November 1, 2025

 Good Afternoon,

I hope all of you had a safe and fun filled evening last night.  My wife and I met up with some friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather and walking around downtown Waterbury. There is something that warms the heart when you see the innocence of childhood at its best. 

Today marked Sloane's last day with us until the spring. As many of you know, Sloane and her family are headed west for a 5 month journey. She will be missed while she is gone but we will be excited to see her again in the spring.  

As I have mentioned, at the start of the year, our social studies curriculum has us focusing on traditions and celebrations this year. This past week, the class has been focusing on the tradition of carving pumpkins and other traditions that they do during the Halloween time. The students all created a sheet about their traditions as they celebrate this time (or how others celebrate it). It was a way to allow them to talk about their exciting things but still keep it in the world of academic focus. The kids writing pieces are hung up in the library area of our classroom.  You will get to see them during our parent conference. On Tuesday, we teamed up with our 5th & 6th grade buddy classroom to carve pumpkins and even tried eating some of the roasted seeds. Our Read Alouds all focused on pumpkins, the harvest and the celebration of Halloween.

This week's Global Read Aloud book was Built to Last by Minh Le. In this book "two friends are brought together with a “BANG” when they bump into each other, knocking over the block towers they were working on. The children, who both have warm beige skin and short black hair, leave their individual projects aside to let their imaginations run wild as they create together. The results are spectacular, if prone to disaster: Their Great Wall is dismantled by a Chinese lion, their lantern-lit boat is capsized by a dragon, and a monster levels their "cityscape." Still, the friends seem to find as much joy in the destruction as the building of each new structure. Then they start a new construction, one meant to “stand the test of time.” When this, too, collapses, the friends find themselves at an impasse. Can they find a way forward together? Readers will have fun comparing the fantastical worlds the friends occupy with the cardboard-and-tape reality in which they are actually working." After I read the book, Mr. Mongeon led the kids through a project where they were creating there own structures and then had to work together to come up with one that the teams of two could agree on. They used graph paper to map out these structures. 

NOTES:

*There is no school this coming Monday or Tuesday.

*Parent conferences will be November 13th & 14th. A few of you still have not signed up.  Please let me know if you don't plan on signing up for a slot.

That is all for now.  I hope you have a great weekend.  Don't forget to set your clock back!

Peace,

Mr. Young

The student work from Week 3 Global Read Aloud, Lift

October 24, 2024

We had a snowball fight!

In the words (sort of) of Montel Jordan, "This is how we do it. It's Thursday night and I feel all right." I truly feel this captures the week gone by. I hope the kids had as much fun as I did. Here is the week in review. 

This week in science, the students continued their look at the Moon.  They learned how the moon is lit up by the sun and why the phases happen. The students explored all of the different shapes of the Moon that can appear on different nights. They used their, My Moon Book, to observe photos of the Moon taken over the course of four weeks and drew pictures of the Moon's phases in their book. They used these observations to discover patterns in how the Moon’s shape changes and predicted when the next full moon will appear.

In writing, the students started their narrative or "small moment" unit.  We continue to focus on Capital letters and ending punctuation too.  The small moments concept asks the writer to think of a specific moment in time to write about.  I use the analogy of a watermelon. I explained that big topics are like watermelons – large and overwhelming. However, by focusing on a specific seed, they can explore a small moment in detail. If you would like to learn about this analogy, please click here. 

The Daily 4 Time is our literacy block rotations. This allows me to differentiate each reading group effectively. This week the groups all focused on some form of comprehension, sight words (if they have tested out), and specific phonetic concepts.  One group focused on the short /I/ & /o/ sounds, anther group focused on the /ay/ & /ai/ sounds, a third group focused on the /ch/ digraph, and the fourth group focused on the /aw/ sound. During this block (the other rotations) the kids also had time to read self selected books, work on spelling irregular sight words, and also used the Lexia phonetic program.  

First grade math had the students focusing on dominoes and the fact families that they can make with them. There has also been a month long focus on becoming fluent with the complements of ten. Students who are still reversing numbers, also continued to get extra support with that work (thank you parent volunteers for that!).  The students have also been working on creating addition story problems that have a part unknown or a total unknown.  This allows them to start thinking about information that is given on stories and thinking about what the problem is really asking them to solve.  

We also got outside on Tuesday morning and took a walk as a class. The kid worked on using their five finger breathing technique (for self regulation). The kids enjoy time to walk and talk with their friends and also get some extra movement in.  Monday's and Tuesday's have the kids going almost 4 straight hours of academics. This allows for a nice little break. 

This week's Global Read Aloud book was Lift by Minh Le. This is a story of a young girl named Iris whose favorite thing to do is push elevator buttons. After a serious family betrayal (her little brother dares to push the button himself), Iris discovers a magic elevator button that transports her to different fantastical places. After the story the kids made their own elevator button panel with Mr. Mongeon. They also worked with me on completing a picture and writing prompt of where they would go in their own elevator adventure. I hope we can finish these tomorrow or early next week. Your child should have brought home their elevator buttons panel and use it as a way to retell the story to you. If you would like to hear this story and/or listen to it with your child, please click below.

 

NOTES:

*We will be carving pumpkins on Tuesday afternoon (from 1:00-2:15). We will be doing this with our buddy classroom (Mrs. Smith's 5/6 grade class).  This will get a little bit messy, please have your child wear clothes that are good for this event.  If they have long hair, it may be good to pull it back.

*Halloween! Unfortunately Halloween falls during the school week again this year. I know we will see some tired kids on Friday morning and I totally understand that.  For some of them, this is their super bowl! As a school, we ask that no costumes or props from costumes come to school. This helps us keep the focus on academics during the day. We will certainly read books about the traditions and celebration of Halloween and do a write up about it on Thursday. I appreciate all of your support with this.

*Overall the kids have done great with the homework bags.  As a reminder, the bag and the book should come back each day,  regardless of whether or not it was read that night. Remember that bags don;t come home on Fridays. I will also not send it Thursday of this coming week. You all will be busy enough that evening. 

*It's not too late to sign up for the Ski and Skate Sale. Please use this link to do so.

That is all for now.  I just want to reiterate that this group is awesome and I love the energy they bring. I hope you all have a great weekend. 

Peace,

Mr. Young

Some art class photos and a two more from the snowball fight we had on Thursday during our class meeting.. 

October 18, 2024

Good Evening All.  I am sitting here watching a baseball game on TV and reflecting about the week gone by. Fall can be such a fun time of year for the beauty of nature, the excitement of so many sport happenings, and the flow that a classroom can fall into this time of year.  This couldn't be more true than the moment we are at right here and now.  The class is really working well together and have really bought into the "team concept." We have spent a lot of time talking about how our entire team has to be at their best and that we have to help and remind each other. This was so evident yesterday, when a 1st grade student used a technique that I use to help bring a classmate back to the group. It was amazing and just made me smile that the kid picked up such a subtle technique. 

This week's Global Read Aloud book was Drawn Together by Minh Li. "This is a story about a young boy who visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens – – with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words." After we read the story, the kids were asked to work in teams as they would each draw a single thick line on each others paper. Then they each had to run that line into a sketch.  This project was brought home by your child this week.  

Today we started a science unit that will look at the Moon, the Sun, and the stars. Some unit vocabulary was introduced and then we had a discussion about the moon, the idea of phases and a cycle. The kid screamed a Moon Phases book that we will complete next week. I did challenge the kids to get outside this weekend and draw a picture of the moon.  If they do this and describe it, they can bring it in for a prize on Monday. 

Our reading groups are in full swing. We have four different groups that I meet with during our Daily 4 rotation time (in the afternoons, everyday but Wednesdays). Each group is designed to meet their needs phonetically and as far as reading strategy needs go for each group. The students all seem to be enjoying this time of day and all of the activities that come with it. 

NOTES:

*Reading bags started to go home this week.  They will be sent Monday through Thursday evenings with the exception of ski day Wednesdays and holidays/vacations. This is a chance for kids to take any book they are interested from our classroom library. This may be a book they can read, one they may want to read with you, or even a book they just have read to them. PLEASE, PLEASE make sure the bag and book come back each day. Find a way that your child has a routine that has him/her putting this in his/her backpack before bed each night. 

*We need volunteers! "Have you signed up to volunteer for the sale yet? Please sign up here (and enlist your friends, neighbors and family to sign up as well)! There are over 75 volunteer shifts left to fill: There are many benefits to volunteering:- supporting our school (all money raised goes directly to support school activities),

- FREE entrance to the early shop Saturday morning
- entrance in a raffle for season's passes to MRG and Sugarbush
- this is a fun community event; its a great way to connect with others in the community.

The Ski & Skate sale funds so many important programs in our school: the winter sports program, our outdoor education programs, inspiration project, artist residency and so much more. It is also a GREAT place to find deals on winter gear and one of the top events of the fall here in the Mad River Valley."

*Please remember our specials schedule and note the items needed on those days

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Music

Wednesday: Art

Thursday: PE & Library, Kids need sneakers and their library books

Friday: PE and Health, Kids need sneakers

*As a reminder, homework bags are not sent home on the weekends. This way you won't need to scramble to find it on Sunday evening. 

*Classroom Volunteer Schedule:

Math (8:15-9:30)
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Pam Day	Elissa Meier	Eric Valentine	Helen Borrelli	Samantha Silverberg
Language Arts Block (1:10-2:25)
			Thursday	Friday
			Caitlin Fleckenstein	Keely Jordan
Writing Time (10:25-11:15)
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Ryan Kraman	Elaina Foxx

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Mr. Young

October 10, 2024

I hope you all enjoyed the Open House and enjoyed the tour by your child. As you can see, they are all really excited about what they are doing in the classroom.  Thank you all for taking the time to share the evening with your child.

This week we started a project called the Global Read A Loud. The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a truly global connection with millions of students having participated.  The thought is global collaboration is necessary to show students that they are part of something bigger than them. That the world needs to be protected and that we need to care for all people. 

We kicked off this year's event by reading Let Me Finish, by Minh Li. This book is about how the simple act of finding a quiet place to finish a book can unexpectedly turn into a daunting quest. Desperate for solitude, the boy in this story is continually interrupted by characters who just can't resist sharing their love for the same book he's reading. After reading the book, the kids each made a pair of special reading glasses (hence the pip cleaner creations) to use in their special reading spot (at home). The kids each created their own illustration of them in this spot.  They used three different means to create these small posters and they will be completed and hung up next week. If you would like to have the story read to you and your child, click here.  Eric and I will continue with the Global Read A Loud over the next few weeks.  Each week will present a new book and a project to reinforce the message from the story.

We also started our final coding project on Wednesday. The students are demonstrating mastery of the concepts by creating a task that incorporates the skills they were taught.  They each have a checklist that Willa also be used to give them a score for the report card.  We should have these done by next week.  Our next science unit will focus on the Sun, Moon, and Stars. 

NOTES:

*As a reminder, we will not have school tomorrow or Monday. 

*As the weather changes kids will start wearing coats, hats, mittens, etc., please save yourself some money and frustration and put your child's name in everything. I do check the cubbies each day (to make sure they are empty) but kids leave things in all areas of the school.

*I hope everyone (that could attend) had a great time with the Fairy House building. I have included some pictures below from the event.

*If you haven't signed up to help with the ski and skate sale, please use this link to do so. I am hoping my classroom has the highest percentage of volunteers. 

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

Peace,

Mr. Young

October 4, 2024

Happy Friday Folks! I hope you have all had a great week. We have had a great week and the kids have very busy with a multitude of projects. This month in first grade math, the students will focus on story problems with in ten.  They will work on solving some given ones and also creating their own from a number bond (what use to be a fact family). We are working on quickly seeing an arrangement of beads and then using the structure of a ten frame to figure out the total.  The kids only get to see the beads for three seconds. We will also start focusing on complements of 10 and working towards fluency with those. Those who already have it will move onto complements of 20. 

This week's read-a-louds focused on Handling decisions when you are frustrated or you have impulses. Two of the books were What Were You Thinking by Bryan Smith and The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Jacob Souva. Click the links to check out what happened in these books.

In writing we continued to focus on writing a paragraph response to a writing prompt.  Next week we will do three more prompts and then start our unit focusing on personal narratives. Kids that are demonstrating proficient handwriting have now moved on to keyboarding.  There are some kids that are still working on handwriting and that will continue. If a kid that has moved on doesn't continue to demonstrate neat handwriting in their work will be asked to go back to practice those skills. This is how I hold each kid accountable to do their best.  

Science has us working on creating a short story using the coding program Scratch. The kids filled out a story map to identify the beginning, middle, and end.  They then used their story map to create the story in Scratch. 

We ended today by walking our with our 5th & 6th graders to the park across from the VG. This was part of a school wide reward (earned through tickets) and they all got an ice cream or a popsicle.  It was a great way to end the week.

NOTES:

*The Fairy House building will be this Wednesday from 2:30-4:00. There is no fee, it is something that many in the class asked to do and I am happy to provide the opportunity. As of Friday morning, the following students are signed up:

Wiley McCoy

Ava Andrews

Luke Jordan

Sloane Fleckenstein

Hewitt Riegler

Nora Goodman

River Foxx

Emma Oppenheimer

If your child would like to do this, please click this link to do so.  I will provide an after school snack for them.

*Next Tuesday is Open House and it will go from 5:30-6:30. Open House is a very exciting time for your child because there is so much they want to show you about their classroom and their school. They will create a checklist of things they want to show you and they will be your tour guide. After visiting the room, make sure you find their specials teachers and stop in and say hello. 

I just completed a video training (that the state mandates) about confidentiality and the dos and don'ts of public conversations. Apparently I can get fired for speaking about your child in front of others. I like my job and don't want that to happen. So I will love to chat with each of you but can't respond to specific academic questions. We will use parent conference time for that or schedule a 1:1 meeting if needed. 

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Peace,

Mr. Young

September 28, 2024

Good Saturday Morning to each of you. This morning I find myself on the North Shore (Beverly area) for my daughter's parents' weekend. She has a busy day schedule for us, so I figured I better get this post done this morning. I am sure you all are engaged with a variety of events and activities that a fall Saturday morning brings to parents of young kids.  All I can say is enjoy the moments because it certainly does fly by quickly. 

This week had us finishing up a spelling assessment that I give three times a year.  This assessment helps me determine where I start with phonetic instruction for each of your kids. Next week will be the official start of all academic components of our daily schedule. Parent volunteers will be starting a week from Monday (10/7). If you haven't done the background check (that I explained in a previous post) please do so Monday. I will check the list on Tuesday to see who is cleared to start on the week of 10/7.  

Three Tuesdays a month, Mrs. Smith's 5/6 grade will be joining us to help out with our language arts rotations. They will join us from 1:50-2:15 to work with the kids that aren't working with me (their reading group) during this time.  Her classroom is our Buddy Classroom this year and we will connect with them in a variety of ways throughout the year.  

We continued our study of traditions and celebrations by discussing the fall foliage and all of the traditions that come with it.  I read several different picture books about the changing leaves, why they change, and what colors go with what type of tree.  The kids completed a writing prompt about why they like the fall colors and also did a multi-step art project that allowed them to paint and color their own fall tree picture. They are being displayed on a bulletin board on the hallway and also on our cabinet doors in the classroom.

In science, the kids learned how to use magnifying glasses to make observations and record "zoomed in" notes and pictures in their science notebooks. The  students also continued their work with coding. They learned how to program a character to do an action using a multi-step tool and also learned how to add voice to their characters. Mr. Mongeon has been leading these lessons and the kids have loved working on the tasks that he has created. 

I will use on of our vacant French times to do mindfulness activities with the students.  This will include how to using breathing to calm their bodies and going for walks in town.  It is great that the town has such nice sidewalks and it allows us to safely get out and enjoy some movement and fresh air. This week we walked to the covered bridge and back.  I also introduced/reviewed the use of the 5 finger breathing technique. This is a way that kids can calm their bodies by regulating their breathing. It is amazing how well this works. Here is a link that goes over the basic routine (it is a little different than ours but explains the concept). 

NOTES:

*I REALLY need everyone to set a goal of having their children at school by 7:40. The doors open at 7:25 so anytime between that and 7:40 is fantastic. I know mornings can be tricky as I have experienced them with my own two daughters. However, in some cases, you will need to adjust your morning routine by 10 minutes to make this happen. Kids who arrive later miss the opportunity for morning connections with their peers and then have to jump into Morning Meeting with our having time for snack. Please work on a family plan to make this happen. I truly appreciate this happening and the effort it takes but it is all for the best for your child's start to their school day. 

*All of the book orders have come in and they were sent home with your child on Friday. 

*I will be out of the classroom on Thursday. Now that I have turned 50, my doctor keeps letting me know about all of these "old man" things that I get to do. Thursday allows me to experience one of those procedures. I will be back on Friday.

*Many of the kids have been building fairy houses at recess.  They really want to create a bigger version and asked if I could do an after school time with them.  I will do this on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. We will go from 2:30-4:00. If you would like your child to attend, you must register them using this link. I will provide an after school snack for them. All I ask is that you arrive by 3:55 for a 4:00 pick up.  We will do this in the Gazeebo (if the weather is good) or my classroom if not. 

*This week we will have an all school assembly on Tuesday and at some point we will celebrate (as a school) our first reward for earning over 1,000 tickets as a school. 

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

Peace,

Mr. Young