  UNFORTUNATELY Halloween is on a Monday this year.  I am already lowering Tuesday's expectations by a bit.  However, I want to ask that the kids not wear their costumes during the day on Monday.  I would like to keep it as much of a normal day as I can.  That being said, if someone want to bring in a treat for the class, feel free to do so.  We will enjoy it right after lunchtime.  FYI: If I ever become president, I will mandate that Halloween is the last Saturday in October!!.

*Weekly News and Reading:  Your child has their Weekly News journal and a book or two to read over the weekend.  Remember, these are books that you can read to them too.  What ever works for your family works for me.

*BOOTS:  Boot season has come upon us.  Please remember to pack your child a pair of shoes on the days they wear boots.  Wearing boots all day is "clunky" for them and also causes other problems. We spend a lot of time on the floor and sitting on wet carpet is not fun for anyone.  Please feel free to leave a pair of shoes int he room if desired.

*THANK YOU!!  I want to thank all of you for getting the conference forms back to me.  I appreciate the quick turnaround an look forward to using them in my conference prep.  I look forward to seeing all of you next week.

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

Peace,
Tommy