January 28, 2022

 Good Afternoon,

  I hope you all have had a great week.  It has been a fun week at school and I hope your child has been keeping you in the loop.  

No skid and board day, no worries!  The kids were excited that we had a chance to work on a literature project with the book What Am I? An Animal Guessing Game by Iza Trapani.  The book  has the reader is asked to identify several animals after reading riddles which describe their specific qualities. After we read through the book, the students broke up into teams and created their own animal riddles and illustrations.  These will be turned into a book that I hope to share next week (via the blog).  If you want to hear the original book, check out the video below.

Mr Cadwell missed the last two days this week.  He was suppose to start his social studies unit but that will now start next week.  I instead used the time to finish up our geography unit over the past two days.  We spent the last two days talking about positive and negative consequences that happen when we change natural characteristics of land.  The students also completed the final assessment that involved key vocabulary from the unit.  

Ms Figdor had this to say about 2nd grade math this week: "This week in 2nd grade math we wrapped up a unit on measurement. Students did several activities where they described the height of objects by comparing them to other objects. Through comparing objects students started to think about how fractions could be used when measuring. During Number Corner we learned a new game where the second graders practiced equal group multiplication. Students used repeated addition and skip counting to solve these equal group multiplication problems. Next week our focus will be threes. Students will identify, describe, and extend the counting-by 3s pattern."  First grade math had students working on magnitude of a number by placing a specific number between two no points.  For example, they may see 0 and 100 on each end of a number line.  They would then be asked to place 79.  There placement and explanation would demonstrate to me their understanding of where the number would be placed and why.  There was also work with using efficient strategies to solve more addition problems.  

NOTES:

*I did not send homework bags home today.  

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Mr. Young

January 21, 2022

  Good Afternoon,

  I can't believe another week has flown by.  We had a fun week with lots going on, so let me jump right in and fill you in.  I used Tuesday morning to talk about why we had Monday off.  During Morning Meeting, I asked the kids if they had talked about Martin Luther King and why we honor him.  Seven of the kids had had some conversations and talked about what they had learned from previous years and from home conversations.  It was great to talk about why we were off and about the words of Dr. King.  I read the book Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport.  We then  took the quotes from the book and each child interpreted some of the quotes by drawing pictures and writing their own words of what they thought the quotes meant.  Their writings will be in their backpacks today.  If you would like to listen to the story we read, check out this link.  We will get back to our opinion writing next week, but I wanted to take time to teach and allow the students to learn about Dr. King and why we honor him and his work.

  First grade math consisted of us working on adding three digits and explaining how each kid solved the problem.  We continued fact fluency practice through our Mad Minute drills, and explored equations where in subtraction situations the subtrahend was missing.  "The 2nd graders continued with their measurement unit. They learned a new game where they practiced measuring several objects and then found the difference and sum of those measurements. They also spent time practicing our subtraction facts. During Number Corner this week we looked at different types of graphs. The mathematicians also began to think of fractions that are greater than, less than, and equal to ½."

  Mr. Cadwell started his social studies unit this week.  Here is what he had to say. "Today we started our Social Studies unit, “Different Communities”. We will be learning about three types of communities––urban, suburban, and rural––and the ways that each community is similar and different to the others. We started our study with an outdoor tour of Waitsfield Village, where we noticed the defining features of our town, and made observations about what makes up a “rural community”. Students made a “drone drawing” of their house and the land around it to further understand their place in our rural community. In the next few days, we will be learning about urban communities, taking a virtual tour of New York City from the Empire State Building, and learning about how the lives of kids in cities are similar and different to ours. I’m looking forward to some great weeks of curiosity, exploration and discovery in this unit!"

  We had another great day at the mountain on Wednesday.  The weather was great, the snow was deep, and the excitement and  joy was unmeasurable. We are certainly fortunate to have the support from our PTA, our volunteers, and the ski mountains to allow each student a chance to enjoy the day with their friends.  

NOTES:

*Please remember to send back your child's homework bag each day.  Remember, I don't send homework bags home on ski days.  

*MAD RIVER VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE

No Experience Required 

Tee-Ball (ages 4-6): Introductory league teaching basic skills and concepts. One to two days a week. 

Farm Leagues (ages 6-8): Baseball and girls only Softball. Teaches finer skills of fielding and hitting mechanics with basic team skills. Coach pitch. Two to three days per week. 

Advanced Softball and Baseball Leagues (Ages 9-12): Advanced strategy while still progressing in technical fundamentals. Mainly player pitched with coach support where needed. 

Registration fee includes a full uniform: jersey, pants, socks & hat. Full and partial scholarships available. 

Since 1960, Mad River Little League has created lifelong friendships and taught the value of being part of a team. The League's high coach to player ratio provides active, athletic experiences for our community's youngsters. We are based at the Couples Club in Waitsfield, known as one of the best facilities in the state. After a successful season last year, we are committed to offering a safe and positive experience, consistent with Vermont COVID-19 guidelines. 

The 2022 season will begin in mid-April, with Opening Day tentatively scheduled for April 30. Practices and games are mid-week in the evenings. Our league coordinates with other sports leagues to support multi-sport athletes. 

Register at MadRiverLittleLeague.com 

Email ceg4@goodmanconstructionvt.com with any questions.

AVOID LATE FEES 

REGISTER BY MARCH 13, 2022

REGISTER @ MadRiverLittleLeague.com 

  

January 17, 2022

 Good Evening,

  I am sorry I am just getting to Friday's post today.  Report card week is always a bit hectic and it consumes a lot of our free time.  I hope everyone had a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather today.  We had some meetings this morning but I spent quite a bit of time just playing in the snow and soaking in the beauty of the day.

Last week, Mr. Cadwell (Parker) led a morning meeting and a math activity.  You may have heard that we had a visitor watching him teach.  This was Parker's professor from St. Michael's College and will be in a few times during his student teaching placement.  Mr. Cadwell will be starting his social studies unit on Friday.  He will write a description about this on this coming Friday's blog post.  

This past week the students did a variety of assessments that we use as one piece to determine how your child is progressing.  Some of the test are done as a whole group using i-pads, some were done in small group and some were done one on one with me or another teacher.  I want to thank Mrs. Wright and Ms. Figdor for their help with this testing.  

Ms Figdor also reports that last week in math, "This week in second grade math we continued to work with the U.S. Standard measurement system. We continued to measure objects around the classroom using benchmark tools such as tiles. Then, students made their own rulers and used them to measure. At the end of the week we used yardsticks to measure the length of our classroom. We discussed success criteria needed in order to make accurate measurements. These included making sure the measurement tool was lined up along the edge of the object as well as making sure that they started measuring from zero. On Wednesday the students took the star 360 diagnostic math assessment. I was blown away by how well they did on this assessment and what incredible growth they have made in the area of mathematics this year."

NOTES:
*Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday of this week. Please look for them in your child's back pack.  

*We will be skiing this week. We should certainly have plenty of snow. Please remember that homework bags are not sent home on Wednesdays during winter sports program.

I hope you all have a great week.

Peace,

Mr. Young

January 7, 2022

Students got hot chocolate on our Wednesday morning walk

 Good Evening,

  I hope all of you have had a great start to your New Year.  It was great to get back to work and the students seemed psyched too.  We also welcomed a new student (but a Waitsfield Family) to our classroom.  Rowan Richards, a 1st grader, has joined our classroom.  Many of the students have been in class with Rowan in previous years. We all are psyched to welcome Rowan back to Waitsfield.  

This week we continued writing opinion pieces.  Our focus was learning how to write a counter argument or how to disagree with someone, in a respectful way.  Our discussion focused on how you need to use evidence and fact.  To get this writing started, the students each had to choose the item that they liked the least, from their collection.  They then had to make an argument why that items was their least favorite and provide reasons why.  

First grade math had students playing a Cat and Mouse game that focused on using the inequality symbols of greater than and less than.   We also introduced a timed math activity that works on fact fluency.  This is a 1 minute activity that kids do each day.  Ms. Figdor had this to say about 2nd grade math:This week we launched unit 4 on measurement. Each student started by measuring the distance across the classroom heel-to-toe footsteps.  Of course the results varied widely, due to the fact that we all have different size feet. This led to a discussion of using standardized measures such as rulers and yardsticks. During the next few weeks we will be learning about the US standard measurement system. After the initial discussion about measurement tools the second graders  explored feet. They used feet to measure different objects around the room. Then, we moved on to learn about yards. Students discovered that it takes three feet to equal a yard. After measuring the same distance across the room students, discovered that it takes fewer yards to measure the same distance. Next week we will be making our own “inchworm rulers.”

Yesterday the students had a chance to share the game they created during our coding unit. I used a rubric to score their games and their ability to use codes to create a game. After they shared, each child had a chance to try out their classmates games. This concluded our coding unit. I will use next week to wrap up our geography unit. Mr Cadwell will start a new social studies unit the following week.

Speaking of Mr. Cadwell, he has joined us full time during this semester (college semester). We are very fortunate to have him in our classroom and working with our students this year. Mr. Cadwell has great energy and is looking forward to learning from and working with your children.

Wednesday marked the 1st day of our Winter Sports Program. I want to thank you all for having your children being well prepared for the afternoon on the mountain. The students did a great job of getting ready and helping each other. Before we headed to the mountain, we watched the video, that WES made,

NOTES:

*Please make sure to send your child's homework bag back each day. I will not send the bag home on days that we have the winter program.

*We are good on paper towel and toilet paper tubes. Thank you for all of the donations from everyone.

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

Peace,

Mr. Young

December 17, 2021

 Good Afternoon,

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week. Let me start by setting the tone for the week. We had kids getting their 2nd vaccinations, we are close to a long vacation where many families celebrate big holidays, we had snow, rain, and mud, the kids earned the school wide celebration of popcorn and a movie (Mountain Film Festival) and for the cherry on top we added a circus coming to town (school). Oh yeah, and we taught! The good news is your children were rock stars. We had a ton of fun this week and their enjoyment was evident all week long.

Troy Wunderle and brought his Big Top Adventures to the gym of the Waitsfield School. During PE class, the students have been learning the talents and equipment needed to perform in a circus performance. They have been practicing all week. The final performance will be on Tuesday afternoon. IF POSSIBLE, the children are being asked to wear dark pants and a plain bright colored top. If there is writing on the top, please have them turn it inside out. However, there is no expectation that you go out and buy something. So, please don't. If you would like to watch the live stream of the performance, please be on the lookout for an email from the school. You will get that next week.

During guidance, Ms. Ashley has been working with the class on honoring December's theme of a month of giving. She has worked with the class on giving thanks to a variety of people that do things for your children and/or for our school. Today they worked on making cards for me. While I was out of the room, during guidance, they made cards and hid them. I was then given clues to find the cards. The kids were really excited about this. I decided that we needed some card searching music. Here is a short clip from today.In math this week, the first graders were all about addition and subtraction facts. All of our activities were focused on these skills as well as some story problems that required the students implement the kills they have been working when trying to solve story problems. Ms. Figdor reports: This week in second grade math we wrapped up unit 3. On Friday we took the end of the unit assessment. Students were asked to model their mathematical thinking in a variety of ways. The second graders in Mr. Young’s class are very good at showing their thinking in multiple ways. In second grade we strive to become flexible problem solvers. Being flexible as a problem solver is one math practice that leads to being strong mathematicians.

NOTES:

*I am not sending homework bags home today. However, there is a note about the circus in their bag.

*You all have been doing a great job with kids having boots and sneakers. I truly appreciate the effort.

*I am going to plan a little celebration for the kids on Wednesday. I don;t need anything for it. I want to do this for them.

This will be the last post until after the break. I hope you all have a wonderful break, for those who celebrate, Happy, Merry, (You fill in blank here). I am looking forward to the start of 2022 with this group.

Peace,

Tommy

December 10, 2021

 Good Afternoon,

  This week has certainly flown by.  We have done a variety of really exciting learning activities and lessons, so let's get to the summary. 

Coding:  Mr. Mongeon continued leading our class through our coding unit.  The students are absolutely getting into this unit.  They have started writing their own codes to make a simple interactive game on their i-pad.  We will use the afternoon of December 22 to play each others games.  Ask your child about the game he/she is starting to create.

Math:  The 1st grade math students have been working on developing fluency within 10.  Specifically, what makes 7, 8, 9.  We have been doing this through a variety of card games, as well as a motor-cross game.  We also discussed the concept of even and odd numbers and looked at the numbers 1-20 and why they were odd or even.  Ms Figdor had this to say about 2nd grade math. "This week in second grade math we continued to use an open number line to model subtraction problems. Students are currently using “adding up” and “subtracting back” strategies on a number line and are becoming more efficient in solving problems. In addition, students have been working on being flexible thinkers during math class. They have been doing this by solving problems in more than one way and trying to understand how others solve problems. We have learned several new games this week to continue to practice our addition and subtraction basic facts. Next week the focus in second grade math will be adding by place value."

Writing:  The students continued to hone in their ability to state and defend their opinion on a specific focus.  The students are learning to state their opinion, defend it with three or more reasons and then restate their focus as an ending to the piece.  So if you ask your child to clean their room and they say they don't want to and proceed to give you three solid reasons why; I do apologize!

Geography:  Today the students finished their books that helps them understand the relative size of themselves, their town, their state, their country, their continent and their world.  Each student has their circular book in their homework bag.  This book can stay at home but they can use them with you and explain their learning.  

NOTES:

*Please have your child here at 7:40.  Mr. Hubbard and I are sending out the same note.  This seems to be a big challenge this year.  A lot of "extra" work, help, and choice time goes on right off the bat.  Please help us out.

*Please label all of your winter gear. Including hats and gloves.

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

Peace,

Tommy

December 3, 2021

 Good Afternoon,

  I hope everyone is doing well and you all had a great Thanksgiving.  It is hard to believe we only have two and a half weeks left before the December break and all that comes with it.  We will certainly be busy and have a lot of things to get through before the break.  

  This week we started a new science unit that focuses on computer coding.  In this unit "students investigate numerical relationships while learning about the sequence and structure required in computer programs. Starting with computer-free activities and moving to tablet-based challenges, students apply addition and subtraction strategies to make characters move on a grid. Angelina presents the design problem when she expresses her desire to design a game she can play on her tablet. Using skills and knowledge gained from these activities, students work together in groups to design and develop a game in which a player interacts with objects on a tablet screen."  Mr. Mongeon is leading this unit and we will use the last day before break to play the games that each student designed.

  This week's writing focus had the students writing about their favorite item from their collection.  We have talked about how to state your opinion and then support it with details.  The main idea is that the writer has to persuade the reader about his/her opinion.  We are just getting started with this unit and it will most likely extend through February break.

  This week's first grade math had us finishing up the concept of 1/2 and 1/4.  We also spent some time working on fluency with subtraction.  We will be getting into a study of 3 dimensional shapes and their characteristics.  Ms. Figdor reports that the 2nd graders continued their work with subtraction on the open number lines.  This is where kids could start at 37 and if they ahd to take away 16, They could jump 10 and then 6 more without having to count by 1's back.  

NOTES:

*Please have your child bring their winter gear for recess time.  They should also either bring or leave a pair of shoes at school.  I don't want the kids wearing their boots all day long.

*If you are looking for babysitter's, both of my daughters will be around during the December break. Abby is here after that as well. They both can drive. I can send you their contact information if you need it.

*I AM NOT SENDING HOME THE

HOMEWORK BAGS TONIGHT.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Mr. Young