Post Break Push!

Hey Lovely Families,

It has been a great week back from vacation. The kids appear to have grown quite a bit over just the past few days! We are geared up for the final push and we have lots to do!

We are currently working on our class plays, which the kids got scripts for. They all know which parts they are doing and are totally excited about it. A few kids have also chosen to recite some poetry instead of/including being in a play. I am really looking forward to seeing them display their wide range of abilities. Ask your child about what they are choosing to do.

In Writer's Workshop the kids are continuing their work on their information pieces. They will be creating visuals to go along with their writing as well, which we will be working on in the next few few weeks. Some kids are going the extra mile and are also working on doing an independent project. There are some really motivated learners in this group!

We had a great assembly this week with the Drumsticks group coming to perform. The kids were motivated drummers after the performance, and it was fun to revisit again to talk about and practice the different parts they learned. Also, our trip to Henry and Mudge is coming up. If you haven't heard from me, it means that you were not picked to be a chaperone. No offense intended, and I wish we could take more but we already had 4 teachers going which means we only had 3 parent tickets. Sorry!

In science we are going to do some work on habitats in the coming weeks. We will look at the vernal pool that is in the woods, the woods in general, and also will be looking at the stream across the road. We will be discussing the different features of these habitats and how they support different kinds of organisms and animals. Ahh, the outdoor classroom!

Again, as always, be in touch with comments, questions, or concerns.

Enjoy the weekend,

~B

Dates to Remember
Friday May 13th -- Field Trip to see "Henry and Mudge" at the Flynn Theater
Thursday May 19th -- All School Meeting 2:30 (Primary Singers performing!)
Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day)

Willy Wonka and the Regular Goings-Ons

Hello Wonderful Families,

It has been such a great pleasure getting to talk to all about the progress and future goals for your children, and I really appreciate your insight and openness. If ever any of you need anything, be sure to let me know.

We had the pleasure of watching Willy Wonka yesterday and the kids were thoroughly amazed with their performance. The Rumney Theater program never ceases to amaze! Congratulations to all of the actors and stage helpers. There are shows on Friday night at 7, Saturday afternoon at 2 and Saturday evening at 7. Also, check out mychamplainvalley.com to see our Cool School segment. I think Mr. Rosen has a future in television!

We have started to work on next writing genre, information writing, and the kids have done a great job mapping out their ideas. They chose their topics yesterday which were animals from specific habitats. Ask your child what they are going to writing about. We are learning about the structure of these types of writing pieces as well as focusing on writing and spelling conventions.

We will be wrapping up our reading, spelling and sight word assessments after vacation, starting in mid May. Be sure to keep on reading over vacation! We want to make sure that we don't slip right before the finish line.

We are also sending home placement forms for next year. I spoke to many of you about this at conferences, and we take your input into strong consideration. We try our best to make sure all of the kids get what they need during this process and because the kids will be getting mixed up to accommodate the new 1/2 classroom, your input is appreciated.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and think spring!

~B