April 22, 2019

Good Afternoon,
  I hope everyone had a great spring break.  Where ever you found yourself, I hope that it was full of relaxation and reflection.  We now enter into our final 8 week stretch.  It will fly by!  Right before break, we finished up our unit on persuasive writing.  Tomorrow we will start our final unit of the year.  This unit will focus on non-fiction writing and the students will be writing about an animal that they choose  This unit will correlate with our science unit that focuses on animal adaptations.

I hope you are all well and ready for the final stretch.  It will go fast but there is still a lot of learning left to do. 

Peace,
Tommy

PS:  For a while, we have been talking about the Jo Jo Bows that some of the kids wear in their hair.  Today, Adele brought one in for me to wear.  Let me just say; I rocked it!  It went with my outfit, and man those things are heavy.

February 18, 2019

Good Morning,

  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  We are in the final stretch before our Winter Break.  We have a busy week with a jump rope performance on Wednesday morning, Compass Cup activities on Friday afternoon, and we are also hoping to finish our pen pal letters by Wednesday.

  In your child's homework bag is a yellow piece of paper.  It is two sided and I need it to be sent back to me, filled out, by tomorrow.  Your child will earn a prize if they bring it in.  It is a permission slip to participate in a study through the Empatico program, (we have been using their platform to talk with the class in Florida), and permission to use pictures and videos of our class.  Please read through it and let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks for getting these back to me tomorrow.

 **Just a reminder that there is no winter sports program this week.

That is all for today.  Have a great week.

Peace,
Mr. Young

February 12, 2019

Good Afternoon,
  As you may know Valentine's Day is this Thursday (for those of you who forgot, you are welcome).  The kids always enjoy writing, giving, and receiving valentine's cards from each other.  We will be doing our little celebration at 1:45 on Thursday.  If you would like to send in a class treat or drink, feel free to do so.

Class List:  Oliver, Adele, Caden, Riley, Kai, Anna Mae, Liv, Ben, Steele, Donovan, Bronte, Carley, Libby, Mabel, Shane, Noah, & Kylie

Last Thursday was the 100th Day of School.  With the delay, musical performance, and two specials, we had no time to take part int he activities that I had planned.  So we did a "Not Quite 100th Day" celebration on Friday.  During math class the 1st graders worked on solving a 100th day code by solving a variety of addition and subtraction equations.  After math, the whole class worked on a 100th day scavenger hunt that involved using writing, reading, math, and technology skills.  Their goal was to find the stollen 100th day cake in 45 minutes.  They were able to successfully complete the task and were rewarded with some cake later that afternoon. 

I truly hope we don't have another snow day tomorrow but I hope every stays safe and warm as another storm moves in.

Peace,
Tommy

February 1, 2019

Good Afternoon,
I am sorry it has been so long since I have posted.  Between the flu, report cards, and basketball, I have been skating by.

I need to start by addressing the shirts and clothing that are referred to as "flip shirts."  These have become quite a craze in the 1st and 2nd grade.  I too think they are very cool and I understand why the kids like them so much.  However, Mr. Hubbard and I have been talking and we feel they are becoming a major distraction and prohibit many of the students from being able to focus during instructional time.  So we put our Middlebury and Champlain College educations together and came up with "Flip Shirt Friday."  We are asking that kids only wear these shirts on Fridays.  This will allow them to still show their friends but not be a distraction all week long.

I also need to ask that you talk to your child about wearing the shirt or flipping other people's shirts.  My concern is people are just going up and touching a persons body because their shirt has flippable sequins.  We work hard to teach each other to respect each person's body.  I would ask that you spend some time making sure that your child knows they don't have to let someone rub their chest just because of the shirt they are wearing and that they should ask permission before doing it to a classmate.  This is something we are addressing here too but your help would be beneficial.

Yesterday we tried a variety of food that our friends in Tampa sent us.  These were Spanish snacks that included two different types of cookies and some guava paste.  The reaction were generally the same, cookies-good, guava paste-not so much.

We have been working on our new writing unit that focuses on persuasive pieces.  The students have been writing letters to each other about their favorite books, characters from books, and/or favorite parts.  Ask your child about a character they have written about.

That is all for now.  Have a great weekend.

Peace,
Mr. Young

December 17, 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 14, 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best,

Sarah